I know most of the good reasons to buy a 5ver for full time living, but most of them are out of my price range, and the ones I can afford are rated for snowbirding. I'm leaving no stone unturned, and found that RV Consumers gives New Horizons TT ratings that are excellent, and also classifies it as suitable for fultiming. I'm also thinking it would be easier for a solo to hitch & unhitch the TT.
I'm a little leery of a TT in high winds, but are there other issues that I'm not aware of? Do any readers fulltime with one?
I promise I'm about finished asking questions
gypsy
Luvglass said
04:14 PM Sep 27, 2008
The ease of hitching and unhitching is about the same with either. Travel trailers are notably more "twitchy" when towing and prone to react when passed by large trucks. There are anti sway mechanisms that can be added, but that is additional cost.
New Horizons is a top end custom unit and I think you will find it to be more expensive than a good quality fiver.
Don't worry about the questions, it's the only thing that interests us and makes us feel useful.
Fred
The Bear II said
05:39 PM Sep 27, 2008
Feel free to ask all the questions you need to be comfortable with your decision.
We had a TT for 15 years and enjoyed it. Once we got the fifth wheel, we wondered how we put up with the TT. Our TT did not have a slide out, but had a great floorplan, except for a bottlneck at the kitchen dinnette area. The walkway was too small for two people to pass, which meant if my wife was fixing dinner and I had to go to the "library", she had to stop what she was doing and step aside. We don't have that problem with our 5th wheel.
Here's another problem with the TT. There was no comfortable chair to sit in. The TT had bench type seats with back cushions. So to relax you had to kind of build a spot to recline in. We ended up spending a lot of time sitting out under the awning because it was more comfortable. With the 5th wheel we have two recliners and a home type couch plus our dining table and chairs are just like you would find at home. The 5th wheel is very comfortable. In fact, I find myself wanting to stay inside in front of the TV more than I should.
Towing....I definitly find towing the 5th wheel a lot more stable and secure feeling than the TT. Our 5th wheel is 14 feet longer than the TT and I find it's a lot easier to tow. Backing up the 5th wheel is very precise (you know what it will do when you turn the wheel) compared to the TT. The 5th wheel is very predictable, where the TT can be affected more by outside influences like wind, road conditions, big trucks, tight turns...etc.
If you can find a 5th wheel in your price range that woul be the way to go. Keep in mind the bigger 5th wheel trailers will be harder for a dealer to sell during these tough economic times, so they should be more willing to deal on the price.
This is a beautiful unit and I would love to bid on it. I'm just about 2 or 3 wks away from having the cash to buy it though. Dang.... Thanks, and I will keep this dealer on my favorites list, and will check back when I have the $.
gypsy
ahoweth said
09:40 AM Sep 28, 2008
Hey Gypsy97;
Ah yes, the question, TT vs Fiver, which way to go?
We have owned both so I feel a little better about putting forward an opinion. First of all a Fiver will tow better than a TT under similar circumstances. Part of the reason is simply where the tongue weight of the trailer and the Fiver are applied to the tow vehicle. Typically the fiver tongue weight is applied 3 inches in front of the rear axle of the tow vehicle while the tongue weight of the TT is applied about 3 feet behind the rear axle. Thus there is a substantial difference in how the fiver tracks and backs versus the TT. One thing to consider, because of how tall the front of the fiver is it will require approximately 20% greater towing power from your tow vehicle than an equivalent TT would, simply because of the additional wind resistance. As for hithching up, I can honestly say that there isn't a whole lot of difference accept for one thing. Typically you can look out the back window of a pickup truck and see where the draw pin is on the fiver. I will defy you to see the tongue of the trailers position in relation to the ball it has to mate up with when attempting to connect. Consequently I feel that hitching up by yourself is easier with the fiver. Were I ever to return to towing vesus our motorcoach it would definitely be a fiver and not a TT, especially with the power now available in trucks with diesel engines.
JMO
-- Edited by ahoweth at 10:41, 2008-09-28
Sonia said
09:24 PM Sep 28, 2008
My advice: please don't put your highest level of importance on whether you like the looks of whatever you buy. Most important is how durable the walls, floors, and cabinets are; how much weight you can carry inside, and how easy it is to access your electrical and other systems for doing repairs, addtions.
It's amazing how much our things weigh. I keep accumulating books that I don't want to part with, but I'm going to have to, soon.
Will you want to add solar? Is there space on the roof to add solar panels and in the unit for the inverter or whatever? Will you be adding satellite, either TV or internet? Is there space on the roof for these things; is the unit constructed so that you can run the necessary wiring? All these are important considerations before you buy.
I only looked at travel trailers, not 5th wheels, but my favorite 5th wheel that I have subsequently seen is Mobile Suites. I have a New Horizons. Have you looked at the previously owned New Horizons? I don't know how to put hyperlinks in this forum, but look at: http://www.nhog.us/forsale/index.htm
I'm a little leery of a TT in high winds, but are there other issues that I'm not aware of? Do any readers fulltime with one?
I promise I'm about finished asking questions
gypsy
New Horizons is a top end custom unit and I think you will find it to be more expensive than a good quality fiver.
Don't worry about the questions, it's the only thing that interests us and makes us feel useful.
Fred
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BIGHORN-3055RL-3-SLIDE-FIFTH-WHEEL-RV-WHOLESALE-OFFER_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ50062QQihZ011QQitemZ320302978319
Good luck in your search and Happy Camping!
gypsy
Ah yes, the question, TT vs Fiver, which way to go?
We have owned both so I feel a little better about putting forward an opinion. First of all a Fiver will tow better than a TT under similar circumstances. Part of the reason is simply where the tongue weight of the trailer and the Fiver are applied to the tow vehicle. Typically the fiver tongue weight is applied 3 inches in front of the rear axle of the tow vehicle while the tongue weight of the TT is applied about 3 feet behind the rear axle. Thus there is a substantial difference in how the fiver tracks and backs versus the TT. One thing to consider, because of how tall the front of the fiver is it will require approximately 20% greater towing power from your tow vehicle than an equivalent TT would, simply because of the additional wind resistance. As for hithching up, I can honestly say that there isn't a whole lot of difference accept for one thing. Typically you can look out the back window of a pickup truck and see where the draw pin is on the fiver. I will defy you to see the tongue of the trailers position in relation to the ball it has to mate up with when attempting to connect. Consequently I feel that hitching up by yourself is easier with the fiver. Were I ever to return to towing vesus our motorcoach it would definitely be a fiver and not a TT, especially with the power now available in trucks with diesel engines.
JMO
-- Edited by ahoweth at 10:41, 2008-09-28
It's amazing how much our things weigh. I keep accumulating books that I don't want to part with, but I'm going to have to, soon.
Will you want to add solar? Is there space on the roof to add solar panels and in the unit for the inverter or whatever? Will you be adding satellite, either TV or internet? Is there space on the roof for these things; is the unit constructed so that you can run the necessary wiring? All these are important considerations before you buy.
I only looked at travel trailers, not 5th wheels, but my favorite 5th wheel that I have subsequently seen is Mobile Suites. I have a New Horizons. Have you looked at the previously owned New Horizons? I don't know how to put hyperlinks in this forum, but look at: http://www.nhog.us/forsale/index.htm