Good brands of "full-timer" 5th wheels

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Rhalium

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Recently purchased a new-to-me 30 foot motorhome back in July 2023. B

een thinking about changing over to a 5th wheel now since I think it's just too much to be taking care of all the motorhome maintenance, etc. Brakes, pads, shocks, tires, etc.

We recently went and looked at a 2007 hitchhiker discover America 5th wheel and it was a 31 ft. it was all-right I supposed except it didn't have a heated underbelly for the tanks, etc. Didn't seem like it was built for someone to live in. Basically, long story short, I think I could do better.

That leads me to ask what are some good [older] brands of 5th wheels to full-time in? I now know that Hitchhiker Champagne is the one to go with if you're full-timing cause even on the wayback machine on the nu wa website it says that the Champagne line of nuwa 5th wheels are good for full-timers. I know that King of the Road was another good brand.

However, I have been told to stay away from anything that says "lite" which Is what the hitchhiker 2 and king of the road "royal-lite" are. Any other good brands besides Hitchhiker and King of the Road? I've also been told to stay away from any parts of the Kitchen [fridge, stove, sink, etc] to be in the slide-out, cause that would cause more weight to be in the kitchen slide, however it seems that a non kitchen slide-out is hard to find.

Also, to find a 5th wheel no longer than 33 ft. Another tall task cause it seems most of the hitchhiker champagnes and the King of the Roads are overall length 35ft even if their model code says they are 33ft for example.
 
You say you want to change from a motorhome because of the maintenance, but I'm afraid to tell you that changing to a fifth wheel still has all the maintenance issues you mentioned. You've also got to add hitch maintenance, towing vehicle maintenance, second insurance and weight consideration with regards to the tow vehicle. As to a slide without any kitchen, I don't understand the problem as ours has the large fridge freezer, cooker and two theatre seats in one slide and apart from cable tension adjustments, is perfectly fine after 37 months of actual use in 4 years. I can also add that from the few motorhome RVs that I've been into or hired, the construction especially in the floor has been far better than any fifth wheel we have seen, probably due to weight constraints.
We do agree that anything with lite in the model probably isn't good for full time use though.
 
First off "new to me" 2023 in its worse days should be a lot better condition than any 5th wheel from 2007. And while I don't know the specific brand of your 2023, your running gear should give you many miles of minimal service as long as you keep abreast of the bits and pieces such as the brakes, tires and engine oil and surrounding related working parts on the engine. A lot of this is strictly visual too.

There are a decent amount of 5th wheels in the mid range now that carry some quality with them. Look at the Jayco 310RLS North Point. In general they are the step up models from the standard Jayco built units.

Sadly I doubt that many 5th wheels are built without slides. Most of the manufacturers are building similar sized rvs with similar layouts. The only real difference is the fluff and puff.


You should be able to travel with a F 250 without a lot of issues. Jayco makes a 5th wheel rated for half tons too, which is a bit misleading, but still a decent compromise. You will be giving up some travel features, while gaining one particular feature such as having the ability to have a vehicle to do unhooked trips from your campsites without dealing with a toad.

With some folks a toad is a pain in the rear, and you still have to deal with its own insurance, tags and care for it. Its a learning curve for operating in hilly conditions with any 5th wheel. But this is done all the time.
 
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I agree with @TonyL, you don’t make a very convincing case for wanting to jump from your current rig that you’ve only owned for 3-4 months. What year and model is it? We’ve owned two coaches and both have had a LOT of weight in at least one of their slides.. we’ve experienced no real issues. (Some, for personal reasons, prefer no slides at all; but you don’t indicate that you’re in that camp.)
Are you expecting to winter in fairly cold climates? Most full timers maintain their latitude to avoid the need for a heated underbelly (though it’s an admittedly nice-to-have feature).
 
RVs are not built to be "lived in",, they are not built to a building code for that purpose.. The term Recreationally vehicle means just that and built for that purpose,.. There is no established "code" that an RV is required to meet,, that is why quality is all over the map and prices to match.. Its a roll of the dice and the RVIA sticker is a joke that the manufacturers came up with to attempt to keep the government from regulating the industry and is not a "code" or any indication of build quality...>>>Dan
 
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Outdoors RV manufacturers some 5th wheels which are no longer than 33 feet. Heavier trailers than lites due to thicker insulation and double pane windows.Screenshot_20231120_062437_Chrome.jpg
 
Rhalium said:
Recently purchased a new-to-me 30 foot motorhome back in July 2023. B

een thinking about changing over to a 5th wheel now since I think it's just too much to be taking care of all the motorhome maintenance, etc. Brakes, pads, shocks, tires, etc.
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Yeah, it's a terrible burden. Might have to put new brake pads on after 80k miles, and the darn tires rarely last longer than 7-8 years. Hopefully you can find a fifth wheel that doesn't have tires or brakes... :giggle:
 
Rhalium said:
However, I have been told to stay away from anything that says "lite" which Is what the hitchhiker 2 and king of the road "royal-lite" are. Any other good brands besides Hitchhiker and King of the Road? I've also been told to stay away from any parts of the Kitchen [fridge, stove, sink, etc] to be in the slide-out, cause that would cause more weight to be in the kitchen slide, however it seems that a non kitchen slide-out is hard to find.
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I think you are giving far too much credence to internet meme. Much of what you reference is common blather that doesn't hold up well under analysis. Sure, any extra mechanical gadgetry carries some risk of future maintenance/repair, but rarely are they ever so complicated that they should be avoided at all costs. Traditionalist naysayers have always castigated any enhanced function, e.g. power windows, air conditioners, etc.

"Lite" is more often a marketing label than any statement of fact. And in the case of the KOTR, "Royalite" is simply the name of one of three trim levels - there is nothing "lite" about it.

Any other good brands besides Hitchhiker and King of the Road?
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Sure. Holiday Rambler Presidential series, Alfa Gold series, Newmar Torrey Pine and Kountry-aire/Mountain-aire, DRV and others I don't recall offhand.
 
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Rhalium said:
However, I have been told to stay away from anything that says "lite" which Is what the hitchhiker 2 and king of the road "royal-lite" are. Any other good brands besides Hitchhiker and King of the Road? I've also been told to stay away from any parts of the Kitchen [fridge, stove, sink, etc] to be in the slide-out, cause that would cause more weight to be in the kitchen slide, however it seems that a non kitchen slide-out is hard to find.
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The terms Lite and Ultralite mean nothing, you should go by GVWR. In my opinion, heavier means beefier because heavier duty materials were used in the construction. I know little of 5th-wheels, but some of the travel trailer models that have Lite or Ultralite in their name are among the heaviest in their line. The Forest River Super Lite 26RBW and the Keystone Outback Ultralite 260UML are 8700# and 8200# GVWR, respectively. That's pretty beefy for a 30' TT.
 
With a 5th wheel, you will have at least 10 tires to maintain, vs the six on a motor home. You have all the brakes of the motor home PLUS the brakes on the 5th wheel, and if you plan on traveling in mountainous regions, you might want to convert the 5th wheel to elect over hydraulic disc brakes and discard the all electric drum brakes. Speaking of wheels and brakes, you will have added four (or six) hubs that will require annual wheel bearing repacks.

Don't get me wrong, I like trailers, and with the motor home, you probably have a toad of some sort, and that too requires some level of attention.

Utclmjmpr said:
RVs are not built to be "lived in",, they are not built to a building code for that purpose.. The term Recreationally vehicle means just that and built for that purpose,.. There is no established "code" that an RV is required to meet,, that is why quality is all over the map and prices to match.. Its a roll of the dice and the RVIA sticker is a joke that the manufacturers came up with to attempt to keep the government from regulating the industry and is not a "code" or any indication of build quality...>>>Dan
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This is oh, so true, and oh so ignored, by full timers or full timer wanna bees. I don't want to live full time in an RV, but I would like to be able to travel for two or three months at a stretch before returning home to re-group, and modify and maintain the RV.

Living in an RV puts a LOT of stress on it, I know that I would probably not be interested in buying an RV that had been used by full timers. I would expect too much wear and tear to have accumulated.

RV's are nothing but houses, cheap houses at that, that are going through constant earthquakes. They require constant attention, everything from loose electrical connections in the power center to loose wheel bearings that need replacing, and from constantly chasing leaks in the roof, to chasing leaks in the plumbing, all due to the earthquake effect.........


shocks, tires and brake pads on a motor home would be the least of my worries.

Charles
 
My American Tradition 38TT is 26 years old and has 148K on the clock,, certainly no garage queen,, and the maint, has been "normal" all that time and usage.. I wouldn't have it any other way..>>>Dan
 
It would appear that the fifth wheels that you are considering are more than 20 years old. In any used RV the condition is far more important that the brand name or model. Unless you are an RV expert, you would be wise to any anything you are looking at inspected by a certified RV inspector. You might find a real jewel or you could find a rolling disaster.
 
Laura & Charles said:
I agree with @TonyL, you don’t make a very convincing case for wanting to jump from your current rig that you’ve only owned for 3-4 months. What year and model is it? We’ve owned two coaches and both have had a LOT of weight in at least one of their slides.. we’ve experienced no real issues. (Some, for personal reasons, prefer no slides at all; but you don’t indicate that you’re in that camp.)
Are you expecting to winter in fairly cold climates? Most full timers maintain their latitude to avoid the need for a heated underbelly (though it’s an admittedly nice-to-have feature).
Click to expand...


it's a 2005 safari simba 30 foot motorhome with the vortec 8100. gm transmission. 2 slides. it's a great unit, it's just that I think I'm into it too much money, plus on top of that having to deal with the maintenance for the 6 tires, shocks, brakes, etc. All of that maintenance stuff for a vehicle, etc. Plus, nearly everyone I asked for a motorhome versus 5th wheel, said 5th wheel, probably cause you're just taking care of an rv and with a 5th wheel you can drive the pickup truck that tows the 5th wheel into town for groceries and such. Plus, if the motorhome needs to be towed, that is a specialty tow and a BIG tow bill. meanwhile, any tow company should be able to tow a 5th wheel
 
Kirk said:
It would appear that the fifth wheels that you are considering are more than 20 years old. In any used RV the condition is far more important that the brand name or model. Unless you are an RV expert, you would be wise to any anything you are looking at inspected by a certified RV inspector. You might find a real jewel or you could find a rolling disaster.
Click to expand...
they're certainly more than 10 years old but not more than 20. I think I would only go 2005 or newer, considering I came from a 2000 Komfort 23T with no slides and lived in that one for 8 years, now I moved up to a 2005. Don't think I would wanna be hopskotching years. i.e. go from a 2000 to 2005 then back to 2003 or 2004. Certainly not a 90's era model Lol even tho they still may be good.
 
I'll just "throw it out there." You might consider Keystone Alpine, Keystone Montana, and Keystone High Country. Although they do come with slides.

Keystone Raptor and Keystone Fuzion are toy haulers, but they can be used year round, are a bit heavier built, and provide a garage that could be used for any number of storage ideas for full timing.

Be warned though, every RV, every travel trailer, every fifth wheel WILL have issues to over come in the first year of ownership. Absolutely NONE are built flawless. ALL "WILL" have issues you'll have to deal with.

If going with a fifth wheel, don't overlook models with front kitchens and models with front living rooms. The openness between the upper level and the bottom level is awesome! (bedrooms in the rear).
 
Rhalium said:
it's a 2005 safari simba 30 foot motorhome with the vortec 8100. gm transmission. 2 slides. it's a great unit, it's just that I think I'm into it too much money, plus on top of that having to deal with the maintenance for the 6 tires, shocks, brakes, etc. All of that maintenance stuff for a vehicle, etc. Plus, nearly everyone I asked for a motorhome versus 5th wheel, said 5th wheel, probably cause you're just taking care of an rv and with a 5th wheel you can drive the pickup truck that tows the 5th wheel into town for groceries and such. Plus, if the motorhome needs to be towed, that is a specialty tow and a BIG tow bill. meanwhile, any tow company should be able to tow a 5th wheel
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A whole lot fewer class A owners out there than any other type RV. So I’m guessing ‘nearly everyone’ you asked didn’t own a class A (or any motorized) RV. Being a class A owner, I’m inclined to champion thos… but MOSTLY because you already own one. I have nothing against 5th wheels. When first shopping for our home to full time in, we knew we needed either a class A or a fiver to have the storage and space we needed. We chose class A because we didn’t want a big diesel dually pickup as our grocery getter. (NOTE: Another option would be a super C… we didn’t even look at those.)

You’ve already got a class A that you called a “great unit”. Our first coach had the 8.1 Vortec and it was a great and reliable engine. CoachNet roadside assistance plans are very reasonable and have towed us twice with no copay. Setting up a car to tow with your coach seems like a far simpler and less expensive option.
(Tires, shocks, and brakes are going to be maintained on any RV… motorized OR towed.)
 
To answer your question specifically, we are no longer full-timing but we did full-time travel for 5-years, 4-years in a Grand Design 5th wheel and if we chose to do it again in 5th wheel, or any trailer for that matter, it would be in a Grand Design. Their support, customer service and quality was the best of all the RV's we have owned.
 
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