Opinions on new 34 - 36' 5th wheel

[DonTX]

We did not look at brand new ones, but in the slightly used ones, the Montana seemed far superior to the Jayco in many ways. We would have bought a Montana also if we could have found a floor plan that suited the picky preconceived ideas of the wife.

 

[JimScott]

We have a 2007 Hitchhiker Discover American 329 RSB and we love it. I researched trailers for a long time and determined that HH is one of the best and has excellent factory support. On the Hitchhiker owners web site you can even read posts by the CEO of the company and he will respond to your questions. NuWa RV Owners' Information Exchange

Jim

 

[dlg449]

I'm trading an '04 Forest River for an '07 BigHorn. I looked a long time and the additional insulation with the welded aluminum frame made the difference.

Dave

 

[d.miner]

Thanks to all for your help. I've appreciated all the input, Just like any one of us... I want the best value for my money while keeping the Mrs happy.



Happy motoring, I'll post and let you know what we end up with.

 

[SHobbs]

I'm trading an '04 Forest River for an '07 BigHorn. I looked a long time and the additional insulation with the welded aluminum frame made the difference.

Dave

Dave,



Have you looked at Mobile Suites? From what I have seen they have the highest "R" value as far as the walls are concerned they have R13 and R30 in the roof and floor. Every one I have looked at also had thermo pane windows as well, could be another standard feature not sure.

 

[tgrfan2]

Dave,



Have you looked at Mobile Suites? From what I have seen they have the highest "R" value as far as the walls are concerned they have R13 and R30 in the roof and floor. Every one I have looked at also had thermo pane windows as well, could be another standard feature not sure.

The ones we saw were really nice, but had a really heavy pin wgt.

 

[rweis]

After reading this thread and trying to draw a conclusion from the comments is this a reasonable conclusion:



With the 1 ton class vehicle ( approx 23k GCVW give or take) and wanting to tow an upscale 5er (ie heavier / foot) that the length should be considered to limit to about 30' (give or take a foot or two).



I have a 35' ALFA and am a little heavy by about 1200#, a little shorter 5er (ie a little lighter) would have been just about right in weight, tow a little easier, stop a little easier, a little easier to back into a campground spot, and park.



Reasonable conclusion? I know for the two of us we have way more room downstairs than we need and a 32' or so would have been a lttle lighter etc.



Bob Weis

 

[nps]

Reasonable conclusion? I know for the two of us we have way more room downstairs than we need and a 32' or so would have been a lttle lighter etc.



Bob Weis

Nah - you can never have too much room. :-laf



I'm glad to have the extra room. I've got my house for sale, and if it sells, I'll be full-timing with my wife for about 3-6 months while we move out and relocate. In that situation, every little extra bit of room and storage helps.



I know my pin weight is too heavy based on the GVWR for the Megacab dually, but I bought the Megacab knowing that. I am well within the GVWR for a longbed dually, and all of the pin weight goes in the same place (over the rear axle) regardless of the short bed or long bed. So the reasons for downgrading the MC Dually GVWR does not apply IMO when pulling a 5er.

 

[JAlford]

Another option that a full timer pointed out to us when we were asking about 5th wheels was that the chassis is much more important if you are doing much traveling. It convinced us to look at our Arctic Fox, which is heavy for its size, but is built to handle on and off road conditions. Most of the manufacturers that build toy haulers have much stiffer, heavier chassis. One that we are considering for our next rig is Weekend Warrior. They boast a LIFETIME warranty on the structure. Definitely worth looking into IMHO.

We are VERY happy with our Arctic Fox. Our previous unit was a Gulfstream SeaHawk, and the Artic Fox is hands down a MUCH better design/built unit. Northwoods (who builds the Arctic Fox) is great to work with. We had a minor issue with our unit that the local dealer thought was major (they thought some of the roof nails were coming up), and so Northwoods had the unit picked up, took it back to the factory, took the entire roof off, only to find out that the EDMP roof liner had some air bubbles that caused the glue to bunch up. They put the unit back on the assembly line, put an entire NEW roof and liner back on(yes, new vents, skylights, ductwork, fan, etc. ), fixed any other little issue they could find, went back through QC with it, and had it brought back to us. We would definely go back and buy another one without any hesitation, the customer service is excellent.



Keep in mind about size that ground clearance could be an issue with some rigs, if the overhang is too much. ALFA advertises that they have a really great frame design that allows for more basement storage and if you stay in "conventional" campgrounds and mobilize that is fine, but the ALFA (used) that we looked at had serious wear marks on the skid bars at the back and the jack plates at the front, from dragging.



You can never have too much storage space, is what we are learning. Our next unit will be larger and have more storage space, maybe even a toy hauler (use the "garage" for storage).

Thats my 2 cents worth.

Jeff

 

[rweis]

"the ALFA (used) that we looked at had serious wear marks on the skid bars at the back and the jack plates at the front, from dragging"



I had my axle spring seats repositioned to the top of the axle, very little ground clearance from the factory. The "flip" added 6" to the verticle clearance. Just minor uneven terrain around a normal campground would cause very close clearance. Now fine



Bob Weis

 

[RJOL]

If you're considering a HitchHiker, do some research in the "Owners Forum" (NuWa RV Owners' Information Exchange).



You will get straight forward advice / experience / recommendations, from this group. You don't even have to own a HitchHiker to join the forum, if you want to post there, and it's free...

 

[JensenD]

we purchased a newmar cypress and the quality is excellent.
12" frame not 10", g rated tires, dual pane windows, power jacks (rear), quality cabinets (all made in house) lots more extras (we loaded it up), 60K retail, 25% discount, 45k out the door. also electric slides, no problem with hydraulic leaks or turning valves, each slide (triple) has its own motor or can be cranked if anything fails. check them out and compare