I'm an IT Support manager for a local real estate company, and am considering retiring (or possibly working remotely) in the next five years or so. I am seriously considering full-timing and am at the stage now where I'd like to narrow down what kind of RV I'm going to get.
I'm pretty much set on a fifth-wheeler after reading much discussion about the topic here and other places, and looking at a couple RV lots the last couple of days.
My problem is, I have no idea what brands are good, what brands to avoid, etc. I've done lots of searches online for reviews, but haven't landed on one yet that a) seemed reputable or b) didn't want you to send them money. I don't mind paying for a good, unbiased evaluation of RVs, but I'd at least like to know FOR SURE which are the good ones (RV Guides) and which aren't.
I looked at a couple of Keystone Hornets today which I liked the layout of...but they come across to me as LOOKING good, and maybe not actually being built that well. Curious about others thoughts on this. Also, the salesman told me right out that these are not four season campers, which I definitely want.
Any advice you kind folks could offer would be much appreciated....
53 Merc said
05:18 PM Aug 23, 2010
jmhardy wrote:
I am seriously considering full-timing and am at the stage now where I'd like to narrow down what kind of RV I'm going to get.
I'm pretty much set on a fifth-wheeler after reading much discussion about the topic here and other places, and looking at a couple RV lots the last couple of days.
My problem is, I have no idea what brands are good, what brands to avoid, etc. Curious about others thoughts on this. Also, the salesman told me right out that these are not four season campers, which I definitely want.
Any advice you kind folks could offer would be much appreciated....
Well, we all know about opinions, but here goes anyway. For a unit to be 4 seasons livable without problems, you need to be looking at the higher end units. That limits you to Carriage, Hitchhiker, Mobile Suites and such. Be prepared for sticker shock, but the price is not the determining factor. Insulation, fit and fiinish, insulation, care of manufacture and how you like the unit. Make sure you spend a lot of time just sitting to check out the feel of the rig. If you look at used units, you might go to the For Sale section here. If you have the time and want to, go to MyRVTalk.com and register. Look at the for sale section there too. There is one that offers a 2001 F-550 and 5th wheel as a package. What you want to do is get your mind around the fact you need a heavy puller if you end up with a heavy 5th wheel. They ain't cheap.
jmhardy said
05:24 PM Aug 23, 2010
Thanks for the reply....I looked at an Open Range today which the salesman said was a good four season RV. I'll take your advice and register at MyRVTalk.com....I think I have decided that purchasing something a few years old is probably the most cost effective way to get into this....
Terry and Jo said
06:15 PM Aug 23, 2010
Jeff,
In addition to looking at the 4 season aspect and the insulation, also look at the frames of the units. While the Open Range is a nice looking unit, the ones that we looked at had a pretty small frame. Remember, your frame is basically your foundation on an RV.
Ken (Merc53) gave you some good tips. Also, keep in mind that you need to consider your truck in addition to the fifth wheel. If you already have a truck, get a fifth wheel that it can SAFELY pull (and stop). If you don't have a truck, then make your choice of fifth wheels first so that you will have an idea of the weight that your truck will need to pull. If you have a truck and want bigger, then also research trucks as well.
Remember to look at used as well as new, especially if you think that this is more of an experiment to start with. With used, you won't have so much of that "first year" depreciation in value. If you are interested, there is a couple in Elk City, OK that sells used DRV products. Look up "Rolling Retreats" with your search engine if you want to see what they have. (Incidentally, I have no financial interest in that business. But, when we went to look at the ones they had at the time, they units looked as good as the pictures.)
Now that we've given you some tips, have fun in the looking and researching. Feel free to ask questions as you think of them. Questions are always welcome and most everyone here is friendly and helpful, as well as knowledgeable. All may have had some experiences that will give you insight, even if they haven't been RV'ing for very long.
Welcome to the RV Dreams forums.
Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 23rd of August 2010 06:26:03 PM
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 23rd of August 2010 06:26:36 PM
jmhardy said
06:58 PM Aug 23, 2010
Thanks Terry! I guess this is going to take a LOT of research, lol...I am finding out tons of new information with every passing day. When you say frame size...could you give me some more specifics? I really appreciate how everyone here is so willing to help...I was on Chat a couple of nights ago, and everyone there was really helpful too!
I am definitely going to buy the RV first and then buy the appropriate tow vehicle....how do you like your F450?
Terry and Jo said
09:52 PM Aug 23, 2010
jmhardy wrote:
Thanks Terry! I guess this is going to take a LOT of research, lol...I am finding out tons of new information with every passing day. When you say frame size...could you give me some more specifics? I really appreciate how everyone here is so willing to help...I was on Chat a couple of nights ago, and everyone there was really helpful too!
I am definitely going to buy the RV first and then buy the appropriate tow vehicle....how do you like your F450?
Jeff,
Frames will take quite a bit of research. Some that I've seen were something like only 10" I-beam frames. and some were a bit more. In the past, there have been a number of complaints about Lippert frames on some forums, but I sometimes feel that some of those complaints are due to the specifications of the manufacturer of the RV and not necessarily the frame manufacturer.
With our Mobile Suites, the frame is a 15", triple-box frame that has been reinforced so that should I decide to pull something behind the fifth wheel, that the frame is strengthened even more than standard. That helps to reduce the chances of a loss of "camber" in the frame due to heavy loads or towed items.
As for the F450, we haven't pulled the fifth wheel much with it (just got the fifth wheel in May), but what we have done, I am impressed with the pulling capacity. Just need a mountain pass to really test it out. The Ford's transmission with the "tow/haul" feature is really nice to help control the speed on downhills without using the brakes much. If you consider the F450, look for used ones. While a new F450 could list at around $65,000+, we picked up our 2008 last October for about $30,000 with only 46,000 miles on it. AND, its a King Ranch model. In fact, I saw one on the website of my dealer the other day. Check out used inventory at Diffee Ford in El Reno, OK.
Terry
Gary said
08:00 AM Aug 24, 2010
jmhardy wrote:
Thanks Terry! I guess this is going to take a LOT of research, lol...I am finding out tons of new information with every passing day. When you say frame size...could you give me some more specifics? I really appreciate how everyone here is so willing to help...I was on Chat a couple of nights ago, and everyone there was really helpful too!
I am definitely going to buy the RV first and then buy the appropriate tow vehicle....how do you like your F450?
I understand the research thing! We aren't planning on any transition until our Daughter gets out of high school (5 years) but I started my research last October.
I've been looking at various manufacturers in my area and the one that I keep coming back to is Heartland. Their Landmark, Big Horn and Big Country are 4 season.
Still looking though and may come up with better. One advantage of having plenty of lead time. Research, research, research!
Dreamers said
08:01 AM Aug 24, 2010
You've already had some good information here. Doing our research we relied alot on the ratings found on the RV Consummer disks. They are not cheap - about $140.00 but as I look back they sure kept us from several mistakes. I highly recommend going to their website and purchasing these ratings. I believe their web site is RVconsumer.org (might be .com or .net).
Good luck in finding your 5er. It took us a full 6 months.
Judy
jmhardy said
01:44 PM Aug 24, 2010
Terry: This is very helpful...I hadn't thought about the frame's impact on towing something else behind it. The Ford F450 is my dream truck....let's hope I can afford the truck after I buy the RV, lol...but I know you can't skimp there either...
Gary: I'll take a look at Heartland...I've seen them on a bunch of websites, but hadn't heard too much about them. Huge price difference between four season vs. three season, but I guess the difference really just has to do with how well made they are generally...frankly I'm not sure I'd actually take advantage of the fourth season, but I'd hate to be limited if I decide to...
Thanks Judy...I'll try that website :)
Terry and Jo said
07:28 PM Aug 24, 2010
jmhardy wrote:
Terry: This is very helpful...I hadn't thought about the frame's impact on towing something else behind it. The Ford F450 is my dream truck....let's hope I can afford the truck after I buy the RV, lol...but I know you can't skimp there either...
Gary: I'll take a look at Heartland...I've seen them on a bunch of websites, but hadn't heard too much about them. Huge price difference between four season vs. three season, but I guess the difference really just has to do with how well made they are generally...frankly I'm not sure I'd actually take advantage of the fourth season, but I'd hate to be limited if I decide to...
Thanks Judy...I'll try that website :)
Yeah, Jeff. I really like the F450 too. I don't usually get really attached to a vehicle, but the F450 gets to me for some reason. It seems that I don't get to drive it enough.
But, just to really "tempt" you, check this one out at Diffee Ford in El Reno, OK with a bit over 30,000 miles.
I'm pretty much set on a fifth-wheeler after reading much discussion about the topic here and other places, and looking at a couple RV lots the last couple of days.
My problem is, I have no idea what brands are good, what brands to avoid, etc. I've done lots of searches online for reviews, but haven't landed on one yet that a) seemed reputable or b) didn't want you to send them money. I don't mind paying for a good, unbiased evaluation of RVs, but I'd at least like to know FOR SURE which are the good ones (RV Guides) and which aren't.
I looked at a couple of Keystone Hornets today which I liked the layout of...but they come across to me as LOOKING good, and maybe not actually being built that well. Curious about others thoughts on this. Also, the salesman told me right out that these are not four season campers, which I definitely want.
Any advice you kind folks could offer would be much appreciated....
If you look at used units, you might go to the For Sale section here. If you have the time and want to, go to MyRVTalk.com and register. Look at the for sale section there too. There is one that offers a 2001 F-550 and 5th wheel as a package.
What you want to do is get your mind around the fact you need a heavy puller if you end up with a heavy 5th wheel. They ain't cheap.
Jeff,
In addition to looking at the 4 season aspect and the insulation, also look at the frames of the units. While the Open Range is a nice looking unit, the ones that we looked at had a pretty small frame. Remember, your frame is basically your foundation on an RV.
Ken (Merc53) gave you some good tips. Also, keep in mind that you need to consider your truck in addition to the fifth wheel. If you already have a truck, get a fifth wheel that it can SAFELY pull (and stop). If you don't have a truck, then make your choice of fifth wheels first so that you will have an idea of the weight that your truck will need to pull. If you have a truck and want bigger, then also research trucks as well.
Remember to look at used as well as new, especially if you think that this is more of an experiment to start with. With used, you won't have so much of that "first year" depreciation in value. If you are interested, there is a couple in Elk City, OK that sells used DRV products. Look up "Rolling Retreats" with your search engine if you want to see what they have. (Incidentally, I have no financial interest in that business. But, when we went to look at the ones they had at the time, they units looked as good as the pictures.)
Now that we've given you some tips, have fun in the looking and researching. Feel free to ask questions as you think of them. Questions are always welcome and most everyone here is friendly and helpful, as well as knowledgeable. All may have had some experiences that will give you insight, even if they haven't been RV'ing for very long.
Welcome to the RV Dreams forums.
Terry
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 23rd of August 2010 06:26:03 PM
-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 23rd of August 2010 06:26:36 PM
Jeff,
Frames will take quite a bit of research. Some that I've seen were something like only 10" I-beam frames. and some were a bit more. In the past, there have been a number of complaints about Lippert frames on some forums, but I sometimes feel that some of those complaints are due to the specifications of the manufacturer of the RV and not necessarily the frame manufacturer.
With our Mobile Suites, the frame is a 15", triple-box frame that has been reinforced so that should I decide to pull something behind the fifth wheel, that the frame is strengthened even more than standard. That helps to reduce the chances of a loss of "camber" in the frame due to heavy loads or towed items.
As for the F450, we haven't pulled the fifth wheel much with it (just got the fifth wheel in May), but what we have done, I am impressed with the pulling capacity. Just need a mountain pass to really test it out. The Ford's transmission with the "tow/haul" feature is really nice to help control the speed on downhills without using the brakes much. If you consider the F450, look for used ones. While a new F450 could list at around $65,000+, we picked up our 2008 last October for about $30,000 with only 46,000 miles on it. AND, its a King Ranch model. In fact, I saw one on the website of my dealer the other day. Check out used inventory at Diffee Ford in El Reno, OK.
Terry
I understand the research thing! We aren't planning on any transition until our Daughter gets out of high school (5 years) but I started my research last October.
I've been looking at various manufacturers in my area and the one that I keep coming back to is Heartland. Their Landmark, Big Horn and Big Country are 4 season.
Still looking though and may come up with better. One advantage of having plenty of lead time. Research, research, research!
Gary: I'll take a look at Heartland...I've seen them on a bunch of websites, but hadn't heard too much about them. Huge price difference between four season vs. three season, but I guess the difference really just has to do with how well made they are generally...frankly I'm not sure I'd actually take advantage of the fourth season, but I'd hate to be limited if I decide to...
Thanks Judy...I'll try that website :)
But, just to really "tempt" you, check this one out at Diffee Ford in El Reno, OK with a bit over 30,000 miles.
http://www.diffee.com/OKLAHOMA/FORD/F-450/VIN/1FTXW42R08EA49102/
Terry