I’ve started to look at Coachman RV models to broaden my scope of possible RV to choose from. I like the Coachman line mainly for its popularity. I’ve yet to see any in person, but I’m starting to search for a dealer local to myself to see some.

But in the meanwhile, I’ve started hunting for good deals on Coachman RV’s online. Take a peek at what I’ve found to date.

[wordbay]coachman -creamer -rod -light -lantern -farms -doorstop -reel -victorian -plate -rooster -outfit -hinges -olympic[/wordbay]

I’m always on the hunt for a good deal when it comes to looking for an RV for my family. Maybe the right deal has been under my nose forever. I was hunting on ebay the other day for something totally unrelated and it popped into my head, why not RV’s?

Well, it didn’t take me long to start searching for different brands of RV through ebay. Here are some great listing that I found while searching for Jayco RV’s. But the deal is, don’t bid on the RV’s I bid on. Deal?

Read the rest of this entry

My family and I have really started to search in earnest for the right vehicle to pull our future 5th wheel RV. When we started to look, I didn’t think that it would be much of an issue to find a vehicle. I’ve owned several cars and vans in the past, so how can this be difficult.

To my astonishment, this is the furtherest from the truth! There are many things to look out for when finding the right vehicle to pull your RV. And the truck manufacturers don’t want to make it seasy for you. For this comparison, I’m looking at trucks manufactured by Dodge and Ford.

Both the Dodge and Ford sites use a lot of flash to make their sites ‘glossy’. I didn’t say usable did I. I said glossy! Very pretty sites and gives you a feeling of being impressed, but try to dig out the facts for either vehicles! Good luck my friend. I don’t want to have to take a tutorial on their website to be able to use it. Ok, enough about my rant.

In comparing these two manufacturers, I heard a lot of ‘things’ from various people that I talked too. It all came down to talking to owners of these two vehicles to get the best story. One thing is for sure, both of my friends, who own a dodge and a Ford both said, that I need to consider a diesel engine.

I’ve owned a Diesel Jetta in the past and I can easily agree with that. But one thing that I did find out was that both these major truck manufacturers put a lot more into the design of the truck when it has a diesel engine in it. From drivetrain to suspension, the diesels seem to be much better made.

From here, it gets just a bit cloudy. Both my friends believe that their trucks, (Dodge 3500 and Ford 350) can pull a large 5th wheel trailer like the Glendale that I’ve been looking at. But can it really? I’ve also been fortunate enough to have my friends to either let me drive or drive with them in their trucks. Fundamentally, I can’t feel a difference. Both feel very robust.

The Ford model may be just a bit beefer though. I’ve not been a Ford fan in the past, but from other owners of Ford trucks, they are almost religious about their ownership of these trucks. So, that does say something. As I mentioned, I did have the opportunity to give the Ford a run with my friend’s truck. It’s exactly what I think I’d be looking for.

What I liked about the Ford was:

  • Lot’s of leg room in the front and back seats. My son is trying to challenge 6ft, his shoe size is 13 and he’s only 15, so I need to be prepared. A grumpy teenager can ruin your trip very quickly.
  • It feels like a truck. No doubt about it being a truck. It feels like a truck but I does steer very smoothly.
  • Lot’s of get up and go. When pulling a 5th wheel, it hardly hesitates on hills.
  • The diesels can go and go and go. Both my friends tell me that I should see 500,000 kms at least.

What I didn’t like about the Ford was:

  • Much wider than I’m used too.
  • I didn’t care to much for the side mirrors. Seems to be more looks then functionality.
  • The price of a new one. Ouch!

So, I’d love to hear your comments in regards to finding the right truck for pulling an RV!

Looking for RV work is definitely a concern of mine. About 95% of the common working world needs to be in one place to attend to the needs of their job. To be able to RV and earn the needed funds at the same time takes quite a bit of creative thinking!

One thing though, that I believe will help is the advantages that the Internet offers. I’ve been working hard to fully understand the power of the Internet and how to flex that power to provide a way to RV work anywhere I decide to be.

But to be honest, this is just one way to cover your expenses while actively full-time rving. One option we are also looking at is taking our carnval vending business onto the road. With the proper permits, we could arrange our booking dates and locations with our own personal interests.

Another idea for RV work is to perform seminars in the towns, cities and even campsites (that permit it) on topics that would interest other camping vacationers. Simple ideas here could be seminars on the current area, or other places in the state that you are in to visit that would be interesting.

One just has to be creative and willing to take on some risk. My wife and I are considering all of these venues right now. Who knows, it could very well be a combination of some or many options that provide us and possibly you to with the ability to full-time RV.

I did a bit of searching with Google, and came across the following site: http://www.rvbookstore.com/support.html. They are offering a book called “Support your RV LifeStyle”. I believe that I’m going to personally pick it up to review it’s contents. At a price tag of just $20, I see little risk involved and who knows, out of the 300 money making opportunities it mentions, my answers may just lie there. I’ll keep you posted after I pick it up.

I wish you luck to finding good RV work to support and allow you to enjoy your roaming passions!

In looking at RV’s I couldn’t be help notice the feature of RV slides in an RV. You can really grow the room available in an RV with the rv slide. My wife and I have been looking at various used RV’s and found that the slides really make a big difference. This is pretty apparant.

But when you look at the type of RV slides, that can be important. One RV we looked at recently had two slides but the way that the slides folded into the RV made the RV completely unusable. But in other RV’s, the RV can still be used when the slides are in. This can be important if you arrive to your campsite late after dark or if you are boondocking. I’ve heard that it is considered inappropiate to pull the slides out at some locales when boondocking.

Pretty much another given is the amount of slides in an RV will directly increase the cost of the RV plus the room available. I particularly like the units that will slide out both sides of a living room/kitchen area and/or the back bedroom, if it has it. The amount of room is really something with dual sides slides.

Also when considering an RV slide unit, make sure you see the unit with the slides in and out. Both states are important. You cannot imagine how a unit will feel if the person selling the unit will not pull out the slides. Plus make sure you see how the sides are with the slides are in.

Good luck when looking into RV slides. I’d like to hear your experiences in regards to slides to find out the potential problems that can be an issue.