My wife and I have been looking at trailers for about two months now and finally decided to purchase one that came up on a local Buy/Sell/Trade site. We got a 1994 Wilderness Fifth Wheel with an existing Gooseneck Conversion. I'll be towing it with my 07 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD (Duramax and Allison) once I get the gooseneck installed. I live in Central Texas, so freezes only happen about twice a year. I plan on updating the interior of the trailer as it is very outdated, but it is at least in good condition. So, my question is, as a first time trailer buyer, what recommendations (either replies or recommended threads) do the well-seasoned travelers have for me?Pictures:

Welcome to the forum!! Congrats on the new to you FW! You will need to check to see that everything is in good working order, before actually going camping. A driveway campout works good for this. If water system, all appliances, are working good, move on to checking roof caulk, then underside, check bearings, brakes, and springs.Nice pics, truck/trailer look great! Hope you enjoy many fun times!Jerry

MFL wrote:Welcome to the forum!!Thank you for the welcomeMFL wrote:A driveway campout works good for thisSounds like a great way to go about itMFL wrote:check bearings, brakes, and springsDidn't even think about this, another major thing on the To-Do list

Welcome to the board. Other than what MFL suggest i would add have fun.

Like stated, a weekend in either your or a friends driveway will go along way in learning the do's and dont's of camping... We had good friends buy their first camper and they toed it to our house and stayed in the driveway for the weekend...Don't forget to shock the tires when checking the undercarriage... If the date codes are older than 5-6 years, you may want to think about replacing them before towing any distance.. Especially if the trailer has been sitting for a while, the sidewalks will go weak.Check ALL the caulking and sealant around all openings and the edge of the roof and vents...Joe

I disagree with MFL. I would start with insuring the roof is waterproof. Then I'd move on to other items.

I bought a Fifth-Wheel | Good Sam Community

gar_fanatic
Explorer
Apr 18, 2017
We loved our 93 Wilderness. Sadly, we didn't realize the nose was leaking under the front siding, it was never wet inside. Eternabond tape quickly fixed the leak, but the damage had already been done. The entire nose was rotten, so we traded it in. :( Moral of the story is check the roof for cracks, at least once a year or more! The wilderness was hands down a better camper than the one we traded it for.

I hope you have many wonderful years and moments in your wilderness!
md_procouple
Explorer
Apr 16, 2017
Great looking job !!! We will keep you in mind when we are ready to up-date / re-model our 5'er !! lol Good Luck and Happy Camping !!!
Bjcombs1989
Explorer
Apr 16, 2017
I made this album on my family's Blog site. I ended up doing a bunch of updates and such to the camper (per the wife's... "Request" we'll say)

Camper Renovation Album
Bjcombs1989
Explorer
Feb 12, 2017
MFL wrote:
How much bed rail clearance do you have? It does look like you need to lower the hitch a little, or raise the pinbox.

Nice picture! It did not take you long to get things lined up and get her done!! Good job!!

Jerry

Ah, I see what you mean. I'll have to measure it out and see.

It helped that Dyers shipped it so quicky, I got it 26 hours after ordering.
MFL
Nomad II
Feb 12, 2017
How much bed rail clearance do you have? It does look like you need to lower the hitch a little, or raise the pinbox.

Nice picture! It did not take you long to get things lined up and get her done!! Good job!!

Jerry
shepstone
Explorer
Feb 12, 2017
Bjcombs1989 wrote:
shepstone wrote:
Nice! Looks a little nose high but that may be the picture angle

The truck already had a little nose high without a load. I think I need to add some air into the airbags in the back. It didn't feel like it went down much when I hooked it up.

I was referring to the trailer but like I said it may be the picture angle.
Bjcombs1989
Explorer
Feb 12, 2017
shepstone wrote:
Nice! Looks a little nose high but that may be the picture angle

The truck already had a little nose high without a load. I think I need to add some air into the airbags in the back. It didn't feel like it went down much when I hooked it up.
shepstone
Explorer
Feb 12, 2017
Nice! Looks a little nose high but that may be the picture angle. No worries for delam on aluminum sides, but still keep an eye out for leaks and fix promptly. Congrats!
Bjcombs1989
Explorer
Feb 12, 2017
Finally got all the parts and installed it last night/this morning. About 3 hours of work all together to get the rails installed and the hitch setup and ready to go.

Got the trailer hooked up, pulled around the block and it works as advertised, quite awesome.

First look:
Bjcombs1989
Explorer
Feb 07, 2017
garyp4951 wrote:
https://www.etrailer.com/question-151825.html

Thank you for this. I really thought I was correct in the model number but I guess I wasn't.

Got a trip planned for June already ... countdown to finish my ever-growing to-do list has begun.

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