Looking to Buy Our First RV

[woods4us]

My wife and I are looking for our first RV.  This is something that we?ve thought about for years and are ready to take the plunge.  This is something that we intend to use for short weekend trips and the occasional one to two annual trips out west.  Occupants would include the both of us and a couple of very spoiled cocker spaniels.  We also would like to store the trailer inside our 40?x60? shed to avoid unneeded weathering while we?re not using it.  The only problem there is that the door height is only 12?.  It does have a gravel floor so I could easily re-grade that to gain a few extra inches if necessary.

We originally were looking for a 26? TT but I really think we want to go with a 5th wheel instead for the ease of pulling and maneuverability.  I like the idea of the overall length being shorter with a 5r vs. a TT even though they're taller.  The increased ground clearance that a 5r provides is an added benefit as well.  Thus, with all of the above in mind, we are looking at 5rs in the 26? and under range (but not too small).  We?re looking for something that has a short profile and is light weight but is quality built.

We will be pulling whatever we buy with an ?04 F-250 6.0L diesel so weight won?t be a problem as long as we stay away from the BIG trailers.

We were looking for used but are now thinking about buying new to avoid potential repair hassles right out of the gate.  My wife has fallen in love with a new Forest River Cherokee 245L that a local dealer currently has on the lot.  The price seems okay but I?m very unfamiliar with the Cherokee line.  Is this a quality trailer?  We also looked at the 235BH but I?m not real crazy about the floor plan on that model although it fits our criteria better.

I?m interested in doing business with our local dealer as he has a good reputation and we like to support local businesses whenever possible.  However, there is another dealer located and hour away that we will check out as well.  My wife knows several folks that have done business with the local dealer and all love the service that they?ve received.  The other dealer doesn?t have quite as good of feedback from the folks that she?s visited with.

I guess my questions to this rambling are what specific brands should we be looking at or staying away from?  Is the Forest River Cherokee line a quality product?  We?re really not interested in spending over 20K if possible since this is our first time out RVing.  We figure we can always upgrade later if we decide to.

Any and all advice is appreciated.  Thanks in advance to all.

 

[geodrake]

Well, this is a good place to get advice.  Here are my thoughts:

1) Buying new does not decrease the number of problems.  Perhaps the opposite.  If you read through some of the threads here you will notice many RVers who experienced problems and sometimes night mares with warranty issues.  Purchasing a used unit that someone took good care of could provide less maintenance headaches, at least initially.

2) If you do choose to purchase new, get it from the dealer with the better reputation, see above.

3) There is a saying among RVers; "buy your last RV the first time".

4) Floor Plan, Floor Plan, Floor Plan.

For sure; you are in for some great experiences.  I don't know how you been able to think about it for years without taking the plunge. 

Once you have purchased a rig your questions will not stop & we are here to help.  Take advantage of The RV Forum.  Check out our library.  Ask questions.  Join our discussions.  It is a great place to hang out.

We are always interested in getting to know new members better.  Would you like to share a little about your selves?  Like where is home?  Retired or working?  Empty nesters? etc.

Welcome aboard!

 

[JHarpJ]

If purchasing used - Look at the date built on the tire sidewalls. Tires are good for about six years then you should throw them away and buy new ones and they are not cheap.
Jim

 

[Carl L]

We originally were looking for a 26? TT but I really think we want to go with a 5th wheel instead for the ease of pulling and maneuverability.  I like the idea of the overall length being shorter with a 5r vs. a TT even though they're taller.  The increased ground clearance that a 5r provides is an added benefit as well.  Thus, with all of the above in mind, we are looking at 5rs in the 26? and under range (but not too small).  We?re looking for something that has a short profile and is light weight but is quality built.

The TT vs. fiver discussion has been going on for ages.  Two points bear on your problem.  Maneuverability laurels actually go to the TT.  Fivers cut inside of turns owing to their geometry while TTs precisely track the tow vehicle in a turn.  The turns, forward or backing, of a 5er need to go wide.  Look at the back of a semi-trailer on a 18 wheeler.  There is likely to be a sign warning about the badness of being on the truck's side when it executes a turn.  A semi is a big 5er. 

The 5er properly mounted has greater yaw stability than the TT.  However, a TT with a good weight distributing hitch with integral yaw control is quite stable and an easy tow.  The best such hitch systems are the Reese Dual Cam, the Equal-i-zer, and the Hensley Arrow.

TTs with their flat floor plans are inherently more space efficient in terms of living area.  Thus they dominate the shorter length trailers while the 5ers dominate the mobile-mansion length.  Both fight it out in the middle.  Like Geodrake said: "Floor plan, floor plan...."

One thing not mentioned is trailer gross vehicle weight rating vs. truck tow rating.  That GVWR needs to be 10% less than the tow rating -- TT or 5er.

 

[woods4us]

The one problem that we've already ran into is that anything that fits our criteria is already priced within a couple thousand that we can buy new for.  I looked at an '08 Salem 27' today and they want $16,500 for it alone.  Nice trailer for sure but still I think that I'd rather throw a couple grand more at a new one than pay that for used.

The other problem that we've already experienced is that there are darned few 5ers on the used market that aren't big and heavy . . . which is something that we'd like to stay away from.

The floor plans that the Cherokee 235BH and 245L have fit our wants/needs (although the 245L is better).  The only problem is deciding if the Cherokee line is a quality line.  Anyone have an opinion on this?

I still think that a 5er is the best option for us but haven't completely discounted a TT.  However, I pull a lot of tandem loads for work that are loaded up to 15,000 lbs and have experienced a lot of sway when passed by a trucker in a hurry.  I pull these trailers with an F-250 longbed super cab which has a longer wheelbase than my personal truck which is an F-250 shortbed supercab.  Thus, I'm thinking that I'll experience more sway than I'd like with a TT.  Heck!  I don't know.  Maybe this is why we've never bought an RV because we were worried about spending the money and then not being happy with the purchase.

I do have a friend that pulls a 26' Flagstaff TT with a Jeep Grand Cherokee.  His stories of fighting the wind and shockwaves get my attention.  He does run a weight distributing hitch with yaw control but still has problems keeping the rig in the proper lane.  I fully expect his problems are due to his tow vehicle as a Jeep Grand Cherokee is a pretty small vehicle for a trailer that size.

A little background on ourselves - We're both still holding down full-time jobs (and a long way from retirement) and might be "empty nesters" in a few short years.  We have one son who is about to turn 19 (but thinks he's turning 30).  Although we absolutely love our home in southern IL we still like to get out and see other places.  I just returned from a trip to SD for a week and my wife is hoping that we can get a trailer before October so she can go along when/if I go back for a pronghorn hunt.  I think her plan is for me to hunt for a day or two and then we'd pack up and move on to Yellowstone for a few days.  But . . . you know what they say about the best laid plans.

 

[Carl L]

I still think that a 5er is the best option for us but haven't completely discounted a TT.  However, I pull a lot of tandem loads for work that are loaded up to 15,000 lbs and have experienced a lot of sway when passed by a trucker in a hurry.  I pull these trailers with an F-250 longbed super cab which has a longer wheelbase than my personal truck which is an F-250 shortbed supercab.  Thus, I'm thinking that I'll experience more sway than I'd like with a TT.  Heck!  I don't know.  Maybe this is why we've never bought an RV because we were worried about spending the money and then not being happy with the purchase.

TTs need to use weight distributing hitches with sway control.  Look at my rig description -- a full size Bronco with 105" wheelbase pulling a 23 foot TT.  The clue is in the proper trailer weight for the tow rating of the truck, and the weight distributing hitch with integral sway control -- in my case a Reese Dual Cam system.  The shock waves are felt -- hell, I feel them in my Toyota Camry -- but they do not destabilize the trailer.  In 15 years of towing the rig I never experienced anything near severe yaw. 

Were those cargo trailers set up with such a hitch system?

I do have a friend that pulls a 26' Flagstaff TT with a Jeep Grand Cherokee.  His stories of fighting the wind and shock waves get my attention.  He does run a weight distributing hitch with yaw control but still has problems keeping the rig in the proper lane.  I fully expect his problems are due to his tow vehicle as a Jeep Grand Cherokee is a pretty small vehicle for a trailer that size.

I suspect that TT is too much for the Jeep myself.  For that matter that 15,000 lb cargo trailer would be a bit much for the F250.  And was the trailer loaded so that at least 1,500 lbs bore on the tongue?  A tail heavy trailer is an unstable tow -- at least 10-15% of its weight must bear on the tongue.  TTs are designed for that.

 

[hoddinron]

Dear Woods4us,

My wife and I have had both a TT and a 5th Wheel.
We discovered on a 10,000 mile trip out west that there were smaller 5th wheels that our truck, a half ton Dodge Hemi, could pull fairly easily. 

We were towing a 19.5 Trail Light at the time.  With such a small TT, we never had problems with sway, but out west we kept the sway bar tightened!  We longed for the easy set up and take down that the Fiver would give us.  We're not getting younger, and those Weight Distribution Bars got heavier as the 10,000 mile trip to Alberta and BC got longer!

We found that the 5th wheel, although quite a bit heavier, tows just about as easily as the smaller TT!  We  drive conservatively and keep the speed down, which also increases our MPGs!  With my Quad Cab truck - 6'3" bed, I elected to install  a Reese Slider Hitch, but honestly have only used it 3 times in 2 years of use.  Most campgrounds make backing in easy. 

Forest River companies make  a "24 foot model" which is actually about 26' in most of their lines.  Ours is a Flagstaff, with rear lounge and a slide out.  It suits our needs perfectly as a traveling couple.  Wildcat has a similar one that is just a bit heavier, and there are others.  The "split plan" of a 5th wheel is appreciated on rainy days when one person wants to read and the other to watch the TV, also.   

The downside for you is that most 5th wheels are pretty tall, and with ACs on the top may not fit in your garage/barn.
Having covered storage on your property is a great thing! 

Ron

 

[woods4us]

Thanks for all of the replies!

We do have an update - spent quite a bit of time today kicking tires and have made somewhat of a decision.  We're definitely going with a fifth wheel instead of a TT and are probably going to go with a Keystone Laredo 245RL.  We took a HARD look at both the Cherokee 245L and the Laredo.  Result?  In terms of quality and features for the money the Laredo wins over the Cherokee.  Floor plans are similar.  Even though the Laredo costs quite a bit more than the Cherokee I think it'll pay off more in the long run (i.e longevity, resale, trade-in, etc.).  The Cherokee would work just fine for our needs but it is just not as "solid" as the Laredo.  However, I fully realize that we were comparing completely different lines - an "entry" model to an "advanced".  No worries.

The problem all started with the wife.  She was set on the Cherokee until she stepped inside the Laredo.  It all got worse when the price given was much less than she expected. It got worse than that when we sat down for a ?final? price on both.  It was all over at that point.

We haven't bought yet because we're giving ourselves the weekend to sleep on it and to decide if we want to spend the money or not.  We'll have the final decision next week for sure . . . well . . . hopefully.

The Laredo will just slip in the shed as it sits.  However, I can always take the tractor and blade to the gravel floor if I think I'll need a few more inches clearance but I won't know for sure until the trailer shows up.  A larger job is going to be trimming some trees along our driveway to provide a branchless approach to the homestead.

Before anyone posts a caution about whether the truck can handle it or not, don't worry.  We have that covered in spades.  She'll handle it fine and have plenty extra for the hills.

We're not currently set up for a hitch but the dealer is going to install one as part of the package (and install 7 pin connector in the bed of the truck).  We'd need a slider with the Cherokee but do not need one for the Laredo.  Keystone redesigned the front cap of this model and contoured it to clear the cab of the truck.  Nifty idea if it works and it looks like it should.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The better built trailer is a wise choice of the budget can stand it. Let us know what you decide!

 

[broncobilly]

Cherookee is a decent brand, not over priced and built pretty decent.  you can read more about them at the forest river forum.
http://www.forestriverforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5582

 

[woods4us]

Well, we have FINALLY made a decision!

We are going with a 2011 Keystone Laredo 245RL.  I dropped by the dealer yesterday with a down payment.  The only bad thing is that they cannot get to it until the 19th.  They sold quite a few trailers recently and we have 5 or 6 folks ahead of us already.  That doesn't bother us as we're not in any huge hurry.  That'll give us some time to get the place ready and re-arrange things in the shed.

The Cherokee was a good unit but we liked the workmanship on the Laredo a lot better.  We also talked with some other folks in the area that have a Laredo and they all said that they loved their's.

We'll pick it up late in the day on the 19th and maybe I'll get some pics up.

Spent all day today trimming trees along our driveway to allow for unobstructed access.  There were quite a few limbs that could have caused problems so we've been trimming everything under 15'.  I figured that I really didn't need detached roof vents or air conditioner, or a ripped roof right out of the gate so we got to sawing.  We're not completely done yet but had to quit for the day because we're both pooped.  Our driveway is apx. 300 yards long and is cut through oaks, hickories, hedge, and other misc. softwoods.  The road that passes our driveway also has plenty of trees along it so I'll need to take a look to see if any of those need trimming too.  At times, I did wonder who?s idea it was to buy a trailer.

The cost of the fiver has already gone up but at least we have a brandy new Husky pole saw to show for it.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Alright! I'll bet you are excited!!!!!