New Member - Montana Owners Club

ruger9mm · 12-24-2018, 07:20 PM

Hello all and Merry Christmas.

My wife and I have 5 years to retirement and we are planning on full-time RV living. We have been out to many RV dealers looking at the Montanas and have to say we really like the designs and the warranty for the full-time living.

We currently camp a lot with a 26ft TT and have no problems finding spots at different RV parks. The question I have are the RV's my wife and I are currently looking at are in the 40ft length. Does anyone have issues finding RV parks that would accommodate the 40ft to 41ft 5th wheels? Just a little worried.

We have our eyes set on the 3790RD but a little worried about finding places to stay with it. Will be utilizing a 2019 F350 SWD short bed 4x4 crew cab with the camping package and a slide 5th wheel hitch. I'm hoping the truck will be big enough.

**AZ Traveler** · 12-24-2018, 08:45 PM

Welcome to the forum! This is a great place to learn and share.

For the most part you will not have trouble finding parks to handle a 3790 except for a few of the state and federal parks.

You can hear lots of debate on the truck but you should do OK with the short bed 350 particularly if you already have it.

Merry Christmas!

K0LCB · 12-24-2018, 08:59 PM

Welcome to our group! I had a 42.6’ fifth wheel for several years. I always managed to find a camp spot. Even in New England, so don’t worry.

1retired06 · 12-24-2018, 09:19 PM

Welcome to the MOC.

ruger9mm · 12-24-2018, 11:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZ Traveler

Welcome to the forum! This is a great place to learn and share.

For the most part you will not have trouble finding parks to handle a 3790 except for a few of the state and federal parks.

You can hear lots of debate on the truck but you should do OK with the short bed 350 particularly if you already have it.

Merry Christmas!

Thank you AZ Traveler. As for the truck, I don't have it just yet... I'm going down this Saturday to order it. Is a short bed not a good way to go?

1retired06 · 12-25-2018, 06:07 AM

Many prefer long bed, more room, no need for a slider.

Vet4jdc · 12-25-2018, 06:46 AM

If you are going to order a truck, my advice is to get the short bed. It will be much easier to park and maneuver when you aren't towing. Many here will argue that you need a slider but I have towed our fiver for six years with a fixed Pullrite hitch and have never needed a slider. My first hitch was a slider and I sold it after a year since I never actually "slid" it back. I just don't like the noises made by the play in the hitch and the movement they can have with a slider.

As for parking your 40 footer, you just have to be careful and pay attention when you get to that 70 degree (plus) angle. If you are mindful when backing up, you can make a short bed work for years!

Good luck in your search for a truck and a camper. Keystone is never a bad way to go!

Cubbie · 12-25-2018, 08:43 AM

We have the 2018 3791RD. We went to the Goshen MOC Rally this year traveling from Az. We found no issues with our length. We have a long wheel base Ford F-350 truck. The only thing we did do is plan each days travel and made reservation each RV Park we stayed at to make sure they had a long enough space.

waynemoore · 12-25-2018, 09:56 AM

Welcome to the forum from Arizona. And a Merry Christmas. Ok go with the long bed.

No chance of damaging the rear window.
More room to Install a second fuel tank. Yes I know but it gives you choices. Where to buy fuel and not to have to haul the rig into a fuel stop that has a canopy that is not high enough. And not have to fuel at truck stops and pay those prices.
Good for your health. Better to park in the outer area of parking lots. Provides more exercise walking the 2 miles to the store.

Just my two cents.

**AZ Traveler** · 12-25-2018, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruger9mm

Thank you AZ Traveler. As for the truck, I don't have it just yet... I'm going down this Saturday to order it. Is a short bed not a good way to go?

Truck choice is really driven by what else you plan to use it for. If it is only going to be used as a tow vehicle and you don't have a parking issue a long bed or even a dually is a decent way to go. For me, a long bed will not fit in the garage and is a real pain to park plus it is used as a tow vehicle much less than other duties. We have not had an issue with our short bed as a tow vehicle.

**DQDick** · 12-25-2018, 10:38 AM

Welcome to the forum! We have always towed with a shortbed and a Pullrite hitch and love it. Our only problem was the SRW. Our rigs had pin weight that, while it was within the parameters of the truck, was more weight than the tires were made for. Before we went with the dually we had to change to tires with 4 ply sidewalls to end the bulges in the sidewalls and bead seperation problems we were having. There are only two companies that make tires for pickups with more than two ply sidewalls and even those aren't certified to hold the weight (although they did). We got the dually so we could quit stressing about it.

ruger9mm · 12-25-2018, 10:50 AM

Thank you all for the great information... It is very helpful..

waynemoore - never thought about the optional fuel tank. Not a bad idea.

Have one more question what is the average fuel mileage are you all getting with the F350 when pulling. I know it depends on each driver but just getting an idea.

waynemoore · 12-25-2018, 11:37 AM

Me average on our last short trip was 11.5. But that was 650 miles of towing and about 190 miles running without the rig.

Over a much longer trip 4000 miles I get about 10.2 mpg combination with towing and running around.

I have an F350 4X4 long bed with 3.55 rear end.

Cubbie · 12-25-2018, 03:13 PM

We average over 10 MPG towing which we love.

phillyg · 01-02-2019, 01:40 PM

We've only had two instances where we couldn't shoehorn a 40 footer into a space, and it was because of trees at the front corners of the sites. I've found that using satellite view on a map app can help.

sdetweil · 01-02-2019, 02:07 PM

I get about 10mpg towing w my f350 dually.

The shortbeds have a small tank. 2017 and up is +34 gals. My 2012 DRW was 38, I added 60 gal toolbox tank. My 2018 DRW has 48 gal, plus the 60. I like being able to pick when to get fuel.

Avoid bio only in Illinois. Bypass high cost areas

Byron B · 01-02-2019, 04:57 PM

Have owned 7 1T Chevy 3500 srw long bed trucks. When turning, I needed the proverbial 40 acres to turn this rig around. When we started towing our 37’ Mobile Suites it was difficult. Lack of turning radius sux. Now driving Ford short wheel bed with extra 40 gallons in the bed. MUCH better (for me)!
Good luck and happy travels.

Greg and Sherry · 01-02-2019, 09:59 PM

Welcome to the forum!! So much good information here and any questions you have can be answered easily. Our rig is 38’6” and not had any problems finding sites to camp. Have fun and again.., welcome to the group from Montana with our Montana

KathyH · 01-04-2019, 04:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ruger9mm

Hello all and Merry Christmas.

My wife and I have 5 years to retirement and we are planning on full-time RV living. We have been out to many RV dealers looking at the Montanas and have to say we really like the designs and the warranty for the full-time living.

We currently camp a lot with a 26ft TT and have no problems finding spots at different RV parks. The question I have are the RV's my wife and I are currently looking at are in the 40ft length. Does anyone have issues finding RV parks that would accommodate the 40ft to 41ft 5th wheels? Just a little worried.

We have our eyes set on the 3790RD but a little worried about finding places to stay with it. Will be utilizing a 2019 F350 SWD short bed 4x4 crew cab with the camping package and a slide 5th wheel hitch. I'm hoping the truck will be big enough.

Hi,

We bought a new 2017 Montana 3731FL and tow with a new 2017 F350 diesel long bed with tow package. This truck tows like a dream! Currently averaging 13 miles towing. Our Montana is 40ft and 16,500 loaded. We pack what we need and travel light. We are retiring 9/2020 and headed southwest and California. We bought our rig early so we could make sure everything was working properly and get some towing experience prior to taking to the road upon retirement for 8 months. We have had no issues with the Montana and are happy with our choice of rig and tow vehicle. We started 14 years before we made our final decision with research and walking thru so many makes and models we lost count. We haven't had any problems with finding places to stay. It does require a call to check and make sure they can accommodate us. We stay in privately owned campgrounds and avoid RV parks. We have a generator and are getting equipped with solar since our plan is to boondock frequently when we head southwest. Enjoy your search for your rig and have fun with your journey.
Kathy

edb · 01-04-2019, 09:38 PM

We full time RV'ed for 7 years and I will tell you from experience that you will have problems in a lot of state and national parks with a 5th wheel that big. Most people who travel in the larger RVs use privately owned campgrounds. We traveled first in a 36 foot Carriage Compass and then a 36 foot Montana which we still own and there were many times that I wished we had bought something smaller because some of the places I wanted to go we could not fit in the camp spots and there were even some places we couldn't even drive through because the trees prevented us from making the turns. Most state and federal parks don't have the money to update their campground to accommodate the big rigs. The real drawback is that the state and national parks are always less expensive then the private campgrounds. I'm not saying we didn't fit in a lot of them and it was mostly the state ones that you will have a problem with. Keep in mind we were only 36 feet plus the length of our tow vehicle and you will be driving 40 feet with a tow vehicle. I would tell you not to go with anything bigger then 36 feet. The really long ones I think are for people who are not full timers and know where they are going and what to expect. When your a full timer you never know what to expect and I guaranty you that there will be times you will get yourself in a situation no matter how careful you are that you will have to turn that 40 foot trailer around in a very small space and it won't be easy. I was a real full timer with no home to go home to so if you have any questions feel free to email me. I think you should tow with whatever works for you as long as it is rated to tow how heavy your trailer is. I personally would never tow with a short bed but have seen lots of people do it. Good luck and good idea to plan ahead for that retirement plan.

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