Picking up Montana in 2 weeks-question

[JimIrish7]

We are picking up our new MHC-281ck in Elkhart in 2 weeks.
Never owned a 5th wheel. Will drive from Indiana to GA. after we pick it up.
Questions-
1. What should I look for when picking it up from the dealer in winter time?
I am assuming a full walkthrough.
2. Should a buy a TPMS and install up there?
3. Have had trailers before and what watch outs should I be aware of driving this south the first time?
Any other advice is appreciated.
Thank you -
Jim

[richfaa]

I would have the TPMS installed while there. We have one and would not leave home without it.

[DutchmenSport]

If you've never towed a fifth wheel before, you really need to take a some time and do some practice turns, forward and backwards, in a parking lot so you know where the pivot points are in the trailer. It will be different than a bumper pull trailer. I was a bumper pull trailer guy for 63 years, then got my first fifth wheel. It took a year to finally get it figured out.

Take your time, and practice a bit in their parking lot. And watch the swing of the trailer tail. It's very easy to clip stuff on the blind side of the turn. Notice how the tires of the trailer track also when making those turns. Put a marker in the parking lot and attempt to make a turn around it without hitting it. It will be a priceless experience for you! You definitely do not want to do this the very first time on the road, and you don't want your first back-up to be in your own driveway. Practice where you pick it up.

Second, always watch the distance between the bed rails of your truck and the bottom over hang of the trailer. If the opposite tilt, between trailer and truck is too much, you can make contact and both truck and trailer will be damaged. With a bumper pull, you never have this to think about. With a fifth wheel, you always have to keep it in mind.

Just my 2 cents worth of suggestions.

Congrats on the new camper.

[rames14]

First, congratulations. How you receive your trailer will go a long way toward how much you enjoy it. If you don’t have a good, extensive PDI checklist, get one (you can PM me if you need one). Share it with your dealer BEFORE you get there. Do not sign off until you are comfortable the unit is to your liking. RV’s are not like cars. You can’t go to a dealer in Georgia and say I need this fixed (emergency issues are an exception). If you can, camp a few days around the dealer to make sure things work, but also to ask questions of your dealer if you miss something. A good example is more than one of us has forgotten there is a galley dump in addition to the gray water dump valve. Also, your dealer usually will give you a discount on supplies and accessories. And, yes, install your TPMS before you drive off the lot. TST is the one I and many others recommend. Go through the hookup/disconnect process several times and write down the steps. The first several years I carried a laminated setup/tear down sheet in the truck. We also had one for Winterizing. Best of luck, hope this helps. We will be doing this in April again (our 4th Montana).

[Daryles]

Congratulations!!!
Watch your height. Low bridges, power lines, gas stations, tree branches both on streets and Campgrounds.
Take a PDI checklist with you. Take lots of pictures and videos as they are showing how it works.
Stay overnight (boondock) in their parking lot in it to test everything.
Make damn sure you see/get the title. Took us 2 months to get ours from CW Memphis. Could not register it in our home state until we had it. They told us bill of sale was good enough to register it. WRONG!!!
You have to have the title.

[BobStack]

Pick up some salt-away from amazon and clean the entire undercarriage. I would recommend scrubbing with a brush and rinse well. Plan on doing it a few times to be sure you remove all the salt or you'll have rust everywhere. I got mine in February of last year and it was a mess from a short 15 mile ride.

[rohrmann]

Hopefully you will be able to pickup the new rig. It’s cold there, high today 34 degrees, 18 overnight, and snow on and off the next week. I would rather delay than risk a wreck with a new rig. Hopefully they will winterize it for you after you do your PDI. Good luck with the new rig.

[JimIrish7]

The dealer will winterize after we do our walk through.
Appreciate all the tips.
Great forum for newbies.
Jim

[tidwellfarms]

I would recommend that you camp very close to the pick up location ro make sure you shake down what you need to do as far as making and breaking camp. If you have problems you don't want to be 300 miles from the dealer on your first night. They can forget to do stuff and tell you stuff you need to know and you probably won't know or forget to ask. Be safe and happy camping.

[h2ojocky]

I think the most important thing is to send the PDI to the dealer in advance and telling them these are the things you will be checking when you get there. Someone else on the forum did this and everything was fixed by the time they got there. They had to postpone their pick up date maybe a week for them to finish fixing all the things.

[rames14]

We just sent our PDI to the dealer almost two months ahead. I sent it to sales, service and parts. They already had questions on add ons. ( We’re having SeeLevel gages and Valterra valves installed. Anyone that has changed valves after use will understand.) Plus, with some Options they may only have one or two experts (Super Solar & In-Command). Enjoy that new unit.

[Bob and Jeannette]

Take your time and make sure that every single feature works, you should call them and let them know this is on your agenda so that they can allow time for it and the sales manager will make sure that the pdi guy checks it completely if he thinks that it could screw up his delivery. Plan your route home carefully. Fuel up at truck stops if possible or when not connected to your trailer. Lastly take your time in all things, always get out and look around, sooner or later you will screw something up and it’s better for you and your wife if you know that you have been very cautious.

[Silverado333]

I’ll second the stay close to dealer for the first night or two - weather permitting. We travelled from north of Seattle to Grants Pass, OR. to pick up our rig. We stayed two nights nearby the dealer - within 25 miles, then drive to Crater Lake for our fist fun times in the RV. Both excursions were great to look things over and get used to set up and tear down. Have fun with your rig!!

[phillyg]

I cannot stress enough, a "walk-through" is not adequate, and don't sign for the rig until everything is fixed. Use one of the PDIs on this forum, and expect to spend three hours going over everything.

[skippydoo]

I would suggest having them blast your ac. I know you are in the cold right now. Doesn't matter, Stand under all the vents and make sure you FEEEL air coming out. Not a faint trigger of air but blast's of air. You should also not have to search for feeling the air either. Here it is, no over here it is...hmmm, no come over here THERE it is-- trickle trickle trickle.
IF you cant feel the air blasting on you, tell them to get UP in there and remove debris. Then try this again.
Same for the heat.

We learned the hard way. Enjoy your RIG

[dvines]

Not sure what are the stock tires but I HIGHLY RECOMMEND getting the factory to replace with Goodyear or Sailun. They should give you a little credit for the china bombs. Now is the time to do it!

[JimIrish7]

Good news is they come with Saliuns. I called the dealer to confirm.
I will email the dealer Monday a PDI so they will be prepared to review with me in a week when I pick it up. Solid advice all the way around.
Jim

[rohrmann]

Already I would not trust that salesman. The specs on a new 281ck mhc indicate they come with F range tires, so that definitely says those tires are not Sailun tires. https://www.keystonerv.com/product/m...h-wheels/specs

[Bob and Jeannette]

Originally Posted by rohrmann

Already I would not trust that salesman. The specs on a new 281ck mhc indicate they come with F range tires, so that definitely says those tires are not Sailun tires. https://www.keystonerv.com/product/m...h-wheels/specs

Yes indeed you may want to call again because salespeople think they know but don’t.

[Carl n Susan]

And if the salesman insists the HC comes with Sailuns be sure to get in writing. I haven't seen a HC yet with Sailuns.