rv shopping...opinions please!!******UPDATE********

[Lisa L from MI]

Thanks again Firefighter....DH truck, I think, is the 1500. The 350 is the size of the engine ( I assume)..it's got a 7 ft bed and extended cab.

The trailer book says
unloaded vehicle weight..6610
dry hitch weight..950
cargo carrying capacity..2790
gross vehicle weight..9400

I think the hitch he has now is 750?? Does that sound right??? Dealer told us we need
12000 class 5 hitch
1200 bars
sway control
break control 7-way

Does the trailer seem unusually heavy to you?? I would assume they would start making them lighter for more people to buy them

 

[Disney Campers]

We will take delivery of our new trailer today, it a Wilderness Model 31g, it has bunks in the rear, a queen in the front then a superslide with the dinette and sofa. the weights you mentioned seem pretty simular to ours.


The 750 you mention are Spring Bars, your new trailer has a higher tonque weight so your old 750 bars are to light, you will need at least 1000 pound spring bars.

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[Firefighter Mickey]

I forgot to add. Congrats on your new TT purchase; $3k below a show price sounds like a decent deal!

The weight of your trailer is pretty typical for the length, especially when you add a slide out (they really add the weight).

I hate to say this, but if I'm reading my chevy guide correctly, you are just over the limit if you've got the Vortec 5300 (I cannot find anything that relates a Vortec model number to the size in CC's) for the GVWR of your trailer. If you have a smaller engine, then you are way over the trailering limits. I've been using the GVWR rather than the dry weight because if I understand correctly, GVWR more closely reflects a loaded trailer (plus the fact that you are carrying more than just a driver in the pickup) and gives you some safety room. And, if the RV sales people can be believed (they have been fairly consistant with me anyway), in that weight/length range, you should be looking at at least a 3/4 ton pickup.

Before you spend any money on changing the axle with your 1500, my suggestion would be to get the chevy trailering guide, and talk over your requirements with a good chevy salesperson who understands trailering (if such a person exists); or run this combo by the experts that hang out at IRV2.

Sorry to be a damper, but I think you really may need to examine your truck size carefully. It's really a safety issue more than anything.

[This message was edited by Firefighter Mickey on 03-06-01 at 10:20 AM.]

 

[Lisa L from MI]

Thanks....I checked out the irv2 site last night and really liked it. It was late so I didn't post but will today. I am going to show DH this thread to see what he thinks.

I will keep you posted...

 

[TinkerbellRules]

Someone mentioned that they hadn't seen smaller TT with bunks. Ours is a 25' Nomad with two bunks and is a lite (4300 lb). We looked into the fiberglass Cougars which were the same length with bunks and a dinette slide out. We just didn't want to spend that much money. They are out there. I wouldn't, personally, want to tow a larger TT. Ours is long enough (to tow, I mean).

Which Indiana dealer are you dealing with? (I'm from Indiana)

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[Lisa L from MI]

Tinkerbell....We looked at 2 shows and on the lots. We wanted the "superslide" that both the dinette and couch area slides out. That we couldn't find under 29. Although, I think the Sunline had one but that was WAY above our budget!! MSRP somewhere 22-23,000 or so and I really didn't like the set up that much (think that was a 27 ft)

We ended up with Elkhart Indiana...haven't decided to pick it up or have it delivered yet.

 

[TinkerbellRules]

Good luck! Elkart does make a lot of campers. My uncles used to have a camper sales and service business and that's where they got most of them.

________________________
In memory of Dale Earnhardt, Sr....
________________________

Been there, done that, going back!

Check my site: http://www.geocities.com/tinkerbellwdw2000/

Off-site 87, 88
All Star Music 97
All Star Music 98
All Star Movies 99
Ft Wilderness Oct 00
BWV/WLV Oct 01

 

[Camping Griswalds]

I've read on that rv site that you should expect to pay 70 % of MSRP. Apparantely dealers pay 60--65 % of MSRP, and by you paying 70 % everyone should be happy. Watch out for those hidden costs...destination charges of 300-700 we've seen, also final dealer detailing 250-500. Come on!!!How much detailing does a brand new camper really cost. I am assuming these costs are negotiable as well because they are usually add ons after the MSRP.

Also has anyone thought of just purchasing a CLASS A?? We've seen some great ones, and using that 70 % idea, could get one, a nice one for 50 K. I know that sounds like a lot, but we have a 25 K truck and are looking at campers for 20--25K. It's definatley worth looking at . We were leaning towards a Class C, but price and size we could be into a base Class A for a little more, and there is no size comparrison. Any thoughts on this???

 

[Lisa L from MI]

I am very happy with the price we got for our Jayco...17200...and almost every option included!!
That's out the door price. Here in MI, a show price was 20,000 with the same options. The only downfall is we bought it from IN...so either take a 4-5 hour drive to pick it up or pay approx 270.00 and have it delivered to my house. We are leaning towards having it delivered

 

[Firefighter Mickey]

I've had a lot of difficulty in getting MSRP's from some dealers. However, it's been my observation that show prices typically run 20-22% below MSRP. Also I'm pretty sure that 30%-35% below MSRP is considered an excellent deal, where 20% to 25% off MSRP is considered a good deal.

We've currently got a class A, and besides the fact that it's too small for us, we would have to tow a car behind it for movement around an area where we set up camp (I'm tired of having to tear down camp to see the surrounding area). We looked at possibly purchasing a couple of motorcycles and a trailer, but then when we started adding up all the costs, a bigger truck plus a 5er looked like the better way to go. Plus, we have the truck to get around in once the 5er is parked. This meant I only have 2 autos to maintain (instead of 3), pay taxes on and insure.

Those were some of the things we looked at - the list will probably be different for others.

Lisa, I think you should pick it up. First, they'll usually go over the entire thing with you to make sure you know how it operates. Second, after that drive, it may help your husband in his decision on whether to get a new truck.

 

[Camping Griswalds]

I know lots of people talk about unhooking to drive around if they have a class C or A and no tow vehicle, but I just don't know how necessary that is. I guess if you plan on staying in one spot for a long time that is a big consideration, we like staying in one spot for a week, sometimes maybe two so I doubt we'd need to un hook much, but we may not have enough true camping experience to really know one way or the other. It seems like when we go places we unhook and our vehicle sits there until its time to go. Exception was our Disney trip when we left for Seaworld one day, and IOA for one day.


We looked at lots of 5th weels, and to be honest my husband who is 6-3" can't stand up fully in any of the bed rooms. Not exactly a comfortable arrangement. Afraid to think what it would sound like if he got up in the middle of the night and forgot the low clearance...ouch!!! We have a 4 door crew cab with an 8 foot bed with a one ton susspension, its also 4 wheel drive, we've always been told we could basically pull anything, but reading all of this site makes me wonder. I'll definately research that if we decide the TT route!!

[This message was edited by Camping Griswalds on 03-07-01 at 11:40 PM.]

 

[TinkerbellRules]

Be careful when they tell you "it can haul anything out there." We were basically told this about our former F150 4x4 Supercab! Everything that made it cool (short bed, 4x4, off road pkg - even supposedly the right axle rating!) substracted from the towability of the truck! And that was from the Ford dealer! Like someone suggested, look very closely into it before you purchase. I guess you just can't trust too many salepeople

I also like the suggestion of driving down to Indiana (hey, we're not that bad ) since they will go over everything with you (how to hookup, discuss features, etc). Plus he needs to get used to towing such a long trailer We looked at Jaycos when we first started looking. Our neighbor got a 30' for around $15,000, I think. I can't remember. Theirs did not have a slide out, but triple bunks and all the amenities.

________________________
In memory of Dale Earnhardt, Sr....
________________________

Been there, done that, going back!

Check my site: http://www.geocities.com/tinkerbellwdw2000/

Off-site 87, 88
All Star Music 97
All Star Music 98
All Star Movies 99
Ft Wilderness Oct 00
BWV/WLV Oct 01

 

[Firefighter Mickey]

Class A, C, TT or 5er really depends.

What we were finding with our Class A, is that we would go to an area, say Mount Rushmore, park at the KOA and then had no reasonable way to get around to see the attractions unless we unhooked and drove the RV. Same deal at Royal Gorge in Colorado. Unhooking meant having to secure everything in the RV again for driving along with the usual stuff of disconnecting power, water and sewer. This gets to be pretty old after not too long - especially if you get back after dark, which makes hooking things back up, getting stuff leveled, etc. a real challenge sometimes.

I expect it would be different if we went to some of these camping resorts (like FW/WDW ), where we basically stayed at the resort most of the time. but usually we like to go to an area, set up a base camp and then do day trips out from that to see the sights. And even at FW we found it very nice to have a car to hop over to IOA one day; get out and grocery shop, etc.

As far as the bedroom height on a 5er goes; I think this is something people would get used to - we don't like the low profile models, but the medium or high profiles are fine (and we can't stand up in any of them either). Also, there are models which put the MBR in the rear and a couch up front - the Prowler 31 5R is one example, and I'm sure there are others. But again, it's a preference thing.

 

[HuckFinn]

I think the 350 you are referring to is a 350 cubic inch engine, now more commonly called a 5.7 liter engine. It's a great engine that GM has used in one form or another for about fifty years. It's GM's medium-sized V8, great for small trailers but not necessarily good for heavier ones. The 373 you mention is the gear ratio of the rear end. The lower the number, the better your normal gas mileage, but the less power you have for towing. It sounds like you have the economy rear end in your 94, which was the correct rear end to select when you did not know you would some day have a heavy trailer.

My personal experience involves owning an 87 half ton (1500) Suburban with a 5.7L engine and 3.43 rear end. It ran with reasonable economy and towed our 1200 lb. pop-up as if it weren't even there (much better than our Dodge Caravan). The trouble started when we bought a 32 foot, 6000 lb. travel trailer. The RV salesman assured us that the Suburban would tow with no problems. Only later did I find out that the 5.7L/343 configuration was rated at 6000 pounds maximum. Most experienced trailer people will tell you to stay below 75% of the towing maximum. The whole time I towed with the Suburban I had to limit our trips to flat terrain. I found that I could not exceed about 57 mph without overheating. I looked into changing to a 373 rear end to increase my capacity, but it would have cost about $1000 to do so. Eventually, I traded in on a one-ton dually with a 454 cubic inch (7.4L) enginge and a 4.10 rear end. The towing capacity was 10,000 pounds and it worked great. The problem with this truck was that it got 13 mpg with no trailer, and rode so hard that it kept shaking the running boards off.

In summary, don't listen to a salesman, they'll tell you anything to make a sale. You are facing a classic RVing problem, choosing between a comfortable camper that might be difficult(and unsafe)to tow, or a smaller camper that might not be as comfortable as you would like.

 

[TinkerbellRules]

Huckfinn: When you stated the 75% rule (never heard of it - Thanks!), does that mean the trailer should be 75% of your towing capacity or of the gross weight? We have a CHV custom van (1500, I think) and it can tow 6000-6200lbs (?). The TT weighs 4300lbs so we're are withing that limit. You wouldn't believe the salespeople who said we could tow more than our TT! We didn't want to push it. We had trouble in the summer towing to FL. The check engine light keep coming on and found it was the oxygen sensor. We replaced it and it came on again! It really didn't like the added weight with the hot temps. No problem to WDW in Oct and we're towing again to Santa Rosa BEach (panhandle) in a few weeks.

________________________
In memory of Dale Earnhardt, Sr....
________________________

Been there, done that, going back!

Check my site: http://www.geocities.com/tinkerbellwdw2000/

Off-site 87, 88
All Star Music 97
All Star Music 98
All Star Movies 99
Ft Wilderness Oct 00
BWV/WLV Oct 01

 

[HuckFinn]

The 75% is a rough, rule-of-thumb number to use when shopping for a vehicle. I have even heard some people say they won't go above 60%. It applies to the towing capacity. The problem with going right to the towing capacity limit is that you may significantly exceed the gross weight rating of the tow vehicle, which includes the vehicle itself, everything (and everyone) you put in it, the trailer, and everything you put in the trailer. Sometimes customized vans are heavier than the literature says. Trailer manufacturers often don't include options, even air conditioning, in the advertised weight. Also, you should consider the shape of the trailer in conjuction with the tow vehicle. Air turbulence between a pickup truck and a travel trailer is effectively like extra weight