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Latest acquisition: 30' OTW Gooseneck

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Latest acquisition: 30' OTW Gooseneck

Postby ampersand on Wed Jun 06, 2012 3:50 am

Confession: I've always wanted an RV.
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Its a 2012 31.5fbhs. 4 bunks in the front for guests or kids and a queen bed on a slide in the back. Living room has a slide with the dinette and couch on it.

The trailer has Goodyear marathons on it right now but I may shop around when the time comes to replace them. Marathons get a bit of a mixed review among the travel trailer crowd.
I'm putting my talents and skills to use for a business so that I receive compensatory funds that I may then choose to spend and invest and save as I see fit. If I choose to blow it all on hookers and Dr. Seuss books, I don't see how that means you owe me a comfortable retirement. - Deacon
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Re: Latest acquisition: 30' OTW Gooseneck

Postby Deacon on Wed Jun 06, 2012 2:37 pm

Wow, very nice. I love the extra slide-out. I saw that one at the RV show here in town a few months ago, and I love how the master bed is at the tail end rather than over the hitch, as it's much roomier and more livable for me at 6'6" and the shower isn't so laughably short. However, the bunks are mostly useless to me in that I don't have an SUV full of kids that need to come along :) If that couch is a hide-a-bed, then you can bring the whole damn baseball team with you...

Did you get it with the automatic leveling setup? Those are sweeeeet.

Regarding tires, I did a LOT of research, and I arrived at the conclusion that you should generally get a high quality E-rated (aka 10 ply) long-mileage truck tire. They handle plenty of weight, they handle higher speeds so you don't have to stick to 65 in hopes of avoiding a blowout, they're readily available at any tire place, and they generally last longer as well. The only downside is that some trailer tires are not steel belted and thus when (not if) they blow out, they can do a little less damage than the normal steel belted radials. It's not much of an issue, but thus the recommendation that you find out exactly what your wheel wells are made out of and potentially add some additional thin metal protection up in there so it doesn't rip up your floor. 3/16" steel welded in place is overkill but would deliver tank-like protection. Really just thicker gauge sheetmetal is all that's needed just in case. On my trailer it's not a concern at all, but on yours it might be depending on how Jayco does their wheel wells.

Also, for storage if you can use the stabilizers to get it up where the tires aren't actually touching the ground, or otherwise can put the axles on jack stands to keep them just up off the ground (may require getting the wheelbarrow out to mix a few small pads of concrete) and then cover the tires with actual tire covers or at least a tarp, then they'll last a good while longer than being broken down by the sun and sitting in place for months.
Eric (the Deacon remix)

The follies which a man regrets the most in his life are those which he didn't commit when he had the opportunity. - Helen Rowland, A Guide to Men, 1922
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No auto leveling but I am toying with the aftermarket LevelUp add on in a year or two. Being a 5th wheel automatically makes it 3 times easier to setup than my old travel trailer. If I spent the $300 to add a couple motors to the rear jacks it would all be push button setup as is.

The couch is a queen size airbed and you can put a couple kids or a short adult on the dinette bed.

Funny thing about that floor plan is the place I bought it sold 2 others last month and they both requested the bunks be removed. One couple turned it into a sewing/hobby room. One couple put in racks for dog crates and used it for shows.
I'm putting my talents and skills to use for a business so that I receive compensatory funds that I may then choose to spend and invest and save as I see fit. If I choose to blow it all on hookers and Dr. Seuss books, I don't see how that means you owe me a comfortable retirement. - Deacon
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