New search: 5W vs. Bumper Pull

[askibum02]

After giving my search a break for the summer, I'm back at it. Not super serious right now, but if I find the right RV, I'll probably buy it. I know that I'm limited in the size of 5W I can pull because of my truck, so I'm considering a bigger bumper pull. I've also adjusted my budget a little, with the upper range being $35K for a 5w and $25K for a bumper pull. Is this even a reasonable budget for a 1-7 year old RV? I decided to buy used for my first RV in the long, partially because it is my first RV, and partially because I will be upgrading my truck in 3-4 years, so I will want to upgrade to bigger RV. Is this a wise plan? Sorry if I'm all over the place, I'm basically starting my search all over again.

[motojavaphil]

Not uncommon questions. Check out Youtube, there are numerous discussions on this very subject. Check out RVTrader.com or RVT.com for listings both local and nationwide. My only consideration is that you can get a decent bumper pull for $35k, new or almost new. Check weights closely as I do not know the size of your truck.

[motojavaphil]

Sorry my tablet does not show signature lines on posts. I see you have a 2500 ctd. I'd still recommend youtube for research, lots of info.

[patriot07]

If my truck could tow a 5W, that's what I would get. Lots of options in your $35k price range.

[colberg]

I had the same dilemma, 5th wheel vs. bumper pull. New vs. used. First, new vs. used: I started out looking for used, sometimes you can find a jewel used for about half the cost of a new one. I have bought used before. I had a budget in mind and I wanted to stick to it. After looking at about a dozen used that fell into my floor plan desire, or close enough, I decided to buy new, and I'm glad I did. Some stunk, others had torn and warped linoleum floors, others had signs of water damage by the bottom corners of the slide outs and others were from people who were slobs and never took care of their investment. Also, dealers would NOT come down in price and as I continued to do research, noticed that the price difference between some used units and brand new was NOT that much. Whether it's by design (to force the sale of a new one) or not did not matter to me. So, I started looking into new ones after such disappointment with the used. By now, six weeks later, I was deviating from my budget. Now I was after a new one, so I started to do my homework on those. Price vs. package, floor plans, manufacturers, aluminum vs. fiberglass etc. If your diligent into the purchase process you'll note after you buy that the process is time consuming and frustrating. My biggest issues were, length, weight, floor plan, package and cost. In that order. Even though I own an F-250, I wanted to keep the weight as low as possible and at the same time I did not want to sacrifice the weight for comfort. One consideration between the two, 5thW or bumper pull was the height. I wanted to store it indoors for winter (midwest). Most places with indoor storage have a max door height of 10ft to 11.5 ft. 5th wheels tend to be around 13ft. on the forward end (bump). Plus they cost more and are heavier than many bumper pulls. So, after 3 months of looking, looking and more looking, and after much frustration, I FINALLY found the almost perfect RV. No, there is no such thing as THE perfect RV. But you will get real close and you will be happy. So, I went with bumper pull 34ft. bunkhouse, with a slideout and aluminum outer skin. It is as close to MY perfect RV as I could get. I went $6,000 over budget, but I have NO regrets and I'm happy I bought NEW and NOT used. We have used it 3 times already this summer and the more we use it, the more we like it. 1 last thing, even though the Queen mattress is a "short Queen" I replaced it with a non-spring mattress and the difference is about 2 inches, but it's more comfortable and about the same weight as the CHEAP mattress it came with. Get a leveling/anti sway hitch and you will barely know you're pulling a 34ft. 7,000 lbs. rolling vacation home. Good luck to all and take your sweet time picking the right RV. If you have friends with RVing experience, ask LOTS of questions! If not, many of us here can help.

[09 harley]

You are smart to buy used for the first RV. Being your first you will not pick out the one that will really satisfy you. The reason is that you don't really know what you want. You are making an educated guess. Your ideas will change as you camp more.
Why take a huge hit in depreciation on your first purchase. The money you save will help pay for upgrading your truck.
You are on the right track and don't listen to bad advice.

[ijon]

When I bought my travel trailer I wanted something that would fit in my pole barn. That is why I went with a bumper pull. Could not stand to see the trailer sit out in the weather.

[schrederman]

Buying used is smart, if you can find one that has been taken care of. We're on our third new TT. We've been in it for about a year and have spent 37 nights in it. We've changed out the mattress, the tires, and have added a bunk ladder and a few minor mods. After two mismatches, we're very satisfied with the match this TT has for our family and needs. Drive out price was $26,000- with a 2-year warranty. Mattress and tire upgrades were about another thousand, but now we're set for a few years, until I can't do this anymore, anyway...

The only negatives about buying used are: usually there's no warranty; the older it gets the harder it will be to sell; trade-in values really plummet with the number of owners, so as second owner, you may lose more at sell/trade-in time.

As to the 5er or TT question, I absolutely must have a covered truck bed, so we really had no choice but to go with a TT. Properly loaded and with the right hitch, I've had a good experience, and have towed our latest trailer 7500 miles or so this year.

However, your questions can ultimately only be answered by you... Good luck!

[IBDAGRIZ]

We found a one owner, non smoking 3 year old 298RE Outback with all the upgrades/packages and still under warranty on trailer and fabrics. He was in it new for 43k and we paid it off for just under 23k for him. It was the perfect floorplan for a no kids, mid 50's couple. Dry weight of around 7600 at 34'10".

We have a 2011 F-250SD SRW 4x4 6.2L SB Lariat we picked up to tow it as we found both the same weekend and bought both essentially the same time, just 200 miles apart. Ya had to be there is all I can say..

We used the dealers and internet to find what we wanted and lucked upon the RE online. Saw it and wife loved it as the owners were both there and the wives were "in sync" on the trailer and it's setup.. LOL..

Good luck.

Griz

[askibum02]

I went to my first show today, in Raleigh, NC. It was interesting to be able to walk through the different floor plans instead of just looking at pictures online. It was also nice to see the different quality levels there were. I found a couple different floor plans I like, but it honestly means spit, my wife wasn't with me. I really like the Grand Design Reflection 315RLTS TT, the size of the master was the big draw. I don't like the TTs that have a wall up against the foot of bed. I need to be able to move around. I thought I'd like the bunkhouse floor plan, but I'm not so sure. The extra ceiling height of the 5W was nice, but there are a few that I have to rule out due to weight. Do I even want to look at the 5W that are "1/2 ton towable?" It seems to me, if they shave too much weight the quality will suffer.

There's another show in Greensboro at the end of Oct., I'll take her with me to that one.

[birddog2you]

I would offer you this advise, camping season is coming to a close for alot of folks. Some will be ready to sell quickly at a good price rather than pay for storage, insurance,taxes and everything else. Keep your options open and be ready to move quickly.

[kal0705]

Love the quality of the Grand Design, just bought my first TT 2018 reflection w bunk beds in rear and I usr 2016 F150 3.5 ecoboost

[RPr]

The start point is the max cargo of the TV.


Bumper or 5ver you will most likely eat up the TV's Max cargo before it towing capacity.


Once you know the weight of your crew and cargo, subtract that from the Max cargo and you know the size trailer you can pull.