Buying an RV, towing questions.

[SSGSAD]

I agree with Melensdad, and gunman41mag .....

 

[RichardR]

Thanks for all of the advice guys, I think I'm leaning heavily in going the Class C "motor-home" route now, instead of the tractor-trailer or goose-neck w/tow vehicle.

I was planning on once I got my RV setup in a nice spot, I was going to use my bicycle for running into town for groceries or other errands and sight-seeing & stuff, so having a detachable tow-vehicle isn't really all that high of a priority.

I'm also going to want to install some solar panels &/or a small windmill to help keep my RV's internal batteries charged up, that way I won't have to run my RV's generator as often.

I have got so much research still to do, this adventure is going to be awesome though, living totally "off-grid" as much as possible is going to be both a challenge & a lot of fun.

 

[Sailor]

Good luck keep the thread updated. You can add a 2 cycle engine to your bike for $150. May help for longer distance or when its really hot and humid.

 

[Hotdoger]

Don't sell your truck short. You stated it has the 5.7 liter engine.
Not many more available ponies than that.
Your transmission is matched to it.
You can have leaf springs added to the rear,
Add an auxiliary trans cooler if you don't already have one,
Purchase the elect. brake unit for your truck.
(u-haul will provide and install all of the above)

Based on the weight of the trailer, it's going to have 2 maybe 3 axles
just be sure your trailer purchase includes elect. brakes which
I'm sure any trailer of that weight would have.

Tell Jimmy Buffet I said "Hey"

Great post.
After doing the upgrages pulling a 16 or 18 ft. lite pull trailer will be no problem.
Adding springs is a cheap upgrade .
Waner Spring or Indianapolis Spring . I have had both of them do it.
I had "Timbrens" put on a truck .They really helped with the non towing ride if you didn't want to add spring.

Only thing I can add is for him to get a "sway bar".
( Different than a load leveling bar)

 

[Noland]

I am going to be a bit of a contrarian here. I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn last night and I don't claim to be an expert, but I work for an RV transport company and I have hauled thousands of them.

All of the advice in this thread is good but if this is a one time trip then you could get by with the 1500. What you need to move it one time is not equal to what you need to move it regularly, imo. You would definitely need a weight distributing hitch, but on a trailer that heavy you would want one on a 2500 as well.

It is not going to ride well on any truck. A 9k pound trailer is going to be more of a chore to drive than a 16k pound 5th wheel, especially on a truck with single rear wheels.

The electric trailer brakes on RVs work surprisingly well after they break in, which they will already be on a used unit. They will lock up and leave black stripes on the road if the juice is cranked up on them.

 

[RichardR]

Well after reading on here & on some other RV sites, I am going to forget about a trailer idea all-together & just get myself a Class C motor home instead.

I'm thinking Ford E350 chassis/engine, not sure of which coach builder or model that I want just yet though.

But I am leaning towards the standard 25' size, they seem like a good middle ground between livability & versatility, I am planning on looking at used ones first & seeing what sort of deals I can get on one since Class C's are a lot more expensive than travel trailers are.

 

[melensdad]

Well after reading on here & on some other RV sites, I am going to forget about a trailer idea all-together & just get myself a Class C motor home instead.

I'm thinking Ford E350 chassis/engine, not sure of which coach builder or model that I want just yet though.

I would seriously consider the Mercedes/Dodge/Freightliner "Sprinter" chassis. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[jblomenberg16]

Well after reading on here & on some other RV sites, I am going to forget about a trailer idea all-together & just get myself a Class C motor home instead.

I'm thinking Ford E350 chassis/engine, not sure of which coach builder or model that I want just yet though.

But I am leaning towards the standard 25' size, they seem like a good middle ground between livability & versatility, I am planning on looking at used ones first & seeing what sort of deals I can get on one since Class C's are a lot more expensive than travel trailers are.

Might do some reading on the E350 chassis before you buy. That chassis was of course used for a lot of Ambulances and similar vehicles. They also had some trouble with the Powerstroke engines for a few years in there.

Not knocking Fords / Powerstrokes or saying that it is a bad buy, just saying that there were a few years where that engine in the E350 had problems. It was shoe-horned into the engine compartment, and had a lot of trouble with all the heat that was retained in the engine compartment and its affect on the engine itself.

 

[45fan]

I would seriously consider the Mercedes/Dodge/Freightliner "Sprinter" chassis. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Great idea! When these chassis came out in the US, I knew a guy that used one for a delivery van. He claimed mileage that was unthinkable in a comparably sized truck/van in the Ford or GM line. I haven't seen many built on the Sprinter Chassis yet, and I am sure that they will be the newer of the used ones that you find, but might be worth looking for considering the fuel savings.

If you do change your mind again and go back to the trailer idea, my wife's grand parents pulled a 35 ft. 5th wheel to Missouri with a 95 chevy 1/2 ton 4wd. With load levelers, and common sense durability upgrades, it pulled it just fine. When I was a little kid, my grand parents pulled a 30-35 ft (as best I can remember) regular trailer to the Grand Canyon with a Buick station wagon. It wasnt anything special for the year, just a V-8 and a 400 Turbo trans.

 

[RichardR]

I would seriously consider the Mercedes/Dodge/Freightliner "Sprinter" chassis. Mercedes-Benz Sprinter - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I'll keep my eye out for one of these, they sound very interesting.

Might do some reading on the E350 chassis before you buy. That chassis was of course used for a lot of Ambulances and similar vehicles. They also had some trouble with the Powerstroke engines for a few years in there.

Not knocking Fords / Powerstrokes or saying that it is a bad buy, just saying that there were a few years where that engine in the E350 had problems. It was shoe-horned into the engine compartment, and had a lot of trouble with all the heat that was retained in the engine compartment and its affect on the engine itself.

Yea the reason I was sort of leaning towards the E350 is because there are so many of them on the road I figured finding parts would be easier & hopefully less expensive.

I wasn't aware of the power-stroke problems though, so thanks a ton for the heads-up, I'll definitely have to research that.

Great idea! When these chassis came out in the US, I knew a guy that used one for a delivery van. He claimed mileage that was unthinkable in a comparably sized truck/van in the Ford or GM line. I haven't seen many built on the Sprinter Chassis yet, and I am sure that they will be the newer of the used ones that you find, but might be worth looking for considering the fuel savings.

If you do change your mind again and go back to the trailer idea, my wife's grand parents pulled a 35 ft. 5th wheel to Missouri with a 95 chevy 1/2 ton 4wd. With load levelers, and common sense durability upgrades, it pulled it just fine. When I was a little kid, my grand parents pulled a 30-35 ft (as best I can remember) regular trailer to the Grand Canyon with a Buick station wagon. It wasnt anything special for the year, just a V-8 and a 400 Turbo trans.

Yea the Sprinter chassis has peaked my interest, those Antique Archeology guy's seem to really like their Sprinter van.

Anyway I have pretty much ruled out trying to tow a big travel trailer with my 1500, the Class C seems to me to be the best route for my particular wants/needs at this point.

I'm going RV shopping again tomorrow at a couple other places that have Class C's on their lots, hopefully I'll have a good idea of exactly what's available chassis & coach wise, about what they cost & the sort of floor plan that would suit full-time living in better than say the usual "weekend getaways" type floor plans.

I really appreciate all of the input guys, I'm getting much more comfortable/confident with the more education I get on this topic.

 

[INMIline]

Carriage RV designed a very nice travel trailer for 1/2 ton trucks. It's called a Cabo

Home :: Carriage RV - Luxury Fifth Wheels

 

[RichardR]

Carriage RV designed a very nice travel trailer for 1/2 ton trucks. It's called a Cabo

Home :: Carriage RV - Luxury Fifth Wheels

Wow the interior of that Cabo is freaking amazing! I could definitely see myself living comfortably in one of those, that's for sure.

But as nice as that Cabo is, I'm still really leaning heavily towards going in the Class C direction.