I bought a Fifth-Wheel

[Bjcombs1989]

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 I plan on updating the interior of the trailer as it is very outdated, but it is at least in good condition.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:

[gar_fanatic]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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]

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.

[garyp4951]

https://www.etrailer.com/question-151825.html

[Bjcombs1989]

Alrighty, I'm back.

I went out and dropped a bunch of money to get the right stuff, but I'm pretty happy with it. SuperGlide hitch from Dyers (Thank you OverNightSensation for your suggestion), truck specific rails/brackets and in-bed wiring harness from etrailer to arrive by the end of the week.

Now, I need a capture plate to make the pinbox work with the Superglide properly. I'm hoping to buy a brand specific to save the $50 on Dyers. My pinbox has the following brand and number on it (RBW 7026)... but I can't seem to find the actual name of RBW, any suggestions?

[ford_truck_guy]

Bjcombs1989 wrote:

Njmurvin wrote:
The Superglide has performed flawlessly

That's what I like to hear. I talked it over with the wife and she thinks the Superglide route is the best way to go.

you will not be sorry.... IF towing with short bed, it is a huge piece of mind..

[Bjcombs1989]

Njmurvin wrote:
The Superglide has performed flawlessly

That's what I like to hear. I talked it over with the wife and she thinks the Superglide route is the best way to go.