mh or tt

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swampsauce

Active member
Joined
Dec 15, 2005
Posts
27
Location
rockingham, nc
parents are 70 and 67. live in nc. want to travel about 4-6 weeks per year to michigan., about 2 weeks per trip. dads got a '04 chevy z71 gas. hes thinkin
g a 20-25 foot travel trailer late model. i own an'86 motorhome, would drive anywhere. i think a motorhome towing his truck is a better move than the travel trailer. now without over-thinking this, using the vast amount of experience here, what do yall think would be better. using comfort,safety,ease of use,  maintenance etc. as a guide. he has no experience in the rv world. just a few simple pros and cons to help him make a decision. thanks a ton.
 
My parents are both 78. They have a 24-foot 5th wheel, Mom does all the driving. They love it. They go out for months at a time and enjoy being able to park the 5er and drive around in the truck. And they have the truck for driving around when they're at home. Also the benefit of lower maintenance and insurance costs when only one vehicle has an engine. Add to that that they almost always stay in campgrounds....wouldn't even consider spending the night in a Wal-Mart campground.

On the other hand, we have a motorhome and love it. We can stop late and just climb in the back to sleep. I don't have to wait for Mike to pull over if I need a bathroom break or need to get a drink from the fridge. We rarely stop in any place for more than a day or 2 (Quartzsite and Moab excepted). And we want to be able to tow our VW Thing or an SUV. And we love staying in Wal-Mart parking lots.

All of us enjoy staying in federal campgrounds, NPS, Forest Service, etc.. Both kinds of vehicles work for this type of camping.

So much depends on personal preference. Maybe, since they're new to RVing, they could borrow your motorhome and give that a try?
 
I am about their age and tow a TT and have for a decade.  If they are new to the game, I would hesitate to recommend a TT without some knowledge of their physical condition.  There is a certain amount of work in hitching and unhitching and setting up camp.  I have learned how to do it over the years and have learned how to cheat on the work. 

Have them rent a motorhome and give that a try for their first trip or so.  They may not even like RVing.  In any case they can sample the motorhome and kibitz TT operations at campgrounds to see if they like what they see and feel they could tackle TT handling.

 
2? from a newbie.....we bought a motorhome last May and I haven't jumped off into towing a car yet, however, we get to where we're going and rent a car. It is a little more expensive but I don't have to worry about my car behind the motorhome or towing. So, why not let 'em rent a moho or try yours and rent a car on arrival?? It's pretty easy for us that way.

Joe
 
The motorhome rote is certainly the most convenient for them from a traveling point of view and probably the least physically demanding, if that is a concern.  Financially, though, a trailer makes the most sense for their expected usage.  There's no point in having the expense of a motorhome (and associated vehicle & insurance costs) sitting around unused 46 weeks a year
 
Financially, though, a trailer makes the most sense for their expected usage.  There's no point in having the expense of a motorhome (and associated vehicle & insurance costs) sitting around unused 46 weeks a year

You are right.  There is a way around most of the grunt and groan of the hitching process -- the Hensley Arrow hitch plus a electric hitch jack.    A good friend of mine owns a Hensley and from his operations the hitching is just a matter of backing the truck's ball into the Y-jaws of the Hensley coupler and locking the mechanism down.  The height of the coupler is adjusted by the electric hitch jack -- the greatest thing since the invention of sliced bread all by itself. 

The Hensley is pricey, a bit more than $3K, but it is a helluva lot cheaper than the price differential of TT vs. Motorhome.  Moreover, you get the bonus of the best anti-sway mechanism around.

Specify the Hensley and a power jack and price the trailer on that basis.  Should beat the cheapest motorhome of comparable floor plan.
 

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