RE: portland or. to palm springs ca.
Coming out of Barstow south on the 247 is a steep grade, not too bad though. Then you have a straight steep grade coming out of Yucca Valley, then a twisty steep grade coming out of Morongo Valley. None of them are bad, just gear down.
I usually go 58 across to Kramer Junction, south on 395, then left at Airbase Expressway, in Adelanto, to National Trails Hwy (18). Hang a right on NTH which ties into the 247 in Lucerne Valley. I went this way in August and they have a detour on National Trails, not sure if it's over with or not.
RE: Tell me about tailgating
I've seen MH's, TH's and others parked at Quallcom (Jack Murphy is the right name) 24 hours after a Chargers game, with no one pushing them out. It's $80 a space to tailgate though.
RE: F350 or F450
This is where I get confused. My understanding is the F350 TowBoss has a 17,800 lb tow rating, regardless of truck load, provided I don't go over the 13,000 GVWR for that truck (BTW, 1 of us is 200 lbs :D ). So, if the truck weighs 9K full of fuel (my SRW is 8800, wife and I, full fuel and normal load, including hitch), that leaves me 4k for pin weight, plus 17,800 on the trailer weight (total, pin and axles).If I'm wrong, someone explain it in K.I.S.S. terms for me. The price difference between the 450 and 350 looks to be about 5K.The F-350 has a 5,500 pound cargo rating, and that is 2,300 pounds more than the hitch pin weight. I understand that a 18,000 or 20,000 pound rated hitch is going to be 200 pounds or so, but how large are you and the wife? (Just kidding).
Remember that the Tow Boss 17,800 pound rating is for a truck almost out of fuel, with a 150 pound driver, and nothing else in the truck. So if you carry 800 pounds of stuff in the truck, then that will put you right at the total GCVWR, while the F-450 GCVWR is something like 30,000 pounds or so.
Remember that the 19.5" tires are going to be harder, so in slick conditions it might be more difficult to control. The 17" rims that come with the F-350 are also rated for a lot of weight too.
My "Ideal" retirement vehicle would be a F-450 with a auxillary 55 gallon midship fuel tank in addition to the 40 gallon one behind the rear axle, for a total of 900 miles driving range before I would need to take the fifth wheel into a tiny fuel station for more fuel. My idea is to refuel before hitching up, then park it someplace before thinking about getting fuel again.
TransferFlow.com sells the larger fuel tanks along with a kit that allows them to be filled at the 25 gallons per minute rate that is found at commercial truck stops - in the big rig isle.
Fred.
RE: F350 or F450
If the SRW350 would do it then I would skip the 450.
That's where I'm at right now. I have 250 lbs left before I overload the rear axle, and 3K until I run out of towing capacity. Buggy is 3K, so no water would be allowed, let alone the quad.
RE: Laughlin NV to Joshua Tree Natl Park
Dave, you Air Force guys mess me up. I saw the Chief part in your name and was going to ask the Navy question, then I looked at your profile. That's because I'm a Navy Command Master Chief :BWe're in Laughlin NV now and will be heading towards Aguanga, CA sometime in the next 10 days. We're not planning on being in Aguanga until the 1st of November so looking at the map, thinking about visiting Joshua Tree National Park.
Since we're retired military, we're tenatively planning on staying at the Twilight Dunes RV Park on Twentynine Palms Marie Corps Combat Center.
Our mapping software is showing 95 south to I40 to National Trail Hwy to Amboy Road. Any thoughts on routes that would be appropriate for a 40 foot motorhome towing a minivan would be appreciated.
F350 or F450
Darling bride and I are looking at new trucks for the 5th wheel. Here's the numbers: triple axle 5th wheel ToyHauler, GVWR 17000. Unladen weight with full pump station, propane and camping gear; no toys or water is 12,500. Laden weight will be right at 17K. Current pin weight, no toys or water is 3200 lbs. Water tanks are on top of the axles, but grey and black are at the front.
Is the F350 dually TowBoss enough? 17,800 for the trailer, unsure of how much pin weight it'll take, but I don't imagine getting close to the 10K rear axle rating, probably closer to 8K. She really likes the Lariat we looked at.
I like the 450 because it's well over what we need, and 19.5 tires will last 3 times as long as the ones on the 350.
Thoughts? Opinions?
Not Chevy or Dodge though. Love the Cummins, but don't see where they have a long bed quad cab available with it.
RE: How slow is unsafe?
If I'm on a two lane road, going the speed limit with my truck and trailer, that's what I'm going to do. I will not pull over for you, but I'll be the 1st into the right hand lane on the passing area. On the freeway, I stay right except to pass, which isn't often, because I tow at 57 MPH.
RE: Laughlin NV to Joshua Tree Natl Park
That's the way I would go. National Trails is straight as an arrow, Amboy Road has a slight climb and is a little curvy.
RE: Field Trip with the Forest Service
IMHO, RV owners need their own remote quiet retreats on public lands where the others are not allowed.I don't agree, that's what has us in the mess we're in now. Select groups of users wanting their own desires to the exclusion of others is not the way to do it. Case in point is Johnson Valley in California. Multi-use groups are rallying under the same flag to keep the land open to all, which I believe to be one of the first times this has happened. Only my humble opinion.
RE: 5th Wheel questions ????
Hello,
We are looking to sell our WW FS3000, and get into a 28-32ft 5th wheel.
1. What can I expect in terms of MPG with a 06 F250 CC PSD SWR?
2. What's a good candidate for a 5'ver that won't exceed my TV GVWR?
Or worst case we move into a 25ft for a couple years and see what is available after that.I went from 10MPG at 57 MPH to 9.5 MPG at 57 MPH with whats in my signature. Havn't towed full load yet though.
RE: I need advice on building my own toy hauler
Ignore the person who posted about 4500 lbs in the front, thats the second vehicle it's designrd to carry. Load it up, then weigh it. You're probably too heavy loaded for the 3/4 ton truck, but you won't know until it's ready to tow.
RE: You'll never guess what I saw !!
I had to do this once. Broke off the poopie pipe, outboard of the valve. Got the trailer over the pad, opened the hole, opened the valve. Even flushed out the tank so I could repair it when I got home.
RE: run generator all night to run heater fan?
are you talking about an electric heater or propane heater ?
how come you cannot use your propane for heat?I believe the OP is talking about the furnace fan.
RE: Why Am I Nervous About My First Time At The Dump Station?
I had nightmares about my first dump...I also saw the movie with Robbin Williams..and did not want to star in the sequel...
I should not see this movie until after I get the hang of the dumping procedure. :)
Thanks everyone for your input.I agree, watch RV before you do it :B
