Our new 5er

dpkimmel2001

dpkimmel2001

Team Owner
Joined
Apr 1, 2009
Messages
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Location
Western PA
After many months & miles of searching, my wife & I finally came to an agreement on what floorplan we liked. We ordered the Jayco 336FBOK model mid August. We went the 3+ hours on Saturday to pick it up at the dealer. So far, we've only towed it home and are now in the process of loading all of our stuff as well as testing all of the appliances and the like. We hope to take it out this weekend for it's first camping trip.

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dpkimmel2001 said:
After many months & miles of searching, my wife & I finally came to an agreement on what floorplan we liked. We ordered the Jayco 336FBOK model mid August. We went the 3+ hours on Saturday to pick it up at the dealer. So far, we've only towed it home and are now in the process of loading all of our stuff as well as testing all of the appliances and the like. We hope to take it out this weekend for it's first camping trip.

b135d83d372d6302de5f7a6f784a7e08.jpg
5e7fc59f3257ab0e1afbc6cee96cf9a7.jpg
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Yahoo. Damn tootin what a rig.
 
@dpkimmel2001

I want to get into trailering...start with a pop up tent trailer. did you jump right into the 5th wheel or did you work your way up?
Any advice for an RVer on a budget?

EDIT:GREAT RIG!
 
DF --- start with what you can afford. Don't jump in the deep end and find out you don't like camping.
We started with a basic tent, cots, and sleeping bags and worked our way up. We found that
a pop-up was what we liked the best. Always stayed at camp grounds with water/electric hookups and shower/bath facilities.
We never went the full-on RV route because we just didn't have the money. That, plus the fact my husband could only get
2 weeks at a time for vacation. A big RV just wasn't worth the money because it would sit 50 weeks a year.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
After many months & miles of searching, my wife & I finally came to an agreement on what floorplan we liked. We ordered the Jayco 336FBOK model mid August. We went the 3+ hours on Saturday to pick it up at the dealer. So far, we've only towed it home and are now in the process of loading all of our stuff as well as testing all of the appliances and the like. We hope to take it out this weekend for it's first camping trip.

b135d83d372d6302de5f7a6f784a7e08.jpg
5e7fc59f3257ab0e1afbc6cee96cf9a7.jpg
Click to expand...


The entire rig looks great
 
DanicaFreak said:
@dpkimmel2001

I want to get into trailering...start with a pop up tent trailer. did you jump right into the 5th wheel or did you work your way up?
Any advice for an RVer on a budget?

EDIT:GREAT RIG!
Click to expand...
I grew up camping with my mom & dad. Carried on the tradition with our kids. Started out tenting but it didn't take long until we realized we didn't want to be at ground level. Our first RV was a Coleman tent trailer. That carried us a lot of years before stepping up to a tow behind trailer. It was a 28' Jayco travel trailer with bunk beds for the kids. Later we purchased our first 5er. It was a Saber brand. It ended up that we weren't happy with the overall quality of the unit. We then moved to a Keystone Raptor Toy Hauler. @Johali has seen it when we hooked up @ Eldora for the inaugural truck race. That is the unit that we just got rid of for this one. So, yeah, we progressed over time. I'm sure this won't be our last either. At some point, it'll probably be our full time lifestyle. The kids are grown, starting their own lives so it's all about us now for camping.

If I were you, I'd definitely look for a used tent trailer depending on what you have as a tow vehicle. You can get one that is as light as about 1000 lbs. The one we had tipped in at a little over 2000 lbs. These RV's, like cars/trucks, drop in value the second you pull it off the lot. There is a huge markup on new RV's. 30%-40%. Go to a website like rvtrader.com to start your search. You can price out rv's from all over the country there. Get the best deal that you can, and you'll find a great one, on paper/email/etc.... Once you have that, you're good to go. That's when you can really deal. Also..... Most RV manufacturers are located in Indiana. The closer to there, the cheaper they are.

Feel free to ask anything and everything. I can certainly share what I've learned over the years. Just go small and find out if RVing is for you. We like the outdoors. Sitting around the campfire looking up at the stars with family and friends is something my wife and I work weekdays for. Making memories one weekend at a time.
 
TexasRaceLady said:
DF --- start with what you can afford. Don't jump in the deep end and find out you don't like camping.
We started with a basic tent, cots, and sleeping bags and worked our way up. We found that
a pop-up was what we liked the best. Always stayed at camp grounds with water/electric hookups and shower/bath facilities.
We never went the full-on RV route because we just didn't have the money. That, plus the fact my husband could only get
2 weeks at a time for vacation. A big RV just wasn't worth the money because it would sit 50 weeks a year.
Click to expand...
We are getting out more than ever these days. It's amazing all the things I haven't seen less than two hours from my location. We're slowly trying to explore them all.
 
DUN24 said:
The entire rig looks great
Click to expand...
Thanks. It was a tough road to get to where my wife and I could agree on the same model.

This particular model is a bath & a half. Nice size bedroom/master bath. Only drawback is that it's a little longer than our last unit bound to make parking a little more tedious in already familiar places.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
We are getting out more than ever these days. It's amazing all the things I haven't seen less than two hours from my location. We're slowly trying to explore them all.
Click to expand...
That Raptor you had at Eldora in 2013 and 2014 was awesome.

We'll be upgrading next spring. We like the versatility of a trailer and have no intention of reverting back to a class A. This one has been great for 6 years but we're ready for a change. We're not going full time yet so It'll probably be a 5er in the 30' to 32' range so I wont have to replace the truck.
 
The problem with 5th wheelers is the legality of a 3rd trailer in alot of states.
 
DUN24 said:
The problem with 5th wheelers is the legality of a 3rd trailer in alot of states.
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Here in Florida we can't pull but one trailer. In a lot of states we could pull the boat behind our trailer but not here.
 
DUN24 said:
The problem with 5th wheelers is the legality of a 3rd trailer in alot of states.
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That doesn't seem like a 5th wheel problem so much. It just seems to be the law.

I think I could handle a triple tow but backing up..... Can people actually back up a triple tow?

And by triple.. they actually are talking two trailers, right? Seems like it should be double towing.
 
Johali said:
Here ya go.

https://rv-roadtrips.thefuntimesguide.com/triple_towing/

Triple towing is allowed in the following states:

  • Alaska
  • Arizona
  • Arkansas
  • California
  • Colorado
  • Idaho
  • Illinois
  • Indiana
  • Iowa
  • Kansas
  • Kentucky
  • Louisiana
  • Maryland
  • Michigan
  • Minnesota
  • Mississippi
  • Missouri
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Mexico
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Oklahoma
  • South Dakota
  • Tennessee
  • Texas
  • Utah
Click to expand...

Could have sworn it was illegal in CA, righteous!

dpkimmel2001 said:
That doesn't seem like a 5th wheel problem so much. It just seems to be the law.

I think I could handle a triple tow but backing up..... Can people actually back up a triple tow?

And by triple.. they actually are talking two trailers, right? Seems like it should be double towing.
Click to expand...


I guess it is double-towing lol.

I don't think it would be too difficult to get used to backing up with two trailers.. Instead of turning right to go left, you turn right and the rear trailer goes right. Following through and straightening out doesn't seem fun though haha.
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
That doesn't seem like a 5th wheel problem so much. It just seems to be the law.

I think I could handle a triple tow but backing up..... Can people actually back up a triple tow?

And by triple.. they actually are talking two trailers, right? Seems like it should be double towing.
Click to expand...
When we went fishing and hunting in North Alabama I always unhooked my boat at the campground before parking the trailer. It would be a nightmare trying to back up two trailers. For me anyway.
 
DanicaFreak said:
@dpkimmel2001

I want to get into trailering...start with a pop up tent trailer. did you jump right into the 5th wheel or did you work your way up?
Any advice for an RVer on a budget?

EDIT:GREAT RIG!
Click to expand...

Another option you might want to look at is renting a rig. They aren't that hard to find if you haven't done much camping and you can try out different setups. For single or two people who are good friends, a simple small cargo trailer can be outfitted with a few creature comforts or even a mini van can be adapted to camp. Cargo trailers roofs don't leak, almost no depreciation, and they are built tough for off roading and can handle forestry roads if you like to get off of the beaten path and boondock. Both of those don't cost an arm and a leg and you can sell them and not take a bath if you don't like it. A used pop up, used camper for that matter could be a money pit if you don't know what you are looking at. A new cargo trailer is, well, all brand new and outfitting it like Red Green says if women don't find ya handsome, they should at least find you handy.
 
One of these days, maybe we'll get to this point. Until then, we'll be rocking air mattresses in the trailer while the car sits outside, or hitting the hotel while the car is inside.

And yes, this is considered legal length thanks to a DOT loophole that remains un-plugged.

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Magnethead said:
One of these days, maybe we'll get to this point. Until then, we'll be rocking air mattresses in the trailer while the car sits outside, or hitting the hotel while the car is inside.

And yes, this is considered legal length thanks to a DOT loophole that remains un-plugged.

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at least get a 4" memory foam pad to sleep on, rolls right up, comfortable. Air mattresses are hot in summer and cold in the winter. 35 bucks E bay.
 
Magnethead said:
One of these days, maybe we'll get to this point. Until then, we'll be rocking air mattresses in the trailer while the car sits outside, or hitting the hotel while the car is inside.

And yes, this is considered legal length thanks to a DOT loophole that remains un-plugged.

rv_DSC_0684_7f97c_8ac46~.jpg
Click to expand...

I'd break my neck if this was going the opposite direction. Friggin schwing.
 
Magnethead said:
One of these days, maybe we'll get to this point. Until then, we'll be rocking air mattresses in the trailer while the car sits outside, or hitting the hotel while the car is inside.
Click to expand...
I have seen ones much shorter than the one in your pic, like a 24 foot box truck with a extension/platform for the 5th wheel. Very nice rigs.
 
I opened the RV up today to test out the water system, furnace and other items. Figured I'd take you on a quick tour. There's a lot more to it than these pics but they'll give you a general idea of it's layout.

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Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
 
dpkimmel2001 said:
Some more.
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Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk
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Oh-boy. I hope the wife doesn't see this. Our truck only has an 8,750 lb towing capacity so I may have to buy a new truck as well as a big 5er. :eek:
 
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