Going from Class A to Fifth Wheel. Need advice.

[KODIAKHERSHEY]

Have had a 36' Bounder for 10 years. Mileage sucks and it is getting older. Getting about 6mpg now.
We have decided to buy a new truck and a gently used fifth wheel.
Want a 32 to 34 ft fifth wheel.
Doing a lot of research on trucks. Chevy, Ford, Ram.
3/4 ton or one ton?
Gas or diesel??
Dual wheels?
What are you really getting for gas mileage on your rig? ??? ?
Is it realistic to want 12, 14, 15 MPG??
Thanks in advance.


Edit: Moderator removes a couple dozen blank lines to shorten this up.

 

[SeilerBird]

You sure are spending a lot of money to save money on gas. I would take about $10k and invest it into fixing up what you already have.

 

[Roadhappy]

We average about 9 mpg with our setup. Not great and from what I read, not far off from a class a.
34' fifth wheel with an F250.

Robin

 

[Becks]

Would love to trade mileage with you Robin. We get 6-6 1/2 mpg, as do most with large heavy class A's.

 

[Brent365]

I have a ram 3500 diesel, dual rear wheels. Towing a 44 foot toy hauler. We average 9mpg. We love our camper. I also think you would like the fact that when you set up camp, you still have your tow vehicle to go wherever you want vs the class A. Good luck

 

[RVRAC]

I get 10-12 mpg towing, but 19-20 when not.

 

[JoeFatz]

I get 10 in the f150  and 12/14 in the f250 7.3 pulling nothing, put a load on either and it drops a bunch, dont think I would want to take that step backwards for maybe 2mpg, the amenities of a class a/c are worth it, not having to stop for someone to use the bathroom alone is well worth it.
But if your set on doing it I'd recommend a 1 ton diesel, better to have more pulling power than you need than not enough or just enough.

 

[glen54737]

I get 10-12 mpg towing, but 19-20 when not.

Same here 1 ton diesel.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I think 7.2-8.0 is more typical of heavy class A's, but a lot depends on the weight of your right foot. You need to go easy on the pedal, staying around 57-62 mph and gentle starts.

 

[steveblonde]

on a recent 3500 mile trip almost entirely in the mountains-  i got 10.6mpg pulling a 40 ft 15500lb toy hauler with a 2013 chev 3500 single rear wheel truck rated at 17000 towing 3865 cargo cap no way would i trade my 5er for a motorhome and a toad

 

[grashley]

I have been studying this exact issue for over a year.

Depending on the WEIGHT of the FW ( I mean GVWR, not dry wt), the choice is between a 1 ton SRW and dually. 
A ? ton generally runs out of payload around 12,000# GVWR, although many people pull heavier FW with these trucks every day.
A 1 ton SRW is good to 15,000# - 16,000#, depending on actual payload and how much is in the truck.
A 1 ton dually is good to 20,000# and more, depending on which truck and options.

When you go RV shopping, take note of the GVWR on the campers you like.  This is a very important first step.  20% of this weight will be pin weight, carried by the truck.  Take this number, add 200# for a FW hitch, add the weight of all passengers, pets, cargo, tool boxes, tools, etc to be carried in the truck.  The truck payload, or CCC must exceed this number.

When you go truck shopping, first, open the driver door.  There is a yellow label on the B pillar stating the CCC for THAT truck as it left the factory.  If the number is too small, close the door and keep looking.

Many things affect payload.  The cab size.  Bigger cab, more weight, less CCC.  Bed length.  2WD vs 4WD.  Gas or Diesel.  Trim package and options.  My F350 as an XL and no options has a CCC of 3990#.  My Lariat has a CCC of 3453#.  Tire size.  Smaller tires likely have lower tire load ratings, thus lower capacity and lower GVWR.

I found a great deal on a 3 year old F350, which fit my needs perfectly and cost $15,000 LESS than a new truck just like it.  $24,000 less than MSRP.  You may want to at least look at late model used.

Mine is diesel, 4WD Supercab Long bed Lariat.  It is too early to get a great handle on mileage, but 18 mpg highway is very possible.  I have not used it to tow yet.

Hope this helps and enjoy the hunt!

 

[brujomar]

I pull a 16,000 lb, fifth wheel with one ton 2011 Dodge Laramie Mega Cab diesel, single rear wheel, short bed.
Over the past 40,000 or so miles of towing with this unit, I average 10.2 mpg towing and between 14 and 16 mpg city/freeway when not towing.

 

[nibroc]

I think 7.2-8.0 is more typical of heavy class A's, but a lot depends on the weight of your right foot. You need to go easy on the pedal, staying around 57-62 mph and gentle starts.

sums it up to just about ANYTHING you might be driving if you want good mileage

                        JMMHO-------

 

[TonyDtorch]

I have some questions.

a Ram 3500 DW weighs about 7500 lbs. and a loaded big 5th wheel weighs 15k lbs,  so that's 22.5 lbs total weight.
that rv setup will get around 10-12 mpg.

The average diesel class A weighs ( 28-30k lbs.),  with a toad @ ( 4k lbs.) that's about 32-34k lbs. of RV.
  this very common class A rv setup will get 7-9 mpg,  so that explains the difference in mileage.

..where is the extra 10-12 thousand pounds (5 tons) of weight? .... is a 5th wheel built with that much lighter materials?
even the 100 gal tanks of each water and fuel only weigh about 1700 lbs.

something's not adding up....

 

[Ernie n Tara]

I suggest you do the math before buying to get better mileage. Almost no one could expect to save enough on a two to three mpg improvement. And NO! Mileage in the mid to high teens is an unrealistic expectation for towing a full frontal area RV.

Weight doesn't makes that much difference in mileage.  The significant factor is DRAG. Few people realize that increasing your speed from 55 to 70 mph will DOUBLE the drag (dramatically reducing mileage). On level highway is drag probably absorbing over 95% of the horsepower being consumed.  A related factor is available horsepower. If you've got it, you'll tend strongly to use it, particularly in a Class A (I suspect drivers of big fifth wheels tend to drive more cautiously).

Ernie

Note: I get just over 9 mpg in a 340 hp, 34, 000 lb Class A pulling a Rubicon and running the generator full time.

 

[Larry N.]

Weight doesn't makes that much difference in mileage.  The significant factor is DRAG.

In stop-and-go traffic weight makes a big difference, but otherwise the above is exactly right -- drag increases (or decreases) as the square of the speed change. This is why you might get a little better mileage at high altitudes (less drag), all else being equal (which it rarely is).

 

[TonyDtorch]

so,  stop and go driving  or going up a hill....we all know weight will impact the fuel millage ?

the 'less drag fuel millage' advantage probably begins on a flat road at about 40 mph. and depends somewhat on wind speed/direction .

but the question is,  where on the 5th wheel rig did they save the 3 1/2 tons of weight ?

 

[KODIAKHERSHEY]

WOW. Thanks for all the reply's.
We think it is not feasible to fix up the current rig. It is a 98, 36S Bounder.
Love the coach. Over 115k miles on a gas 460 ford.
You give us lots to consider. I did have a tow dolly for a while, just too much work. So the wife drives behind me. We usually go only about 100 miles away.
Now that we are going full time, well, just don't know yet...
More research and a few trips to rv and truck dealers.
Thanks, So much.
John and Shirl
Currently; Valrico, Florida
Going; Who knows where.

 

[Dream Chasers]

We have a 34' dp and tow 4 down a Honda CRV. We average 9 mpg. So far only in Florida so very flat. When camped and we drive the Honda around, we get about 22 to 25. Love the convenience of being able to stop at a rest area in the rain and being able to fix lunch or get snacks, and to use the restroom without having to get wet.

 

[grashley]

When you are getting started from a stop, weight is the major factor in both acceleration and fuel consumption.  Climbing a grade, weight is a major factor.  When cruising down the highway at constant speed, inertia keeps things moving.  The slowing effect of drag, primarily wind drag, is the main consumer of power.

A FW is lighter, thus better economy getting started.  It is also more aerodynamic (truck vs flat front RV).  The FW wins both points.

Where did all the extra weight go when downsizing from class A to FW? 
The diesel pusher is much larger and heavier than a SD truck diesel.
The RV must have a chassis capable of supporting all of the weight on two axles, thus much heavier chassis.  The FW has 4 axles and two separate, shorter, lighter chassis.
The RV is just plain bigger (total volume), thus more and heavier materials required.  Much of this may be in the basement storage added below an RV chassis, but within a FW chassis.

There are many differences.  Most make the RV more desirable, and almost all make it heavier.