Coming back to rving!

[dieseldan723]

It's been a while since we have had an RV. We started off with a 5th wheel (bunkhouse) when the kids were younger. We traveled the west coast and made many family memories. We have purchased several other rv's (tent trailers, toy haulers, and other 5th wheels) but haven't had one for about 7 years. All previous trailers, except tent trailers, were 37 feet or longer.

My DW and I are considering another RV. My parents have a Class A that we could purchase from them but we are not sure we want to go down that road. We have always liked the flexibility, size (ceiling height), and maneuverability of a 5th wheel.

What are some good options for us to now consider in the 32ft-36ft range that could be towed by a 3/4 ton truck? We're pretty flexible on layout.

TIA

[Veebyes]

JMO but first question to ask yourselves is how it will be used. Weekend warrior? Annual multi week trip? Retiree multi month/almost fulltime travel.

Are you a must have FHU type camper or prefer SPs, COE, county, BLM, events only having dry camping people? If you want to do the SPs etc. the first priority will be tankage. Anything less than 60gal does not last long at all. Next is galley size (lots of counter space), big fridge, plenty of pantry space. If doing SPs etc.size matters. Anything over say 35' & finding sites in those SPs etc. will be challenging. Some states are better/worse than others.

It is always nice to be able to be adaptable. The gingerbread that builders catch your eye with is way down the priority list. Do the research. Narrow the possible models down to just a few. Buy the right one the first time. Flipping after a year or so is expensive.

[dieseldan723]

cummins2014 wrote:

LadyRVer wrote:
I had a nice 31' fifth-wheel, gross weight was around 6600# and my 2500 Dodge Ram Hemi 5.7 pulled it great. Would not have want to have gone heavier tho, with the 2500.

6600# GVWR 31 ' fifth wheel , that would put it somewhere around 4500-5000# dry weight . Could you share with us ,and the OP a 31' fifth wheel that light .

That would be nice! I am wondering if we could get something in the 30 ft range. Since it's just the two of us I would rather have something smaller/more maneuverable.

Wonder if a lighter 5vr could be towed with a 1/2 ton???

[MFL]

cummins2014 wrote:

LadyRVer wrote:
I had a nice 31' fifth-wheel, gross weight was around 6600# and my 2500 Dodge Ram Hemi 5.7 pulled it great. Would not have want to have gone heavier tho, with the 2500.

6600# GVWR 31 ' fifth wheel , that would put it somewhere around 4500-5000# dry weight . Could you share with us ,and the OP a 31' fifth wheel that light .

I also think she just made a mistake, with the numbers. My 31' FW has a GVWR 12,110.

Being a gentleman, I will say "this lady is normally a good source of information."

To the OP, most any later model 3/4 ton can handle a gross wt of 12K, and certain model 3/4s up to 14K.

Jerry

[cummins2014]

LadyRVer wrote:
I had a nice 31' fifth-wheel, gross weight was around 6600# and my 2500 Dodge Ram Hemi 5.7 pulled it great. Would not have want to have gone heavier tho, with the 2500.

6600# GVWR 31 ' fifth wheel , that would put it somewhere around 4500-5000# dry weight . Could you share with us ,and the OP a 31' fifth wheel that light .

[dieseltruckdriv]

You are in the northwet, so look at an Arctic Fox 27-5L. We are on our second, and we spent a couple years looking for our second before we decided there aren't any built better in that price range. I really wanted a Vanleigh, and the DW really liked the Grand Designs, but when we considered tank sizes, 12 volt outlets, and build quality, we went with another Arctic Fox. I think the Vanleigh had a slight edge on build quality, but terrible (small) tank sizes and residential only fridge were definite deal killers. Grand Designs just weren't there, other than floor plans. I know a lot of people like them, but I am blessed to have a wife that shares my feelings of build quality over the flashy glitz most manufacturers concentrate on. The Arctic Foxes are not perfect, and the quality of our new one is not on par with our previous one, but it is still far above the other offerings we looked at, and we looked at a lot.

[bigorange]

Check out the Reflection 150 series by Grand Design...friend has one and has been very pleased. I’ll be giving them a good look for our next trailer.

[LadyRVer]

I had a nice 31' fifth-wheel, gross weight was around 6600# and my 2500 Dodge Ram Hemi 5.7 pulled it great. Would not have want to have gone heavier tho, with the 2500.

[larry_barnhart]

We doing the same. Not as much comfort as the past 20 winters since we sold the alpenite but Momma wants another chance to stay out of hospitals after the last 2 winters. home this winter but really can't wait to get on the road.

chevman

[garyp4951]

Stay under 12k gross 5th wheel weight, and you should be within 3/4 ton carrying weight.

[dieseldan723]

cummins2014 wrote:
Well weight is a factor with a 3/4 ton in the size you are interested in .You should get plenty of advice on many brands styles, etc . Good luck

Certainly willing to go smaller. This time around we are only looking to find a trailer for the two of us! 🙂

[Lwiddis]

Could be a great tow vehicle. What is the truck’s max payload?

[cummins2014]

Well weight is a factor with a 3/4 ton in the size you are interested in .You should get plenty of advice on many brands styles, etc . Good luck