Community Forums

sknight · 10-30-2010, 10:50 PM

From my TT. I've had my Springdale for eight years now and they've been a good eight years. No troubles at all, and still none. It'll be a good trade in for someone.

Anyhow stars are aligning for me to be able to take the next step. I've always liked the fivers layout, especially the big storage bin since I tend to take a lot of crap with me.

Anyhow I'm currently looking at the Bighorn 3070RL and the Jayco 321RLTS. I can get either for under $50K with my trade. I wouldn't have to upgrade my truck, they're under my tow rating. It's an increase of about 4000ish pounds from my current ride, assuming the trailer weight increase being my only change from my typical trip weight I'll be fine.

I'll have to make payments on it, and I'm currently reducing my debt load, so that's my biggest dilemma. I don't want to do this and regret it. While I believe I can pay it off within about seven years that would just suck eggs if I'm not happy moving up.

Here's the questions I want to pose to the masses. For those that have upgraded from a TT to a fiver, was it worth it? Would you do it again? Would you do anything different? Anything I should know?

I can park it here in the same spot, it's only about two feet longer than what I have now when you include the tongue and it'll fit in my favorite CGs with no problem.

I don't mind taking on the payment to be happier with it, and it does feel like it's time to move on. Things that I compromised on back then are really agitating me now. The tiny bathroom for example, storage isn't terribly good, just things like that.

And while we're at it, did you notice a MPG change? While heavier what I'm looking at should be far more aerodynamic.

Thanks.

**NLOVNIT** · 10-30-2010, 11:45 PM

We went from a 25ft TT to a 30ft 5-r to a 37ft MH. Yes, each step was worth it. Here's our experience...

The TT didn't have any slides & a very tiny bathroom. The 5-r had opposing slides in the LR/DR area & had an open bath that was part of the master bedroom. The 5-r was so much more spacious & we had much more room to store "stuff" than we had with the TT. Although the MH is longer, I actually think I had more living space in the 5-r than in the MH, but there's more outside storage in the MH. My kitchen storage went from practically nil in the TT, to tons of cabinets in the 5-r & then back to fewer cabinets in the MH. Eventually, I can see us going back to a 5-r to have the larger living space without having to deal with the nearly unusable area that is the MH cockpit.

Ok, back to the TT vs 5-r comparison. Our 5-r was not more aerodynamic than our TT. The TT was only 7.5ft wide & less than 10ft tall. The 5-r was 8ft wide & just over 12ft tall. We didn't notice much difference in the MPG though, because the TT was matched to its TV just as the 5-r was matched to its. We were in the low teens for both. We get MUCH less MPG with the MH.

We definitely gained in fresh/grey/black tank sizes going from the TT to 5-r (& to MH). A plus when camping with less than fhu's. Also, the 5-r had better insulation than our TT - it stayed warmer in the cold & cooler in the hot weather.

The 5-r seemed more stable towing. I think that was due to it being nearly twice the weight of our TT, plus part of the 5-r is over the bed of the truck & the truck was bigger/heavier.

A 5-r backs much differently than a TT because the pivot point is over the rear wheels, rather than behind the bumper as with a TT. It's not anymore difficult to back up, just different. Practice in an empty large parking lot will take care of this.

The one thing I have done differently is I would've gotten a 5-r with an air-ride hitch & suspension. It would've made riding in the TV much less fatiguing.

I hope this helps you in making your decision.

Lori-

SuperGewl · 10-30-2010, 11:47 PM

I think you may be out of your league on this one. The hitch weight is 2200lbs, now add in the weight of your hitch, passengers and anything else in lyour truck and you may be over payload weight. The highest tow rating for your truck is 14k so this trailer is on the hairy edge of max weight, depending on how much stuff you put into it.
I'm not saying it won't tow it but you are outside of the legal limits of your truck.

sknight · 10-31-2010, 10:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperGewl

I think you may be out of your league on this one. The hitch weight is 2200lbs, now add in the weight of your hitch, passengers and anything else in lyour truck and you may be over payload weight. The highest tow rating for your truck is 14k so this trailer is on the hairy edge of max weight, depending on how much stuff you put into it.
I'm not saying it won't tow it but you are outside of the legal limits of your truck.

Did a bit of thinking on this and it "Should" be fine. What we carry in the bed now (Telescope, about 150 lbs.) would be fine. It would be just the four of us and snacks.

With the four of us we'll probably come in a few hundred pounds over weight for the truck payload. In the grand scheme of things a few hundred pounds over up front when the whole shooting match will be in the 21,000 pound range shouldn't make much difference.

sknight · 10-31-2010, 05:02 PM

Nobody else? To allay fears,

1. Brake mods will be done. Exhaust brake for one, performance pads and rotors along with higher spec brake fluid. By the time I get done it will stop better than a new one.

2. Suspension mods. I've already got higher capacity springs out front and will go with air bags out back to assist. Plus mine came with the factory heavy duty suspension.

Believe me, weight isn't a terribly big concern. Plus like I said we'll be under the GCWR and over by only a few hundred pounds on the trucks GVWR.

And I gave only half a sentence above. The telescope will live in the fiver, so that's 150 pounds off from the last time I weighed it.

It'll be fine.

Ray,IN · 10-31-2010, 06:55 PM

I once towed our 5er (GVW 15,500#) with a Dodge 2500 CTD, just once, then bought a Chevy Duramax dually to properly and safely handle the 5er. Driving made me tense and cranky all day, when we stopped for the night I was worn-out. With my dually driving is pleasant and comfortable, when we stop for the night I'm ready for a walk, dip in the pool, or just sitting talking.
Overweight is a problem, another is the excess weight of the 5er will push a SRW 3/4T truck around. Cornering I could feel the 5er weight pushing the rear of the truck to the outside of the curve. Side-winds caused me to concentrate on keeping my rig between the white lines.
That's my story/experience, do with it what you will. Ignore it or compare it to others experiences, it's your family.

sknight · 10-31-2010, 07:21 PM

Thanks for your concern.

By the way, my truck has a 2600 pound payload with a full tank and assumed 150 pounds for the driver.

I'll guess the hitch is 100 pounds. 150 more for me as driver, 150 for the wife, 130 for the daughter and 160 for the son.

100+150+150+130+160+2000 published tongue weight=2690

At 15.5K GVW you were WAY overweight. I'll be 90 pounds over the trucks GVWR. If the published numbers are true then I'll actually be about 800 pounds UNDER GCWR.

So if anyone else is concerned about my weight, there it is.

So lets try and get this back to the question I originally asked. With the TV out of the equasion, were you happy that you stepped up from your TT?

If we can't get off the threadjack then we can just delete the thread. I know it'll be heavy. I know it's right against the published ratings. Weight was the first thing I checked regarding what to look into.

Lori, thanks for your comments. It helps alot.

**NLOVNIT** · 10-31-2010, 09:22 PM

You're welcome. I figured you'd get plenty of opinions on weight, even though you didn't ask about it, so I specifically tried to answer your original questions.

One more thing I thought of for the 5-r: we had a Zaxis landing gear remote control system & LOVED it. I just hated standing bent over under the bedroom overhang holding in the switch to raise & lower the landing gear. The Zaxis made it so I could be inside the truck while it was raising or lowering & had less trips in & out of the truck for Dave. The testimonials page has Dave's write up of it (Keystone Cougar 286EFS). Some folks think it's a frivilous addition, but I really liked it. Another accessory to consider.

Lori-

sknight · 10-31-2010, 09:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NLOVNIT

One more thing I thought of for the 5-r: we had a Zaxis landing gear remote control system & LOVED it. I just hated standing bent over under the bedroom overhang holding in the switch to raise & lower the landing gear. The Zaxis made it so I could be inside the truck while it was raising or lowering & had less trips in & out of the truck for Dave. The testimonials page has Dave's write up of it (Keystone Cougar 286EFS). Some folks think it's a frivilous addition, but I really liked it. Another accessory to consider.

Lori-

Ooooooooo me likey! That must have really rocked while hooking/unhooking!

**NLOVNIT** · 10-31-2010, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sknight

Ooooooooo me likey! That must have really rocked while hooking/unhooking!

Being able to raise the jacks, back the truck under, snag the pin & then lower the jacks to snug the pin in the hitch from inside of the truck when it was pouring rain outside: Priceless! You still have to get out to lock the pin in the hitch & hook up all the cables, but being able to do the majority of the jack maneuvers from inside the cab using the remote fob is nice.

One more gizmo: Get yourself a fifth wheel tailgate.

It'll save you having to raise & lower a regular tailgate. Also a saver if you'd ever forget to lower the regular tailgate before you drove off after unhooking or were backing to hitch up. That "crunch" sound of a pin contacting a tailgate is not one you want to hear!

Lori-

faye · 10-31-2010, 11:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sknight

From my TT. I've had my Springdale for eight years now and they've been a good eight years. No troubles at all, and still none. It'll be a good trade in for someone.

Anyhow stars are aligning for me to be able to take the next step. I've always liked the fivers layout, especially the big storage bin since I tend to take a lot of crap with me.

Anyhow I'm currently looking at the Bighorn 3070RL and the Jayco 321RLTS. I can get either for under $50K with my trade. I wouldn't have to upgrade my truck, they're under my tow rating. It's an increase of about 4000ish pounds from my current ride, assuming the trailer weight increase being my only change from my typical trip weight I'll be fine.

I'll have to make payments on it, and I'm currently reducing my debt load, so that's my biggest dilemma. I don't want to do this and regret it. While I believe I can pay it off within about seven years that would just suck eggs if I'm not happy moving up.

Here's the questions I want to pose to the masses. For those that have upgraded from a TT to a fiver, was it worth it? Would you do it again? Would you do anything different? Anything I should know?

I can park it here in the same spot, it's only about two feet longer than what I have now when you include the tongue and it'll fit in my favorite CGs with no problem.

I don't mind taking on the payment to be happier with it, and it does feel like it's time to move on. Things that I compromised on back then are really agitating me now. The tiny bathroom for example, storage isn't terribly good, just things like that.

And while we're at it, did you notice a MPG change? While heavier what I'm looking at should be far more aerodynamic.

Thanks.

i think the peace of mind of having something that is paid for outweighs all other in this poor economic times. might also consider a used unit for alot less money and with the options you want.

sknight · 11-01-2010, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by faye

i think the peace of mind of having something that is paid for outweighs all other in this poor economic times. might also consider a used unit for alot less money and with the options you want.

The flip side to that, if nobody has confidence to spend money and move forward in the face of adversity then we'll never get to the other side of this recession.

One of the driving forces behind a recession is people not spending money due to the fear of the future.

Currently the career is good, we're having a banner year plus the immediate projections are good and I have backup plans. I can go back to fixing cars and cover my bills easily.

Ray,IN · 11-01-2010, 05:55 PM

"So lets try and get this back to the question I originally asked. With the TV out of the equasion, were you happy that you stepped up from your TT?"
My answer to that is definitely yes! To me it was the difference between weekend camping and extended trip RVing. Comfort, living area, storage area, make a huge difference when on a 3-4 month trip or wintering in the warm states.
The big difference between towing a TT and a 5er is frontal area. Todays best TT hitches have reduced towing issues to the point there is little difference between towing either IMO.

mhs4771 · 11-01-2010, 08:29 PM

We moved up from a 26' (30' OAL) Gulfstream Conquest approx 6500 to 7000lbs with a small living room slide to a 34' Keystone Montana approx 12000 loaded for travel. Was it a smart move, you bet. Loads of more storage space both inside and out and tons more living space. 5er has 2 slides, large living room/dining and bedroom slide. Made up our minds to upgrade last fall while camping in early Oct during a cool and wet period here in Western NY. We could not get the inside of the Conquest warm running the furnace and an electric heater. The Montana is much easier to keep warm or cool. If I were to do it again might even go bigger, but you will be limited by you TV. Best of luck on what ever you decide.