Does anyone want to share an HDT?

[leavingsoon]

Hi everyone,

I know this will seem like an odd situation and not be for everyone but I think for the right two owners it could work. Is there anyone out there who would like to discuss becoming a shared owner of an HDT? Maybe with the future goal of a buy out if we see a time when we each want one for themselves??

My wife and I are in the process of purchasing a 5th wheel RV that is too heavy for our current truck and I am interested in moving up to an HDT. Our current truck is a 1999 Ford F350 dually 4x4 CC with 7.3 powerstroke and 6 speed manual trans with 4:10 gears. I was thinking about selling it (or trading) and investing the cash in a HDT for pull the 5th wheel.

We will not be moving around often so the trailer will stay in one location most of the time....but that being said I still want to be able to relocate it as needed and not be forced to find a transporter every time I want to move. But like most people I don't have the funds to dedicate to all the toys I want

I know there are many pros and cons with a situation like this but maybe something to kick around??

Thanks much,

Phil 

 

[I'mdonewiththis forum]

What I would suggest (for now) is to see if someone with an HDT will move your trailer to where you want and before you need to move see if there is someone that can move it when necessary.

[Jack Mayer]

The other thing to kick around is if there is interest in leasing an HDT. Just like a car lease, it requires less capital, and has a defined timeline. Any interest in that??

[VegasFlyer]

Echoing what was written above.  One thing that a lot of us all have in common, besides loving hdt's, is the excuse to make a road trip.

Depending on where you are and need to go, you might find a few folks willing to move your 5th wheel for the cost of fuel, trip expenses and maybe something toward wear and tear.

[Darryl&Rita]

18 minutes ago, VegasFlyer said:

Echoing what was written above.  One thing that a lot of us all have in common, besides loving hdt's, is the excuse to make a road trip.

Depending on where you are and need to go, you might find a few folks willing to move your 5th wheel for the cost of fuel, trip expenses and maybe something toward wear and tear.

And now you're commercial. Welcome to the Big Leagues. 

[leavingsoon]

I am willing to consider any and all approaches to this....I just want to end up with a HDT to move my trailer around and make a few trips. But I also have to own and pay for a vehicle that just sits too much.

Short term I just need to figure out how to get the "new" to us trailer from Fort Worth TX to the Chicago area (approx. 950 miles). I am giving serious thought to doing it with my F350 but I know it will be stressing. I towed our last 40' 5th wheel from home to Midland TX (going thru Ft. Worth) and took the southern route down to Memphis and across. Very flat lands and no grades that even made me need to downshift.

Long term I want to go with a HDT but I can't make that happen as fast as I need the trailer home. I have just now begun to study the whole HDT issue and would really rather not jump into it till I feel like I know what I am doing.

And once the trailer is home it won't be moved again for an extended period of time thus giving me the luxury of taking my time to get this right.

If someone wants to discuss a road trip and make a new friend i will be glad to buy them breakfast, lunch, dinner, etc.

Thank,

Phil

 

 

 

[lappir]

People share boats, and airplanes. Why not an HDT? Problem is most want to go to the same area around the same time and no one want's to go back. Lot's of miles puling nothing. Insurance issues and keeping non commercial. Not sure what Jack is talking lease? Would it be with an air ride hitch or commercial? Maybe he and Gregg have something in mind. This could get interesting. 

 

Rod

[VegasFlyer]

5 hours ago, Darryl&Rita said:

And now you're commercial. Welcome to the Big Leagues. 

Darryl,

While I see what you are getting at, someone being reimbursed for expenses once a year or so to move their buddies trailer, is not any worse than the argument of the Smart Cars ? being hauled down the road sideways.  Actually  the odds of being questioned over it are more remote and it would be a heck of a lot more defendable than having a smart car on the deck.

 

[leavingsoon]

1 hour ago, lappir said:

People share boats, and airplanes. Why not an HDT? Problem is most want to go to the same area around the same time and no one want's to go back. Lot's of miles puling nothing. Insurance issues and keeping non commercial. Not sure what Jack is talking lease? Would it be with an air ride hitch or commercial? Maybe he and Gregg have something in mind. This could get interesting. 

 

Rod

"Why not an HDT?"....exactly.

I'm the first to admit it's not the perfect way to get what you need/want, but I see it as a way for two broke guys to get a need met until they can each afford one of their own. And yes alot of questions to ask and answer but with the right owners I see no reason it can't work out. Obviously if it could be worked out with two life long friends might make the deal easier (and if by chance they lived close to each other would even be better)....but I have made some friends in the RV community in a short period of time that I would be willing to do something like this....(of course I have meet many people who I would never consider something like this with).

The two owners could agree to own a second smaller vehicle that serves a very different purpose (like a basic plain pickup truck or van or....etc....then agree to meet in the middle to swap vehicles as needed??? Always give plenty of notice about wanting the HDT. Maybe create a fund dedicated to the vehicle and "rent" it by the mile from each other.

I'm thinking this is strictly a private party use, non commercial, air ride hitch. For a couple of people who only need the vehicle occasionally until they become convinced they want one personally. 

I know, maybe a stupid suggestion....my wife says I do too much stupid thinking. I'm just thinking outside the box. I have done this in the past with a bus conversion that went well...but I must admit it was with a friend.

Phil

 

 

[rickeieio]

As one who's been in several partnerships, I've reached the point where the only partner I'll have is my child bride of 43 years.

[Pat & Pete]

1 hour ago, rickeieio said:

As one who's been in several partnerships, I've reached the point where the only partner I'll have is my child bride of 43 years.

It only took two for me to learn that lesson .

[Dollytrolley]

2 hours ago, leavingsoon said:

"Why not an HDT?"....exactly.

I'm the first to admit it's not the perfect way to get what you need/want, but I see it as a way for two broke guys to get a need met until they can each afford one of their own. And yes alot of questions to ask and answer but with the right owners I see no reason it can't work out. Obviously if it could be worked out with two life long friends might make the deal easier (and if by chance they lived close to each other would even be better)....but I have made some friends in the RV community in a short period of time that I would be willing to do something like this....(of course I have meet many people who I would never consider something like this with).

The two owners could agree to own a second smaller vehicle that serves a very different purpose (like a basic plain pickup truck or van or....etc....then agree to meet in the middle to swap vehicles as needed??? Always give plenty of notice about wanting the HDT. Maybe create a fund dedicated to the vehicle and "rent" it by the mile from each other.

I'm thinking this is strictly a private party use, non commercial, air ride hitch. For a couple of people who only need the vehicle occasionally until they become convinced they want one personally. 

I know, maybe a stupid suggestion....my wife says I do too much stupid thinking. I'm just thinking outside the box. I have done this in the past with a bus conversion that went well...but I must admit it was with a friend.

Phil

 

 

Hey Soon,

Dont let the wife beatings get ya down and take the abuse like a good boy-toy.....

Airplane partnerships are fairly common and sometimes they last a long time and can be a kick in the pants.......

Some how I inherited a share in a old Cessna 182 but it was well cared for and of the 6 owners just one other guy and me used the craft.....the other user guy that flew the 182 was a up and cumming insurance broker but he got to living a bit too large so he collected the fairly high insurance premiums for the last two years of the partnership but seemed to forget to obtain a valid policy........hummmm........didn't matter because I was too busy to prank any airplanes back then so not having any claims seemed to not matter that we were naked with no insurance.......we had a nice looking policy in the hanger file cabinet it just wasn't worth the paper it was printed on.......when the rest of the partners voted to sell the partnership we were able to get top dollar and with the reserve funds cashed in we each doubled the money but that was mostly due to the fact that the insurance guy and I flew the wheels of the unit and the reserve funds grew with each we flew. It's important that the machine is in tip-top shape and the hourly charge rate is healthy enough to keep the unit in great shape. 

I once sold a light twin into a partnership and it should have been charged out at about $600/ hrs but the partners tried to get by at half the rate and at the end of two years they were $130k in the hole and the unit was worth about 75% of what I sold it to them.......no one was happy.....

 

With a HDT RV I am not sure if you could obtain private insurance for a partnership.........sometimes Private HDT insurance can be a adventure....

 

Drive on.........( Ok who has the HDT......today)

[lockmup68]

towing an empty trailer with the dually would be fine IMO, as long as the brakes check out on the trailer. If you are moving it short distances only a couple of times a year, you have time to get an HDT. If it were me, I would get the 7.3 singing towards TX and be done with it. If you need help along the way, holler. I'm in Nashville area. 

[Walt Smith]

While I am not looking to co-own an HDT, I do need someone with an HDT to haul my 5er I will purchase by early June to Sheridan, WY. I am moving a business there and will not be parked for the foreseeable future upon arrival since I will be going to work or meetings in Sheridan and other parts of Wyoming. My wife and I don't want to buy or lease since we know nothing about the place and may not stay long term if we decide we don't like it. A 5er gives us an escape plan. 

I want to buy an HDT but do it methodically and not rush. 

Any suggestion/comments if that is possible.

 

[leavingsoon]

Thanks guys for all the feedback! I really do appreciate all the help. 

Phil

 

[chevy3500]

On ‎4‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 11:55 PM, Walt Smith said:

While I am not looking to co-own an HDT, I do need someone with an HDT to haul my 5er I will purchase by early June to Sheridan, WY. I am moving a business there and will not be parked for the foreseeable future upon arrival since I will be going to work or meetings in Sheridan and other parts of Wyoming. My wife and I don't want to buy or lease since we know nothing about the place and may not stay long term if we decide we don't like it. A 5er gives us an escape plan. 

I want to buy an HDT but do it methodically and not rush. 

Any suggestion/comments if that is possible.

 

Where is the 5er at??

[rpsinc]

It is in Southern California, small town just north of Jojoba Hills SKP park near Temecula.

[Jack Mayer]

On 4/10/2017 at 4:22 PM, lappir said:

People share boats, and airplanes. Why not an HDT? Problem is most want to go to the same area around the same time and no one want's to go back. Lot's of miles puling nothing. Insurance issues and keeping non commercial. Not sure what Jack is talking lease? Would it be with an air ride hitch or commercial? Maybe he and Gregg have something in mind. This could get interesting. 

 

Rod

Rod, for many years I've thought that an HDT RV Lease program would be interesting. There are a number of people that want to use a "high end" HDT to pull their trailer but don't want to invest the $$$ into building a high end HDT because they don't know if they will maintain the lifestyle that requires it. So a "temporary" use of an HDT could be a solution to that. I've thought that would be a lot better than buying a new truck, or a late model truck and converting it. Just lease it for a couple of years, possibly with the option to buy. That gets you into a newer RV-oriented HDT at far less dollars.   At least that it the concept.  The truck would be like my trucks....hauler body, drom, air ride hitch, titled as a motorhome. With a corresponding insurance program for them.  And probably required service program as well. 

[rpsinc]

22 hours ago, rpsinc said:

It is in Southern California, small town just north of Jojoba Hills SKP park near Temecula.

Sorry, wrong answer to the question asked.

[Black]

I would be interested in this but don't know how to go about it. Because I live overseas, my truck will sit for the next 2-3 years with only short trips in the summer when I'm on R&R. I would be more than willing to let someone else use it but my hesitation comes from not knowing how they drive, how they take care of stuff, etc. The only one I trust to use it currently is a cousin but he has no need for it. I could care less about it having another 50K miles on it if driven nicely but some folks can tear up anything.

 

Weeding out those from the appreciative and caring ones is the challenge...

[Gary Hage]

Interesting situation the original poster of this thread seems to be in. Especially since I (we) seem to be in somewhat of the opposite situation ourselves:

We have an HDT. Some of you may remember when we bought Marv and Connie's Volvo VNL420 toter from them before he passed away. Since then Its been used three (3) times in how long? Yep! Once to take our Redwood to the Crossroads/Redwood factory in Indiana for warranty repairs, next to move the 5er fourteen miles from Grand Lake RV and Golf Resort where we resided to a nearby RV resort for six months, and finally an additional twenty-four miles to our current work assignment at a local state park as the park's live-on full time lead campground host.

So why would we have bought a perfectly good HDT to pull our 40' Redwood that is rated at a max of 17K GVWR based upon that? God knows we see plenty of comparable and even heavier 5ers being pulled by both 350 and 3500 series dually PUs everyday. Especially if we did not plan to travel on an annual basis. Because that was not our original plan. We truly believed that we would end up being more like the traditional "WorkKampers" on this forum and others who tend to work seasonal assignments at both the government and privately owned campgrounds across the nation, never having dreamed that we would be offered a full time (and part time position for the wife), year round position as state employees with a full salary, a fully covered (18' X 40' RV awning) site and utilities provided free, and access to the states more affordable health and dental care, etc. insurance program for as many years as we wish to manage our park (or the state decides to keep us here. So, when a great offer like that comes your way and you are still needing to supplement the retirement income, do you pass it up just to be able to travel between a handful of assignments during the year? HECK NO! At least that was our opinion. So here we sit stationary with an HDT that collects dust in the driveway. LOL Let me note here that it does get run one every two weeks and driven a short distance once a month to help keep all the seals, etc. lubricated.

So is the concept of a "shared" HDT that far fetched? Maybe and maybe not. With the right people could it work? Possibly. But we see some legal issues here that may need to be discussed. Our Volvo is registered in Florida as a "Tractor/non-commercial use. That is the only legal designation for a privately used tractor of its type that is currently available if the hitch is going to be left on the vehicle and a trailer pulled behind the tractor. So to determine the annual fee for the license plate (ours runs right about $400.00/yr) we had to provide a GCVWR to the State of Florida which in turn is listed upon the vehicle registration. A weight if ever stopped and weighed at a DOT scale or local law that you certainly do not want to exceed. So in the "shared" HDT situation, the weight of the heavier 5er would have to be used 9 at least here in Florida. The heavier the declared GCVWR is, the higher the annual fee for the plate. So, who is going to be responsible for the additional cost? Something definitely to be worked out between the two parties i would think. Next, What type of insurance does one need? Since we are considered as "stationary" RVers that live full time in the RV our policy requirements through Miller Insurance is different than say a seasonal or weekend warrior type RVer. Next, we found that by insuring the Volvo and Redwood in a "combined policy our rate was much more affordable for the level of coverage we desire. But with that comes restrictions. We are covered solely to pull our Redwood and no other trailer(s) behind the Volvo at any given time and for bobtail trips to the store, shop, etc. As many times as we've been approached by folks who have bought the heavier built 5ers (one with a 48' Teton, another with a 53-54' Travel by Design) asking if we could move it for them since they don't have enough truck to pull it with themselves I've had to decline, even though I would have loved to make the $2.00-2.50/ practical mile fee (plus lodging) that I would have charged them for the move. I cannot risk pulling someone else RV if it isn't going to be insured under the HDT's policy. So how would one legally get around that obstacle? Or do any of the underwriters that are willing to insure an HDT to begin with also write HDTs pulling multiple RV's that are privately owned and not considered as being a factory/dealership transport unit?

Finally, lets just say for moment that our Volvo was a candidate for such an arrangement, does the original poster already have the skills in operating an Eaton/Fuller Super 10-speed (manual shift version) and not the auto or smart shift version that came after them? This is the tranny that has one reverse and 5-forward gear pockets, the later requiring a manual shift between the box's low and high range in each pocket along with movement of the shift lever from pocket to pocket depending if you are shifting for an odd numbered gear to and even numbered one. Bottom line is if you don't concentrate on each shift of this particular transmission, you will get crossed up and in trouble in a hurry! The manual shifting was not as big an issue for us since we were already familiar with all of the manual trannys used in the trucking industry.