Terry & Jo:

Thanks for the reply. I haven't made any concrete plans as of yet. This idea has just begun to incubate, and I have much research and legwork to do before I make any purchase. I retire in two more years, and since I'm presently renting, I won't have to deal with the sale of a house or any other real estate entanglements. This will leave me free to explore my options, and of all the RV scenarios I've looked at so far, it appears that a large fifth wheel will offer me the greatest combination of "residential" type living space along with some degree of mobility. I seriously doubt that I'd be moving the rig more than twice a year, so distance should not be a detriment since I'm sure that paying a pro on these rare occasions would be infinitely cheaper than the cost of owning my own truck. At any rate, I'm sure this will be quite the adventure. 

Another thought......

Many snow birds have 2 nests........I have Friends that have their Coach in Fla. and have another in the north.....they travel between the 2 every 6 months.

if they decide to move them they are moving short distances to seasonal parks.......they get the best of both worlds and hop on a train or train between them.

Mike: 

I think that if I were looking at two fixed locations, I would be more inclined to just purchase property in both, rather than invest in two large RV's that will depreciate instead of appreciating in value over time. I also don't see a benefit in owning anything that I'll only be using for half of any given year, along with the hassles of moving all of my personal belongings and re-installing them in their seasonal abode. While I want as much room and as many creature comforts as I can reasonably afford, the primary allure of this lifestyle as far as I'm concerned is the idea of being self contained, and mobile without having to worry about any residence other than the one I'm living in. I'll be 62 when I retire, and although I may decide to upgrade in the future, I have no illusions about the residual value of used rigs like fifth wheels, or other large RV's. With that in mind, I may be unable to afford an upgrade ten years down the road, so I'll make my plans by considering the possibility that this may have to last the rest of my life, and make my purchase accordingly.

Mark,

Man-oh-Man, that comment about the wife would have gotten me beat up unmercifully.  My wife isn't much larger than yours (other than the weight), but Jo can easily handle our F450 and 38.5-foot Mobile Suites.  (Incidentally, the MS is also 102 inches - 8 1/2- feet - wide, so is wider than some others.)  But then, my wife had the benefit of growing up on a farm.

Terry

Terry and Jo wrote:

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Mark,

Man-oh-Man, that comment about the wife would have gotten me beat up unmercifully.  My wife isn't much larger than yours (other than the weight), but Jo can easily handle our F450 and 38.5-foot Mobile Suites.  (Incidentally, the MS is also 102 inches - 8 1/2- feet - wide, so is wider than some others.)  But then, my wife had the benefit of growing up on a farm.

Terry

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 If I could delete that post I would, there's gonna be an argument in this house today 

Driving any of the pickup trucks, MDT's or HDT's is as easy as driving a Toyota Camry.  Just taller- for better vision-, a little wider, a little longer but no more physical effort than driving a Caddy.  As long as she or you can flex your ankle, move your arms, and roll your eyes you AND she can motor on down the road.  

Mark, it sounds like you have your head on straight. You are looking at how to do what you want to do without any preconceived notions. In other words, you are willing to look at all possible solutions. You are the only one who knows exactly what your future plans might be, and those plans may well change between now and when you start shopping for a coach. Get all the advice you can by asking questions of anyone who might have even a partial answer.

Another possibility for you to think about would be to find someone with a 5'er similar to what you are considering. There would be some legal issues that would need to be addressed, but it might be another possibility.

Lots of things to think about, but it is better to think of them before writing a large check than afterward.

 

Mark:

To your question, I would be rather concerned about hiring a “backhaul” rig to tow my 5er having nothing to do with the driver.  Semis (HDT’s) and true MDT trucks in commercial service, do not have air ride hitches to keep the tractors from putting undo stress on the RV trailer frame. Most RVers that use HDT’s and MDT’s use air ride hitches, such as Trailersaver, to keep the trailer better protected from the very strong, but very lightly loaded by the RV, tractor suspension.  The tractor always wins in the vertical bump department and the trailer takes the hit.

There are air ride pin boxes that can go on the trailer itself, but IMO, these are not adequate when you connect a class 8 dual tandem tractor to almost any RV unless that RV is a true semi trailer built by companies such as Forks (Continental Coach.)

When you are talking a 43 foot RV, fully loaded with all your stuff, you’re talking more than a pickup to pull – actually stop it - safely, IMO.

Bill

 

-- Edited by Bill and Linda on Sunday 5th of January 2014 04:09:29 PM

Sorry Wendy. Perhaps it has more to do with my comfort level than with her ability. But mostly it's due to the fact that she prefers not to drive. 

Mark:

Independent of the towing “it” issue, if you’re going to really load down a trailer then you will need, IMO, a manufacture such and for example Forks, New Horizons, Spacecraft or perhaps DRV, “depending,” that can handle the extra weight of your personal possessions.  Very few “production line trailers” have the frames to handle what some might call “excessive possessions.”  You would be surprised how quickly weight adds up from “stuff.” Then again, if you don’t plant to travel much there is no need to consider carrying any water (which weighs ~8 lbs / gallon.) That saves some weight.

I have no idea as to you overall needs.  But when you are talking things in the 43 foot range you can easily be talking 24,000+ lbs GVWR if you do true customization and have a lot of stuff.  GVWR = Gross Vehicle Weight Rating – or how heavy a trailer is designed to be when loaded regardless of how it is loaded. 24K is a BIG trailer weight wise.  That said, and for one example only, New Horizons’ standard pin box is rated at 29,000 lbs so they have a lot of room to bring the GVWR up to pretty high numbers assuming a lot of other factors I won’t go into here.  But you need an appropriately equipped truck to pull it.  If you can get down into the ~20,000 lb loaded category then there are pickups that have specifications to meet that need.  But rigs with quality construction, that have 20,000lbs GVWR and are 43 feet long – well, that formula doesn’t always have a particularly good answer IMO. It depends.

Just perspective and enjoy the hunt.

Bill

Mark V wrote:

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Bill and Linda wrote:

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 I have no idea as to you overall needs. 

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That's funny, because neither do I at this early stage. It may turn out that my wife is unable to part with enough items, wanting to hang on to more stuff than we'd be able to realistically carry along, which might entail the extra cost of renting space at a storage facility. We'll have to cross (or jump off) that bridge when we come to it.

 

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Just be sure that you BOTH "cross (or jump off)" that bridge together.  If one of you is hesitant about any part of the plan/idea/desires, then it can become difficult for both of you.

I think it was Bill that brought up frames, and he is right.  Of those that he listed, I think the DRV Suites models of Elite Suites and Mobile Suites have the smallest frames with triple-box 15-inch frames.  If I remember right, New Horizons has a double-box 16-in frame.  I'm not sure what Forks (Continental Coach) and Spacecraft have for frames.  With regards to the DRV Suites models, the Elite Suites (under 40-foot length) are rated at 20,000 lbs GVWR.  While the Mobile Suites in the same lengths are listed at 18,500 lbs, they are built on the exact same frame, axle, suspension and wheel configuration as the Elite Suites.  So, I would guess that even a Mobile Suites would be safe going beyond their 18,500 lbs rating.  Personally, I see the 18,500 lb rating a good reason for not accumulating any more stuff than needed.

Terry

We had not considered this option in our own research.  Not wanting to rule it out, even with some thought provoking comments provided previously, it would be an interesting cost/benefit analysis. To me it seems the biggest difficulty would be finding and hiring somebody with the right equipment and professionalism each time you wanted to move.  Also, that is a lot of trust you would be putting in somebody else to tow your "baby".  I can see a case for the idea however, evaluating one's lifestyle needs, and personal comfort zone with respect to towing a large rig will weigh heavily in such a decision. If you decide to go this route down the road, I for one would like an update from time to time on how it's working out for you.

Mark V

Good question/ discussion. I'm beginning to toy with this as well.

Due to having my soon to be 95 year old dad living with us, it's not as easy to take out the 5th wheel as it used to be. We have curtailed our weekend trips and now basically just travel to one RV Resort and stay for several months.

In the past when we were travelling at least once per month for long weekends and two to four long trips per year. It seemed between the truck and trailer there would be an average of $500 in repairs in addition to normal maintenance costs from time to time with each trip. You can see from Howards journal they have been having some added costs for repairs.

Several older couples in the resort we stay in do have their RVs delivered on site and setup. Most are travelling from a homebase on no more than 250 miles away and staying for 3 months.

I can see the advantages to having the 5th wheel delivered. I'm sure cost wise we would break even or save money.

Bear II:

I would think that this idea would be even more enticing for older people who have larger 40' plus RV's with over 20,000 lb GVW. As was noted earlier in the discussion, safety precludes hauling such rigs with anything less than a heavy duty dually, and from what I've read they can cost a pretty penny to purchase, maintain, and drive, especially if used as an every day vehicle. Even at a cost of over $2,000 to make a move, it comes in a lot cheaper than popping for a $50,000 truck and the insurance cost of owning it.

biggaRView wrote:

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Mark V wrote:

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Even at a cost of over $2,000 to make a move, it comes in a lot cheaper than popping for a $50,000 truck and the insurance cost of owning it.

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If you put the 50,000 in a good mutual fund you could reasonably expect to earn 4,000 /yr enough to cover 2 such moves a year.   The lower fuel, maintenance, insurance costs could probably fund a 3rd move each year.  As you say.... Hmmmm.

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 And if there's a couple involved, who's to say that one person couldn't ride along with the hauler, while the other one takes the personal transportation vehicle to the next location? Just thinking out loud here.