Skibane
San Antonio, TX
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Bobbo wrote:On the other hand, in August we were camping on Newfoundland island in Canada. The guy next to us had been there for 5 weeks in his travel trailer. He was supposed to be there for 3 or 4 days, but blew the engine in his truck and was stuck. He had been waiting for a crate engine to be shipped there that whole time. Vehicle problems can happen to any vehicle, not just a motorhome.
At least he was able to continue staying in his trailer while repairs were being made.
Typically, when a motorhome is in the shop for repairs, you stay in a motel - or go home.
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larry cad
ohio
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Lwiddis wrote:“And with a travel trailer and no "tow vehicle", you are "trapped" also.”
Who would have a TT and not have a tow vehicle, Larry?
How about this guy:
"The guy next to us had been there for 5 weeks in his travel trailer. He was supposed to be there for 3 or 4 days, but blew the engine in his truck and was stuck"
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valhalla360
No paticular place.
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MarkTwain wrote:I towed a travel trailer 32' Holiday Rambler for 10 yrs. and a Big Horn 5th. wheel for 10 yrs. I would recommend a 5th. wheel without question. They are easier to hitch and unhitch and are much more stable with driving down the road. i.e. when strong winds and big 18-wheelers pass you will hardly notice.
They take a couple minutes extra to connect the WDH but not really more difficult unless you travel solo but even there with the rear truck cameras, I've seen guys do it quick and easy.
If you are wagging around every time a semi goes by, something is wrong...fix it. We've had both and while the 5er wins out by a small margin if it's a white knuckle drive with a TT, something is wrong.
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valhalla360
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bukhrn wrote:The only thing I don't see referenced is, Difference in size, ie: if you have a 34-36 ft Class A and go to a 28 ft TT, there's a big difference in comfort space/ storage space and generally lower class amenities. (Notice the term, Generally) as nothing about an RV is written in stone.
If you buy the same level, a 28ft TT is typically going to give you similar comfort to a 32-34ft MH because the MH has to set aside space for the cockpit.
If you move up into that "high class amenities", it typically comes with high prices. Far more so than the truck/trailer combo.
Storage tends to offset if that's important to you because you typically will have a van/pickup that offers a lot of storage...just in a different format.
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Samsonsworld
West Texas
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Joined: 06/18/2015
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Lwiddis wrote:With a motorhome and no towed, you are “trapped” in the campsite IMO. No one wants to break camp to go to town for lunch.
You say that like its a bad thing. I hate going somewhere and the first thing the wife wants to do is go to Walmart....or worse yet boutiques.
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Skibane
San Antonio, TX
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One of the things I appreciate most about RVing with a TT is the relative ease of self-repairs. Things tend to be smaller (which makes them easier to handle), and more standardized (which means less scavenging for repair parts).
Here's an example: Changing a flat tire.
Motorhome tires tend to be big, heavy, and secured with big, highly-torqued lug nuts. The nuts on my Class A required a 6 foot breaker bar to loosen or tighten to specs.
Having 19.5 inch tires meant that replacements were relatively scarce and expensive (and almost non-existent in Mexico).
Many of the automotive centers that cater to passenger vehicles don't stock them, and won't mount or balance them.
That's not much of an issue with travel trailer tires, and almost unheard of with tires on the pickups and SUVs commonly used as tow vehicles.
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ReneeG
Meridian, Idaho
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After reading your original question on switching from a Class A to a travel trailer, think about storage and space. There will be a difference. Twelve years ago before we purchased our FW, we were seriously looking at a Class A and towing our Jeep. We visited the dealership several times looking at the motorhome and at the same time, we were looking at FWs. On the third visit of the Class A, hubby said to me, "where are you going to put the garbage can?" OMGeee! I started looking at the space inside. Where would I put the garbage can? Where would I store the dog food, etc? That did it for me. Inside, the space was not as much as some FW's we looked at. I'm not suggesting you look at FW's but think about storage compared to what you currently have. Also, consider the quality of RVs today. It's not as good as years back. The work you need to do on your Class A may equate to repairs to the TT down the road, even after the warranty (if you buy new) runs out.
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valhalla360
No paticular place.
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Skibane wrote:One of the things I appreciate most about RVing with a TT is the relative ease of self-repairs. Things tend to be smaller (which makes them easier to handle), and more standardized (which means less scavenging for repair parts).
Here's an example: Changing a flat tire.
Motorhome tires tend to be big, heavy, and secured with big, highly-torqued lug nuts. The nuts on my Class A required a 6 foot breaker bar to loosen or tighten to specs.
Having 19.5 inch tires meant that replacements were relatively scarce and expensive (and almost non-existent in Mexico).
Many of the automotive centers that cater to passenger vehicles don't stock them, and won't mount or balance them.
That's not much of an issue with travel trailer tires, and almost unheard of with tires on the pickups and SUVs commonly used as tow vehicles.
Replaced the tires on my truck...$600 out the door. A little less for the trailer tires but let's call it $1200 for a full set of treads.
Two couples we know bought front engine Class A's used. Of course, the tires were old on both. The one got a deal and it was $3500 but they had to drive an hour away. The other got them closer but paid $4000. I can only guess how bad it is with a big diesel pusher with a tag axle.
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p38fln
Superior, WI
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if your tow vehicle breaks down, you can always go down to U-Haul and rent an F-450 or F-550 (also known as a 26 foot moving van). They all have trailer hitches. u-haul also sells a bluetooth brake controller for $200. Might have to do a little effort on making up a 4 way to 7 way adapter but you'll be able to safely tow the travel trailer out of the campground without calling a tow truck.
Your motorhome breaks down? I believe its something like $1500 to call a heavy duty wrecker
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