Taking the plunge

[Bierp]

...now I just hope someone put water in the pool. 🙂

Signed the papers yesterday on a new 2018 Montana 3950BR. Scheduled to take delivery a week from Tuesday.

Traded in our TT for the new 5er. Going to try our hand at full-timing. Should be quite an experience. Hopefully a good one.

Towing with a 2016 F-350 Diesel Dually, 8 ft bed. Love the truck, but it didn't come with the 5th wheel/gooseneck prep. I've got the OEM parts in hand for that, but have to wait a few days to get it installed.

Went with a 25k B&W puck hitch. Obviously more than I need today, but I know I'll want that capacity for our next rig. We eyed the DRV 24k GVWR units heavily, but I couldn't quite pull the trigger this time. That will require a TV with taller gears than my current one. Next time.

I've had a pile of things added. Inverter, 4 6-volt batteries, Washer/Dryer, HD DirecTV dish (automagic satellite finder), EMS, 3rd AC (cuz, ya know, more AC!) plus a number of smaller tweaks.

I guess my idea of 'roughing it' is poor wifi.

Anyway, the move from TT to 5er is exciting for us. DW and I can't stop babbling like idiots. (Admittedly, this isn't really a new condition.)

Looking through the 5er forums now. I'm sure I'll have the standard boatload of questions soon.

[Bierp]

MFL wrote:
Unless the 3305 handle is set up different, it is backwards. The release handle should point to rear, rather than forward.

Jerry

Yep, you're right. Good call. Looks like they put it on backward.

Well, that'll drive me nuts now. I'll be fixing that as soon as it stops raining.

...unfortunately, I'm in Washington State right now, so it could be a few weeks...

[2edgesword]

Congrats! Enjoy the new FW and the new lifestyle.

[MFL]

Unless the 3305 handle is set up different, it is backwards. The release handle should point to rear, rather than forward.

Jerry

[MFL]

Well that base does look a bit more stout than the 3300. It should do a great job for you!

Now as to that rig...that is a great FW, and hard to find a better TV than that! Congrats to you, hope you get many happy miles/years of use from the complete package.

Nice job on the pics,
Jerry

[Bierp]

And, of course, the mandatory pic of the new rig.

[Bierp]

Picked up our new 5er yesterday!

First and foremost, here are pics of my 25k B&W. I made them reverse the pedestal after I took this pic. They set it up for a shorter bed config, but I have the 8 footer and, frankly, the B&W graphics should face the tailgate, not the cab! 🙂

[Cummins12V98]

Travlingman wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
That was the case!

No pics available that I have seen. Will be interesting to see the difference.

Here is a link to pics of the new 25K. Pic I don't see any difference from the 20K.

Thanks I saw that earlier. They are talking about the 20 and 25k but both hitches look exactly the same. That makes me think they don't have a pic yet. Etrailer does not show a pic either.

[ACZL]

Congrats on the new rig and B&W hitch all the way!!. We are still pinching ourselves w/ our now "old" new coach and absolutely love the B&W Patriot.

[Travlingman]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
That was the case!

No pics available that I have seen. Will be interesting to see the difference.

Here is a link to pics of the new 25K. Pic I don't see any difference from the 20K.

[Cummins12V98]

That was the case!

No pics available that I have seen. Will be interesting to see the difference.

[Travlingman]

FishOnOne wrote:


The big question is why did B&W leave out the VP of B&W marketing. :B

I could have swore I read on this forum from a B&W fanboy that the reason they didn't have a hitch rated higher than 20K was because of the Ford puck system, it wasn't the B&W hitch. Strange they have came out with another hitch that is rated at 25K for the Ford puck system.

[MFL]

FishOnOne wrote:


The big question is why did B&W leave out the VP of B&W marketing. :B

Does seem kind of strange, since they texted a memo to me about the upgrade, which also noted an upgraded 25K 3705 hitch for GM OEM puck system.;)

Jerry

[FishOnOne]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

MFL wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"Went with a 25k B&W puck hitch. Obviously more than I need today, but I know I'll want that capacity for our next rig. We eyed the DRV 24k GVWR"

Great call on the B&W puck hitch. The Ford puck hitch is rated at 20K. Simply compare to REESE and CURT if you are concerned that the hitch is 20K and the others are 25K. I would trust the B&W to a much heavier weight than the other two any day. I would pull a 24K DRV without a second thought with the B&W.

Just to update...the 3305 for Ford oem pucks is rated at 25K, but the 3300 20K is still available too.

Jerry

HOLY!!! Why the heck did I not get this news!!!

The big question is why did B&W leave out the VP of B&W marketing. :B

[Michelle_S]

We've had a Winegard Travler on all three 5th wheels we've had since 2010 with no issues. More and more CGs have Satellite Friendly sites, you just have to ask, but yes there are places with too many trees to get signal, but if there's that many trees, a portable or tripod setup won't help much either.