New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Ask the experts about tricks of the trade. Find out what it is like to be a full timer. What should you bring along and what should you leave home.

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The sailor

New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by The sailor »

Hi Jim & Norma here, first we would like to thank the Cardinal RV club management for allowing us to be a part of this, we are not campers, do not have a camper, but hope to some day soon. We have lived and cruised the Caribbean and South America for the past 7 years on our 45ft sailboat. we got old and need to simplify our lives and also to see the USA. We plan to bring the boat to the US in the spring, sell her and purchase a 5th wheeler. We have been told to purchase a Cardinal, so that is the plan. We do live on a fixed income and SS, so we will be looking for a good used rig. The purpose for this post is to say, we know about boats, the ocean and sailing, nothing about your life style, we need advice and about 150 qusetions answered. As we will not be in the US untill spring, so we have time, any and all advice will be appreciated. We do not want to make this to long at this time, so I have two questions now, the internet out here is very slow and BAD, so I may take days to get back to you. Questions 1. How long is a 35ft 5th wheel, funny? a 45ft boat can be 50ft long with a bow sprint. 2, we see the awning like items over the slides, some have them and some dont, are they needed and should be added. I hope this isn't too long, thanks again Jim & Norma The sailboat "MiLady" in Roatan Honduras :-B
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Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by Traveler II »

We’re boater (not to the extent you are) before we got into RVing. Our plan for retirement was to live fulltime on our boat. Health problems made us look at some different alternatives, and we picked RVing.

You will find that there is alot of similarities. RV’s are easier to dock--well backing up the first time is a challenge, but it doesn't take long to get the hang of it. Getting supplies on board is way easier.

You will find that 5th wheel trailer are a bit longer than their number designation. Our 34’ rig is almost 37 feet. When we had a motorhome a 40’ was 39’ 6”.

The question on the awing is somewhat up to you. When we bought our Cardinal we didn’t get the awnings, why in the past we found that they make noise in the wind. We also thought we could add them later on, but never did.

You will find that like boaters RV’er are a great helpful group of people

Good luck and enjoy your travels.
Jim & Jane
2014 Ford 350 King Ranch, Trailer Saver BD3 Air Hitch, IS Suspension, Disk Brakes
Nights camped in 2012: 142
Nights camped in 2013: 186
Nights camped in 2014: 185
Nights camped in 2015: 232
Nights camped in 2016: 165
wild acres

Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by wild acres »

Welcome to the "birdnest" Jim and Norma, so you are down south, and you kind of know about RVing, your a "snowbird" with a boat. Same thing here, just point the truck south. I too do not have the awnings over my slides, and last trip out it would of been nice since I was parked under a pecan tree, and the nuts were falling. :)) The nut inside didn't mind tho. Again welcome, and ask all the questions you want. Occasional a cardinal will be on sale on this site, so check back once in a while. Safe sailing. John
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Chief409
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Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by Chief409 »

Jim and Norma Welcome to the Club. Boating and RV life is similar as you undoubtedly figured out. I personally never lived aboard, but owned a 24 foot Bayliner Command Bridge cruiser for years, cruised Puget Sound, the Strait, San Juan Islands, Lake Washington, etc. Awnings over the slide outs are a personal preference. We've been caught in late spring snow, the heavy wet stuff. When it came to pulling in the slides I had a much easier time pushing the snow, slush water off with a collapsible push broom then my neighbor did with awnings. Plus leaves and things get under awnings. On boats you need a good anchor, with a 5th wheel you need a sturdy, compact 12 - 15 foot extension ladder. Tires are a no compromise item, get the best. I've been running Michelin XPS RIBS since we bought the 'Bird new, about 5 years now, I tossed the cheap ST Chinese tires it came with in less then a month. XPS RIBS are one of the very few Commercial Light Truck Tires that the manufacturer certifies as "retreadable". Lots of tread left, I'll most likely run them for another year or two.

Oh, our 30WBLE is 33 feet long, pinbox to back bumper! :)

Jeff
Jeff & Terry
U.S.N. Ret
2012 F350 Lariat FX4 6.7 Diesel Dually, Crew Cab, LWB, 50 gal Transfer Flow toolbox/tank
2007 Cardinal 30WBLE, "the 'Bird", ONAN gen.
The more I see in my travels, the more I realize there is so much more to see.
R & D

Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by R & D »

Welcome Jim & Norma :ymhug: So glad you found our wonderful Cardinal family. You will not be dissappointed. I too used to be a boater and loved the life. No where near what you have done, but the life of boaters is a lot like the life of "RVers) :d less the water :d We have so many experienced Rvers that can answer as many questions that you can think of :thumbrt: Also a lot of help with finding the perfect Cardinal to suit your needs & wants and then when you finder her, we all share the great mods we do with them to make them even more like home.
Again welcome and hopefully we will get to meet you two at a rally/get together in the near future. Happy hunting, good luck with finding her :d
honker

Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by honker »

I think on average you can usually add about 3-4 ft. to the model number. That number is the inside measurement front to back, then the addition of 3-4 ft. for overall outside measurement. You mentioned the size of rig you would like to have, about. I would say to make sure you pick the brains of the men in this club as to what size truck to have too. You didn't mention a truck. As for the awnings, our first 5th wheel we had the awnings added over the slides. With our Cardinal we chose to not have the awning covers. It was harder to clean the top of the slide, water puddled on the awning and we had to keep closing it to get the water off, and like someone else said, stuff gets under them and its harder to get out. It is just personal choice, but should not be a deal breaker if you find a rig you like, can always be added.
Welcome to the club, look forward to hearing from you in the future..........................Karen :)
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Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by Illona Lucas »

Hey Don what's this about talking to the men in the club about trucks?, I was the one who came home with our truck, Bud said ( well I think I know what this means a new camper right?) So some of us gals now about trucks too. But hope you know I am just having fun with you. This club is full of great people and very knowledgable. And we can have fun with each other.
Bud and Illona
2008 35SB W/Trailair
Six Point Level Up System
2006 Ford F350 Diesel Crew Cab
Air Lift 5000 Air Bags
The sailor

Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by The sailor »

Hi Jim & Norma Here WoW! did not expect this much response, thank you all, this will be short as the net comes and goes these days, I sat down the other morning at 4 am composed a long reply and then the net droped me befor I could save it, I almost through the dam computer over the side, We are working here as dockmasters for now , but will keep in touch.once again thank you all... Jim & Norma on Milady in Roatan Honduras
The sailor

Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by The sailor »

:d This is Norma of the Mi-lady sailboat duo. I personally want to thank all of you for including us in your club prior to us actually owning a Cardinal. As the Admiral of our sailing vessel (Jim is just the captain), I plan on being the head honcho in the RVing world. Just kidding folks, Jim and I are a team and that's how we've survived out here on the open ocean.

My first question is for the ladies, what kind of storage in the kitchen do most of these RV's have? Are they hard to keep clean. Second question, on our boat we have what's called a macerator in our forward head. How does an RV break up solids before going to the holding tank. Jim says they don't have macerators.

That's it for now. Thanks again for helping us.

Norma
s/v Mi-Lady
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Double D's
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Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by Double D's »

Hi, Norma! We have been RVing for all the years we have been married (over 22 now) and LOVE it! I am always a bit sad to have to return home to the "real world'..... lol!

We have a rear kitchen model, one of the shorter units made by Cardinal at 29 feet, which we ordered from the factory in 2006. We personally wanted a full gel coat exterior, Thermopane windows, Fantastic fan, 10 cf fridge, and a few other things that escape my 'morning brain' right now. Those things probably would not be found on a new rig off the lot. WELL worth it, if you are considering ordering.

I have a NICE "u" shaped kitchen with plenty of prep area and plenty storage - a place for everything and everything in it's place - you being boat owners know exactly what I mean. I find the inside is VERY easy to keep clean - we recently bought a Dyson DC26, which is small and stores well, but has GREAT suction and a long hose for cleaning ANY place in the rig with ease. The longest we have been in our rig during a trip was about 3 months and I could have stayed much longer - we had every thing we needed (with a few stops along the way for more groceries.!!

Our rig is easy for my hubby to drive, park, etc. Cleaning the outside is his job, but no more work than I imagine maintaining the exterior of a boat, (but a longer LADDER is required! LOL!)

Macerators can be added to the 'do-do duties' and the unit stores in the basement storage area. We do not have one, but someone who DOES will probably pop in here soon to give their suggestions/opinions.

Welcome Aboard and hope to have been some help in your "purchasing info folder"! We researched EXTENSIVELY before we visited the factory and ordered ours... We were very impressed. We knew we wanted the Thermopane windows for SURE, and have not been ONE bit sorry for spending the extra $$ for that feature. We have NEVER had drippy windows inside (condensation) at ANY temp, in any weather conditions. As well as no condensation, we have discovered that it is quieter inside (than our previous travel trailer without thermopane), AND we really think it helps to keep the inside more comfy with heat/cold transfer - (more even temps, with less propane for heat, or air conditioning needed).

Again, Welcome from Dennis and Donna, and hope to catch you down the road someplace!
http://www.ddbalfanz.blogspot.com/

Double D's - Dennis and Donna

2013 Cardinal 3675- The "Double D Retreat"
Trail Air Pin Box and Suspension
2007 Chevy Dually 3500, Duramax
Rallies - 20
Days out in 2015- 145
Days out in 2014 - 71
Days out in 2013 - 187 Alaska
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Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by Traveler II »

On your boat a macerators is almost a necessary, not as true with an RV. On a boat you need to get “pump out”, well that’s the nice thing to do, on an RV we dump out. In other words gravity does the work for you. Most of us do not use pumps or macerators, but depending on the type of RVing you do you might need them.

When we started we first bought our RV than bought a truck that would haul it. We bought a 3/4 ton diesel, I wish we had got the one ton. Point being get a big enough truck to do the job.

We’ve been RVing for the last 12 years, part of it full timing and now 4-5 months a year. The road system is getting worst all the time. Would suggest became of this your get a good suspension system on your trailer, a good hitch and air bags on the truck. There are many to choose from, but personally I like the air suspension on the trailer and an air hitch in the truck. Others will also have suggestions. The point is to looks at systems that reduce the stress on your equipment, and also you.

Sorry I'm not much help with the galley, the only thing I can say was in the boat we didn't concern ourselves with weight, for the most part the boat will handel it. But with a 5th wheel trailer you do need to watch it. We've cut the galley, and other parts of the trailer, down to what we really need, not what would be nice to have, but that's us.
Jim & Jane
2014 Ford 350 King Ranch, Trailer Saver BD3 Air Hitch, IS Suspension, Disk Brakes
Nights camped in 2012: 142
Nights camped in 2013: 186
Nights camped in 2014: 185
Nights camped in 2015: 232
Nights camped in 2016: 165
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Chief409
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Location: California Rosamond
Mojave Desert
Cardinal Owners: 2007 30WBLE
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Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by Chief409 »

On RV's, there are usually three holding tanks, Galley, Grey and Black (Lav). All are as mentioned, gravity dump, most newer units also have a water wash for the black tank to ensure the solids are washed out after the tank is dumped. There is macerator and pump equipment available, which use a large diameter garden hose, used in place of the standard dump hose, and use adapters to hook up to the dump outlet of the RV and the dump station at the park. They have the advantage of taking less storage space, and can reach further or even uphill. Still have to flush the Black tank using one of these though.

Fifth wheel trailers have two main floorplans: Rear kitchen/mid Living Room or Rear Living Room/Mid kitchen. Rear Living Room models as a rule have a large picture window on the rear of the trailer, an L shaped counter. All have enough storage space to "Over Gross" the trailer. While looking at trailer specs pay attention to the max cargo carrying capacity of the different models, the max vehicle weight and the pin weight (hitch). Fifth wheel trailers under 36' as a rule can be towed by 3/4 ton pickups (Ford F250/GM and Dodge (Ram) 2500). But a One ton pickup, single or dual rear wheel pickup is perhaps a wiser choice (Ford F350/GM and Dodge (Ram) 3500), they will be able to tow the trailer without add-on suspension components, have heavier brakes, etc. Newer Ford and GM truck also have an integrated trailer brake controller, which works with the trucks Anti-Skid Braking System (ABS) to help ensure the trailer brakes do not lock up, possibly causing the trailer to jackknife.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, many books are available covering towing, tow vehicle, driving - you name it. There is a weekly RV newsletter available online, RV Travel, this weeks link is http://www.rvtravel.com/issue506.shtml covering about every topic of intrest to the RV'er.

Jeff
Jeff & Terry
U.S.N. Ret
2012 F350 Lariat FX4 6.7 Diesel Dually, Crew Cab, LWB, 50 gal Transfer Flow toolbox/tank
2007 Cardinal 30WBLE, "the 'Bird", ONAN gen.
The more I see in my travels, the more I realize there is so much more to see.
The sailor

Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by The sailor »

Hi Jim & Norma here Well life is full of surprises, we now have a local man here in Honduras looking at MiLady and has started the purchase process, we may be in the US sooner than we planed. If that happens, we will be looking for "Lady Bird", we think we want a like new 35ft+/- cardinal 5th wheel and ford f350. a package deal would be easyer for us. So now you know, it takes longer to purchase a boat in Honduras than the US as it has to be reflaged here. More questions:
1. What is a pinbox? 2.If we purchase a late model Ford f350, diesel, DRW,2 wd, what more needs to be done to it to be safe. Having lived and sailed in southern oceans, being safe means staying a live. 3. what more can you guys tell me, dont be bashfull Thanks again Jim, Norma & Rico ( our 4 legged crew) aboard MiLady in Roatan, Honduras
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Chief409
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Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by Chief409 »

Good luck with you sale!

The pinbox is the hitch on the trailer, with a pin, same as a large semi truck trailer. They are either fixed, or have a shock absorbing mechanism. The latest Cardinal brochure shows a fixed pinbox standard, with two versions of Trail-Air shock absorbing pinboxes available as an option.

Pinbox's are bolted to the trailer frame, so changing from a fixed to a shock absorbing version is relatively easy. There are many Club members who have done this, and are very willing to provide advice. :)

A F350 DRW is a very capable 5er tow vehicle. Try to get the newest truck you can afford. But avoid diesel trucks from 2003 - 2007 with the 6.0 liter engine, there was many problems with that engine. Most, if not all have the Ford trailer brake controller installed, and possibly a 5th wheel hitch. If, you find one without a fifth wheel hitch, when looking for a hitch, look for a minimum of a 18K hitch, or even a 22K hitch. Then you will be assured the hitch is more then capable of handling the Max Gross Weight of a Cardinal. And a F350 DRW should be able to haul the largest Cardinal and remain within the trucks Max Combined Vehicle Weight. This is important for insurance purposes.

Jeff
Jeff & Terry
U.S.N. Ret
2012 F350 Lariat FX4 6.7 Diesel Dually, Crew Cab, LWB, 50 gal Transfer Flow toolbox/tank
2007 Cardinal 30WBLE, "the 'Bird", ONAN gen.
The more I see in my travels, the more I realize there is so much more to see.
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Traveler II
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Re: New members, new to RVing, new to land living

Post by Traveler II »

There is a good book out there called "Tow Your Fifth Wheel Trailer Like A Pro", it covers many of the basics. I think you can order it on line at "rvbookstore.com"
Jim & Jane
2014 Ford 350 King Ranch, Trailer Saver BD3 Air Hitch, IS Suspension, Disk Brakes
Nights camped in 2012: 142
Nights camped in 2013: 186
Nights camped in 2014: 185
Nights camped in 2015: 232
Nights camped in 2016: 165
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