Blow-outs can, indeed, be nasty. I have worked on some where I have had to replace the entire copper propane lines to every appliance because they ran over the top of a tire that blew. When it unraveled, it caught the lines and ripped them to pieces.

Steve

 

And after you buy it, take them cheezie tires off that come with it and go buy yourself the highest "E" rated tires you can fined no matter how much of an over-kill (by the numbers) they seem to be. A good E rated tire with a max psi. of 80 lbs and NO speed rating is the only way to go IMHO.

As RV-tech is explaining. It isn't the blowout that is expensive, it is the gas lines, sewer lines, fender, and structure that the flopping tire destroys until you see it in your mirror or can get to an exit.

 

Frank: My second lesson, those washers are great for one shirt and a pair of skivvies. Only thing they are good for is if you get real cozy with the little woman when it goes into the spin cycle.

 

I just sold a 29' travel trailer and purchased a 37' 2006 Paradise Pointe 5th wheel, I have only pulled it from Dallas to San Antonio about 300 miles, but I love the way it pulls and handles much better than the travel trailer. My old TT weight was 6800# the 5th wheel is at 10500 empty, but it pulls better. Tomarrow morning we will be leaving for Newport Tennessee to RRE. Its about a 2400 mile trip ( roundtrip ) so I will get back to you in a couple of weeks to give you the full story. My vote now is for a 5th wheel, we will see.

 

I tow a 31' Prowler with slide out. It is our second trailer. The first was 25' with a small slide out. We updated at about the 2 year mark. I also use a Hensley Hitch. It is a mechanical hitch that makes my trailer act just like a 5ver. I can honestly say I would never tow a big trailer without one. Anyone who wants to keep their bed for storage and is pulling a bigger TT should have one. The plan is to put our Goldwing with sidecar in the bed but I have to work out a platform thing first.
By the way, I have learned that my trailer is now an "orphan" that is that the manufacturer has gone out of business. I do hear that Fleetwood, the parent company is still standing behind their trailers. And yes, go to some shows so you can see the variety and please note that at these shows you can get some great discounts and savings.

 

I currently have a 36' Laredo 5er, I have owned it for 5 years and I love it. I towed about 100 bumper pull FEMA units after Katrina, all over LA, and I looked in every one of them. The first FEMA units were trailers that were bought from dealers across the southeast, all name brands with different levels of comfort. I knew after towing and looking at those that I wanted a 5er.
The best advice I can give you is the cereal box, and garbage can test.

Cereal box test- (only applicable if you have kids(or a wife) under 5 feet) can your kids reach a cereal box and get their own breakfast without having to wake mom and dad if they get up early?

garbage can test- Is there a closed compartment to put your garbage can in, or will it sit out in the middle of your living room/ kitchen? Floor space is a premium in a camper, and the more you can get out of the way the happier you will be.

Last but not least, If your new camper comes with a cheap metal spring mattress, get rid of it and buy a nice pillow top queen size mattress for yor bed, your back will thank you.

 

Another thing that works great is the PVC gutters that lowes and HD carry. Plus they are square and don't roll.

DUDE! I wish I knew that. I have been looking for a trailer for awhile (couple months). I live in JC, Tn. Most dealers in this area must have thought they were too good for me. They wouldn't call back, I got ignored in the show room and just got fed up with it all.

Anyway I now own a Forest River 5'er It is overall 41' long. It is called the 35Loft by sandpiper.

This is my second camper. I will say go as big as you can afford. This is a $50,000+ plus trailer and I got it for about $15,000 less than that. Go checkout RVWholesalers dot com.
They are by far the cheapest and best place to buy a camper IMO.

I really like your two tests. And that is no joke about the garbage can test. My last trailer was a Forest River 36' 5'er and luckily it had a spot in the floor under the fridge beside the steps for a can. My new one has room under the sink and I can't tell you how nice it is to have that can put away. It keeps the dog out of it and is not unsightly.

Seriously if you want a camper check out that site I mentioned. You can even custom build one to your likings. I did. Mine is a 2011 model. took about 6 weeks till I had it from when I ordered it.



Another thing that the OP hasn'y mentioned is family. If you have kids think about their space. If there are no kids or they are on their way out of the house then maybe you want one with a larger living room and fireplace instead of the bunk beds. The 35Loft I got has an upper loft area that the kids can play/sleep in also it has another living area under it with a comfortable fold out sofa and another fold out sofa in the main living area. This is a great design for small kids. Other designs have two sets of bunk beds for the larger falilies. The 35QBQ from sandpiper has the bunk beds.


Good luck

 

I second this one. Those cheap mattresses that come with most RV's don't even deserve to be called a mattress.
It was one of our first upgrades, too.

Thanks for the tip, I'll go check that out.

 

Dan,
I bought something similiar at Camping world. It is more square like the gutter idea and has another length that slides into it. So in essence it is 6' long but can extend to about ≈11'.

Here is a similiar one:
BluelineTM Hose Support & Protector - Item - Camping World

I usually sit mine on top of this:
Aluminum Folding Sewer Hose Support - Item - Camping World

 

I had something similar to your extending hose drain support, but it was too shallow to do any good.
The experience that I gained using that waste of time and money is what gave me the idea of cutting the ABS pipe in half.
I didn't realize that someone actually gave it some thought and made something that works now!
I'll go check that out this weekend, I'll be passing right by the Tacoma Camping World.
Thanks for those links.
The aluminum support is nice.

 

The estending support holds the hose just fine. It snaps down into it so if it falls over it still doesn't come out. Also it has velcro that will hold it in real good if necessary.

 

we have a 36ft trailer now bnut looked at a lot of 5th wheels before buying. i didnt really find a 5th wheel that had the floorplan that fit what we were looking for. we have three kids and usually take more than that with us so sleeping space was a priority for us. we also wanted floor space and a smart layout for the dining room and kitchen. the 5th wheels that had bunkhouse didnt have a smart layout (for us) so we opted for the one we got. we can sleep 6 without having to use the dinette and couch in the living room....10 adults if we have to. ours also has a good amount of outside storage for a travel trailer. i can fit more outside than my parents can in their 30ft 5th wheel.

But if it were just me and the wife...(maybe one kid) then a 5th wheel would be my choice. ease of pulling, usually more outside storage, easier to back up and park, better turning, etc.

although i have gotten pretty good at backing up the 36' beast....(add to that the CrewCab Long Bed and i am around 60 ft long) it is still a headache sometimes and you have to be choozy with your camping spots. not just because of the size but also the slope getting in it and out of it. the bumper will drag on a moderate slope....

also getting it in your driveway is another consideration. i have to be careful with mine and depending on how its loaded will have to put boards under my truck tires to get the tongue up enough to get in the driveway.

 

I don't know if it's the direction you would be interested in taking, but here in Texas used "toys" are a dime a dozen. I see travel trailers and fifth wheels that pretty much look like they just rolled off the lot for awfully cheap. I assume Florida would be about the same.? It's definitely a buyers market, if you've got the $$.

 

We just bought a 2001 crew cab dually long box 7.3 to tow our camper that is being shipped to us next week (2011 Sundance Sd3300CK - its 37' long)


Since I am new to these trucks and the rv, we will be using it to go across country 2 times a year.

I noticed our truck had, 1,2 OD, so we leave it in OD to need to manually change the shifter when we are on hills?

Idling, is it better for the 7.3s to idle when sitting about 5-10 minutes or better for them to be shut off?

Thanks

 

Leave the trans in OD unless the trans starts shifting back and forth from 3rd to OD. On the hills, the trans will down shift if it needs to. I idle my truck as long as I want to with no problems.