To RV, or not to RV........
 

Would like to hear folks thoughts on this. Am thinking about buying an RV for pulling my trailer to the away races. I am too damn old to be sleeping on the trailer floor anymore. Am frankly shocked at the RV prices these days, I can buy a lot of nights in hotels for far less $$. Yet, I see that many of our fellow racers have rigs to do this, some quite large and fancy. What are the pros and cons of going this route? I have my own thoughts on this, but would like to hear from those that made the leap. Am sure there are valid reasons for doing this that I have not thought of yet, and also some pitfalls that I may not have considered. Appreciate any comments you may have, for or against.

Happy New Year to all.

Ron

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

Maybe a little longer trailer with living quarters. I loved having a MH but like you said it's alot of rooms

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

How much does your trailer weigh and length?

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

I have looked at a trailer with living quarters as one option. I have a 2022 F250 to pull my trailer now, and a gooseneck trailer with the car and gear in it is right at the towing capacity for my truck. It would be a little better with a bumper pull trailer, but the living space gets real cramped with that. Still, agree that route is significantly less expensive than an RV.

My trailer with car and gear weighs 8800 lbs, and it is 26 feet long.

Thanks for the replies.

Ron

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

Trade in value for your F250 toward a one ton truck (probably advisable for a longer gooseneck w/living qtrs) would probably be good right now but if you use your F250 for other things as well it might be better suited, particularly if it’s the 6.2 or 7.3 gasser. Pulling 9,000 lbs would be a stretch for a Class C or Class A gas MH but if you value comfort a used diesel pusher similar to one I’ve linked here would be nice. Used MH prices are starting back down and with current interest rates cash talks. Just look for a better brand like Newmar with meticulous maintenance records, hiring a professional inspector may be in order as well.

Example only:

https://bham.craigslist.org/rvs/d/ma...565959923.html

Just my 2 cents…

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

Jim,

Thanks for the comments. Have already convinced myself that I would need a Super C diesel to do this, I think a Class A would be way too much. Am not opposed to a used RV, but there do not seem to be many used Super Cs out there right now. Most times I would use it, it would just be me in it. My wife is not a big race fan, the loud noise bothers her a lot. So, I do not need something all that big. The folks I have talked to with Class C MH tell me that they did a lot of welding of braces on the chassis to be able to pull their race trailers, but even then they are on the hairy edge. That's what steered me to the Super C.

Thanks again.

Ron

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

Unfortunately, that ad is a scam. That RV is listed on RV Trader for $68,500

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

Myself, I first towed with a station wagon, then camper van, next a truck, then class A, later a longer class A - I'd never go back to a truck. Having your "home" with you beats all, plus no waiting in line at the track every day to get in.

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

Almost figured as much…$68K still sounds like a reasonable deal for a Dutch Star. Ronnie, agree Super C’s are nice, perhaps not as quiet going down the road and they seem to be priced a bit high but easier to work on and unlike a Class A where in an accident you are always the first one on the scene.

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

Just be prepared to become a pretty good r.v. mechanic. Something always needs attention and things go wrong with it even when it's parked. I'm on my third one now. Still worth it though.

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

One friend of mine rents a class A for all of his long haul events. There is a website like airbnb for RVs.

He tows with the rental class A. Picks it up, uses it and returns it. Doesn't have $200K tied up in the class A, doesn't have to store it, doesn't have to insure it, doesn't have to license it, doesn't have to keep it inspected or maintained.

Not cheap but I would imagine the avoiding just the insurance cost is close to the cost of the RV rental. Plus it is a win for the renter, they are gettting some money for their RV that is sitting in the driveway...

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

For what it's worth, I've looked at RVshare.com before and found some of the rates pretty high given they add on insurance, cleaning fees, etc. and then tack on for "excess miles" or "excess generator usage". Ergo, unless my wife or another driver brings along my Ford Transit based Class C I'm pretty much resorting to sleeping in the trailer and using truck stops or fitness centers for showers. I have a spotless driving record (in the last 50 years anyway LOL) and have insured small Class B's all the way up to 45 foot Class A's between $1300-2300 @ year which is not too extreme based on crazy insurance rates on vehicles. RV Storage can be expensive and scarce in many areas and of course maintenance is very expensive. All just things to consider and as we all know fuel costs are ridiculous, with diesel usually tacking on another dollar per gallon. GasBuddy (highly recommended app) is predicting 2023 prices to hover near the 2022 range with the west coast being the extreme again. Have a nephew going to RV from WA to Alaska in June and I told him to double his fuel estimate based on what I saw on my latest motorcycle adventure. Alaska should be on everybody's bucket list, just take advantage of cheap cruises to do it.

Forgive the rambling...

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

I built a small living quarters ( bed shower & m/wave& coffee maker ] in my 24 footer not as nice as a motor home , but it was cheaper than a RV & hotels . Its towed by a 3/4 pickup with a cap for tools & genator & other stuff

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

I struggled with the same decision a few years ago and ultimately went with a 32ft bumper pull LQ trailer. The big decision make for me is I'm almost always traveling alone (maybe the dog sometimes) and don't need much space. My F250 with the 7.3 gas motor tows it anywhere easily and it's nice being able to unhook at the track and go wherever. That being said if my wife and daughters were into racing, I would definitely go the MH route.

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

Marc,

If you don't mind me asking, what brand LQ trailer did you buy? I have just about convinced myself that this is the route I will go. I also have an F250 with the 7.3L gas engine.

Thanks.

Ron

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

I have both.
I have a 40 ft gooseneck trailer with home built LQ. I have been staying in that for many years. About 12 years ago I bought at Freightliner toter to haul with. Huge difference traveling in a rig like that.
Unless you use the motor home for other reasons than racing the LQ trailer is the best option. I am a construction superintendent and spend quite a bit of time out of town. I stay in the toter at a campground. I spend about 200 nights a year in my toter. I use the toter for raing when i have a long tow or a long duration event. The diesel generator in the toter uses way less fuel than the gas generator in the trailer. I also have a GMC 4500 that I use for towing at the shorter trips and if the toter is several hundred miles from home at a campground near the jobsite. My toter is a Feightliner M2 with a 15 ft body on it. 7-8 mpg towing at 65 mph

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

It's a Millennium (Vintage). I picked it up just before the prices started to explode. I'm real happy with it and your F250 will have no issues handling it. I was towing with a 2012 F250 6.2 with 4.30s and air bags before and it did fine, but the truck was definitely working hard going up hills. There's a little rear end sag with the new truck and I'm considering air bags as well, but it's just a visual thing, the truck rides great pulling the trailer.

Millennium also makes a 34ft bumper pull LQ trailer that adds 2ft of garage space. Also, it's a triple axle as opposed to dual on the 32ft.

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

Thanks, Marc. That is the dealer I've been looking at. I have pretty much decided on the 34 footer with the triple axles, am happy to see that you pointed this out as well. Appreciate the feedback.

Ron

Re: To RV, or not to RV........
 

Anytime Ron, best of luck!