When we bought our first 5th wheel, we had a 2006 Dodge Ram 2500 with a goose neck hitch. The trailer had a 5th wheel hitch so we had to add an adapter so we could tow it. At the time we had a smaller trailer and it pulled it fine. After we bought our present trailer we took a trip to Arkansas. It was not long before we realized that no matter what the manual said, this trailer was too big for the truck.
It broke my husband’s heart when I told him he had to find a new truck, (spoken sarcastically). He had to find one with a transmission that would handle the trailer in the mountains. With a big smile on his face he began the search. He had a list of what he wanted and an amount of what he could pay. The two lists were not compatible. So once again, compromise time.
He wanted the new 2010 Dodge Ram 3500 dually, but would settle for a newer Dodge with a better transmission. He wanted leather seats, an IPOD plug, a 5th wheel hitch, bed liner and chrome steps . What he got was a 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 dually. It has a 6.7 liter diesel engine with an upgraded transmission that comes with the bigger engine. The seats are cloth but he got the IPOD plug. He wanted a 5th wheel hitch but it came with a gooseneck ball.
We bought the truck and it pulls the mountains fine and my husband is pretty happy with it. He still wants that 2010 and looks longingly at all that we pass. He is very excited about the new fender shape.
The bed liner was an easy fix. Nelson searched and found a used one on Craigslist at a reasonable price.
The gooseneck hitch was something Nelson really wanted to change and he had begun looking into finding a 5th wheel hitch. We had the trailer at Wades RV in Sapulpa, OK doing some repairs, which I will tell about on another blog, When Nelson went to pick it up he was talking about it to Wade and discovered that a 5th wheel hitch exists that slides into the spot where the gooseneck ball comes out of. Not only that, but Wade just happened to have a used one there that he sold to us at a fifty percent of the new price. It is a B&W gooseneck and we bought the B&W companion 5th wheel hitch.
Nelson is happy with his truck now, although he never fails to mention that he needs the chrome rails. They will just have to wait, maybe till he gets a new truck, which will be after I get a new car. J
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
About our 5th wheel
We are living in is a 2005 Presidential 5th wheel by Holiday Rambler. It is 38 foot long with 3 slides. We looked at a large number of 5th wheels, both new and used, before making the decision to purchase this one.
Finding the floor plan that both of us could live with was accomplished with some compromise on both sides. Nelsons most important feature was having a split bathroom so he would have more room to shave and not trip over the toilet getting out of the shower. I really wanted a space for a washer and dryer, a large kitchen, 4 door refrigerator freezer, and last but not least, to be able to see the TV while cooking. We did find an RV that had everything but it was new and we had decided to buy a used one first. So the compromising began. Nelson got his bathroom and I got the refrigerator and washer and dryer space. The kitchen is smaller than I wanted, but I can live with it. The TV is on a stand and we have discovered, yesterday, that I can pull it out and see it from the kitchen.
The RV also has some other features which are great. The bedroom is in the front and has two doors that close it off. One thing I really like is the extra large bedroom slide which gives us more floor space and closet space. It also has a king size bed. We don’t have a king size mattress yet, but are working on that. At this time we have a queen size mattress on the king size frame.
The bathroom is split, meaning the toilet is a room alone and the shower is between the living quarters and the bedroom. It can be closed off from both rooms with doors. This was important for me since I work nights and my husband can use the shower or bathroom during the day without disturbing my sleep.
Our living area has 2 large slides. One slide contains the double sink, 3 burner stove, convection oven/microwave combo, and a four door refrigerator freezer, all the kitchen cabinets and the TV. The other slide holds two recliners and the dinette table. There is a sleeper sofa in the rear of the 5th wheel and we have added four tv trays on a stand to add extra tables when we have guests.
I went through my kitchen and came up with the items that I really wanted in the RV and brought them all out. With a lot of arranging and rearranging, I have made it all fit. There are covers on the sinks and the stove which extend the counter space. This has come in very handy when both us are cooking or while preparing vegetables.
Finding the floor plan that both of us could live with was accomplished with some compromise on both sides. Nelsons most important feature was having a split bathroom so he would have more room to shave and not trip over the toilet getting out of the shower. I really wanted a space for a washer and dryer, a large kitchen, 4 door refrigerator freezer, and last but not least, to be able to see the TV while cooking. We did find an RV that had everything but it was new and we had decided to buy a used one first. So the compromising began. Nelson got his bathroom and I got the refrigerator and washer and dryer space. The kitchen is smaller than I wanted, but I can live with it. The TV is on a stand and we have discovered, yesterday, that I can pull it out and see it from the kitchen.
The RV also has some other features which are great. The bedroom is in the front and has two doors that close it off. One thing I really like is the extra large bedroom slide which gives us more floor space and closet space. It also has a king size bed. We don’t have a king size mattress yet, but are working on that. At this time we have a queen size mattress on the king size frame.
The bathroom is split, meaning the toilet is a room alone and the shower is between the living quarters and the bedroom. It can be closed off from both rooms with doors. This was important for me since I work nights and my husband can use the shower or bathroom during the day without disturbing my sleep.
Our living area has 2 large slides. One slide contains the double sink, 3 burner stove, convection oven/microwave combo, and a four door refrigerator freezer, all the kitchen cabinets and the TV. The other slide holds two recliners and the dinette table. There is a sleeper sofa in the rear of the 5th wheel and we have added four tv trays on a stand to add extra tables when we have guests.
I went through my kitchen and came up with the items that I really wanted in the RV and brought them all out. With a lot of arranging and rearranging, I have made it all fit. There are covers on the sinks and the stove which extend the counter space. This has come in very handy when both us are cooking or while preparing vegetables.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The beginning
The kids are grown and moved out and our youngest daughter is now married. I am a nurse and my husband is going back to college. He was a truck driver in his previous career. This is the time for us to enjoy life and start seeing America. We bought our first 5th wheel about 18 months ago. We had bad luck with it and traded up to a newer larger one. One week ago we moved into our 5th wheel.
Our first trip since moving in was to go visit my sister in Arkansas. We left out and spent our first night in a beautiful state park. Dardenelle state park near Russellville, AR. We only stayed overnight but will return again. The park was clean, had an awesome welcome center with aquariums.
The next day we went up to my sisters, who lives in the middle of nowhere. They have full hookups for us, electric, water, and sewer. Everything went well, then, it snowed and temperatures dropped below freezing. The water line was frozen, the sewer line was frozen and our fresh water tank was empty. We do have a four season coach so the underbelly lines stayed usable since we had our heaters on. A few days later we were ready to leave and could not make it up the hill out of their driveway. A set of borrowed snow chains solved the problem. Snow chains are now on the list of what we need to purchase.
At this point the research started, how to live full time in an rv in cold weather. We found information on wrapping the fresh water line with heat tape and plugging in and putting insulation over the top. Sounded like a alot of work but we were going to do it. Then we walked into an RV store just to look around and found a heated water hose. It is all done for you!!! It was not cheap, about $100 for 25 foot, but we felt well worth it. We bought the hose and hooked it up, so far working great! The hose is Pirit PWL-02-25 water line 25-foot heated water hose. I looked it up on amazon.com and found it there for $84.39
To deal with the sewer, we leave the holding tanks closed and when the temperature reaches above freezing during the day we empty out to keep the sewer line from freezing. Always dump the black water first then the gray water to flush the line.
We made it back to Tulsa and moved into a park overlooking the Arkansas river. Our view is a little obscured, did not get the site we wanted. This park is still new and being built. We are dealing with mud for now but hope it will get better soon.
We did laundry today. The first time I have been at a laundry mat in several years. I miss my own washer and dryer. We have the space in the RV, just have not purchased them yet. One more item to add to the list.
Our first trip since moving in was to go visit my sister in Arkansas. We left out and spent our first night in a beautiful state park. Dardenelle state park near Russellville, AR. We only stayed overnight but will return again. The park was clean, had an awesome welcome center with aquariums.
The next day we went up to my sisters, who lives in the middle of nowhere. They have full hookups for us, electric, water, and sewer. Everything went well, then, it snowed and temperatures dropped below freezing. The water line was frozen, the sewer line was frozen and our fresh water tank was empty. We do have a four season coach so the underbelly lines stayed usable since we had our heaters on. A few days later we were ready to leave and could not make it up the hill out of their driveway. A set of borrowed snow chains solved the problem. Snow chains are now on the list of what we need to purchase.
At this point the research started, how to live full time in an rv in cold weather. We found information on wrapping the fresh water line with heat tape and plugging in and putting insulation over the top. Sounded like a alot of work but we were going to do it. Then we walked into an RV store just to look around and found a heated water hose. It is all done for you!!! It was not cheap, about $100 for 25 foot, but we felt well worth it. We bought the hose and hooked it up, so far working great! The hose is Pirit PWL-02-25 water line 25-foot heated water hose. I looked it up on amazon.com and found it there for $84.39
To deal with the sewer, we leave the holding tanks closed and when the temperature reaches above freezing during the day we empty out to keep the sewer line from freezing. Always dump the black water first then the gray water to flush the line.
We made it back to Tulsa and moved into a park overlooking the Arkansas river. Our view is a little obscured, did not get the site we wanted. This park is still new and being built. We are dealing with mud for now but hope it will get better soon.
We did laundry today. The first time I have been at a laundry mat in several years. I miss my own washer and dryer. We have the space in the RV, just have not purchased them yet. One more item to add to the list.
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