captainjon
Kingston,Ontario
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Joined: 01/24/2004
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I am looking at a 1999 Cardinal RK28D for sale and selling my newer Class B+. Don't know a great deal about fifth wheels and the Cardinal but it does appear very nice. Does anyone have experience with them? Dry weight 9140lbs. How big of Truck? Do I need brake controller in the truck? Does this fiver haul well? I know I'm shooting rather blindly here, but any info or advice will serve me well.
capjon
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donn0128
Pronounced Ore-gun
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Joined: 04/21/2005
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99 is a bit old, but generally Cardinals are well designed and hold up pretty well. That fiver will have a GVWR of probably around 12000 pounds. For that you really will need at least a 3/4 ton truck and depending how it is configured a 1 ton would not be out of the question. Brake controllers and brakes are generally required on tandem axle trailers and any towed equipment over around 3000 pounds depending on the state. fifth wheels are some of the most stable towing vehicles on the road. Go over to the cedarcreekrvclub.com and join. You can recieve a wealth of information there.
Donn
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craig7h
Marion, Iowa
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Joined: 03/23/2002
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For great information on the Cardinal go to "cardinalrvclub.org" the folks there will be able to answer your questions. As for the truck you will have to due as much research as for the 5th wheel. I would go with a long bed instead of short. I would go with a 4:10 rear end. My first truck trailer combo I did not do the home work and was very unhappy driving, wrong truck for trailer.
Craig
06 RAM 3500 diesel power
08 35' Cardinal
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beartruck
Madison, South Dakota
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Joined: 11/15/2006
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We have a 2003 Cardinal that we really like. Have not had any real problems with it.
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Traveler II
Lindstrom, Minnesota
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Joined: 05/30/2003
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We have a Cardinal, and are new to 5th wheels, but I found the people in the Cardinal forum that others have suggested you check out to be very helpful.
Jim & Jane
2008 Cardinal 30TS
Trail Air Pin Box, Air Suspension, Smartair Air Spring Self Leveling, Reese Signature Series 18K hitch
2008 Chevy Silverado 2500HD 4x4 Duramax/Allison Ext Cab Long box
Use And Promote CB Channel 13
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Benomatic
California
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Joined: 10/21/2007
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We pull a 30WB Cardinal (dry 10K pounds) with a Dodge diesel dually. I would get a large truck to do the pulling in case you need to go bigger down the road. IMHO it will be cheaper in the future to trade/swap 5er than to also have to buy a bigger truck. You will need a brake controller. Pulling a 5er is much more stable than when we pulled our TT. Good luck with your decision.
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Mike_5667
Southern Ohio
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Joined: 01/29/2005
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I have a 1999 27LX Cardinal with one slide. I bought the trailer in 2004 from the original owner. This was my first venture into campers of any kind and I have been very satisfied. The camper is well made and comfortable. I have pulled it thousands of miles all over the country with no major problems and camped over a hundred nights in it.
I have a 3/4 ton Silverado Duramax with an 8' bed and all the weights are within specifications. I'm also quite satisfied with the truck. I installed the Prodigy brake controller and this seems to work well.
Overall, I'm a happy camper. Good luck with your venture.
Mike
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abc40kids
Virginia
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Joined: 10/16/2005
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I'm not sure about that model Cardinal,I really like ours and I do know that if I make another 5er purchase down the road I will look hard at a used one(probably only a couple years old)Let someone else take the big hit when they roll off the lot for the first time.I've been that someone a couple times.I don't care what kind of deal you think you got,you've got to loose about 20% as you roll away from the dealer.Good Luck!
Jeff,Julie,Amber,Brandon,and Casey
Forest River Cardinal 362bhs Trail-air pinbox
'05 Chevy duramax dually 4x4 crew cab
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