New to MOC

[jgs90249]

Hello, We are new to MOC and my wife and I are looking forward to going full time living in a Montana in 2016, after I retire from Boeing. I am a retired Active Duty USAF CMSgt, 1968-1995, Vietnam and desert storm era Vet. Spent time in USAFE, PACAF, and HQ MAC and HQ SAC. Worked on AGE, F-4s, KC-135, C-5A, C-130s, B-1B and B-2. As an Acquisition Team member I helped bring on the B-1B, B-2 and C-12 aircraft. Recently I helped Boeing Win the KC-46 Contract and performed Design for Supportability on all the maintenance tasks. We would appreciate any and all guidance you can provide, on living full time in a Montana in 2016. I'll do my best to get familiar with the issues, problems and suggestions currently on the forum. I'm especially interested in what NOT to let a dealer sell me, and what should I include or get changed when I purchase one from a dealer. Any advice or guidance will be greatly appreciated. Thank you

[K0LCB]

Welcome, you will learn a lot here. And you will even find out where to get blinker fluid, #128522;

[bigskyjimmy]

First of all THANK YOU very much for your service! and welcome to the Forum ,as a fulltimer I can tell ya Man I love being a Fulltimer,and when you go to the Dealer one thing you should not leave the lot without is G rated tires,tell them to "86" the ST E rated tires that come with them unless you are looking at the Big Sky model which comes standard with G rated tires ,you will be doing a lot of traveling and you do not want any Blowouts to ruin trips,also myself personally I would not buy a RV without an extended warranty ,others will chime in on more but HAPPY SHOPPING

[DarMar]

Welcome to the MOC family folks. You will glean a wealth of information and friendship during your time here. Extended warranty is also something that we have purchased on the last couple of trailers and would recommend. We just find it a good insurance policy type of thing to have and with the failure rate of fridges alone it can easily pay for itself over a 7 year period.

I would stay away from any additional items like fabric or carpet protection(scotch guard type) or any coatings they may add to the exterior to protect or prolong it's luster. Also x2 on G rated tires.

[1retired06]

Welcome and am sure the forum will be helpful.

[sambam]

Welcome to the forum, and thank you for your service to our country. Definitely as Jimmy and Darwin say, G-rated tires are an absolute must. This point can't be over-emphasized. Good luck with your search. If you're sold on a Montana, this is the best place to find answers to your questions.

[PackerFan]

Welcome to the MOC family. Now kick back, relax and don't be afraid to ask anything. Great people here and lots of good advice too.

[DQDick]

Welcome and thanks for your service. The G rated tires are the number one thing, after that it depends a lot on what you want and need. We love the full time lifestyle and hope you enjoy it also. Ask as many questions as you have, the only dumb questions are the one folks are afraid to ask.

[HOOK]

Welcome and pleasant travels! Also, welcome home brother !

[Bill-N-Donna]

Welcome to the forum!
Part of the enjoyment of owning a Montana is this forum.
This is a great place to share and find information about your Montana.

[randye]

Let me add my congrats, Full timing is a great way to see the U.S.A. We are currently on the Oregon Coast. It has been a little wet but we get breaks of sun shine and it has not been cold yet. No freezing or snow, No fog either so this will be our winter area. Unless we have the opportunity to go to Az. Anyway enjoy.

[Art-n-Marge]

Congrats on the military service, career and the impending retirement.

Right out of the starting gate we could kill this server with advice for an upcoming full-timer, so it's a lot better if you can ask some preliminary questions, and then the membership can provide some experiences. Just remember there are no dumb questions. But there can be some suspect answers, ha-ha, not that I've ever done that. So far, the tire advice and warranty is good advice.

We have only been full-timing since mid-June even though I've been retired for 9 years and while it's been fun, we have learned to simplify things a lot more. For example, we've gotten rid of many items we just weren't using, but only because we are fortunate we still have a stickhouse to store things (daughter and her family are in it). Since we move often, I also don't set up as many things as I used to (outdoor kitchen and lighting, etc). You'll find that what you think you needed, you really might not, so there are very few things that will remain in the process when setting up or breaking down. Be flexible and be prepared to adjust.

[Rondo]

Welcome to MOC and thank you for serving! You'll find this site the best there is on the www. Watch the posts and jump on in to give someone an answer to their question. If you have a question, post it, and remember there is not dumb question, they all are important and you will get answers from those here on MOC that have either experienced the same problem or know the answer to it. You will find that nearly any problem you may come upon can be answered here and if not the members will steer you to the proper place to find the answer.

If you are interested, we will be hosting the MOC Central Plains Regional Rally here in Nebraska again for the sixth year straight. We haven't decided on when or where it will be exactly yet but we will be holding it in either June or July. Watch for more information to be posted within the next month or so on exactly when and where it will be held. The Regional Rallies are an excellent way to meet MOC members that both post here on the Forum and those that just key in to see what is being discussed. We have units come to our Rally from all over the US and every make and model too as long as they are MOC members they are welcome.

Since you were stationed at HQ SAC you know about the Omaha area and that is where we are from.

Again welcome to MOC and hope to meet you sometime along the road if not at one of the Rallies.

[jgs90249]

First, let me say thank you all for such a warm welcome. The advice on the G rated tires and extended warranty are appreciated and I will ensure we address both of these. My Wife and I are really looking forward to the friendship and camaraderie experienced with full time living, traveling and camping with out 5trh wheel. I've seen several conversations about a Hensley air ride hitch. Should this be something worth checking into? We have a Motorcycle, Goldwing, and want to bring it with us. I've been looking at a "swivel wheel" tow behind trailer. Does anyone out there have a suggestion for towing the Motorcycle?