Guest Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 yeow! help! i just got the go-ahead from my dad's wife to get out of town. anybody want to buy a house? i am terrified. i need to sell the house & get enough money to get me & fids (furred/feathered kids) 4,000 miles from PA to WA. browsing, i have seen a few campers - 40-footers - that have a second bedroom. this would be excellent for my birds! i'd have to find a tow vehicle, though. my question is, can i keep my fids in the trailer while i'm towing it? (currently 2 parrots, i dog & eleven cats.) initially i thought i'd need a Class A or C, but this would give me a home plus wheels when i arrive in WA to stay. any info appreciated - i am clueless. note: i intend to fly my best friend's hub here to drive me out west - he has experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrzygrl64 Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 I don't know anything about birds, but we have 2 cats and a medium sized dog (50lbs) and we plan to have them in the truck or scout with us. I personally wouldn't have them in our 5er while we are towing. I know some people do, but I am uncomfortable with that. Bill and Kelly 2014 Heartland Landmark Grand Canyon 2011 Ford F350 Super Duty Deisel Dual Rear Wheel Extended Cab XLT <p> Callie along for the ride - Raskal and Cocoa now watching over us from above new blog: bkamericanodyssey.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TCW Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 I also know nothing about transporting birds, but I do know folks that transport some very valuable hunting, field trial and show dogs in trailers. As long as the animal is safe and secure in an appropriate size crate they are likely safer than loose in a truck or motorhome where they can become an unguided missile in the event of an accident or panic stop. In fact they make trailers with individual crates specifically to transport dogs. The one that dies with the most toys is still dead! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skp51443 Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 Our cats were happy in the fiver, they hated the truck and yowled the whole trip. We let them run free in the fiver since it had no pinch-spots that could trap them and they were happy under the recliners. We never had temp issues in our normal travels but we did pay attention to the fiver temps (Oregon Scientific remote thermometer) when crossing the southern desert in the summer. Usually the fiver would stay well under 90 while we were moving even then so the cats stayed under their chairs with no problems. We often saw hotter than that when boondocking in the northwest in the summer and the cats did just fine there too. Pay attention to weights, the stickers on many rigs are very very wrong and rarely in a safe direction, get a scale weight before plunking down your cash. Next get a truck rated to pull your rig, at the weight of most 40 footers you'll be pushing a heavy duty type pickup, a medium duty truck would be adequate but likely expensive and you'd have to chat with the heavy duty truck folks in their forum to see if one of them might be better suited. Do be safe, don't load any truck to the maximum safe limit, that gives you slow acceleration, long braking distances, lower fuel mileage and more likelyhood that something is going to break over time. First rule of computer consulting: Sell a customer a Linux computer and you'll eat for a day. Sell a customer a Windows computer and you'll eat for a lifetime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXiceman Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 Personally, I would not make my worst enemy ride in the trailer. Noisy, no climate control. In summer they will need A/C, winter heat. I would suggest you get a motorhome or maybe a travel trailer and tow it with a van, Excursion or a Suburban. If you ever want an adventure, ask some one to take you for a ride in their trailer...just low speed around the storage lot. Things shake, things move. Ken Amateur radio operator, 2023 Cougar 22MLS, 2022 F150 Lariat 4x4 Off Road, Sport trim <br />Travel with 1 miniature schnauzer, 1 standard schnauzer and one African Gray parrot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
don&penny Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 my question is, can i keep my fids in the trailer while i'm towing it? (currently 2 parrots, i dog & eleven cats.) I don't know where in Washington you intend to reside, or if you have ever been in Washington, but many cities and counties here limit the number of cats (or dogs, etc.) an individual can have in their home (even some of the more rural places). Some allow more if one has a kennel license or other required form of permission. Some examples can be found at the website below. http://www.mrsc.org/subjects/pubsafe/animal/animalnum.aspx Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 birds could go in tow vehicle with me. i think putting cats & the dog in crates for that trip would leave me 12 insane and/or dead animals. it would be different for a shorter trip, but we need to get there & then have a place to live. thanks for answers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 Don, thanks for the link. i will be in Clallam county (Sequim / Port Angeles) on a rural acre with livestock. my best friend has been in WA about 30 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrzygrl64 Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 Guess I should have been clearer, our cats will be in crates in the truck or scout and the dog wears a safety belt harness made just for dogs and she is buckled in securely. I agree it would be BAD if they were loose. Bill and Kelly 2014 Heartland Landmark Grand Canyon 2011 Ford F350 Super Duty Deisel Dual Rear Wheel Extended Cab XLT <p> Callie along for the ride - Raskal and Cocoa now watching over us from above new blog: bkamericanodyssey.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trailertraveler Posted February 22, 2014 Report Share Posted February 22, 2014 ...Personally, I would not make my worst enemy ride in the trailer. Noisy, no climate control. In summer they will need A/C, winter heat... You can run the generator in a travel trailer to power the AC or run an electric heater just like you can in a motorhome. I'm sure the don't run the frig on propane folks will have a heart attack, but guess what, the RV furness works just fine underway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Working Tourists Posted February 24, 2014 Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 Eleven cats?? Who do you hate more, them or you? New Domain!! Blogging at workingtourists.com Fulltime FreightKampers since 2010 2006 Freightliner M2 Business Class 96" ICT Sleeper - Living Fulltime Comfortably in 64 sf ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2014 Report Share Posted February 24, 2014 well, today's version of The Plan is a 35' bunkhouse on a u-haul. birds & humans in the cab. this is a 4,000 mile trip, looking at 5-7 days. i don't think i could crate my animals for that long, or sedate them either. my animals are my family, and i have made a lifetime commitment to them. my oldest cat is 16, three are 14, three are 10. the other 4 are 6 & younger. the dog will be 3. i WILL NOT ship them. this is the best alternative i can come up with, the most logistically feasible. what my cats care about most is my presence & i will be with them all night & checking throughout the day. my friend & her hub will do the trip with me. her hub will handle the complcated driving; i will do the easy stuff. i plan on doing this in the spring, ASAP/before June, so temps should not be a problem. i want to get out of here NOW, need to sell the house & contents, and i have a place to park & hookup out there. i still would appreciate any advice. this is terrifying! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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