First, thanks for creating, improving and maintaining a wonderful site. I have been reading over it lately and really appreciate your efforts and assistance.
My DW (wife?) and I are fairly experienced tow/haulers, having pulled horse trailer's for 20+ yrs and I have had some experience with 40ft rigs from the military but we have little experience with RVs. We previously owned a nice little 28ft Tioga MH and loved it but again only drove used it about 10 times and mostly for horse shows so we still feel like newbies in the RV world.
We are planning on buying a smaller 5ver (30ft or under) in a few months and traveling a few mo's out of the yr for a few yrs then become a (Sunbird?? live in S. Texas) once my mother-in-law passes; we will purchase a larger 5ver for that.
Finally I am getting to the point...lol I would appreciate any advice you can pass along. I am trying to do some research and find some good reviews for the used 5vers. Is there a free source out there for used 5ver reviews? Any suggestions on the best way to accomplish this?
I will be starting out with a 2011 Ford F250 SRW TV; packaged and set up to tow. I believe the tow rating cap is 12.5K for the truck and I will be looking for a 26-30ft 5ver to start with. It will be the DW, I and of course 2-3 dogs (we are dog lovers).
I would love to hear of any models you think are really good ones and why. If you have had any problems with models pls say so. Initially we will be looking for and economical model.
Newbie question: Can you use residential furniture and TVs in your 5ver?
We saw a Holiday Rambler Savoy 5th wheel that was awesome. About 30 ft with rear living, really liked the layout. It was 2007 & I couldn't see buying an older model than our current TT.
Really like the HR as well as
Heartland. Both companies seem to be reputable with good construction. Yes, you can use a standard TV & change any furniture that you like.
'08 Toyota Tundra 5.7L with tow package/Prodigy
'12 Evergreen EverLite 31 RLS Compositek construction
Billy and Jeanne, the eyes of Texas are upon you for not knowing that winter visitors to TX are called Winter Texans.
Many folks, me included have swapped out the cheap RV furniture. You just have to be very careful about measurements and weight. I have some gouges in a slide area because of a futon that stuck out an extra half inch.
Joe and Dakota, the wacko cat
2006 Dodge 3500 QC CTD SRW Jacobs Exhaust brake
2006 Heartland Bighorn 3600RL, MorRyde suspension, TrailAir pinbox http://happykayakers.com/blogger/
Wow it is great to get such a good quick reply. Thanks LakeN, that is exactly what I was looking for.
HappyK, if you live in Tx but leave for the summer are you still a "Winter Texan"? or is that only for visitors?
Thanks for answering the furniture/TV bit and that is good news to. Can I have a follow up Q? Is there any particular store you have found helpful to purchase your furniture for the RV from or just any furniture store?
Take a look at NuWa's used inventory. You may have to consider an older model (04-06) in the HitchHiker LS model to keep the weight down. But they were well made and are reconditioned for resale. There's an archive section on their webpage with weights and features going back to about 2000. They also have other brands they take in as trades.
We travel in an older, smaller 5'er with one slide, for the living room couch. We wouldn't be comfortable with more than one dog. Also consider that the dogs will be with you in the TV making it very cramped, even with a crew cab which we have. We have just enough room in the truck for Chloe's cushion, a small ice chest and a few small items of food and such. You could always do a Romney with them. (Just kidding.)
On the other hand getting in and out of sites is a breeze with a smaller rig. My brother-in-law has a Nash Arctic Fox which is smaller than ours and loves it.
Good luck. Keep the questions coming.
Bob
1991 Avion 30' Fiver, not silver
2006 Silvarado 2500HD Duramax, SRW, CC, Short Bed, 4x4
16K Draw-Tite Slider
Bikes on the back
Standard Poodle inside
Haverty's, thanks Waro...I will definatley check out NuWa's, and put the Hitchhiker LS on my short list. 2004-06 is in the range I would prefer; thanks so much Eycom.
Bob, my dogs are part of the family and go most places with us. It can be a pain in the butt getting them in and out of the TV but that is my lot in life and I am OK with that. It all started with "The Amazing Cleopatra", my beautiful, mega intelligent Jack Russell who insisted on being apart of every adventure. Smartest and best dog I ever owned; her passport had more stamps than 95% of American humans (12 diff countries) but sadly we lost Cleo last month. I understand what you are saying and I truly appreciate the good advice about traveling with pets but we will have to manage on that one. What do you think of your BIL's Nash Arctic Fox? Would you recommend it?
Everyone, I know getting in and out of sites can be more difficult with a larger 5ver and TV but what is considered Larger? Over 30ft or 35ft? Are the separations in size defined or is it just kind of known in the RV community?
Sorry for all the questions and I appreciate the responses. I am so excited about restarting my RV adventuring lifestyle and I wish I did not have to wait til after I refi the house to do it. My broker says they frown on purchasing large RVs right before you Refi and he has 2...lol
We have a 2011 Open Range 5th wheel--it is 39 feet long. We have three dogs (all terriers) and have no space issues. You might consider an Open Range when you are ready to full time. Ours has a residential size fridge and a large pantry. We love our 5th wheel as it seems to be well built and a good quality for the price. I would consider changing our couch as our dogs like to sit on the cushions and look out the window. the cushions we have now are too soft to take their weight (about 20 pounds) and they slowly sink downward as they gaze at the squirrels, etc.
Hope you find a 5th wheel that you can enjoy for many years.
The two of us and dog have been very happy with a lightweight FW, about 30 feet. We have a shower you can stand up and turn around in (better than we can say of the apartment we had in Paris) and plenty of storage for travel.
No washer/dryer, and very little room around the bed. The dressing area and the living room are congruent. I mean they are the same place.
We can fit in most anywhere we'd like to be. State parks, National parks, whatever.
In 2010, our rig cost about $12k.
.
You have more truck than we do, and thus more options.
.
Think about whether you mostly want to travel, or pull the rig to some wonderful place and stay.
If you're moving a lot, then short and light matters.
Offline
