thinking of moving to a 5'er

[bigracenut]

Ok, you have all been such a help with my pull camper issues, and after a weekend at the Charlotte Speedway camping, the BH and I have decided to do a 5'er. I loved the floorplan in several of the Montana's we saw, and a trip to CW made the fever even worse, but maybe you all have other brands that may need looked at also.

I am hoping you all can advise me on best brand and things to look at on each particular brand, and preferred truck size, (2500 vs 3500), and which is best when it comes to weight, safety, performance, and options, and about pin weight with each truck size.

I have camped most of my life, but I am very new to the larger 5'ers!

Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated!

[Festus2]

bigracenut -
I'm sure you will get almost as many varied opinions as to which brand of 5th wheel and truck they would recommend as there members on the forum! As you have probably already found out, there are more than enough brands out there.
Floorplans are essentially a matter of personal preference - likes and dislikes. What appeals and works for one family may not be suitable for another. If you have children that will be one factor to consider. Even their ages will be something else to think about.
If you are going to be buying both a 5th wheel and a truck, I would suggest you settle on the 5th wheel first and then get a truck that will safely tow it. The bigger and heavier your 5th, the bigger and heavier your truck will need to be of course. I'm not telling you anything new here.
The Montana would be a good choice and within Keystone's entry level, mid-priced and the larger and more "up-scale" models, there isn't much difference. All of the mid-priced units for example, are pretty much the same in terms of quality and workmanship. Same holds true for the entry and higher end units.
As far as brand of truck is concerned, you have probably read the myriad of threads about which truck is best and you will never get agreement. In the 2500-3500 range, you can't go wrong with any of the them - Ford, GM or Dodge. Almost every owner of GM is happy with their Duramax as are Ford and Dodge owners. Like floorplans, tow vehicle brands come down to personal preference. It is what you like that counts - despite all the testimonials and recommendations that you will get from others. They are all good trucks.
Personally, whatever brand of truck you like, I would suggest a diesel but your towing requirements may be different than mine.
Take your time and shop around.
(Are you sure you experienced arcing with your batteries? I'll have to remember that one the next time I get thinking about a new RV.........)

[SAABDOCTOR]

YEP Festus said it best! my dw and i have had 3 montana's one tt and 2 5er's all have been wonderfull. I have pulled with a dodge turbo diesel 2500 and 3500. the 2500 was a stick the 3500 is an atuomatic. it pulls much nicer. good luck in your serch. enjoy

[mhs4771]

Montanas are good units and give you a good bang for your buck. We enjoyed our Montana, but decided to move up to a little higher end unit. As for TV, I personally would opt for a Diesel Dually then if you fall in love with a bigger heavier unit you'll still be good to go, unless you fall in love with one of the 18 to 20K Lb rigs.

[bigracenut]

Thanks Festus!... ( and yes, still have the electrical problem!)... I am not in any rush, the wallet insnt ready for both purchases yet! I'll have to wing the TT until end of summer, just no boondockin any more!

Its nothing against Keystone, but its been a lot of little agrivating things with this Sprinter since we purchased it new. We are camping more now than in the past, and I want a larger, more open floor plan and more storage that the 5'er gives.

We don't have kids at home, but we do want the added room, and I love the floorplan of the Montana 3400RL I also found a simular floor plan in a Cedar Creek. I have looked at other brands and models, and will continue to look a lot more.

I see you have a 2500 truck, does it handle your 5'er ok?

[Festus2]

bigracenut -
I'[ve seen a couple of Cedar Creeks that looked quite nice - another brand, another option. But that is a good thing having lots of options available and being flexible in your "wants and needs".
Not having children makes the choices different - you don't need to worry so much with sleeping arrangements - bunks, etc.
Our Cougar is, by today's standards, fairly small (about 29 ft overall) and yes, our 2500 GMC Duramax handles it very well and we are well within all of the limits. For the two of us, we find this size just right. It has only one slide-out, ( the kitchen table/chairs and the LR couch), a rear kitchen - which some people don't particularly like. We think that a unit this size suits us just fine.
I can't see us moving "up" to a bigger unit in the future. Everything is paid for and we haven't yet seen anything out there that we just have to have.
But it is fun to look and when the time is right for you, I am sure you'll have thoroughly checked out everything that is out there and will find a unit that is "just right for you and your wife".

[mhs4771]

Bigracenut, If you're thinking of the Montana 3400/3402 you're really in the 1 ton Dually area, the 3400 series while extremly popular is one of the heaviest Montanas out there. Some folks are pulling them with a 3/4 ton, but most likey are way overweight with the pin weight. Just something to keep in mind when looking.

[Keeper]

bigracenut, Festus2 said it very well. The only thing I could add to the conversation is to be very careful when choosing a truck. This is where the safety issue comes into play and this is where most people make mistakes. For me, safety comes first followed by legal liability.

[seahunter]

Regarding tow vehicle, when I researched it all, the only vehicle that would safely tow the weight range of the Montana I was getting (15.5k) is a one ton dual rear wheel. Even with the DRW one ton, I am just comfortably within weight specs - the limiting factor being the payload. Doesn't matter that the brochure states it will tow 21,500 if the payload (pin weight) is too high you're not within the tow ratings.

I got the camper certification for the F-350 DRW and the maximum allowable payload weight is 3,727 pounds and the maximum vehicle weight is 13,300. Truck is about 9,000 pounds. This is the highest payload version, even more than the F-450 (due to it's added weight). The brochure states a payload of 5,990 for the Crew Cab 4X4 Long Bed diesel DRW, so you have to be very careful not to always follow the brochure numbers as the difference in my case is huge between brochure of 5,990 and actual payload of 3,727 pounds.

After gear, fuel, and hitch, and depending on what percentage you estimate for pin weight, even with a DRW diesel I am right near the maximum for towing a 15,500 pound Montana. Twenty percent of 15,500 would be 3,100 pounds for pin weight, so it's within capacity but not by much. This only leaves 627 pounds for gear, hitch, etc. This is why I feel if a DRW is that close on being within weight specifications, that anything less than a one ton DRW is not within specs of towing a trailer with a gross weight of 15,500. As some on here will tell you, I didn't necessarily WANT a DRW, but when we picked out the trailer we wanted and saw that it was 15,500 gross, that told us we needed a DRW to tow it properly.

[SAD]

Originally Posted by seahunter

... I didn't necessarily WANT a DRW, but ...

But now that you have owned one, you would never WANT a SRW to tow with

[Handysam]

Montanta's are very nice. We settled on a Cougar 327RES because Montana was just too heavy for our Dodge 2500CTD.

I would suggest the 5th wheel first also, then you know exactly what you need in the way of a tow vehicle.

In 2005 we started with a pop-up, 2006 we bought a 30' TT, and pulled with a Dodge 1500. Then the hubby decided he wanted a BIGGER truck, so next thing you know we NEED a bigger camper LOL, hence the Cougar 327RES in late 2010. We could have saved ourselves a few$ had we thought about our needs more on the front end.

We have kids (all grown) and the 327RES works fine for a couple of adults and 2 pack n plays(portable baby beds). We seriously considered a bunk room model but for the few times we have that many overnight visitors it wouldn't be worth giving up all the living room. So we decided they can just be "cozy" for the weekend!

Have fun shopping, and good luck! Lauren

[seahunter]

Originally Posted by sad

but now that you have owned one, you would never want a srw to tow with

lol - exactly!

[mhs4771]

X2 wouldn't give up our Dually, but then again it's not a daily driver (don't need one) and spends most of it's time towing.

[seahunter]

Originally Posted by mhs4771

X2 wouldn't give up our Dually, but then again it's not a daily driver (don't need one) and spends most of it's time towing.

Greg from the MOC - I finally joined this site, nice to see you on here too! How is the SOB? I have been curious to know what you went with. I have an idea what it might be, but if you get a chance and have time for an email I would be interested to know what brand it is.

Have a good one!

Greg

[Duckogram]

I had the F250 PSD SRW SB CC so I made it work for my situation. If I had the option I would go with the DRW Super Cab Long bed which will still fit im my garage (barely).

As for the 5'er. Creekers Rule!

[jje1960]

I love our 5Ver... just that simple. The high ceiling is so awesome, don't feel like we are in a box, also, hooking up is just plain cool, no more lugging the hitch around. Everyone has their loves n' hates with TT's and other, we just don't have any 'hates' with our unit. Hope this helps someone.

[michael]

Right now i invested into a 2012 montanna mountaineer 38ish ft. The F250 srw pulls it around the local Wisconsin hills very steady and climbs all hills without issue, the wife and i were just talking tho the next truck purchase might be a 4 door international or frieght shaker little larger motors and breaks but when we do that purchase i think a nice drive thru colorado would be fun.

[jim&joan]

I have the Montana 3400RL and pull it with a 2011 Dodge 3500 DRW. It has the 6.7L H.O. turbo diesel. It pulls the Montana really nicely. It has the engine braking which is really great on the downslopes.