Community Forums

Swing · 12-04-2012, 12:33 PM

I started out thinking I wanted/needed a 5er but would have to get a new TV. I currently have an '01 F250 CC 7.3 diesel 4X4 with rear air bags. Truck is lifted riding on 38's, so too tall for 5er. With the 7.3 this has been a strong low maintenance vehicle and I would rather not get rid of it, especially in today's economy.

I've looked at some new TT's which are nice & a few fit our needs (accept for the King bed) but don't want to pay new price. Anyone have suggestions of older TT's that would have the following must haves I can research?

Must be clean & relatively modern. Wife really wants a King bed walk around (this is the tough one) but will take a queen as last resort. We have an 8yr old so need bunk option but prefer not having an entire second bdrm devoted to this (I'm beginning to waffle on this). Bthrm separate from bdrm, hard wall preferred (not fond of accordion separators). Commode separate from sink & shower or at least where 2 people can be doing different things at the same time. Office/work space or desk (not dining table). Decent size tanks, storage & kitchen as we will be wilderness boondocking mostly for up to 2 weeks at a time. Livable living room (capable of at least a love seat & 1 lounge chair or 2 lounge chairs) Mild 4 season capable. Room to add solar - battery bank. And the kicker ... I would like to stay under 36'.

Ideas sure would be appreciated or am I dreaming. OBTW we are rural so getting to an R.V. lot is not convenient & getting to a lrg one or several in a day constitutes a mini-vacation.

SarahW · 12-04-2012, 01:17 PM

I'm not much help on the TT or 5er questions, but as for the king bed... Many people have converted a queen bed into a king by removing nightstands and extending the platform. Perhaps if you find a unit with a queen bed that otherwise works for you, you can covert to a king at a later time. Good luck!

Kevinc2011 · 12-05-2012, 10:13 AM

There was a post recently showing a dolly that can be hooked behind your truck, and the 5er rides on the dolly. I am only bringing up this because there is a great difference between the offerings of the TT versus the 5er market. I just upgraded to a 5er and I would not go back. The dolly is like the one that the trucking companies use for double or triple trailers, and he listed a source for them. That way you can keep your truck, and still have a fifth wheel. My 2012 dodge CrewCab 3500 DRW will only hook up to a high profile 5er and that creates its own challenges with a 12 ft 10 in height of the unit. Wish you many wonderful travels.

SmokeyWren · 12-13-2012, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Commode separate from sink & shower or at least where 2 people can be doing different things at the same time

That's probably going to be your downfall. Square feet is precious in an RV, and designing a floorplan like you want wastes a lot of square feet. Way back when, my folks mini-motorhome didn't even have a separate shower - you sat on the commode to take a shower - but the bathroom took up minimum square feet. Later my three different RV trailers at least had a separate shower, but none had a separate room for the shower or pottie. So unless you're looking at super-luxury huge RVs, I doubt you'll be able to find a floorplan with your pottie/shower requirements. Even having the lavatory outside the shower/pottie room is rare.

Click on the following link, then scroll down to floor plans in "luxury" Mobile Suites 5ers, to see some bathrooms you descriped:
Mobile Suites - DRV Suites

Go to new-RV manufacturer's websites and study their available floorplans. Find a floorplan you like and then see how many years that floorplan has been available. Some manufacturers include previous model floorplans for several years in the past, so you might find exactly what you want in, for example, a 2008 model. If you find a floorplan you like, then search the used RV websites looking for that exact model number.

Of course, if your budget is high enough to afford a new RV trailer, there are several manufacturers that will allow you to modify an existing floorplan to meet your needs. Excel is one.
www.excelrv.com

Mobile Suites (DRV Suites) is another.

JohnBoyToo · 12-13-2012, 12:01 PM

I RESEMBLE that remark Smokey

we had a Winnebago LeSharo circa 1985 IIRC ???!!! a 4 cyl turbo deezle was a rarity!

That was considered UPSCALE in that the potty/shower actually had a sliding portion to almost DOUBLE the square footage to 4 square feet or so