Monies spent
 

This morning I took the single old battery in to Walmart and had it tested, almost slam dead. I looked at what they had and decided I didn't want to waste all morning chasing the best battery for the best dollar.

So I picked up two Walmart branded marine/deep cycle batteries ($100 each) and a pair of cables to wire them in parallel. Remembering after the fact I went to O'Riellys Auto - to get some dielectric for the terminals, FREE! Thank you, O'Rielly.

Then off to the campground store to fill the propane tanks.

With that I found one additional problem, I can't light the oven (stovetop works), and there's no manual. As it appears unused I'm guessing it's Operators Error. Guess its off to the net once I get the model and make.

Now for the Big Brag, today I also found/purchased some .22 Magnums. Its been two years since I've last had some.

Catching up: the oven works and I didn't do anything different; I suspect ...

Yesterday I had bright sunlight streaming into the oven cavity (hoping I could see what I was doing) ... maybe the pilot was lite but too sunny to see?

Giving it one last chance this morning (darker cabin) it became apparent when I torched the pilot. Operator error - as I said?

Wrascal,
Sometimes those ovens are a bear to light. Just don't burn that possum casserole! :-)

Bob

Once again I'll explain, I do most of my meals by grilling on the Baby Weber (wonderful investment). I just wanted to be able to dry laundry, dishes, etc...

And this camper is large enough that today I installed several stereo components to a pair of Baby Advent II speakers inside. No more tinny transistor radio sound. Movin on up!

Wrascal,
Congratulations! This summer I bought a '98 Jayco Designer 33XLS for our lake property. spending a week at a time in our 21' Towlite (17' box) was too hard. I was almost a cause of divorce. It is in excellent shape for being 14 years old so I think they must be well made. My buddy an experienced 5er delivered it for me. He drove it up a steep windy canyon and was driving about the same speed I was in my unloaded Dakota. He swears by the 5th wheel as so much easier and stable than a bumper pull.
We are keeping the Towlite for our actual boondocking camping trips.
IMHO the Jayco forum is dull. Nothing unique about the as trailers to talk about, maybe info on 5th wheels I guess. Everything I needed to know is already on this forum from these nice folks.

Just up the road from SLC - interesting place.
Our Vintage Airstream Inventory - for purchase as-is or restoration

With the 5th wheel we have on our property I would not trade it for an airstream. The slide giving up the extra width so we don't crowd each other 100% of the time as well as the height makes a huge difference. I am 6'2" and can still walk under the ceiling fan. I am glad we don't pull it though. We are keeping Lil' Towie for that.

Update
 

REF: my hitch. I upgraded from 15K to a 16K S Husky hitch, with a roller slider. Installed and taxed at $809. Even though this gent assured me I shouldn't need the slider I got it just to be safe. This RV is much bigger than I'm accustomed to AND my TV does have the shorter box (6.5 feet).

That added $300 is cheaper than the alternative (if I was to put the two together). Now I'm thinking I'll also need wider mirrors on my TV, and a platform on the rear-end to carry my propane fireplace, Baby Weber and extra propane bottles. Fortunately the prior owner added a 2 inch receiver then had it strengthened by a local welder.

1st camping reservations made for the 8th - Veterans Day. Rain predicted at 80% for the first day, ugh.

All loaded up/hitched up, and ready to go tomorrow. This thing swallowed an enormous amount of food stuff (cabinets, fridge, freezer) and I've still got room for more.

I'll miss the easiness of pulling the HiLo but will get over it.

Happy Vets Day.

Good luck rascal with your new toy and hope you enjoy it. Stay in touch:)

Wrascal, we also just sold our Hi-Lo and went with a 5th wheel - 38'. We simply needed a toy hauler and a little more space than the 24'. We have a neighbor who seems to be interested in looking/buying in that she came to the house earlier in the week inquiring about ours. What area in the south are you and what kind of price are we looking at? I'll pass the information on to her.

I'm in the very SouthEast corner of Alabama, so not exactly handy for just a casual look-see.

And this is not the camper for someone looking to just enjoy a carefree trailer - it shows wear and tear. It apparently had leaks before I purchased it ... and rather than fix them I simply covered it with a sack. Also some of the 12V lights are intermittent, on/off when they want to (provided they're switched on). I think the wire bundle where the upper/lower meet has a loose connection. None of these were problems for our type of camping, and/or when used as a spare bedroom for company.

The furnace was never fired, hot water tank fired once. AC and fridge (three way) all work. City water and on-board water systems all work fine. Toilet never used but tested fine. No leaks with gray or black tanks. Pulls just fine and the up/down function works as intended. Has an awning and solar cell, 2 bt. propane, spare tire, and sock to keep it dry inside.

I've got it priced at $2800, mostly because folks like to barter. Because I can park it and let company stay in it easier than I can set-up the new 5th wheel for them, I seriously doubt I'd go lower than $2000, but ready cash might induce me to part with it.

I think it'd be better suited to the hunters/fishermens, to simple pull it on-sight and can then live with these problems.

OK, I wasn't going to advertise this on this site but now you've got me started. I'll post this in the for sale section, along with my Craigslist ad.

Congrats Wrascal.

Hubby and I are out looking for 5th Wheel also. He has retired and we are looking to do some more traveling. I love my Hi-Lo put there is work to it putting everything down off of the cabinets Tv's microwave, etc. It's also not a four season trailer. I'm going to miss our Hi-Lo but looking forward to a couple recliners and more room. Ours is a 31ft with tipout but the 5th wheels have so much more space. We put our Hi-Lo in storage today and will be selling it in the Spring and hopefully find a 5th wheel between now and next years camping season.

Deb, we are right now in the direction you and your husband are headed. We just sold our Hi-Lo and bought a 39' Raptor toyhauler. Three slides and a full kitchen. But I can tell you I miss that trailer. We sold it to one of my job foremen and his family so we still get pictures of he and his wife/family using it on week-ends. But there is still a sense of belonging when you are a Hi-Lo owner.

There was someone on here that's been looking for a 31' but I can't remember who it was. They have been looking for a while now. The 2 of you may be able to come to a mutually beneficial deal.

My initial impressions: setting up a fifth (with slides) isn't a brisk walk in park. First, you must anticipate the side to side clearances. When ready to depart you need to clean off the top side of the slides - or the contents will wind up inside the trailer. You also need to clear the inside area of obstructions BEFORE retracting them.

Much like the HiLo needs to be parked clear of overhead stuff and the interior packed away before lowering the top.

But that huge living room (and refridgerator) make it worthwhile.

My one complaint: this Jayco has a tinier bed. Its called a queen- but sure seems closer to a full size to me. It's not nearly as comfy as my HiLo (king) was.

Jim
Your new 5th wheel sounds wonderful. We are also looking forward to the big kitchen and large fridge with 3 slides. Not much to choose from in our neck of the woods so we're kind of thinking of making a trip to Elkhardt Ind. after Thanksgiving of course weather permitting.

I guess I got lucky. On the day that I decided to upgrade I visited several local dealers - viewed what they had - and heard their offers. Of those that met my price expectations the campers left a lot to be desired. Those that I liked ran $20K, more than I was willing to separate from my tight fisted wallet.

Several days earlier, my bride and I saw one parked about a mile down the road (from our house). Once again passing by we decided to look at it. Walking up to it I knew it was another $20K RV and so had no expectations of taking it home with us.

But as I said earlier, he was ready to sell and we had an agreement. It has required me to spend even more money however: fifth hitch, new batteries, better sewer hose, add towing mirrors to my TV, etc.

Speaking of sewer hose - and "it's only money" this is the one I ordered: Polychute

Terribly expensive - but it gets rave reviews. Has anyone here ever used one? Please tell me I didn't waste those hard earned green-backs.

Deb,
Utah has many huge dealerships but my Friend in Des Moines got a better deal than anything I have ever seen here. He got a new Jayco Eagle 256 RKS with the upgraded interior for about $18K. That is what the used are going for here. He got it at:
Trade Winds R.V. Center
10171 North Saginaw Road
Clio, Michigan 48420
If you are thinking of driving to Indiana you might want to see what they have first.