Sadly, a fond farewell...

[webslave]

No introduction here... Just a fond farewell

Made the mistake of going to the Hershey RV Show after coming back from 2 months on the road. While on the road, we found several nice campgrounds that would be ideal for "snow birding" during our sometimes awful winters here in the wilds of PA. Our 210WBS has been a pure joy to own, but, would be rather cramped for living in "full time" for several months as opposed to our travel / sightsee mode now.

Long story short; we're now proud owners of a Keystone Cougar 318SAB fiver, loaded to the hilt and much more conducive to "living" in mild winter conditions with three cats than our 210 is. I, with a tear in my eye, just finished emptying it for taking up to the dealer when we pick up the new 5th wheel.

I'll still probably lurk and may even chime in if I have something to add, but, I'll be doing it as an "outsider" I wish all of you the best of luck and great adventures in your travels. Remember, no matter how bad it seems, you are in one of the "fortunate" groups. Time and money enough to invest in the RV lifestyle...there are a great many that would see that as the "ultimate" investment, myself included. It is a great and wonderful country and one lifetime is not near long enough to see even a small portion of all that is wonderful around you.

 

[Bula]

Good Luck and Thanks

I have not been a member of this forum for very long, however long enough to notice that your input has been extremely valuable. Thanks for taking the time to provide it. May you have the best of luck and good times in your new roomy RV!!

 

[LJAZ]

Wow, congrats on the new rig! I looked it up on Keystone's website and it is a beauty! That will certainly be much more conducive to extended stays.

Your input here has always been very much appreciated here, and you've certainly helped many of us increase our knowledge. Myself included.

Enjoy that new 5th wheel - but don't be a stranger. Would love to hear how its working out.

 

[webslave]

Thanks for the kind words... Yep, still a "trailer owner" and have already been back a couple of times. Our FunFinder was a real beauty and we're going to sorely miss her. I did the final cleaning on her (we take her up on Oct 4th for the trade-in) and almost had tears in my eyes Just a shame CruiserRV doesn't have a 5th wheel for us...

 

[ahenry47]

Will miss your advice

I just joined the forum in August, however have been reading and gaining
insight into FF ownership for many months before..Thank you for your guidance and helpful advice..

 

[chupp21]

Hi Don,
Congrats on the new trailer. Please do stick around, you always have the best posts.

 

[dlhilliard]

Don't be a stranger, Webslave

I was a newbie when I joined this board and your insights and advice have helped me over a several bumps. I sincerely hope you hang around for awhile. If not, you WILL be missed.

 

[MyFrontier]

I noticed that you upgraded your tow vehicle as well, good choice. I enjoyed your input and learned quite a bit in the process, thank you and enjoy your new set up.

 

[webslave]

Still have the Commander...marvelous Jeep; can't understand why they stopped making it. They claimed "lack of sales", but, I never saw an advertisement for one. I did see it in a commercial, one time, but, it was an ad for the Grand Cherokee, it just happened to have a Commander in the background with a bunch of other Grand Cherokees. I got the Commander with the "lifetime drivetrain warranty", so, I'm doubly please with it.

Fortunately, we had just bought the 2500 Ram with the high output (800 ft/lbs) Cummins Turbo Diesel, so buying a 5th wheel only required us to not exceed the weight limits on the truck. The Cougar 318SAB is right at the limit (safely under, but, we couldn't handle a larger 5th; not that we'd want one! The 210WBS it ain't! )

 

[MyFrontier]

We went the same route with the truck, same high output cummins now we need to get rid of our 189 fbs shadow cruiser so we can upgrade to a bigger trailer.....preferably a bumper pull around 30 feet long. I'd hate to give up the truck bed space so we will probably stay away from fifth wheels for now, although they are incredibly nice.....just looked at a few configurations at the local RV show.

 

[webslave]

We were on the fence for a while when at the RV Show in Hershey, PA. Bumper pull or 5th wheel. We started seriously looking / thinking about what we carried in the bed of the truck vs. the different storage arrangements between the longer bumper pulls and the 5th wheels actually were.

It came down to the 5th wheels had so much "on-board" storage that the stuff we carried in the bed of the truck easily fit in the basement storage of the 5ver, the overall length of my 35' 5th wheel is less than a 30' bumper pull (no tongue and a portion of the 5ver is in the truck bed), the 5th wheel handles better, backs easier and transfers the weight (pin) to the frame/rear axle more efficiently than the bumper pull (no leverage on the hitch/frame connection) and the beefed up frame of the 5ver allowed for much larger and numerous slides (we have 3) without sacrificing structural integrity. This also resulted in more interior room than a bumper pull and with the added weight carrying ability of the pin vs. hitch, more "posh" amenities inside and out. With the two rear slides out, the "living room" in the 5ver is actually bigger than our current living room in our sticks and bricks

I have nothing against bumper pulls and, to be honest, I've towed a bumper pull for so long, that "my comfort level" definitely leaned toward a larger bumper pull, and for many, the longer bumper pull trailers are a perfect fit, but, for us, with what we carry and how we "camp", the 5th wheel just worked out better. There are drawbacks, of course...when you start talking about 5th wheels of this size, you almost certainly need a diesel and a 3/4 ton truck, while a bumper pull can still be comfortably handled by a 1/2 ton or large SUV with a gas engine and there is a new "learning curve" in the additional weight, height and how it backs up. We already had the truck, everything fit in the 5th wheel, so....

Keep us posted on your "new house on wheels" 8) , always fun to see what the neighborhood has!

 

[MyFrontier]

You are right, for the most part we could manage fitting everything inside the trailer....that would be 95% of the time, but we also own a couple of atv's and sometimes find ourselves on the Oregon dunes. With a bumper pull I'm able to have both quads in the bed of the truck and still have the ability to pull the trailer. With a fifth wheel I'm giving that up unless we go to a toy haulers, but then we would only actually be using it 5% of the time for its intended purpose and the rest of the time I would be lugging unnecessary weight.

 

[webslave]

ATVs...Cool 8)

We've got a couple of Polaris X2s (hers a 500, mine an 800) and looked longingly at the Imperial Dunes and the Oregon Dunes when we were there last summer. Couldn't get even one of the X2s in the bed of my truck, let alone two, so, that wasn't an issue for us...we use them on our property; 106 acres here in the hills that we've cut our own trails on. I see your point and the logic...have "fun in the sand"! I'm jealous :wink: