AnneM
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Re: Help with choosing our 5th wheel (and truck)
We decided to wait with the RV. I've tried booking campsites for August and it just felt so very crowded. Not a whole lot of availability for the kind of campgrounds we liked. On top of that, the HD trucks are very difficult to buy. They get snatched up real fast and they are way overpriced. Pretty sure they will depreciate like crazy next year. So, we decided to start with just getting to the US where we'll probably spend a few months in AirBnB's and watch the market. Still planning on our setup, but waiting for the big price drop and for campgrounds to get past the summer vacation.841Views0likes0CommentsRe: Help with choosing our 5th wheel (and truck)
4x4ord wrote: The add is messed up. It shows a picture of the truck displaying the Powerstroke diesel badging on the side of the truck. I believe the 6.2 engine would give a tow capacity of something like 12000 lbs but I highly doubt that that truck is a 6.2 litre. You're right, I hadn't even noticed the badge there. Anyway, the truck has already been sold. They're selling like hot buns, it seems.842Views0likes0CommentsRe: Help with choosing our 5th wheel (and truck)
4x4ord wrote: click That truck has what matters most .... it is a diesel dually and would do the job. It has a 3.73 axle ratio and I think 3.55 would be a little nicer, although not a huge deal. 12,100 is not the towing capacity of that truck .... it will be more like 35000 lbs. If you've got budget for more you'd probably really appreciate all the creature comforts of a Platinum or Limited trim level. I think it's not diesel though? Maybe that's why the towing capacity is lower? Originally, I had planned on a Platinum, but it's so hard to find a decent truck at a reasonable price. A year ago, our budget would have covered a new Limited. Now, I'm not sure it'll get us a used Lariat. And I know the truck (and RV too probably) will lose a lot of value within a year or two, so not sure about investing in creature comfort when they're that expensive.841Views0likes0CommentsRe: Help with choosing our 5th wheel (and truck)
What do you guys think about this vehicle - https://www.eleadcrm.com/evo2/fresh/eLead-V45/elead_track/vehicle/vehicledetail.aspx?companyid=19840&vehicleid=49652822 It's an F-350 LT dually, crew cab long bed. However, not diesel. And it says - Towing Capacity: 12,100 lbs. I was hoping for much higher. Safety is our main concern, so I want a strong truck with a huge cushion where it comes to towing. Thoughts?841Views0likes0CommentsRe: Help with choosing our 5th wheel (and truck)
rjstractor wrote: This may fall under "unsolicited advice", but have you or your husband ever driven a large vehicle or towed a large trailer? If so, you'll adapt fairly quickly and easily, but if neither of you have ever driven anything bigger than a car, getting into a 55 foot long combination weighing well over 20,000 pounds might be a little daunting at first. If I were in your situation I'd consider taking a few lessons at an RV driving school, there should be several in the area where you plan to buy your rig. Great advice! Any recommendation for such schools in the Tampa area?476Views0likes0CommentsRe: Help with choosing our 5th wheel (and truck)
wanderingaimlessly wrote: With all the comments covering most of the obvious items I will pose a couple other thoughts. 1. A 17 year old son, will he be going away to college before you finish this project in the US? If so, you may want a unit with a small bunkroom that also has an upper loft for sleeping, it can become an office after he leaves, but will still have the loft for visits and storage. something akin to this Cardinal 2. If you have not used a rig such as the ones you are contemplating now, inquire as to staying at the dealer and "Camping" on their lot a night or two upon delivery, it will give you time to learn the systems, and to find problems and have them taken care of before actually leaving the lot. Not sure about him going to college, I'm afraid. He's a terrific kid and gifted, but also on the spectrum, so I suspect it's going to take him more than a year to be ready for college. He'll probably be living with us for a few more years. We're not sure what happens in a year from now though. Our older son will be joining us at that time to start his Phd somewhere in the US. We may decide to buy a house wherever he'll be going and keep the RV for occasional trips. Who knows. That cardinal has an interesting floorplan, but I think that little room would be too small for our Dan. He's a tall guy (6'2") so would need a bigger bed. I found this floorplan today - https://www.generalrv.com/product/used-2015-evergreen-rv-bay-hill-385bh-1515257-5 Looks very interesting. I'm thinking that couch can be turned into his bed at night, and he'll have that desk for his computer too. Two bathrooms would be a plus as well. I like the idea of camping at the dealership for a few days until we figure out if everything's working! My next question would be able the sizes of the tanks. That unit I linked to above seems to have relatively small tanks. If we want to boondock often, that could be an issue? What size would people here recommend for a family of three that wants to be able to boondock for a week at a time?476Views0likes0CommentsRe: Help with choosing our 5th wheel (and truck)
4x4ord wrote: Whether you buy Ram Ford or GM is strictly a matter of personal choice. You will want a dually. Mobile Suite, as suggested by Cummins, is probably the 5th wheel manufacturer I’d recommend as well. If you buy a Ford I would choose 2020 or newer and an F350 with 3.55 gears over a F450. The 450 has a tighter turning radius which would be nice but I would find the 4.30 rear end much less desirable than 3.55 gears which can be selected on an f350. The 450 is geared for much heavier work than towing an RV. 100k is more than what is needed to purchase a new F350 Platinum with the Diesel engine. Everyone has their own idea as to what hitch to get. B&W makes a hitch that most are 100% satisfied with …. It’s a little heavy to put in and out. I've been window shopping this weekend and there are very few new F350 duallys out there, with a crew can and a long bed. We almost found one and then it was "spoken for" within the hour. I was hoping for a high-end trim, just to get the safety features like the blind spot monitors etc. Dealers just don't have enough new trucks "due to the semiconductor chip shortage" (that's what they tell us). It's a great time to be selling a truck, not so much for buying one.476Views0likes0CommentsRe: Help with choosing our 5th wheel (and truck)
Thanks for all the input! I'll try and respond (wish there was a multi-quote feature in these forums). Lwiddis wrote: The longer you go the fewer the campgrounds you can use. Most private RV parks will accommodate you. Many USFS CGs and National and state parks will not even at 39 feet. If you scout ahead when boondocking you will be OK. Sounds like 39 vs. 41 doesn't really matter then. That's good to know. Thermoguy wrote: The only stable internet is going to be cellular or satellite. Cellular limits you to places with good cellular signals, not impossible but will limit how far off the beaten path or main interstate you can venture. In the mountains on the west coast, most have no cellular service. You will want to research that well as you can not count on WiFi in parks, etc. We went camping near home earlier this year, my son's friend had T-Mobile, he had good cellular. My wife and son have AT&T, they had spotty cellular. I have Verizon, I had nothing all weekend. But a good service with unlimited data should serve you well. Enjoy the adventure - do I see you are from Isreal? That's great. Yes, we're from Israel. Off to a really big adventure - relocating AND RV'ing (hopefully!). We plan on getting more than one type of cell service. Combine verizon and Tmobile or AT&T. Possibly one sim card or hotspot of each, to maximize our chances of getting a good connection. We also want to sign up for Starlink, as soon as it's readily available to the public.476Views0likes0CommentsRe: Help with choosing our 5th wheel (and truck)
Thermoguy wrote: Good luck finding what you need with inventory being so low this past year and not looking like it's getting any better. But, with some effort, you should be able to find what your looking for, just might pay a lot more than you would have a couple years ago or in another year when people are dumping their RV's because they can't find a spot to camp with it since many parks are booked solid through the summer and into the fall. Maybe start making plans to boondock a lot initially. Yes, we're actually hoping to go off-grid and boondock, not just because of the campgrounds issues (which we've read about). We would need to figure out a way to get a stable internet connection though since we'll be working from the RV.124Views0likes0Comments
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