newbie


bcole

New Member
Hi All
I'm new to RVing and would like some advice. I have a new Toyota Tundra and towing a 29' Copper Canyon. The only real experience I have is towing a 20' pontoon boat. Any advice from anyone on going up and down steep hills?
 

Daily Double

New Member
RE: newbie

You need to get a brake controller asap. It won't help going up but it'll sure make going down a little less hair raising!!!
 

LEN

Senior Member
Re: newbie

Son just put on a set of air bags for his 5th wheel and he says they do a nice job and he can raise or lower pressure as needed from the cab. And if you don't have the brakes wired in yet don't even think about going down hill. Also good rule is aways start SLOW from the top as its easy to speed up but slowing can be a challenge. Watch the engine temp and if it starts to climb drop a gear and slow a bit to cool better.

LEN

LEN
 

brenboy

New Member
Re: newbie

Hi: We are losing our beautiful 3 BR/3BA home in La Jolla, a very rich community in San Diego, and losing the two condos we've been renting. We got some bad advice from a financial planner who said we really needed to use the equity in our home and buy a second condo--almost immediately after the purchase the market started to nose-dive, and now we are way over extended, and the market is dropping like a rock. Each condo has lost over $100,000 value, and they are negative amortization. We screwed up big time. We are looking in to getting a really nice 5th Wheel to live in at a couple of nice campgrounds here in San Diego. We have a friend (husband & wife & 2 little kids) and they thought the market was about to crash, so two years ago they sold their condo banked the money and started full timing in a 5th Wheel, which they've been doing for over two years now, saving a lot of money every month. Now that the real estate market has hit near bottom, they're looking to buy another home which will be must cheaper than two years ago. They were very smart. If we move into a 5th Wheel or Toy Hauler full time, we'll also start saving a lot of money, and could save a lot. I want any thoughts and advice and suggestions from others who can tell us what we're getting ourselves into, what we should be aware of, and what things would be best to consider so the transition is smoother. I'm pretty well set on a model that has the extra half bath, and after reading an RV magazine, realize I need a converter or something so I can watch TV without running the generator. Please help with any thoughts. I appreciate any input. Mark.
 

hertig

Senior Member
Re: newbie

Some fifth wheels are 'designed' for full time living and others are not (some even void your warrantee if you stay in them more than 'x' months per year). Toy Haulers seem to be primarily aimed at 'weekend warriors', so I don't know if any are suitable for full time usage.

Note that if you think real estate loses money, wait till you see the depreciation on a RV...

Nearly every RV has a 'converter'. This converts 110 volts AC to 12 volts DC to power the DC circuitry in the RV and charge the batteries. You will need a 110 hookup to make it work. An 'inverter' converts 12v DC to 110V AC, so this is perhaps what you are talking about. Of course, you will still need a 110 volt hookup or a generator to charge the batteries to power the inverter.
 
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