Yes, I have considered the relative merits of a 5th wheel, but have ruled them out. For starters, one would have to have a Dualie like an F-350 to tow one. Then when one gets to where they are going they have to drive it around. In a perfect world I want to trailer the S in a enclosed race trailer.

Additionally, one cannot be in a trailer while going down the road in most states. One of the cool things about a motor home is being able to fire up the generator while going down the road and making a pot of coffee when needed.

 

Patty is CORRECT. In a perfect world, I need to find the right enclosed trailer to match the towing capacity of the rig. The Winebago that we looked at on Sunday with the Ford Triton V-10 had a 5,000 LB towing capacity. The Monaco on Saturday was a Diesel pusher with a 10, 000 LB capacity which I would be more comfortable with. Both had a Remco trailer brake module installed .

 

Patty,

That is why I thought it was prudent to pick the collective brains of people here (Yes, including yours)

 

And an hour after the coffee, you don't need to stop for a pit stop. Your bathroom is right there.

Of course you may have to give Plant Pixie the wheel for a moment.

 

[QUOTE=matt_inva,Aug 30 2005, 05:12 PM] Patty,

That is why I thought it was prudent to pick the collective brains of people here (Yes, including yours)

 

Patty,

I am curious. What is the average fuel consumption of a motorhome like yours. With the rising fuel prices hasn't it become very expensive to take it on the road?

If you get 8 miles to a gallon, at $3.00 per gallon, a 600 mile day would cost $225.00. Is that a correct guess?

I also assume that Matt's idea of towing a trailer with the S inside would bring down the mpg by another mile.

 

Rob,

I think it's kind of kind of like a boat. A great big boat heading down the highway blocking our view. Even though the price of gas is ridiculous, if you are too concerned about the cost of piloting/using your "toy" it's time to sell it.

I think you are in the right ball park with your 8 mpg guess. I believe that's about what my sister says hers gets and I think hers is around 29-30 feet long.

 

Rob,

Andy says, "Yep", you are spot on. We get about 8 mpg towing the motorcycle trailer, the boat or our Toyota (not on a trailer).

Most of the time, we use ours to go to the desert which is about 75 miles each way, or the beach which is 90 miles each way. The motorhome uses regular gas but at $3.00 per gallon, we'd pay $56.00 in gas for the desert trip and $67.50 for the beach trip.

We have only gone far with it to Trinity Lake in northern California, and that is the 600 mile trip, each way. Once we get there, we park it and use full-hookups for 8 nights. It takes the sting out when you park it for a few days.

 

I suppose it all balances out in the long run. The cost of fuel is probably offset by not having to pay for a hotel. I imagine that the hookups are relatively inexpensive.

 

Lainey,

I kind of agree with your boat analogy except that generally, at the end of the day, the boat gets put away until next week. With a motorhome, I'd imagine that people spend weeks on end on the road. My thought is that it gets to be quite expensive at $225 (600 miles) per day for gas.

Again, I imagine the offset is not having to pay for a hotel room.