My 2017 quest for the perfect TT!

Well, at long last I got the Office all done and picked up my little Jayco Swift. It took longer then I thought,be cause I slipped and fell off the roof and injured myself and was down for 5 days. Nothing broken, just severe bruising to my feet. I can still barely walk, but I pushed through and got the job done. I can rest and heal up on the road.


Here is the cute little office I built. Totally finished inside and out. With an R-16 insulation value and a 6,000 BTU AC unit, this thing is like an ice box.





Gave my new TT a run through yesterday. It is in pretty good shape with a few minor cosmetic thing to fix (Missing fresh water tank cap and city water inlet plug, broken porch light, etc.) Ordered all the parts overnight from Amazon, and got them all installed. She is just about ready to go. Just got some packing to do, before we hit the road in the morning, headed to California.

Okay. I know I left ya'll hanging there, so here is an update. I have am still without a TT, but I have found a solution. After three days of searching, it became apparent I was not going to find what I really wanted here in Texas or anywhere close. Since Northwood does not really offer the floor plan I really want, I switched my focus to Outdoor RV products. There are several models that have floor plans I like. The Problem is, there is not one within a thousand miles of me. The ones I have found that I want, are all up in Oregon or Washington. I have a lot of traveling to do before I get up that far.

So, then I started kicking myself in the rear for selling off my Kodiak. I was like, "You Stupid IDIOT." You could have used that until you got over to where the Outdoor RV TT are popular and then traded it in!" :S Of course, I did not know this before I sold my Kodiak off, because I did not really start searching for my next TT until I sold that one, so how could I have known that I could not find what I wanted anywhere near me. Oh well, Hind sight is always 20/20, as the saying goes.

Anyway, I was like, "God, I need some help here." And BAM! Out of nowhere the solution presented itself.

So, there is this older couple that I know that live in a motor-home in an RV park, by chance and was chatting with them. The wife was complaining that she had no space to do her office work in except a tiny 16 foot Jayco Swift SLX they have parked in the same spot with their Motor-home. She said could barley stand it in that little TT because it was cramped the AC could not keep it cool in the heat of the day. Since I used to be a builder, I offered to build her a nice little, well insulated, portable, office building to do her work in. They asked me how much it would cost and I said I had no idea because I had not built anything for years. Then it struck me, and I asked, what are you going to do with the little Jayco? They said they wanted to sell it. I asked them if they would trade it for the office and they said they would. Boom! Prayer answers!

That was the day before yesterday afternoon. I immediately went to work designing the structure and calculating the materials. I got all the materials yesterday and built the foundation. Today, so far I have all the walls framed in and up. It is 105 degrees right now, so I am waiting for it cool off before I go out to work on it some more. I plan to set up lights and work through the night to finish it so I can deliver it tomorrow. I am building it at my house and will haul it over on a big flatbed and delivery it and pick up the TT.

If all goes well, I will have the TT in hand tomorrow and start packing for the road. It is possible that I could be on the road by Wednesday. Woohoo!

Once I get up in the Outdoor RV stomping grounds, I plan on trading this little TT in a good used Back Country ORV if I can find one at some dealership up there. That along with my 10K cash, might get me close to something nice. The little Jayco is a 2013, Jay Flight Swift SLX M-184 BH. It's worth about $4,400 Low Retail according to the NADA. It's in great shape. I spent $1,600 on materials to build this office, so I am coming out way ahead on the deal. I don't know what I will get on trade in for it, but even if it is just $3,000, I will still win.

Funny thing about this tiny TT is that it is actually a Bunkhouse model and sleeps 5 to 6 people. If it was not made out of toothpicks and cardboard, it might be a nice little camping trailer worth keeping. The one thing I know is that I am going to get a few laughs pulling this thing down the road with my huge 2500HD. It is going to look WAY over sized for this tiny TT. LOL!

Here are some pics.

The Jayco. I just looked on RV trader and these are going for between 7 and 9K



My building progress.

Rare as hen's teeth used...

They made a Creekside 23DBS through 2016, then they became Timber Ridge with the model re-alignment based on weight, slides, level of luxury.
2016 Creekside 23DBS New in Mesa, AZ

If you want a floorplan of the Timber Ridge 23DBS without the extra luxury items, check out the Black Rock 23BKS, If you have your own TV, don't need some of the luxury trim, and spend a fair amount of time off the grid, it may be a better fit for you. Hint: the trailer body is identical, the upgrades are not. Black Rock also comes standard with the X4 off road package, hd shocks, extra clearance, greaseable shackle studs, etc.
Black Rock 23BKS

Trouble is, most all are way out of your budget range, and production numbers are fairly low on these units.

The Nash 25C is about as close as you'll get to your goals with the limits you have set.

Edit: if you chase a Black Rock, make sure it has the power pack (A/C and microwave) plus mountain storage system(generator bracket, 2" receiver, and toy lock) Black Rock's are made to be used off-grid, and for folks that don't need A/C and microwave, they don't have to pay for it.

Here's an Outdoors RV owner's forum on that "other" rv site :
Outdoors RV owners

Here's an example of an older model with a similar layout:
2014 Back Country 26FS

Okay. Had to go do some work and other stuff. I had done a massive amount of research today trying to find models to look for.

It seems that that either the floor plans I like, were not made until the last couple years, or I don't know the names of the models that had the same floor plan five or six yeas ago. When I search for the models that have the floor plans I want, all I get is results for brand new RVs. Can anyone here tell my if there are older models with these floor plans? Please.




OUTDOORS RV MOUNTAIN SERIES MOUNTAIN TIMBER RIDGE 23DBS







Northwood RV Nash 29S








Now I prefer the 23DHS to the 29S because it is shorter, but you can see the basic floor plan I am after. I want a a slide out and a full size a bunk bed. I also want a private wall for the master queen bed.

Are there any older models of either Outdoors RV or Northwoods that have these same models?

Too bad they all have 74" beds. How many of you guys with 74" beds convert them to an 80" bed?

Well it has been listed for sale for "about a month".

And here's an older walkaround of a 2014 25C
Nash 25C walkaround

Funny how most manufacturers don't like to show their construction methods...Northwood and Arctic Fox seem pretty proud of what they do.

Here's an older Jayco plant tour: Folks really are loyal to them.
Jayco construction video

normal_dave wrote:
Ok, so let's go through Phoenix, my edit above came too late:S

2014 Nash 25C

Nash 25C brochure

floorplan

Now your talking! That one just might do the trick. It's just outside of my range at 19K. No question it is worth every penny of it too. It's a private seller so no chance of financing. What do you think my chances of having the seller take 17K cash for it are?

Ok, so let's go through Phoenix, my edit above came too late:S

2014 Nash 25C

Nash 25C brochure

floorplan

normal_dave wrote:
Distance and price range will probably leave you disappointed, but they are awesome trailers anyhow.

With your parameters, lets get as close as we can. This Nash, built by Northwood, has all the 4 seasons features as the Arctic Fox, but is built with a wood frame, and built very well, same heavy duty trailer frame as well.

This Nash 24M in Golden, CO says $18K OBO
2014 Nash 24M

Nash 24M brochure

I love that Nash. Man I do. And I was planning on going through Colorado on my way to California too. It just has the wrong floor plan for my needs. This is the floor plan for that model.




I need the bunkbed. I have three kids and several grandkids. I want at least some of them to be able to come with me on camping trips too.

Or this floor plan too.