The Rabbit Hole...of buying a new RV

[IPcamper]

6jdad,
With your F150, you should be OK on the weight. The trailer's GVWR is close to the your truck's tow capacity. I would recommend not getting carried away with bring too much stuff and watching your payload capacity on the truck. You listed the 3.5L engine, If that is the non-turbo engine, Then it is the newer version of our 3.7L. You will feel the weight behind you. The engine is capable, but generates power at higher RPMs. In the Appalachian Mts, on a steep grade ( 6% or more ) , our engine often runs around 4,000 to 4,500rpm and the trans gears down. We tend to go faster than the slowest Semi-trucks, but often crest the ridges at 40 to 45mph. It's a matter of finding the sweet spot between the engine RPMs and the gears. Now, if you have the Turbo 3.5L engine, you will have no problems with a Surveyor 252.

 

[Alenda]

Not a Rockwood, but…..

Just looked at Salem FX and Rockwood Mini-Lite models with my sis.
Didn’t see a Rockwood with the weight you are looking for.
Salem FSX 169RSKX has a queen bed in a slide and nice space in the bedroom. Walkthrough bath. Front U-dinette. GWVR just under 5,000. Going for less than $28,000 in Texas.
I’m a princess when it comes to beds so ALWAYS replace, though weight will be a big consideration with your weight limitations.

 

[capeharj]

Greetings!

We've had our Geo Pro 19FD for 3.5 years. LOVE it, except for the Murphy bed (54x72). Try as we might, the support/mattress/space just doesn't do it for us and we are now pondering moving on to "something else". Honestly, I could barely type that because I swore we would never go there.

So, now that we're down the rabbit hole, I'm lost. I'm probably not willing to go more than $30-35,000 and we can tow comfortably up to 5000 lbs, so those are limitations. I realize that isn't much to go on, but I'm asking for any serious advice anyone might have. I have really appreciated the experience represented on this forum and hope you all can help me hit a homerun here, or just tell me to put away my bat

Thanks in advance!

Look at used trailers that are two or three years old. Most will have factory issues corrected. Of course you must be diligent when looking them over to insure the haven't been misused and the dealer hasn't done cosmetic repairs. Would be best to look at private sales, the price will be better and you have a better chance of seeing what your getting. Facebook Marketplace would be a good start.

 

[Primorver]

I think you would be happy with a 187rb Apex. Its light and brite and has construction that mimics the GeoPro. The few differences like inverters could be added if its something you use. I know many people that love this little guy. Additions for 2024 include drawers in the kitchen finally, thicker azdel in walls ,rear ladder prep, backup camera prep, aluminum wheels, battery disconnect and a griddle standard. https://coachmenrv.com/apex-nano/187RB/9356

Or alternatively the ultrapopular 192rbs in the Freedom Express series: https://coachmenrv.com/freedom-express-ultra-lite/192RBS/9228

 

[farmallm51]

Take a look at the Rockwood Mini-lite 2109s. Dedicated queen size bed and plenty of room for 2. We love ours.
https://forestriverinc.com/rvs/rockwood-mini-lite/2109S/8043

 

[AlBab930]

Replacing the GeoPro

We are in a 2019 Wildwood FSX 167RB and it works great for us. Fully loaded it weighs in at about 4500 with a tongue weight of about 480. the Murphy bed is a full single unit that hinges down when the jack knife sofa a folded down. We replace the mattress with a foam unit that is full queen size so it extends past the foot of the bed but that's OK for my feet to rest on. The foam I think is about 5 inches and quite firm. The single platform is ribs of 2x2 pine covering in 1/4inch ply and provides a good foundation for the mattress. Must say I have looked at newer rigs and I really dislike the folding platforms for the murphy beds. Those do seem pretty flimsy and don't lend themselves to full size mattresses.

We aren't overly excited about the jack knife sofa but as long as the weather is decent, we spend our time outside anyway. We only sit on the sofa when watching the late evening news or when the weather is just too uncomfortable to be outside - and it has to be pretty bad for that to occur

Not sure what a new one goes for these days, ours was pretty inexpensive just before the nasty COVID. Good luck finding something that works.

 

[Civilguy]

So, now that we're down the rabbit hole, I'm lost. I'm probably not willing to go more than $30-35,000 and we can tow comfortably up to 5000 lbs, so those are limitations.

We are looking at new mattresses, but that seems like an expensive risk at this point.

Actually, there are a number of quality mattresses available for under $30,000!

There, I fixed it!

 

[jimm7007]

After messing around with various kinds of foam to make the factory RV mattress acceptable, my wife and I have been Sleep Number mattress users for over 20 years...that is why we put the 60x80 Sleep Number R5 in our Surveyor 241RBLE that is listed for sale on the Forum.

 

[Stevevermont]

Are you sure he's not reading the towing spec for his TV and not considering the max passenger+cargo weight? That would be a first for Forest River Forums.

I am confuse here. Where did the writer mention about TV. About the writer why he is having problem with the murphy bed after 3 1/2 years My wife and I are at the age of 77 and have a murphy bed and we love it. We went through 2 motor homes and three TT. At our age we just wanted to keep things simple and still camping.

 

[Larry-NC]

You are indeed

I am confuse here. Where did the writer mention about TV. About the writer why he is having problem with the murphy bed after 3 1/2 years My wife and I are at the age of 77 and have a murphy bed and we love it. We went through 2 motor homes and three TT. At our age we just wanted to keep things simple and still camping.

You are indeed confused. My post was Post #2. The only post I could have been responding to is Post #1. Here it is:

Greetings!

We've had our Geo Pro 19FD for 3.5 years. LOVE it, except for the Murphy bed (54x72). Try as we might, the support/mattress/space just doesn't do it for us and we are now pondering moving on to "something else". Honestly, I could barely type that because I swore we would never go there.

So, now that we're down the rabbit hole, I'm lost. I'm probably not willing to go more than $30-35,000 and we can tow comfortably up to 5000 lbs, so those are limitations. I realize that isn't much to go on, but I'm asking for any serious advice anyone might have. I have really appreciated the experience represented on this forum and hope you all can help me hit a homerun here, or just tell me to put away my bat

Thanks in advance!

As you can plainly see, he's asking for advice on buying a new trailer, not fixing the Murphy bed.

The mistake that many new owners make in looking at trailers is to compare the trailer weight to the towing specs for their tow vehicle, without considering the payload specs. The Original Poster (OP)'s current trailer is a very small, lightweight trailer, but he doesn't say whether that's limited by his tow vehicle (which at this point he hasn't identified), or just his prior purchase whim. So he's asking for advice without putting useful constraints on the responses.

He could easily get responses like "I really like my 32-foot trailer" or "My 36-foot fifth wheel has served me well." when he is pulling with a Jeep or a CUV. That's a waste of the OP's time and all the readers' time.

Now are you un-confused?

 

[RBfromRJA]

J6Dad,
We've been there we had an absolutely perfect RPod. We loved it, But for us there was no room to sit anywhere besides the dinette, or the bed. It was perfectly acceptable for short weekend trips. Not for longer stays anywhere. I know you have said you can tow in the 5K range. Our Dodge Journey worked for the RPod, We needed a bigger vehicle to tow a bigger trailer, We bought a Dodge Durango to tow our 2015 Salem trailer. Two years later we have traded the Durango for a 2019 RAM 2500 with a 6.4 Hemi. We love our Salem TT, and now have all the muscle we need to go anywhere.
The point being you may need to seriously upgrade your towing capacity if you are looking for a bigger TT that will have the comforts you desire. Go to RV Trader and plug in your maximum TT Cost, and look at the different floorplans to see what you like best. Go from there.