Buying the Right Truck then 5th Wheel

[LindaH]

 

 

BTW, SD driver licenses are good for 5 years, and you can renew for an additional 5 years, so 10 years total!

 

 

If you are talking about renewing online, yes, SD recently changed the law to allow that. However, you may want to look at the rules for renewing, since they pretty much make it impossible for fulltimers to renew online.

 

http://dps.sd.gov/licensing/driver_licensing/Renewing_Your_Driver_License_Online_or_by_Mail.aspx:

 

"Personal mailbox users must provide a receipt to prove 1 night stay in South Dakota from the past year and a notarized affidavit of residency. "

 

 

 

Of course, if you've been to SD during the last 12 months prior to renewing your driver's license and have such a receipt, you'd be good to go; however, it still pretty much defeats the purpose of renewing online since you still have to go to SD.

[sushidog]

Could someone explain to me why a 4:10 gear is prefered over the Dealer recommended 3:73 or 3:75 etc. gearing? The last time I had a 4:10 set up it was really LOW geared and not cost effective on gas. Thanks

A lower rear axle ratio (higher numerically) will pull a heavier load more easily as the engine's torque will me multiplied by a higher number. Exactly what ratio is optimal depends on the load being pulled, the grades that it will be pulled up, the number of gears in the transmission, etc. First you need to determine the loaded weight of trailer you have in mind. Since I don't know exactly what fiver you are considering, I'll just pick one with a total weight of 20,000 lbs as an example, just to keep the numbers round. Now let's say you are looking at a 2015 Dodge 3500 crew cab LB, 4X2, DRW as your TV with the standard Cummins 6.7 (not the HO model).

See chart: https://www.ramtrucks.com/assets/towing_guide/pdf/2015_ram_3500_towing_charts.pdf

 

With either the 3.42 or the 3.73 rear end ratio you will be unable to safely tow this trailer as it is below the manufacturer's tow rating of 17,000 and 19,000 lbs respectively (which, BTW is now SAE J2807 compliant.) However if equipped with the 4.10 rear end it would be within (though near) the specs (at 22,000lbs.)

 

Now if instead you chose the same 2015 Dodge truck with the 6.7l HO engine/tranny combo, all rear axle rations would suffice, however the 3.42:1 would just barely do so, making it out of consideration for most prudent people who know better to tow right at their tow limit. But look at the difference between the 3.73 and the 4.10 trucks with this HO engine/tranny. The 3.73 is rated to pull 23,860 lbs while the 4.10 is rated at an amazing 29,360 lbs. So for just a small amount of extra fuel you get a much more capable TV with plenty of upgrade room in the future should you decide on a little bigger trailer at a later date.

 

Choose a lighter trailer, say in the 16,000 lb range loaded and you might well decide that a 3.73 to 1 rear end ratio is a good compromise between towing ability and economy. However I really don't think a 3.42 ratio would be suitable for a FT RVer.

 

Chip

[USAFE9]

WOW, thank you for your thoughts and explanation. I've looked at both the Dodge 3500 spec sheets and the Ford 350 Spec Sheets. The Dodge 3500 gives a little higher tow capability by about 300 lbs. We are currently looking at a Keystone BIG SKY 382 RL about 40 feet long. Here are the specs on it. Now that you know what we are looking to purchase, any specific advice to add?

Shipping Weight

14125

Carrying Capacity

2575

Hitch

2700

Length

40' 2"

Height

12' 11"

Fresh Water

66

Waste Water

50

Gray Water

93

LPG

60

Tire Size

LT235/85R16G

[sushidog]

With a trailer this light, any modern 1 ton dually would work. I don't think the 4.11/4:30 rear end ratio would be needed. A medium ratio rear end of 3.73 or so would suffice quite nicely and still get reasonable fuel MPG especially when unfettered by your fiver.

 

However, looking at the specs of that trailer, the CCC is a little low for FT use. Most FTers suggest at least 3,000 lbs capacity for a couple. Remember the actual delivered weight of a trailer is rarely close to the weight on the brochure due to "options" many of which are mandatory, so be sure to look at the weight sticker on the actual unit you intend to buy. I've seen as much as 500 lbs difference on some. If you like the Keystone Big Sky line, both the 378RL and the new 379RL are nice too and offer another 5-600 lbs of additional carrying capacity. While you're at it look at the new Montana 3721RL. It has a very similar floorplan and amenities with almost 4,000 lbs of CCC. It's still under 17k lbs fully loaded and perfect for bringing along all your goodies.

 

Chip

[D&J]

Hi All

I did some research on Oregon ... I see...I have to reside in Oregon to get the no sales tax benefit.

Things may have changed but when we workcamped in Brookings OR California Residents would come to the park and set it up as their residence, they were leaving California so it was legal. They would get a OR drivers license and register their the RV and whatever ever else they brought with them but they didn't go back to California with anything they bought until everything was sold or transfered out of there, you may have to stay at the park for 6 months. If you don't have your rig yet think about renting a site and just leave a car or something their, you will need the receipt from the park for proof of residence.

 

Denny

[USAFE9]

Sushidog,

Good advice thanks. We'll check out your suggested floor plans and fivers you mentioned. Since this will be a first full time experience for the wife, her likes and dislikes about floor plans, storage, sequence of work spaces and layout really have to be considered and discussed completely to make sure her acceptence of an alternative is a logical choice and well understood.

We'll look over your alternative floor plans.

[Foreversuzies]

Welcome to Escapees. It is not as simple as selling the house and then buying an RV in Oregon to avoid sales tax. You are going to need to establish a domicile or set up an LLC.

 

As for getting the truck first, you need to know what size and weight trailer you will be getting so you get an adequately sized truck, If you are going full time, you need to get a large enough trailer and a trailer rated for full time use. This will be a heavier trailer than the standard weekend and vacation trailer, so you will need to start looking a 350/3500, 1 ton dual rear wheel trucks as a minimum. A single rear wheel truck will limit the size and weight trailer you get.

 

For the Ram 3500, you will probably need to order it to get the Aisian transmission, the 4.10 axle and the payload package for the larger trailers. The dealers do not stock them.

 

Ken

Ken,

Thank you for your information. My wife and I are seriously considering fulltime RVing at retirement (military). It scares me a little dealing with all the questions I have. WE are starting the research and process early. I plan to drop papers in 4 years. That will give me 30+ at my end.

[remoandiris]

Ken,

Thank you for your information. My wife and I are seriously considering fulltime RVing at retirement (military). It scares me a little dealing with all the questions I have. WE are starting the research and process early. I plan to drop papers in 4 years. That will give me 30+ at my end.

 

If I knew then what I know now, I would NOT have bought a house when I made my final PCS. Instead I would have bought a big RV, stayed in the base FamCamp, and let my BAH make the RV payments.

[TravelFit]

For those who have coasted into the intersection or felt as though you were being driven by the coach, a truck with the size and capability to control a 16,000 to 25,000 pound coach is of primary importance.

I have a 350 LWB diesel Ford. Pulling gooseneck flatbed at 25,000#, albeit within the rating of the truck is not safe.

 

A viable solution was the purchase of a 2007 Volvo T780. A 450 or 550 Ford could have been another solution. The cost of original purchase for the Ford vehicles was out of sight. The Volvo was three years old, maintained by an established OTR trucking company, then repurchased by Volvo. Arrow Truck is owned by Volvo and is an outlet for these well maintained "real" trucks. Typically these vehicles have impeccable maintenance records and 500,000-700,000 miles. As these have an expected 1,000,000 useful life, for RV or ranch utilization, these useful vehicles are virtually retired.

 

The sleeper is easy to outfit with inverter, refrigerator, microwave, TV. Many have dinettes. Air seats and full control of the load RV or trailer allows for maximum comfort and safety. My Volvo is only 10" longer than the LWB F350. The RV is already at 13+' of height, so no limitation there. This Volvo will turn inside my F350.

 

I even added a car carrier to better tour while enjoying the comfort and usability of my fifth wheel.

 

Most states allow special registrations as a personal vehicle or RV.

 

What a great way to travel.

 

Here is a link to photo album.

https://picasaweb.google.com/116257422250833348502/HuntRVTravelPackage?authkey=Gv1sRgCJ7W0K6BmoyaBQ&feat=directlink

[Legendsk]

If I still working and my career was to move 5th wheel trailers for others and I planned to someday get a 5th wheel trailer and park it somewhere to live in while I am not on the road, then:

I will have to have a truck, so I would get the truck first. Research trucks well. Establish the weight and other characteristics of trailers I might move. Find which truck is the best compromise of, reliability, expected maintenance cost, operational cost, performance, convenience, bling and personal bias that will fit within my budget. Be sure to consider previously owned, lease returns, lease v buy, repossessions or older but unused trucks.

 

If I were retired and wanted to live in a 5th wheel trailer full time (and let's start with, in a permanent or semi-permanent location) then I would do the research on trailers. Full time might be a long time. If you are going to spend 90% of your time in a trailer, finding a trailer that you need is much different than finding a trailer that you like. Your happiness will probably require that 'like' gets more consideration than 'need'. Condsider how you live, what is important to you and your significant other (if any). Many suggest renting a candidate trailer for a week or two to see how it works and fits you. Floor plan will likely be the first decision in order to get something that will meet your needs and that you will like. Color, decor, storage options, cooking, laundry, guests and of course budget will all affect your decisions. Once you have the right floor plan, choose a manufacturer and model. Then start looking for that perfect trailer for you. New, used, lease returns, reposessions are all candidates. Finally buy the trailer of your dreams. And either include in the purchase, delivery to your choosen spot, or hire the person in the first paragraph to move it for you.

 

If you want to move the trailer, how often and how far? At some point, it will become cheaper to buy a truck and move it yourself. Then you get into all the truck buying questions, but you will know exactly what you NEED and you can temper that with what you WANT.

 

By getting the trailer first you can avoid learning that your actual trailer requirements exceed the truck that you got. Of course if it takes you years to decide that the trailer just isn't enough trailer and you move up in trailers, part of that decision is also moving up in trucks.

[raphaman]

Hello All

 

Debbie & I are closer to buying a rig and trailer. This bloog has been helpful and I want to thank all of you for your great input. I'll give you my choices so far.

 

Grand Design Solitude maybe 2013/14

 

Freightliner Sportchassis M1 truck with a Commings 330 diesel engine

 

I have many questions but I'll start with:

 

What is better as far as engines, Cummings, Mercedes or Cat?

 

Also we are looking for pre-2008

 

I's love to hear from you all

 

John Nielsen

 

 

[GlennWest]

The truck tow ratings has been posted so I will comment on this. We tow 20k with a 2012 dually and it is fine on flat roads. In the rockies I will not take it. If trailer brakes fail, I would be history. jfyi

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

The engine is Cummins, no G in it.

[cactus]

The engine is Cummins, no G in it.

Alie&Jim X2

Thanks E.P.

[Darkhorse]

Hello All

 

Debbie & I are closer to buying a rig and trailer. This bloog has been helpful and I want to thank all of you for your great input. I'll give you my choices so far.

 

Grand Design Solitude maybe 2013/14

 

Freightliner Sportchassis M1 truck with a Commings 330 diesel engine

 

I have many questions but I'll start with:

 

What is better as far as engines, Cummings, Mercedes or Cat?

 

Also we are looking for pre-2008

 

I's love to hear from you all

 

John Nielsen

 

 

In general Cummins are better on fuel,dependable, have a great engine brake and are cheaper to repair. Cats are good on power, bad on fuel and expensive to repair. Mercedes are hit and miss, some run good, some have problems. Fuel mileage can be good but are also on the higher side for repairs. I have a Cat C-15 in my truck but it would be a Cummins in my perfect world.

 

PS - I wouldnt rule out a Detroit if I were you if its an option. They are pretty reliable, good mileage and cheap to fix (all things considered)

[sushidog]

How do you guys feel about International motors?

 

Chip

[skp51443]

The International motors are very good ones from an economy and durability standpoint and I'd not hesitate to get one in an MDT. Well aside from the price compared to getting a HDT with a more powerful motor and a lot more comfort.

 

The Ford engines made by International are made to Ford specs and are a completely different animal. I liked my 7.3 Powerstroke but it took a bundle of cash to get it to make decent power, a bit more to beef the transmission to where it would survive and another big wad of cash for a decent exhaust brake. I'll leave others to comment on the other IH sourced Ford motors.

[sushidog]

I ask because I have the last International motor made for Ford, the 6.4. I was hoping that it would last as well as its clone, their Maxxforce 7, with its B50 design life of 500,000 miles. I hope it will be the last truck I will have to buy (without me dying young ). I need o take care of it because a new, replacement engine costs as much as I paid for my entire truck. So if it dies, I'll just get another truck.

 

It sure is expensive keeping up with the maintenance though. I was thinking of removing the EGR and DPF system for increased reliability and a longer oil change interval. I'm happy with the truck's power, and the fuel economy is OK, much better than some folk get, but it's no where near the level of your 7.3. Of course it has a lot more power than a 7.3 too, to be fair. I just don't like the DPF and the regen cycle which lets diesel fuel contaminate the oil, shortening engine life and reducing the oil change interval to 5,000 miles. At least I don't have to buy DEF. That's one small thing going for it.

 

Chip

[raphaman]

In general Cummins are better on fuel,dependable, have a great engine brake and are cheaper to repair. Cats are good on power, bad on fuel and expensive to repair. Mercedes are hit and miss, some run good, some have problems. Fuel mileage can be good but are also on the higher side for repairs. I have a Cat C-15 in my truck but it would be a Cummins in my perfect world.

 

PS - I wouldnt rule out a Detroit if I were you if its an option. They are pretty reliable, good mileage and cheap to fix (all things considered)

I got two spelling corrections on Cummins (not Commings) Now I get solid reasons why Cummins....Thank you very much It gives me sold info for making an informed decision.

 

John

[Alie&Jim's Carrilite]

If you're looking at a Volvo truck, Volvo engines are very good engines in themselves. I installed several hundred in various size yachts and saw several with 10,000+ hours on them with no issue. Their truck engines are proven. Little more expensive to repair, but durable without doubt.

Volvo engines I think are a mix of the Cummins long life, and power, and the Repair bill of the Cat.

[raphaman]

Hello All

 

Debbie & I totally adjusted our thinking of 5th wheel & truck. Thanks for all the input. We decided to buy a class A instead. We just purchased a 2006 Monaco Diplomat. It has a 400 horse Cummins. I just drove it from Los Angeles to San Francisco, stopping at 3 different RV parks along the way. It gave me a good feel for the rig and it handled really well. However I have much to learn.

 

You'll be hearing from me a lot as I have many questions. I'm in the process of reading the manual's and realize how much I'll have to keep up with general maintenance. The engine has 53,000 miles on it.

 

I have a question (as a newbee) Would it be wise to hire a tech person to walk me through the whole rig and assess the rig on it's as is condition and future maintenance schedules. Some minor things I can do and others have to be done by knowledgable people. I want to be confident that I'm starting off in position A before any extended use

. Any feedback would be much appreciated, Again thanks much to this group.

 

Blessings

 

John & Debbie

[filthy-beast]

Congrats, couldn't hurt. You might also want to find the owners forum for your make of MH and ask them. an owners rally is a great place to gain a ton a specific knowledge.

[raphaman]

That's a great suggestion. How do I find an owners forum Any suggestions

[filthy-beast]

A few places to check

 

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f115/

 

http://www.monacoamerica.com/

[raphaman]

THANKS MUCH VERY VERY HELPFUL