Bunkhouse research

[jamnw]

I'm looking to upgrade to a bunkhouse style camper. TT or 5th wheel. I currently have a tt with 2 bunks, no slides.

We have been looking at TT and have found a floor plan we like. But the outside storage is not adequate.

Looking for any suggestions in the 5th wheel category.

My tow vehicle is a 2000 F250 7.3 PSD, SRW.

Thank you.

[jamnw]

I appreciate everyone's input.

We ended up with a New 2014 Springdale 320FWFB. We haven't had the opportunity to camp yet and we are chomping at the bit!

[redfire2002]

We have an 02 7.3 F250 also and it tows our 32' just fine. At a gross of 12500 I added air bags and it rides really smooth with no jerking. Could use more power on hills but hey its an old technology motor only making 250 HP.

[Bamaman11]

I too have a F250 SuperDuty 7.3 diesel, and I know the limitations of the 3/4 ton trucks in the ability to handle kingpin weight. I recently purchased a 2015 Grand Design Reflection 323BHS bunkhouse--37' with 4 sliders.

The fifth wheel weighs 11K, and the pin weight is 2K. That's about the maximum weight I really wanted to tow with my truck.

Grand Design is a 2 year old company, and they're coming on strong. My trailer tows great, and it's as nice of a rig as I'll ever need. I ordered mine with the SuperSofa, which is 12' of leather sofa/recliners--and the most comfortable RV seating I've ever experienced. It's just a great designed trailer and it wasn't pocketbook breaking either.

My best advice to anyone with a 3/4 diesel is not to buy too much trailer for your truck. It's also very important to have the wheels aligned yearly watching for wearing parts, etc. And by all means, keep your brakes and tires up to 100% condition.

[batavia02]

Try the palomino columbus line we finanly decided on it and hope to order it later this year or mabe early next year.

[norfla71]

jamnw wrote:
I'm looking to upgrade to a bunkhouse style camper. TT or 5th wheel. I currently have a tt with 2 bunks, no slides.

We have been looking at TT and have found a floor plan we like. But the outside storage is not adequate.

Looking for any suggestions in the 5th wheel category.

My tow vehicle is a 2000 F250 7.3 PSD, SRW.

Thank you.

Before getting our 08 Ram and Salem TH, we had the exact rig you have (2000 250 CCSB 4X4 PSD with a StarCraft 27FB without slide). It pulled the TT great once we put 10 ply 265 tires on it, but pulling the fiver ate the transmission. Also being the short bed, I got the wrong hitch (needed a slider) as the cap got too close to the rear window for my comfort; a more modern design cap would go a long way to alleviate that.
During the fiver pull, my turbo surged so bad I had to keep the O/D locked out at all speeds. And the truck was an absolute dog with a load that big.
We have 2 older kids, and if the StarCraft would have had at least a kitchen slide (as the new ones do) we could have lived with it for quite a few more years. Due to my towing experience, I wouldn't get anything over 30' with that TV.

[toe2tow]

We went with the Keystone Sprinter Copper Canyon 324FWBHS for our Bunkhouse needs. Our tow vehicle is a 1999 F350 7.3 Crew cab DRW. I did upgrade the Trans radiator to the larger found in the 6.0's. The trailer is great, but as always I upgrade and modify as I see fit. The price point on this 5er made the most sense for us. Our list of WANTS on our new 5er aside from the Bunkhouse itself, were the following:
-Outside Kitchen
-Master Bedroom Slide
-Fireplace
-Washer/Dryer
-U Shaped Dinette Booth
-Large Pantry

This trailer provided us with all of the above. We didn't want a kitchen side slide because it cuts off the outside flow around the awning all the way to the rear of the trailer. The downside to this is the kitchen lacks counter space. But, we have most of our meals outside thanks to the second kitchen. I did end up building a nice, large, yet removable counter top that extends from the end of the sink and curves back towards the table. I also added an extension to the table that works very well. I would recommend this Bunkhouse.

[mdamerell]

We have a bunkhouse, Sundance 3100RB, which we like. I like the half bath for the kid but the door to the outside is a mixed blessing. It's nice the kid/grandbabies can go the bathroom without running through the camper but when they get older, it'll be easier to try and escape or "slip out the back". A second door is a nice emergency exit. Having their own room is great for putting them to bed or for them to play on a rainy day.

They no longer offer my model but the SD 3400 QB is similar. Something like the SD 3300 CK which does not have the half bath might also be an option.

Pin weight is going to be the issue with your truck. The pre 2005 trucks were limited on cargo capacity and 5er's average a 25% of loaded pin weight. A 12,000# loaded trailer is around 2,500# of pin weight in the bed of your pickup.