Any RV'ers around here?

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DesertRat

DesertRat

Leading edge boomer
Joined
Jan 22, 2005
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Location
Moses Lake, Washington
Up for general discussion, if you are an RV person, particularly a fifth wheel type please chime in. We are considering changing from our fixed base property to a fifth wheel RV in our retirement. Wondering about the pros and cons of the whole gig as we would be starting from ground zero and I know there is a LOT to learn.
Thanks in advance-DesertRat:)
 
I will chime in as I remember things. When I retired we sold everything we had in Colorado and bought a Dodge 1 Ton Dually and a 40 foot 5th wheel with 3 big slides and took off. Depending on the lifestyle you want to live will go a big way in how you equip the unit. We wanted to see the Country but at the same time wanted Satellite TV and at least 30 amp electric so we would have A/C ( Had 2 A/C's).and sewer if possible. That kind of restricted us to Commercial RV Parks that rarely look as good as they do online and are pretty pricey. We stayed at a few State and Federal parks that were fantastic, reasonably priced but some only have electrical hookups. If I had it to do over I would either buy a couple quiet Honda'generators or install a big battery bank and Solar on the roof( expensive initial costs) and hit the State and Federal Parks more. A lot more to it but this is just a general idea. We had planned on 5 years but my Wife had some health issues and we needed a permanent home so only made it 2 years. Don't regret it a bit...Saw the whole Country except the N/E and upper Northern States. Feel free to ask me anything you need answered and I'll help as much as I can.
 
Kinda, sorta....lol. We have a permanent lot in a Myrtle Beach campground, with an older park model on it. Turn on the water from outside, adjust the thermostat...and set up is done! Before that, we had a NICE Sunnybrook 5th wheel. I loved the way it pulled, and was unaffected by tractor trailers blowing by. No wobble like a tag along camper. I hated the idiot drivers on the road though! You try to leave plenty of stopping distance, and some moron has to whip in front of you and slam on the brakes to turn right. I could never be a truck driver without ending up in jail....lol. My advice when looking for a 5th wheel, is don't buy a rear kitchen model. Hitting bumps will eventually break the cabinets off the wall in a rear kitchen, due to the weight of the pots and pan, dishes, food storage, etc. Think of it as a "crack the whip" effect on roller skates. Don't buy a camper with the door way towards the rear. You may be stepping out into the dirt rather than onto a concrete pad because you had to back in so far. Don't leave the black tank valve open once you get set up. Water won't collect in the black tank, and you will build a turd and toilet paper mountain! Get a camper with the black tank washer feature. It's a lot easier and cleaner flushing that tank. Always pull test the king pin as soon as you back under the camper and lock the hitch. Pull the front landing gear up to where it barely comes off the ground, get back in the truck, lock down the trailer brakes and try to ease forward. You shouldn't be able to if the hitch is successfully engaged and the brakes working properly. If it isn't hitched properly, it will just drop back down a fraction of an inch onto the landing gear, rather than smushing your truck bed had you pulled the gear all the way up. Don't forget to then pull the gear all the way up...lol. As far as a 5th wheel hitch goes, I love my B&W Companion hitch. No rails in the truck bed, and one of the strongest hitches made. They even have a slider version if you have a short bed truck. That's all I got for now, but I'll try to think of more. :)
 
We are thinking of a new or lightly used 30-32' with a couple of slides. Our friends have one we like but they don't make it any more.
I don't want to try to tow more than 11-12K dry unit. My problem is picking a manufacturer. Everyone is building them now and it would be easy to buy junk.
I did Google some information up on discussion forums so I will follow up on that. I know a Mopar forum is probably not the best place for this as our membership
is mostly younger guys still working. Thanks for responding guys-it's good information:)
 
done quite a bit of it and have had alot of fun. if you can, try to keep your house unless you can get into another easily later, cause sooner or later you'll get enough full timing. have traveled all over and seen alot of sites, but seem to have more fun going out 2 or 3 weeks at a time then coming home for awhile. doesn't get stale that way. get ready to spend some money cause once you hit the road, things will need fixing, and anything camper related will cost double. ask me how i know. lol. as for best maker, your guess is as good as any ones these days, as quality isn't what it used to be. alot of people dont like them, but we bought a new 32' keystone everest 5th wheel with 3 slides in 05, and haven't ever had anything major go out. still have it. go to rv.com, irv.com and rvparkreviews.com and read away. about every thing you need to know can be found there. good luck and have fun, dave.
 
Thanks Dave, I appreciate your comments. The good part for us is we will be keeping the home we live in now. We are tired of being tethered to our
recreational property which needs constant maintenance and work. It has been good to us and appreciated about 25% since purchase, but it will be on
the market soon:) Research entails the towed unit and the towing unit----practically another job:-(
 
I have a 2017 Grand Design 5th wheel. VERY good brand. Three times across the country, no issues.

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we have a travel trailer but chose to go smaller with it ans have only been out once at the end of last year right after we bought it... at this point in time we don't need anything huge. down the road if we like this trailer i'm thinking of a class C.. that way o can tow the dart places and cruise that around when there..

as far as the brand that is best goes... flip a coin.. seems like all brands have their issues and everyone has a different opinion of whats best... most will say buy used. older ones are built better they say... who knows. we bought new..
 
IMO, you should stay away from light and ultra light units. They are light because the are built like crap. GET at least a 3/4 ton truck. Diesel powered if you are serious.
 
Mopar Tim said:
IMO, you should stay away from light and ultra light units. They are light because the are built like crap. GET at least a 3/4 ton truck. Diesel powered if you are serious.
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Oh yeah, We are serious. I just looked at the link you sent me and I gotta have one. Or maybe one close to it. The setup you have is close to what I aspire to-------------
 
The wife and I are going class A motorhome, need to bring the toys along.
 
fishmens67 said:
The wife and I are going class A motorhome, need to bring the toys along.
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AND either pull a vehicle behind you, it might as well be a nice roomy 5th wheel trailer, or move the whole thing whenever you want to go anywhere. IMO NOT a good choice.
 
DesertRat said:
Oh yeah, We are serious. I just looked at the link you sent me and I gotta have one. Or maybe one close to it. The setup you have is close to what I aspire to-------------
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Grand Design make several different models. IMO well built for all year living.
 
Mopar Tim said:
AND either pull a vehicle behind you, it might as well be a nice roomy 5th wheel trailer, or move the whole thing whenever you want to go anywhere. IMO NOT a good choice.
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well you are towing one way or another.. and if he is bringing toys with it i have to assume its either motorcycles or a car thats cooler then just a daily driver.. even if it is a daily drover type its probably smaller then a 3/4-1 ton truck.
 
Mopar Tim said:
AND either pull a vehicle behind you, it might as well be a nice roomy 5th wheel trailer, or move the whole thing whenever you want to go anywhere. IMO NOT a good choice.
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well I disagree, our enclosed car hauler has plenty of room for our Harleys and the car. Sometime we may want to haul the boat. The less I have to work with my rigging the better.
 
fishmens67 said:
well I disagree, our enclosed car hauler has plenty of room for our Harleys and the car. Sometime we may want to haul the boat. The less I have to work with my rigging the better.
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What ever works for you I guess......:thumbsup:BUT no way you are going to live full time in any Class A and be comfortable. Again this is my opinion, after owning all kinds of RV's.
 
Before you buy, check the axle and tire rating ( 5th wheel). Most are manufactured barely above the trailer weight. If you have one built to your specs. overkill in this area won't be wrong.
Yote
 
DesertRat said:
Up for general discussion, if you are an RV person, particularly a fifth wheel type please chime in. We are considering changing from our fixed base property to a fifth wheel RV in our retirement. Wondering about the pros and cons of the whole gig as we would be starting from ground zero and I know there is a LOT to learn.
Thanks in advance-DesertRat:)
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Lot of good thoughts. I would suggest get automatic levelers. Saves so much time at set up.
 
If you need a truck, I know where there's a 2004 Dodge dually with only 34,000 miles on it. Bad part is.....it's clean on the other side of the country from you. :( I just remembered, do some research on Lippart frames, and the troubles that 5th wheels that use them have experienced. Try to find a 5th wheel that has a 6" boxed frame instead of an I beam frame.
 
My dad has a small travel trailer, and he recently has some sort of park assist installed
It consists of two electro motors that press up against the tires, and a remote control
You use the control to move the trailer where you want it...makes life a whole lot easier when you don't have room to maneuver it with a truck
 
fl 71 said:
Lot of good thoughts. I would suggest get automatic levelers. Saves so much time at set up.
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Grand Design has them as standard equipment. And the trouble with the Lippart frame has been resolved a while ago. AND almost every trailer uses Lippart frames and components.
 
Anyone who is deciding to do an RV type life needs to watch the movie RV with Robin Williams.
There is some pretty ridiculous stuff in that movie, but some of it is sooo true. :D
I have done a lot of RVing and camping and solar chargers are the ticket for sure.
The intellipower converter units are pretty much a must if the unit doesn't have something comparable, as are a bank of good 6v deep cycle batteries and not the 12v POS batteries that usually come with RV's these days.
Also like already mentioned, the tires that come on new rigs usually suck and need replaced right from the get go.
 
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