We paid cash for our 7.3, 9K in 2009. I would rather pay cash , I prefer to not have a note for anything but there are times when they serve a purpose.

A truck for us is our only vehicle - its our work horse, our puller and our daily driver. So the investment is three fold. Reliability is more weighted during a buy, and overall continuing maintence is 2nd most important consideration.

OK great. All very good information. Thank you all. lots to look at/learn from here. i will get an album up shortly then of the new 5vr. thanks again.

 

Ok I got an album together of the new coach. There are a few duplicates in there but I cant figure out how to remove them. Some shots of the issues I have posted on here. No shots of the valve issue its self explanatory so we will skip that. Thanks

 

Looks like a great rig. Just a little tlc will go a long way.

 

A little late to the game! But I'll throw my 0.02 in on the trailer problems.

The axles are NOT flipped, but were raised. You can lower it back down by using the upper holes in the spring hangers. However, you may want to waiting doing this IF you are looking at a NEWER truck. The bed's on the newer ones sit higher, and you MAY need the height for bed clearance. Also, IF you flip them, you may not have enough clearance between the tire and the trailer. (up & down)

Movement in the trailer. Because you have shocks on the trailer, you will feel more movement in the trailer. Start by using wheel choks in between the tires. Either Roto choks or a Bal's. Homemade 4x4's (cut at the proper angle) with a threaded rod if you are in a tight budget.

Next, You can try putting jack / stabilizers closer to the wheels. Front & back.

Next, bi or tri pod are NOT designed to handle the WHOLE pin weight. They are stabilizers, not jacks. Also try changing your bi-pod to left / right vs front to back.

Note: The BEST solution I have found was a set of J.T. Stabilizers bars, on all four corners with the Roto Choks! No more tri-pod's or other jacks needed. 95% of my movement is gone!

The one rear staybilzer does look bent. but not that bad. They probable hit it on a driveway pulling in / out. Also, you want the rear stabilizers to look more like <> rather than straight up and down. Use a couple of 6x6 pinned together, rather then one heavy brick.

Front Landing gear. If the channel is bent at the bottom, just cut a inch or two off the leg, and mount the new pads.

Brakes. If the trailer was sitting. The brakes drums may have rusted up. Pull them off and clean them or resurface them.

 

Another thing I noticed in your pics is that the spring shackle pins are not greaseable so they more than likely have plastic bushings. For under a C note you can install greaseable shackle pins with bronze bushings. I just did that on my trailer. Probably a 1/3rd of the plastic bushings were worn thru. If the suspension moans and groans when going slow thats a sign. Figure a days labor at a leisurely pace and you have plenty of time left over for a few cold ones.

 

pjcinmi

OK. Here is what we ordered two days ago to do stabilization.

Amazon.com: RV Stabilizer System for 5th Wheels and Camper Trailers: Sports & Outdoors

I installed manual sewer valves this am.

we should wait to do any mod’s on the height, i think you have a good suggestion with that. We will buy a newer Version of F350, and I dont know where they currently sit as far as heights go. SO that being an unknown, yeah I think waiting to move anything under the carriage is key to not over/under estimating tow height. Right now its too high but our truck is 20 Years old, so its 1996 5vr mates were not as big as equal 5vr’s in 2004…or later

We are shopping the wheel chocks right now. Roto’s seem decent.

I had bricks under the scissors to begin with but was not getting any results really, I will put those back up and combined with the new stabalization system see if that helps any.

I did not know the scissors were only levelers, I appreciate that.

OK I will look into the rest of the observations you guys have seen as well.

Thank you all !!! Cheers!

 

That's a similar system to the JT's
JTRV.COM

I just looked up the Roto Choks. It seems they when out of business in 2014. You want something to go between the wheels like this.
X-Chock Tire Locking Chock, 2-Pack - BAL 28012 - Chocks & Levelers - Camping World

Note: The plastic ones don't really work, and tend to break.

Paul

 

Paul,

Yeah I saw the plastic ones at walmart, going metal variety is the better dollar spent I think.
Which of the two XChock/ BAL do you think are the better quality? I only want to buy it once if I can help it.

 

10-15% Are you buying that on a Discover card or what?

 

I use these and they work well.

 

Not sure what that means.

What I am saying is

Buying a used vehicle encurres an APR penalty from the gate. The further back one goes in years the more the APR penalty is applied to the note, no matter the credit profile is A+++ or not, its the vehicle that offends the underwriter not nessesarily the applicant.
There are underwriters out there that might write the note for less for a used vehicle but then you have to make sure there is not a balloon payment at the end of the note written into the fine print to make up for their risk.

Used Loans at Sub Prime Loan rates are as high as 29.99%. Used at Good credit rates can be 10-15% on a used vehicle loan. New .1%-5%.

Example:
Used Loan - 8 year old truck @ Payoff Age of vehicle is 14 years old
2008 F350 @ 35K @ 15% APR @ 72 Mo = 740.08 $ MO
Final Payoff :
APR -18,285.43
Principal - 35,000 Total Paid=53,285.43

New Loan - 0 year old truck @ Payoff Age of vehicle is 6 years old
2015 F350 @ 50K @ .1% APR @ 72 Mo = 696.56
Final Payoff :
APR - 152.23
Principal - 50,000 Total Paid = 50,152.23


I am saying I just dont see how it pays to buy used because it goes on the backend anyway. I had not done the math before this post I had just done it in my head and really on paper it looks like you actually pay less overall buying new-and retain a warranty.

I have never bought a new vehicle, but I am at a point in life where I dont want the major repair bills that come with used vehicles and to be on the hook for the payments as well.

I bought a 1991 Ford Exploder in 1999 for 8K @ 27.99% APR. My payoff was going to be 15K or so. I was 23YO then, and had no credit I had no parents to help me with that stuff and on my own living in Phoenix AZ. I worked in Beverage made decent money. But does not matter if you have no credit profile.

My payments were 310MO @ 36 Mo @ 200$ Mo Insurance. In 1 years time It broke down 5 times and caught fire twice. Wrote Note 3/31/1999

Sept 1999 First fire- was an ignition fire it started fire when I turned the key. That was quickly put out because I was at a friends house and right across from the fire department. Insurance said not more than 1K deductible worth of damage so they denied payment for that. So I paid for the repairs (just under 1K).

November 1999 Second fire- occured while I was driving up I5 Heading to Chico Ca over the Grapevine outside Bakersfield. Fire suddenly burst out of the hood on each side of the vehicle.
I pulled over grabbed my video camera and got out of the vehicle and called hiway patrol/insurance company (allstate) at the callbox
Insurance towed me into BF and I rented a motel for 4 days while it was in a shop in town. God aweful motel.
At the end of all this insurance said they got out of paying for it, when initially they said it was covered.
It was covered and I was stupid and 23 YO and didnt know that they were responsible to pay it off under comp/collsion. I had to pay to take a bus home. F Greyhound. Still make the payment, still pay the insurance and hitchhike to work and back everyday.

I have not paid on time for a vehicle since then. I have PIF cash ever since. But I cant PIF cash for a 35K used truck.

We paid for our current truck cash in 2009, and in the past 6 years we have put 11K into it for various things and now it is 19 YO and needs to be retired to just pulling our 24 Foot 5Vr from here on out.

I am just saying that the Price is nearly the same at the end of the day even accounting for APR differences 10-15% for used vehicle loan rates as it is to buy new.

 

I'm saying only somebody fresh out of bankruptcy would pay that kind of interest rates for an auto loan. Under 5% should be easy to get

 

Awesom, Those look like they would be Effective. Thank you Cheers!!

 

Man, maybe I've just been lucky, but buying used I have never paid close to the kind of interest rates noted. Under 5% all the time.

Steve

 

Your FICO has a LOT to do with interest rates.