Community Forums

rpresley · 10-15-2012, 08:24 PM

Hi,
I'm a newbie to RVing
Spotted this great site and looking forward to learning all the ins and outs of RVing. Just bought our first rig. We will be taking delivery next week and have a trip planned a short distance from home. Hope to get familiar with every thing. Reserved a pull through site with full hook up for 1st adventure. Any tips or suggestions welcomed. Thanks

DrOcean · 10-15-2012, 08:34 PM

Welcome. DW and I are new to RVing also. We took our first trip on Labor Day weekend. We also went to a CG nearby. First suggestion -- read a lot of the posts here in the forum. There's a lot of knowledgeable people out there that have the experience. Don't hesitate to ask. Make a list of everything that you think you will need for your trip. Start putting everything aside a couple of days before you leave. Some people may suggest that you park in front of your home and do a dry set up. Check that everything works. Take your time. Have fun.

HTFireMedic · 10-15-2012, 08:54 PM

Second that. Dry setup is great. We just got our first 5er. I have set it up many times in the yard, just to get used to it. Get some 2x6's and cut in 12-18" lengths. 4x4's too. I even counter bored 8 and bolted them together. This allows for leveling and easier setup.

SarahW · 10-15-2012, 11:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rpresley

Hi,
I'm a newbie to RVing
Spotted this great site and looking forward to learning all the ins and outs of RVing. Just bought our first rig. We will be taking delivery next week and have a trip planned a short distance from home. Hope to get familiar with every thing. Reserved a pull through site with full hook up for 1st adventure. Any tips or suggestions welcomed. Thanks

Hello and welcome!

Congrats on the new rig; have fun. The best tip I have is to ask plenty of questions. We have all been where you are, and the only dumb question is the one not asked! We are all still learning!

It's a good plan to make your first trip close to home! Report back and let us know how it goes.

rpresley · 10-16-2012, 04:31 AM

Thanks for the great advice. Will definitely be doing dry runs at home as well as some parking lot maneuvers.
Will cut up some blocks today. I mentioned this to my wife a few weeks ago and already forgot. A definite addition to the check list.
Any thoughts on a slider hitch? My dealer suggested it. I've been told by some that its not needed and harder to remove. My personal thought is that having it may make life a little easier at some point.

Thanks again for the welcome and suggestions.

Diesel Guy · 10-16-2012, 05:35 AM

Hello and welcome lots of helpful people here if I may pass on some tips (as these have happened to me) when you set up or break camp try not to get distracted but talking to others ( not meant to be rude ) but you will forget things to do or you will leave things behind.Try to do things in the same pattern so as to get into a system ( I do all the outside stuff Wife does all the inside stuff).I use small 1 inch thick square pads for under my front legs. I see people using 8 to 10 high blocks under their front legs if and it could happen (has for me) as you backup to hook up you miss the slot in your hitch and you move your 5er back it will fall off those high blocks and land on your box, cause the 5er now has 8 to 10 to drop with mine it did move back even with my rear wheels blocked (blocks were in sand) wheels pushed them into the ground lucky for me my legs were only 1 inch off the ground. I hope this helps as you can learn from others, enjoy your camping travels and welcome again.

Bruce C · 10-16-2012, 06:02 AM

Hi and

John H... · 10-16-2012, 06:03 AM

rpresley, welcome to the forum and congrats on your first RV. I'll bet there will be more...

MSHappyCampers · 10-16-2012, 07:49 AM

Welcome to the world of RV'ing and to IRV2! Congrats on the new rig! Good luck, have fun, and God bless!

HTFireMedic · 10-16-2012, 11:25 PM

On the Slider, my buddy has one and has not had to use it yet. He has a 41'7" behemoth and a Ford F350 TV. He has a short bed truck.
I have the same truck, a 35'7" 5er but use an extended gooseneck adaptor. I wish that I had a couple of extra inches at times but...convertibles are cool too!
If I had it to do again, I'd do the slider myself, for those just in case days!
Also- Zero Gravity Chairs are a must have!

rpresley · 10-18-2012, 07:18 AM

Wow! Thank you all again for the great tips. Dealer informs me the Sabre will be ready for pickup on Monday. They will be installing the hitch at that time. Going to go with the slider. Was wondering if the handle on most Reese hitches lays below the bedrails. I would like to be able to unroll the tonneau cover so I can enclose the box when the trailer is detached. Truck is a 2012 2500HD Duramax. Also is there any kind of storage space left with the hitch in place? Truck is a crew cab with 6.5ft box