New 5er coming

You and your wife are going to thoroughly enjoy towing a fifth wheel - coming from a travel trailer - trust me - I do. No more bow wave from passing semi trucks.

So once you have inspected the unit, maybe look into hiring a company to tow it to a location closer to you - or plan on breaking the trip back home into a stop or two.

Either way - good luck with it.

Agree with all the suggestions of staying near the dealer until you have used all equipment and are satisfied.

My sister and brother-in-law had purchased a motor home ( huge unit). They bought from out of State and paid to have it delivered. All promises were made.

Two weeks later on their first trip the gone board generator did not work, although it fired up at the drop off and signing. It was then fired up again before their trip.
Two weeks later.....nope.

They had a he'll of a time getting the dealer to comply with finding the problem and fixing it.

Because the dealer was out of State they ended up paying out of pocket and then threatening the dealer to get any money back.

End result, they lost $'s on the deal and have said they will never do that again.

Stay in the area :)

Thanks everybody. Part of rushing this trip home as I'm trying to save as much vacation time as possible. I am still working from home, and I'm hoping to leave a week earlier and maybe try and get into the keys for a few days before wandering back up to Tampa area, where we will spend the winter.

On my last TT, the onboard water pump did not work, which we discovered on our first boondocking trip :( It was the only system we did not test. One of the reasons we picked this dealership that is further away, is because of their reputation.

Because of the lateness with the truck delivery, We're going to struggle getting the trailer completely set up for our extended travel plans. I think it's going to be just the best we can do, and worry about getting things set up and organized once we get to FL. It doesn't help, my best friend is coming through the area the last weekend in Sept, and I fear the truck will pick that week to show up. Weekend after that is free, but I literally can't plan anything the following weekend due to a med procedure earlier that week.

I'm blessed to have a wife that could tow the TT. 5er is new to both of us, so this will be interesting.

She and I are both worried about how I'm going to handle retirement. I'm through and through project guy. I've also looked at every RV we have owned as a clean slate project :) For me, it's always about the destination, not the journey.

It's getting exciting, not too much longer! We've only been looking at 5th wheels for about 5 years now.

I agree with TXiceman's statement about making sure everything is 100% OK BEFORE sealing the deal....especially since you live so far away.

OBTW - hauling with a 5ver is much easier than hauling a TT - I've done both....be more aware of low hanging objects.

700 miles will 14 to 16 hours with fuel and potty stops.
I would stay at least one night as close to the dealer as possible and one night on the road. Relax, it's a RECREATIONAL VEHICLE!

Stay near the dealer for a day or two is a great idea. A 700 mile drive is way too much. That needs to be broken onto two 350 mile days. The idea of a recreation vehicle is to enjoy life.

One word of advice is to let the dealer know that on delivery and demonstration of all systems for the trailer, it will not be accepted until everything is 100%. Do not accept any we owe you or we'll take of that when it is back for warranty work. 100% correct before the deal is sealed.

Ken

Even staying at the RV dealer for a day or more I would still consider breaking the trip up in 2 days. 11 hours is a LONG time to be pulling a FW on the first trip. You'll need to figure out fuel stops etc. Give yourself a break in the middle. Not only will you be more physically up to it, you can sort out some hooking/unhooking, overnight, etc.

Sticking around the dealer for a few days is a great idea. We camped at a nearby site for a few days with full hook up so we could check all systems in real conditions.

My transition from TT to 5er was a piece of cake. Everything was so much easier on the road, and as mentioned, the diesel didn't hurt at all. It took a little practice to figure out the difference in backing the thing up, but good to go now.

Good luck with your new rig, and happy trails.

May the RV and truck Gods grant you safe travels. Enjoy.

My vote is stay near the dealer until you are satified all is well.
Rushing or hurrying through the shakedown process is never beneficial.
THis is a one shot deal, once you leave the selling dealer you are on your own.
No one else has more motivation than the selling dealer to make sure your rig is satifactory.
Everyone else down the road will not be as motivated or obligated to assist you like the selling dealer. With that in mind stay close to the selling dealer and hold their feet to the fire until you are satisfied and happy.