Fullltime 5er & Tow Veh. $50-$60K?Suggestions Please?

[Near SOTA]

Hi
Fullltime 5th Wheel & Tow Combo $50-$60K?

(Note:I post this under Gen.Discussion Forum,but thought this might be a more appropriate place for an answer,thx!)

I need some help with decision making for purchasing a used 5er and Tow Vehicle in order to relocate. I live in the NE and would be able to travel to another part of the country to pick up the 5ver after getting the tow vehicle and Hitch setup,like B&W's new turnover Ball Hitch, for it in order to free up the Bed for use for hauling other materials when not in transit..

What I would require in the 5th Wheel are as follows for 2 people:

Insulation(For Cold weather if needed)
At least 35' with slides for space.
Aluminum Framing
AL Siding
Bath Tub\Shower Combo
2 Air-conditioning units(Or be capable of having)
Add-On suggestions also would be a plus like Generator or Solar for power needs as an example.

For the TOW Vehicle I have no idea ,but wuld like to go with GM .I have friends that wsar by Dodge ,but have not owned a truck since the early 80's which was a Ford F-150. I would rather not go with Ford this time. Diesel or Gas is not a big issue as I want something dependable and that has enough power to pull whatever I choose for a 5er as being the crucial need.
I have been thinking of having 4WD and maybe Quad Tires(?) in the rear though.I would think it would be advantagous for several reasons,but I am asking for others experience as I have none .LOL

The price I am willing to go for the combo is $50-$60K. I would buy used in order to save on cost and would like the units to be no more than 3-5yrs. Old.

I am new to looking at 5th wheels and at first considered a regular RV,but I need the versatility of using the truck for hauling after deciding on a piece of land to develop for a residential site so I would be living in the 5th wheel fulltime for a few years I think.

I am thinking of relocating to the Hurricane Disaster area as there will be help needed there.

I have looked at several using RV Trder as a guide,but I am looking for others experiences ,positive or negative as to pitfalls to be aware of also.

Thanks very much for any help or guidance and suggestions!

[Near SOTA]

Hi
Fullltime 5th Wheel & Tow Combo $50-$60K?

(Note:I post this under Gen.Discussion Forum,but thought this might be a more appropriate place for an answer,thx!)

I need some help with decision making for purchasing a used 5er and Tow Vehicle in order to relocate. I live in the NE and would be able to travel to another part of the country to pick up the 5ver after getting the tow vehicle and Hitch setup,like B&W's new turnover Ball Hitch, for it in order to free up the Bed for use for hauling other materials when not in transit..

What I would require in the 5th Wheel are as follows for 2 people:

Insulation(For Cold weather if needed)
At least 35' with slides for space.
Aluminum Framing
AL Siding
Bath Tub\Shower Combo
2 Air-conditioning units(Or be capable of having)
Add-On suggestions also would be a plus like Generator or Solar for power needs as an example.

For the TOW Vehicle I have no idea ,but wuld like to go with GM .I have friends that wsar by Dodge ,but have not owned a truck since the early 80's which was a Ford F-150. I would rather not go with Ford this time. Diesel or Gas is not a big issue as I want something dependable and that has enough power to pull whatever I choose for a 5er as being the crucial need.
I have been thinking of having 4WD and maybe Quad Tires(?) in the rear though.I would think it would be advantagous for several reasons,but I am asking for others experience as I have none .LOL

The price I am willing to go for the combo is $50-$60K. I would buy used in order to save on cost and would like the units to be no more than 3-5yrs. Old.

I am new to looking at 5th wheels and at first considered a regular RV,but I need the versatility of using the truck for hauling after deciding on a piece of land to develop for a residential site so I would be living in the 5th wheel fulltime for a few years I think.

I am thinking of relocating to the Hurricane Disaster area as there will be help needed there.

I have looked at several using RV Trder as a guide,but I am looking for others experiences ,positive or negative as to pitfalls to be aware of also.

Thanks very much for any help or guidance and suggestions!

[TXiceman]

New SOTA, welcome aboard. In my opinion, you would do much better on a quality unit with a higher end used one than buying an entry level new unit for full timing. Just ahop and watch and the right one will turn up.

As for a truck, with a 35' rig, you are definately looking at a 1 ton DRW as a minimum. Remember that a typical 5er will have pretty close to 20% of the trailer's GVWR on the pin in the bed of the truck. Most 35' 5ers are going to have a GVWR of over 14,000# which will result in a pin weigh of over 2800# which will be over the rating of a single rear wheel truck.

You will be looking at two numbers on the truck, the GVWR and the GCWR. You need to get a real weight fro the truck, loaded and deary to travel. My F350, DRW, crewcab is just over 8000# ready to roll. It has a GVWR of 11,500# which gives me an allowed pin weight of almost 3500# (11500-8000). Next, my GCWR is 20,000# which means I can handle a trailer of close to 12000# when loaded. We are at the max on this with my truck.

Chevy, Ford and Dodge all make a good diesel truck and I would prefer the diesel over a large gasser for towing. We run 10 to 11 mpg with the trailer when running 65 to 70 MPH on the road and 15 to 16 MPG solo.

Have fun shopping.

Ken

Nesr SOTA hello and welcome,
First let me say we have traveled with a 5er and 1ton for a few years before going to a MH as of late. In regards to the 5er I have to agree with TXiceman that you will be much farther ahead in investing your $$ into a higher end used one than new entry level. There is just no comparison in quality and durability of a higher end coach. Some good places to check are rvtrader.com, rvsearch.com, pplmotorhomes.com, rvonline.com
If more are needed just run a search on google for 5th wheel trailers and you will be surprised at the amount of responses you get.
As far as trucks go I'm pretty bias as we use Dodges in our buisness and have gotten excellent service from them. As my sig shows we have a RV hauling business and the trucks are connected almost continuous either to trailers or 34' flatbeds. The Dodges are diesels with 6spds but the autos get within 1-2 mpg as the sticks. Our mileage averages 9.3 pulling. The nice thing about the Dodge cummins is that if you do have a problem on the road it's much easier to find a mechanic to work on the 5.9 cummins than either the Ford powerstroke or Chevy/GMC Duramax. Any truckstop truck repair shop can generally work on the cummins where the other two usually have to go to the respective dealerships. Again I would use auto trader.com to see what the trucks where going for in my area.
With what you are looking at in the size of 5th wheel it is almost mandatory that you geta 1 ton dually either 4wheel drive or 2 wheel drive. This is for your saftey and mine. I have seen a few single wheel trucks overloaded on the pin and truck and trailer on their side on the shoulder of the roads. I'm not saying for sure that the single rear wheel was the cause but the saftey factor is just not there. Some may disagree and that's fine. I would rather err on the side of saftey. I hope I haven't confused you.
Derek

[Near SOTA]

Ken:
Thanks very much for the reply and I shall save and copy your post to go by.

I shall research the truck to purchase first and acquire that before choosing the 5er. I thought along the line of the Diesel also.

The largest vehicles I have ever driven are School buses and 6X's in the Corps so this shall be a new adventure.

Hopefully the markets hold up and my positions take off by the end of the year so that more $$ can be used for purchase or else I find the right combo for the price specified.

It looks like the RV and Trailer Manfs. will be working full bore to keep up on demand due to Katrina. I am not planning on buying new,just an observation.

Thanks again,Larry

[Near SOTA]

BTW I have owned a mated set of Spectacled Amazons for 13yrs..

[Near SOTA]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Derek </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Derek:
No,it is not confusing and helpful,thanks!

A few friends own Dodge trucks,but not diesels and have had very good luck with them.

I shall be mindful of and search for a Dodge\Cummings.That helps to narrow that purchase down for me. I am sure that their are other opinions as to ehat might be best,but I was leaning torwards a Dodge also. I have had luck with Dodge & Chevy,but Ford I have always had problems with for some reason.
The Ford truck I had was not to bad,but failed me a number of times through a Maine winter.Plus I thought pat cost was considerably higher than for GM products. I do not know how that works for comparisions for truck parts though.

I do have some time before getting the Trailer as I am selling my house and I will be able to get the truck probably at the beginning of next year and am doing all my research now to get a head start.

I liked the Newmar's also when I researched RV's. PaceArrows & HR Endevors were my other choices,but I am forced to go the trailor route as I will not have a homebase and the Truck will help in setting one up I felt .

In the search of a used truck I do hope I get one which has not been pushed hard as many people buy trucks as status symbols for the good Ol' boy or mine is bigger than yours syndrome so I hope to find one that is practically immaculate.I might need to fly south though as I live in Maine and the weather here is pretty rough on vehicles.

When going to trade a ME. vehicle in places like FLA. I have heard some dealers will not even consider them.

I have heard that the Houston area is a good place to look for a used truck,but this is just what I have read and do not know how much truth or validity these statements have.

I know that with Katrina I shall be doing a History check on whatever I purchase and a good inspection which I would do anyway.

I shall look for a good Highend used coach also.

Can you name a few manufactures I might consider that you feel might be reliable or have heard from numerous owners to have excellent quality ratings?
A Country Coach would be nice or even a Newmar,but they might be on the high side for what I an afford.

Thanks for the help!

Not knowing your $$ I will give you MY opinion
(and you know what they say about opinions
These are in no particular order:
Newmar, Alpenlite, Montana, Hitchiker, Teton $$,
Holiday Rambler. There are others that I'm sure someone will jump in with but these I am familiar with. Had a '99 Newmar American Star for years and loved it. Very comfortable, large slide, easy pulling & set-up.
Derek

[TXiceman]

I'd be a bit shy about any vehicle from the Gulf Coast area and especially New Orleans or Mississippi. Although Houston was not flooded with Katrina, a lot of vehicles will make their way over there. Houston does see a lot of normal high water and vehicles are driven in the water.

We have managed to find 2 good used Ford diesels in 1 ton DRW's. Last time I was looking, folks were sure proud of their used Duramax trucks when it came to pricing. I was looking for either Ford or Dodge/Cummins and found the Ford first.

Good clean 1 ton trucks are out there, and not nearly as many as the 3/4 ton trucks, but they are available. So take your time and be ready to make a decision when you find one.

Ken

[Near SOTA]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">I'd be a bit shy about any vehicle from the Gulf Coast area and especially New Orleans or Mississippi. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think I'd RUN away and not even take the chance of buying a vehicle that came out of either points or near to where Katrina came ashore.

There are ways to see weather the vehicle has been through such an ordeal.

People that bought new models last year must be really steamed over the employee discount thing that is going on now.

I worry more about the trailor then the Truck as I bet it is easier to sell off the truck if I do not like it whereas the trailer is harder to move and lose their value quick.

Like I stated I hope the issues I have picked in the markets take off before I do from ME. as that will give me more capital to deal with.

I have one at the moment that I think will make me a lot of $$ once the market players find it.

One reason for having a trailer also is the get up & go capability if I am going to make a stay in the SE. I figure the likelihood of another Hurricane coming through that region is slim to none for atleast 20yrs.. We will rebuild NO. and MS. as there is to much history to just let go of. I liked NO. when I visited there in the late 70's and I can always come back to ME. for the summers. It's the winters here I cannot tolerate any longer. Last yr. almost killed me after Xmas time.

Thanks for the help! I stated that the range I am looking at for the combo was 50-60K BTW Derek. I hope that is not a pic of you on a good day BTW!

LOL how did you know........
Too bad you didn't post a month ago. Had a 2003 dodge dually 6spd set up pretty nice with
'99 Newmar 36' model 36RLCK that I sold for $42,300. Both in great condition.
&lt;------Yupper that's me
Derek