Questions for fifth wheel upgrade - Dutchmen Owners
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Dutchmen Owners > Dutchmen Brand RVs > Fifth Wheel
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 02-06-2016, 01:02 PM   #1
New Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Knoxville
Posts: 2
Tennessee
Questions for fifth wheel upgrade

After two travel trailers we are moving to a fifth wheel. Very interested in the Denali 280 LBS fifth wheel. Does anyone have any input on the Denali fifth wheels and/or this floorplan? Also has anyone had experience with an rv purchase from RV Express? What about Dutchmen in general? Any feedback is appreciated- and I understand there are always issues I'm just trying to educate myself as much as possible. A little nervous about adding an extra 8 feet of length but from what I've been told, towing and hooking up a fifth wheel is easier than a TT. Thank you in advance for any feedback.
__________________

Greti is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-06-2016, 01:34 PM   #2
Site Team
 
wahoonc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Sprung Leak
Posts: 3,157
North Carolina
Hi Greti,

Welcome!

Is your truck capable of hauling that size of fiver?

I have had a couple of fifth wheels in the past and they were great for me at that time in my life. They can be easier to tow, but you have to pay A LOT more attention to overhead clearance and where you can and can't go. Parking lots, tight campground roads and city streets can be a challenge.

My general recommendation for purchasing any RV:
  • Do your research
  • Pick the best floor plan for you, brand should be second or third on the list.
  • Find a dealer that you trust and can work with
  • Do a thorough Pre Delivery Inspection aka PDI, BEFORE you sign the final papers
  • If the issues you find during the PDI are severe, walk away!
  • Once you get your new RV... USE IT!

I prefer to purchase from a local dealer, if they are competent. This is for a variety of reasons, a major one being warranty work. Dealers in general don't like to perform warranty work on a unit they did not sell. That $5,000+ or so dollars you saved by buying from someone 1,000 miles from home may come back to bite you in the butt. I do the majority of my own work because I do a better job than most RV techs. I am better qualified too but that is a different issue.

Good luck with your search!

Aaron
__________________

__________________
There is madness to my methods
2015 Coleman CM16FBS(traded) 2016 Concord 300DS
2015 Ford Fusion Hybrid following along
wahoonc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2016, 09:39 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Roselle
Posts: 1,292
Illinois
We bought our 3990 from Jessica at RV Express last March. She was great. In fact, I still call her for information periodically. She or her supervisor always, I mean always get back to me within 24 hours. She's helped with paint codes, warranty, and a bunch of other stuff. Only issue was for me is that when we went to pick up our unit (Indiana, 150 miles from our house), the point of sale was not a Voltage dealer, so he didn't know that much about the unit (nor did I!), so that was a negative. Also Aaron brings up a really valid point about dealers moving you to the bottom of the list if you didn't buy your unit from them. Takes a while to build that relationship from scratch.
Rusty
__________________
2015 Black F-350 Platinum Diesel Dually Crew Cab
2019 Riverstone Legacy 38MB (Full Paint/All Options)
2015 Voltage 3990 (Full Paint, All Options) Sold 6/18
2005 Harley Ultra Classic w/too many miles
lcv800 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2016, 05:25 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
hddecker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: kamloops
Posts: 2,152
British Columbia
Welcome to the forum.
__________________
Jim

When I was a kid I was going nowhere fast, now I'm an old man I'm going everywhere slow.
hddecker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2016, 05:48 PM   #5
New Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Knoxville
Posts: 2
Tennessee
Thank you for the welcome and information. I have bought my last two campers from wholesale dealers and am not opposed to doing so again. I am looking for a truck to tow the fifth wheel, likely a 3/4 ton used one, this time vehicle will come after camper purchase!

To Rusty thank you for your Input on RV express- when you picked up your voltage was it at their dealership? i ask because you mention the point of sale? I do want to have time for thorough PDI .
Greti is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-07-2016, 08:15 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Roselle
Posts: 1,292
Illinois
I believe it was some type of affiliate that dealt in towables (not toy haulers). Didn't have RV Express on the sign, however I can't remember the name but can find it for you if necessary. Closing was seamless however (other than my poor PDI, which gratefully didn't result in any major trouble down the road).
Rusty
__________________
2015 Black F-350 Platinum Diesel Dually Crew Cab
2019 Riverstone Legacy 38MB (Full Paint/All Options)
2015 Voltage 3990 (Full Paint, All Options) Sold 6/18
2005 Harley Ultra Classic w/too many miles
lcv800 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2016, 07:30 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: NSW Australia
Posts: 160
Ontario
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greti View Post
Thank you for the welcome and information. I have bought my last two campers from wholesale dealers and am not opposed to doing so again. I am looking for a truck to tow the fifth wheel, likely a 3/4 ton used one, this time vehicle will come after camper purchase!

To Rusty thank you for your Input on RV express- when you picked up your voltage was it at their dealership? i ask because you mention the point of sale? I do want to have time for thorough PDI .
Welcome to the site. If you are truely looking at a fifth, and maybe a 3/4 ton. I recommend you do some homework about pin weights. My 32 ft fifth denali wouldn't be over a 3/4 ton bed weight but it would almost max it out. I thought I wanted a 3/4 ton as well but once I started doing my home work I found that a 1 ton better handled the weight I was looking at for the size of fifth I was in the market for. Do some research and make surfe you get what you need to safely pull your new purchase, or you purchase a fifth you can safely pull with a 3/4 ton.

You'll enjoy the experience more.

Again welcome to the forum and let us know what you buy.
__________________
"Never forget the trip is as important as the destination"

2014 Ram 3500 Laramie 4X4 CTD
2011 Dutchmen Denali 262 RLX
drogers is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2016, 08:47 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Roselle
Posts: 1,292
Illinois
RV Express

Quote:
Originally Posted by Greti View Post
Thank you for the welcome and information. I have bought my last two campers from wholesale dealers and am not opposed to doing so again. I am looking for a truck to tow the fifth wheel, likely a 3/4 ton used one, this time vehicle will come after camper purchase!

To Rusty thank you for your Input on RV express- when you picked up your voltage was it at their dealership? i ask because you mention the point of sale? I do want to have time for thorough PDI .
I don't know the exact relationship between RV Express and the dealer where we picked up our Voltage. It may be a good question to ask RV Express. It may be different for you, depending on where you live. Good luck.
Rusty
__________________
2015 Black F-350 Platinum Diesel Dually Crew Cab
2019 Riverstone Legacy 38MB (Full Paint/All Options)
2015 Voltage 3990 (Full Paint, All Options) Sold 6/18
2005 Harley Ultra Classic w/too many miles
lcv800 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2016, 10:13 PM   #9
Senior Member
 
hddecker's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: kamloops
Posts: 2,152
British Columbia
Quote:
Originally Posted by drogers View Post
Welcome to the site. If you are truely looking at a fifth, and maybe a 3/4 ton. I recommend you do some homework about pin weights. My 32 ft fifth denali wouldn't be over a 3/4 ton bed weight but it would almost max it out. I thought I wanted a 3/4 ton as well but once I started doing my home work I found that a 1 ton better handled the weight I was looking at for the size of fifth I was in the market for. Do some research and make surfe you get what you need to safely pull your new purchase, or you purchase a fifth you can safely pull with a 3/4 ton.

You'll enjoy the experience more.

Again welcome to the forum and let us know what you buy.
X2 You'll enjoy the experience more.

I fell into the deal on my Ram 3500 and am glad I did. We were shopping for 3/4 tons and pulled into the dealers lot just as the new owner was driving of the lot with the 2500 we were interested in. The only other Ram they had on the lot that had an 8' box, the equipement we wanted and the right color, was the one ton we bought.

It was way overkill for our 25' Airstream that we were pulling at the time, but it is just right for the 30' brick that we tow now.
__________________
Jim

When I was a kid I was going nowhere fast, now I'm an old man I'm going everywhere slow.
hddecker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-31-2016, 10:18 PM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: Desert Hot Springs
Posts: 1,761
California
That model should be fine for a 3/4 ton truck. Friend from church pulls a https://www.granddesignrv.com/reflection27-floor.php with a diesel Ford F-250 CC SB with no problems
__________________

__________________
Mike
2002 42' Monaco Signature Triple Crown tow 2014 F-150
2014 Voltage V3605 Sold 5/3/17
2012 F-350 6.7l CC 4X4, Sold 10/10/17
DesertRat is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Dutchmen RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT. The time now is 06:09 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2020 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.
×