looking for advice - Montana Owners Club

Kayaker · 04-25-2010, 01:24 AM

Hi everyone. Just started on this site and it seems to have a wealth of info. I have a couple of questions I'm sure many of you will be able to help me with. I have not yet bought the trailer, but am looking at either the 3150rl or the 3450rl. Question - Does it make much difference on the size if I want to get into smaller private campgrounds? I have also decided to go with the dodge dually with the cummings diesel, but am undecided which gear would be better. I understand the 410 would be the biggest puller, but also the 373 would be better on fuel. Is the 3450 too heavy to pull with the 373 gear? And last, but not least, Who would be the best montana dealer in the north east states to deal with? I appreciate any feedback you can give me. Oops, just thought of one more question. If you had one bit of advice to a newbie who will be living at least 6 months of the year on the road, what would it be?

Ozz · 04-25-2010, 01:38 AM

Hi Kayaker, welcome to the forum. I can't help on anything but the last question; read and absorb. There are many here that have great advice and have had many good and bad experiences that they can share with you. Specific questions can be searched, after searching and have more questions, feel free to post and our helpful members will jump in and answer.
See you around the forum.
Ozz

H. John Kohl · 04-25-2010, 01:58 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by Kayaker

Hi everyone. Just started on this site and it seems to have a wealth of info. I have a couple of questions I'm sure many of you will be able to help me with. I have not yet bought the trailer, but am looking at either the 3150rl or the 3450rl. Question - Does it make much difference on the size if I want to get into smaller private campgrounds? - I found some state parks have smaller sites because they have been in business for so long. Some parks have small site but just tell them your size and number of slides. Most will be honest with you.
I have also decided to go with the dodge dually with the cummings diesel, but am undecided which gear would be better. I understand the 410 would be the biggest puller, but also the 373 would be better on fuel. Is the 3450 too heavy to pull with the 373 gear? I have an 03 Dodge Dually with 373 gears and Manual transmission. Some times I wish for 410s but the 373 have worked great for me. If you are looking at a new truck all the Automatics have 373 and Dodge set the numbers for the auto-373 to pull heavy weights. So I just confused you with that statement.
And last, but not least, Who would be the best Montana dealer in the north east states to deal with? - I used Churchville, NY Camping world and would recommend Beckley's in Thurmont, MD. My recommendation is to work the price with all and then make your decision.
I appreciate any feedback you can give me. Oops, just thought of one more question. If you had one bit of advice to a newbie who will be living at least 6 months of the year on the road, what would it be?

- Read this forum and others as well as search this one.

Welcome to the forum.

Mrs. CountryGuy · 04-25-2010, 02:03 AM

Make sure you know the 181 day rule for Candian residents visiting the USA.

Be sure to REALLY measure the units you are interested in, as they don't seem to measure exactly as stated in brochures. And, those unit numbers do not relate to real length.

Campgrounds in the NE states of USA have been known to have smaller/shorter campsites, review their web sites and listings in the campground books, call a few, gather your data.

Read our Archives, go to first page, look down far right side to find the little yellow "A". Investigate.

Happy shopping and reading, enjoy your new unit.

Kayaker · 04-25-2010, 04:22 AM

A big thanks to all for the responses. I am new to the site and didn't know there was archive sites. I figure it will take me a week to get through all the info there. Still if with all your experience on the road, what would be your best tip for us?

Mrs. CountryGuy · 04-25-2010, 04:50 AM

With at least 6 months, don't rush, you don't need to be in vacation mode any more. Weekly rates (monthly too) can be had a many campground. Instead of using 2 days to see an area, take 1 week minimum. We just spent 5 months in one locale, and ooops, there were still things we could have taken in. Maybe next time.

ALAN · 04-25-2010, 07:58 AM

Another site to try is RV-Dreams.com. A wealth of information to add to what you will find on the MOC web site.

Alan

jackandh2o · 04-25-2010, 11:52 AM

Welcome to the forum.

Take your time and smell the proverbial roses.

Ray

sreigle · 04-29-2010, 11:21 AM

Welcome to the forum! As for which rear gears on the Dodge, in my humble opinion our 3.73 is just fine. No problems towing and certainly better mpg than the 4.10 gears. Obviously the 4.10 would do just fine, too, with a little less mpg.

As to whether one of those models is better than the other for getting into smaller private parks, that probably depends on the parks in the area you're considering. We've only rarely found a private park we can't fit into reasonably easily but there are some. State parks in CA seem to be out for us because of our length. The 3150RL is only about 3 feet shorter than our 3400RL so I doubt you'd have much better luck there. However, most other states have state parks that we fit in just fine. Not all, but those we've tried. I know Kansas is not a problem for you.

I can't find a 3450RL on the spec sheet? Is that a new model or is it maybe a typo for 3400RL?

Welcome to the forum. Don't hesitate to ask any and all questions. There are no dumb questions here. If there were, then I'd sure be kind of dumb.

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