I remember reading somwhere on an RV forum that someone rented a fifth wheel to try out camping before they actually bought one. Can you actually rent one? Bob and I would love to do this before we make the decision. If it is possible, would you have any information on who I could contact? I just don't have any idea where to start. (I should have sent the poster a PM at the time I read about him renting one, but didn't have time.)
Thanks!
Kathy
Terry and Jo said
05:23 PM Mar 19, 2011
Bob and Kathy,
While I'm not Howard, I would suggest checking with local RV dealers. Some of them may rent the fifth wheels or know someone who does. Since I don't know where in Pennsylvania you live, I couldn't be more specific with locations.
Use a search engine on the internet with "RVs for rent" as a search phrase. Perhaps you could also add your city or state with that to see what might come up. A lot of times when you just search "RVs for rent" you may mostly get motorhomes. So watch for any that may list "trailers" in their description on the first list of search results.
Good luck.
Terry
Bill Adams said
05:47 AM Mar 20, 2011
If you just want to try out the camping experience you might be better off renting a motorhome. It eliminates the issues involved with the 5th wheel/trailer connections which might complicate this experience. There are lots of places you can rent a motorhome and if you find you like camping you can more involved in what kind of camper you might like to buy.
Howard said
08:37 AM Mar 20, 2011
Bob & Kathy,
It's been quite some time since I researched renting a fifth wheel, but here is what I found back when I did it.
Most rental companies rent motorhomes or small travel trailers that can be towed easily by simply adding a tow ball to the bumper of a sufficient tow vehicle. Fifth wheel rentals are more complicated because of the need for a sufficiently sized pick-up truck with a fifth wheel hitch.
There are several websites that say you can rent fifth wheels, but when you dig deeper, there are very few options compared to motorhome and small trailer rentals. And, while I have found a few places to rent fifth wheels, they usually are not fifth wheels that most people would consider for full-time living. Obviously, there is a lot of risk to the dealer/rental company in renting larger or higher priced trailers.
Most people seeking to rent a fifth wheel don't have sufficient truck or a fifth wheel hitch, and I haven't come across any place that is willing to rent both a fifth wheel and a truck (they may exist, but I haven't heard of any). If you have access to a truck with a fifth wheel hitch, the possibilities expand a little.
Now, there are campgrounds/RV parks that have fifth wheels on-site for rent, but even that scenario is pretty rare.
Recently, we've heard that some places will deliver fifth wheels to campgrounds for a weekly or monthly rental and then pick them up. That gives you the feel of living in one, but not the real-life experience of towing and parking it. A website called RentMyCamper.com does weekly rentals in New York (according to their website - no endorsement here).
So, "Yes" you can rent a fifth wheel, but it's just not as easy as renting a motorhome. As Terry mentioned, when you search for "RV rentals" online, you will get lots of results. But most are for motorhomes. When you inquire about fifth wheels, even on the sites that say you can rent fifth wheels, the options shrink especially when you narrow it down to your particular geographical area.
The national rental chains don't rent fifth wheels (except for temporary housing in some cases), so checking locally will be your best bet. You never know what a local dealer might be willing to come up with if you ask.
Good luck!
Floridariz said
06:19 PM Mar 20, 2011
If you want to come to Florida we would be interested in renting out RV/Truck combination.
The fifth wheel is a 2006 Montana Mountaineer and the truck is a 1999 Ford F250. The RV is in very nice condition. The truck is older, but nice, also.
Paula in Orlando
Racerguy said
06:59 PM Mar 20, 2011
Floridariz wrote:
If you want to come to Florida we would be interested in renting out RV/Truck combination.
The fifth wheel is a 2006 Montana Mountaineer and the truck is a 1999 Ford F250. The RV is in very nice condition. The truck is older, but nice, also.
Paula in Orlando
I would make sure you have your insurance liability issues worked out.
Bob and Kathy said
03:21 PM Mar 24, 2011
Terry - I did the search as you suggested and found a local Georgia (Brunswick) RV dealer, but they do not do rentals. We were looking to rent a 5th wheel to put in Jekyll Island Campground next late-February/early-March (or even in 2013).
Bill - Thanks for your input.
Howard - Thanks for sending along the fruits of your earlier research on the subject. As above, we didn't have any luck with the local RV dealer in Georgia.
Floridariz - How sweet of you to offer to rent us your rig. How far are you willing to let us take it? We would love to take it up I-95 to the first Brunswick, GA exit and onto Jekyll Island. Or even if you would want to drive it up there and park it for us....we could "take you home" ! The ideal would be to rent it for 2 whole weeks, but not sure if that would be feasible for all involved. We will definitely contact you for further discussion as we get ready to make further plans! Lots to think about.
Racerguy - Thanks for the thoughts on liability insurance - a must to check out!
I remember reading somwhere on an RV forum that someone rented a fifth wheel to try out camping before they actually bought one. Can you actually rent one? Bob and I would love to do this before we make the decision. If it is possible, would you have any information on who I could contact? I just don't have any idea where to start. (I should have sent the poster a PM at the time I read about him renting one, but didn't have time.)
Thanks!
Kathy
While I'm not Howard, I would suggest checking with local RV dealers. Some of them may rent the fifth wheels or know someone who does. Since I don't know where in Pennsylvania you live, I couldn't be more specific with locations.
Use a search engine on the internet with "RVs for rent" as a search phrase. Perhaps you could also add your city or state with that to see what might come up. A lot of times when you just search "RVs for rent" you may mostly get motorhomes. So watch for any that may list "trailers" in their description on the first list of search results.
Good luck.
Terry
Bob & Kathy,
It's been quite some time since I researched renting a fifth wheel, but here is what I found back when I did it.
Most rental companies rent motorhomes or small travel trailers that can be towed easily by simply adding a tow ball to the bumper of a sufficient tow vehicle. Fifth wheel rentals are more complicated because of the need for a sufficiently sized pick-up truck with a fifth wheel hitch.
There are several websites that say you can rent fifth wheels, but when you dig deeper, there are very few options compared to motorhome and small trailer rentals. And, while I have found a few places to rent fifth wheels, they usually are not fifth wheels that most people would consider for full-time living. Obviously, there is a lot of risk to the dealer/rental company in renting larger or higher priced trailers.
Most people seeking to rent a fifth wheel don't have sufficient truck or a fifth wheel hitch, and I haven't come across any place that is willing to rent both a fifth wheel and a truck (they may exist, but I haven't heard of any). If you have access to a truck with a fifth wheel hitch, the possibilities expand a little.
Now, there are campgrounds/RV parks that have fifth wheels on-site for rent, but even that scenario is pretty rare.
Recently, we've heard that some places will deliver fifth wheels to campgrounds for a weekly or monthly rental and then pick them up. That gives you the feel of living in one, but not the real-life experience of towing and parking it. A website called RentMyCamper.com does weekly rentals in New York (according to their website - no endorsement here).
So, "Yes" you can rent a fifth wheel, but it's just not as easy as renting a motorhome. As Terry mentioned, when you search for "RV rentals" online, you will get lots of results. But most are for motorhomes. When you inquire about fifth wheels, even on the sites that say you can rent fifth wheels, the options shrink especially when you narrow it down to your particular geographical area.
The national rental chains don't rent fifth wheels (except for temporary housing in some cases), so checking locally will be your best bet. You never know what a local dealer might be willing to come up with if you ask.
Good luck!
I would make sure you have your insurance liability issues worked out.
Terry - I did the search as you suggested and found a local Georgia (Brunswick) RV dealer, but they do not do rentals. We were looking to rent a 5th wheel to put in Jekyll Island Campground next late-February/early-March (or even in 2013).
Bill - Thanks for your input.
Howard - Thanks for sending along the fruits of your earlier research on the subject. As above, we didn't have any luck with the local RV dealer in Georgia.
Floridariz - How sweet of you to offer to rent us your rig. How far are you willing to let us take it? We would love to take it up I-95 to the first Brunswick, GA exit and onto Jekyll Island. Or even if you would want to drive it up there and park it for us....we could "take you home" ! The ideal would be to rent it for 2 whole weeks, but not sure if that would be feasible for all involved. We will definitely contact you for further discussion as we get ready to make further plans! Lots to think about.
Racerguy - Thanks for the thoughts on liability insurance - a must to check out!