Monday, Sep 10, 2012 at 13:08
Hi Ray,
Here are my experiences.
I have owned 3 vans, each upgrade getting bigger than the previous van.
First van was 15 foot purchased in 1973, the next was 18.5 foot in 2006 and currently up to 23 foot. Might stop now I think. Plenty big enough.
1 For comfort sake, especially as we get older, I prefer a
toilet and shower and preferably a separate
toilet as when they are combined the
toilet gets wet when showering. Means a cleanup before bed or a wet backside during the night
2 An island bed for ease of making the bed up and so you do not have to climb over the
cook to get out,
too easy to get sidetracked doing that. LOL
3 a comfortable dining area which can double as a lounge as I like to lay back a little after tea.
4 Van of sufficient size as to be comfortable and sufficient room so that I can get out of the cooks way if necessary
5 Motorhome option
Brother owns a 32 foot petrol powered motorhome and he is going to tow a small 4 wheel drive around so that he can nick down the road to get some supplies if he runs out and for getting into those
places you would not dare take the motorhome. No matter which way you go, or look at it, you have to tow something or sacrifice flexibility. Interestingly his fuel consumption is going to be close to mine in my petrol cruiser towing our van
6 5Th Wheeler option
A mate owns a Wildcat 5th wheeler, weighs about 4 + tonne and I drove his setup once. The effect is as though someone was sitting behind the drivers
seat and kicking the back of the
seat as I was driving along. Most disconcerting to say the least.
He has the airbag shock absorbing setup on the hitch that he was advised to get but it makes little difference. That put me off a fifth wheeler for life.
I have since read that that is a common problem with 5th wheelers.
5Th wheelers are more for living in or touring for really extended periods I would think, given their size and weight.
What would suit you depends on how much experience you have had towing, or driving trucks, as towing is not unlike driving a truck or a semi trailer.
I bumped into a lady in big W one day who was buying a couple of things and I mentioned that it looked as though she was about to give hubby a couple of jobs and she said "Oh no, this is for the new 5th wheeler I bought", hubby deceased I assumed. I said I guess that would be a bit of a hand full for her.
She said "Oh no, I took it for a run around the block and it was good"
She went on to say
" You know I have never even towed a box trailer before in my life"!!!!!!!!!!
I thought 'Here is an accident waiting to happen’.
Don't get me wrong, girls can do anything they put their mind to, but something like that requires a bit of practice before doing it in traffic big time.
The bigger you go the more you need to think about what is behind you and the implications such as braking distances and what the tail is doing as you go around a corner.
As the other responders have said, try before you buy if you can.
You can certainly hire a motorhome and several
places hire vans but I do not know about 5th wheelers.
Anyhow there is my 2 bobs worth. Hope it is of some help
Cheers, Bruce.
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Follow Up By: Ray 3 - Monday, Sep 10, 2012 at 13:47
Monday, Sep 10, 2012 at 13:47
Thank you Bruce, that was both helpful and enlightening, the hire option ftrom Winnebago seems ideal if thaey will do that.
I am no novice at towing as I have towed a 1.5 ton boat around for several years, I know that's not a 5th wheeler but it's a start. (lol)
From my observations over ecent months, the owners of 5th wheeelrs have all told me that they are far easier and more stable to tow than a caravan, so your comments on that have given me some more to research.
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Follow Up By: Member - Bruce C (NSW) - Monday, Sep 10, 2012 at 17:34
Monday, Sep 10, 2012 at 17:34
Ray, if you have towed a 1.5 tonne boat for years then you are more than qualified for the job. You have a better than fair idea of what you are up for.
Personally I do not think 5th wheelers are any more easier to tow than a large caravan, from the small amount of 5th wheeler towing I have done. But then I am no expert.
Cheers, Bruce
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