Anyone thought of 5th wheel?

[flyfisher]

My wife and I sold our 2004 30' Classic Ltd a year ago and bought a 2008 Newmar Kountry Aire 5th wheel this past spring. After spending most all of the past 5 months in the Newmar, we couldn't be more pleased with it.

Our Newmar is 40' long with 3 slideouts, and has a GVW of 20,000#. It has a full body paint job - the only white on it is the fiberglass roof - and rides on dual axles with dual tires on each (8 tires in total) with MOR-ryde suspension, a MOR-ryde pin box, and disc brakes.

Since about 6-7 feet of the 5th wheel rides over the bed of our truck, the total length that I'm towing behind my truck is not much different than it was with our Airstream. Granted, my average MPG when towing has declined appreciably - I believe by about 25% - and I had to buy a new truck to tow the 5th wheel (a 2008 F450 King Ranch) but the actual towing experience is much more pleasurable (and in my opinion, safe ).

For the most part, my wife and I set-up in one spot and stay there for the entire summer - about 4-4 1/2 months straight - so what works best for us now might be different if we wanted to move from place to place constantly.

We finally have a product that is quality built by an ethical company that stands behind their product; I could never say that about Thor and Airstream. Plus, the livability and comfort of the Newmar greatly surpasses anything in the Airstream. (Some of these many items include better and more comfortable chairs and sofa - finally, leather swiver recliners with foot rests! - a much larger and more comfortable bed -a king size , larger and better windows - thermopane - having better outside views, more storage inside and out, bigger and better bath and shower facilities, and larger televisions - 2 LCD HD flatscreens).

We paid a bit more for the 5th wheel than we would have if we would have bought a new Airsteaam, but not that much more.

In my opinion, the only thing that we have sacrificed is the fuel economy when towing, but that's inconsequential considering how we primarily use our trailer. Even if we traveled 1000's of miles in it every year, a couple hundred dollars more spent for fuel would be a small price to pay for the substantially better product we now have compared to the Airstream.

[henw]

Fifth wheels are an affordable alternative to MOHO's for those spending extended time at a given site. If I were setting up for the winter in Fla would consider one.
You don't see many on caravan though. Not really their nitch.