Retiring 2015 - 5'er Advice/Experience Solicited

[dshizzel]

We're going to pull the trigger next year. We're paying off the S&B and keeping it as a home base. Will make 2-3 trips a year each with a 2-4 month duration.

We've had 2 5'ers and kinda know the ropes. First was a 27' Forest River WildWood - had lots of warranty problems with it. Put a bad taste in our mouths about FR, but I understand they're a different company than they were in the late 90's.

2nd was a 2001 31BWFS Sunnybrook which was trouble free and a joy to own.

Now, the truck is my domain, and I get complete control over that. But, the 5'er is DW's. I have veto power, but here's what we're looking at:

DW really wants a Big Country or Big Horn. Her main criteria are w/d prep, generally 4 seasons, fireplace (I know...), TV on opposite side as recliners (not in the back or front).

King bed is optional - we can do with queen or king. The trailer needs to be big enough to not get bad cabin fever if there's bad weather and we have 2 medium size dogs (60-70 lbs). I'd really like auto-level system, but I can live without it. So, we're probably looking at 38-40ft in length.

I like Heartland's all-in-one docking station for water, power, tanks, and cable/satellite.

I feel we will want to keep and use it a solid 10 years before we sell it and the S&B and settle in to a retirement community.

We intend to buy new and pay cash for both the TV and 5'er. Budget is right around $60k-65k for the 5'er.

Our so-far planned trips have us spanning the country at a leisurely pace and back home for about 1-2 months at a time for doctor visits and prescription refills and such.

So, with all that said, I'd like to hear from the community about whether the brand we're looking at is reliable and if the budget is realistic.

I know everyone is different and has different experience and needs. Thanks in advance for your contributions.

[Gib3633]

You want 40 ft Big Horn or Big Country . If ordering new See which one is willing to build with Mor/yde " IS" suspension and Disc Brakes. It is cheaper to do now than throwing away axles and brakes later. Both those trailers are too heavy for 7000lb. axles and brakes. Many will probably disagree and that's OK . I had to do those upgrades to my Montana and also be sure you get G614 Goodyear tires. Your wife wants a fireplace don't disappoint her that is a totally wonderful feature. We have had one in our Montana and our current Mobile Suite. The Mobile Suite came with Mor/yde "IS" suspension Disc Brakes and J114 Good Years .Had it not the dealer would still own it. PS "IS" stands for Independent Suspension.

[RVcrazy]

We suggest looking at gently used Nuwa Hitchhiker Discover America plan. (That's what we bought. Buy from Kansas City RV (the former plant.). Great service department!

They will do special things that most other places can't or won't. We had our unit changed to 50 amp, fireplace, added w/d, changed to king bed etc.

[scrapperlila]

We are getting ready to pick up our custom ordered 35 ft Big Country 3150RL. We went to the Hershey Show in Sept. and ordered exactly what we needed and wanted. Since I just retired as well, we will have more opportunity to hit the road. We are excited about the 6 pt leveling system as well. We did not like the vessel bathroom sink so they built it with a regular sink instead. We dry camp a lot so we needed the large fridge that runs on propane. Another extra that was a must for us was a booth dinette. (we love company and need the sleeping for our guests). Since we camp at the beach, we also requested minimal carpet in the living area.

The only thing the company was not able to do for us was to put in a full kitchen sink or one with a 30/70 split. soooo.... it's a 50/50 2 bay sink. In the scheme of life, it's really no big deal.

Well, we're hoping Wednesday is our day to head to NY to get our new baby. Wish us luck, and good luck with your decision.

[hermy]

My advice would be: don"t get a trailer too big- and don't get a truck too small. We have a Bighorn 3400 which has been very comfortable- not without some problems, but very comfortable, and I see or feel no need for anything bigger. I have talked to owners that have gone with upwards of 40 footers and most regret it. Don't need that much and makes it a pain to put into some places. Limits your options. Get enough truck to feel comfortable and safe. Then get on the road and have a ball.

[ol_Bombero-JC]

.
Spend some time -join, ask questions- on the various Escapees forums.
LOTS of full timers there - many folks with top of the line 5ths on the MDT and HDT forums.

Not a problem if you're *not* interested in an MDT or HDT - they offer good advice & expertise, including telling one fellow he *shouldn't be looking at HDTs for the trailer he wanted to tow.

~

[MNRon]

Agree with your down select to DRV, Excel and NuWa. Think you'll need to keep to <35ft to fit your SRW though.

[retispcsi]

Mobile Suites (DRV) Nu WA and Excel which has never gone out of business Nu WA has and they are now back in business are being built in cooperation with Excel. All are nice quality units. In fact Excel was choice B for us. Anyway forget all of them if you are getting a SRW they are heavy for a reason. See my sig and what I run. Good luck.

[bc_canuck]

I will throw in my experiences for what they are worth. Retired in 2005 and pretty well full timed (maybe nine months of the year) since. Bought a Jayco Designer 36' with all the bells and whistles and had great service from it, sold in 2007 on a whim, Bought a F/R Day Dreamer, I won't go in to details but it was terrible with MAJOR safety problems with disc brake and suspension problems. Factory did a terrible fix when I finally had to take it back there. I order my units with all options and would suggest you do the same when you purchase, remember you are negotiating a discount on the whole package initionally which is much cheaper than adding options later. Since 2010 I have purchased a Designer and two Pinnacles and the way that Jayco has treated me as a customer is fantastic that is why I will consider them whenever I buy. Please remember that you will run into certain problems whatever you buy it is impossible to produce a product that you tow on every type of road conditions without having to "fix" something that goes wrong. I wish you luck on your purchase and happy camping I know you will enjoy it.

[TXiceman]

Excel is still in business, NuWa stopped production on the 2013 model year. NuWa is still there and is now called Kansas RV Center (Chanute, KS).

If you are looking at Mobile Suites, NuWa and Excel, you should have ordered a DRW truck. All of these trailer are heavy and pin weights tend to run higher than other 5ers.

While you may be under the manufacturers "tow rating" you may be over the trucks cargo capacity with the pin weigh.

Ken

[dshizzel]

Update from OP:

Zeroing in on Excel, Nu Wa, and DRV -- Planning to find a trade-in < 4 year old. I think Peterson Excel is kinda outta business, so really, that leaves Nu Wa and DRV. Our thinking now is to go with an already depreciated top of the line.

In another thread, I just posted that we'd ordered an F-350 Super Duty, SRW,2WD SuperCab w/Diesel. It should handle the weight class we're looking at quite nicely.

[C-Bears]

We have had 2 Montana fivers, the first one we purchased used and the current one we purchased new. First one was 38' and this one is just over 39'. I have a 2012 F350 SRW. I have weighed recently at Cat scale and I am not over. Don't really want to get the SRW vs. dually thing going. Bottom line is you need to be within weight specs.

Generally speaking, if you are seeing MSRP for a new Montana at $80,000 you can probably actually purchase it for closer to $60,000 or $65,000. I would suggest visiting RV shows and dealers. We determined brand and floor plan first, then began trying to find out what actual cost would be.

[b_pilot]

I have a GMC 3500 Long bed dually to pull my 38 foot 5th wheel. I have no problems with parking in the campgrounds we go to. Sight seeing has never been a problem in the dually. Sometimes I have to wiggle into and out of tight parking spots but I don't let that stop me from going where I want to go. We don't always take the freeways on our trips. We like to take two lane highways through small towns where there is more to see. Don't let a big rig prevent you from seeing the sights!

[dshizzel]

OK, starting to bend a little on the bed size and the drw. Anyone want to talk about their sight-seeing adventures with everything maxed out like that?

We're not much for dry camping -- don't see it happening because we like our amenities, such as they are. Little things like power and water and maybe a little cable tv sprinkled in for fun.

DW would LOVE the res fridge, but... I don't know.... If I got everything she would love, I'd need a PeterBuilt to haul it...

Twin A/C - check
Sleep # queen - check
Level-up - check
MorRyde - need to check -- don't know anything about it.

Thanks!

[bstark]

dshizzel wrote:
Wow, great suggestions so far, and I couldn't be more appreciative! I've started looking at the CC's online and will add them to my list of candidates.

My thinking on the SRW, SB was that we plan to use the TV unhitched quite a lot for sight seeing and some city travel. I felt that the DRW may prove a little touch to navigate with in the cities, parking, cornering, etc.

I do understand the stability advantages of towing with DRW, but having towed cross country with the Sunnybrook 31BWFS and a '99 QC Cummins 2500, I didn't see it as a challenge then, from a handling perspective.

I moved up from 3/4 ton to 1 ton based on advice in this forum regarding tow and cargo capacity.

I selected the SB because most new 5'ers have the angled front caps and the more forward pin box and I felt I could use a standard hitch without slider with those features. I also felt the SB would be a little easier to maneuver around cities.

I'm more than willing to entertain a 2-3 year old DRV if I can convince DW. She has opened up her mind to the CC now, so that's good.

We'll both be 60 when we pull the trigger next year, and we're very anxious to start this new phase of our lives.

Thanks to everyone, and keep 'em comin'!

DS

My wife and I retired at 57 in 04 and intended to snowbird from Canada to the southern states so ordered our dream rig from scratch. We ordered a Cab Chassis International 4400 and had a body custom built with a Bike cabinet behind the trucks cab for a Harley Ultra, storage cabinets and a roll out generator tray. We also visited the factory and ordered an '05' Doubletree Mobile Suties 38RL with all the options you've named and most everyone else on here have suggested. See "view profile" clicky under our profile name etc..

My list of musts after RV'ing for well over 10 years first with a CC Custom 36' and a Duramax crew cab long box then followed by that toter and Mobile Suites would be twin A/C's, washer dryer either combo or separate units, A sleep number bed with a queen being adequate and check your floor area for whether a king would trap your feet beside the bed getting in or out of it. Level-up option and YES MorRyde versus the Trailair.

Don't go for any kitchy slide-out storage drawer in the main bay, as the stupid drawer takes up more room than it's ultimately worth in convenience. You can always put one in later if so desire.

We had the Trailair and there are just too many steel-on-steel pivot points without grease nipples or bushings to mitigate wear in the Trailair system; turned to worn out junk in less than 5 years of back and forth to Yuma from Ontario Canada.

Generator prep package-YES. Dual pane windows-YES. You will be rv'ing in some cold and with propane being a wet cooking fuel and two large dogs you will not want to be wiping your single panes down every morning to keep the water from running down the walls.

Investigate the residential refrigerator versus one of those Dometic Norcold pieces of crap! Talk on forums about the pros and cons of a res fridge over a propane/electric combo and if intending to drycamp for even a portion of your time please consider the benefits of a larger bank of 6 V Trojan type of batteries and an invertor dedicated to the fridge.

That's my laundry list and along with everyone elses, it'll have your single rear wheel truck groaning in pain. Haaar!

Almost forgot...... in the winter of 09/10 we had to go back to staying in Florida in case wifes elderly mother took a turn for th worse after a hip replacement and we needed to get a direct flight home. Ended up liking Florida all over again so bought a house there and sold all of the above rig within a month of returning home to Canada. I miss driving the truck only!

So the post about wasting time making plans also does have some merit to it. Planning is fun and you should enjoy the whole experience but don't go overboard if there is even the slightest of chances things could change, as these are not "appreciating assets".

Good luck and Good hunting.

[handsome51]

Don't know what your pocket book can stand. But you know the old saying you get what you pay for. I have a 2006 Carriage I bought knew in 2006, Love it had not problems. The Carriage name is gone but the people and engineers that built the carriage are now building the Lifestyle. The two on my list after 3 years of going to RV shows and dealers in 2006 and knocking them off my list was the Carriage and Excel.You would have to check the Excels out now , I have now kept up with them .You not only want something that is quality on the outside and inside. But you want quality between the walls also. If you want it to last.