Forum Discussion

crober51's avatar
crober51
Explorer
Mar 21, 2016

In the preliminary stages of shopping

Hi guys, brand new to the forum, but it has already been a huge asset. My wife and I are hoping to purchase a HD Truck and Fifth Wheel towards the end of the year and as such we have started our research process. There are so many brands and makers to choose from that it is incredibly daunting to find a place to start. Here are our requirements:

1. We will be full timing.

2. We want as close to true 4 season as we can get

3. We will likely purchase new (open to hearing contrary arguments)

4. Wife will be travel nursing so this fifth wheel will get moved around frequently.

5. We are not incredibly concerned about price, but would like to stay south of 100,000.

This last point brings up the crux of my question. I realize that cost heavily relates to the level of luxury one gets from their purchase. What we care more about is the level of build quality of the trailer. While I understand that trailers are inherently less well built than homes, we would be willing to pay more for a unit that was less likely to suffer from rapid deterioration and failure. Are there any recommendations for companies that provide the best overall build quality? I've seen New Horizons and Augusta RV, and while they are both expensive (New Horizons especially) I want to know, am I just paying for better leather and cabinetry, or do the contrustion features that they tout actually make the trailer a better, more reliable home?

Thank you for any and all input!
  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    Mar 21, 2016
    crober51 wrote:
    5. We are not incredibly concerned about price, but would like to stay south of 100,000.

    What we care more about is the level of build quality of the trailer.
    New truck, new ft fiver will likely be north of 100k.

    Heavier= better build quality. Heavier = more truck. Heavier= able to withstand the rigors of the road. DRV makes a real good ft fiver.
  • crober51's avatar
    crober51
    Explorer
    Mar 21, 2016
    2oldman wrote:
    crober51 wrote:
    5. We are not incredibly concerned about price, but would like to stay south of 100,000.

    What we care more about is the level of build quality of the trailer.
    New truck, new ft fiver will likely be north of 100k.

    Heavier= better build quality. Heavier = more truck. Heavier= able to withstand the rigors of the road. DRV makes a real good ft fiver.


    Thanks for the DRV recommendation. I should have been more specific. We'd like to stay under 100k for the Fiver. The truck we are considering on it's own merits.
  • dedmiston's avatar
    dedmiston
    Moderator
    Mar 21, 2016
    A few questions for you:

    1. How handy are you? Are you ready to tackle your own improvements and/or minor repairs or will you need to use service locations?

    2. How far away from "home" do you plan to travel and how long do you plan to stay in one place? Warranty service might be tricky if you are moving around.

    3. Are you willing to buy used? You can definitely save a lot of money buying used and you might be better off with something that's already out of warranty if you're travelling & full-timing.
  • Dick_B's avatar
    Dick_B
    Explorer
    Mar 21, 2016
    When we were looking we bought the current review of RV's from the RV Consumer Group. www.rv.org. I was able to winnow out those rigs that had the lower ratings down to a half dozen or so that I reviewed further. Once I got it down even lower I visited several campground to talk to the owners to see what was WRONG with their RV. That's much more honest than `It's a wonderful rig why don't you buy the same one' kind of response.
    And, of course, search this Forum until you fall asleep for the vast amount of information contained herein.
  • coolmom42's avatar
    coolmom42
    Explorer II
    Mar 21, 2016
    You can get more bang for your buck, and likely get by with a smaller truck, if you go to a travel trailer rather than a 5th wheel. Most TTs can be pulled by a 3/4 ton truck, whereas a big heavy 5th wheel may require the next step up.

    Among trailers, Arctic Fox is one of the better built brands and is suitable for year-round use.
  • 2oldman's avatar
    2oldman
    Explorer II
    Mar 21, 2016
    crober51 wrote:
    I should have been more specific. We'd like to stay under 100k for the Fiver.
    With DRV that might be a tight squeeze!
  • crober51's avatar
    crober51
    Explorer
    Mar 21, 2016
    dedmiston wrote:
    A few questions for you:

    1. How handy are you? Are you ready to tackle your own improvements and/or minor repairs or will you need to use service locations?

    2. How far away from "home" do you plan to travel and how long do you plan to stay in one place? Warranty service might be tricky if you are moving around.

    3. Are you willing to buy used? You can definitely save a lot of money buying used and you might be better off with something that's already out of warranty if you're travelling & full-timing.


    1. Not handy yet, but am a quick learner and plan on spending some time before we hit the road with my Father in Law who is a diesel engine mechanic, and overall handy guy. That said, the less I have to prove my handiness right away, the better.

    2. We are in Vermont and could very well spend time on the west coast and maybe even Alaska.

    3. Not opposed to used, however what are the benefits besides lowered initial cost? Not to make light of cost, as this is obviously a major part of the assessment, but having never done this before I am not particularly sure of what to look for regarding the condition of the trailer.
  • crober51's avatar
    crober51
    Explorer
    Mar 21, 2016
    Dick_B wrote:
    When we were looking we bought the current review of RV's from the RV Consumer Group. www.rv.org. I was able to winnow out those rigs that had the lower ratings down to a half dozen or so that I reviewed further. Once I got it down even lower I visited several campground to talk to the owners to see what was WRONG with their RV. That's much more honest than `It's a wonderful rig why don't you buy the same one' kind of response.
    And, of course, search this Forum until you fall asleep for the vast amount of information contained herein.


    Thanks for the suggestions, I'll deintiely look at the RV Consumer Group reviews. Hadn't thought of going by some RV parks to ask people what their experiences were, not a bad idea at all.
  • crober51's avatar
    crober51
    Explorer
    Mar 21, 2016
    coolmom42 wrote:
    You can get more bang for your buck, and likely get by with a smaller truck, if you go to a travel trailer rather than a 5th wheel. Most TTs can be pulled by a 3/4 ton truck, whereas a big heavy 5th wheel may require the next step up.

    Among trailers, Arctic Fox is one of the better built brands and is suitable for year-round use.


    We're considering travel trailers, but are probably more likely to end up with a Fifth Wheel. We are considering Airstream, but this is a recent development and we haven't had the opportunity to see one or do substantial research yet. That said, I'm not in any way opposed to a HD truck and might do one regardless.
  • crober51's avatar
    crober51
    Explorer
    Mar 21, 2016
    2oldman wrote:
    crober51 wrote:
    I should have been more specific. We'd like to stay under 100k for the Fiver.
    With DRV that might be a tight squeeze!


    Well, if the build quality is that much better we are happy to pay the extra. I just don't want to throw the money away just for the shiny baubles, I want the substance to be there too. From what was said already in this thread, it sounds like the quality is there, and this is a real option for us because of it.

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