Extras for new Montana?

[Carol Bordwell]

My wife and I have purchased our first Montana 5th wheel, 3615RE. We will pick it up on friday the 9th of july.
We are looking at options, and would appreciate some input.
1. Slide out tray, we are looking at size, is the full slide tray the way to go, or smaller one? or two of them?
2. JT Strong Arms, for more support? this was suggested by dealer.
3. Surge Protector?
4. MAXX Air Covers for Vents?
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks Mike & Carol

[hookman]

I have a tray don't know if I would do it again. JT'S are great. Surge protector a must. Maxx Air covers on vents that don't have Fantastic Fans.
I used just a surge protector for awhile then installed a Powermaster Voltage Booster which has built in surge protector.
http://www.rvperformanceproducts.com/index.htm
If you get one of these wire it in in the front compartment for security.

[exav8tr]

Congratulations on the new Montana. As a fulltimer, we need all the room in the basement we can get and feel the pull out trays take up too much room. If I was not a fulltimer, I would seriously consider. I had JT's installed two years ago and they really help the stability, don't take it all out, after all you are sitting on air (tires). I have the Hughes Autoformer which boosts the low power and provides surge protection. You don't need something this elaborate but a surge protector is a MUST HAVE ITEM. The Maxx air covers work great, but do add some height to your rig, probably not enough to matter.

Happy camping and anymore questions just ask away.

[Art-n-Marge]

I'm with most when they suggest foregoing the storage slides for room and weight reasons - you can do so much better avoiding these. Use lightweight bins instead but this might take a while to figure out this organization - An MOC rally for show-and-tell would be highly recommended and see what others do.

For the price of a surge protector you might as well as go all the way and get the Autotransformer. This is much better than a surge protector since it handles varying changes in voltages and tries to correct the shore supply versus just shutting down altogether.

Speaking of going all the way you are on the right track for the stabilizers. JTs are very popular since they were one of the better ones on the market for some time. Another brand that is simpler and allegedly just as good, is the SteadyFast system. Skip the tripod or you'll just wish you spent your money on a good stabilizer system. For a real bang up system there's the BigFoot type of levelers and stabilizers but now we're talking thousands of $$$s and for some this might be overkill.

While we are spending your money, other common necessities are a Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS), a very good water supply filtration system, an emergency kit (that includes bottle jacks, wood blocks, a torque wrench and a good air compressor amongst other tools) and extra lengths of fresh water and black water hoses (DO NOT mix these) and drain hoses.

Someone stop me quick, before I scare these poor people away.

Get a hold of a PDI (Pre Delivery Inspection) checklist prior to picking up your rig and make sure you dealer knows you will have one! We can't tell you how many members who don't know where, how or what things on their rigs are for. A PDI will greatly reduce future problems. I hope someone can point you to it on the MOC website.

Congratulations on your new rig.

[NCFischers]

Mike & Carol,
First, let me welcome you to the forum and congratulate you on your new rig. Feel free to jump in anytime. There is a wealth of information here.
Surge protection should be first on your list. I wired mine in the front compartment. If you're not comfortable with electricity, get someone to help you. Maxx Air covers for the vents are a nice addition. Camping world has the covers and the adapter kit to enable you to hinge them up for cleaning. Our washer/dryer is in the front like yours so I use the tripod and a pair of scissor jacks that I bolted to the rear of the front frame rail (I moved the gas line from under the frame to the side of it). I don't have JT's because I bolted storage tubes to the frame and they would be in the way of JT's. If I ever feel the need to get stabilizers, I'll move the tubes. I built a shelving unit in the basement to accommodate our "stuff". A TPMS is a must in my opinion both for the Monty and your TV. I was going to tell Art to chill out before he overwhelms you but he's right on with his list. As you can tell, we can easily get carried away. There are many more things you will want or need down the road but this will get you started in the right direction. You should also have a maintenance check list for checking bolts periodically that should be part of your routine. When you get your rig, ask us for the list. It's easy to do. Now I hope that I didn't scare you.

[jimcol]

Mike & Carol, Welcome to the form and congrats on your new rig. As you can see this group is more than willing to spend your money but no one said owning an RV was economical. Let me add just a couple of things to your list. A folding step stool or something to help with the high cabinets in the rig is a must. We also added a 13 foot telescopic ladder so I dont have to climb on top of the rig everytime we move to insure the top of the slides are debris free.

[ols1932]

I use both the autoformer and surge protector. When voltage is low a surge protector does you no good (lower than 102 volts) so I use the autoformer which also has a built-in surge protector. I use only a surge protector when campground voltage is adequate.

Orv

[CamillaMichael]

Congratulations on the new rig and welcome to the MOC! I concur with those recommending surge protection...not cheap, but the alternative is a LOT more expensive. Our experience has been that the THINGS out there for sale never seems to end. The other things recommended above are no doubt recommended based on member experience. If you do not have unlimited funds to spend on RV stuff, you might want to hold off on buying stuff for your new rig until you have used it a few times and see, from your own experience, what might work best for you (in this way you can combine the wisdom offered by the other MOC members above with your own experience)...saves you from buying things that you never use or do not really serve the purpose you intended them for. I AM NOT DISAGREEING WITH ANY OF THE SUGGESTIONS ABOVE...just offering an opinion from someone who does not have unlimited funds to spend. Again, congratulations on your new Montana...happy and safe travels.

[swanny]

You always need to be able to hook up to all utilities at the CG. So, you need more then the things that come with a new unit. Sewer hose, drinking water hose, power cord, regular hose and cable. Other stuff like wheel chocks, leveling blocks, torque wrench, water pressure regulator. As others said a TPMS is a great investment and a surge protector.

Congrats on the new toy, good luck and be safe.
Kevin

[Parrothead]

We are full timers and love our sliding tray. Would not be without it. You can lay long or flat things (like all the handles) under it and can reach things "in the middle" easily. This is especially good for those that are height challeneged (short). The only other thing on your list that we have are the vent covers. We have had them on all of our rigs.
Happy trails..................

[Carol Bordwell]

Thank all of you for input. What a wonderful site, We really appreciate all of the input.
I will now make some decisions with confidence.
My wife and I are excited about our new purchase. We have owned several P/U campers through the years, but now we are ready to spend our winters where it is warm.
Mike & Carol
Chewelah Wa.

[H. John Kohl]

Mike and Carol,
One item to consider is the "BED SAVER" by Blue Ox if you hitch can handle it. The bed saver is a great insurance policy. This post is a great example.

Welcome to the forum and good luck.

[rames14]

If someone thinks you can save money by RVing, I'd like to see the spreadsheet. (Just joking) It's a way of life, I believe, for most of us. So, we are more than willing to help you dispose of all that disposable income. Yes to TPMS (search Steve Riegle's pictures), yes to surge protector, no to trays. If possible, come to the rally and see what many creative MOC members have done to ,make their units more livable. Best of luck.

[JimF]

Humm, guess we must be different and we do full time. No tray, no surge protector, no on the TJ's this is a trailer after all, it should shake some and sure doesn't bother us in the slightest. Actually, the only time we notice the shake is when the washer does an unbalanced load spinout, we have a Maytag stack system. Yes on the vent covers, even for the fantastic fan. No on the TPMS, yes on the torque wrench, extra water hose and sewer line. We use between the tire wheel locks rather than chocks. Yes on some boards for leveling and yes to a hitch mounted level and on the side for fore-aft level. No on the bed protector and numerous other items listed above. A BIG yes to a water pressure regulator and yes to a ladder. For a step stool in the trailer we use one of the chairs, less of a hasssle than getting the step stool out. Outfit to your desired comfort level and no one elses. After a few trips you will know exactly what you need, go with that and keep your money in your pocket till then, all this stuff can be added later. This is all IMHO, use the information that you desire.

[bob n pam]

We fulltime in about the same way as Jim and Joan. Everyone has their own needs and pocketbooks, but everyone has FUN!

[exav8tr]

When we first started fulltiming we bought a lot of needed stuff. Two years later we sold a lot of stuff at a yard sale. Buy it and if you don't need it sell it later......You will eventually determine what you need and don't need.......