1993 Teton 5th Wheel - Is it worth buying? Are they reliable?

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stressman4

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Hi Fellow RV'ers.  Iam new to RVing and iam considering buying a 1993 Teton 40' 5th Wheel.  A friend of mine has it and is honest and upfront.  he wants $7500 for it, the inside is very clean and looks like a quality unit.  We ran all the systems and everything operates,  the AC seems a little weak for a tough Arizona climate, but we will not use in AZ summers.  The roof was re coated 1year ago.  The outside is a little weathered but reasonable condition for the age.  The tires are decent shape but i will check and pack the wheel bearings thoroughly before pulling it anywhere. I understand that with 5th wheels if the tires are less than 7 yrs old with good tread they should be OK??  I would appreciate any comments or suggestions you folks have. Anything with these Tetons I should watch out for?? I initially intend to use the unit occasionally for a few years but plan the cross country retirement trip within 5 or so years.  I will be pulling the unit with a like new 99 Dodge RAM dually with a diesel. Does it sound like a decent buy?  NADA on the unit is about 11k.

Thanks for you input!!
 
stressman4 said:
I understand that with 5th wheels if the tires are less than 7 yrs old with good tread they should be OK?? 
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You need to look at the manufacturers date. If they are 7 to 8 years old, you need to replace them. DO NOT go by what the tread looks like. Tire rubber breaks down from the inside out especially if it's just been sitting for a long time.  If they are indeed 7 years old, it will be a crap shoot as to how they will respond. If they were mine, I would replace them in the next few months. I would not take it on a long trip. If they are ST tires, do not exceed 65 MPH on these tires. I would also invest in a TPMS (tire & pressure monitoring system). Early detection of a tire loosing air pressure or overheating will save you thousands of dollars worth of RV damage from a tire blowing. 
 
The Teton was an excellent unit in its day, so if it has been care for as well as you indicate, it should be fine.

Trailer tires are harder to evaluate than motorhome tires. Useful life years are typically lower, probably because most trailer tires spend their entire life under max load conditions.  I would lean more toward 5 years than 7, especially if it has been sitting a lot. Lack of exercise is hard on a tire. But if there is no evidence of weather cracking or other symptoms, they may be ok.

Tetons are typically very heavy. Check the payload and tow ratings on that Dodge vs the Teton's GVWR and estimated pin weight. You may be in for a surprise! Figure the Teton pin weight at 20% of its GVWR.
 
When I checked NADA I came up with $5000.  If you plug in all the stuff it had standard such as awnings and air conditioners it adds them to the price even though they were part of the standard equipment list.

I also show axle weights of 10,000 pounds but on those older 5ers they often only list the weight the trailers axles will carry excluding the 20% pin weight carried by the tow vehicle. It is possible that it has a gross weight of 13000 with a 3000 pound pin weight. Not unexpected from a 40 foot unit built before the light weight revolution.

I would re-caulk the entire roof and apply afresh coat of roof sealant before I did anything. If it has never been re-roofed, (complete new roof), it may be over due, especially if that rubber roof has been in the Phoenix sun for very long.

With a trailer that age any systems it has that have  not been replaced recently are questionable. That is a lot of trailer for the money but it could also be a giant money pit. Anything over book value that you spend on it you probably will not get back when you sell.
 
This is a big problem i see with used units.    People will do a major repair that cost 2500$ on a trailer thats worth 5000$  and think its know worth 7500$. When the truth is its still only worth 5000$.
 
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