5th Wheel - Fulltime vs. Snowbird, etc. - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Kathryn · RV-Dreams Family Member

5th Wheel - Fulltime vs. Snowbird, etc.

Luvglass · RV-Dreams Family Member

I think you are safe considering any "snowbird" unit as being suitable for full timing.

The key is to look for a higher quality rig with the floor plan and amenities you desire. There are thousands of people living long term without any problems in rigs not considered either full time, nor snow bird.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

While we aren't full-timers yet, in my lexicon of terms, a snowbird unit is one that is of quality build and good sized but may be lacking a little in insulation, thus the need to travel South for the winters. However, there are a number of people out there that are living full-time in such RV's and not having problems, even in areas of colder weather. I guess it kind of depends upon one's perspective of what is comfortable and not.

We may have gone to the extreme in our choice, but our Mobile Suites is one of that group of DRV Suites products that were created with the full-timers in mind. The owners of DRV Suites used to be part owners of Sunnybrook. The DRV Suites models have 3 1/4" walls and one of the highest insulation "R" factors in the industry. Our choice of the Mobile Suites is because we will still be living in the Oklahoma City area for a few years until we retire, and it does get cold here.

In choosing a fifth wheel, be sure and look for those where there is an "underbelly" that protects the plumbing from freezing. Also consider the frame size, the axle capacity, and the wheel sizes. All of those parts form the "foundation" of any unit.

Good luck in your searching and researching.

Terry

Tim & Robyn · RV-Dreams Family Member

When I was researching 5th wheels one of the factors that was important to me and my wife was cargo carrying capacity, AFTER factoring in the weight of any options that were added in.

On many sites and in many posts I've seen a general rule-of-thumb recommendation of 1500 pounds per person minimum... without exceeding the maximum values for the fifth wheel itself and the combined maximum for your RV and tow vehicle. After all, if you're fulltiming you are going to be carrying all your 'stuff' with you.

Other factors are whether or not the unit is warranted for fulltime use (some are, some aren't - that may be important ), and I guess it also depends on where you want to be during the different seasons of the year. I live in Columbus, GA (further south than where Howard and Linda are now), and it gets pretty cold here in the winters, although they don't last as long as they do further north. But I've experienced termperatures here as low as 5 degrees Fahrenheit, and even some weeks when it didn't get above freezing.

Full-time rated and warranted units tend to be at the upper end of the price scale, and they also tend to be heavy, meaning you need a beefier capable tow vehicle.

So I guess it comes down to how many options you want to have as far as location goes in different seasons, and what your budget will tolerate.

I hope this helps... it's all a balancing act, and I researched for two years. I have also found this forum and the RV-Dreams family to be the friendliest, and most helpful forum I have visited.

Good luck in your search, and if you can find a high-quality used unit that works for you, jump on it. You'll save all that initial depreciation of a new unit, and if it's in good shape all the initial bugs that ALL new units seem to have should already have been shaken out.

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

Could someone give a few examples of units that are specifically approved for full-time living? I know that people do live full-time in all sorts of rigs, and that many manufacturers do not approve of their rigs being used for full-time living. We're going to buy a temporary rig this week, anticipating the purchase of a 5er for FT living in a few years, and it might be nice to know what to be looking at as we learn more over the next couple of year.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

David,

Please allow me to direct you to the links below. I found each of them by using the forum "Search" feature at the top of the page next to "User Details". This first one has quite a few responses from different folks that should be helpful. Some have even broken them down by price ranges.

http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=91511&p=3&topicID=8742605

I used the search phrase "Full time fifth wheels" and found all the links at the link below. The link above is the same as the top thread on this page:

http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=91511&p=70

As mentioned above, our Mobile Suites is a part of DRV Suites, a company that was started specifically for full timers. Also, I should mention that some manufacturers will not warrany their unit if the owners are living in them full time. If you were to purchase a fifth wheel with the intent of "part-timing it" for a few years (long enough for the factory warranty to expire anyway), then this caution would not be a factor to bother you. On another thread somewhere, I explained how even a "factory rep" told us to "just don't tell us that you are living in it full time." (With that in mind, we made it a point to keep looking at the DRV Suites models.)

While our unit has an MSRP of around $125,000, we didn't pay anywhere near that, even for a brand new unit that we ordered and had equipped as we wanted. Should you be interested in the Mobile Suites, which by the way is the mid-priced range of DRV products, there is a couple in Elk City, OK that buys used ones at auction (usually after a repossession), cleans them up, checks them out, and then resells them. If interested, check out "Rolling Retreats" with your internet search engine.

Good luck with your looking, researching, and asking questions. If you notice my number of posts, I am becoming quite a "post-addict", partly because I asked a LOT of questions in our two years research and planning phase. If you want to see something of what our unit looks like, check out the link below my signature for my Photobucket account. The Mobile Suites photos are under the "Our New Home" folder.

Terry