New To 5th Wheel and New to Forum

[Dogpatch]

Hi! My name is Dogpatch (aka Les). We're from BC, Canada.

We have recently sold our DP and decided that it was more economical to go the truck and 5th wheel route. Those beasts can eat you alive monitarily. (Don't ask me how I know)

I'm not retired, (I'm working on the "Freedom 98" Plan). My wife stays home and looks after the two kids (that's me and my daughter). We have a miniature Dachshund named Bella that doesn't listen to me and a 25 lb Black Cat that's diabetic and listens to me even less than the dog.

I have to have a truck for work so it only made sense to have only one vehicle to maintain. The truck maintenance I can write off. The DP I couldn't and that's the one that cost tons of dough and kept me from enjoying camping.
So....the DP was sold and we embarked on a search for a new truck and fifth wheel.
There are a lot of 5th wheels we liked in the U.S. but with the low Canadian dollar and the 12% tax on used vehicles our Government sucks out of us, adding 35% on to what we wanted would have left us only affording a really bad tent trailer from down there. The only good thing about a tent trailer is they make a really good bonfire!

We found the 2010 Cardinal 3450RL with Full Body paint locally. It was owned by a farmer and only made 2 trips south. The rest of the time it spent in his Quonset. He inherited a Class A (poor bugger) so wasn't using both. The 40'- 4 slide Cardinal met most our wants in terms of living area with enough seating for us to enjoy watching a movie together in the evening, a fireplace, big kitchen, stand alone dinette and most important of all, a king size bed.
The king size bed was the marriage saver. We sleep on a king at home and going to a queen bed in our previous coach caused a battle every night. You see, the only one that lost any room in the transition from King to Queen bed was me. My wife has always slept with a few pillows and added a Dachshund that insists on sleeping under the covers. Finding the King bed in the Cardinal was an "Alleluia" moment.

With the 5th wheel found, I needed a truck to pull it with. I considered the 2016 F350 Lariat, but found the 2015 Ram 3500 a lot nicer appointed and less like a "rig" truck. The deciding factors were the higher towing capacity and payload of the Ram 3500. The final deal breaker was the F350 wouldn't fit in my garage and I wasn't scraping frost and snow off for nuthin come winter.

We enjoy camping (we call it "Glamping"), seeing new places, meeting new people and making new friends. We get out about a total of 5 weeks a year. Hopefully, we can meet a few of you in our travels.

If you see some guy frantically waving at you as you pass, it's probably me!

I look forward to being a pain in the butt asking a bunch of questions and hopefully you'll have the patience to answer them.
Thanks in advance for your help when I need it.

Regards,

Les

[Dogpatch]

This is our Rig and TV.

[Ford Idaho]

Greetings from SW Idaho and welcome to the forums.

[Iwannacamp]

Hello and welcome from Arkansas. Very nice looking rig.

BTW... I can tell you aren't from this area... Too articulate.


Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

[Dogpatch]

Thanks! I have been known to be a little "Verbose" LOL

[tenttotrailer]

Welcome from Ontario and congratulations on your new rig and TV. You will have to paint that truck, your 5th is showing it up. Speaking of waving on the way by, I am surprised there is not a wave done by "RVers" the same as done by bikers as they pass each other on the road. Just say'n.

Kevin

[RangeMaggotBob]

Trust me- you'll never regret buying the Cummins over the F350. Not to say anything bad about the F350- it's just that the Cummins is in a class by itself. When we were researching which truck to buy, I picked everybody's brains in the campground every time we went camping. A common answer to the question, "How do you like that F350?" was they loved it- after they had to take it back and get the bugs worked out. But then again, this could be with all the one tons; we just haven't had any problems so far. Have fun with that awesome looking fifth wheeler!

[Dogpatch]

I just backed the 5er up about a block that was a 12% grade.

Threw it in 4 low and the Ram walked it up without even breathing heavy!

I was impressed till I backed the 5er into my rock retaining wall and took out the bottom of the ladder.

[Dogpatch]

This is the pair together taken today.

[aceinspp]

Welcome to the world of RVing. Enjoy your new camper Later RJD

[B and B]

Welcome to the Forum, nice trailer you have there! We too are looking for a upgrade but I agree the exchange and then GST on top is a killer. Maybe the TPP will eliminate import duties/taxes and our choice on Oct 19 will give our dollar a boost! Have fun camping and be careful on 99. I burned up a set of brakes there with a work truck once! Your truck with exhaust brake should have no issues.

[RVChick]

Welcome to the forum, from mid Missouri!!
Beautiful rig you bought! 4 slides...how cool!
Sounds like you might want to get a back up camera....to save that retaining wall!
I hope we see you one day.....I always wave to fellow FR drivers!!


XLR Owners United!