Keystone Montana for fulltiming??

[keh3491]

Any thoughts or experiences with the Keystone Montana, specifically the 3854BR? My husband and I are looking to full time soon. Our price range is $50-$60k and we think we want to buy new. Also, anyone know much about their manufacturers warranty?

[Cummins12V98]

Me Again wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Why would anyone think that you can possibly exceed your RV's GVWR???

I full time with my 21k DRV. Last I checked It weighed 24k. UH, well wait a minute.......how did that happen????? :B

Lucy's rocks!

My wife won’t agree to that statement!

[Me_Again]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Why would anyone think that you can possibly exceed your RV's GVWR???

I full time with my 21k DRV. Last I checked It weighed 24k. UH, well wait a minute.......how did that happen????? :B

Lucy's rocks!

[ependydad]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Why would anyone think that you can possibly exceed your RV's GVWR???

I full time with my 21k DRV. Last I checked It weighed 24k. UH, well wait a minute.......how did that happen????? :B

I thought, "him of all people???".

Now granted, I ran overloaded by 1,000 pounds for 2 years and ended up with a buckled frame!

[Cummins12V98]

Why would anyone think that you can possibly exceed your RV's GVWR???

I full time with my 21k DRV. Last I checked It weighed 24k. UH, well wait a minute.......how did that happen????? :B

[ependydad]

rhagfo wrote:

keh3491 wrote:
I am a dietitian and my husband is a nurse. We are traveling, doing contract that are usually 3 months at a time. Right now we stay in air b&b’s usually but it’s so hard packing up and moving that often and it gets very expensive. Our poor pets get so stressed when we keep uprooting them. So, this is why we are going to get the 5th wheel. We have borrowed the in-laws trailer before and got a little idea of what it’s like. Because we have been on the road for about 6 months now we have already down sized considerably and just rent a uhaul when we move. My husband drives an F250 so we know what we can pull. We are a little worried that the Montana may be a little heavy.

keh3491 wrote:
So the F250 can pull 15,900 lbs.

Well at full GVWR of that 5er you really need a F350 DRW, while you might fit just under specs in a SRW you might not like the towing experience.

And with fulltiming, they'll likely be at/over GVWR.

[rhagfo]

keh3491 wrote:
I am a dietitian and my husband is a nurse. We are traveling, doing contract that are usually 3 months at a time. Right now we stay in air b&b’s usually but it’s so hard packing up and moving that often and it gets very expensive. Our poor pets get so stressed when we keep uprooting them. So, this is why we are going to get the 5th wheel. We have borrowed the in-laws trailer before and got a little idea of what it’s like. Because we have been on the road for about 6 months now we have already down sized considerably and just rent a uhaul when we move. My husband drives an F250 so we know what we can pull. We are a little worried that the Montana may be a little heavy.

keh3491 wrote:
So the F250 can pull 15,900 lbs.

Well at full GVWR of that 5er you really need a F350 DRW, while you might fit just under specs in a SRW you might not like the towing experience.

[JAC1982]

I can't help much with the full-timing aspect but I like that floor plan a lot. We are considering a Montana High Country ourselves which is basically that plan, minus the middle bedroom (I'd love to have that as a dog room!). The only thing I'd really look at is the closet space to make sure it's enough for you both, especially if you put in a washer/dryer.

I'll also add that getting that price down to 50-60k might be tough. I know the rule of thumb is 30% off MSRP, but that will put you at the top end of your range.

Otherwise, we've owned 2 other Keystone products, including our current toyhauler, and we've been happy with both of them. Only reason we keep switching is because our needs change.

[work2much]

These folks have been full timing in a Keystone Cougar for 9 years now with no major issues. The Montana should make a very nice full time rig.

https://www.youtube.com/user/LoveYourRV/featured

[rmalik1]

sure why not, I've oil and gas field workers live in TT & 5th wheels with families, just have to know how to do it, equipment (dual pane windows), Where u plan to stay....

I myself overwintered at minus 30 degrees

[Arcamper]

Our 3100RL with a washer and dryer in the front closet loaded for a weekend trip comes in at 3,400 lbs on the pin. The 3100 is a shorter Montana with a 16,000 lb GVWR with a little over 4k CCC. After playing the 3/4 ton truck game with our last 5th wheel and watching every pound we decided to go with a dually and never give weight a second thought.

[Me_Again]

MFL wrote:
With FW loaded to 16,900, you would likely need a DRW 350, as you would likely be over RAWR/tire rating. The 2940 pin wt per site, would be an unloaded pin wt. Once loaded for full time living, that pin wt will likely be 4K+. Seems you are correct to think what ever 250 you have will not work for that FW.

Jerry

What ^^^^ Jerry and I said! Even more than what a SRW 350/3500 can handle. Chris

[MFL]

With FW loaded to 16,900, you would likely need a DRW 350, as you would likely be over RAWR/tire rating. The 2940 pin wt per site, would be an unloaded pin wt. Once loaded for full time living, that pin wt will likely be 4K+. Seems you are correct to think what ever 250 you have will not work for that FW.

Jerry

[GDS-3950BH]

MFL wrote:

keh3491 wrote:
So the F250 can pull 15,900 lbs.

All 250s are not the same. You need to state year, gas or diesel, tire rating, any suspension enhancement (springs/airbags,etc). A beefed up 250 would be at upper limit at that wt.

Jerry

2940 pin per the tell tale website.

14K on the axles, 3K on the pin. What is that famous saying?

"I don't even know it's back there" :B

[bpounds]

keh3491 wrote:
So the F250 can pull 15,900 lbs.

The problem is how much it can carry. A fifth wheel places a heavy load in the bed, so truck payload is the critical factor, including tire rating. Montana's come in many sizes, but none of them are lightweights.