Roadschoolers

Good evening I am new to this forum. I have been homeschooling our two daughters for 4 years. We are looking into possibly selling all of our belongings and buying a truck and TT/5th Wheel to live in full time. We may not be on the road too often (vacations and/or if we got laid off and decided to move to another job), as we would be set up at a campground for my husband to go to and from work. We want to live debt free & own our home

I was wondering if there are any Roadschoolers on this Forum? Also, if you and your family are Fulltimers, did you sell your house? Will you own another sticks and bricks home or are you deciding to do RVs from here on out?

This process seems to be overwhelming because we will need to make sure the truck will have enough power to tow, that the TT/5er has enough space, is insulted for all seasons and is a reputable brand that will have the least problems. I have seem so many floor plans that would be a great fit for me and my husband as a couple, but trying to find something that would accommodate ALL of us within a decent price range is creating quite the challenge.

My parents have a 5th wheel and a diesel truck. My mother doesn't like TT because of the wind making it sway.

We were specifically interested in a 2017 Jayco Jay Flight 40BHTS. It's 40 ft long, and looks extremely tall. What type of vehicle would you recommend to haul a TT of that length, height and weight? Would its large size necessarily be a problem for campgrounds?

Gosh, sorry for all the blabbing..any help would be greatly appreciated!

Ani

Hello and Welcome to the Forum!

That is NOT babbling.  It is a newbie feeling overwhelmed.  You ask several very good questions.

First, what part of the country do you live in?  Warmer climates are much better for year round use.  The cost to heat an RV "up north" can get very high.

With RVs, you get what you pay for.  A low cost RV is built for a few weekends and maybe a week of use each year.  It will be completely worn out in a very few years of full time use.  It will be poorly insulated and hard to heat and hard to cool.

The more you spend, the better materials go into the camper (fabrics, carpet, cabinets, etc) and the more insulation they will have.

The truck is a VERY important decision.  As a general rule, and there are lots of exceptions, a ? ton truck (F150, 1500) is good for towing small to moderate size TT (bumper pull Travel Trailer).  NO FW!  (Fifth Wheel)  They do not have the payload capacity needed.

? ton (F250, 2500) can tow most TT and very small FW, up to 12,000# fully loaded. 

1 ton (F350, 3500) SRW (single Rear Wheel) are the exact same dimensions as their ? ton counterpart, but have heavier suspension and (usually) brakes.  They can handle FW up to 15,000#.  This covers about 75% of FW.

1 ton dually (DRW) is good to 20,000# and more, depending on specific make / model.

When looking, use the GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating) for all estimates.  The salesman will disagree, but nobody goes camping in an empty camper!

Look at LOTS of campers!  Do not limit yourself to one style.  As you shop, certain styles and floor plans will stand out, and will narrow the choices for you.  I suspect a bunk house will be needed.  Look at Toy Haulers, too.  This multi use room may really fit your needs.  Maybe not.

ASK LOTS OF QUESTIONS.  Note my signature.

Our son completed pre-K in June and we are going to home school him. I currently work at home and can work anywhere I have an Internet connection. We took delivery of our motorhome in June and we are starting off slow with weekend trips for a while, transitioning to week long trips in the near future. Our goal is to full-time, but we are waiting to see how things go before making a final decision. If we do end up deciding to go full-time, we will sell or rent our home, holding on to it would be a first choice. However, we will have to run the numbers and see what makes financial sense at that time.

I know I have not provided any answers here. I wanted to share our thought process as we are in the beginning stages.

A big RV does restrict your choice of campgrounds and campsites somewhat, but it is rarely a problem finding a place for it. It's much more important to have the space you feel you need to be comfortable, so don't worry over much about campsites.

For a tow vehicle, newbies tend to focus on the engine size, but that is not really the concern. It is the weight that is the key, both the total trailer weight (trailer GVWR) and the weight it places on the hitch in the back of the truck (hitch or tongue weight). Those numbers are critical. For a trailer the size you are talking about, you probably wantd a one ton (350/3500) series pick-up. The details of the truck configuration will determine its payload and towing capacity. Since its a travel trailer rather than a 5W, a 3/4 ton model (250/2500) might do it, though.

I see the 40BHTS is what is called a 'destination trailer', i.e. one intended to be moved only once in awhile, mostly moved to one place that has full hook-ups (water/electric/sewer) and left there all season. Is that what you have in mind? You mentioned "vacations" and possible travel. A destination trailer typically has small water tanks (fresh & waste), for example.  And the windows in the front aren't well suited for the rigors of highway travel either.

We have two boys, age 4 and 6 and we are thinking about buying an RV to travel in all the time.  Is there any road schools program out there that you can sign up through when you are on the road.  I know of some local ones, but I don't think we can use them if we travel all the time.  Just trying to work things out before making a decision.  If anyone has any information please let me know.  Thanks