New RV'ers with questions!

[Willow]

Good morning everyone! We're new to RV'ing and have lots of questions -- this seemed to be a good place to find answers.

My husband and I (and our 2 daughters ages 6 and 18 months) are in the process of making a decision about purchasing a fifth wheel. Yesterday we looked at a Sierra 32QBBS -- we really loved it! We don't have a lot to compare it to, but it looked like it had everything we could need plus more... however, my husband is concerned about the size of this fifth wheel. He has a new vehicle ordered, a Dodge Ram 2500 with a diesel, automatic transmission... but he's concerned that this unit is both too tall and too long to make it an easy thing to tow.

I think at this point, we'll be doing weekends and maybe one longer trip (1-2 weeks) during the summers. So I suppose this will be moved around a lot, not necessarily sitting still for long periods of time. We live in Michigan, and plan to take a 2-week trip out west next summer. His concern is that it will not be so easy to tow, that it might be limiting in its size to take some places, and he thinks we should possibly find something "shorter" in both length and height.

I'm sure as a community, you get these questions all the time, so if it's easier to direct me to an existing conversation, please do. Otherwise, any feedback or information or just opinions would be so greatly appreciated. It's a big investment for a new fifth wheel, and we want to make a good decision but not wish we had more space later, if that makes sense.

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any information!

[bodzcampers]

I'm not an expert, but 5ers are generally easier to tow than TTs. I wouldn't tow that large of a TT as far as out west. I'm sure others will chime in. Nowadays, many (if not the majority) of RV owners have gone large. I would think most campgrounds have space for that or they'd be really limited to who they can accept as campers.

Welcome, we're from Michigan too, but seasonal, so we rarely tow.

Mike and Lynn

[normh915]

I can't help you much regarding size and towability, because we don't own a 5th wheel. However, some advice anyway - go with what you are both comfortable with. Your initial gut instinct is normally a good indication of whether the trailer is right for you, or you should keep looking at other trailers. Remember, don't just stop on the first trailer you find. Look around and you can always go back to it.

[Joe_GA]

That new Dodge will tow that camper just fine. It's capable of towing more. I like the way they did the bunk part of the camper. The television placement wouldn't work for me. Overall, it looks like a nice camper for a young family.
I wish you many happy camping trips before those young girls are grown and leave the nest!

[grayfox]

Originally Posted by Willow

Good morning everyone! We're new to RV'ing and have lots of questions -- this seemed to be a good place to find answers.

My husband and I (and our 2 daughters ages 6 and 18 months) are in the process of making a decision about purchasing a fifth wheel. Yesterday we looked at a Sierra 32QBBS -- we really loved it! We don't have a lot to compare it to, but it looked like it had everything we could need plus more... however, my husband is concerned about the size of this fifth wheel. He has a new vehicle ordered, a Dodge Ram 2500 with a diesel, automatic transmission... but he's concerned that this unit is both too tall and too long to make it an easy thing to tow.

I think at this point, we'll be doing weekends and maybe one longer trip (1-2 weeks) during the summers. So I suppose this will be moved around a lot, not necessarily sitting still for long periods of time. We live in Michigan, and plan to take a 2-week trip out west next summer. His concern is that it will not be so easy to tow, that it might be limiting in its size to take some places, and he thinks we should possibly find something "shorter" in both length and height.

I'm sure as a community, you get these questions all the time, so if it's easier to direct me to an existing conversation, please do. Otherwise, any feedback or information or just opinions would be so greatly appreciated. It's a big investment for a new fifth wheel, and we want to make a good decision but not wish we had more space later, if that makes sense.

Thanks for reading and thanks in advance for any information!

Please for the safety and overall comfort of you and your family do the weight calculations before you sign the deal. Matching the tow vehicle and 5v'r up could be your most important decision. Do the calculations yourself and be armed with that info when you walk into the dealer. Be safe have fun and have no WHITE knuckle vacations
Fifth Wheel Weight Calculator

[grayfox]

One thing I should add. When you get the calculations finished don't hesitate

To ask alot of question here on the forum. There is alot of experience and expertise.

[wingriders]

Welcome to the forum!
That is a nice looking rig! Your truck will pull that trailer easily. Our trailer is heavier than yours and our 3/4 ton truck handles it nicely. All the 5ers nowadays are tall but you won't find any that are lower unless you get an older model. Be prepared to take your time travelling with it. All the CGs we've booked into here can accommodate the bigger trailers. You will have to call ahead and ask the CG how big their campsites are and then you will know.
Enjoy and happy camping!

[Mountainmanbob]

Originally Posted by Willow

he's concerned that this unit is both too tall and too long to make it an easy thing to tow.

His concern is that it will not be so easy to tow, that it might be limiting in its size to take some places, and he thinks we should possibly find something "shorter" in both length and height.

something to keep in mind
some State Parks in Calif have length limits

if one has never done any towing before
this length and height may be a challenge
until one masters the skills needed

Mountainman

[Sgt. Schultz]

Hello Willow A couple of things to consider - In our jurisdiction the trailer you are looking at requires an upgraded drivers licence to haul - as noted above look at the weights carefully - some threads you may want to review: http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...bok-37145.html & http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ing-37283.html and on the lighter side http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ers-36176.html . as for ease of towing IMHO that comes with time - enjoy your shopping

[danno2u]

Bought my 5'r last July and towed it all over the mountainous NW. We've towed over 12,000 miles and love our RV. The cut-off for many state & national parks is in the 25 to 30 foot range so we far exceed that. But there are always commercial RV parks close enough that can handle the big rigs. When I'm towing in the mountains, I wish I was a little lighter but we haven't had any problems. I research my route to keep the grades in the 6-7% range -- you definitely don't want to "discover" a 10% grade either up or down! Then we use our TOAD to explore the area.

So the choice of size depends on what you want to do and your TV. Just make sure your TV can easily handle your RV. Take all mountains cautiously even more so until you learn your rig. And have fun!

My RV specs: 102 inches wide, 13'2" tall, 39'11" long, about 16,000 lbs loaded. TV+RV combo required Class A drivers license due to potentially exceeding 26,001 lbs combined weight.

[Willow]

Thanks everyone, this is all great and helpful information! We'll make our decision next week -- so much to consider. I appreciate all the feedback!

[rattleNsmoke]

Hi Willow, Welcome to the Forum. The calculations for towing safely are important and once you and hubby are satisfied you can tow the fiver safely with the truck you'll be getting, relax and enjoy the ride. As already mentioned, fifth wheels tow easier than a travel trailer and altho it may be longer, a good 6 ft or so extends into the truck bed making the overall length not that bad. One thing I bought right away was a Garmin 465LMT GPS.
Garmin Nuvi 400 Series Automotive GPS
It lets you input trailer height, width and weight and will keep you off roadways with low bridges and 'For Car's only' routes. Once settled into a cozy campsite, there's no better feeling than preparing a warm cup of tea and sinking into soft easy chairs in front of your big-screen TV waiting for the charcoal outside to glow for a yummy grilled dinner. The space of a large fiver inside is second to none IMHO.

[sheriff1]

About the first rule of RVs is it is never big enough on the inside and never small enouhg on the outside. Good luck with your choice!