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  1. #161
    Setting Up Camp Mjmnklm's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by jonmpierce2000 View Post
    Jon here, I have been working construction on the road for a little over 6 months and the hotels were getting old and the per diem money I could save was substantial so back in November I bought an Imagine XLS 22RBE it might be small but I am glad I made the change! I believe RV life has changed me, now I want to rent out my house get a bigger truck and a fifth wheel (my two year plan)
    Hey Jon,
    Good on you, man. I’ve camped one way or another since I was 10 years old. I say this with all sincerity, something about the lifestyle DOES change people. I rarely meet an ************** camper (campground managers, sometimes, but rarely campers).

    Although sadly, while they were growing up, I did not have the resources to take all of my kids camping while they were little, We did eventually get them all to go with us at some point. Some of them really love it too, and do it with their kids. It’s a great way to get them away from the screen time and spend real, quality time with each other.

    I wish you all the best as you look to upgrade. This forum is a great source of information as you do your research in preparation.
    2021 GDRV Reflection 320MKS 5ver (hauled by The Beast)
    The Beast - 2019 RAM 3500 Longhorn, CC, LB, DRW, 6.7L Cummins HO, Aisin 6spd, 4wd
    Previous: 2005 Minnie Winnie Class C towing 2014 Mini Cooper Countryman S (both 4 sale)

  2. #162
    Site Sponsor Steven@147's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mjmnklm View Post
    Hi Steven,
    I was just reading your post and about your rig. The Southfork Edition was one of two finalists for our ‘forever hauler’ when we were shopping in very early 2019. In the end we went with a 2019 Longhorn and that 1000 lb/ft Cummins. That Southfork was one sweet setup, though and there were a few still available in Mar 2019 when we were looking.

    I say all that to say this, I had done a ton of research and yes, the 2019 offered a higher torque engine, but not by much, and I have the 3.73 rear end in mine, as well so I was pretty sure your Max tow was considerably low at 20,000 lbs. I have attached a screen shot of the RAM publish literature for your review.

    At an average trailer weight of 15,500 you’re only running about 60% of your max tow, vice 75%. Bottom line, those 2018’s were bad ******, too.

    Happy trails, my friend, and brother in arms. (Retired Navy, here)
    I just happened upon reading this and I believe you were speaking to me. Yup I've seen my truck's tow capacity listed as 20,000, 24,770 from the RAM site per the VIN and in your attachment 25,020. Horse Pwr, Torque numbers and all that jazz, the bottom line for me was the 5,390 payload number, that was more important.
    We just happened upon this truck. We had been looking all over south central Texas and couldn't find what we wanted with our target payload number. You have to go and actually look at the payload number on the door jam to be for real. A dealership in Taylor had a couple DRW so we went up to look at them, their payload numbers were lower, black on charcoal or stripped of options. No joy. Our sales guy said he had one other off by itself that the financing just fell through on a special order. We walked over to it and OMG, It was way over and above on options but a payload of 5390 on the door jam. I still have the factory window sticker, base price listed is $58,995, optioned out at $75,430. The Southfork Package option is listed at $1,125. The AISIN 6 speed option is $2,695 and the 6.7L Cummins is $8,700 option. We were somewhat tired of looking for the right truck, this was it, figured it would be the only vehicle we would have, could haul whatever 5th wheel we chose, and the comfort ahhhhhh, the heated and cooled seats has already been a blessing. The price hurt but it was worth it and is now paid off.
    A far, far cry from our old 2002 Ram 2500 5.9L Cummins we bought new for @$42,000.

    Oh we just had the windshield replaced by Safelite because of a rock chip, and then the freezing cold cracked the glass all the way across. $600 and change for the OEM Ram windshield with the rain sensing feature. They did a great job and had it done in 1.5 hours on site at the campgrounds.
    Last edited by Steven@147; 03-28-2021 at 02:48 PM. Reason: additional
    Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
    2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
    Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel

  3. #163
    Setting Up Camp Mjmnklm's Avatar
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    Hey Steve,
    Couldn’t agree more about going by the sticker for final values in capacities. I keep the specs for both our trucks close at hand including height and box dimensions (Wife has a 2500). I also find it very useful going on the Mopar owners site which you’re probably aware of having purchased a new truck. Just in case https://www.mopar.com/en-us/my-vehic...d/details.html

    It’s got the specifics for my truck that match what’s on the door sill. I remember laughing when the dealer made me sign a document showing me that my truck should not pull more than 32,000 some odd pounds. I could not help but laugh. Being as our trucks are both RAM 3500 LONGHORN DRW we should have nearly identical payloads. Mine is 5245 so I guess they might have thrown some extra weight in the truck, somewhere. At any rate, both trucks are pretty much capable of hauling 99% of RVs that come off the line today. The only exception might be some of the heaviest DRVs or Luxe 5vers. Some of those should not be hauled without a semi truck if we want to maintain a good safety margin. Like you pointed out, it’s not what the truck can pull that is a limiting factor, it’s generally the payload capacity. Both of our trucks can pull a 24K 5th wheel but when you consider pin weight is ~20-25% of GVW, that means there’s minimum of 4800 lbs in the bed alone! Put two adults in the cab and you’re already at max cargo cap. Crazy.
    2021 GDRV Reflection 320MKS 5ver (hauled by The Beast)
    The Beast - 2019 RAM 3500 Longhorn, CC, LB, DRW, 6.7L Cummins HO, Aisin 6spd, 4wd
    Previous: 2005 Minnie Winnie Class C towing 2014 Mini Cooper Countryman S (both 4 sale)

  4. #164
    Site Sponsor Steven@147's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mjmnklm View Post
    Hey Steve,
    Couldn’t agree more about going by the sticker for final values in capacities. I keep the specs for both our trucks close at hand including height and box dimensions (Wife has a 2500). I also find it very useful going on the Mopar owners site which you’re probably aware of having purchased a new truck. Just in case https://www.mopar.com/en-us/my-vehic...d/details.html

    It’s got the specifics for my truck that match what’s on the door sill. I remember laughing when the dealer made me sign a document showing me that my truck should not pull more than 32,000 some odd pounds. I could not help but laugh. Being as our trucks are both RAM 3500 LONGHORN DRW we should have nearly identical payloads. Mine is 5245 so I guess they might have thrown some extra weight in the truck, somewhere. At any rate, both trucks are pretty much capable of hauling 99% of RVs that come off the line today. The only exception might be some of the heaviest DRVs or Luxe 5vers. Some of those should not be hauled without a semi truck if we want to maintain a good safety margin. Like you pointed out, it’s not what the truck can pull that is a limiting factor, it’s generally the payload capacity. Both of our trucks can pull a 24K 5th wheel but when you consider pin weight is ~20-25% of GVW, that means there’s minimum of 4800 lbs in the bed alone! Put two adults in the cab and you’re already at max cargo cap. Crazy.
    Howdy! you run out of payload usually long before you run out of tow capacity. Yup it seems the bigger the horse we get, we want to harness it up to more!! LoL Reminds me, I grew up in northern Indiana and the old order used those big Belgium draft horses (Clydesdale) to do their farming, they still do. Like our trucks, we keep adding more for it to do. Oh, i got a huge payload / cargo cap number, I can add all kinds of weight in it! Huh, on ours I added a bed toolbox full of heavy stuff, plus the companion hitch, generator, 3500 pin weight, spare diesel cans, two adults and you eat up the payload /cargo cap quickly!
    When we weighed our rig at the Escapee's "Smart Weigh" (just what they call it) where they weigh the rig by wheel, they said we were the first in a long while that wasn't over loaded!
    Right after we weighed a couple brought in a HUGE DRV, 43 ft if was an inch, three axles, all decked out, beautiful rig, but boy it must have weighed heavy! They had a 350 Dually.

    With fulltiming we didn't want to work our truck to death, in other words tow right at its max capabilities all the time. Our big horses, any breed of horse, cost enough without working them to death and have them start to brake down a lot. I do all the maintenance myself, even changing the AISIN trans fluid, MOPAR is crazy stupid expensive for oil, fuel filter and AISIN service, and yes that Mobile 3309 trans fluid is expensive, but that is the nature of the beast if you want to plow your field!
    We have @ 44K miles on it now and it pulls our rig like a dream. The wife drives our rig as well and its well mannered for her to drive to give me a break.

    Ya all take care of your big horses out there!
    Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
    2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
    Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel

  5. #165
    Left The Driveway
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    Hello all Joined the forum recently as we now have a 295RL. Browsing the forum, which is mighty expansive, and found this thread. Our Lance camper was our home because that's what we had when the house sold. Of course, for the two of us, we knew full well that as much fun as the 21' trailer was (the camper's actual size was 8'X18', trailer was 21' ball to bumper) eventually we would grow into a larger rig. The Lance camper had only the dinette as a seating option, and this coupled with the "crawl over bed" up front were the two main issues we tolerated. The trailer did haves gobs of storage for it's size though, and when we moved into the 295RL we noticed that the GD had storage to spare after we made the switch, not surprising though. Overall though we may have lost some storage due to the truck bed hauling a 5er now vs having the cap on the truck bed which gave 154 cubic feet of storage. We continually downsize though so this was just another opportunity to do so. We downsize because we discover that we simply don't wear or don't use something often enough to keep carrying it. When we began to full time nearly three years ago, we had already whittled down the tools that we would keep, and after camping for most of our lives which mostly consisted of 4 or 5 week road trips, we knew what camping tools to keep. Mechanic tools have been duplicated two and three times over the years, so we set up tool boxes for the grandchildren who were just starting their own families. Some tools are unnecessary in an RV but required in a house, pipe wrenches come to mind, and in the end I kept one somewhat large portable tool box for tools and two small ones that contain hardware & spare parts. The kids each wound up with a fully stocked tool box ready for home ownership (I wasn't really aware of how many screwdrivers, open end & box wrenches, and hammers we had until we made piles in the garage). The garage was now usable after the three garage sales we had, and anything left from these we donated (mostly clothing) or added to the dumpster. Some family heirlooms were kept within the family and some were not, the latter being the tough part. Furniture was mostly given to family, although during the garage sales we still sold some. When we decided to sell the house we did some repairs that were on my to do list and that's it. We didn't try to improve the house by doing things that we couldn't recoup our money on, and my time is valuable as well. This along with our physical conditions & age basically had the house sell as is. After all, the first thing folks do in a new to them house is paint, so that's one big job we didn't do. The house sold in three weeks and after all the research on domicile, mail service, RVs, etc., we were finally rolling. I had already set up our mail service about two years previous to ensure that everyone that needed it would have our new address, and the last thing to do was a change of address at the Post Office while the house sale paperwork was being drawn up. Essentially, it was a seamless transition to full time RV life, with the exception of shedding some tears as we left our home of 26 years. We became grandparents in that house, and they knew the house as their own. Both inside and out, the house and property held memories of a large part of our lives together. However emotional this time was, we knew that our hand was forced and we could no longer stay there, but this certainly didn't make leaving any easier. When we were both working we brought home more money, and when retirement came along our overtime wages stopped. Fixed income living became a reality and we couldn't keep up with the house both financially and physically. All those times of discussion as our road trips were coming to a close, racing back home to make it back to work on Monday, times when we said "Wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to be back by Monday. How far off is retirement anyway?" Well these times are upon us now, and the adventure is truly uplifting. With the exception of a year lost to the effects of Covid, this full time lifestyle is right where we belong. But even during 2020 we were blessed to have found a park to wait out the storm. And here we were able to receive packages without going to the Post Office for General Delivery (life's simple pleasures, aye). This made our efforts in modifications for the camper we once had, as well as the mods that needed to be done to the truck in going from a travel trailer to a fifth wheel, so much easier. And this is where we find ourselves now as I will remove the paper tags on the trailer and put on the license plate when it arrives in the mail today. The full time RV lifestyle parallels the sticks & bricks lifestyle, with a few subtle differences. They both have their requirements, and they both have their pros & cons for sure. (One item that comes to mind is something I heard a while back... The #1 reason that people move is their neighbors.) We enjoyed the sticks & bricks lifestyle for a while and now it's time to live our current lifestyle. However, when we were in the sticks & bricks we both had the feeling that we were just doing time. Sure, we would do things that were fun and exciting or rewarding to do. But locally we had done it all so many times, and the call to go was wearing off. We would venture further and further from home, and then have to get back for maintenance of the yard or whatever. This aspect, getting back, has been eliminated and what remains is going forth. So this little essay has been the long version, even though it has been edited to be concise, in my view anyway The short version is... Hello!
    295RL & 2X4 F250 XL Ext Cab LB w/3880 CCC

  6. #166
    Site Sponsor Steven@147's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Barnabas View Post
    Hello all Joined the forum recently as we now have a 295RL. snip However, when we were in the sticks & bricks we both had the feeling that we were just doing time. Sure, we would do things that were fun and exciting or rewarding to do. But locally we had done it all so many times, and the call to go was wearing off. We would venture further and further from home, and then have to get back for maintenance of the yard or whatever. This aspect, getting back, has been eliminated and what remains is going forth. So this little essay has been the long version, even though it has been edited to be concise, in my view anyway The short version is... Hello!
    Barnabas, welcome to the fulltime lifestyle and the forum, your tale exactly mirrors our experience going fulltime last July, except for shedding a tear seeing our home for 19 years sold. We were never so happy as to see it gone, almost 2 acres and a 3000 sqft house took its toll on us and the rising cost of upkeep and property taxes.
    Anyone contemplating the same thing will see it can be done just like you did. Wishing you have a great time and many adventures ahead.
    Steve & Tami Cass - Escapee's, FMCA Members, Texas Fulltimers Since July 2020
    2019 Solitude 3350RL S-Class, 2018 Ram 3500 DRW, Laramie Longhorn, B&W Companion, Texas Class A Non-CDL Drivers License
    Sharing the Fulltime Lifestyle - www.youtube.com/@tsrvadventures3219/videos, Nonprofit Channel

  7. #167
    Seasoned Camper
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    Just started full-timing in our 295RL. Excited to see where the road takes us.

  8. #168
    Seasoned Camper
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    Barnabas, our story isn’t far different from yours. We put a little stuff into storage, knowing we would need to check in from time to time. We were amazed at how much “stuff” we had accumulated over the past 17 years, but the purging proved liberating. Best wishes to you as you move forward. Safe travels.
    Mike & Lisa

  9. #169
    Site Sponsor orbiker's Avatar
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    We are getting closer. I think we have had 4 or 5 2 day garage sales so far. Even a "guy stuff" garage sale. Last week end we had a sale and this coming weekend too. And then another "guy stuff" garage sale the following weekend. We even had a "vinyl" sales to try and sell a lot of records.
    The real estate lady has been picked out of 4 different companies. Our house in Springfield, Oregon will go up for sale in mid October.
    We have an rv spot reserved for Nov, Dec and January close by, because my wife has picked January 31, 2022 as he final day. I retired from the company I worked for on August 6th. Fixing coin washers for almost 32 years for the same company and watching them continue to go downhill for the last 5 has not helped my attitude. I decided to pull the plug early, before they drug me down with them.
    We will be wintering on the Oregon Coast and maybe wonder up in to Washington too. We will be doing member parks, RPI and ROD; plus a Forest Service park here and there too. Maybe winter of 2022-23 we will find a workamp job on the Coast to settle into a bit.
    Summer of 2022 will be wondering east to MoRryde to get independent suspension put on the Solitude. After that; we will be visiting my wife's family in MI. We might try to get a workamp job on the way back to Oregon in SD or MT.

    For now; I get to do a lot of prep work to sell the house and slowly move "stuff" into the Solitude.

    Safe travels, KEN
    Backpacker and tent camper all my life, including BSA as a kid and adult.
    Motorcycle trips across the USA with a tent - 1978 to Present.
    02-10-2005 - 2002 F350 SWD PSD and 2003 Citation 10'8S mostly for Crater Lake Ski Patrol.
    10-29-2015 - 2016 Grand Design 380TH. It's HUGE compared to a camper.
    10-19-2018 - traded truck for a 2016 Ram 3500 DRW Laramie CC 4 X 4 Long Box.
    03-16-2019 - Traded Momentum for a New 2018 374TH-R Solitude
    FULL TIME RV'er Nov 2021

  10. #170
    Site Team Second Chance's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by orbiker View Post
    We are getting closer. I think we have had 4 or 5 2 day garage sales so far. Even a "guy stuff" garage sale. Last week end we had a sale and this coming weekend too. And then another "guy stuff" garage sale the following weekend. We even had a "vinyl" sales to try and sell a lot of records.
    The real estate lady has been picked out of 4 different companies. Our house in Springfield, Oregon will go up for sale in mid October.
    We have an rv spot reserved for Nov, Dec and January close by, because my wife has picked January 31, 2022 as he final day. I retired from the company I worked for on August 6th. Fixing coin washers for almost 32 years for the same company and watching them continue to go downhill for the last 5 has not helped my attitude. I decided to pull the plug early, before they drug me down with them.
    We will be wintering on the Oregon Coast and maybe wonder up in to Washington too. We will be doing member parks, RPI and ROD; plus a Forest Service park here and there too. Maybe winter of 2022-23 we will find a workamp job on the Coast to settle into a bit.
    Summer of 2022 will be wondering east to MoRryde to get independent suspension put on the Solitude. After that; we will be visiting my wife's family in MI. We might try to get a workamp job on the way back to Oregon in SD or MT.

    For now; I get to do a lot of prep work to sell the house and slowly move "stuff" into the Solitude.

    Safe travels, KEN
    I don't know why - maybe because you've been around for so long - I thought y'all were already full-timers! The best advice I can give is to not leave a bunch of stuff in storage (like we did ). The old joke is: The first time full-timers go back by their storage unit after hitting the road, they raise the door, look in, and exclaim, "Whose cr@p is this and how did it get in our storage unit!"

    Safe travels and best of luck.

    Rob
    U.S. Army Retired
    2012 F350 DRW CC LB Lariat PS 6.7
    2020 Solitude 310GK-R, MORryde IS, disc brakes,
    Sailun LRG tires, solar, DP windows, W/D
    (Previously in a Reflection 337RLS)
    Full time since 08/2015

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