New member and a new 342PHT - Montana Owners Club

pgurrisi · 10-01-2006, 06:32 AM

Hi all,

I am new to the forum and I am new to 5th wheels. Two weeks ago, It bought a new Mountaineer 342PHT. I had been looking for a new 5th wheel for some time. I grew up traveling in class A's and wanted a change. Well that’s part of it. The other part is that I wanted a new truck and the only way I could justify the price of a new Chevy duramax crew cab that I wanted was to use it as a tow vehicle.

I had never owned a 5th wheel before, but all the info I read showed me that it was the way to go if you have a trailer. Now that I have pulled one for more than 5 feet I certainly agree.

I had been looking at a lot of different brands and models and found the 342pht to be the best overall bunk house model. I was most impressed with several features of this unit. 1) was the difference in quality between this unit and others. The fit and finish was just much better than the other brands I had looked at. 2) was the bunk house layout. I loved the separate room with the 3rd slide. I have three kids and love the fact that they can have their own space (and me too). I am an early riser and hated the fact that I had to tip toe around the kids sleeping on the dinette and couch in my old class A. 3) was the separate full bath. Most units with the bunkhouse had the split bath that connected to the master beadroom. I have an 11yo girl and when looking at a wildcat, I heard her ask mom "where does daddy go when I have to take a shower?" That told me there was no split bath in my future (amoung other things, but there is no section here for a dad's mental status when dealing with young girls). 4) was the extraordinary cabinet space in this thing. With the high profile the cabinets seem to go on forever.

We have taken it on its maiden voyage. Ok it was only 20 miutes away, but after three days in it I felt I had made the right decision. The unit was the perfect layout. The wife and I didn't have to hide in the bedroom when the kids went to bed. The 5th wheel towed beautifully at 70mph. The fact that I don't have 4 vehicles sitting in my yard (2 that we drive, a class A and a little towable car) is a financial relief.

I only have two negatives. 1) is that I don't have a generator. I know that is easily remedied with a portable unit, but truthfully it is so much easier to have a permenant mount generator. Anybody have recommendations on generators? 2) is the fact that all the slides are controlled by one button. Of course it is preference only, but I think this is terrible. I think it is much better to be standing in front of the slide pressing the button for that particular slide. I would just hate to tear off a cabinet door because I forgot to close a cabinet and couldn't see it while I pressed the button.

Anyway we are headed out again next weekend then I will cover it and put it up for the winter. That will be a sad time.

I will just have to look forward to the weekend trips in the springtime and hopefully a run to Yellowstone in the summer.

Great to meet you all.

LonnieB · 10-01-2006, 06:45 AM

Nice to meet you, Paul, and WELCOME ABOARD. If you haven't already figured it out, this is a great place for info, and conversation. There is a wealth of knowledge here, mostly gained from experience. I have found in the past it's much easier on my bank account to learn from others "experiences" LOL. Great setup you have there, even the TV. Again, welcome.

Montana_6332 · 10-01-2006, 06:48 AM

I just bought the exact same trailer and an doing my pdi Fri. Congrats on your purchase. Hope all is well. Question: What are you pulling with and how is the clearance between the bed rails and the f'er? I have an 06 Ford 350 4x4 lwb and have seen two many pv's with crunched bed rails from going onto different evelations and the trailer bowing down and damaging the truck. Also, is the 250 lbs rating on the bunks a total or for each individual bunk? Again, congradulations.

pgurrisi · 10-01-2006, 07:01 AM

I am pulling with a Chevy Crew 2500HD short box with the new 360Hp/605ft*lbs Duramax and the allison tranny. That truck is just amazing. don't get me wrong you know the trailer si behind you, but it has more than enough power and torque to roll comfortably along.

I have a 16k Husky hitch with the slider. At first I thought that was a gimmick, but I am glad I didn't talk myself out of the slider. It gives a lot of added maneuverability.

I would have to go out and measure it, but there is plenty of clearance under the 5'er to the bed rails. I can stick my head and shoulders in there when connected. With the short box that I have, I would be hard pressed to have the two touch. If I think of it this weekend, I will measure the clearance and post.

I believe the 250 lbs rating is for each bunk, but I never thought to ask. It head my hefty butt and was solid when I sat and bounced on it.

good luck on your shake down cruise.

JH Sechelt · 10-01-2006, 07:37 AM

Hi pgurrisi,

Welcome, sounds like you have it under control, Enjoy your new rig & TV , great combo.
Lots of info available on this form. If I was putting in a new generator, I would be looking
at an Onan LP. We now carry a Honda 3000 portable and for the little we use it, it works great.

J&D

Glenn and Lorraine · 10-01-2006, 11:58 AM

Welcome pgurrisi and Mr Rogers roadcrew to the home of the MOC Family.

Sounds like you both pretty much have it in full control. If either of you have any questions or concerns do not hesitate in asking. Of course you are both welcome to contribute to any other question at anytime.

txkrumm · 10-01-2006, 02:19 PM

Welcome to the MOC!
Yellowstone is our backyard, when you get ready for that trip, PM us with any questions you might have. Love to help you out.
Enjoy
tara

stiles watson · 10-01-2006, 03:46 PM

Welcome to the Forum ngcongratulations on your new rig. Happy RVIng.....

peterlarsen · 10-01-2006, 05:00 PM

Welcome and congratulations!

We did the same conversion (rv to 34tpht) as you did.

We bought a kipor 3500ti generator, and actually like it. When it's running on the ground near the trailer, you can't hear it inside at all!

On the slides, do make sure that the back bedroom door is closed after you when you check to see if the bunks are up before retracting the slides! Don't ask how I know this

One other item on the slides we are still working on is that the switch is very accessable to a small child. A cover or key switch would be very good to have here.

Have fun in your new trailer. We sure have!

Peter Larsen

tcorbitt · 10-02-2006, 03:40 AM

Congrats Paul and welcome to the ever expanding group of 343PHT owners here on MOC. I think we number at least 10 or so now. The 34ePHT is perfect for family with kids as you pointed out. We looked at dozens of 5ths and were prepared to spend twice what the 342PHT cost but could not find a better floorplan at any price range. The Mountianeer is a great value and after our first year, it is holding up extremly well.

Mr_Rogers_RoadCrew: We tow with an F350 Crew 4X4 Short with 18" wheels. Standard issue with no mods. We have the Valley 15K slider which has 4 height settings. We are set 1 down from the top. 5th and Truck ride perfectly level with 6" clearance on the bed rails. In some very tight moves up and around, the 5th never comes near the truck rails. According to our dealer, this is a great hitch for the F350/Mountianeer. Top setting for 2WD Trucks, 1 down for 4X4, 2 down for 4X4 with 20" wheels. Down 1 additional notch in each setting if you are running with an airpin box. Love the combo, although if I were to do it again, I would go air ride. For 4-5 hours trips it is OK, but on the long hauls, the push/pull/bump gets a bit tiring. We traveled 13,200 miles this year from FL to PEI Canada. Next year we head West and I am seriously considering upgrading to an air ride.

Best, Tim

Cheri · 10-02-2006, 06:11 AM

Welcome to the forum! Nice to have more Mountaineer owners! We have the 342PHT also and LOVE it. Puchased it in mid-August and have taken 5 trips so far. It works perfectly for those of us with teenagers. We really like having an enclosed bathroom for everyone's comfort and privacy. The teenage girls particularly like being able to go in the bathroom and have complete privacy. The bunkroom saves everyone's sanity since I don't have to see their mess and they don't have to keep everything stowed away.

I agree that the one button slide control is ridiculous and hazardous. We have had a couple of crunches because of it, but probably won't ever make the same mistakes again.

Otherwise, it has been a great unit so far and suits our needs better than anything else on the market.

Again, welcome to the forum--people here are wonderful and will answer all your questions. The ideas for modifications are also very helpful.

Cheri

Sunshine · 10-02-2006, 10:53 AM

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the new rig. I'm sure you'll have many happy adventures to look forward to.

RailroadMike · 10-02-2006, 01:39 PM

Congratulations and welcome!

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