Forum newbies

[inshorehooker]

Hi everyone,
Keith and Bonnie here from Charleston S.C.
Just started full timing in a travel trailer and both still working part time so not traveling like we want to yet.
We are soon to buy our first 5er and have been looking at the Chapparel,
Sandpipers, Cedar Creek, and Montanas.
While we understand that pretty much all of them are built poorly and
Service after the sale is problematic,
I guess my question is for some input on the pros and cons of these brands.
This is what we want; at least 40?, 4-6 slides, front living room or
The rear raised den with King sized bed.
Also input on refrigerator?s as most are going to all 110v while I
Like having the propane option for dry camping as well.
Any advice or input would be much appreciated.
Thanks all in advance and it?s a pleasure to be here.
Btw we are a 60?s couple so no worries here about noisy neighbors
If we meet at a park sometime lol.

 

[Gizmo100]

Welcome to the RV Forum Keith and Bonnie

If your thinking Dry camping and a 120 volt fridge you will need a inverter to run the fridge and a battery bank to support the usage. I believe it an option on some of the newer 5th wheel units.

You may also want to consider adding solar to keep those batteries topped off as opposed to having to run a generator all the time. Of course it's getting that time of year where you may need the generator for the A/C.

 

[inshorehooker]

Thanks for responding Gizmo100,
I am aware that the newer models with the
110/120V fridges have the inverter for them
And they draw the battery bank quickly,
So your idea of a larger bank and solar is
Definitely an option I have in mind.
Also I will have to have a large generator or piggy back two
Because it will have two a/c?s but I won?t be dry camping
Often at all but I would still like the 2way option for the fridge.
On another note I like the Coachmen?s Chapparell will not
Delaminate the exterior walls but the prices are much less than others
So I have to wonder are they reliable and built well?
I?m trying to stay in the $58,000 to maybe $70,000 range and
I will be paying cash so hoping to get a good deal.
Just can?t decide if we want the Montana, Coachman, Sandpipers
Or the Cedar Creek.
I know there are many opinions on this subject but I am glad to entertain all
Of them.
Thanks again for your reply.

 

[Alfa38User]

Welcome!!
Perhaps the first thing to be determine is what you are going to use for a tow vehicle and if what you have (or will have) can do the job with those very large, heavy 5th wheels you are considering. The limiting factor is often the load CARRYING ability (payload) of any given truck. They can often PULL the trailer you desire but not necessarily carry the desired weight without exceeding the trucks parameters. With a 5th wheel trailer, 20-25% of the VGWR of the trailer (pin weight) is carried by the truck. For example: on my 38 foot trailer, the VGWR is 18000 lbs. That means the payload required would be between 3600 lbs and 4500 lbs when fully loaded. That is a very big pickup truck.

Since 2007 or so, this capacity is shown on a sticker located on the inside of the drivers door and often bordered in yellow and designated as maximum cargo carrying capacity, load or weight for THAT SPECIFIC vehicle.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Just want to remind that you are going to need a really hefty tow vehicle for a 40 foot 5W.  Carrying capacity (payload) as well as tow rating.  I see Alfa38 already described the weight concerns, so I won't repeat.

A large RV will have the space and capacity for a good-sized battery bank, so a residential fridge is only a modest concern, in my opinion.  We have members here who drycamp regularly with those fridges, so they can address it better than I.  The residential (compressor driven) fridge has so many advantages vs an RV absorption fridge that I would choose absorption only if I had solid reason to do so.
I'm a bit skeptical of the Chapperal no-delamination claim since the panels are still vacuum-bonded to the frame. Granted the composite panels are less prone to rot than filon-over-luan, but that's not the only source of delam.  Still, it has to be an improvement over some others.  The other important thing about delam is that it isn't really about sidewall materials.  Delam happens when roof-wall seams or windows leak.  A more rigid trailer frame and tight wall-roof joints is a key factor, as is maintaining the roof seams religiously (caulking).

 

[Gizmo100]

I'm going to leave it to others to comment regarding the choices of which model may be better overall.

If your going to be plugged in most of the time you (Spouse) may be happier with the performance of the AC only fridge. They tend to cool faster. However when going down the road the inverter would put a huge draw on the batteries. So it would depend a lot on how you plan to make use of the RV. The fridge could be shut off for several hours while traveling and be fine. Once parked and powered it could recover quickly.

The propane system does give you the advantage of just letting it run while going down the road. But it can take 24 hours just to get it down to temperature. They can also be a problem at extreme outside temperatures. And the recovery time when restocked with warm drinks or food will be longer. I'm sure your aware of the slim but possible fire danger of the propane system. They have come up with a solution to help reduce the risk.

I see other have posted comments regarding the planned truck. And I would have to agree that more important,

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

In my opinion that "huge draw on the batteries" is overstated.  We are talking maybe 15A @12v and 50%-75% duty cycle.  Not insignificant, but not exactly huge either. It's a bit more of a concern while traveling with a trailer vs a motorhome, but a good quality 12v charge line from the truck should keep abreast of the power consumption.

 

[Gizmo100]

In my opinion that "huge draw on the batteries" is overstated.  We are talking maybe 15A @12v and 50%-75% duty cycle.  Not insignificant, but not exactly huge either. It's a bit more of a concern while traveling with a trailer vs a motorhome, but a good quality 12v charge line from the truck should keep abreast of the power consumption.

;D ;D Busted by the Wizard ;D ;D
I would have to admit maybe "Huge" was a bit much. I blame it on lack of sleep and trying to finish my post before the laptop battery died......But I'm plugged in now and thinking clearer 8)

 

[inshorehooker]

Thanks for all the information from everyone.
To address the power unit or tow vehicle, I plan on using a F-350
Or for you GM guys a 3500 HD with drw?s even though
The drw option takes a little from tow capacity but
Gives better stability to the ride. I?m currently using a
F-250 super duty w tow pkg. and air bags for leveling,
But I?m only pulling a light 32? TT and have 253,000 on her.
So the upgrade is coming lol.
I guess you have sold me on the a/c fridge because one thing I
Deserve haha is an ice maker.
Safe travels all!

 

[ENG]

Regardless which camper you buy I strongly recommend that you have the suspension upgraded to 8k axles and G rated tires as well as disk brakes . The difference in stopping with disk brakes is night and day .  I pull a 40' Alpine at 16500 lbs over weight by a 1000 lbs I know .  But with the disk brakes I know I stop much faster and shorter distance  then before I put them on . Cost me about $3500 for springs , axles and brakes I did do the install myself to save the labor cost .

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

I guess you have sold me on the a/c fridge because one thing I
Deserve haha is an ice maker.

You get an icemaker in the larger RV-type fridges (Norcold 1210, Dometic 1292, etc), so that alone need not be a deciding factor. And you can also use a tabletop icemaker.