Randyretired

Obviously the 4% rule doesn't fit everyone. We left our full time employment in 1987. At the time we were young enough that the probability we would live more than 30 years was high. We were aware of inflation but the reality of it is very real. Many of the things we buy are a lot more expensive today. Double or more in many cases. The loss of a spouse and their income or long term care can wreck a lot of budgets. The odds are good that we have many years left. I am reasonably confident of our financial future but there are unknowns. The 4% rule is an attempt to provide a reasonable probability that one's finances will last 30 years. We have to many variables to use this rule but it works for some of our friends. Any plan has so many variables and assumptions that reasonable people may not agree but inflation and medical must be considered.

One of the assumptions of the 4% rule is that the amount withdrawn is increased to cover inflation every year. This complicates the math. There are arguments for and against the 4% rule. Some respected financial advisers even suggest 4% is to much. One of the arguments for less is how a significant market event, especially early in retirement may cause losses that are difficult to recover from. The math gets complicated and the number of investment variables leaves me confused at best. We were able to retire early but we continued to pursue other income opportunities. It's a good thing because our original retirement would have left us little after inflation over the years.

Electric fences need a good ground. Someone may frown on a ground rod.

For a houseboat we had I purchased a toilet that sat on a 10 gallon holding tank. These toilets are about the same height as normal but with the tank underneath and readily available. I plumbed in a macerator to pump this 10 gallon tank to a 100 gallon tank located some distance from the toilet. When the 10 gallon tank was full a push of a button transferred it to the larger tank. The 100 gallon tank was easily checked to make sure it had capacity. Overfilling with the macerator would surely turn the vent into a nozzle but we never had that happen.

My dear wife used to do most of the cooking but now can't. One of the appliances I found pretty easy to use is an air cooker. Even though it is kind of bulky I wouldn't be without it. We both like the way the food turns out. My daughter just remodelled her kitchen and put in an induction stove. Not considering one for the RV yet but they are pretty impressive!

We are not full timers but we often stay out for extended periods. Some lasting a year or more. It is difficult for me to think of any RV as well built or strong. We have owned many RV's and most seem a little cheap. We currently own a 1999 Teton 5th wheel which I have significantly remodeled and upgraded. We use a HDT and rarely stay at RV parks. There are advantages and disadvantages to both a TT and a 5er. The stairs as listed by others is one along with TT's are generally lighter and not as tall as 5ers. 5ers are usually a little more stable during transport but the deciding factor for us is the layout. We also so found that many TT were built with occasional use in mind. It was easier for us to find a 5er that suited us and seemed to have a little better quality. We boondock sometimes and things like tank size matter to us. I think it is wise to look at both and see which is more likely to meet your needs. For us things like carrying capacity, materials used to construct the cabinets and insulation were important. We also wanted enclosed and heated tanks and double pane windows.

Some friends of ours full timed in a 24' TT without a slide. They liked to camp in remote areas. They also liked the shell on the back of their PU to carry stuff and sometimes carried an aluminum boat on the shell. It looked a little tight and uncomfortable but they full timed 12 years. The bed was short and he is tall so he hung off the bed. The bed was also against a wall and a real pain to make and get in and out of. Even so it was what they liked and they seemed happy. Our preference is a bigger RV with slides but there are some places we can't go to.

I built my 3rd airbag by cutting a flat plate that covered the bottom of the airbag. Then I added supports to angle it approximately the same as the top plate. It has been this way for a number of years and hasn't blown up yet.

As Orvil said "run". The axles are typically held in place with U bolts but there are centering pins to hold the placement. Something is out of alignment and likely bent or built improperly. Either way there may be multiple problems not easily identified. Spring shackles can wear out and cause some problems but your description seems to indicate a more serious problem. In any case I would keep looking.

BT 12 Towing 7.5 - 8 ISX

Our Teton came with LT tires. We have owned a number of 5ers after buying our first in 1988. I have had experience with both LT and ST tires and I avoid ST tires. I won't own another set. We have been using Michelin XPS Rib LT tires and we are on our 3rd set. The XPS Ribs have never failed us.

We have had many problems with forwarded mail. Most times we get it but every year there are things we dont get. Sometimes it is returned to the sender. We have learned when we forward mail to put a note across the front of the mailbox, otherwise we will find it full of old mail. When we spoke to the Post Office they just shrugged their shoulders. One time about a month after we returned our mail suddenly stopped. At the Post Office we found the carrier who told us we never turned in a stop. The counter person interrupted and yes they did. The answer to that was "oh". We still forward our mail but we try to change all of the important stuff to online.

I singled an older (99) FL a few years ago. It was as easy as any HDT. I don' t know about the newer ones but I would expect them to also be simple. Make sure you like the truck before you single it. We didn't like the FL and sold after a trip.

Sorry double post

WYnWest It appears as if you are in Wyoming and I don't know if there are any others in Wyoming that might be able to help. It is not unusual for some local county employees to deny MH registration and not understand variances to the requirements. I am not familiar with Wyoming but here in Colorado we can just register the HDT as recreational but the local jurisdiction did not understand the requirements and I had to ask for the supervisor who had to call someone else to finally get my registration. Maybe someone else has Wyoming information that might help. As far as Montana registration some states have started to check for out of state registrations and the fine if caught can be steep. The Montana registration formula is known by many enforcement people and with State budget shortages it is an obvious place to check for additional revenue. Colorado has been actively looking for these registrations and I have heard stories about California also. If you have established residence in Wyoming this could be a problem for you if caught.

www.wayneswords.com will give some fishing info. It also has other misc info for Lake Powell. Sometimes it seems the fishing reports are a little more rosy than we find but we usually catch fish. We were there a couple of weeks ago but didn't get to fish. If this snow melt gets rolling the lake could raise 18" a day. That's a lot of water!

Hi Jeff, I did about the same thing as you are planning about 6 or 7 years ago. I didn't know about this forum when I started so you are ahead of me already. I made a mistake on my first truck and sold it after I singled it because I just didn't like the truck. I built the bed on my current truck and I really like this truck. It meets our needs and I believe you can build a truck that meets your needs. The info on this forum is very helpful and had I known about it first I probably would not have made the mistake I did. Good luck and if you have any questions just ask there are some very knowledgeable people here.