I know nothing, please advise :) - Page 2

grhodes50 · 10-31-2010, 11:05 AM

Elaine, welcome to the forum.

Let me say that joining this forum and asking questions before you buy is one of the best decisions you have made so far. You have asked some very good questions, but it is also apparent that there is a lot about RV’s that you’re not aware of.
There are a lot of knowledgeable people on this forum who are willing to help with good advice. It’s debatable, at best, whether I am one or not. With that in mind, the best advice I can give you is SLOW DOWN! Take the time to check all pro’s and con’s of what your about to do.
From reading your posts it seems the most appealing aspect of owning a tt is the ability to hook up and move whenever you feel like it. The type of tt your are looking at, park models, are usually not as easy as other tt’s to move. One reason being the requirement for a large tow vehicle, which you have stated you can’t afford at this time. That means hiring someone to do this for you. Since the tt may not have holding tanks you will need to hook up and then un-hook all waste and water systems when you get the urge to move. Insulation, not just of the tt itself, but of all water hook ups will have to be dealt with. These are just a few things that most RV’ers don’t have to deal with.
Also from reading your posts storage will be an issue. Even the large park models are smaller than mobile homes. If your husband does get rid of all his containers, you will still have limited living area and storage space. I understand how you feel about this. My wife can’t get rid of anything and it kills her when I “clean house”.
Even though you plan on staying at places that offer long term stays, there will still be a small element of “camping” involved. In other words, you will have to be creative in some areas and in other areas be able to adopt and accept the attitude of having to “make do”. This isn’t hard to do for a weekend or even a week or two, but some things may be hard to deal with on a long term basis. Also some of these campgrounds not only charge you a monthly rate, but they will meter your electric and charge you for that as well.
Maintenance will also be an issue. With RV’s it can be costly and time consuming. I know that know matter what you live in maintenance is a must, but you really have to take extra steps to keep on top of things, especially the caulking. A water leak left alone can render a tt unlivable and worthless in a very short time period.
Realize this too, the tt WILL NOT be an investment. In a few years your tt will be worth only a small fraction of what you paid for it.
Please don’t be discouraged by this post. I’m only trying to point out a few things you need to consider. There are a lot of full timers out there, so it can be done. I’m just trying to help you make whatever decision you make with eyes wide open.

Good luck in whatever you decide. Take your time and keep asking questions.

Elaine · 10-31-2010, 12:18 PM

grhodes50, thank you so much for the great post!! don't worry, we are going sloooow out of necessity, we are waiting for hubby's accident settlement, which won't come around til some time next year... insulating pipes is something i hadn't thought of, how do you do that? we were going to get some of that thick plastic skirting i have seen on other RVs and i think the undercarriage of the TT we are looking at is heated, if i'm not mistaken...

oh and it's bigger, but it's not a park model... and it does have tanks, at least it shows 'capacity' on the specs sheet.... are tanks harder or less hard to hook up and tear down?

i know my husband is going to have to get rid of all his stuuuuuuuuffffff lolol, but i figured we would just get a storage container, but hubby doesn't want to pay for one and it was HIS idea to get rid of everything!!

the only thing i DON'T want to feel like camping is food prep, tho i'm not the cook in the family, i know my husband doesn't like not having space, and we have a toaster, and a kitchen aid, and a coffee maker that will already take up counter space...

but yeah, since we lived on a very small boat for 7 years i knooooow what it feels like to feel like you are camping ALL THE TIME lol

is the freedom to move if you have to not one of the BEST things about RV living? we probably won't move MUCH... the park i have an eye on seems nice, and tho my hubby wants to retire at 55, he still has to drive to work for about 6 years to come, so we won't be moving during that time, one thing i am worried about is that the parks ask me HOW OLD our RV is, and i don't want to have to buy a new one every time we want to move that's for sure....

can you tell me some of the things that may be difficult to deal with on a long term basis? is it mostly an issue of having enuff rooooom?

i know the RV won't be an investment, that's why i wanted to take good care of it and live in it for a very very long time, that's why it worries me that parks ask how old it is...

anyway, please tell me some of the things that 'drive a full time RVer nuts' lol i would be interested to have an inside peek into this lifestyle....

thanks so much!!!
elaineoxoxoxoxox

grhodes50 · 10-31-2010, 01:32 PM

Elaine,

Glad to hear you have time to check things thoroughly. If you're like me, that great idea I had last night doesn’t always look so appealing the next morning!

I haven’t ever experienced what you are about to do, so anything I have to say about it is pretty much speculation on my part.

Besides the storage space issues, cooking will probably be the most challenging. Counter space is limited. Any appliances that can be mounted under the cabinet, such as a coffee maker, can help. The ovens in these tt’s aren’t the best, so if you like to bake that can be problem. I have read where some people place a non-glazed ceramic floor tile in the oven and this helps to distribute the heat more evenly.

When camping we do a lot of outdoor cooking, grill and open fire, but for long term this may not be a dependable option. Especially in inclement weather. Other than that it’s a lot of sandwiches and such.

The enclosed underbelly of the tt is heated by your furnace, so if you shut off your furnace to save propane and use a ceramic or radiator heater to heat the tt, then your underbelly will not get any heat. You may look into getting a large propane tank. Some tt’s have heated tanks. I would definitely get this option. All lines, waste and fresh water, running from your tt to the campground hook ups will need to be insulated and possibly need to be heated.

Oh yeah, in order for the black tank to empty efficiently, you must keep the valve closed so enough volume, at least ¾’s full, is in the tank in order to flush out the solids. The more water in the tank, the better. So skirting will help especially if you place a couple of ceramic heaters under the trailer, but make sure you have easy access to the valves.

If you find one with a washer and dryer, they are small so plan on doing lots of small loads. Hot water will be limited due to the fact that most tt’s come with a 6 gallon hot water tank, but some do have a 10 gallon. That may be an option you can get.

If you are planning on staying in one place for 5 years or more, then plan on buying a new set of tires for the tt each time you move. Age of the tires cause more failures than tread wear.

Well, these are just some ideas. Hopefully someone with experience in full timing can help you a lot better.

Good Luck!

P.S. Just thought I might add, the refrigerators and freezers aren't very big, so if you may have to look into some alternatives.

Elaine · 10-31-2010, 01:53 PM

oh i'm very sad to hear the ovens aren't good, so it's not possible to cook a small turkey for Christmas dinner? my husband will NOT be happy to hear that....

the grand lodge has hookups for laundry, but i can't see in the specs anywhere how big the hotwater tank is... we were looking for the hotwater tank, but couldn't see it anywhere, are they mounted underneath? 6 gallons doesn't sound like much, will i have time to shave my legs in the shower? lol

and you are right, i did think of the idea of an RV in the middle of the night haha, heck i do my best brain storming then

and the idea DID still sound good in the morning and i talked to hubby about it and he told me i was too fat for an RV so i drove down to take a look and found the grand lodge

it's nice and plus sized haha

we will prolly always use the furnace, even tho it has an electric heat fireplace, it's right beside my computer chair and i'm prone to hot flashes haha so i don't think it will be on that much... one thing i was wondering is if those plastic skirting things are enuff to keep the heat in....

oh and thanks for the tip about the tires, hubby was actually wondering about that, and the salesman didn't tell us that's for sure...

also, if we are STUCK with 30 amp service, will we not be able to have on the air conditioner and the microwave at the same time? i mean is that sort of thing a big pain?

thanks for all your help!!! this is great!!!
elainexoxoxoxoxox

grhodes50 · 10-31-2010, 02:11 PM

Usually 30 amp service will provide enough to run an AC and the micro, but I have been at some campgrounds where I had to turn a few things off to do it. However, 30 amps will not allow you to run 2 AC's at the same time. Most RVv's with 50 amp have 2 AC's or at least they're preped for the 2nd.

Try FR's web site for specs on the tt your looking at. Here's the link:

Forest River : RV, Cargo Trailers, Boats, Commercial, Housing

Hope this helps.

Elaine · 10-31-2010, 03:04 PM

well i wrote to a different park to see if i could get a 50 amp spot fairly easily, so we'll see... yes it's wired for 2 a/cs, but we would prolly only use one at a time, or maybe not even use the second, coz it does cool off at night here

hey thanks for the link!! will check it out

2Susan · 10-31-2010, 06:46 PM

Elaine,
We bought ours in June and on most trips have baked bread (or rolls) in the oven - bread dough is super easy to make and the oven has a standing pilot which makes proofing the dough easy. I've also baked cakes, chickens, etc. The oven seems to work well. Depending on what you are baking you may have to rotate the pan 180 degrees 1/2 way through cooking but that is a fairly standard suggestion in many recipes anyway. The biggest downside I see is the size. My 1/2 sheet pans for example will not fit. Why don't you take a couple of baking pans that you normally use along with you and try them for fit. Then certainly you'll see how much space it has.

Elaine · 11-02-2010, 04:01 PM

thanks 2Susan!! that sounds good, i also asked about it at the dealership and they said that the ovens in the grand lodge are good coz they are like residential ones, just smaller...

Hubby and I just drove out to look at the RV park we are interested in, and he was very very difficult, he was all 'nope! nope! i hate it! it's like a CAMPGROUND'... i got very angry at him and told him that i have been brainstorming for over 7 years on how to get out of here, live affordably and have something we WANT like FREEDOM lol... he says 'you're thinking about something that's sooo far off' yeah right, his car settlement is coming up in a few months then when we put this place up for sale it could go FAST... then what should we do? he thinks we have so many options, he says 'i'm just not crazy about the idea'... i said 'ok honey, if you can find something you are 'crazy' about in british columbia that WE CAN AFFORD, then you go honey, i'll be so proud of you!!!!' hahaha, he started to come around after that...

One thing i wanted to ask you all, is there alot of NOISE complaints in an RV park? coz hubby says the walls will be paper thin and he works shift work and i'm insomniac so we are usually up all night, and when we argue, hubby YELLS, stuff like that, and having the tv too loud, is noise complaining a problem with RV living??

thanks everyone!!!
elainexoxoxoxoxox

**Bama Rambler** · 11-03-2010, 08:29 AM

Most parks have a "quiet time" in the rules and if you're loud during the quiet time someone will most likely complain. Watching the tv at a normal level or having inside lights on most likely isn't going to be a problem.

Elaine · 11-03-2010, 03:32 PM

thank you!! we actually don't watch that much tv, esp anymore since our tv BROKE hahaha (it's so lonely in the saddle since my horse died) is the quiet time in the middle of the night?

**Bama Rambler** · 11-04-2010, 07:26 AM

Quiet time is normally from 10pm to 6am or somewhere in that range.

Elaine · 11-04-2010, 11:35 AM

aaaaah starting right about when i wake up and going until i go to bed hahaha that's just great!!

LadyWindrider · 11-04-2010, 02:20 PM

Cost???? Before this goes a lot farther, and someone gets their hopes up, have you really looked at the cost of this? If you can't replace a television right now, then money must be tight, like it is for a lot of people. Lets' play with a few numbers.... $50,000 for a camper over 8 years is going to be, with a bad credit rating as posted earlier, around $900 month, with little down payment. A space to park is going to be $400 month, or more. Underpinning, freeze protection, etc. about $400 each time you move, (once it is cut to fit, may not be reusable). Truck to move, $500 or more. Groceries and stuff the same. Internet may cost, or not. Taxes, insurance, other, $200 month, I know may be high but better to be high than low. All this equals $1500 month or $18,000 year. Now move twice and you have $20,000 year involved. You have mentioned when hubby's settlement come in. If you are waiting a few months for it, then it is not settled, and you don't know what that is, but if it is $150,000, and the lawyers get one third, that leaves you with $100,000. That's a great deal of money, but could be gone in as little as 5 years, and you are left with a trailer worth $10,000 or less, and no where to park it. If this is truly what you want, then go for it. Just look not only at the physical layout of the trailer, the lifestyle itself, but the financial burden. May numbers may be off since I don't live where you do, so you will have to make corrections and see if the numbers work for you. Trying to to rain on your parade, just make sure you have all the info you need.

Elaine · 11-04-2010, 02:59 PM

yes things are tight, hubby has been off work without pay for 6 months, and yes, we are waiting for a settlement if it's 50 grand, we buy the trailer cash, if it's a hundred grand we buy a plot of land with an RV on it cash... either way will save us about 800 per month and free us up alot... we are not young, we have lived and had bills for many years... hubby is looking to retire in six years... i realize that everytime we have to move we will be paying $100/hr for a truck, replacing tires, that's news about the skirting, but yeah, thanks, we live expensively NOW, so things can only get better with my problem solving skills and the help of y'all

VTX Al · 11-04-2010, 05:32 PM

I have been trying to follow this thread from page 1, but the longer the thread gets - the more confused I get. To summarize:
- Elaine/hubby are in mobile home located in a mobile home (tin town) type of park. She hates it because she feels trapped.
- So, she wants to change to an "Fulltime RV " type of lifestyle, which will give them the freedom to re-locate whenever the mood strikes.
- but, she is looking at very large trailers that are almost, if not really are, "Park Model trailers", because she doesn't want to feel cramped like in a boat. Problem is, these units, while mobile, are not easily moved and many regular type RV parks/resorts are more suited to regular, transient RV'ers. The ones that cater to long-term (read permanent or semi-permanent) residents will quite likely put her right back into the same situation that she is in now.
- therefor, she is now considering, if finances allow, purchasing property and locating the large RV or semi-mobile park model on it as a residence. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but there goes the "freedom" to move whenever you feel like it, motivation.

It's only my opinion of course, but I think that it will be extremely difficult for her to realize these conflicting goals. Perhaps I have missed something along the way.

...VTX-AL

Elaine · 11-04-2010, 05:42 PM

hahaha, no you haven't missed anything, and there's plenty of parks around here that cater to full time living and offer freedom... but as far as the option to buy a piece of land, it's in a campground and wouldn't steal our freedom, if we ever wanted to explore another town for the summer, we will... but we're not big travellers... and as far as the option to buy another mobile home, only OWNING the land, yes all the freedom goes out the window, but hubby still wants this option left open, as he hasn't decided on fulltime RVing yet... but that option is only open to us if we get a rather large settlement... so you're right, things are confusing right now

grhodes50 · 11-04-2010, 07:34 PM

Elaine, at least you are taking the time to check into things, but it kind of sounds like you have this wonderful vision of the freedom that goes with RV'ing and your trying to tie that into a semi-staionary home plan. I don't think reality will live up to your vision.

I don't know your personal situation, and it's none of my business, maybe what your planning will be a less expensive lifestyle than what you are living now, but I bet it won't be as much of a difference as you think. I know your working out the monthly cost, but as I tell my kids, an RV is 10 times more likely and 10 times easier to "break" and it's 10 times more costly to fix than a regular house.

As far as the quiet hours, it depends on where you're at. At some places if you get enough complaints, 3 or 4 maybe, you'll be asked to leave, now, and no refunds.

If I were to receive $50k, I think I would be better off using most of that as a down payment on some land and either a modest stick house or mobile home.

Elaine · 11-04-2010, 09:09 PM

thanks for the advice we are discussing a change of plans right now, ie. not getting the grand lodge but getting a park model on the campground spot.. i AM totally listening to y'all's advice!!!!

LadyWindrider · 11-04-2010, 10:24 PM

To add to what VTX AL said in post 35, and the last post, to even consider a park model in on a permanent site, isn't that what you have, only what you have is bigger? Why would you spend money, get rid of stuff, to get a smaller house, that you can't move? Funny sometimes how we hate what we have, but when we start dreaming, we come back to what we already have. If you are truly feeling cramped due to the smallness of a mobile home, you can forget a camper of any type. If you feel cramped because you have close neighbors and no yard, you can forget an RV Park. Maybe we need to start to a new thread, and tell us why you feel cramped up and want to get out. Do you want to travel? Do you want a yard to mow and plant flowers in? Do you want privacy? Let's try to get to the root of the problem where you are, then maybe we can look at what options are available. The real question is, why am I not COMFORTABLE here, and what do I need to more COMFORTABLE? Happy is not in the question. Satisfied is not in the question. Comfortable is the question. You have to supply the answer. I don't mean to offend, and forgive me if I have. Just hate to see someone jump out of the pot in the fire.

Elaine · 11-04-2010, 10:49 PM

well no, we don't feel cramped in here, it's not that... we feel TRAPPED because we can't sell coz the pad rent keeps going up by $60 a year or something like that and the pad rent is like $800 so nobody will buy in this park, the idea of moving into another mobile is not bad to us, we just want it to be on our OWN LAND, that's the difference.. we like living in a mobile and it's a choice between a $225,000 mobile on it's own land or a much cheaper campground spot for us to live in the RV that's already on the spot and then buy a 500 sq ft park model later on after we have spent a year having fun going out for dinner and getting our credit rating back hahahahahaha..... the campground spot we are looking at is NOT cramped at all, not like RV parks... we would be perfectly happy living in a mobile home, we were when the pad rent was affordable and it was possible to sell in here and make a bit of a profit... i'm not sure what your question is about after all this writing hahaha....

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