Sabre 37FLL Tail Dragger

[Navy]

New Sabre owner here. Just picked up a 2021 37FLL. I stopped by the dealership to look at another 5th. wheel but then I seen the Sabre 37FLL floorplan and was sold. I call the upper loft The Crows Nest, this floorplan brought out the kid in me.

I noticed how low the drop frame is in the rear and the I-Beam already had drag marks in it from the transporter. The dealer addressed my concern and welded steel roller wheels on the tail end. The dealership said if that did not work for me they can lift the trailer by removing the suspension and welding a frame to the I Beams then re attaching the suspension.

My concern is overall height of the trailer. It would be between 13' 6" to 13' 8".

I was also looking at replacing the Castle Rock tires and seeing if a 2" taller tire would fit giving me 1" of more ground clearance instead of the lift.

Costs,
Lift 2 to 3 inches $1,600 or
Tires 1 inch of height gained <$1,000

What are some ideas or solutions?
Any and all advice is greatly appreciated!

[BroncoLvrs]

Congratulations on your new purchase! My husband and I are looking at this 5th wheel. Did you come up with a decision for the rear? Can you please tell me if the dining table has an extension of any type? Thanks! Janice

[Navy]

Originally Posted by BroncoLvrs

Congratulations on your new purchase! My husband and I are looking at this 5th wheel. Did you come up with a decision for the rear? Can you please tell me if the dining table has an extension of any type? Thanks! Janice

The dealership sent it out for a 4 inch lift to be level with my truck and extra clearance on the back.

We went with the fixed booth dinette so I cant help you on the table question. The booth gave 2 large storage drawers under the seats.

[Tonylmiller]

Going to pick mine up tomorrow. I hope I can get it over the hump in my driveway. I might have to put some wood in the gutter as a makeshift ramp.

[Reverse_snowbird]

Originally Posted by Tonylmiller

Going to pick mine up tomorrow. I hope I can get it over the hump in my driveway. I might have to put some wood in the gutter as a makeshift ramp.

Congratulations on your new rig!
We've uses wood to get over gutters. It's a cheap fix for driveway gutters.

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by BroncoLvrs

Congratulations on your new purchase! My husband and I are looking at this 5th wheel. Did you come up with a decision for the rear? Can you please tell me if the dining table has an extension of any type? Thanks! Janice

Although we have a 2020 37FLH, the tables are all the same in the Sabre 5th wheel line and no changes to the dining table in 2021. That said, there is no extension leaf.

We found the table is very tight if you want to sit four adults for a meal. Really there's only room for two adults and two children. I was hoping for a leaf extension too when we got ours, or at least a way to move the table away from the glide out wall, but its screwed into the floor, so no go.

I looked into replacing the table with one that has an extension, but all I've found online run between $400 to $500, plus shipping. I ended up making my own table leaf that now extends space an additional 12 inches and have plenty of room now. There's still plenty of space between the table and the center island, so I'm pretty happy with how that mod turned out.

[Tonylmiller]

How is the 37FLL wired? The inverter stayed on after I turned the battery disconnect knob. So now I'm wondering if it really disconnected the battery from everything.
I have the big residential refrigerator and I cannot figure out how to turn it off without killing the inverter.
Does the inverter run anything except the refrigerator? Just wondering if any other 110V outlets stay hot. Obviously I have not been able to test that yet.
This is my first 5th wheel and I can't believe how well it tows

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by Tonylmiller

How is the 37FLL wired? The inverter stayed on after I turned the battery disconnect knob. So now I'm wondering if it really disconnected the battery from everything.
I have the big residential refrigerator and I cannot figure out how to turn it off without killing the inverter.
Does the inverter run anything except the refrigerator? Just wondering if any other 110V outlets stay hot. Obviously I have not been able to test that yet.
This is my first 5th wheel and I can't believe how well it tows

Unfortunately, the refrigerator cannot be turned off without disconnecting from battery and shore power. Nice refrigerator, but frustrating you can only turn up the refrigerator to the highest temperature to keep it from coming on. I attempted to get to the back of the fridge to unplug it, but there's no access I could find to get to it.

If anyone knows how it can be unplugged or shut off, please let us know.

[Tonylmiller]

Originally Posted by GPs37FLH

Unfortunately, the refrigerator cannot be turned off without disconnecting from battery and shore power. Nice refrigerator, but frustrating you can only turn up the refrigerator to the highest temperature to keep it from coming on. I attempted to get to the back of the fridge to unplug it, but there's no access I could find to get to it.

If anyone knows how it can be unplugged or shut off, please let us know.

I'm just turning off the inverter to keep the refrigerator off. Does the inverter run anything else? None of the other 110V receptacles were hot when the inverter was running the refrigerator.

[bikendan]

Originally Posted by Tonylmiller

I'm just turning off the inverter to keep the refrigerator off. Does the inverter run anything else? None of the other 110V receptacles were hot when the inverter was running the refrigerator.

Generally if you have a residential fridge, the inverter only powers the fridge, not the outlets.
You would need a whole house inverter and a big bank of batteries to do all that.

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by bikendan

Generally if you have a residential fridge, the inverter only powers the fridge, not the outlets.
You would need a whole house inverter and a big bank of batteries to do all that.

All the new Sabre's come with a residential fridge. Unfortunately, 12V is not an option. That said, outside of the fridge, I'm pretty sure the inverter will power the ceiling fan and the Driven entertainment center. Remote possibility the outlets behind the TV too, but no other devices in the rig I'm aware of.

[Skip12]

Wow, this thread is all over the place. I have a 2018 Sabre. Fo those looking to cut power to the fridge while connecting to shore power, I believe you can I can turn off the inverter and unplug it from the wall will stop it from being powered.

Turning it off will stop the inverter from powering the fridge via battery.

Unplugging the inverter will stop the AC transfer from occurring.

Hope that helps.

[Tonylmiller]

What I meant is, turning off the inverter effectively turns off the refrigerator without affecting anything else.

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by Skip12

Wow, this thread is all over the place. I have a 2018 Sabre. Fo those looking to cut power to the fridge while connecting to shore power, I believe you can I can turn off the inverter and unplug it from the wall will stop it from being powered.

Turning it off will stop the inverter from powering the fridge via battery.

Unplugging the inverter will stop the AC transfer from occurring.

Hope that helps.

I'll give that a try today. Thanks!

[Tonylmiller]

I picked up my 2021 Sabre 37FLL on Thursday. I've been towing and testing all over the place, and I'm happy to say that the tail has not dragged at all. I was able to back it into my driveway which has a big hump at the gutter without any problems. I had about 4 in. to spare. With this same configuration, I just did a jackknife test and I was able to achieve a 90 degree angle. I doubt I will ever need to do that again.

[brhlbryce]

Originally Posted by Tonylmiller

Going to pick mine up tomorrow. I hope I can get it over the hump in my driveway. I might have to put some wood in the gutter as a makeshift ramp.

How does the 2500 do towing this 5th wheel? We've pretty much settled on the RV, but will need a new truck regardless to be able to tow. Have heard a variety of opinions on 2500 v 3500 v dually 3500. So would be curious from someone actually towing it.

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by brhlbryce

How does the 2500 do towing this 5th wheel? We've pretty much settled on the RV, but will need a new truck regardless to be able to tow. Have heard a variety of opinions on 2500 v 3500 v dually 3500. So would be curious from someone actually towing it.

Most will tell you you should be ok with a three quarter ton truck, but it should be a diesel. A gas engine simply won't get the job done, unless you're looking at a newer 7.3 Ford. You'll be pushing to the high end of a newer three-quarter ton truck's towing limits with a 5'er this large, but it can be done if you keep your cargo light.

My FLH is the same size and weight as the FLL and is pushing an F-350 one ton dually. I've towed big rigs with a previous single rear wheel three quarter ton diesel, but the extra set of back tires makes it so much more stable and easier to drive. The heavy duty leaf spring suspension, braking system and higher payload capacity of a dually simply cant be beat either.

You should be able to find some good deals on used one ton diesel haulers that'll do a great job for ya.

[Tonylmiller]

Originally Posted by brhlbryce

How does the 2500 do towing this 5th wheel? We've pretty much settled on the RV, but will need a new truck regardless to be able to tow. Have heard a variety of opinions on 2500 v 3500 v dually 3500. So would be curious from someone actually towing it.

I'm very happy with the way it tows. If I was towing a heavy trailer every day, I would want a diesel engine. My gas engine will be working hard going up big hills, but it will get the job done and it is fine for 8 trips or so a year. I did not want a diesel for the way I use my truck.
The rig is extremely stable, and that is why I wanted a 5th wheel. Perhaps a dually is more stable, but it is hard to imagine anything being more stable than this.
My truck is maxed out under this scenario. If I bought a bigger RV, I would have to get a bigger truck to tow it. But it seems to be fine so far. My first real trip is this weekend and I will be towing the 37FLL over a mountain.

[GPs37FLH]

Tony, if your towing a rig that large with just a gas engine, you're towing well over the 5th wheel limits of that Silverado, which is less than 10K lbs.
Even with the 4.1 axle ratio, the most you can tow is 14K lbs, which once you pack, will be very close to maximum.

Check the towing specs of the truck yourself. Page 12 of the Chevy Trailer Guide.

https://www.chevrolet.com/content/da...ring-guide.pdf

[GPs37FLH]

Originally Posted by Tonylmiller

Perhaps a dually is more stable, but it is hard to imagine anything being more stable than this.

Having four tires on the rear axle makes a huge difference in the ride and especially in the control of the RV when traveling thru high cross-winds. Having towed 5'ers with both a three quarter ton single rear wheel, and now with my one ton dually, I'll never go back again given a choice.

I also noticed a huge difference in control of the RV on the interstate when passing or being passed by tractor trailers, as the wash of turbulence they generate batters the side of the RV. I've had past experiences like these where controlling the RV has been a white knuckler and unpleasant. But the dually has all but eliminated this issue, which is even more pronounced with a high profile 5'er like yours and mine.