RESEARCHING FOR OUR IST 5TH WHEEL - GOIN ALL IN FULLTIME AS SOON AS OUR HOUSE SELLS - RV-Dreams Community Forum

GREG - ANNIE · RV-Dreams Community Member

RESEARCHING FOR OUR IST 5TH WHEEL - GOIN ALL IN FULLTIME AS SOON AS OUR HOUSE SELLS

Bruce and Robin · RV-Dreams Family Member

Welcome to the forum, Greg. I would say a good pre-owned 5th wheel for full timing when your budget is 50K.

LarryW21 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Smart move to find the 5ver first then an appropriate TV.

Second Chance · RV-Dreams Family Member

Greg,

Your question is a bit non-specific and broad to answer well. Do you already have a tow vehicle? Do you plan to boon-dock? Do you have pets, hobby interests, or special needs? Do you have toys to haul around with you (motorcycle[s], ATV, etc.)? What areas of the country and in what seasons and weather conditions do you plan to use your fifth wheel? Howard has a lot of good information on the web page portion of RV-Dreams and the Escapees RV Club web site (membership is very inexpensive) has a wealth of educational material, as well. After learning about how various manufacturers build their units, there is no substitute for looking at as many RVs as you can to judge for yourself the quality of the materials and workmanship. As Larry alluded to, do your homework on vehicle weights, towing capacities, etc., and make sure you have enough truck for whatever fifth wheel you settle on. Comfort while camped is important - but safety while towing is a life-and-death thing.

Rob

GREG - ANNIE · RV-Dreams Community Member

THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY. WE DO HAVE A TRUCK A 2012 F250 6.7 TURBO DIESEL. WE DO HAVE A SMALL DOG WHO WILL BE TRAVELING WITH US.

I'M ORIGINALLY FROM INDIANA, SO I WOULD LIKE TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME OF EARLY WINTER UP NORTH. I HAVE CHECKED INTO SOME RV TRAVEL

CLUBS. HAVE YOU HEARD OF GREAT RV ESCAPES? DO MOST RV'ERS JOIN SOME TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP CLUB? I'VE SLO BEEN TOLD THAT AT MANY PARKS YOU

CAN WORK A FEW HOURS A WEEK FOR YOUR HOOK UP CHARGES. IF I'M ASKING TO MUCH AT ONE TIME PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS THIS IS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE

DOING THIS,

GREG WHITE

LarryW21 · RV-Dreams Family Member

What does Ford's sticker say for your truck's GVWR?

bjoyce · RV-Dreams Family Member

Sounds like some reading of the main website, http://www.rv-dreams.com/, would be helpful. Many of your questions, including ones you didn't know to ask, are answered there.

RonC · RV-Dreams Family Member

bjoyce wrote:
Sounds like some reading of the main website, http://www.rv-dreams.com/, would be helpful. Many of your questions, including ones you didn't know to ask, are answered there.

Bill is offering very good advice, I'd second that.

Second Chance · RV-Dreams Family Member

GREG - ANNIE wrote:
THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY. WE DO HAVE A TRUCK A 2012 F250 6.7 TURBO DIESEL. WE DO HAVE A SMALL DOG WHO WILL BE TRAVELING WITH US.
I'M ORIGINALLY FROM INDIANA, SO I WOULD LIKE TO SPEND A LITTLE TIME OF EARLY WINTER UP NORTH. I HAVE CHECKED INTO SOME RV TRAVEL
CLUBS. HAVE YOU HEARD OF GREAT RV ESCAPES? DO MOST RV'ERS JOIN SOME TYPE OF MEMBERSHIP CLUB? I'VE SLO BEEN TOLD THAT AT MANY PARKS YOU
CAN WORK A FEW HOURS A WEEK FOR YOUR HOOK UP CHARGES. IF I'M ASKING TO MUCH AT ONE TIME PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS THIS IS MY FIRST EXPERIENCE
DOING THIS,
GREG WHITE

Greg,

You will be limited on the size and weight of a fifth wheel because of the payload capacity on the rear axle of a 3/4 ton truck. Our fifth wheel is considered a "medium profile" fifth wheel with a GVWR of 13,990. Loaded for full-timing, the pin weight is a little over 3,000 lbs. - at the hair's edge of what most 3/4 ton trucks can carry on the rear axle. It's very difficult to have that kind of payload reserve left over in a 3/4 ton after filling the fuel tank, installing a (heavy) conventional fifth wheel hitch, and loading passengers and gear. The nearest CAT scales are your friend. There are many threads on this and other forums (Escapees, for example) that will step you through the process for determining what you can haul.

Many full-time RVers are members of at least one RV club or discount network - often three or four. We are members of the Escapees RV Club and they provide us with our address, mail service (both of which meet the criteria for legal domicile in Texas) and other benefits. We also belong to Good Sam's Club, Passport America, and have a Federal senior pass. As retired military, I also have access to hundreds of military campgrounds around the country.

As for trading work for a campsite, you are referring to work-camping (often spelled "workamping"). There is a forum specifically for that topic here on RV-Dream and also over on the Escapees forums. Workamper.com is a web site where organizations looking for workampers post ads and those looking for opportunities post their resumes. There used to me a nominal fee for joining, but I believe it is now free. Volunteer.gov serves the same purpose for the National Park Service and most states have their own web sites for workamping in the various state park systems.

Bill and Ron are offering good advice. From your questions, it doesn't sound like you've done much reading yet and it would put you light years ahead to take advantage of the educational sections of the RV-Dreams and Escapees web sites. You will then be better able to ask more focused questions of others on the forum(s). We found it very helpful when we attended one of the educational rallies offered by Howard and Linda (the operators of RV-Dreams) before we went full-time. It's a worthwhile week of learning and networking.

Rob

-- Edited by Second Chance on Monday 20th of February 2017 12:10:50 PM