Friend has a big fifth wheel, I have a plane. Which is cheaper

Morgan3820

Morgan3820

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El Conquistador
37 ft. fifth wheel plus 3500 dually diesel to pull it. I have a Warrior. Both of us want to see the country, stay at places, meet people, see things, do things. He has got to have well over $100K in his rig. I have $35K. He has a place to sleep, eat. I would have to get that stuff along the way. He gets 11 MPG, I get 15ish. I get to places 3 times as fast. I could get to Yosemite in three days, he would take 9 days??? I like flying, towing a big trailer not so much. Did a little as a kid. All I remember is long days of "are we there yet?"

I know that it is a bit apples/oranges but please contrast and compare.
 
To each his own. You and he don't have to agree. Don't stress over it!
 
Yeah...not the same. Airplane is to get to the destination...camper is to enjoy the destination.

While I agree I will take the plane any day and not a fan of days long driving...I am starting to look at a small Class B rig or Van Conversion for adventure treks myself so I can see the allure and value in each.
 
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He probably gets more hours of enjoyment out of it than you.


Oh, and if he wants to install a sat TV, it doesn't cost 100,000 just for the paperwork.
 
Let him have his 5th wheel, I'd prefer the airplane myself. RV's/Campers don't do a thing for me.
 
19739.jpg


Problem Solved.
 
You can borrow his trailer, he can't borrow your plane unless he gets his license.
 
Morgan3820 said:
37 ft. fifth wheel plus 3500 dually diesel to pull it. I have a Warrior. Both of us want to see the country, stay at places, meet people, see things, do things. He has got to have well over $100K in his rig. I have $35K. He has a place to sleep, eat. I would have to get that stuff along the way. He gets 11 MPG, I get 15ish. I get to places 3 times as fast. I could get to Yosemite in three days, he would take 9 days??? I like flying, towing a big trailer not so much. Did a little as a kid. All I remember is long days of "are we there yet?"

I know that it is a bit apples/oranges but please contrast and compare.
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How do you figure 15nmpg?
 
Apples and oranges comparison. If you go on camping trips just to see the destination, then it would be better to just fly to the destination. However, that's like saying you've visited every state just because you landed at an airport in that state. Seeing the small towns and countryside, eating at the local restaurants along the way, and spending a week or two out in the wilderness is a lot different than getting a day-pass with a rental car. Totally different experiences.

Although personally, I'd only go with the Class A motorhome and a Jeep or other similar 4X4 in-tow. Forget the 5th wheel.


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He is going to get crushed on resale value while your Warrior is going to sell for close to what you bought it for.
 
Depends on what level of each you're talking about. We have both. Different toys for different jobs. The airplane is higher overall than the fifth wheel and truck, unless you factor in co-ownership on the airplane. I'm surprised more people don't do co-ownership on the fifth wheel rigs, too.

Unless you're doing North 40 camping at OSH "Jay style" with a large local storage shed holding your camp compound stuff nearby...

The small towed house wins hands-down over sleeping in a tent under the wing, in a tent that'll fit the W&B profile of a typical light aircraft, anyway.

It's all tradeoffs.

By the way, I also don't drive the tow vehicle as a daily driver. It's too important a part of towing ops around here to wear it out getting groceries, even though it's an '01.
 
Same. I have a 32 ft 5th wheel I tow with an '06 F350 diesel. Bought both used but still cost considerably more than my first airplane, a well used Cherokee 160. Not sure what it would cost to keep the Cherokee in the air today, but it was cheaper, much cheaper than the holiday rig to operate, maintain and insure back in the day.

The truck does double duty hauling my wife's large horse trailer (the main reason we have that truck) as well as hauling project building supplies and such.

The airplane and the rig are completely different matters. Just as I don't try to equate my airplane with my wife's horses. There is one thing all this stuff does have in common...they are all contributing to the slow, steady march towards family insolvency. It's a race to see what finally takes us down, the airplane, the horses, or the other accessories :rolleyes: :D
 
Since my wife doesn't fly, and we have 4 dogs that go where we go, I'll have to settle for having a sweet fifth wheel and dreaming about my own plane for a while. Good thing for rentals.
 
GRG55 said:
The airplane and the rig are completely different matters. Just as I don't try to equate my airplane with my wife's horses. There is one thing all this stuff does have in common...they are all contributing to the slow, steady march towards family insolvency. It's a race to see what finally takes us down, the airplane, the horses, or the other accessories :rolleyes: :D
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Add a sailboat and you have the trifecta complete.

Planes at least don't eat if you dont fly them.
 
weilke said:
Add a sailboat and you have the trifecta complete.

...
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No argument there.

Maybe the only sensible thing I do is charter sailboats. It takes too long to re-position them.
 
weilke said:
But then you wouldn't have that diesel dually to drive around town for the 98% of the rest of the miles.
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Lol, yeah nothing like driving an unloaded dually to jar any fillings loose around town! Might as well just have some friends rough me up a little and save the gas money!


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SoonerAviator said:
Lol, yeah nothing like driving an unloaded dually to jar any fillings loose around town! Might as well just have some friends rough me up a little and save the gas money!
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You need to weigh down the back of a dually to make it more comfortable. The traditional tool to do so is a set of over-sized truck-nutz filled with depleted uranium or mercury.
 
When I work in Alaska, I drive. The road trip is part of the adventure.




SoonerAviator said:
Lol, yeah nothing like driving an unloaded dually to jar any fillings loose around town! Might as well just have some friends rough me up a little and save the gas money! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

Funny thing, my single wheel one ton rides better empty than my Subaru Outback. I would much prefer driving the pick up except for the MPG difference.
 
How much does he pay for h
weilke said:
Add a sailboat and you have the trifecta complete.

Planes at least don't eat if you dont fly them.
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I still have to pay insurance, hangar and the cost of an annual.
 
Ravioli said:
Does that exist yet? Two years ago at oshkosh it was a fake prototype, behind even the iCon in development.

Cool idea to be sure, but...
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No idea, thought it was a cool pic. You could probably pop a tent around any aircraft.
 
Morgan3820 said:
37 ft. fifth wheel plus 3500 dually diesel to pull it. I have a Warrior. Both of us want to see the country, stay at places, meet people, see things, do things. He has got to have well over $100K in his rig. I have $35K. He has a place to sleep, eat. I would have to get that stuff along the way. He gets 11 MPG, I get 15ish. I get to places 3 times as fast. I could get to Yosemite in three days, he would take 9 days??? I like flying, towing a big trailer not so much. Did a little as a kid. All I remember is long days of "are we there yet?"

I know that it is a bit apples/oranges but please contrast and compare.
Click to expand...

To answer your question, answer these two questions: Whatcha gonna do about lodging and ground transportation?

You want low cost transportation, consider a Prius and a tent.
 
Zeldman said:
Funny thing, my single wheel one ton rides better empty than my Subaru Outback. I would much prefer driving the pick up except for the MPG difference.
Click to expand...

It doesn't count if you've got air ride suspension on the dually and the Subaru has 200K on the original shocks.


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SoonerAviator said:
It doesn't count if you've got air ride suspension on the dually and the Subaru has 200K on the original shocks.
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I wish I had the air ride suspension...but alas, I am a pilot and can't afford such luxuries....:nonod: :lol:
 
weilke said:
You need to weigh down the back of a dually to make it more comfortable. The traditional tool to do so is a set of over-sized truck-nutz filled with depleted uranium or mercury.
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How do I convince the guys at the local nuclear plant to let me have the old uranium? Even though my truck is a 3/4 ton it still feels like they forgot to put the suspension on at the factory. :D
 
Matthew K said:
How do I convince the guys at the local nuclear plant to let me have the old uranium? Even though my truck is a 3/4 ton it still feels like they forgot to put the suspension on at the factory. :D
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If you need depleted uranium, write a nice letter to:

Rick Perry
1000 Independence Ave
Washington, DC 20585

Just come up with something that this is needed for a project on 'innovative approaches to reducing regulation' and I am sure he'll give you a a 1/2 ton of the stuff.
 
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