Jay3849

I lost my post asking you if you had a request. my former boss is the real deal when it comes to buying, and he'd find what you wanted and make it just as sound, and guaranteed, as you requested. He's talented and charges too little.. I was always on his case for it.. But it would work for us, as I'm soon putting in a request anyway myself and he'll go find whatever it is. I'll haul for him. Don't feel a bit bad for beating him up some; he knows I'll get him out of any spot I can. Did it for years. just mentioning it. If I buy 70k worth of stuff from him and tell him to grab a so-and-so cab over and make sure it's sound, he'd grab it. if you're on the lookout I'd hook you up with him. He's more than fair, is my point, and buying is his thing.

Or, tie your kids up and use them as cones. Pressure will make you a pro at backing in no time😄 No don't do that😳 😂

I just saw an Arsoby. Sweet, but 1.2 million miles for 20k. I should be all over this one though, if they'd come down a bit. I need to mention this idea to my former boss. Buying and selling this stuff is all he does now. https://www.truckpaper.com/listings/trucks/for-sale/list/category/213/heavy-duty-trucks-cabover-trucks-w-sleeper yeah.... I tried just inserting a pic from that url but I have not got the hang of this yet.. 93 Peterbilt 362, I believe I was getting at. The Arsoby, with 750k or less... I'd be all over.

A cab over... I never even thought of it but that's a great idea. I suppose I just have not seen many, in a very long time. not even sure I've ever seen any not decades old... They still manufacture those? Ill have a look...

This sounds intriguing. I'm a flat bed guy... But the former boss in question has 8 dollar per mile freight with a lowboy... That he wants to sell me, to haul his equipment. it's considerably more expensive than a regular 48' flatbed, as you know. For $45,000 though I get a $55,000 lowboy with $8000 worth of new tires all the way around. Gooseneck. I cannot believe how much big truck one can buy right now for 25k. It's blowing my mind. That and a $15,000 flatbed just seems like a no-brained right now in this situation. never saw an RV pulled behind such a setup, though. But another 10-15k and I have a job and a home while I explore my options. idk, yet, about dropping so much on a low boy... Big money freight but who knows how much of that there will be? Still... He just paid a guy $4500 to haul a big excavator from Florida to Indiana though...

No, Glenn, actually I have come around to your way of thinking, by necessity of the current situation; semi prices, and associated equipment, are so ridiculously affordable, with prices still falling, that to buy a 4 wheeler and RV at the moment when I could, and I have, lived in a truck for weeks on end, and I have a perfectly good CDL A, is ridiculous in my situation.... I have no family with me; no girlfriend or wife, no house payment, no bills but support for my daughter, a phone bill, and insurance on an SUV, which is about to be sold if I can get anything for it... All I have is an estate to settle, costing me nothing, and not on fire. So why not buy a sleeper truck, drive around and introduce myself to the RV community, pick up a few loads under my own authority (a few loads being about all one can hope for, but who cares, when I can likely do fine with a couple thousand dollars per month... And you know how simple it is to make that much with a paid-for truck, even as freight hauling has slowed to a crawl. I don't want to cut any throats on loads, but the point is, I can afford to. If it's all I can manage, I'm not out much and have a very powerful, if small, RV, and could grab a used 5th wheel to drag behind it if I want (also dirt cheap). when freight picks up, as it will one day, there I will be ready. It's not anything like I planned. But the Coronavirus is not like anyone planned. My former boss, who I drove for for 5 years, just happens to do equipment sales, excavating equipment, mostly, and I was his go-to driver so he will help me set up, sell me equipment I know I can trust, as he indeed wants me to haul at least a load or 3 of his own, each month, likely more, as he's grabbing up these awesome deals and parking them on 20 acres, to better turn a fabulous profit when things start shipping again. He wants me to buy a lowboy from him, and I can get a fantastic semi that would go another 5 years or so for 25k easily... So I can't really see how it makes the least sense to do anything else for a couple of years. With some effort I could probably bank 15-20 thousand each year easily, while I look at RV's, RV parks, land, and some beautiful scenery. What do you think? Hotshotting would be nice but no way anyone is making any kind of living with a pickup right now, according to nearly every source. This seems to make sense to me, the sleeper semi, with a half-million miles or so. You think I'm overlooking something? I hate to miss a detail but this seems low-risk to me, as I am looking for a vehicle to drive around the country in anyway. Your current setup? Can you share more?

Such as... Kinda Purdy...

Information overload. But much appreciated. Being a former big truck man I'd love to have a retired semi but I can't afford more than 1 vehicle, and I don't see even a 430 flat top being practical for me. Here's the thing; I may use this vehicle to make some money with, possibly with a nice hefty flatbed capable of car hauling, etc, with which to offer nationwide services of hauling duties to, say, fellow RVers who'd like a break on the high deliver costs and general hauling of stuffs they may not be able to handle; maybe delivery of RVs, in some situations. I do have my class A and there not much I cannot legally haul, nor am I tied down to anything, while I drift about deciding on my future. I would of course be licensed and insured. One can sit around a truck stop and watch the board, and pick up jobs, with this set-up, if necessary. Done it before. With this in mind, I'm leaning towards a 1 ton, likely a Ford, though Dodge is not out of the question. As much power as will fit under the hood. I'd rather not have a dually but for the application I just described.... It's likely the only choice. I need to have no question about towing 20,000+ lbs with relative ease. A 5th wheel package installed, of course. New is just too much; 70k will nearly wipe out any security I have, and I'd be nervous without 30k or so in the bank earning interest, however little. A 2018 as I described can be had for 40k, or less, all day long with 50,000 miles or less, which I consider nicely broke-in on a hefty diesel engine. An additional 5k should outfit this endeavour just fine; and 15k for a small 5th wheel camper or travel trailer to rest my weary bones while I decide on a permanent solution will not break me. I have no need for Denali-type luxury. Give me a Jungle Bag and a backpack and I'm good, for a bit, while making a decision on an RV....... I am the very definition of Free. Just a note: I doubt my permanent solution will be anything less than a slightly used Arctic Fox. But that will be a few years and many camp fire chats down the road, I think. Thoughts on this conclusion? 1 ton, diesel-powered beast of the Ford or Dodge flavor? I see your comments; I think I'm looking for encouragement lol. Oh...Yeah.. I can work on 'em. I drove a big truck 2000 miles once with a scrap 2x4 and duct tape holding a good portion of the engine in place lol.

Was out all day looking. the Duramax & 10 speed Allison is calling to me. However.. No Denali for me. Reminds me of my x... Beautiful but Ridiculous. I the end... F350 will likely be what I drive away in, no newer than 2018 and no more than 50k miles.

https://www.autotrader.com/cars-for-sale/vehicledetails.xhtml?listingId=534029205&zip=40601&startYear=2016&numRecords=25&vehicleStyleCodes=TRUCKS&endYear=2019&modelCodeList=CHEVC25&makeCodeList=CHEV&referrer=%2Fcars-for-sale%2Fsearchresults.xhtml%3Fzip%3D40601%26fuelTypeGroup%3DGSL%2CDSL%2CHYB%26city%3DFrankfort%26startYear%3D2016%26maxMileage%3D100000%26vehicleStyleCodes%3DTRUCKS%26incremental%3Dall%26endYear%3D2019%26modelCodeList%3DCHEVC25%26makeCodeList%3DCHEV%26driveGroup%3DAWD4WD%26transmissionCodes%3DAUT%2CMAN%26listingTypes%3DCERTIFIED%2CUSED%26minPrice%3D6000%26sortBy%3DderivedpriceDESC%26maxPrice%3D35000%26state%3DKY%26engineCodes%3D8CLDR%2C10CLDR%2C12CLDR%26firstRecord%3D0%26marketExtension%3Dinclude%26searchRadius%3D0%26isNewSearch%3Dfalse&listingTypes=CERTIFIED%2CUSED&minPrice=6000&maxPrice=35000&firstRecord=0&searchRadius=0&makeCode1=CHEV&modelCode1=CHEVC25&clickType=otherVDP I tried to make a link from it, sorry. It would not cooperate. In any case... That is a beautiful thing.

Maybe I just should have said, Chevy 2500 vs f-250 diesel.... which is most reliable most iyho.

A brake package and pulling 10,000 would be ok? Oh yes... Nice Toy lol

Go 1 ton with the diesel? In that case.. Money is an object. Twice as much

Oy. I have a big V6 vortec in my Trailblazer but suspected I'd kill it quick with 5000 lbs behind it. The gas mileage is telling. I love Dodge. Had several, and my father was a Dodge man. My apologies... Let's throw that in as well, they have several on the lot.

At the risk of beating a well-covered topic up and possibly starting a Brand Loyalty War, I have a question for those who have sat many an hour around a campfire observing trucks being forced to do their maximum capacity on a full-time basis. Directed at those mainly pulling travel trailers, or much observing those who do, with these machines. In my experience, the opinions of these observers will save me more time and money than a thousand online reviews from sources I suspect do not have my best interest in mind, as I know the good people here most certainly do. It's a wonderful, knowledgeable and friendly group. I'm soon going to go ahead and pull the trigger on a tow vehicle, and I am a little hesitant about the choice in engine.... I have a chance at a 2018 F-250 Super Duty XL Crew Cab 4wd with a V8 Biodiesel engine.... I'm partial to diesel engines from my time in a big truck on the road, and I've heard few negatives about Ford's entry with this engine. I could pull the same flatbed, with a 32' travel trailer on the bed, in theory, at least a short way so whatever I grow into, at least below the 10,000 lb mark, I can drag around with this truck, without much issue. This one has 20,000 miles and with cash I was assured I could drive away for under 32k. But then.... there is the 2018 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD LT Crew Cab 4WD with the same mileage, the Duramax engine, and overall, considerably more fancy (not that I care much about bells and whistles) for 5k or so more. Price really isn't the issue here; I have to have a reliable vehicle with a bed and considerable towing capacity regardless of going out full time with an RV or not, and I can't afford not to go reliable with my primary vehicle, no matter if I spend 10k or 100k on a home to drag around. Likely, at this level I probably won't go wrong with either. But those of you who have seen these machines punished to extraordinary degrees, probably have an opinion of what you would buy if someone handed you 40k and said, "Go. Get the vehicle that you'd drive into Armaggedon"... Lol. Great trucks, both, but one emerges with a slight advantage under this gruesome application, surely. I think I just value the opinions of the main contributors here more than anything; I read for hours and have learned so much, it's leaking from my ears. I will also listen to enthusiastic gasoline arguments, though it's hard to convince me that a diesel engine is a mistake, in any situation with much towing of heavy things. Thanks... Be nice please; Chevrolet and Ford both, we can all be proud of in the United States. I really do need the ability to tow a great amount of weight, at least short distances, no matter what, though. This size truck and the horsepower generated is not something I could go much lower on, really. But note: while I may buy a dually and a 5th wheel camper after my initial 3-5 years on the road, learning, I really can't justify 4 tires on my rear axle just yet. Travel trailer it is until then. Fire away, if you will.

Oh no, sorry, I never intended to drag a tiny home around; it was either/or and I worked towards the tiny home property, where I'd hoped to make a home base and stay most of the year with a small RV for going out travelling several weeks per year. Because of the roadblocks that I ran into where the roads were open a couple of years ago, I hesitate, although yes, there are places very lax on the restrictions particularly in and around the mountains.... It makes me a bit nervous to sink so much money into what could be interpreted as out of spec. This general shift in attitude toward the size of structures I'd planned is causing me to look seriously at nicer RVs and scrapping the tiny house idea until, as the wise implication from Kirk is... I've travelled and gotten experience, and information on where I might go the real estate route later. Feel my way around on a budget first, not pull the trigger on anything bigger in a hurry to fix a situation. You read my mind, though, 2gypsies, with the solar.. My small solar system I was building for the main juice to the house can be scaled back for an RV so I'm seeing that I'll be able to use many of the things I was putting together for the house, on an RV. In this case, Linda, my Givens are not much, definitely... a 22' travel trailer is about my minimum size, no need for more than 30' so that leaves a broad range of choices in the used market, travel trailer or 5th wheel, depending on what I want to spend. Likely, since I'm sure I'd travel anyway I'll go middle of the road in size and amenities to begin and hang onto some cash until I decide what to do long term... But the time and headache required for a piece of land and a tiny house is making me much more interested in leaning towards full-time RV. It seems more complicated than it was a short time a go to get away with this tiny house.. And pointless if I'm turning around and hitting the road every few months anyway. Ideally I'd just sit tight here but circumstances with family dictate that this house sell as soon as possible; if it sells this fall right away, there I will be with no place to go, as I am now living in it and repairing it to list in a month or so. Thus my hurry to have a solid plan, at least. I feel better about RV as I read the forums here... It's just not what I spent countless hours researching and planning for (the house itself, obviously.. Wasn't keeping up with where I was going to put it, very well, did I?)

I do understand the comments, though. I could have explained it better, certainly, yet still it's my fault for falling asleep at the wheel after I planned a thing and didn't pay attention to the changing regulations in the areas I was planning to build. Mom died suddenly and unpleasantly I'm afraid, and it took us all by surprise, as I had decided not to leave my community until she did go... Years from now, we expected. When my half-decent plans had to be rolling in a hurry, the areas desired in 2 different states in particular had changed their tune considerably and what was doable 2 years or so ago, or a bit longer, is questionable in one to say the least and downright prohibited in the other. The RV was always in the picture, but not full time by any means... 1 month of every quarter was about all I could hope to do now. As it stands, to take that money and put some towards a better RV and weighing my options for a couple of years seems much more prudent, right now in this current situation, than plan A. I'm all for protecting the value of people's property, and particularly health related issues... The areas in question, which I will not mention as I don't have the solid facts yet... Seem, according to the locals, to have been re-zoned purely for profit, and/or political reasons. Which should not have surprised me in one case, but certainly did in the other.

The mountains of North Georgia, Western North Carolina, and East Tennessee is where my heart has always resided as a home base, Randy. The plan was actually a 400 square foot living structure with an outbuilding, powered entirely by solar energy with well water (cistern-type holding tank an option as well) on at least 5 acres, mortgage-free, to reduce my need to work for corporate America to half-time at the most, on the worst week; and put my energy into being part of the solution rather than the problem... I have no opposition to my home rolling, however, as RV living from one side of the country to the other would be part of that plan fully half the year. I now have the option to pay cash for every bit of that dream, and have the project down to the penny with room to spare, but it looks like the complications of being stationary in a tiny house are just too great unless someone knows the secret mountain oasis where one can avoid having to build a ridiculously fortified 1000 sq.ft + waste of time and money, and a hand full of other requirements having nothing to do with health whatsoever, just to satisfy local regulations. Although I love the Appalachian mountains above all things I am very flexible as to where I call my mail box, as I can simple park along the mountains in an RV pretty much indefinitely if I don't get too comfy in one spot. I wander too much to put all my eggs in a stationary basket, anyway.... RV living it is. At least for the coming decade. Ain't nobody got time for all that building hassle right now. Tomorrow I will be contacting someone regarding the Escapees lease and perhaps plan a few short trips.

Thank you all. Actually these are the most helpful answers I have gotten in several weeks, and I feel sure the current crisis has made local realtors and government officials hesitant to commit to any reasonable answers; going over my notes, I have spoken to a dozen such people in 3 states and came away with one message: 'No. You can't do that.' I can, however, and will. Just not exactly in the way I have hoped and planned for several years. Let me just say that I am very much complaining about first-world problems to an embarrassing extent; I just sent a friend the price of a nice dinner for two to here, several thousand miles east of Germany, and her mother cried, as it will sustain them for a full two weeks with food and medicine. Shame on me, for whining about my inconvenient good fortune. In any case, Lou, this is an excellent answer along the lines of what I wanted to do, except adding a tiny self-sustaining house to that scenario is the no-no I keep running into... I believe I would have liked a home base such as this to stay, taking care of business and doing repairs, a week or two every quarter. And storing my not unsubstantial set of tools and equipment. Looks like a very nice garage in just such a place with just such building permits is a solid option 1. The lease on an Escapees lot is a solid option as well if I can accomplish exactly the same; a storage shed full of tools and equipment, pressure washers and the like, nothing requiring more than 100 square feet of storage... I just have not looked into the specifics of an Escapees lease yet. I believe I was misinformed regarding the fees; I was told I'd have to pay several hundred dollars per month rather than $1000 per year. If that's all the cost is for a spot to call home and drag a 5th wheel across a few times per year, for 25k or so, it's a steal. There is no end to irritating local ordinances, Linda, if you don't enrich the local contractors, politicians, and etc. on a regular basis, almost anywhere. There needs to be stronger legislation at the federal level to protect people from such stringent misuse of local power; this current crisis only underlines it, and I suspect, as Darryl&Rita does, that the consumer debt squeeze resulting from COVID-19 will cause people to examine their options and discover what we know and they might be surprised to know; one cannot downsize as much as one thinks, in nearly every case, and be frugal and self-sustaining without penalty; it's a no-no to use thy brain and the common sense therein if it subtracts from the pockets of local legislators. The unintended consequences of a global pandemic are fascinating to observe, no question, and perhaps we will have some restrictions relaxed on a national level to enable more sensible housing and alternative power sources, instead of mass encouraging of wastefulness via local ordinances. I did not, honestly, expect such enthusiastic resistance though, as I have seen in some places. I will keep my credit cards paid off, and a sizable stack in the bank, in these uncertain times, as Darryl&Rita imply may be prudent. Still. I believe I can wedge 40k or so off to buy an F-250 and a used rolling home to outfit during the coming year, and likely strike out on several trips to test said rolling domicile while my mother's estate is waiting to be sold and all finalized. The volunteering to build affordable housing sounds wonderful, though likely my skills in technology and the security and privacy of that technology might be more appropriate for me, if only I could get people to understand the particular need for secure internet in the RV world. It can be a problem, as some of you might have observed from the news of 10 billion accounts compromised recently; with a 'B'... More accounts hacked than people on the planet during this pandemic thus far... Sorry. When I get rolling on such subjects, I will not shut up. I will investigate the Escapees lease immediately, and thank you all so very much for the answers.

Wise advice, all. Thanks.... I never expected to have my back against the wall and have so much resistance from zoning regulations, or general resistance to leaving a static address and just driving off.... It's a little unnerving, in this country, to me. I hope nobody else has had such trouble finding straight answers to what seem simple questions... But then again, I started looking in earnest AFTER COVID-19 so I'm sure it has much to do with it.

I agree, my friend. But, I have no choice; this estate must be sold, and I live on it; it must be sold and gone as fast as I can do so, and the profits distributed.... This is the cause of my anxiety. I must go. I have to have a place to live, and was taken by surprise by my mia madra's death... Paying rent in an apartment... I would rather have teeth pulled, honestly.

I cannot believe, for example, how there is no place at all to find reasonable building codes, even to build a structure 750 square feet, if I wanted a building on land to call home. The only place one can do this are communities that charge more just to park a mobile tiny house, than I would pay for a luxury 1 bedroom apartment in my inexpensive area... paying "rent" is hardly my plan here, enriching others on some "community" by renting space I could afford myself.... But you cannot just buy land and build a home. Try. If it is anything but connected to every utility, and unreasonably large, you cannot unless you want to be like a criminal. An RV, the first choice, seems difficult enough in that there are no straight answers to the purchasing and outfitting, and legalities, of slipping out on the road and remaining outside of ridiculous scrutiny from the government as to why you won't stand still and pay your local, state, and federal taxes like a good boy, and be found at a moment's notice. It was not this way when I was young, is what I say, and there seems to be resistance from every direction from businesses and groups alike, as if you are a criminal for wanting to do this thing. It may be my bad luck, but nothing from the start has been the least bit encouraging, even with enough experience to make a reasonable go of it.... So, the problem is not getting an RV and going, but doing so with enough answers to avoid any major trouble. As I said, it may be just the luck I have had getting any information; my mistake, maybe, was to not stay online in the forums and pay attention..

Hi. I have scoured forums of all kinds, for weeks, and I cannot find what seems to me to be a simple solution, unique to my situation.... I have planned, for years, to either buy some land for a Tiny House, and/or an RV to travel the country in. My education and experience are friendly for this and I had planned to make it regardless of my financial situation.... However, I suddenly find myself with all the money I need to establish myself, and live for years, on the road or in a small house community, as my mother died, leaving me executor, and the recipient of no less than 100k by the end of the summer. I am having trouble finding direction for someone in my position, although it seems strange. I am not wealthy but certainly have half the above amount to begin my RV adventure, and also I am a handyman with experience living on houseboats and customizing them for long-term living. I am a minimalist, and enjoy survivalist activities as well. I am also a writer, and Cyber-security specialist, which lends itself well to this life. I am having the hardest time finding a straight answer from those who have been on the road, single, with skills, as to what rig I should buy, how to get started with the majority of my inheritance locked up until August, and where I might be of service to others, which is the entire point of striking out on the road at age 50. Did I mention I have a class A cdl and have lived on the road before, for 5 years? I'm just saying.... It seems I cannot get an opinion on which way to go, although I want so much to contribute, and be useful to others, in this exciting time of my life... Most all of what I see and where I go does not lend and answer for someone who says.. "I have 50 grand, and 50 grand more in the bank... Based on your experience, what would you tell a single man at 50, who only needs part-time work, for which he is abundantly qualified... To do?? Seems simple, huh? You should try it, having the perfect credentials and situation... It is not as easy as you think lol. People seem to look at you as if you had two heads, and do not deserve it, though it's hardly my choice to be able to so easily finance my first few years. Please help. I would like to be helpful. To the whole community. I really would, if I could only get started fitting and preparing to head out. Thanks