Future full time plan I'm motion

[Crafton_s]

We're a family of soon to be 9 . With a plan to have a tt next year , and as long as all goes well we have a 5 year plan to be full time . Though when we do go full time we will only have 5 of the kids with us . 2 will be on their own by then sadly but both have shown absolutely 0 interest in full timing . Any of you have suggestions for a full time family ?

[Crafton_s]

Thank you all . I am finding a ton of useful resources ! I would still lo use to hear all of your opinions on rving in general . Thank you for your input ... keep it coming !

[missourijan]

Maybe that earlier post was for the same site, there's a Fulltime Families page on Facebook. Those people are living it and they will have a lot more info than us

[Crafton_s]

It'll have to have a cummins If I go that route ...

[FireGuard]

Good for you, sounds like kids that will grow up to be responsible adults.
5th wheel may be a better option but check first on licensing and insurance. Many places a 550 is a commercial vehicle and costs a lot more for registration and may be more difficult to get. Insurance.
The proper 350 will be enough for any 5th wheel.

[Crafton_s]

FireGuard wrote:
Life is short, I say go for it and give it a try.
If you don't you will always regret it or at least wonder what it would have been like.
So many kids these days are turning into zombies with all their electronic gadgets. You seldom see them out playing anymore.
With your house available you can always stop and have a place to live.

I had a dream almost 20 years ago to take off and go till I was low on funds ... work for more and keep going ... I had a geo tracker at the time and could have gone near forever on a tank of gas ... However ... I didn't do it ... I've always wondered ... now I'm gonna finally see it happen . I'm not letting anyone hold me back ... my wife helps keep me grounded when I need it but she is as excited as I am .
Sad but true with kids these days ... Our kids are not like that ... we do not support the gaming industry at all . Our kids go outside and play and also use their imaginations ... kids don't do that these days either ... we spoil our kids with love and knowledge instead of just things . We can't wait to start our journey .

[Crafton_s]

Well then . With that said . You sir have saved me a lot of time and money !! Though ... an engine swap would have tamed the mechanic that's trapped in me for a time ... I'll enjoy spending more money on the tt .
Funny part is ... now we're considering a 5ver an F550 and a minivan with her and the kids in it ... who knows . We're just Goin with the flow and seeing where the Lord takes us ..
I did score another v 10 and tranny through a trade deal ... Our van is a 98 and only has 130K on it ... The traded engine and trans has around the same or less ... so we should have no worries for a while . I do all of our maintenance as I am a mechanic by trade ... I just work a factory only because the pay and benefits package is way better than I can get in a garage ... plus ... climate control year round is a major plus ... lol .

[FireGuard]

Life is short, I say go for it and give it a try.
If you don't you will always regret it or at least wonder what it would have been like.
So many kids these days are turning into zombies with all their electronic gadgets. You seldom see them out playing anymore.
With your house available you can always stop and have a place to live.
As far as changing the engine in your van, I would stay with the V10 and put a performance kit like Banks on it. It's a great motor and will last a long time.
Stay away from the 6.0 and the 7.3 PS in the van chassis is de tuned due to cooling issues. The V10 would probably pull better with the mods.
The E350 is rated to tow 10k lbs but is a great veh. I had a 97 for towing a TH.
Good Luck.

[Crafton_s]

Keep in mind . We are going to have our house paid off and extra cash in a reserve . We talked about renting out our house for some extra travel cash . But may not rent the first year just in case things don't work out . We will still have our home . And we are definitely going to do this debt free as to keep the freedom were seeking . I like the fact of yall giving us the warnings and such . There are turns we are just gonna have to settle on ... but it may not be that bad ... and out plan may change too ...

[Crafton_s]

Homeschooling will be through our state (ohio) . As far as social issues . We're not sure yet . We may only go for a year ... or two ... more less ??? Our kids are quick to find someone to play with . And there are other families who full time and through networking I'm sure we could travel with different people and make it work . We're very open minded people ... very simple people and were working on being minimalist kind of people ... Open your minds and see the beauty of it . We're gonna do exactly what society says we can't or shouldn't because it doesn't fit societies view of normal . What is normal anyway . What won't work for some may work beautifully for others . Keep the comments coming . Seriously .

[Walaby]

Im assuming you've thought through all the home schooling issues etc... if you travel into/via multiple states, are there any state to state issues that affect homeschooling? I don't know.. just asking.

Im assuming you've also thought about the social aspect/life for the kids. What will they miss out on by being FTmers? It sounds cool and all that, but not sure it will really BE COOL at the end of the day. Some have great success at it, but Im sure it's not without trials and tribulations.

I don't have the answers to the questions. Just things you might want to consider, or maybe you already have.

Mike

[Crafton_s]

The van will have the extra storage we need . And there are other options to create extra storage as well .

[Clay_L]

There is very little storage in any of the TTs I saw while full timing. Of course I didn't see very many people full timing in TTs - probably because they don't have much storage.
I sure couldn't have lived in one full time and there would only have been my wife and I.
I really think you should try living in one for a couple of weeks before you take the plunge.

[Crafton_s]

Aridon wrote:
Enjoy yourself and ignore the old coots that couldn't imagine traveling with kids FT. We did it 8 years and may go back to it in the next 6 months or so. Just figuring out or next plan.

Thank you ! I'm certain we can do this . I'm certain it will bring us closer to each other and more Importantly ... to God . Just trying to get the best education and plan as much in advance as we can . I know th I nus will happen and they will change once out there . That's the beauty of it all though . We can change the plan as we go !!

[Crafton_s]

By the time we go full time the 5 younger ones will be 13 , 10 , 8, 7 , and 5 . Most likely they will be the only ones going full time . We're planning on a bunkhouse to sleep 10 ... I know it'll be tight ... but ... we will see where God takes us . He will always provide . Even sanity .