Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-07-2016, 10:25 AM   #1
Junior Member
 
Crbacsw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Northeast PA
Posts: 26
Question Buy or Not:2014 Freedom Express Liberty Edition 320BHDS

I have an opportunity to purchase a 3 slide out 2014 Freedom Express Liberty Edition 320 BHDS that I am told is in pristine condition. Reason for sale: divorce.
Asking price is 23K, hitch & sway-bars included.
Questions:
1. Is this a fair price for the unit?
2. Will my truck be able to handle this beast? 2010 Dodge Ram 1500 TRX4, 5.7 L Hemi MDS VVT, 3.92 Axle Ratio, 5 speed auto trans (545RFE). I plugged my VIN into the Dodge website and was told it can handle 10,000 pounds.
3. Any other thoughts, feedback?

Thank you!
Crbacsw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-07-2016, 10:45 AM   #2
Site Team
 
Flybob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 15,243
Seems like a very good price, but towing it is another issue. Check the load capacity ( not towing capacity) on the sticker on the drivers door. The hitch weight ( probably 1200lbs) , weight of hitch 100 lbs, and weight of passengers and cargo in the truck should not exceed the max towing capacity. I would not tow that trailer with a 1/2 ton vehicle..
__________________

2015 Freedom Express 248RBS
TV 2015 Silverado HD2500 Duramax
TST Tire Monitors
Honda 2000I + Companion
2 100W solar panels
Flybob is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-08-2016, 08:38 AM   #3
Insert witty title here
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: About 30 miles west of Beantown.
Posts: 4,023
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flybob View Post
Seems like a very good price, but towing it is another issue. Check the load capacity ( not towing capacity) on the sticker on the drivers door. The hitch weight ( probably 1200lbs) , weight of hitch 100 lbs, and weight of passengers and cargo in the truck should not exceed the max towing capacity. I would not tow that trailer with a 1/2 ton vehicle..
I tow a 310BHDS with a Toyota Tundra. I'm right at my limits but within spec even after all my cargo and passengers are accounted for. Tows like a dream.
__________________

2021 Transcend Xplor 247BH
Husky WDH with Sway Control
2021 Chevy Silverado 2500HD LT 6.6L V8 Duramax
Forever in my memory. Forever in my heart.
Laurie J. Wood 3/22/67 - 8/23/19
timfromma is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-09-2016, 02:09 AM   #4
Coachman 312BHDS
 
tbln930's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 273
1200 lbs seems like a stretch. Our 312bhds advertised 985 tongue weight but loaded it is actually about 935.
__________________
2017 Open Range Roamer RF376FBH 42' fifth wheel
2016 F-350 Lariat SCrew 6.7L Turbo Diesel SRW - Extang Fold-up Hard tonneau cover - Husky 16k Fifth Wheel Hitch
tbln930 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2016, 01:07 PM   #5
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 53
That is a really good price if it is in fact in the condition described. We love ours.

Like others have said towing it is another issue. I tow ours with a Ford Excursion with modified suspension. It is well within it's limits, but this is a lot of camper. I use a Reese Dual Cam, but I still have some tweaking to do on the hitch setup because at times it still gets twitchy. 37' and near 10,000# is just a lot of camper for a 1/2 ton. Just my opinion.
Nosedive is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2016, 01:18 PM   #6
Coachman 312BHDS
 
tbln930's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 273
Take it to the CAT scales and I will bet it needs some weight shifted to the front axle if it is twitchy up front in gusts or in general. Our 312BHDS came in at 9080 loaded but we were about 300 lbs heavy on the rear axle initially and went up three notches on the L brackets. Twitchy and a bit of wandering describes how a light front was. It is relaxing to tow now.

It is well worth the $10.50. Reweighs are free or $2 each depending on the CAT station. I think I weighed the trailer/truck five times and the truck alone once when we setup it up initially. There is nothing to it.
__________________
2017 Open Range Roamer RF376FBH 42' fifth wheel
2016 F-350 Lariat SCrew 6.7L Turbo Diesel SRW - Extang Fold-up Hard tonneau cover - Husky 16k Fifth Wheel Hitch
tbln930 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2016, 05:46 PM   #7
Junior Member
 
Crbacsw's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Northeast PA
Posts: 26
Buy or Not: 2014 Freedom Liberty Express 320BHDS

I decided against this purchase and the RV has since sold. I truly appreciate everyone's response and willingness to share experiences!

I've been scouring these forums, reading varied opinions regarding towing capacity. Many with half ton trucks are pulling 9,000 lb + RVs, some bragging about being able to do so. Being able to tow it does not mean it is safe to tow it. Dodge rates my Ram 1500 Quad Cab at 10,000 lbs. towing capacity. That does not mean I can hitch up a 9k pound RV and take off!

Determining safe towing capacity on a vehicle can be confusing. I finally found an easy, reliable formula to determine SAFE towing capacity - "Polk's Rule". Using his formula, I determined it was not safe for me to pull the Liberty Freedom 320BHDS, even though my 1/2 ton Hemi equipped truck is at the top in its class for torque, power and towing capacity. According to Polk's Formula, I can safely tow a dry weight of under 7,000 lbs. That leaves plenty of room for storage, passengers, etc. without having to worry about exceeding the capacity. Just my 2 cents.
Crbacsw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-12-2016, 05:53 PM   #8
Coachman 312BHDS
 
tbln930's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Posts: 273
I always recommend the truck manufacturers requirements. It is safe to stay within those. There are vast differences and 1/2 ton trucks should not be lumped together in generalities (because they are normally incorrect). Configuration options can make large differences as well. Some F150s with HD and max tow options surpass F250s depending on how they are configured. Take each inidivdually configured truck and RVs and looks at he specifics only. Ignore specific recommendations on this forum unless they have identical equipment and configurations which very rarely happens. Too many folks meaning well are bad experts.
__________________
2017 Open Range Roamer RF376FBH 42' fifth wheel
2016 F-350 Lariat SCrew 6.7L Turbo Diesel SRW - Extang Fold-up Hard tonneau cover - Husky 16k Fifth Wheel Hitch
tbln930 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-13-2016, 09:45 AM   #9
Insert witty title here
 
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: About 30 miles west of Beantown.
Posts: 4,023
There is no one formula fits all solution. Our situations are all different. As long as you understand your weights and capacities you can tow anything that falls within your limits. 2 different people with the same exact truck will be capable of pulling different size trailers based upon how much extra weight they put in the trailer and truck. A single person traveling alone can pull a heavier trailer than a family of 4.
__________________

2021 Transcend Xplor 247BH
Husky WDH with Sway Control
2021 Chevy Silverado 2500HD LT 6.6L V8 Duramax
Forever in my memory. Forever in my heart.
Laurie J. Wood 3/22/67 - 8/23/19
timfromma is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
2014, freedom express

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 01:05 AM.