Anyone know anything about campers? Is this a decent deal?

DENALI · #1 04/05/12, 08:04 PM

I have been looking for a cheap 5th wheel camper for awhile. I came across this one locally for $2000. I know nothing about campers, was always a tent type of guy until i got married. Anyhow its a 1989 King of the road. He said its a 35 foot but the only triple axle campers by this maker all seem to be 40 foot (he doesnt have the title handy to look at it but can get a duplicate). Here is the description he has:

35 foot 5th wheel camper with slideout

Triple axle, needs 2 new tires to transport (4 are new)

Full bathroom with shower sink and tub

New air conditioner 6 yrs ago, heater also

New Refrigerator/freezer 6 yrs ago

Gas stove

Microwave

Awning

Cieling in bedroom needs replaced, have the materials and they will go with camper. (hail broke skylight and water got to the ceiling, just one panel needs replaced)

Used it last 2 years ago and it was winterized. Camper is dusty dirty inside but not torn up and in otherwise good shape. Blown tire damaged the slide out but the sheetmetal can be easy pushed back out from behind, the slide works perfectly. All the mini blinds need replaced as they are brittle from sun exposure."

Anyhow what do you guys think? Deal or no deal?

Anyone know anything about campers? Is this a decent deal? - Homesteading Questions

Anyone know anything about campers? Is this a decent deal? - Homesteading Questions

salmonslayer · #2 04/05/12, 08:20 PM

Are you going to live in it? I cant imagine anyone towing that thing to camp but its not bad for a mobile home and the price is right.

wy_white_wolf · #3 04/05/12, 08:21 PM

I would check the roof over with a fine toothed comb. Water leaks in them destroys everything. They just might be pulling one over in claiming it was the skylight.

Otherwise sounds like a good deal. Do you have anything that will handle towing that?

DENALI · #4 04/05/12, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by salmonslayer

Are you going to live in it? I cant imagine anyone towing that thing to camp but its not bad for a mobile home and the price is right.

Only if the wife kicks me out! I have had a hankering to go camping so thats what i plan to do with it.

DENALI · #5 04/05/12, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wy_white_wolf

I would check the roof over with a fine toothed comb. Water leaks in them destroys everything. They just might be pulling one over in claiming it was the skylight.

Otherwise sounds like a good deal. Do you have anything that will handle towing that?

They already removed the damaged ceiling panel so the extent of the damage is visible so i am confident in that. He said he didnt want to cover it up so the new owner knew exactly what was what. I have a superduty dually diesel that can easily handle it.

andyd2023 · #6 04/05/12, 08:35 PM

The price seems too low. But he may jut want rid of it. ( I did the same thing 3 yrs ago) As "wy white wolf" said Check the roof! it's a weak point on older RV's Water damage is a major issue as the walls are thin and the structure can't really stand to be any weaker then it is. look around windows and above the slide out. Check under where he says "damage from a blown tire" is at look for broken springs and axle mountings. Does the 120/12 volt system work? is the inverter there? if you are just going to live in it while you build your place you can over look a lot. if the price is right. Also do you have a 1 ton or stout 3/4 ton truck with a 5th wheel? otherwise you will have to pay someone to move it for you.
Andrew

blooba · #7 04/05/12, 08:42 PM

seems like it would be worth it but just so you know you will probably be putting some money into it restoring it. With its age you will always be finding things wrong with it. The roof is the biggest concern especially with its age.

Another thing I would be worried about is how it hauls if your gonna be doing alot of travel with it. Doesnt look like it would pull the greatest but would work for occasional trips depending on your towing abilities. Have much experience pulling fifth wheels?

If you have some extra money (exact amount will never be known) beyond the initial cost and it fits your needs I wouldnt pass it up but for some this will just be a pain and money drain.

calliemoonbeam · #8 04/05/12, 09:02 PM

I've been watching Craigslist ads lately, and that seems about average or maybe slightly high, considering how much work it needs done. Something you might want to check into first...a lot of campgrounds have an age limit on trailers they allow, and they might not allow you to bring that onto their campsite.

I'd call around and check that out first, particularly if you know where you might want to take it, and ask specifically. I've found that it's an abritrary decision and differs from campground to campground. For instance, if they pick the year 1990, they won't allow anything older than that, even if it's been completely redone and looks brand new. Something to think about before buying one that old.

I've been looking at 30-35 foot trailers with slide-outs in the late 1990s range, and they're mostly running $5000-6000 without needing any work done on them, if that helps any. Good luck!

plowjockey · #9 04/05/12, 09:12 PM

That is a very good price, but that is a very big camper to be hauling around.

Agree that it would be a drag maneuvering around a campground.

wharton · #10 04/06/12, 07:55 AM

I'm a bit of an odd duck on this site. While a lot of folks spend time plowing the garden, canning and such, our family spends most of ours hitting the road with a travel trailer. We have averaged well over 10K tow miles a year since for the last decade, and have been to hundreds of campgrounds across the lower 48, Canada and Alaska.

As for this particular rig, I would say that it's a heck of a buy, just not for you. The issue here is how you are planning to use it. Simply put, if you need a temporary place to live, while building your dream homestead, this would be a great deal. If you were going to snowbird, and drag this thing to a site for a 4-6 month winter stay, every year, it would be a great deal. If you needed an RV for use on a seasonal rental site, where you leased a yearly spot in a campground, it would fit the bill. BUT..... I couldn't think of anything more of a pain in the rear to actually camp in. Simply put, it's WAAAY too big to be a practical. enjoyable toy to drag around on a weekend trip. Many state parks will not even let you make a reservation, as they have length restrictions. It really would be a bear to squeeze it into the majority of back in sites you will encounter. This thing was built for living in, either as a full-timer or a snowbird, it really isn't a "camper". Old RVs are like old boats, use it for a weekend, spend every night for a week fixing what broke. It would be nothing to spend the purchase price, and more, every year, just to keep the show on the road. As for repairs, a lot of parts are just no longer available. I seriously doubt that you will ever find those busted up fender lips, there may of only been a few hundred produced, for that trailer builder, thirty years ago.
Basically, it looks like a great buy, and it would make a lousy camper. As for another poster's comment about being banned from private parks due to it's age, well it's possible. There is a lot of discussion about this on a big RV forum I frequent. A lot of campground owners will post that rule, and largely ignore it. Several have commented that it is a tool, that they can use to keep rough characters and sketchy looking rigs out. If you show up in the rig in the pics, and it's clean. and pulled by a decent truck, you should be fine. If the next customer shows up in dirty dreadlocks, stinking of Pacholli oil, and jumps out of a ratty converted school bus, with scrap plywood covering the windows, his rig will be turned away, as it's simply "too old".
Good luck on whatever you decide.

Lynx · #11 04/06/12, 08:05 AM

If you are just going to haul it to you land and leave it. You will do OK. Seal the roof or put one on it. This is a 3 season trailer. It will not handle freezing temps very well.

I think that it will not do well on the rood for many miles.

Good Luck.

fordy · #12 04/06/12, 08:18 AM

..................Get UP on the roof and walk around , let your feet search for soft\rotten spots where water has entered through holes in the rubber roof and corrupted the plywood below ! Pay special attention too the seems between 4x8 sheets of the plywood as this is where the weakest areas will reveal themselves when the plywood has gotton wet ! You should beable too visually identify the seems through the rubber roof .
...................On the inside you need too physically check the integrity of the Luan plywood BELOW ALL WINDOWS , this is where the water will migrate too when there are leaks around the window frame and leaks higher UP on the wall ! Water leaks , left UNpatched , will literally destroy the physical integrity of the WHOLE trailer . I'd pass cause you're going to spend $$$$$ fixing all the problems you'll discover over time ! , fordy

frogmammy · #13 04/06/12, 08:36 AM

Be sure to check for soft spots in the flooring, too. Especially under windows, in front of the doors and in the kitchen/bathroom. Look for "sawdust"...daughter and her husband bought a trailer, brought it home, took one trip and the floor almost disappeared...carpenter ants!

PS...I agree, it's a little too large (for me) to think of using for casual, weekend camping.

Mon

sidepasser · #14 04/06/12, 10:09 AM

This would be a great deal if you were planning on living in it on site while building a home, but let me tell you about pulling a "big" trailer places.

I haul horses and have a 3 horse slant with LQ/DR and a mid tack. My trailer is a little over 25 feet long. I use a HD 2500 Chevy long bed (8 ft bed) to haul with. In total, my rig is a bit over 36 feet long. That is one foot longer than this camper you are looking at. Here are a "few" problems I have encountered.

1. Getting gas is a pain unless you are on an interstate where truckers go. Many small roadside gas stations/diesel stations do not have the lot size required to turn around my rig if I pull straight in, and sometimes pulling in "longways" can't be done either cause the back end of the trailer would still be in the road.

2. Eating out..uhm not really easy either as most places are not designed for trailers to be parked. (I usually take my own food, but the principle is the same)

3. Water/sewer hookups may or may not exist depending on the site you go to so that bathroom and kitchen you are hauling may not be useable.

4. My trailer is a 1987. Parts are not that hard to come by because the mfg. is still in business, but finding someone to work on my trailer can be hard to find. Dealers for my trailer are rare and non existent in most states and some dealers won't work on brands that are not their own.

5. GAS..did I say GAS? Uhm my normal 17 mph. Chevy gets 9 mph hauling my trailer EMPTY. I know you have a diesel, but the principle is the same and diesel costs more than gas - at least in Ga. and Alabama it does.

6. do you have room at your home for this? Maybe you have a farm, maybe not, but if not..then you may have to figure out how to park it somewhere else.

7. Insurance - make sure you can get some insurance on an RV this old.

8. Breakdowns on the road.. Are you able to deal with breakdowns on the road, such as a wheelbearing going out, flat tires, axle that breaks, wiring that goes all wonky so you have no lights? I don't know what sort of health you are in, but some folks physically can't do those things. If you can't, you need more than Triple AAA as they don't fool with trailers. I use USRIDER.com but don't know if they do RVs.

just some food for thought. I used to have a 4 horse GN trailer with a 15ft short wall..that thing was a nightmare to turn around anywhere. when I towed it with my truck, the whole rig, front to back was 50 feet long. I sold the trailer as it was such a hassle to deal with.

Now I am looking to downsize my GN 3 H trailer and get a GN 2 Horse..something shorter to haul for weekends and make my life just a tiny bit easier for me and my truck.

If you aren't living in this, I think you may find that despite the low price,you will get very tired of dealing with the size of it, even for occasional use. Unless of course you have a tribe of younguns and this size is the only size that will work for all.

oregon woodsmok · #15 04/06/12, 04:38 PM

I had a 26 ft travel trailer and it was simply too much: difficult to park, too long to haul over forest service roads, too heavy, too long for state campgrounds.

I sold it and bought a 21 ft trailer with off road suspension and I am much happier. I can get it into smaller spaces and over rougher roads.

If I am camping, I am not staying inside my trailer all day. The smaller trailer has a good bed and a good kitchen. Other than to sleep or cook, I am outside. That's the whole point of camping: to go and see stuff and enjoy the outdoors. if you want to stay inside with the blinds closed and watch TV, it's cheaper to stay home.

However, if you want to haul a "condo" around with you and stay on the highways, that one would be OK for long road trips. You park it and unhitch and use your car to sight-see.

countryfied2011 · #16 04/07/12, 01:25 AM

My parents have a huge one like that but a whole lot newer, I think they bought theirs about 5 or 6 yrs ago....I have to agree with other posters--just for camping its a lot of work. We go locally camping and we have to make reservations especially if it is the weekend. My dad needs a pull through site with his big rig so if there are none available we cant camp. Most of the roads thru the state campground are narrow. He has a 350 to pull his.. so buy the time you hook the two together you have a pretty long rig. We use a tent and all we have to do is load stuff up in the car, sleep just as good as the parents.

It did work well for when they use to travel and stay gone months at a time but for a weekend retreat its a headache. We normally reserve for at least 4 days, anything shorter than that it is not worth the parents hauling the trailer and setting up.

Actually my parents have theirs for sale.

PNWest · #17 04/07/12, 07:56 AM

The trailer seems to be a good buy at that price.
However, KOTR are some of the heaviest trailers made. Ask for the weight from the title, or find two tires and a trip permit and get that puppy weighed attached to your pickup.

Add the weight of water at 8# to the gallon,[new or used] and at least a 1000 lbs. of gear. This is going to be a difficult amount of weight for a single tired vehicle to haul.
To be safe [to prevent side roll when you are cornering] you need a dual tired pickup.