Considering a Momentum... MANY questions

[AndrewKane]

Hello everyone. Long time lurker, first time poster. This forum is an awesome source of information, and I am excited at the possibility of being more of a part of it soon.

A little about me and what I am doing: I travel all over the country to race motorcycles, spend 5-8 months of the year on the road, and typically travel alone with my two dogs, or sometimes with a few racing buddies. I currently travel out of an XLR Hyper Lite bumper pull toy hauler, and have not been super happy with it. In 2 years I have put 35,000 miles on it, which is most likely why I have had so many issues, as it was not designed for that much use. It has had build quality issues, is worthless in cold weather, and pulls terribly behind my 3500 Dually 6.7 Cummins RAM.

I am looking at the possibility of a 348M or maybe a 397TH, but have a lot of concerns and questions before spending the significant amount of money these trailers cost. I am led to believe that the Momentum is a higher quality unit than you get with other manufacturers, and is likely my best bet at having a reliable trailer for a long period of time. Hopefully some members can help!

1. Am I unrealistic in hoping to have a reliable trailer at all when I pull it down the road as much as I do? Do any members here on this forum put a lot of miles on their trailer traveling to races or similar?

2. I am absolutely terrified at the idea of having something as big as these rigs, with as much as I'm traveling, and boon docking at races or secondary roads, I worry that the height of these rigs will prove unwieldy. Is it going to be a big deal going from my 30 foot bumper pull to a rig that is 10 feet longer and much taller? I worry about getting fuel on the road, turning around, getting under trees and power lines... etc.

3. How are these coaches in cold weather? A lot of the times I am traveling through cold parts of the country with water in the rig in order to take showers and use the bathroom. Last year we were at a race in texas where it was 70 degrees and sunny on saturday, then an ice storm came and we were stranded in the rig for 4 days, with temps in the 20s and my "4 season" XLR froze solid, rendering us without a bathroom or shower for 4 days and damaging some plumbing. What are some of the colder temps you guys have used these coaches in?

4. I am torn on floor plans, I need a 11 foot garage or larger, and like the smaller overall size of the 348m. (maybe an unjustified fear of owning the bigger rigs?) I don't like the idea of not having a table and chairs, or dinette to eat at or use the computer. Even my small trailer has a dinette and I often sit there and do computer work when on the road. The only rig that seems to fit that need is the 397, which I absolutely love the floor plan, the bedroom with W/D hookup. I am assuming you could put a stacked unit up there? (not taking up valuable garage space). I just don't want to screw myself by getting something so big I can't maneuver it or get it into a campground, that's why the 348 looks to be the best option despite not loving the floor plan and not having the table I want so much.

5. Has anyone modified the recliner/sofa and only had two chairs and put a small table/dinette in next to it? This could be a good option for me to retain a smaller rig and still get the table.

6. On the larger drop frame trailers, is ground clearance a major issue? Often we are parking in corn fields or the like at the races.

I am sure I will have many more questions before pulling the trigger, but appreciate any advice that can be given, as I am terrified of making the wrong decision on a purchase that can depreciate rapidly like trailers do. I guess my other largest concern is maneuvering such a large rig, as My current 30ft trailer can sometimes be a pain to get in and out of places or turn around at the places we go and ride before the races.

Thanks in advance for reading, and responding!

[Bamaman]

1. There are a few full time owners of fifth wheel trailers putting substantial miles on them, but many fifth wheels and toy haulers are not moving constantly. They're typically stationary much of the time. Many RV'ers that travel all the time prefer to go with a Class A, and in you case towing an enclosed trailer.

2. You should feel better about towing with a fifth wheel than a bumper pull even if they're longer. They're more stable. But you do have to be aware of your surroundings with the larger trailer--especially looking up.

3. The insulation in these rigs is very substantial, and I have no reservations about camping in cold conditions. My worry would be with the water hookups more than the trailer.

4. I have a Reflection 323BHS, and we ordered it with a SuperSofa--12' of leather loveseat with left hand and right hand recliners. We don't miss our dinette or table at all. If I need a table, we carry a very nice folding table and chairs we can setup. The SuperSofa allows 4 people to sit--instead of only have seating for 2.

5. We have seen sofas replaced with two chairs leaving room for a small table/dinette.

6. Ground clearance is not a major issue with frames 25" or more off the ground.

While many fifth wheel owners travel from place to place, I find them better suited traveling to one spot (like Florida) and spend some time there (in winter.) Those that travel constantly, especially putting the miles you put on one, may be better suited to have a Class A diesel pusher towing a trailer.

[Brentalive]

I have a 348 m and Havent had the chance to use it in cold weather yet but will be soon for sledding trips! But have been told they stand up well in cold weather so will see! As for the table there is one for the garage area and also a free standing table that goes in front of the couch that comes with the unit! But u can remove a couple sofas and put a table and chairs in if need be! As far as quality I would say there all pretty even grand design might be better built in some areas but they cheaped out on some things like tie downs in garage and no storage in dove tail in garage which I really liked on other models ! But other momentum models may have that! But what was already said above I think hes right a class A towing a trailer is way better route for u!

[kregli]

Can't help with most of your questions, but the dinette issue is pretty much solved in the Momentums. My 388 came with two tables, one (too) heavy one that mount in the garage between the happi-jac sofas; the other a folding one that sits in front of the living room sofa. I don't carry the garage one, but the LR one is light, sets up easily and works just great. Probably not great if you plan dinner parties, but since I travel alone that's not a big issue.

The size isn't a huge issue, but you do have to be careful. My GPS once tried to send me under a 12 foot bridge and I've had a couple of campgrounds where the corners were very tough to manage, but mostly it works. I spend a lot of time at Bluegrass Festivals which are not too different from motorcycle races (not quite as loud), and I may not get optimum parking, but they can always find somewhere to fit me.

[C130TN]

What kind of motorcycle racing are you doing? We had a 35 foot 5th wheel toy hauler before and now have a 385TH which is about 8 feet longer. We raced motocross for several years but just quit. There are a few more limitations to the larger 5th wheels but I wouldn't go back to the smaller size and I think you'll like the 5th wheel much better than the bumper pull.

As already stated, I have no concern about staying warm but more concerned about the pipes freezing if it's extremely cold.

[Val and Denis]

We have been full timing in our 350M since mid August. Having never pulled a 5er prior, I cannot believe how easy the transition was. I tow with a 2014 Ram 3500 DRW. We have totally pimped ours up with solar and do not need to plug in at all as we do a lot of boon docking. I would have it any other way! We are spending December up near Vancouver, BC and so far temps have been great inside the unit. Mid 40-45 F temps though. If you boon dock and run the generator you should be able to keep the rig warm with the furnace, fireplace and tank heaters working! With my solar set up though, I would need to run the generator for around 2-3 hrs/day. Currently I am running the fridge on shore power and I go through one 30 pound propane tank/week. I also occasionally use a propane gas buddy to keep the garage comfortable when I am working back there. We may be selling our rig to move to the 376 as we need less garage and more living space. email me if this interest's you. [email protected]

[AndrewKane]

Thanks for the input so far,

As responses to a few of these:

- The table in the garage is of no use to me, as when traveling on the road, there will be motorcycles/parts in the garage all of the time. I much prefer a dinette to trying to sit in a recliner and have dinner/work on the computer with a card table in front of me. Just a preference thing.

-As far as a motorhome, I have strongly considered doing a toy hauler MH or a super C like a renegade, but a DP with enclosed trailer is not a great option, because you have nothing to drive when you get to where you are going. I race off road enduros, and a lot of the times even with my travel trailer TH, I have had to park the trailer, load a bike in the bed of the truck, and drive to go ride (generally this is when practicing before a race). I really don't want to try and drive a 40ft DP with a trailer behind it up some narrow dirt road in order to haul a 250lb motorcycle for a few hours of riding in an afternoon. Thus, the only option besides a truck and trailer, is a toy hauler motorhome and pull a small pickup or van behind it. Not a bad option, but all of the class A TH MH are gas powered, which for as many miles as I drive seem like a poor investment.

[AndrewKane]

Good to hear about the cold weather reliability though, I am just trying to think all of this through to get the rig that is going to work the best for what I do. Keep it coming!

[C&H Conner]

We looked at several class A's with garages and like you said the majority are front gas engines. The only diesel pushers we found had tiny rear garages with a smart car in mind and would not serve your purpose well.

We have stayed in our 380th down to 22 degrees and my wife had it sweating hot inside cuz I think she is prepping for a long stay in hell.... Burns through some propane though as it is a big space to heat. Length and height wise you just need to keep yer wits about you but as much as you have pulled a trailer it won't be much of a transition for you.

Not sure what the smaller TH's have in them for couch/table combos but the bigger ones can be equipped with 2 theater seats and a full table. We went with the full 4 seat couch but sometimes wish we had gone with the table setup.

They are solid, well built rigs but will need some shake down time like any new RV. One thing I will say is GD has been a fantastic company to deal with for the issues we have had. Responsive and quick to send parts when needed. Dealer we bought the RV from is a complete disaster so we have sourced everything straight from GD.

[KimandChris]

Having done a few enduros myself, there is no way I would ever consider a large toyhauler of any make to do what you are doing. Sometimes it would work and you would be the envy of the racers...but I would always be worried about that one farmers field after a two day rain. You may be stuck there for a week and miss the next race.

In addition to the setup we have below, we also have a large truck camper for our dodge dually. We plan on buying a small cargo trailer for the bikes. Plenty of room for me, my wife and our 2 golden retrievers. Just another option. You could get into a top of the line truck camper for $30K, another few grand for the utility trailer. Cheaper than any decent full size toyhauler.