RE: cost of hitch
I got a used 14K Reese slider on Craig's list for $500. Installed for $300 including my in the bed 7 pin plug. So, $800 out the door.
With a long bed, you don't even need the slider, so you should do even better.
$1000 to $1200 for a standard 5th wheel hitch is a bit stiff.
RE: Camping lights/Decor!!!!!!
We call 'em "goofy lights."
Don't always use them, and of course one should observe a reasonable "lights out" time, but we love looking at other sites.
Our goofy lights on our old hybrid were palm trees. Now my DW just bought some bunches of grapes for the fiver. Can't wait to see them in action.
Cheers!
RE: Williams, Az to Oasis Rv Park in Las Vegas
An alternative is to cross the Colorado River at Laughlin and head north to Vegas through Searchlight, NV.
Honestly, I hate that route. It's a bumpy two lane piece of junk, and the only reason to do it is to avoid Hoover Dam. Based on what Nevada Jim said, I think I'll vote for his route, and I'll back that up by saying we'll go over the dam in late July when we head up to Wyoming.
Good luck!
RE: Dometic 2301 not cold
I feel your pain.
Dragged the 5th wheel home yesterday in Phoenix, where it is 113 degrees, so interior was of course, very hot. Plugged into AC about 6 pm and fired up fridge. At 10:30 pm or so, freezer pretty cold, fridge not cold at all. I began to worry as you are doing. Did some trouble shooting like you, but came up with no obvious trouble.
Got the trailer as level as possible front to back (nothing I could do for side to side) and went to bed, unit running on AC. This morning, fridge seems to be working well.
So I guess in my case, the lesson is "It takes a long time to cool when it is freaking hot outside." :-)
I hope your unit gets up to speed. I'll be interested to hear if it just needed more time.
Cheers.
RE: Convincing Wife to get new truck
We have a 5th Wheel lighter than yours (9700 lbs dry, 12,000 lbs max) and we're probably pushing things with a 3/4 ton Dodge diesel. Any heavier (like you) and I would want a 1 ton truck and probably the dual rear wheels.
Best wishes.
RE: Here's one for you!! Dogs and propane..........
Our two labs are too big to have in the Dodge quad cab with us four humans. I love my truck, but that back seat area isn't THAT big :-)
I also do not have the heart to put the dogs in the trailer. Not sure how they would fare from heat, bounce, and possible collision aspects. Not that they would fare well in a crash from the bed of the truck either, I suppose....
Our dogs ride in the truck bed, just behind the cab, not in crates. I tie their leashes off on the cargo cleats so that they are comfortable, but can't really take a flyer over the side of the bed, should they choose to. I haven't tried it, but I don't think their plastic travel kennels would work with the 5'er swinging around back there.
Loading them is fairly comical, actually. We get all hooked up, then have to physically lift them onto the tailgate, then coax them to duck under the overhang up to the front of the truck bed.
But hey, at least they get to go with us!
Cheers.
RE: 160 N/O Flag
Used to go through there every other weekend in 2007.
Hwy 89 to Kayenta is pretty good. Some new stretches on it. Kayenta to Red Mesa is OK. Red Mesa to 4 corners and 4 corners to the 491 junctions is "humpy." You'll see what I mean. But it's tolerable. From 491 to Cortez and points east it is, as a previous poster said, excellent. Colorado does a good job on their roads. Much better than New Mexico IMHO.
Not sure what their issue is near 4 corner.
Anyway, go ahead and take it. You'll be fine. Just a little seasick from Tec Nos Pos to Cortez.
Cheers.
RE: New to 5th wheeling
Hmmmm... let's see... (btw, we're 1 month into our 5th wheel)
Equipment wise, we transferred everything over from our TT and didn't have any issues. I did get a nicer set of wheel chocks. While we did go shopping for our new baby, we did not buy anything that was "fiver specific."
A cordless drill with appropriate bit to turn the stabilizers is nice, but not unique to 5'ers. I still don't have one of those. :-(
I agree with the comments about different turn radius. You need to go deeper and wider or you'll pull your trailer wheels over a curb some times.
Also agree with the ease of hitching and unhitching. We had a weight distributing hitch on our TT so it was a bit of a hassle. The fifth wheel is very nice. Just remember your tailgate and don't high hitch.
I get a smile on my face every time I walk under between the truck and the trailer without having to whack my shins on the TT tongue. :-)
I am still learning to back. It is definitely different. I am finally starting to figure out "mid course" adjustments, which seem easier to me on the 5'er than on our TT. With the TT, getting the right line was crucial. With the 5'er, you can adjust a bit while backing.
Last thought. My 5'er still scares me every time I see it in the mirror or looking over my shoulder. It's so CLOSE!!!! But I guess I'll get used to it.
Best wishes and happy camping.
RE: Financing A 5'er
In Arizona, US Bank is very aggressive right now. They're trying to break into the market in this area. For the first time in 15 years, I did a loan with someone other than my credit union. US Bank was 1-2 points better than my credit union.
I think we got 5.99 %
Best of luck to you.
RE: Looking for wide-ranging trip recommendations
While you're in SW Colorado (after Mesa Verde/Black Canyon), you may want to consider taking Hwy 160 east thru Pagosa Springs, CO.
Nice campgrounds include:
East Fork
West Fork
Williams Reservoir
Big Meadow (east side of Wolf Creek Pass)
There are three nice waterfalls to see.
Treasure Falls (side of road at base of Wolf Creek)
Silver Falls (20-30 minute hike)
Piedra Falls (30 min hike)
Opal Lake (I hear) is lovely, and is a vigorous 2-3 hour hike.
When you are done in the area, you can shoot east on Hwy 160 and pick up I-25 and be in Colorado Springs with ease.
Enjoy you trip!
RE: No tv when camping was I wrong.
I haven't read all 6 pages yet, but here are my thoughts.
I felt just like the original poster... Leave the TV at home. I too, relented and we have a small TV/DVD combo. I was fully prepared to outlaw the TV use if I thought it is being abused, but am happy to report there has been no need.
My kids' favorite show is Sticks in the Campfire. My son also likes What Bugs Can I Catch?
We have watched The Incredibles on occasion, but only after dark, and we rarely get all the way through before sacking out.
Cheers.
RE: Slider hitch, or not
Bham stated your options pretty well.
Let me tell you that I have a manual slider on a shortbed Dodge. I needed the slider the first night and was darn glad to have it. I use it every time I park my rig.
IMHO, yes, you need a slider. Reese and Husky are both good hitches. Mine happens to be a Reese.
Best wishes.
RE: teton and yellowstone
My question is almost the same, except I'm leaving August 1st for our first trip to the Tetons and hopefully Yellowstone. Have two weeks. Is Colter Bay a good place to stay. We have two kids so TV hook up is a must to keep me sane while I drink a cold one. Will I have enough time to drive from San Diego to Tetons, stay a three/four days? Then onto Grizzly, stay three/four days? Or, should I hit just one park this year and another later. Can I make it in one day from Colter Bay to Grizzly without pushing it. I would like to drive like heck to get there and then take it easy coming back. Any ideas on what parks to stay at on the way back to San Diego from Yellowstone. Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks.
Colter Bay is excellent. We couldn't get in in 2005, but we have reservations for this year. We checked it out in '05 and really wished we were there. Best of all, it is on the north end of Tetons and therefore more convenient to Yellowstone.
Not sure where Grizzly is, but we visited Yellowstone from Jackson, WY. It is about 45 min - 1 hour from Colter Bay to Yellowstone, so you should certainly be able to change campgrounds in one day.
We are planning on two days drive time each way from Phoenix, so I suggest you do the same. Cedar City (UT) KOA was pretty nice, if that fits on you route as a half way point. Nice pool and trees, and very clean. It was about 10 hours from Cedar City to Jackson, WY.
With two weeks, I would think you could do both parks. We shorted ourselves a bit by just doing Yellowstone "from the car window." That's an exaggeration, but we should have allowed another day for Yellowstone. If you have 14 days, minus 4 total for driving, ten days should be ample.
RE: We have gremlins!
This is one of the best threads I've seen in a long time! I love it - had my good laugh before bed! (but for the record, I do believe in ghosts!) Musn't make them angry! :B
Cheers and Nighty night,
RE: Jayco landing gear problem
Disclaimer: This just happened to me and my "fix" hasn't been tested yet.
I just got a new Copper Canyon, haven't even left the city in it yet....
Hooked it up to tow to storage, landing gear worked fine. Parked it at storage, landing gear dead.
Have since found a 30 amp flat fuse in the line that is blown. My service guy says he sees it all the time, and recommended I install a 40 amp circuit breaker in place of the fuse. I haven't done it yet, but I'm gonna. Evidently, it is either that route, or carry a box of fuses all the time...
You should make up your own mind about swapping any electrical components.
Good luck
RE: Do you camp close to home-same town?
As others have said, "Heck yeah, we camp nearby!" In SW Colorado (when we lived there) the camping was out the door. We could often camp while driving less than an hour.
In Arizona, it is nicer to go 2 hrs or so to get to the higher elevations, but we have also camped at nearby Lake Pleasant in the winter. It's about 20 minutes away.
The kids like the fire and the S'mores. They don't care what state they're in :-)
Go for it.
