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Post by Clipper on Apr 25, 2021 8:59:03 GMT -5
We drove all the way to Corbin Kentucky on Friday to look at a used motorhome that was in excellent condition and a bargain price. It was only a 2000 model, but had only 42,000 miles on it and everything was fairly pristine with the exception of an easily repaired ding in one of fiberglass compartment doors. The inside was dated but in excellent condition, clean, and upscale. It even had a laundry hook up for an RV washer/dryer combo. They offered to come down $500 on the price and deliver it from 2 1/2 hrs away and take our trailer back with them on Monday. I called them this morning and told them we decided not to buy it. We love it and were going to take it on Monday after they completed the replacement of the gear box that rolls the slide-out in and out. Woke up this morning, discussed the situation, and we decided we need something smaller for a couple of reasons. Number one, it is about 40 ft long and our sloped driveway would make it difficult to jack it high enough to get it level, and number two, 35 and 40 foot motorhomes limit the places you can find a campsite long enough to park it. We are a bit disappointed, as we were already dreaming of our vacation to NY in July and staying at Turning Stone RV park, but we are now back to our original hotel reservation in Herkimer. www.daybrosrvs.com/default.asp?page=xInventoryDetail&id=10366516&p=1&vc=class%20a&s=Year&d=D&vt=motorhome&fr=xAllInventory&fbclid=IwAR0YF3jgK918JfeQjWlTn-hPMV7goLz0DMi1OJLkkfUvILeUaK4ldjVtKioClick on the link, click through the gallery and you will see why we were enamored with the condition of the unit. It would sure be a step up in luxury from our travel trailer, and they were going to give us $16k for the trailer which would have put us in the motorhome for about $3,000.  Now Kathy is driving me crazy wanting me to check all the online sales pages from all over the Southeast two or three times a day for a smaller unit. lol. Today the hunt continues . We are getting ready to drive to Wytheville Va. 75 miles up the interstate to look at one that is in our Sunday paper this morning. The quest goes on, haha. |
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Post by dicklaurey on Apr 25, 2021 10:25:20 GMT -5
One thing to think about- gas prices keep going up! Maintenance on a combination vehicle/house is something to think about. We know a couple with 40' park models in both Oregon and Arizona, with their mail being sent to their kids in Oregon. They also have a post office box in Arizona. They use to travel back and forth in a motor home, but, recently switched to a class B camper van, which was much more economical. They are "snow birds", spending the summers in Oregon, and, winters in Arizona. A very economical way to live. Lots of people doing it.
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Post by Clipper on Apr 25, 2021 11:21:17 GMT -5
Other than going to NY this summer, we would probably use it within 100 or so miles of home most of the time. However it did have a 75 gallon tank. Yikes, about a hundred and a half to two hundred bucks to fill it from empty, haha. It probably would get about 8-10mpg. A neighbor had one that had the triton v-10 and got 10mpg most of the time.
I only get 12 or so when we pull the 28 foot trailer with the 5.7 hemi in my truck.
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Post by artsyone on Apr 25, 2021 17:58:22 GMT -5
have you thought about an Airstream trailer? They are still out there and are beautiful.
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Post by dicklaurey on Apr 25, 2021 20:08:39 GMT -5
Pulling and maneuvering one of those Leviathons takes a lot of the fun out of the trip. A SMALL motor home, or, a class B camper van, for both short or long trips, would make much more sense, and, would be much easier on gas. Happy hunting! We will be waiting to see what you end up with. If I were you, I'd drive to Utica in my car, and, stay at the Rosemont Bed and Breakfast, on Genesee St. ,but, that's just me.
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Post by clarencebunsen on Apr 25, 2021 21:07:10 GMT -5
Is there any chance of a small scale Clipper Fest this year?
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Post by artsyone on Apr 26, 2021 6:59:44 GMT -5
Is there any chance of a small scale Clipper Fest this year? I am hoping this will happen. Even a pizza get together would be nice. |
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Post by Clipper on Apr 26, 2021 7:59:26 GMT -5
have you thought about an Airstream trailer? They are still out there and are beautiful. We already have a very nice 28 foot camping trailer with all the amenities, including a 40 inch flat screen in the living area, along with an oak finish dining table and 4 chairs, 2 recliners and a 3 cushion sofa, a queen bed and another flat screen in the bedroom etc. It is very comfortable once we get it to where we are going and get it set up, but it is the hooking, towing, unhooking, cranking down the stabilizing jacks, and getting it level. Our sloped driveway makes hooking and unhooking, and leveling a tedious and time consuming task. It really takes it out of me to perform those tasks in recent years, and takes a minimum of 30 minutes or so of relatively strenuous labor. A motor home doesn't require any of the above other than leveling, and that is accomplished with electrically controlled hydraulic jacks that are controlled right from the driver's seat in many cases, and a motorhome allows for moving about while traveling, and access to the bathroom or kitchen. We just need to find a workable balance between being large enough to provide many of the amenities that we have with the trailer but on a smaller scale, while being able to simply put our clothes in the closet and food in the refrigerator and drive away. We drove 76 miles to Wytheville Va. yesterday to look at another motorhome only to discover that the photos provided were old and the unit was not as well maintained or clean as was suggested by the photos. It was a nice Sunday ride though and we checked out a couple of campgrounds, and had a nice dinner on the way back. |
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Post by Clipper on Apr 26, 2021 9:34:25 GMT -5
Is there any chance of a small scale Clipper Fest this year? How feasible is a get together anywhere we could linger for a couple of hours of chit chat over coffee or a pizza without impeding their business with the restrictions on occupancy etc? It would be nice to get together, and there are but 6 or 7 of us left that are still active. Are those of us that are on the forum daily mostly retired and available during the week and during the day? We have two months to discuss and decide before I will be coming home to the area for 10 days, but of course YOU all could get together any time, with or without me.  |
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Post by BHU on Apr 26, 2021 9:58:48 GMT -5
Is there any chance of a small scale Clipper Fest this year? How feasible is a get together anywhere we could linger for a couple of hours of chit chat over coffee or a pizza without impeding their business with the restrictions on occupancy etc? It would be nice to get together, and there are but 6 or 7 of us left that are still active. Are those of us that are on the forum daily mostly retired and available during the week and during the day? We have two months to discuss and decide before I will be coming home to the area for 10 days, but of course YOU all could get together any time, with or without me. In the past 24 hours we've had 170 or so guests here. A lot of stalkers but no takers. LOL |
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Post by Clipper on Apr 26, 2021 10:04:12 GMT -5
have you thought about an Airstream trailer? They are still out there and are beautiful. Here are photos of a trailer identical to ours Artsy. Click on the first link describing a trailer for sale in Buford Ga. and browse the gallery of the interior. Air Stream trailers go for anywhere from 50K and up and are much heavier to pull around than the lighter models from other brands. Of course an Air Stream trailer is of a quality that you would never have to buy another one as long as you live. www.bing.com/search?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rvtrader.com%2Flisting%2F2017-jayco-jay-flight-28rls-5016077324&form=ANNTH1&refig=08b9d85182ec437582c47b71608eeaa2 Vacationing in a trailer like ours is hardly what one could call "camping." haha. Most people call it "glamping" in recent years. They have come long way from the days you could pull them with a car and when you had to convert the table to a bed, or be confined to a space 8'x12' or so on a rainy day, playing cards or staring out the windows waiting for sunshine. Our trailer is spacious enough to actually live in it short term. Kathy lays on the couch and watches tv while I lounge in a recliner or sit at the table and browse on my laptop. We don't do campgrounds that don't have hookups for water, power, sewer, cable, and internet, hahaha. |
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Post by artsyone on Apr 26, 2021 13:20:07 GMT -5
OMG!! It's a 5 star hotel on wheels! I had no idea. why do you want to sell this??
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Post by Clipper on Apr 26, 2021 15:14:31 GMT -5
A trailer that size requires a weight distributing hitch and an anti-sway device. The hitch itself probably weighs 40 or 50 lbs, then there are bars and chains to hook and tension, and lastly the anti-sway device. It all has to be taken from the back of the truck and inserted into the receiver on the back of the truck, then everything has to be hooked up and tensioned, safety chains attached, power cord for lights attached. It all requires either lifting or bending with my fused lumbar. It is just time consuming and tedious. It becomes harder each year for me to handle the task as I age. When you arrive at a campground you have 4 stabilizing jacks to crank down, and the normal hooking up of cable, water, power, and sewer, which is not a major task.
It would be much easier to get into the driver's seat of a motorhome, drive to our destination, push the buttons on a panel on the dash to lower hydraulic leveling jacks, and hook up to the above named utilities. No trailer hitch to wrestle with, and no fooling with manual jacks, a power drill to operate them, and a level. It can all be done in approximately 15 minutes without breaking a sweat, compared to the 1/2 hour or more of physical labor.
No return message from N.C. so I mowed the lawn and did the weed eating. It is almost 80 here this afternoon and the sun is shining brightly. My next task will be to begin assembling the temporary fencing and gate that I put around the garden to keep the critters out. I am going to wait until after supper when the sun is going down to do that.
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Post by dicklaurey on Apr 27, 2021 10:22:54 GMT -5
Clipper- Aren't there any newer models of travel trailers, the same length as yours, that don't require all of the hook up procedures that your trailer does?
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Post by Clipper on Apr 27, 2021 13:43:13 GMT -5
The newer models hook up the same way this one does. Our only option would be a fifth wheel which is easier to hook up but the trailers have gotten bigger over the years and most of them are at least 30 feet and more and weigh too much to pull with my 1/2 ton truck. I damned sure don't want to get back under a truck payment again. The same 1/2 ton I bought for 32K is now 50k, and 3/4 and 1 ton trucks go up from there.
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