Raptor for dog showing? - Montana Owners Club

MNpat · 06-06-2005, 05:52 AM

Considering buying a Raptor to use at dog shows. I really think the garage will be just what we need to care for the dogs, but I'm concerned with handling the length. This will be our first RV. We are use to pulling a 15 foot horse trailer though. We have a Ford 250 super duty truck.

Any advise & feedback much appreciated!

315RLS · 06-06-2005, 06:31 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by MNpat

Considering buying a Raptor to use at dog shows. I really think the garage will be just what we need to care for the dogs, but I'm concerned with handling the length. This will be our first RV. We are use to pulling a 15 foot horse trailer though. We have a Ford 250 super duty truck.

Any advise & feedback much appreciated!

MNpat, I'm not sure how much feedback you'll get here on the Keystone
Raptors as this conference is primarily Keystone Montana and
Moutaineer owners. There is another conference "Keystone Trailers
Topics" http://www.forumco.com/keystonervs/default.asp where you
might find more information. That said.. we did look at this style
of trailer (not the Raptor) when looking for ours for showing dogs.
We found the Mountaineer 315RLS to best suit our needs where we can
pull the 2 recliner chairs from the back out and stack a number of
crates. Since you can't pull these with live animals inside anyway,
we have an extended Express van setup to tow over 5 tons and capable
of holding 8-10 crates plus much more. Have found this works perfect
for us.

sreigle · 06-06-2005, 11:19 AM

Welcome aboard, MNpat! Do you know the weight of the Raptor?

If you have the V10 or the 7.3 or 6.0 powerstroke in your F250, it can handle the weight of any of the Montanas so should handle the Raptor unless it's heavier than I think.

Just found the Raptor site and specs. Some of these are within your range but some are potentially heavier than the Montanas. Add UVW and CCC to get the max weight GVWR.

www.keystonerv.com , then click on Raptor, then on Specifications. Which model are you considering?

MNpat · 06-06-2005, 12:04 PM

Thanks for your input guys! My truck is a V8 Super Duty Ford 250. Steve, what Montana floor plan do you have? We know we want a 5th wheel & a slide bedroom. I'd really like a bathroom that has two access doors, so guest do not have to go through the bedroom. Anybody have the living room upfront & the bedroom in the rear?

sreigle · 06-06-2005, 01:42 PM

We have the 3295RK.

Is your F250 the 5.4 V8? That's a strong engine but I don't know that it is rated to handle other than maybe the smaller Raptors. You might check that out carefully. Sorry to bear bad news but that's the way the numbers fall, unfortunately. If you mean the V8 diesel rather than gas, then that's a whole different ballgame.

Keep in mind you'll never see the UVW numbers. That's without propane bottles, batteries, fluids, gear. You can probably figure at least 1000 pounds above UVW, probably more like 1500. With motorized toys onboard it will likely be more than that.

Good luck. I hope you can find something that works for you.

What year is your F250? I have the tow guides around here for the 2003 and 2005 models. The 2003 numbers would be close for all from 1999 through 2004.

CountryGuy · 06-06-2005, 02:22 PM

MNPat,

Not addressing any of the tow numbers that Steve R. is discussing, but, rather the idea of the back end being great for show dogs!

I always thought that would be a great idea. I can imagine, with some creative plumbing, a sink for grooming could be added, crates bolted to the floor, for use while you are at the show, all your grooming gear, dog food, dishes, storage cabinets, extra xpens, carts, chairs for ring side viewing, oh, and if you are into obedience, just think of how much of that gear you could get back there!!! oooooooooooeeeeeeee! If you have larger dogs you could even put that back gate down for ease of getting them in and out. I believe some people even have screens figured out to put over that large back opening, you could sure get a lot of fresh air in there that way.

True this is not a forum for Raptor rigs, but, we have a few ex Montana owners that now run around in other units that still visit us here now and then.

As far as the length is concerned, MAKE LONG WIDE TURNS! I have pulled our pontoon boat and I have pulled our 3295, the difference is not so much the length, as the way it tows, sway, etc. Being very honest here, the width concerns me more than the length! And, a 5er pulls soooooooooo much better than a boat or TT (pulled one of those too, prior unit).

Visit a lot of RV forums, read and learn. Ask a lot of questions, and then use your best judgement of your life style and needs. Don't be afraid to customise your unit so that it does what you need it to do, as 315RLS points out, they find they can move the chairs and store crates back there. For me a major point would be, how many shows am I really gonna do a year, 1 or 12?? more, less?? The more shows I would be doing, the more I think the Raptor set up would appeal to me. Less shows, I could manage grooming, etc., just as I do now with the 4 yorks, bathes in the tub or in the kitchen sink. We have been out for 3 months with the 4 yorks, and that is how I manage. The washer/dryer closet (no washer dryer in our unit) is a great place for storage of all my prescription dog food. Under the TV (where a lot of people have the fireplace) I can store 4 small crates, we call it "yorkie central".

Good luck in your decision.

Carol

MNpat · 06-06-2005, 04:39 PM

Thanks for all the great insight & advise guys! We raise & show Shelties. Carol, Yorkies are adorable! What region do you show in?

Steve, my hubby figures our truck can pull 12,000 pounds. We'll check it out carefully though.

Why can't you haul dogs in crates in an RV? Can't quite understand the difference from being able to haul horses in a horse trailer.

CountryGuy · 06-07-2005, 02:17 AM

MNPat,

I am no longer showing, I did it only long enough to learn a lot and gain great respect for those that do it constantly, their dedication and energy is amazing!

About dogs in crates in a RV, I am not sure if there are any laws about that. I remember a long time ago (well before MOC and Montana in our lives) we understood that you could ride in a 5er in SOME states, but not others. NOT that we would do it, cause we would not. I had the "opportunity" to ride in the prior unit, a 30 foot TT a couple of times, around the campground, sitting on the floor, with the yorks, while we went to dump, and then back to the campsite. Even going at 5 MPH, it is something I never care to do again. Maybe there are laws around for animals as well??

I know from our traveling, we have discovered that there are some "different" laws that cover you and your animals. In Virginia, for example, you cannot buy prescription anything, meds or DOG FOOD! UNLESS the vet sees your animal. They will not fill a written prescription from your vet, period. Ohhh, and they wanted $45.00 office call to walk in with my dog under my arm, prescription in hand, and then do what ever??? We called any number of vets and got the same response, even had a cousin call a vet she personally knew and he said the same thing! My vet was so livid when I told him, I thought he would have a stroke! That is why we carry huge amounts of dog food with us, enough for our intended time away from the stick built and then add some, gone 3 months, take enough for 3 months, plus 2 weeks more! Ditto for any meds, I carry a emergency kit, filled with the meds the yorks have needed, or might need.

So, without checking with authorities in each state you figure you will be traveling through, or showing in, I would be careful about assuming you can or cannot keep dogs in a moving RV. Since you show, maybe some of the kennel clubs or AKC would have access to that data. Hey, never searched it, but maybe there are sites on the net that would have that info????

Have a friend who raises Shelties, they are sweet dogs! Are they are just grown up yorkies?? Tee hee

Carol

MNpat · 06-07-2005, 02:35 AM

I'll check with AKC for guidelines on hauling crates. Thanks for the info Carol! You guys sound like a bunch of really nice folks! I've had reservations about RVing, but am starting to feel better about gettingf one. It is great to know that there is a network of generous, experienced RVers I can turn to!

FYI: I own & operate an equine website service that offers a very active forum. It has been a God send for myself & my site's 10,000 members. My service also offers classifieds that garner 2 million page views a month! With that in mind I need to make sure what ever RV I get it is wired for the internet. I have a Mac Powerbook & prefer to go wireless. Do any of you guys know how to get internet service on the road in your RV?

CountryGuy · 06-07-2005, 02:42 AM

MNpat

do a search here at the forum, LOTS of posts about that, use the search button, top of the page

or email me at the yahoo address if you have additional questions.

Quick answer, some of connectivity depends on how far out in the boonies you are!

Carol

MNpat · 06-07-2005, 03:08 AM

[quote]Originally posted by MNpat

Forgot to link my websites:

My business: http://www.HorsesUSA.us

My Shelties: http://www.geocities.com/BluValley_Shelties

Montana_2730 · 06-07-2005, 03:23 PM

We travel with three Dogue De bordeaux's (130LBS plus). We show them for both confirmation and protection sports. All three ride in soft crates in the Monty. The AC is kept running by two Homnda EU2000i generators. The generators run for 325 miles of towing each fill up. I have a remote thermostat in the Monty which tells me the temperature at all times. We removed the table and chair setup since we never eat at the table. Longest trip to date with dogs was San Antonio, Texas to BattleCreek, Michigan.

MNpat · 06-07-2005, 03:45 PM

Why, that longest haul you made for a dog show was a big one! We'll be facing that distance for nationals next April. Thanks for the feedback on how you handle hauling your dogs.

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