5th Wheel RVs?

[onewhippedpuppy]

We are considering a 5th wheel RV to use as a poor man’s lake house. The plan is to park it at an RV park near a marina for a season instead of towing our boat every weekend and renting hotels and VRBOs. We would be in an RV Park with full connections for water, sewer, and electricity. Any suggestions regarding quality between brands, must have features, etc? We are typically 2-4 adults and 3-6 kids and are considering a 36+ ft 5th wheel in a bunkhouse configuration. Wife is adamant that she wants a full fridge and freezer and washer/dryer, and I would like an outdoor kitchen. Towing would be twice per year, so fairly minimal, and I have an F250 diesel so it should be manageable.

[ian c2]

I know nothing about them , other than only a certain maximum length can get into ca beaches and state parks .

I have been parking in an rv park across the street everyday for over a year as my car is too low to get into the project parking lot .

From what I’ve seen , you get a spot for the rv and a spot for a car or truck next to it .
Leaves plenty of room for tables chairs and grill etc.

If your wife’s only criterior for a vacation is full-size laundry equipment and fridge-freezer , I think she’s telling you she’d rather stay home .....

[onewhippedpuppy]

Don’t worry about my wife, she’s spent the entire evening shopping RVs.

[911boost]

Way too much to type

Shoot me a PM.

[Bill Douglas]

We are typically 2-4 adults and 3-6 kids in a RV? I'm not sure this is a good idea.

[E38Driver]

The washer/dryer units for RV's are very small. Like four bath towels is a full load small. I have seen some 5th wheel units that have a full size side by side in them but my concern about one of those is what happens when you have to replace it?

I have a 33 foot 5th wheel toy hauler.

Dave

[JavaBrewer]

Buy used.

Now that said look into the places you intend to stay for max length. As already saeid many camp spots are not open to more than 25'....well yes CA leading that one.

Finally, buy used. You will save 50% in the 3-4 year old market. Trailers are built to a low standard to be light weight and to be towable with a f150. After a couple weeks shopping we saved $22k buying used and higher quality. It's a buyers market Matt.

The used 2008 Travel trailer we bought was listed for $11995 from a RV dealer. We saw it, texted later that day our price was $8300. They countered in 10 minutes at $8500.

[URY914]

^^^

I agree with buying used. I've been looking too and you save big $$$.

There are about a million RV forums.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by 911boost

Way too much to type

Shoot me a PM.

Done thanks!

Originally Posted by Bill Douglas

We are typically 2-4 adults and 3-6 kids in a RV? I'm not sure this is a good idea.

It’s really just for sleeping. We’ll be on the lake during the day. Right now we are traveling to various area lakes and renting a VRBO or paying for a hotel. The idea is to pick a home lake and keep the RV and boat there. It also saves me the trouble of trailering a boat all the time, which gets old.

Originally Posted by E38Driver

The washer/dryer units for RV's are very small. Like four bath towels is a full load small. I have seen some 5th wheel units that have a full size side by side in them but my concern about one of those is what happens when you have to replace it?

I have a 33 foot 5th wheel toy hauler.

Dave

Most of the bigger 5th wheel units we have been looking at have split apartment style washers and dryers. Some are set up to be stackable but most are separated. Replacement shouldn’t be an issue from what I can see.

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

Buy used.

Now that said look into the places you intend to stay for max length. As already saeid many camp spots are not open to more than 25'....well yes CA leading that one.

Finally, buy used. You will save 50% in the 3-4 year old market. Trailers are built to a low standard to be light weight and to be towable with a f150. After a couple weeks shopping we saved $22k buying used and higher quality. It's a buyers market Matt.

The used 2008 Travel trailer we bought was listed for $11995 from a RV dealer. We saw it, texted later that day our price was $8300. They countered in 10 minutes at $8500.

Yeah lightly used is definitely the way to go. Even new they already have huge markdowns just on the sticker from MSRP. We aren’t planning to get at all serious until September when the season is over and there are more deals to be had. I’m also excluding the lightweight 1/2 ton towable units for that exact reason, they feel cheaper and have less features due to the lightweight construction. I’ve found lots of RV parks that will take up to 50 ft, this is the Midwest we have plenty of space.

[CurtEgerer]

We've been living full-time in our 5th wheel for 2+ years. Spent several months researching before we purchased. There are 2 basic categories of 5th wheels: I-beam frame (95% of the market - Grand Design, Montana, Landmark, etc.) and custom box tube frame (far stronger, very expensive, and sort of like roll cage construction - New Horizon, Mobile Suites, Spacecraft, Carriage, Excel, Teton Homes, etc.). The I-beam frames are almost all built by one company - Lippert. Further, there are standard-width 96" trailers and 'wide-body' 102" trailers. Those few extra inches make a HUGE difference inside.

Even with a very large 43-footer, it will be tight with that many people. We've had 5 adults and 3 small dogs in ours for a few days when the kids are visiting and it is a PIA with people sleeping on couches and on the floor

Used is the only way to go. We bought a like-new wide body tube-frame trailer for far less than the cost of one of the cheapo plastic palace I-beam trailers brand new.

[john70t]

Check the wear specs of that 5th wheel as well as the adjustment pin gear slop.
They can get quite "out-of-round" if not kept lubed.

You don't want to be banging around on every start/stop.

[rfuerst911sc]

I agree with others buying used is the way to go . I'm a fan of fiberglass roof and skin if possible as they generally have less seams to leak . RV's are VERY prone to leaking from the movement of going down the road . I also like a rear bath because they are generally larger AND you keep any stink far from the front main cabin area . I am also not a fan of slides , yes they give more room but more mechanisms to go wrong and additional leak paths . If the RV is not going to be under a roof structure at the RV park then a fold out awning is a nice feature . You can still eat outside if you choose to do so in the rain as long as it's not too windy , they can quickly become a sail and end up in Oz

If your truck does not have a 5th wheel hitch but does have a goose neck hitch there are adapters that can convert the trailer to the truck . Why buy a 5th wheel hitch if you are only going to move it once a year ? Large LP bottles is a good thing so check those out . RV manufacturers are a dime a dozen but generally speaking the onboard systems are fairly consistent in the way they work . Make sure you 100 % know how to winterize the unit , bad things happen when water systems freeze ! And NEVER EVER lose track of how tall the rig is as REALLY bad things happen when you do ! Have fun

[Cajundaddy]

Your planned application is perfect for a 5th wheel IMO. My inlaws were 5th wheelers and did the snowbird thing for 10 years between Rogue River Oregon and Rocky Point MX. They loved it. I agree that lightly used is the way to go even if wifey needs to replace all the fabrics inside, it is reasonably cheap and she can make it her own.

I can't comment on brand choices but keeping the roof sound and avoiding leaks is a big deal.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Curt, fantastic response thanks, that's exactly what I'm looking for. In the grand spectrum of RVs, what are considered quality brands vs crap? Some things are obvious like materials, fit/finish, cabinet and door construction, slides, etc, but the quality of the underlying structure is much more my concern. I don't need high end luxury, but I also don't want to buy into a world of trouble.

rfuerst911sc I'm in good shape for winterizing, I used to do maintenance for a mobile home company. Amazing how similar they are.

[onewhippedpuppy]

One other comment I would make, most of the high end models seem tailored towards full timing it. Big master suite, nice kitchen and seating area, not much else. We need something more along the lines of a bunkhouse layout.

[Arizona_928]

I know the weekend warrior type that have the 5th wheel toy hauler. they put their polaris side by side in the back with double bunk beds when the polaris is outside.
Alternative is the kids getting a tent.
Some of the very large rigs are stupid expesive. Watch weight.

[rrental]

Avoid anything with hyper/ultra/super light in the name. If buying used, check for delamination if it's a fiberglass or smooth wall and check for moist in the walls. A PPI done at an (independent) RV repair shop is recommended. Also, check the floor, especially at the wheel well area. We have seen lots of rotten floors because of poor sealing jobs. A simple moisture meter can save you lots of $$$.

From what we see the Arctic Fox trailer is not too bad. No such thing as a well build RV. IMO. They all use the same components made by the big guys such as Dometic, Lippert etc..

The early Weekend Warriors ( If I remember correctly pre 2010) had serious frame issues.

I owned and sold a RV repair shop and we have seen cases that makes your stomach turn. Good families spending many $$ on rotten units.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by rrental

Avoid anything with hyper/ultra/super light in the name. If buying used, check for delamination if it's a fiberglass or smooth wall and check for moist in the walls. A PPI done at an (independent) RV repair shop is recommended. Also, check the floor, especially at the wheel well area. We have seen lots of rotten floors because of poor sealing jobs. A simple moisture meter can save you lots of $$$.

From what we see the Arctic Fox trailer is not too bad. No such thing as a well build RV. IMO. They all use the same components made by the big guys such as Dometic, Lippert etc..

The early Weekend Warriors ( If I remember correctly pre 2010) had serious frame issues.

I owned and sold a RV repair shop and we have seen cases that makes your stomach turn. Good families spending many $$ on rotten units.

Great feedback thanks. Are there any brands that you recall being consistently shoddy quality? Or maybe I should say, worse than average?

[Tim Hancock]

Matt,

We bought our 31.5' bumper pull camper for the same reason.... to have a dock on the local river... Unfortunately there is a long waiting list there for a river front spot. So now we will sell the camper and use my motorhome if a spot ever opens up at the river. Until then, we can tow the boat with the motorhome for a weekend at a lake.

Our 2013 bumper pull camper is basically brand new and still has the energy rating stickers on the tv. We have used it only twice (2018 and 2019 Airventure). It has been nice to stay in, but it is built super cheap compared to our somewhat high end diesel pusher. Ours has been stored inside and only used twice since 2015 (original owner likely only used it a couple times before that).... with that said, the paint is flaking off the lower frame rails likely from poor prep. The welds are awful. The cabinets are all basically thin Luan wood. Many screws have been found inside from window shades. The flimsy door trim inside has had to be reattached.... I am just not impressed at all how shoddy these modern campers are put together. In my opinion, one left outside for 5 summers at a lake will render it a piece of disposable ****. Still alot cheaper than buying a lakefront house, but don't expect it to remain nice like you would with the cars you are used to buying, using then selling.

[rfuerst911sc]

I grew up with travel trailers for as long as I can remember . I don't remember every brand my parents owned but I do remember the Franklin and Avion . The Franklin was a tank , it was very heavy for an 18 footer I think it had 2x4 walls ! The Avion was by far the best they ever owned . It was 26 foot with rear bath . All aluminum skin but anodized vs. shiny like Airstream . Built like an airplane with aluminum interior skin riveted to aluminum stringers .

Modern day RV's from let's say 1990 and beyond are generally just slapped together as quickly as possible . Many are already leaking as they leave the factory . Many RV dealers make car salesman look like choir boys !!! Because of this their value sinks like a rock that's why I suggest buying used .