Hi Everyone. Well, after 15 years the RV-Dreams Community Forum is coming to an end. Since it began in August 2005, we've had 58 Million page views, 124,000 posts, and we've spent about $15,000 to keep this valuable resource for RVers free and open. But since we are now off the road and have settled down for the next chapter of our lives, we are taking the Forum down effective June 30, 2021. It has been a tough decision, but it is now time.
We want to thank all of our members for their participation and input over the years, and we want to especially thank those that have acted as Moderators for us during our amazing journey living and traveling in our RV and growing the RV-Dreams Family. We will be forever proud to have been founders of this Forum and to have been supported by such a wonderful community. Thank you all!!
Howard have you heard of many people who use transportation companies to transport their units from place to place if they only move two or three times a year? It would seem to save a good chuck of money on the cost if the Vehicle, Maintenance, insurance and would not require an additional vehicle for local traveling. At least for now would rather not travel separately and again the cost would double for an additional vehicle for insurance and upkeep. The unit we are looking at is a DRV and would require a good size truck to tow. Does it make sense to use that tow vehicle money to put into the unit an other amenities like a ecosmart car to move us across the country or does that leave us possibly stuck some where with no local companies To move us? If we go with our own tow vehicle it would have to be lighter in order to use it on a daily basis once we get to a sight and we need to look at lesser models that that truck would accommodate. Thanks for taking the time. There is just not a lot of info on this out of the box approach.
Your idea isn't an out of the box approach as many people do that. My husband's boss did that buying the largest 5th wheel and having it moved. We see many on the road being moved and ads, even in our local area we see ads for people willing to move your 5th wheel or TT. The only issue that I have seen come up is when you have to move because of weather, like if you are in hurricane country, or if you need to move from your RV site because of a maintenance issue but in those times in a park, you can usually find someone willing to help you get your RV moved to another site.
It's certainly not out of the question, and we do know some people that do that. One caution would be to research the transporters very thoroughly or, better yet, pay someone you know and trust to move the rig for you. Some transporters tow too fast, they take turns too quickly, they overstress the frame, and they don't exercise the utmost care. A lot of damage can be done when your "home" is being transported carelessly. And yes, depending on where you would like to park and how far you need to go to your next destination, you could be stuck without a transporter or you might have to settle for a transporter that may not accommodate your schedule.
In addition to it being a financial decision, it's also a freedom decision. Consider very carefully whether or not staying in two or three places a year will be satisfying for you. I would say go ahead and give it a try as you can always purchase a truck later, but be careful about putting so much money into the RV that you can't afford a truck if you should decide to go that route down the road.
The people that we know that take the approach you are considering tend to go back and forth to the same northern and southern seasonal sites, so a routine gets established and a reliable transporter does the job. The logistics get more complicated when moving to different spots every year, but it's doable.
There is no right or wrong way to full-time, but much of it is about freedom and flexibility and keeping our options open as our plans and circumstances tend to change. Think everything through very carefully, including whether or not the reasons for becoming full-timers is most compatible with this approach.
You'll make the best choice for you and we wish you well. :)
2 weeks ago we saw an example of what Howard mentioned, a transporter driving way too fast with a DRV Elite Suites in tow. Pickup truck wasn't even a DRW and he was driving way faster in the mountain areas of Idaho than we would even consider.
Depending on how far you will be moving each time will determine if it's a cost effective location. I know when we considered having our DRV transported from OK to WA before we had our truck we were given quotes around $2400 for the move. That seemed pretty expensive to me if you were going to have those kind of fees a few times a year.
Lori I don't have the exact same situation but we had to be professioanlly parked in the seasonal site we are in and can't move the camper without paying someone to get us out. I really hate it. Not that I would want to go tons of places but not being able to move drives me nuts. Plus when our friends all met for a camping weekend we had to stay in a cabin because it want cost effective to pay to have the RV moved out and then back into the site. No way would I sign up for this again and next year we will be sure to be in places we can get ourselves in and out if.
