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[Horseman-MOC]

After 5 years of looking at every 5th wheel mfg and model out there, We finally decided to purchase a Montana. We picked up our 2005 3650RK on July 2nd. It is an awesome rig. It is now setup in a campground 7 miles from my home in NE PA. This is certainly helping in getting familiar with the 5th wheel and how everything operates, and also making sure everything is working properly before our first trip to Michigan on July 14th. So far, so good on the "check out".

I have been reading the MOC forum for several months so I would be knowledgeable and "educated" on this new RV experience. The forum has been very helpful. Thanks to everyone for sharing their insights.

I am sure we will be asking questions as time goes by.

Oh yes, my first question. We will be going through Canada and crossing into Michigan at Sarnia, Ontario/Port Huron. Any issues to be aware of in taking this route?? Thanks in advance for your responses.

 

[jsrang]

Congratulations! We too just purchased a 2005 3650 RK, however we are in the process of selecting a truck and are looking at the 2500HD SRW Duramax CC. How did yours handle the rig? We just traveled through canada from Michigan to NY and had no problems. WE had our birth certs but were not asked to provide.

Jim & Marilyn
3650RK & ???

 

[sreigle]

Congratulations to both of you! We saw a 3650RK awhile back and they're gorgeous!

The duramax/allison will handle any of the Montanas without a problem. You may or may not be over some of the ratings: GVWR total the truck can handle on the truck, GCWR total combined weight of truck and fifthwheel, and GAWR max weight on the axles, particularly the rear axle. If you're not grossly over GVWR and GCWR (quite a few of us are over a little on these) the one to be most concerned about, in my opinion, is GAWR. The 3650 is not the heaviest but is still close to the heaviest of the montanas. The 2004 specs show 11,480 lbs UVW unloaded vehicle weight. Add battery, propane, gear, food, fluids, etc., and that number will grow considerably. The max, GVWR, for the 3650 is 14,000. If you load it for weekends and vacations with maybe a full fresh water tank you will probably find it weighing in the neighborhood of 12,500, maybe a little more. If fulltiming, I'd bet it would see 13,000 to 13,500 or more.

Pinweight is what affects GVWR and GAWR. The brochure for 2004 says 2000 lbs pinweight but brochures are notoriously low. It might be as high as 2400 lbs when the rig is loaded. One owner of the new 3400RL reported his pinweight is close to the brochure weight so I might be wrong on this. Most of us find ours is considerably higher than advertised.

If you're not over GAWR, you might still see a little sag in the rear end of the 3/4 ton truck. Some do, some don't. Some folks have added additional springs or air bags to fix this problem.

There are a number of people towing similar weight with a 3/4 ton truck. Maybe some of them will weigh in.

 

[Northstar-MOC]

The only item of interest for you to be aware of when crossing into Canada is you can't carry handguns, I believe you can carry one rife, but that's it. Driver's license is all you need to cross over the border. You can bring passports for backup, however they probably won't ask for them. Have a safe trip.

 

[BuckW]

We have a 2003 GMC Duramax/Allison that pulls a 3670RL which is supposed to Gross at 14,400. I was concerned about the tongue weight on the rear axles using the 245/75R16 tires as it was getting close to the gross tire capacity. I upgraded to 265/75R16 tires and now have 3000 lb. more tire capacity.
Depending on where you are going in Canada determines the best border. The western borders like Sarnia, Windsor, Niagara are far busier. We always cross at Northern New York on I81 north of Watertown/Syracuse. Being from Canada (Ontario) if you need anything let us know.