New to Forum and soon new to 5th Wheeling

[holstin]

My wife and I are selling eveything this winter and going to try our luck at full timing in a fifth wheeler. I am only 40 so I expect many years of enjoyment from traveling.

I have spent many hours on the internet and at dealers looking at every model I can find. However still have numerous questions from the 5th wheeler to the travleing itself. Was wondering if any of you can give us a little advise.

To start with i am purchasing a 2008 chevy 3500 Dually for towing. I figured this would allow me to tow most 5th wheelers I would be possibly getting. We have been looking at soemthing between the 35 to 38 foot range but keep getting confused on Pin weights and total towing wieght of the truck I am getting. I have never towed any type of trailer before so hopeing its easy to catch on.

We want to travel the US and possibly spend 1 to 2 months at each location. i see around that many of you travel and stay at cheap places. How do you find those. I have become a member of the Good Sam Club and plan to purchas ethere ERS once I purchas a 5th wheeler.

can any of you recommend some things My wife and I shoudl look at before we take the plung and recret the fifth wheeler we get, or how to go about seeing this country without breaking the bank. I am not financially restrained but at the same time dont want to spend all my money at once.

Thanks
Leonard Holstin

 

[DL Rupper]

Re: New to Forum and soon new to 5th Wheeling

Hey holstin, welcome to the forum. I hope the Chevy is a diesel. I wouldn't worry too much about pin weight as a 1 ton dually will take just about any pin weight you can throw at it. However, you don't want to purchase a VERY LARGE overweight 5th Wheel either. The heavier and the longer it is, makes towing and backing into RV sites a pain. Personally I wouldn't tow a 5er that weighed OVER 15 K lbs loaded with a 1 ton. If it is any heavier than that you would be better off with a medium sized tow truck. Just my opinion.

Buy yourself a Trailer life Campground Directory to locate campgrounds in the geographical area you are traveling to. Most of them will give you a web site that you can check monthly rates. Also, check www.RVparkreviews.com to see if there are any reviews about the campground you pick. The advertisements for campgrounds are usually not very accurate, but the reviews are really to the point. A good book on Full-time RVing will come in handy. I noticed that some Wal-Marts have a book on Full-timing 101 in the RV parts dept.

We have a Good Sam membership and Passport America. Between the 2 you can usually find reasonable rates for campgrounds. Also, Forest Service, Nat'l Parks, State Parks, BLM and Army Corps of Engineers have good rates for camping. If you happen to be retired Military or DoD Civilian you can get excellent rates at Military Bases.