Helen and I have been on the road since the fall of 2008 in our TKE39. We have made a few modifications and we have been living in it full time. So feel free to bring on the questions
!
Some things to think about and some of my thoughts, to boot...
Options I would recommend if you are ordering: 10 cu. ft. refrigerator, washer and dryer, Glide Ride pinbox, slide-out propane trays, pivot-EZ sewer hose, central vacuum, upgraded awning (2-step or electric), whole-house water filter, thermopane windows, and the 16 gallon water heater.
Options to consider depending on you plans include: 5500W Generator, Heat pump (instead of AC), H&H Electric Rear Stabilizer Jacks, Electric Fireplace, King Size Bed, disc brakes, and the Motorized SENSAR TV Antenna.
Another option we installed was a whole-house surge protector. If I had it to do over again, I would be sure to have an easy way to bypass it because at a couple of locations the line voltage was right at the over-voltage trip point and it would cut in and out (2 minute delay each time...).
Options that I think are too expensive or don't add value include: bedroom TV ($800; buy your own for less than half that), EZ water hose compartment, fuel center (30 gal. gasoline tank with electric fuel pump for your toys--who wants gasoline in their house?), and the Hide-a-bed in Sofa (poor mattress). YMMV.
Be sure to download the PDF brochure and review all of the options whether you are ordering or buying used so that you know what is available and where the value added is if buying used.
Carefully consider what you want to do for satellite TV and your entertainment system. First, the technology is moving to multiple satellites and the older units will be problem (so ask about this). Newer technology is currently being introduced for the dome type dish antennas, for example.
The RVs come with and rely on composite video switching units for providing picture signals to the various TV locations. Composite video significantly degrades picture quality for HDTV. The surround sound system that came with ours (JAMO) was not good quality. If ordering a unit, see if you can deduct this item and go out and buy a nice surround sound system. Just remember to keep the built-in speakers. The 32" TV (720P) is nice, too. I ended up going with Dish NetworknSilver with a DVR and the satellite dish mounted on a tripod; a Sony amplifier/receiver; and a Sony Blue-ray DVD player. All of this is hooked up using HDMI cables for the best possible sound and picture quality. If you want to know more or discuss this, feel free to ask. Another nice feature of the toy hauler is the car-type stereo located in the garage. We plug our MP3 player into it and we have over 6000 songs on tap for the garage and under the awning (outside speakers).
Tow vehicles--think big!. I would go with at least and F-550 or and MDT if I had it to do over again. Partly for liability reasons and partly for peace of mind when tooling through the mountains...
If you have ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, please feel free to send them to me and I will try to answer them. Or, send me a private message and I can give you my phone number if you prefer.
Cheers and happy trails,
Chris