First 5er help! - RV-Dreams Community Forum

Heavy lifter · RV-Dreams Community Member

First 5er help!

cherylbrv · RV-Dreams Family Member

If you're able to go to an RV show, that's probably the best place to start - to get an idea of the many different styles, shapes and sizes.

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

Welcome, Heavylifter. You mentioned both 5'er and TT, so I'm assuming that you would consider either. I'm also assuming that you have a truck that can SAFELY handle your choice. If you already have a truck you should start by finding out the capabilities of that vehicle. The easiest way to get a base weight is to put the "stuff" that would be in the truck into it, fill the tank, load the family in, and go weigh it. That will give you what the truck actually weighs as you are going to go down the road. You can find out the gross vehicle weight from a sticker on the truck. Subtract the weight you got from the gross vehicle weight and you have the amount that the truck can carry as hitch or pin weight. Your dealer can look up the VIN and find out the gross combined weight rating for your truck. Subtract the weight you got at the scales from that and you will know how much the trailer can weigh FULLY LOADED. Sales people will often just give you the empty (dry) weight of the trailer. Water weights 8 pounds per gallon, so a 40 gallon tank can weigh 320 pounds, just to point out one item.

If you don't have a truck yet, or are going to trade, get the gross weights and tongue or pin weights of the trailers you are considering. Just use the heaviest one as your guide for buying the truck. It is always better to have more capacity in the truck than to be right at the limit. If you are looking at a gross combined weight rating of 30,000 pounds and the combo you are considering will come in at 29,950 I'd look for either a lighter trailer or a stronger truck.

As for brands, I'm partial to Airstreams for travel trailers and DRV for 5ers. In your price range you will be looking at used rigs, but the biggest depreciation hit will already be taken by someone else, so you can use it for a few years and then trade it in for not a lot less than what you paid for it.

Camper Chronicles · RV-Dreams Family Member

HIGHLY recommend going to an RV show and walking the units. We did tons of research online but nothing is better than physically standing in the space. For that level of investment you definitely want something you will be very happy with and you'd be surprised at he things that will end up mattering that you can't even think of now.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Don't rule out checking out different RV dealer's lots. Unlike an RV show, you'd have more time to linger in the RV and get a feel of how things would work for you with such things as preparing meals, taking showers, doing morning prep work (shaving, showering, putting on makeup) and just generally living in the area of the inside. I recall one couple full-timing in a Casita that described what they and their pet had to go through just for one of them to get to the bathroom. It sure seemed complicated to me.

Terry

The Junkman · RV-Dreams Family Member

There is a place called " cranky ape" auction .. search it..

They sell rv's , and other stuff.. all over the country. They sell salvage AND clean title stuff from insurance , banks, repos, and consignment companys.

If you want to buy, use it for a while , and MAKE MONEY when you sell it.. it's a good place.

I would not normally post something like this, as less bidders.. less cost to me. But I am out.. so have at it.

I bought mostly classic cars and hot rods from them.. flipping them. They also sell boats, utv, trucks, trailers, and motorcycles.

for under 30k .. you can get a really nice rv there.. You are competing directly with the dealers.. mostly.

-- Edited by The Junkman on Thursday 3rd of July 2014 09:04:03 AM