Wannabe Fulltimers!! How does this 5th wheel look to buy?

[kyle86]

My wife and I are in our late 20s and have been very intigued by the full-time lifestyle!! We have made our plans for an escape into the lifestyle and we also took our first rv camping trip in a rented 20 foot travel trailer which gave us great ideas for what we are looking for. I have purchased a 3/4 ton chevy truck (2000 model) for pulling and am in the process of doing all the preventative maintenance to bring it up to date.

The trailer we are interested in is a 2003 Sunny Brook 5th wheel 25' with a super slide. It is a lite model built with an aluminum substructure. We have negotiated the price with the owner at 7000. The previous owner seems to have done a good job of maintaining the camper which he bought in 2010.

The trailer has a dry weight of 6300 lbs. It has a new roof put on in 2012 which is the RV ARMOR spray on type. I have inspected it and it is a high quality job. It has new (2011) tires, new wheel bearings, a new 16k BTU a/c, new roof vents with wireless remotes, and it is still winterized from his storage over the winter.

What concerns me slightly is some light damage to the front where the trailer came unhitched and slammed on his bed rails. It seems to only be cosmetic but the 2 strips that hold the seams together under the front tongue area on each have come slightly loose which is sort of visible in the pics. The owner assures me it can be easily fixed.

One of the things that appeal to me is this trailer has no foul smells like others we have looked at and seems to have been maintained well. Being an older model, I wanted to check with yall before purchasing as I have the cash in hand ready to go. Being NEWBIES to the rv world we are a little uneasy since it has taken a long time for us to save this $.

Sorry for the long post and THANKS!!!!

[kyle86]

Yall are too kind!! Thanks!!

The camper came with most of the manuals so I have been studying them the past few days and testing everything out as well as doing the maintenance checks. My wife has already begun the remodeling to make it suit her taste lol!!! After 5 hours the wall border is gone. We figured out how to disassemble the valances so those are getting a makeover next. Then curtains, and finally recovering the upholstry. I liked everything how it was but know happy wife = happy life 🙂

The only things I have not tested is the water stuff. Mostly everything else works good and in good shape!!! I am learning a lot about this thing. I have to get some hitch wiring for my truck and add a transmission cooler. Then hopefully we will get to take it somewhere. We've spent A LOT of hours hanging out in it over the weekend. We are VERY happy with our purchase! It is not very big, but it paid for and all ours! So glad the previous owner was as much of a maintenance freak as me! 😄

[DownTheAvenue]

I don't know where you are in Georgia, but if in the northeast area I would be glad to meet you and look at the trailer with you. I have been RVing for 30+ years and have owned 6 RVs from a 16 foot tow behind to a diesel pusher.

[murphy38]

Looks good. Have a master plan and and enjoy the full time life style. I can tell you we have been full timing for 4 year and no matter what size or type of rig you have there will always be a time when you wish you had more room. At first just try to decide what you must have and need, then see what you can do without. We are full time in a 33ft 5th wheel with 3 slides and still there are times we could use more storage. The main thing is to just have fun and enjoy your time on the road.

[2gypsies1]

Congratulations and enjoy that new lifestyle. I'm sure you'll do well!!

[Veebyes]

We don't fulltime but do spend over 150 nights a year traveling. What looks like more than enough room in the beginning quickly gets smaller. Like Goldilocks you need to find what is just right.

Too small & there is no storage. Too big you can't get into all of the CGs you might want to visit. Trading rigs gets expensive real fast. You will take a big hit on every sale. Better to do the research, maybe spend more than you had planned but make you first unit your last unit by getting the right one the first time.

[kyle86]

Thanks yall!! i bought it!

[ependydad]

kyle86 wrote:
It has new (2011) tires...

Generally speaking, trailer tires age out at about 4-5 years old. You'll be wanting new tires sooner than later.

[2gypsies1]

Here's a blog you need to explore. This is a single young woman who is successfully full-timing. Naturally, she has to work to be able to do this. I think you'll find some good ideas from her writings:

http://www.interstellarorchard.com/

[Old-Biscuit]

Trailer subframe and pin box structure is steel
Siding/exterior cover is aluminum


Best of luck.
Just remember.........'retirement can creep up quickly. No real income/funds put away for retirement------plan on working forever.
DO NOT count on SS.

I worked hard, lived within my means, had to do 12 hr. rotating shifts, lots of weekends/holidays.......VERY mundane/repetitive but I liked WHAT I did.

And then at 50 I retired.....didn't change careers RETIRED to ENJOY the rest of my life.
That was 12 yrs. ago.


Seen lots of older folks struggling because they had to go back to work due to lack of real retirement funds
Just saying......

BEST OF LUCK!!!!

[mayo30]

A 5th.wheel that drops on a truck usually hits the truck box walls and has some leading edge damage,it shows none.What did it hit coming down and how far did it drop?I doubt that the hitch hit the bottom of the truck box and not touch the top of the truck box.Do some measuring on a similar truck box and hitch height.You should be able to look up into that area of the 5 th.wheel around the hitch with a bit of trying.Aluminum takes a fair bit of bending and wants to return to its original shape.What is holding it from doimh that,bent or cracked hitch attachment and supporting frame??Check every seam and joint inside the front bedroom for any movement or cracking,loose screws etc.It didn't have a goose neck attachment did it?

[kyle86]

Old-Biscuit wrote:
Most times a 5th wheel is 'DROPPED' onto bed of truck........truck bed/sidewalls take a lot of damage and 5vr overhang just has cosmetic damage to front/sides.
Actual damage to pin box/overhang frame area is unusual from being dropped.

Pin box/frame damage does occur but that is typically due to poor mfg. methods/lousy welds/incompetent welders.


Overhang panel (under neath area) would have to be removed to inspect for any pin box/frame damage.....but chances are good just cosmetic to aluminum/trim


Just curious......
Workcamping is OK for getting a free camp site but do you have an income to cover monthly bills/needs? We didn't work camp cause we didn't want to just park and live in an RV....we traveled.

We FTd for 7 yrs. GREAT Adventure/Wonderful Lifestyle BUT does take a monthly income/source PLUS that 'special fund' >>>>>>> JUST IN CASE FUND

Good luck!!

Thank you! That puts my mind to ease a bit. On an aluminum subframe trailer, is the area around the kingpin aluminum too or is that normally steel? Even if the aluminum frame is bent slightly I doubt it could cause any problems unless broken welds like you say.

As for income, we plan to rent out our home and a family member is going to handle it for us for at least the first year. We expect about $400 a month income from that. We have done a good bit of saving. I plan to have $5000 emergency fund for home set aside in case something like the AC goes out or roof needs repair while we are gone. We plan to have about $5000 to get us started on our camping adventure, and a $3000 emergency fund to carry with us cash which is to be used only under emergency situation such as break down or major repairs.

We have considered many different options as well such as workamping jobs that pay salary in addition to campsite. We have seen these listed on various websites. Also resorts, temp agencys, theme parks, maybe cruise ships, etc. We also would like to try working for amazon or the beet harvest. Basically we are willing to do what we have to to get by. Since we have no kids or pets, it is just the two of us. We will both scrub toilets, wash dishes, or whatever needed.

Since we both have various work experience and bachelor degrees, we can always rely on those to find "real jobs" if the situation calls for it. We could even have one of us workamp for the campsite while the other works a real job. In fact we would both be thrilled to find good paying jobs that we could get our careers started in. We are very open provided we are getting great life experiences. Our current lives are a tad mundane and repetitive.

edit: We really want to spend time with eachother. Hopefully whatever we end up doing we can do it together for the most part.

[Old-Biscuit]

Most times a 5th wheel is 'DROPPED' onto bed of truck........truck bed/sidewalls take a lot of damage and 5vr overhang just has cosmetic damage to front/sides.
Actual damage to pin box/overhang frame area is unusual from being dropped.

Pin box/frame damage does occur but that is typically due to poor mfg. methods/lousy welds/incompetent welders.


Overhang panel (under neath area) would have to be removed to inspect for any pin box/frame damage.....but chances are good just cosmetic to aluminum/trim


Just curious......
Workcamping is OK for getting a free camp site but do you have an income to cover monthly bills/needs? We didn't work camp cause we didn't want to just park and live in an RV....we traveled.

We FTd for 7 yrs. GREAT Adventure/Wonderful Lifestyle BUT does take a monthly income/source PLUS that 'special fund' >>>>>>> JUST IN CASE FUND

Good luck!!

[2gypsies1]

I see absolutely no problem with the floorplan. It looks like a very nice unit for that price. Just have that hitch area damage checked out carefully. That would be my main concern.

[kyle86]

I am willing to pass this one up if the unknown damage is a real concern. We could probably be willing to go to 10k for a trailer. I just don't want to pass this one up if it seems to be a really good deal. I received a pm from someone who advised me that we wouldn't be happy in this one due to the floor plan. I am starting to re-think this one. I have until the 13th to make a decision as that is when the owner gets back from his vacation trip.