5th Wheelers

The NPS 300 4X4 is 22 foot long and is the shortest one of the range, Add a 27 foot fifth wheeler to that and you end up at 42 foot long.
You ever have a problem with the truck and you wont fit on 40 foot tilt tray.
You have a problem in a remote area like a wheel bearing collapse that takes out the axle and there is no way to load them on a tilt tray.
We have had three failures of that nature this year. The wheels of a fifth wheeler unlike a van that supports itself are to the rear of the van, not self supporting. Ended up being a crane and a semi all three time to move van and only a partial coverage by any club.
One was halfway between Katherine and Kununurra which was a round trip of six hundred klms..The owner had to pay for a Crane, Crane driver, Dogger, Truck driver and a semi trailer..His club only covered the tow vehicle and the towing of a trailer or van not the recovery of one.
Makes a van an a forby a good option in those circumstances.

Hi Poppy

My folks have a TravelHome 5th wheeler they are towing behind a BT Mazda auto dual cab that runs a 3.0lt turbo diesel. We accompanied them on a recent trip up north for a week and they seemed to do fine. My mum prefers to drive at <100km but my dad will push it higher on flats to keep up with me.

http://www.travelhome.com.au/

Their's is the 25ft I think and because it sits over the ute it is shorter than car and caravan overall compared to their previous towing caravan of 20ft. When backing Dad can really crank it around corners like you can with a semi trailer. I will need to check on fuel but on the trip I think he was doing OK. = normal towing of caravan fuel consumption.

David

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A motorhome on a single cab Isuzu or Canter 4x4 will take you to MANY MORE places.....
Check out the link below......

Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 Motorhome

Become a member of the CMCA and go to their forum.
Much better info on Motorhomes and you will get cheaper
insurance as a member anyway.
We looked at a 5th wheeler and an Isuzu when we were at the planning stages
but I just did not like the feel of that "truck" .. too basic and just to slow and lack of grunt. I have a yank tank now (fortunately not a Ford) and am very happy with it. We may eventually get a 5th wheeler when I find one I like (there is only one brand I would even look at - made in Queensland, the rest is mostly US converted old fashioned stuff) but at the moment we have a truck camper (US model) on the back of the truck and still tow our boat.
go to the CMCA website
good luck
gmd

the fifth-wheelers ive spoken too regret

1) build quality
2) as a newby, accessories hassels
3) as a newby, not enough water/power/airconditioning
4) highway - trucks

some felt they are configured to tour only btween caravan parks..

the happiest people i seen out there are running a 4x4 tilt-tray and house-boat

I have a bit to do with vans and motorhomes and I suggest you stay away from any that are imported then modified to Aussie standards, That covers a pretty big area without saying too much about anyone.
Stay with Aussie built and don't go tooo large. One that is suitable for the average one tonner like a navara or BT50 are pretty fair build.
Remember the hitch is fairly expensive to fit to the average ute.

Pooley

Hi Graham and Kay.
Please do a lot of research.
Points to consider are Compliance of imported 5th wheelers. This is done by the importer and may be dodgy, even to the point of illegally understating the GVM.
The hitch or turntable - a certain type of hitch called 'single oscillating' can break the chassis or mounting points of the towing vehicle.
Imported 5ers may not be suited to Aussie roads, US roads are a lot smoother and flatter. Therefore the suspension may be too weak for our conditions.
Interstate transfer of ownership/rego. What may be approved in one state may not be approved for rego in another state.
If you can view the CMCA website there is a whole forum devoted to 5ers and the current legal battles around hitches and compliance.
I don't mean to be a wet blanket, but it is better to know before you hand over any cash.

Hi guys. This was us 2 years ago, what you are doing now. Right or wrong hubby was having a 5th wheeler. Me, I wanted a caravan. So I let him do all the investigations into them, we travelled far and wide to look at them, and we know people who brought one and they have just about had it rebuilt. There is a lot of places you cannot go and apart from that, 99% are brought in from America and they do not comply with Australian rules...........BUT............the Company's who import them tell you they do !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Have you noticed how many 2nd hands ones are for sale that are just coming up to their 3rd rego...........says it all! We have a new V8 Land Cruiser ute and we could only buy a very small one because of the weight issues. They are also very expensive for what they are too. Anyway after 2 years of looking at talking to alot of people, we have just ordered a 25 foot van, hopefully sell the house in the next couple of weeks and we are off to travel Australia for a few years. Going to where time doesn't exist says hubby.
But please do your homework before you decide what to buy, and ask people who own the 5th wheelers not the manufacturers,,,,,,,,,,,they will give you the honest answers. But good luck with it all.
Karen

Graham & Kay,

As the satisfied owner of a US built fiver just be careful, like locally built caravans there are good and not so good 5th wheels around. Join the CMCA as an associate member and talk with those that have a fiver.

Measurement wise fifth wheels are like caravans, unless you measure it yourself you cannot be sure if you are being quoted the internal or external length. Mine is 28', but that is the internal measurement, overall it is 30'.

Also make sure the manufacture has fitted a compliance plate that shows both the Tare and GVM. Some of the smaller units go overweight just through the water and waste tanks being full.

Make sure it has a double oscillatory hitch, upgraded suspension and comes with local gas and electrical certification.

And that is just for starters.



All the best.

Bruce V

Poppy45
Unfortunately vehicle performance is determined by the laws of physics and not buy salesman's assurances. The off road ability of any vehicle is determined by percentage of weight on the driven wheels.
That means that if you have a trailer that weighs as much as the tug on the rear axles you have very limited of road ability. With a fifth wheeler there is a limitation on ramp over angles, unless the trailer is short you have no hope of getting over a sand dune. A 2wd motor home with 66% of its weight on the driven wheels will be easier to drive of road than a 4x4 and fifth wheeler, not to mention about 1/4 price and utterly reliable because it is within its designed GVM.
Eric.