Travel Trailer versus Motor Home

[mary and bob]

For those concerned about getting their trailer home in the event of a medical issue, Good Sam sells their Travel Assist insurance. As I recall from their brochures that I get about once a month, it covers transportation home for the patient, and pays to have your RV transported home. I never bought it, but get offers in the mail constantly along with offers for Roadside Assistance and repair insurance.

[FlyGuy]

Apples vs Oranges. EACH has its' own benefits and drawbacks. I recommend that folks concentrate on the NEGATIVE aspects (the positive aspects are "gravy"; it's the negatives that will drive you crazy and give you an ulcer). I started RVing in a 2010 Casita Spirit Deluxe Travel Trailer that I could safely tow with the vehicle I then owned. Over ~ four years, I crisscrossed the country numerous times in my "egg" logging over 50,000 miles. I realized early on that I really enjoyed the RV lifestyle and, for the last three years of Casita ownership, I studied, compared and shopped for the RV I would "graduate" to. I settled on a TRUE Super-C diesel puller motorhome which I still use. Before I got a trailer to tow my Prius, I used to rent a car from Enterprise when I needed one. The Super-C has worked out well for me (and, as long as I don't start an anvil collection, I'll NEVER be overweight). Perform your "Due Diligence" and you shouldn't experience "Buyer's Remorse".

[dmad1]

After we had an incident in Winslow, Az. a few years ago at a Walmart, I began to think one of the big advantages safety wise was some type of motorhome. We stopped late that night and about 6 am was a hard knocking on our door. Thinking it was security asking us to leave, it turned out to be a native Indian who had to much to drink. After finally getting him to leave, we drove to a McDonalds. Wife went in to pick up breakfast and I left the door open just chillin' out. Another one took it upon himself to just walk in. My later thinking was that if we had been in a motorhome of some type, maybe we could have just driven off where as being hooked up to a trailer, our getting to the tow vehicle may have been a big problem. Since Bubba said Stupid is as Stupid Does, we still have a trailer.

[Lee Senn]

A little off subject but regarding J W colbys point of locktite or lots of rust . Brings to mind a post I saw in the Ural forum ( Ural being a Russian motorcycle ) in that post rust is referred to as Russian locktite . Lee

[Wayne Collins]

Originally Posted by Mr Lynn

Good idea. Maybe a large cotter pin? I was thinking a second nut might be a good idea.

Forget the cotter pin. Just give it the proper torque….

[Mr Lynn]

Originally Posted by FlyGuy

Apples vs Oranges. EACH has its' own benefits and drawbacks. I recommend that folks concentrate on the NEGATIVE aspects (the positive aspects are "gravy"; it's the negatives that will drive you crazy and give you an ulcer). I started RVing in a 2010 Casita Spirit Deluxe Travel Trailer that I could safely tow with the vehicle I then owned. Over ~ four years, I crisscrossed the country numerous times in my "egg" logging over 50,000 miles. I realized early on that I really enjoyed the RV lifestyle and, for the last three years of Casita ownership, I studied, compared and shopped for the RV I would "graduate" to. I settled on a TRUE Super-C diesel puller motorhome which I still use. Before I got a trailer to tow my Prius, I used to rent a car from Enterprise when I needed one. The Super-C has worked out well for me (and, as long as I don't start an anvil collection, I'll NEVER be overweight). Perform your "Due Diligence" and you shouldn't experience "Buyer's Remorse".

"Apples vs Oranges" for you, clearly. From a Casita to a Super C! Makes for quite different experiences, I reckon. When I commuted into Boston on the Mass Pike, in a 1981 Toyota Corolla wagon, I used to fantasize about having a Peterbilt or Kenworth tractor to intimidate the BMWs and Mercedes that were blowing past me. I did buy some Italian air horns, but they were more musical than bellowing. I'll bet it's fun in a full truck cab. But I doubt if my wife would relish taking a turn at the wheel.

I won't ask about the cost. Here I was open-mouthed contemplating the cost of an Oliver Elite II (about the only molded fiberglass trailer with twin beds and a permanent table), at $80k, not to mention some Class Bs at double that. But hey, why not spend our kids' inheritance? The markets are probably due for a crash, anyway. . . —LEJ

[Perryb67]

Originally Posted by jwcolby123

I don't want to break it loose. That is exactly the point.

TBH I wouold think blue would not work well given the extreme sideways tensions applied to a ball. It just seems like it would loosen anyway.

Red for sure.

My ball is one of those '3 fers' with a simple pin in a hole holding the shank in the slot. I can rotate it as I wish.

I've been using Locktite all my working life. You'd be surprised at the twisting items we applied it to on the farm. We had to tighten the main shank bolts on our Glencoe Soil Saver chisel plow about every third day. Used blue Loctite and never had to tighten them again, but sometimes the shaft would need replacement and you need to break the nut loose. Have used red in the past, but never again.

Use the right tool for the job. If you never want to use a different ball on your hitch, go ahead and use red, but it's not needed.

Perry

[parmm]

Originally Posted by mary and bob

For those concerned about getting their trailer home in the event of a medical issue, Good Sam sells their Travel Assist insurance. As I recall from their brochures that I get about once a month, it covers transportation home for the patient, and pays to have your RV transported home. I never bought it, but get offers in the mail constantly along with offers for Roadside Assistance and repair insurance.

So doesn't Family Motor Coach Association, and their membership is open to travel trailer owners. And they have nothing to do with that Big Box RV store!

[parmm]

Originally Posted by Mr Lynn

"Apples vs Oranges" for you, clearly. From a Casita to a Super C! Makes for quite different experiences, I reckon. When I commuted into Boston on the Mass Pike, in a 1981 Toyota Corolla wagon, I used to fantasize about having a Peterbilt or Kenworth tractor to intimidate the BMWs and Mercedes that were blowing past me. I did buy some Italian air horns, but they were more musical than bellowing. I'll bet it's fun in a full truck cab. But I doubt if my wife would relish taking a turn at the wheel.

I won't ask about the cost. Here I was open-mouthed contemplating the cost of an Oliver Elite II (about the only molded fiberglass trailer with twin beds and a permanent table), at $80k, not to mention some Class Bs at double that. But hey, why not spend our kids' inheritance? The markets are probably due for a crash, anyway. . . —LEJ

Yep, I started with a Scotty HiLander back in the 1970s. It was used, so my best guess was that it was about a "65 vintage. Never used it much. I got the itch to use a RV back in the early '90s. That was a class C Toyota Sunrader. after that came a Tiffian Allegro, which was followed by a Foretravel 225 which we flat towed a car behind. Think you all hear my El Paso Foretravel story. It was a very expensive story. Over $20,000 before it was done, repairs and getting it home along with a great motel vacation in El Paso! Darling wife said she would never travel by RV after that fiasco! Then came the covid pandenic. Desperate to get out the the house we found a Roadtrek 210. It was the largest chevy express chassis Roadtrek built. Well after one trip we realized it was just to tight. Then I found the Scamp 19 that I have been looking for for many years. Brought it before we sold the Roadtrek. One side note, I have never owned a new RV. And the Roadtrek was the most expensive. Today a new one will run close to a cool million! They are popular with the NASCAR circuit and Rodeo stars! I paid more for that Roadtrek than I ever paid for any RV.

[Mr Lynn]

Originally Posted by parmm

Yep, I started with a Scotty HiLander back in the 1970s. It was used, so my best guess was that it was about a "65 vintage. Never used it much. I got the itch to use a RV back in the early '90s. That was a class C Toyota Sunrader. after that came a Tiffian Allegro, which was followed by a Foretravel 225 which we flat towed a car behind. Think you all hear my El Paso Foretravel story. It was a very expensive story. Over $20,000 before it was done, repairs and getting it home along with a great motel vacation in El Paso! Darling wife said she would never travel by RV after that fiasco! Then came the covid pandenic. Desperate to get out the the house we found a Roadtrek 210. It was the largest chevy express chassis Roadtrek built. Well after one trip we realized it was just to tight. Then I found the Scamp 19 that I have been looking for for many years. Brought it before we sold the Roadtrek. One side note, I have never owned a new RV. And the Roadtrek was the most expensive. Today a new one will run close to a cool million! They are popular with the NASCAR circuit and Rodeo stars! I paid more for that Roadtrek than I ever paid for any RV.

Interesting: you went from motor homes to a travel trailer—a fifth wheeler.

I think a fifth wheel trailer would be better than a 'bumper-pull', more secure and easier to back up. But we'd need to buy a pickup truck, which we really don't need (we tow with our 2013 Ford Expedition).

A Roadtrek wouldn't "run close to a cool million!" Their most expensive model, the SS Agile, "starts at $173,040." See here:

https://roadtrek.com/models/

Not exactly cheap, though.

Their twin beds are only 25" wide: too narrow. Their lower-end model, the Play, has 30" beds. Five inches makes a big difference. Though that Class B "starts at $109,186," which is still steep by our lights.

I knew a fellow who traveled all over the country in a Toyota Sunrader–Class C, but built on a small Toyota pickup truck. Anyone making something comparable today?

Link to your "El Paso Foretravel story"?

[Mr Lynn]

Anyone know anything about the Coach House motor homes? They claim to have a "One-Piece Hand-Laid Fiberglass Body"!

https://www.coachhouserv.com/models/platinum/

That makes them a FiberglassRV! Looks like they should be a part of this forum.

Didn't see any prices. . . But definitely worth looking into.

[Jon in AZ]

Originally Posted by Mr Lynn

Anyone know anything about the Coach House motor homes? They claim to have a "One-Piece Hand-Laid Fiberglass Body"!

https://www.coachhouserv.com/models/platinum/

That makes them a FiberglassRV! Looks like they should be a part of this forum.

Didn't see any prices. . . But definitely worth looking into.

If you read the home page carefully, this forum is about all-molded fiberglass trailers. That’s why you don’t see them here.

Coach House is considered a B+ and has come up on the class B forum I linked earlier. Very few active B+ owners, though. Facebook might be a better place to connect. There’s a group for everything. If you want to get an idea what they sell for, try RVTrader.com.

There are others- small class C’s with molded fiberglass shells- but I couldn’t give you a list off-hand. Not something I have ever had an interest in owning.

One caution about motorhomes in general. Very few have safe rear seating (forward-facing DOT approved seats with 3-point belts and head restraints) for extra passengers (grandkids, perhaps). A modern tow vehicle is much safer.

[Motoboss]

I agree wholeheartedly, RED! I never want the nut to come off the ball. If I need a different drop shank go buy it with the ball attached, which I have several. I typically use a b/w adjustable which is heavy but use a height specific shank for the Casita with the ball nut spot welded on, it isn’t coming off.

Don’t know why anyone would ever want to remove the ball from the shank.

[AlanKilian]

Originally Posted by Motoboss

Don’t know why anyone would ever want to remove the ball from the shank.

I've replaced balls on shanks exactly twice:
- Ball got worn from use without grease and it didn't feel safe to continue using.
- I had the hitch replaced and moved from 1-7/8" to 2"

I used the suggested "Put the shank in 90-degress off from normal.
Use a breaker bar with a pipe extension and stand on it.
(I may have bounced a bit also)

Check it EVERY time you:
- Hitch up
- Stop for gas
- Stop for a pee
- Stop for any reason
- Unhitch

[Huck]

I have a Ford van and pull a Parkliner trailer. After my last trip, I am seriously thinking about using the van for sleeping, it already as a refrigerator and 600w of solar, and using a Clam tent for everything else.

[Mr Lynn]

Originally Posted by Huck

I have a Ford van and pull a Parkliner trailer. After my last trip, I am seriously thinking about using the van for sleeping, it already as a refrigerator and 600w of solar, and using a Clam tent for everything else.

You mean giving up on the Parkliner? I didn't know they were still building them, but they look like a small Oliver inside:

Parkliner – Take me somewhere fun! â„¢

My daughter suggests something similar: "Maybe you should really consider a camper van and cut back on size— go for a layout with two beds, a potty, and a fridge but skip the galley. Easy to drive… then set up exterior screen tent, etc at the campsite, in which to spread out gear."

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Mr Lynn

On our way out for three days of camping at a state park a couple hours from here, we noticed the Casita acting strangely. I wondered if maybe a brake was grabbing, but it felt like a loose hitch, so I pulled over. Sure enough, the big nut that holds the hitch ball had come loose. Fortunately, I carry a hefty pipe wrench, so I was able to get down on the ground and tighten it up.

Good thing we noticed it within a mile of home. Which of course led us to wonder what would happen if I had no wrench, or if I had broken a leg or had a stroke. I handle all the technical apparatus on the trailer; hitching, leveling, etc.; not that my wife couldn't learn (she's a retired physician), but she has no interest. And, as she likes to remind me, I'm not getting younger.

That led us to wonder if maybe something like a Class B/B+ motor home might not make more sense for the future than a travel trailer. Something happens to me, she could just jump in and drive it home; no need to hitch up, at any rate.

In the state park we came across a young couple who had built their own camper in a Dodge cargo van. The wife said she didn't like driving with a trailer. It is something else to worry about when you're busy trying to navigate unfamiliar roads.

So what are the plusses and minuses of travel trailers (TT) versus small motor homes (MH)? Number one, of course, is cost; with a TT you're not buying a truck. We're not putting a lot of miles on our two vehicles now; do I want to pay insurance and maintenance on a third one that's going to sit most of the year? Is the MH going to be one you can drive around on errands and carry grandkids in?

Number two: With a TT you can leave your camp set up, and take your tow vehicle out on the town, to events or attractions, and return without having to set up again. With a MH you have to put everything away and secure any items that might roll around, just as if you were packing up to leave. Of course, you could set up a kitchen tent or gazebo and leave stuff there. But you've still got the question of how flexible your MH vehicle will be. There's a reason why folks with bigger ones tow a small car behind.

The couple with the converted Dodge camper van carried a motor scooter on the back!

Number three: An MH with more space than our Casita (which we would like) is going to be a hefty truck—maybe a Class C, with a bunk over the cab? More money, more gas, less flexibility.

Sounds like the TT makes more sense than the MH. . . But, there are the issues of age and ease of use. At some point, after years of trailering, my parents moved to a Class C motor home. I wonder now if managing the mechanics of trailering wasn't getting too much for my father. Unhappily, it's too late to ask.

But maybe some of you have been through these same questions. Your thoughts? —LEJ

We have a 17' Casita and a 21 ft class c motorhome. We have talked about letting one of them go and it would be the trailer. My husband has never mastered backing the trailer up but can do the motorhome. His eyes are not what they used to be plus he gets panicky in heavy traffic. I do most of the driving. We just came back from a 12 day trip with the RV and we saw a 19 ft class C. To small for us but it would be bigger than the Casita. It was a 2014 Coachmen Freelander. We have the 21 ft Freelander. I would not hesitate to take the RV out by myself but the trailer I would. I like the idea of being in my RV and able to leave quickly if I had to if someone bothered me. In a campground not so much of a problem but boondocking could be. We stop overnight in parking lots since we have no use for spending $65 plus just to sleep and leave. The class c RV's are way less expensive than the van type. We've looked at van types and they usually run around $110,000 plus. The small class c's are around $50-65. We paid $40,000 for ours new in 2012. One place to go look at small class c's are rental places. Our previous Freelander a 2008 came from a rental place and it was in great shape, one year old with 15,000 miles on it. Cost us $30,000. We stay away from slide outs as they are notorious for having problems. We just got home last night from a 12 day trip and averaged 11.5 MPG. We just plan on the groceries if we need some before getting to the campground. If we are staying for a length of time we take the Casita but have thought of getting a small car to tow and getting rid of the Casita and the big tow vehicle. If we were just making overnight stops and not needing a car to drive around we'd leave it home like we do now with the RV. If we go out to National Parks or something like that we like our RV with us so we have a bathroom and food with us.

[Mr Lynn]

Thanks, Jann, for your interesting response to my question.

I've no problem backing up the Casita, though I do need my wife to help direct, especially in tight spots; she hasn't ever tried to back it up. I can handle traffic, though I prefer quiet roads, as don't we all.

Just started researching on line, but looks like you're right about the Class Cs; the Bs are more money, and the space in them is limited (but if you find yourself in town, they're undoubtedly easier to park).

Prices have gone up a lot since 2012; your Coachmen Freelander starts in the $90s now, going by their website. The idea of buying from a rental dealer sounds good.

I assume you're happy with the quality of the Freelanders, or you wouldn't have bought a second one. Coachmen is a Forest River company, with (like most of the stick-builts) a mixed reputation: e.g. stuff installed with staples. How's your experience been?

We definitely want more space, namely a second bed and table we can leave up. I am partial to molded fiberglass RVs (would love an Escape23 if they were available) but a smallish motorhome is not out of the question, and might make life easier down the aging road. —LEJ

[Jann Todd]

Originally Posted by Mr Lynn

Thanks, Jann, for your interesting response to my question.

I've no problem backing up the Casita, though I do need my wife to help direct, especially in tight spots; she hasn't ever tried to back it up. I can handle traffic, though I prefer quiet roads, as don't we all.

Just started researching on line, but looks like you're right about the Class Cs; the Bs are more money, and the space in them is limited (but if you find yourself in town, they're undoubtedly easier to park).

Prices have gone up a lot since 2012; your Coachmen Freelander starts in the $90s now, going by their website. The idea of buying from a rental dealer sounds good.

I assume you're happy with the quality of the Freelanders, or you wouldn't have bought a second one. Coachmen is a Forest River company, with (like most of the stick-builts) a mixed reputation: e.g. stuff installed with staples. How's your experience been?

We definitely want more space, namely a second bed and table we can leave up. I am partial to molded fiberglass RVs (would love an Escape23 if they were available) but a smallish motorhome is not out of the question, and might make life easier down the aging road. —LEJ

The current RV is our 3rd by Coachmen. So far we have been happy with them. A motorhome is a perfect option if you are concerned about your wife having something if anything happens to you. I see many women driving them by themselves. Also the prices are somewhat less at many dealers than the website shows. I don't know how that happens but it does. We also are very partial to the 4500 Chevrolet chassis as it gets better mileage than the Ford. Our first Freelander was on a 3500 Chevrolet chassis and it was good but the 4500 is much better as it has a better transmission and larger tanks for water, sewer and gasoline.

[Mr Lynn]

Some additional pros and cons for Class C motorhomes vs. travel trailers:

- Even small ones (under 25') are too long for single parking places (which are normally 18'). Though of course, as someone commented earlier, a lot less than our Expedition + Casita rig (18+17=35). So the MH is better than the TT for parking en route (e.g. for groceries, museums, etc.), but worse if you want to leave your camp set up and go into town or site-see.

- Of course we can bring a 'toad' behind the MH (I wonder if my wife's '07 Subaru Outback would be too heavy). Question: Is 'TOAD' an acronym, or just a bad pun?

- If we're going to camp at parks with lakes, we like to take one of our canoes, on the roof of the Expedition. That wouldn't be easy with a MH. Of course we could get a single-canoe trailer. Or we could put the canoe on top of the 'toad'. That would make it easier to take off, too!

- I'm really more of a homebody than a traveler (I like my big house and office with 27" monitors). I don't mind my little Casita decorating the side yard for months at a time, but I don't know how comfortable I could be letting a big Ford or Chevy box truck (which is what a Class C is) sit idle. Motor vehicles need to be run. So do TTs, but they are less demanding.

- Then too, I'm not sure where I'd put the MH. An Oliver would fit right where I back my Casita up. . . (see photo)