Sellin' the farm


geodejerry

New Member
I guess we're committed -- we've got a contract on the place, and expect to close in early May. Our game plan is, spend as few bucks as possible on a rig (my wife's son works for a repo outfit), preserve as much cash as we can to buy a couple of acres in some affordable (!) area in the wilds of northern Calif., and live in the RV while we build a home. Right now, we're considering a 5th wheel, probably about 28' - 30', pulled by a 3/4 or one-ton dually Diesel pickup. (Not a motorhome -- I'll need the truck to haul supplies as we build.) No more kids at home, we get along well, we've checked out 5th wheels at dealers and a show, think we know what we want. We've both camped before, though not together. QUESTION: What are we neglecting? Where are the hidden gotchas? Are we nuts?
 

Kirk

Senior Member
Sellin' the farm

Are you think of this as a fulltime RV life? If so, just how long do you expect to be in the RV? I'm not just sure what it is that you want to know. Many of us are living fulltime in an RV but not to build a house. Most of us travel at least part of the year. I'm not just sure what we can help you with?

If you return with a more specific question we could probably be of more help.
 

C Nash

Senior Member
Sellin' the farm

Jerry' I'll have to agree with Kirk on this. How long are you planning on being in the 5th wheel. 28 to 30 is kind of small to live in one place for any length of time (IMO). would recommend at least a 35 foot with slid if I was living in it. For so reason moving around seems to make a rv larger for me. Nice to just move if the grass need cutting. You should be able to pull a larger rv with the trucks you are looking at. Also would reccomend a rv that is rated for 4 season living.
 

geodejerry

New Member
Sellin' the farm

Thanks to both. We do intend to do some RVing in the future, maybe 2 to as much as 6 months per year. For now, we'll just be checking out current and past friends and family, then circulating around northern Calif to find a shack/building site we can afford. When we find something, we intend to park the RV there, live in it for (hopefully) no more than 6 months while we upgrade the shack, or build a garage, to live in while we build the _real_ house. So the RV needs to be comfortable for us for up to 6 months. We had been contemplating something with (one or more) slide-outs. We will need a kitchen with some space, we both enjoy cooking, and are trending toward a vegetarian lifestyle. Live-in guests are not much of an issue. Could we find a 35' we could haul behind a 3/4-ton?
 

Kirk

Senior Member
Sellin' the farm

quote:Could we find a 35' we could haul behind a 3/4-ton?
The answer to this is no. If you plan to tow this for travel you need to check the weight ratings of the truck first, to see just what you can tow. The truck will have a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating that it the most the truck can weigh when loaded, or including the weight put on it when the trailer is attached. It will also have a Gross Combined Weight Rating, which is the most that the truck and the trailer combined can weigh. And remember that these weight ratings mean with everything in the truck and trailer that will ever be in them while traveling.
 

OKStategradx2

New Member
Sellin' the farm

I'm new to this group and I'm not sure this discussion is still really active/pertinent.
We have a 3/4 ton Duramax and pull a 97 35 ft Carriage 5th wheel with it. The Duramax is a wonderful machine and can handle the load no problem. We have also pulled it with a 3/4 ton Cummings and it was fine. Both trucks were equipped to carry that kind of load, we checked the GVW.
 
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