1 Big step to our fulltime dream - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Defiant · RV-Dreams Family Member

1 Big step to our fulltime dream

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

good luck Scott..........DVR makes a nice unit!!

Defiant · RV-Dreams Family Member

Lucky Mike wrote:
good luck Scott..........DVR makes a nice unit!!

Thanks Lucky Mike we came in under budget for the truck and we are hoping we can do the same with the 5th wheel, we are going back and forth between DRV and Lifestyle luxury ,hopefully we will be able to make up our minds soon....

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

I'm probably way off on this but isn't a 3500 truck a little light for a DRV? Don't recall the weights of the Evergreens. You sound serious about DRV's so you might want to take a look at RollingRetreats.com in Elk City, OK. They are a very good newer DRV dealership now rated as. DRV top 10 dealer. Owners Alicia & Slade are good people as Terry & Jo would tell you,

Edit by moderator: Activated link. Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Saturday 22nd of December 2012 08:13:45 PM

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

Again we areback to the question ......do you buy a truck and then buy a trailer or do you buy the trailer and then buy the truck.........or do your homework and dont listen to online opinions.

This is not a spiteful remark , it is not an opinion , its a fact. one that will cost alot of money and frustration if it is not done correctly!!

This discussion has been brought up about 6 times this year and can be searched for the same answers in the end..........you can pull a DVR with A ford F-150 and get it there!!! , just make sure all your insurance is up to date and warn the world your going to do it.....there are reasons why weight capacities are there......and saftey standards set up to make sure you arrive there!!!

-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Saturday 22nd of December 2012 05:25:00 PM

Racerguy · RV-Dreams Family Member

I don't recall any one stating anything as absurd as pulling a DRV with a F150 nor do I need to be lectured about weight capacities and safety standards.Internet experts are a dime a dozen and always seem to repeat what they read as "fact".If it were me I would have at least a 450 but to say a 3500 Dually pulling a DRV is a danger to everyone on the road is pure BS. Please understand nothing I said is meant personally...I'm told I'm actually a likable guy...just a little blunt at times wink wink biggrin biggrin

-- Edited by Racerguy on Saturday 22nd of December 2012 06:53:53 PM

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

My comment had nothing to do with Racer guy..........DRV makes several units , each having its own GVW..........each manufacturer the same.

Every State has its own characteristics as far as terrain and road handling........head up Donners Pass with the wrong tow package and the ride wont be so pleasant when you break the top and head down the other side, or you dont have enough to pull it to the top.....or you have premature engine or transmission failure because you consistently keep over working the truck.

Trucks are expensive and the repairs are worse......the cost of the truck factored in with the cost of your trailer is a major investment...... if you dont do your homework first and take all things into account , then you end up spending twice as much correcting it

There are physical researched charts that determine Gross vehicle weights , towing capacities. , Needed horsepower/Torque to do a job correctly.........simple braking procedures and set up.

First thing I always hear is "My truck wont stop my trailer" My first answer to those customers is " Fix and adjust your trailer brakes,The truck is there to pull the trailer not stop it , thats why they put brakes on it

When I drove over the road and Terry would say the same.............use half the excuses RVers use on safety, on a DOT/ Safety officer and I would be placed in jail and fined .........there is no excuse for endangering others.........there is way to much proper education available.

-- Edited by Lucky Mike on Saturday 22nd of December 2012 07:13:51 PM

Lucky Mike · RV-Dreams Family Member

Your absolutely Right!!!.......3500 series truck is a little lite for a DVR............always find the Trailer first then find the truck to pull it, otherwise your trailer will only be what the truck can handle............and dont ask the salesman selling the trailer....he will tell you you can pull it with a toyota!!!! as long as he sells the trailer

Racerguy · RV-Dreams Family Member

There are thousands of DRV'S out there being pulled by 3500's without a problem.They are pushing the envelope for sure but it is being done.Don't get me wrong...I don't believe in pulling a tank with a Ford Ranger but don't buy into pulling a pop up with a semi either.Would a 4500 or bigger be better? Yes... but to say it isn't enough truck is not right.

WestWardHo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Lucky Mike, I always appreciate your knowledge and especially your humor. But Racerguy also offers valuable opinions. Sometimes in brevity we can sound abrasive. I do it myself all the time.

Defiant, please remember theses are great, helpful guys with vast & different experiences as are mine. Opinions and advice are just worth what you pay for them but we find the best info on this forum.

Our experience: we were towing a light trailer, 7,000 lbs., with a Tundra with a towing package no problems. Then we bought a GMC 350 dually and a 13,000 lb fiver. I was amazed at the difference in stopping (not towing) ability even though we're supposedly rated to be well under our truck limit. It's not easy to stop! As many have pointed out, it's not the towing that's the big concern, it's stopping for some idiot in front of you (or in your driver's seat because we all occasionally do something dumb).

We learn so much here reading all the opinions & we tend to err on the cautious side, or at least that is our hope and intention. We know there is greater experience on this forum so as we hang out here we learn who to listen to seriously. Weights were not something I understood before reading and following this forum.

Defiance, hope you enjoy your truck as much as we do ours and the very best in finding the right 5er for you.

Sherry

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Actually, most everyone here is right in some respect. Hopefully, I can help a bit since we have a DRV Suites, specifically a 2010 Mobile Suites 38TKSB3. Most of the 38-foot Mobile Suites are going to have a GVWR of 18,500 lbs. An Elite Suites, even in a 36-foot length is likely to be even heavier. If one goes with a Mobile Suites and is not going to be doing a lot of mountain passes and/or long steep grades elsewhere, a Dodge 3500 will likely suffice. However, it will really need to have an exhaust brake in good working condition.

As a former 18-wheeler operator, I have a tendency to want a truck that can handle the load both in towing and braking should there be a problem with trailer brakes. For that reason, we refused to go with anything less than the Ford F450, which is what we have. Since ours is a 2008 model, it has the 19.5" wheels, thus some larger brakes. It also has the 4:88 rear axle differential which will help considerably when towing UP a mountain pass. I am known as the "King of Overkill" and I am thus comfortable with the F450.

Most people will say that it is best to choose the trailer first and then choose a truck that will "handle" that size of trailer, and they are advising wisely. I can recall folks that bought a truck because it was a "great deal" but the truck couldn't handle the trailer. Thus, they had to settle for a much smaller trailer than they really wanted or lose money on trading trucks again.

I strongly recommend that you go to your dealer and have them look at the "data plate" (or sticker) that is somewhere on the door post of your truck and have them give you the weight capacity of the Dodge with regards to Gross Combined Vehicular Weight (GCVW) as well as the Gross Vehicular Weight Rating (GVWR). Then with the GCVW in mind, combine the GVWR of the truck and the GVWR of the trailer you are interested in to see if the truck's GCVW exceeds the two combined GVWR weights. That data plate takes into consideration ALL of the power train, to include the rear axle differential. NEVER go by what the dealer calls "towing weight." I've seen trucks under on towing weight but over on GCVW.

Westward Ho also has a good point with regards to checking with a dealership. Just because you might be dealing with the factory doesn't mean you will get the best price. With regards to Rolling Retreats, they don't list their prices on their website for their new units. I've never asked them, but I suspect that they may be priced lower than a lot of the other DRV dealers. In their case, they have been DRV dealers for only about one year and are among the top 10 dealerships on sales of new units. There MUST be a reason for that.

Now, I'm going to be very crass. Should you decide on the DRV, check with Alicia and Slade at Rolling Retreats before making any factory deal. Also, DRV offers a "referral certificate" that those of us that are current DRV owners can supply to a potential buyer. That certificate will allow the one buying a new trailer the choice of four options for free. (Now the crass part.) That certificate also gets $200 sent to the one that "refers" the new customer to DRV, once they purchase a new unit. If it were only getting me some money, I wouldn't do it. But, it also offers something free to the one buying. So, if you go with a DRV and want a certificate, let me know via private message and I will send it to you.

Should anyone else be considering a new DRV, I have several certificates. I had one person ask me to get them one and when I requested a few from the factory, they sent me 10 certificates. Personally, I'm thinking of donating any money we get to a charitable organization as I don't really care about the money that much.

Terry

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Defiant wrote:
See this is what its all about ....conversations on a subject to hopefully come to somewhat of a consensus, I'm not concerned with the 3500, has the Max tow package and 4.10s, exhaust brake and trailer brake controller, I have pulled heavy equipment on a trailer with same style truck ,pretty much same weights and never had a problem... Terry and Jo now does Rolling Retreats take trades?

Scott,

I can't really say for sure on their trade policy. They are trying to be exclusively DRV as much as they can, but in one conversation that I had with them a while back, I got the impression that they were relaxing their idea of not taking "other brand trades." However, I really suggest you make a call to them so they can have an idea of what you have so that they can "research" what they can give. Any dealership will have standards of what they will take for however much.

Heh, I still remember back in the '80's that I wanted to trade a 1967 Ford Galaxie 500 for a Jeep pickup for use on the farm. The dealer took one look and said that he'd give whatever the salvage yard gave him an estimate of the value of the Galaxie. My father-in-law really seemed indignant that the salvage yard owner said $30. He really wanted me to have a Jeep. Oh, I drove that car for another two years and sold it for $200.

One more point on the truck situation. I know of a couple that had a Ford F350 and towed a Mobile Suites, although I can't remember the size and weight of the trailer. On one day they were approaching an intersection with a traffic light when it went to change to red on their side. Because there was some fresh rain on the road, they were unable to get stopped before the light even though they had quite a bit of room to stop. He later told us on the forums that never again would he pull a coach that big with a F350/3500 series truck and went to looking for a mini-Freightliner. That is anecdotal "evidence" but it remains to remember that when towing a big trailer, defensive driving is even more critical.

Terry

-- Edited by Terry and Jo on Monday 24th of December 2012 12:27:11 AM

Defiant · RV-Dreams Family Member

See this is what its all about ....conversations on a subject to hopefully come to somewhat of a consensus, I'm not concerned with the 3500, has the Max tow package and 4.10s, exhaust brake and trailer brake controller, I have pulled heavy equipment on a trailer with same style truck ,pretty much same weights and never had a problem... Terry and Jo now does Rolling Retreats take trades?

Racerguy · RV-Dreams Family Member

That new Dodge is an animal.Happy towing.

Defiant · RV-Dreams Family Member

You are absolutely correct Terry , you have to drive defensively at ALL times , we have all had our "oh crap" moments out there on the road, I've learned since we have had our Class A never be in a hurry to get somewhere no matter what (even though I had driven trucks in my previous profession) ,when we went to Yellowstone NP ,Grand Teton NP and South Dakota in 2010 lots of mountain driving there (some of those grades gave me butterflys in the old gut) since I don't see grades like that in upstate NY, we let the engine and tranny do most of the work on the downhill grades and and only used brakes sparingly, at 22,000 lbs + /- and rain and a little snow we had no problems, but as you said DEFENSIVE driving is job#1 and to be very aware of road and weather conditions.
We will give Rolling Retreats a call after the Holidays and people get to the back to business mode, I have started to see a few Mobile suites out there with Residential fridges right on the lot, Lazy Days and Rolling retreats seem to be the ones who have them in numbers we seem to be leaning to the 36 RSSB or 36TKSB and the lifestyle 37lk , our only problem with the 37lk is the storage in the bedroom and waiting for them to let me know when the Residential fridge will start to be installed, the rest of their floorplans we just don't care for the step out of the bathroom, thats an accident waiting to happen in the middle of the night (or a few too many glasses of our beloved Cabernet sauv).