RV's - Who has em'

[SilvrSRT10]

Tag along, 5th wheel, pop up, motorhome. Who has what? Show pictures of your home away from home. I've been wanting one forever and feel that the time is almost right.

We may start out with a light weight 5th wheel that I can tow with my 1/2 ton pickup just to see if we really enjoy going to state parks and that type of camping. That way we won't have a lot of money invested in something that might be a flop. But I see us ultimately moving up to a motorhome and going cross country. I hear you meet the nicest people when you're out camping.

 

[Jo6pak]

My "RV" rolls up into a pack about 20" long and 8" in diameter.
Although I have gotten a bit soft and bought a Thermarest pad for under the sleeping bag.

 

[oppo]

I don't have an RV but I have pulled a lot of trailers from hay buggies to semis. Just a heads up but with a camper, wind resistance will typically be a bigger issue than weight as far as pulling it, especially with the height of a 5th wheel.

Btw, the good break controllers that increase breaking as you increase pressure on the pedal are much better than the cheap on/off type. I haven't priced them but whatever they cost, they are worth the difference in price.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

When my wife and I were dating (many moons ago) we went tent camping with some friends at Grayson Highland state park in Virginia. It was..... interesting. It was cold, we weren't completely prepared, we were uncomfortable, the neighbors across the road were noisy. She had a smokers cough that wouldn't quit and she kept calling for her stupid little dog.

We went again another time up on the Blue Ridge Parkway. We were better prepared this time. It was cold again but this time I took a ceramic heater (the sights had 110 power) so we could make the tent a little more comfortable. But it still was a little too primitive for us. I prefer the security of four solid walls and a roof over my head when I'm sleeping. Plus A/C and heat don't hurt.

I know there are folks out there that just love primitive camping. Wouldn't have it any other way. It's just not for us. So that's why we're looking for a 5th wheel. It will give us a chance to at least take some long weekends and get away relatively inexpensively. We also like the idea of sleeping in our own bed. My wife is a germaphobe and every time we go into a hotel room she spends the first hour wiping down everything. We won't have to do that if we take out room with us. It just has perks that will work for us.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

Oppo, you're right. The brake controller I got for my truck is progressive. It senses how quickly I'm decelerating and applies the brakes on the trailer the same way.

My wife is a nervous rider. We towed a tag along back from Florida once. She'll never do that again. Every semi that passed us caused the truck/trailer to sway. Yeah, I know they have better systems to control sway these days. But just about everyone I talk to says 5th wheels tow the best. They are the steadiest.

The reason I'm looking at light weight is not to go over GVCW on the truck. Since it's just a half ton truck I want to be as low as I can get. I think my bed will handle a 1500 lb. load and total weight should not exceed 12,500 lb. The trailer I have in mind has a 900 lb. hitch weight and the whole trailer only weighs around 5000 lb. I've upgraded the brakes on my truck and have an airbag system for leveling the weight. It should be alright. And I don't think the 5th wheel stands any taller than about 9 feet. I just want to get to a camp ground to see how we're going to like it. I feel certain we're going to love it but want to wade in slowly (financially) before taking the big plunge.

 

[Jo6pak]

SRT- I wasn't so much poking fun at you as I was [oking fun at myself and my budget.
I can definately see the allure of RVing. Stopping when and wherever you want and having most, if not all, the comforts of home. I can't think of a better way to travel...just wish I could pull one behind the Victory.:boxed:

 

[SilvrSRT10]

SRT- I wasn't so much poking fun at you as I was [oking fun at myself and my budget.
I can definately see the allure of RVing. Stopping when and wherever you want and having most, if not all, the comforts of home. I can't think of a better way to travel...just wish I could pull one behind the Victory.:boxed:

I didn't take it as poking fun at me at all. I thought that a sleeping bag was just your preference. And there's nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. Some people want to be able to see the stars as they fall asleep. My followup post was just reliving the tent camping adventures we've had. Lets just say, I probably wouldn't have made a good cowboy. Sleeping on a bedroll with a rock for a pillow. Nope!

Hey! Here ya go.

But for real...

 

[kwo51]

There is also a pop up that the Victory can haul. I like the high lows .My son asked if they were for midgets? I live on vacation.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

There is also a pop up that the Victory can haul. I like the high lows .My son asked if they were for midgets? I live on vacation.

I like the idea of the high/lows too. But I've got to have something I can stand up straight in. That's my biggest dilemma is finding a bathroom that I can actually use the shower in. I'm 3" shy of 7 feet tall. It just so happens this lite weight 5th that I found has the bath on the main floor. The ceiling in the bath is about 8' high. So it being lite weight and having a high ceiling in the bath is a win/win for me.

 

[Rusty Shackleford]

I bought a 3/4 ton Cummins Ram in December with the intention of buying a 5th wheel this year. Now I'm on the prowl for a good condition 5-10 year old 25-30' camper that I can haul down to the lake.

 

[oppo]

Without question, a 5th wheel or gooseneck is much more stable than a bumper pull. It also puts the weight in a much better spot for the truck.

5th wheels are also much easier to hook and unhook than a gooseneck. About the only reason they haven't completely replaced goosenecks is bed space.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

I'm installing a gooseneck ball in the bed of my truck. And then going to get the Andersen Ultimate hitch to convert the 5th wheel to the gooseneck. Here is a diagram on how it works. The hitch itself only weighs 40 lb. The adapter goes on the pin and then slips over the hitch ball. The hitch clamps to the gooseneck ball in the bed of the truck. Suppose to take all movement out of the connection. I've read that with a 5th wheel connection there can be chucking and movement etc. that this eliminates. When you want to use the bed of your truck it only takes undoing 3 bolts and the hitch comes completely out. No rails or other obstructions to get in the way. The gooseneck ball in the bed of the truck just flips over to give you a flat floor again.

 

[oppo]

Interesting. I like that it allows you to use both hitch styles and that it easily removes to allow use of the bed.

 

[kwo51]

Sounds like somebody needs a semi for a camper.

 

[kwo51]

Some real nice coaches on the market that were built for basketball stars. You can get into one for around $1,ooo,ooo. Tall tents looking better.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

Just because I'm tall, doesn't mean I make money like a basketball star. I've got a nice used 5th wheel in mind that looks like it will do just fine as a starter camper. Just hope to find one that's not too far away and at a decent price.

I've also already have our motor coach picked out. It's called an Alfa See Ya. They were built with 7'6" ceilings. So no worries about bumping my head in that either. But that's a purchase we'll make down he road I think.

 

[Sgt. Rock]

Use to do the tent scene in my earlier days and enjoyed it until I was in my late 30's but waking up to a sore back and raindrops coming thru was the final straw. Sold everything in a yard sale when we divorced and haven't been camping since then. My current wife and I still work full-time but maybe down the road a mid-size RV might be in the cards...not one of those million dollar babies but something comfortable and not hard to park. Be one of those Arizona snowbirds as she calls it.

 

[kwo51]

With a family of 3 kids and wife camping was harder than work.

 

[SilvrSRT10]

Use to do the tent scene in my earlier days and enjoyed it until I was in my late 30's but waking up to a sore back and raindrops coming thru was the final straw. Sold everything in a yard sale when we divorced and haven't been camping since then. My current wife and I still work full-time but maybe down the road a mid-size RV might be in the cards...not one of those million dollar babies but something comfortable and not hard to park. Be one of those Arizona snowbirds as she calls it.

That's how we want to start out. Just something large enough for me but not too difficult to maneuver. Looking at a 24-28 foot lite weight 5th wheel. If we really enjoy that and want to expand our traveling we may move up to a motor coach. Like you, not one of the million dollar ones. Again, I already have one picked out. The MSRP on it was about $300K back in 2005 but can now be gotten for a third of that or below. The nice thing about an RV is if need be can be financed similar to a house. It's considered a second home. So it keeps the payments sane. That's what our current plans are. 5th wheel locally and motor coach cross country.

Plans subject to change without notice.

 

[oppo]

Sorry to keep butting in but ,especially if traveling long distances, it is well worth running quality tires at least a load range heavier than what is called for. It will greatly cut down the risk of being stuck on the side of the road in the middle of who knows where, where there might not even be a cell phone signal. Then, you have to track down the nearest tire guy that actually has the right size tires and wait for him to show up from wherever with a big fat bill. Last month, I was pulling a gooseneck back from Ohio and ended up spending 4 1/2 hours on the side of the road in Tennessee. The bill was nearly $1k for a couple of 16" trailer tires. Not how I wanted to spend my birthday at least I was getting paid to sit there instead getting stuck with the bill.