New 36RL

[Thumper7]

Well after doing lots of talking and research, we have decided to buy a 36RL. The catch is I have to sell our current rv first before we place our order. I'm usually not real lucky at selling things so wish me luck.

[lillyputz]

Thumper7,



We are inthe same boat.Have looked at many upper end 5th wheels on line and at some shows with many inquiries to factory and reps.pretty much sold on the Redwood or the DRV. I have inquired to a few dealers for pricing. I have been insulted with there trade in value, so we put our 5th wheel up for sale. this will give us alot betternegotiating power.





Lillyputz

[Thumper7]

Lillyputz, good luck on settling your current RV. I'm hoping we sell ours pretty quickly.

[Hunter11]

I sure wish you would hurry up and get that 36RL before the CR Texas Rally in April so you could show it off..... Edited by: Hunter11

[Thumper7]

Hunter11, I do to. Send a buyer my way.

[Hunter11]

Looks like ours won't go up for sale until after the Rally.

[drjensen]

We just ordered a new 36RL last weekend. We traded in our 37 foot 2008 Carriage Cameo. We thought the Cameo would be our last RV butwere so impressed with the Redwood, we decided to trade. We have pulled our Cameo with an 08 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad 4x4 SB SRWwith a the 6.7 Cummins diesel. The truck pulled the Cameo with little effort andour Redwood dealer said the Redwood would actually pulleasier than the Cameo.Has anyone on here switched from a Cameo to a Redwood?

[mhs4771]

Don't know how much your Cameo weighed, but the gross on the Redwoods is 16K with pin weights in the 3K range which will probably exceed your Dodges ratings. We're headed Thursday to see if we can finalize a deal on the 36RL, but we have a GM 3500 Diesel Dually so we're not worried about weight. If I were you I would sit down and do some serious number crunching to see where you'll be. There is no doubt your Dodge will pull it, the problem is controlling and stopping it, especially in an emergency situation. Good Luck

[Robin'n'Marian]

My info shows the Cameo weight GVWR as 16780 lbs, and they have a flat front cap, so I am sure the Redwood will be easier to pull than the Cameo. However, I am sure you were overweight with the Cameo, too, and will be with the Redwood. 1-ton dually or bigger is required for this unit.

[hoosierguy]

I tend to think that Dodge RAM ratings are rather conservative to protect themselves legally.If you look at the published payload and trailer ratings for my truck (2011 RAM 3500 SRW) , they are comparable to a good 3/4 ton in the Ford and Chevy/GMC lines. Ihave towed our 36RL about 900 miles total but only on flat land here in Indiana/Michigan area. I have been very pleased with the waymy trailer and truck handle.



I also believe that you would really be pushing your Dodge 2500 beyond its limits.Our 36RL weighed out at the factory at 13,641 lbs. dry weight with a pin weight of approx 2700 lbs. It's GVWR is 16,000 lbs. If you are going to be really loading your trailer with lots of "stuff" while traveling, I also think you will want to look at something in a 1 ton truck and probably duals. On most 1 ton trucks, dually's, you will have a payload ratingin the 4000 to 5000 lbs and max trailer weight of over 18000 lbs.



Did you order your 36 RL with disk brakes? From all I have read on other forums, that's a necessity. Good luck with your decisions.



Guy

[Thumper7]

I agree with what others have said. Your truck will pull the Redwood fine but it will definetely be over the factory ratings for both payload and FW towing.

[mhs4771]

Another case of Saleman selling a bill of goods "Yes you can tow this unit with your truck" You probably could have been there with a 1/2 ton and got the same statement.

[drjensen]

Thanks to all of you. This is the 3rd RV I have purchased from this salesman and dealership and they have always been up front with me. My brother-in-law has exactly the same set up as I do, 2008 Ram 2500 SWB with Cummins, and he is pulling a Cameo just like mine. He lives in Missouri and pulls it up here to Iowa occasionally with no problem. He is a now bird and goes to Mesa for the winter and has not had any problems so far. The Cameo worked pretty well with my Dodge so I am hoping I can get along just as well or better with our new Redwood. Thanks for the feedback.
Doc

[IPull]

You see if every day, I am sure it will pull it just fine
but be careful in some states if you are in a accident and you are
overloaded </span>they are going to look at you
hard even if it is not your falt.
<?: prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" />Happy Camping

[drjensen]

Thanks IPull,
I have been pulling a camper for a lot of years now and and am always on the lookout for potential problems and so far, so good. I have talked to my sales rep 3 times today and he still assures me we will be ok. He also gave me the name of a customer of his who has a new Redwood and is pulling it with a 3/4 Ton gas Chevy. He has been to the Grand Canyon and west Texas with it so he should be able to give me some good feedback. When is your 36RE coming? We ordered our 36RL a couple of weeks ago and are expecting it to be here before April 1.
Doc

[lillyputz]

I would check with the manufactor of your truck or have the salesman show you in black and white the tow rating of you truck. I thinkhe is full of *#!



LillyputzEdited by: lillyputz

[KR2011]

drjensen I see you are from Adel Iowa I am From indianola iowa myself I own a service center specializing in rv repairs and custom interiors. It would seem the dealer is trying to make a sale making you feel comfortable with your current pickup truck. Your 3 quarter ton dodge diesel will very adequately pull your cameo or the new redwood down the road as if it wasn't even there but you would be doing this at the safety or the risk of my life as well is your life or anyone else driving down the road around you or in your vasinity it's not the pulling part that worries me, its the stopping and the maneuvering part that worries me most, the rotors and the suspension parts are all smaller on a 3 quarter ton truck, the tires maybe the same size as what's on a 1 ton truck but let's face it you are still 2 tires less than what you have with a 1ton, this could mean as much as 6800 pounds of towing capacity if you calculate tire ratings for 4 tires versus 6. The stability of the truck is greatly dependent on the side walls of these tires.
Most rv owners don't even know how to adjust the trailer braking system on their trucks let alone adjusting the brakes on the trailers, so now you are relying on your truck brakes even more in this situation that is very dangerous. I can tell you first hand that pulling a large trailer with limited or no brakes is not any fun let alone safe and I pull with a 1 ton 4x4! Please take all this into consideration when you decide to start pulling your large trailers.

[Flyfisher]

Drjensen, the 36 RL is a great floor plan. I'm sure you are going to enjoy it. We have the 36RE but have yet to spend a night in it! We are waiting for weather more conducive to sitting by the campfire. I wanted to share some thoughts with you on tow vehicles.I took the specs of our 36re to our Ford dealer and charged them with making a recommendation ,based on the 36RE specs, as to what truck would be the safest, most economical and best suited all around to tow my 16k pound coach. I owned an F250,SRW, 4Wd, 6.0 diesel at the time. Based on Fords recommendation in order for me to have a comfortable margin of safety and towing capacity I ended up with an F350, DRW, 4wd, 6.7 diesel with Fords towing package that included a 25k pound hitch. I may be a bit "over trucked" but not by much. Obviously this decision had a significant financial impact on us but I think it was worth it to have the peace of mind that we were towing with the right vehicle. My old F250 had plenty of power but was borderline on suspension and braking power. I am not trying to open up a Ford vs any other brand debate, I think that is a matter of personal choice and experience but whatever brand the truck their specs should provide a margin of safety for whatever is being towed.If we had not been able to purchase a new truck, for whatever reason, our option would have been to look for a fifth wheel with specs within the safe towing capacity of the F250.
Good luck with your new 36RL and happy trails.

[IPull]

Hello Drjensen</span></span>

</span>I ordered my 36re the
first part of Dec I know they would have a little delay because of the Christmas
holidays. I talked to my Redwood rep &amp; salesperson Saturday at the RV show
in Richmond Va and it was in paint last week an should be in by the end of the month
they were saying by mid February at first.
</span></span>

[hoosierguy]

Drjensen,

For in depth discussions of truck towing capabilities, I would recommend you go to the NUWA owners forum at the following link and register &lt; http://www.nuwaowners.org/forum/&gt; You will find lengthy threads on discussions about truck towing and what is required and recommended by many different HitchHiker owners as well as non HitchHiker owners. NUWA is the manufacturer of HitchHiker 5th wheels. I frequently visit the forum myself. I find it is a good place to ask questions. The forum has dozens of very active members and over 4000 registered members.



Another good place for research.