RE: Full Time in Toy Hauler
We live in our Fuzion 362. We had a few issues that were sorted within the first few days of ownership, it's too new to tell you how it holds up. We have managed to scale our life back to fit it inside and we are comfortable.
RE: Interiors
Now if i could just get rid of that carpet!!:h I wish i knew what they were thinking with our interior if its a toy hauler its probably going into dirty areas so whats with the carpet & fabrics they should be wipeable & Sweepable yeah we all want to carry a vacuume to the dez.
Perhaps they were thinking of those of us who FULL time and the wife is not having that******in the house anyhowe. That's what the garage is for after all.
RE: Fuzion/Inferno? diesel/gas gen?
We just purchased a Fuzion 362 an 08 model. I will say that I am happy so far with most of it. Make sure you check it out carefully. When we went to pick ours up and did the walk through we had to have a few things fixed, mostly molding trim pieces that the stapler had gone all the way through so they were not really attached. A few other spots had staples that did not go in all the way and were sticking out. Out of the thousands of details on this unit the things we noticed were very slight and were fixed while we waited.
When we got it home we did have our first problem. The 30 amp fuse to the landing gear is inadequate for the weight on the front landing gear, we blew three of them trying to just unhook it from the truck. When I called the dealer they were here within an hour and they replaced that whole set up with a breaker style fuse rated at 39 amps, I have raised and lowered the trailor just to test it with no further issues so far, keep in mind we only had it one day.
Last night we left the recessed lighting on in the living room slide out. I figured 4x5 watt bulbs could do no harm...we are not plugged up to anything. Tonight when I went out the first thing I noticed is that the lights were out. I thought to myself that perhaps there is a timer for the lights somewhere. Wrong my battery was dog dead, couldn't start the generator...had to jump it off with my car.
I used the toilet, first time. I have no reading material and the room is small enough to notice every detail. the bottoms of my bathroom doorframe are crushed. I have no idea if it left the dealer this way or if I did it moving it to my house to be honest. I would not have noticed this while at the dealer unless i had sat on the toilet, which I did not. I will have to replace that molding myself, not worth the gas to drive it all the way back to the dealer IMHO.
BTW if you plan to spend alot of time in this unit, there is no place to store your towels, they forgot a linens closet in the layout. Probably not a big deal to most people but we are going to full time and this means one less bedroom storage spot.
You have diesel toys to haul? Interesting. The fuel storage is to gas up your bikes/toys. The one thing we DON'T like about it is that the gas cap does not lock and neither does the door to the filler, any nitwit can come by when your not home and flip a switch and drain your 25 gallons if you have it on board. We will have to come up with a creative solution to this problem.
The Audio on this thing is actually not that good. You would expect some awesome sound system when you see ROCKForD FOSGATE PUNCH. They used to make good car audio if my memory serves me correctly. I was all jacked up to hear it. The best way to describe it is go down to your pawn shop and find the cheapest amp and woofer you can find and put it in a car that already has a rattling trunk and lots of loose body panels crank it up and stand about 10 feet behind it. We will be sans woofer as the head unit has no equalizer, your on or off. I have been in some hoods and I guess people actually consider this to be a quality, its not true bass its just a bunch of******rattling around.
In fairness it may not be entirely the sound system itself. I am sure part of it is just the placement. Think about it, the subwoofer is directly in front of a screen door ( bad idea) but even the highs outside sound like 14 dollar speakers. I would expect much more out of a 400 watt amp.It's listed as 200 watts I know , but I have looked at the amp itself it says 400 watts in big huge letters.
Those issues aside. I would buy it again tommorrow. I have no buyers remorse at all. I know this thing will serve us fine for awhile with the usual upgrades. GET ONE! I paid 40,700 for my brand new 08. Just a tip for shopping.
RE: hooking up a fifth wheel
Ok this is a stupid question perhaps. The type of trailors that would fit the description of what the wife and I want (Keystone Fuzion) are considered to be 5th wheel....reading these posts I see that refers to the type of hitch being used....is there any way to convert a 5th wheel trailor to a gooseneck style hitch??????? I keep seeing trucks all over the place that claim to have a 5th wheel hook up but all I see is a ball sticking out of the center of the bed..nothing like those reece you guys are talking about here hitches. It aLSO SEEMS THIS GOOSeNECK SYSTEM IS far easier to deal with from the sounds of it.
RE: New RV Court Advice
This sounds like a great place. I would love to find a place similar to that for a homesite. Are you going to allow for residence to be able to grow their own garden if they so desire? You grow potatoes, Joe grows lettuce and I grow cucumbers and we all have free fresh salad?
RE: Early 20s Considering Doing This
Meanwhile, as you consider this particular goal, you should take a look at RV's and what is affordable and suitable for your needs. Starting out in a MH would be nice, but then you have to have something to drive to your min wage job, a car (towable) would be required, as well as associated hardware to make it all work (base plate, tow bar, brake system = easily cost upwards of $1,500 and that's the cheap prices).
Or you could buy a 50cc scooter and stick it in your RV when you move around and use that to get to your min wage job....gas is cheap and most states dont even require a tag for a 50cc scooter...buy a rainsuit. It all depends on what YOU need to get by.
RE: So you still want ot go fulltime? Are you nuts?
Here's a scenerio for the sake of discussion. You lose everything, your house burns down and everything in it goes and for some reason your insurance lapsed...you have nothing but a pop tent trailer, a pickup truck.....oh the place you live has one factory, you worked there but it also burnt down the same day...so you have no job. Do you stay outside when it rains or do you sleep in the pop tent? DO you roll up and wait to die or do you move to a place to find the job??
Just sayin..........if you have the will to live and you had no choice and your only option was an RV...how could you NOT afford to fulltime?
You may not be thrilled about your situation but yet your fulltiming.....maybe from there you could learn to appreciate what matters most in life and realize it had nothing to do with whatever type of box you choose to call a home. Your either going to survive or your not and it has nothing to do with your choice in home, apartment or RV.
BTW RV is still cheaper.....just saying.
RE: How many of us are waiting for the SOLD sign?
House is on the market right now. We had a not so good experience trying to sell it using an auctioneer...now its listed with Century 21...We had it listed for 2 weeks without a showing, when we had our realtor add a thousand dollar bonus to the MLS listing to the buyer agent ( plus their 3 percent) last week we have had 5 showings and one offer so far:
2k less than our asking price( sounds small but we are only selling for 110k and had a recent appraisal of 123k) we can live with but 2k off asking plus seller pays down payment, seller pays all fees and closing cost, seller pays for inspection, seller pays for home warranty....you kidding me? ( what a crazy offer it was...but at least we got one).
We paid cash and we know what WE will accept in cash, all that other nonsense is more money OFF the offer and it was another 10 grand. I was blown away that someone would expect you to pay THEIR downpayment on home that already has built in equity, we know the market is slow and it is priced to sell under the value as it is for a fast sell....people want something for nothing, I can't believe banks are allowing 97 percent financing to someone who has no money to put down.
Our agent says one of the other viewers is interested but is out of town and we should hear from her this week...until then keeping the house in showable condition is the challenge...it's tough knowing we could have an inspection (showing) any minute...this is the part we cannot wait to be done with.
We also have a St.Joe burried next to the front porch.
RE: Home equity.....in a far away galaxy .......last year
The RV is easier to upkeep than a house if your old. If you need help in an RV you will likely need the same care in a sticks and bricks. It doesn't really matter......wheels or no wheels. It's a matter of preference, how much living space do YOU NEED or how much do you WANT?
I am 37 I am selling my sticks and bricks and full timing, no plans at ever owning another HOUSE. That may change again at some point down the road but doubtful. I looked at life in a sticks and bricks as waiting to die, since it is damned near impossible to maintain a house and work and ENJOY life all at the same time. For me my idea of joy has nothing to do with mowing grass, replacement windows, sheetrock, paint, etc etc etc that goes along with owning a home. I don't see not being able to enjoy life as being an issue with an RV.
I still feel it comes down to what you want and what you need, most of these large homes are filled with a bunch of Junk no one really needs.Especially if they don't have a house......lol.
Others with various silver spoons may feel differently. The Rv and the trailor and the motorcycles might not be much but at least they are mine and the bank does not dictate much to me at all, nor does any "career". I chuckle inside when I pass some of these over the top houses and cars that are financed to the gills thinking that guy has no idea what is going to happen to his entire life when his job goes to China. He will wish he was in an RV when that debt note doesn't work for him anymore. It's even funnier when I see the owners and they are my age....hope they inherited it because its very likely the bank owns his house not him.
It's simple math. There is more debt than there is money to pay off the debt....we wonder why our economy is in big trouble?
RE: Any Fulltimers Under Age 50?
Wow, some of these posts are really encouraging. I will be in the crowd but my wife will not (Me=37 Her=59). As you can tell by our ages we already don't look at life the way it seems that "normal" people do. We have owned this sticks and bricks house for just 3 years. My first house. The good thing is we did not go into to debt to buy it, we just paid cash (Federal Reserve Debt Notes).
The house is up for sale. Charlotte NC has yet to feel the impact much and because we paid cash we know we can sell. In fact we are so confident I know what day already. Being non traditionalists we are just auctioning it off. So we will be full timers shortly after the 21st of this month.
Our budget for our RV is half of what we get for the house. The rest will be going into paying off our limited amount of debt and the rest for savings and expenses. I will have to work camp or work while camping fairly soon but plan to take off the rest of the summer. I am a chef and fairly confident that people everywhere need to eat, so why not hit the road and work for many different chefs in many different areas and see the country at the same time?
I never want to end up like my grandparents. They spent their whole adult lives in the same house, worked basically the same job, retired from them and their retirement barely keeps them going. They are still in debt today, in fact their prescription drugs they eat by the handful each day currently cost close to what I EARN now.I don't even know how they can afford to eat but they manage and that is what they got out of busting their butts for their so called "good" jobs for over 20 years...I am taking the road less traveled.
Sometimes you have to make your own road.
RE: Do you have to use hot water?
Propane really isn't that expensive. If you are trying to conserve when boondocking, then boiling some water on the stove would be wise.
Most likely propane useage would be a "wash" (no pun intended) since propane would be used to boil water or heat water in the water heater.
We most likely are talking a cost difference in pennies.
Also, I don't really think one saves that much propane by turning off the water heater between useage since the water heater runs much longer to get a cold tank up to temperature than it does to maintain that temperature after the water is hot.
I used to think that propane wasn't expensive. periodically got $7.00 coupons to fill a standard grill tank. Filled one the other day and it was $19.00. not inexpensive anymore.
bumpy
I totally disagree, it does not take much longer than 10 minutes to heat up six gallons of water. Leaving it on is not going to save you anything, it will cost you.........fact.Once the water is hot it will last a few hours. So how can turning on your water heater maybe twice a day for a total of twenty minutes going to cost you more than just running 24/7?
RE: Colored Fire. Wowed the kids
We use the crystals from Lowes and Home depot. They are in the fireplace sections....we use ours in our fireplace at home all the time, hard to keep the dust on the wood though. I usually use a whole can per fire.
RE: Do you have to use hot water?
Just a note on sun showers, while living in the middle east for 16 months, this was the only available way to have a hot shower, the sun showers work pretty good, the trick is to get the soap out before you run out......IMHO that is the only problem with a sun shower, a guy like myself needs at least two of them full to really feel like I got all the soap out.
RE: Do you have a name for your RV?
We don't yet have our RV but I am sure it will get a name:
Here are some names of vehicles both past and present in our household:
Wifes Chevy Blazer= Baby
wifes first Harley Sportster 1200 = Milkshake
Her second Harley Dyna Glide = Shorty
Her Yamaha 1100 Custom = Roadapple
Her Yamaha Zuma = Pigme
My First Harley Heritage Softail = The Falcon
My Harley Screamin Eagle Fatboy = The Silver Sled
Honda Goldwing GL1800 = The Wing
Honda VFR 800 = Alien ( black with green graphics and leds)
And our current VW jetta does not offically have a name we refer to it as "It's a VW not a Mercedes"....to the service center everytime we bring it in and see the bill.
RE: Cost of Full-timing - Budget Worksheets
Wow kirk between your life, health and vehicles insurance you spend more than I plan to spend on my entire budget. IMHO your budget does not really represent what most people would plan to spend. I know quite a few who do just fine in the 800-1000 a month range, especially those who only move their RV a few times a year.....give up luxury and live on neccessity and I don't see Rving costing anywhere NEAR owning a sticks and bricks. As long as the sun shines there will not be a power cost if you get a good solar set up and good house batteries. I mentioned in another thread something that maybe those of us who are not rich could consider if considering full timing....I lived in Kuwait for 16 months with two buddies and a Hummer ( really really tiny RV) for 16months with nothing but MREs to eat and nowhere to buy anything we may have wanted or needed, we spent 0 dollars a month for that priveledge......lol. The moral of the story is that money is not an issue if you know how to survive. To make things easy here is a typical breakdown.
Average cost of medium range homes in Charlotte NC, $200,000. Plus all the expenses talked about above, water,lights etc etc.
VS
A decent RV in the 28-30 foot range........I am finding plenty for around 30k from people who like their toys but not at these gas prices.
I am finding plenty of rural land for sale with power and water hookups ( remember we can go anywhere we have wheels) for 6+ acre tracts for roughly 20k.
Gardening tools can cost from anywhere between 12 bucks for a good shovel to unlimited, just depends on your willingness to put some back into it.
All the seeds you could ever grow or eat 100 dollars.
Sounds ALOT cheaper to me. Some people are happy with just the things they need to survive others THINK they NEED a 32 inch widescreen because if they miss American Idol in high def their whole life will collapse. Just depends on the individuals WANTS. Basic needs generally are the same for all of us, food, shelter, water and a little lovin.If you can get by on just those things it can be really inexpensive..all the other******in reality is just crap...don't get me wrong I love some of my******too!
RE: Changing tires on the road
Thank you for your many options. I tend to stray away from paying someone to do something if I can do it myself. I also understand that there are just some things I can't. Not being able to change my own tire is a big blow to the ego.....lol.
We are looking at 28-30 foot gasoline models. We currently have triple A on our car, I will check into the RV pricing for it. I have never once called triple A and would drop them in a heartbeat if it were not for my wife. Good to know that if SHE gets stranded she can just make a call. As for myself I look at it as a challenge, I would rather walk 5-10 miles to the parts store and back if I know I can fix it and usually I can. I am just one of those people who strive for self sufficiency, not because I don't ever need someone else but I try every option possible before intruding on someone else for a favor or paying someone else. This has saved me thousands in life financially and I learned many things I never would have other wise.
I was glad to hear about how the road service does it. I don't know why it is but in my mind I was just thinking they are going to jack it up the same way I would...lol. Give me a break I am new.....I will learn, have no choice. We are just jumping in both feet first never owned an RV and going Fulltime from the moment we buy it and get it ready, what doesn't kill us will make us stronger.....the good thing is we will always be home no matter where we are. Which is also a good thing considering we are selling the house to get the RV....yup we are those crazy folks throwing all caution to the wind! I am glad for this forum and others as I have learned a great deal already.
Changing tires on the road
Hi I am a newbie, don't even own an RV YET. I had a question about changing the tires should you get a flat out there on the road. I was reading about leveling the bus and how you should never raise one of the wheels off the ground as it could cause damage due to the frame twisting. This is how I arrived at this question. When I get a flat in a car I jack one wheel off the ground to change the tire. How do you change one on an RV?
The motorhome we are looking at right now has the big foot leveling jacks and until I read that thread I had assumed that if I got a flat I would just raise that wheel off the ground with the levelers........I guess that is not suggested......what is? How is getting out and using some other jack any different when talking about the frame twisting issues?
RE: Will it ever stop? Another doom and gloomer....geesh
What I took from the article was:
1) We are in for some uncomfortable times
2) Buffet will continue to invest in good companies as he always has. He's not doing anything different. Which means he expects the recession to end at some point.
He said he will continue to invest in good companies. What makes you think those good companies are American ones? .......just a question. These elites don't look at the finance world with any loyalty to any particular flag or country, it's about the bottom line....period. The Euro is looking pretty strong compared to a Federal Reserve Debt note in the USA and so are some Asian currencies. Look out for the Amero.
