Hello to all, my name is Chris and my wife is Cheri, from Bolton, CT. Hence the screen name (we have the same initials). As you see this is our 1st post here and believe me there will be MANY more to follow. We purchased a 5ther. (did I say that right?) 09 Montana 3665re a month ago, No truck yet, (plans are for a 3500 GMC diesel). The unit was used once and in spotless condition when bought, (or should I say stole it, WHAT A DEAL!!). We are taking our time in setting it up for travel. Although Cheri is ready to sell everything yesterday and hit the road, I myself have been around being on the road almost my whole life, so I know a great deal of what it is going to take and do's and don'ts of being out there...However NOT in a RV. Cheri was a military wife prior to our getting married. (4yrs now HELP ME!!!) My 1st ques., if I may, is in regard to the large cargo bay... do most of you find it easier to keep things in plastic totes as storage or have some of you racked it out under there to keep things from sliding all over the place while underway? 1st and foremost, I am hanging fishing rods from the ceiling in the bay ( that is a sure bet). 2nd. The front storage area under the hitch... the more I read the more I like the idea of putting in extra batts. for 12v usage. That being said, my thoughts are to run the batts on the bottom and then shelve over them (not permanent shelfs.) My blocking (wood), I plan on keeping in the bed of the truck, along with generator and extra gas. 3rd. Knowing what you all know now (hind sight is 20/20), what are some of the things you wished you had when you left home and had to buy on the road?. What are some of the things you took with you and wish you left at home?.
Will close for now and await replies. To all of you out there... Safe travels and take each day as a gift for that is truly what it is... A GIFT!. Chris & Cheri.
dianneandsteve said
11:39 PM Apr 28, 2013
Welcome to the forum Chris and Cheri!
We also have the 09 Montana 3665RE and love the floor plan. If your unit came with the Goodyear Marathon tires and it's in your budget I highly recommend replacing them. They are famous for tread separation so watch them for uneven tread wear and sidewall bulging. We had signs of abnormal wear within 6 months and had to replace all 4 at 19 months...one tire had 4" of cord showing. I have a tire pressure monitoring system and keep my speed at 60 mph and very rarely travel with a full tank of fresh water unless it's a short distance. There is some good info on this forum about tires and wheels so check it out if your interested using the search function.
As for the large cargo bay we have a few plastic storage containers as well as the original boxes that some of our items came in.
When we added our solar system we upgraded to 4 of the 6volt golf cart batteries. They are far better than your standard 12V deep cycle batteries. We have since learned that the AGM batteries are even better as they are maintenance free and last much longer.
About the only things we got rid of were dressier clothes and jackets that we packed around for about 30 months and never wore. Everyone's lifestyle on the road is different...ours turned into shorts, flip flops, jeans and t shirts...gotta like it!
Safe travels!
-- Edited by dianneandsteve on Sunday 28th of April 2013 11:45:42 PM
Lucky Mike said
11:40 PM Apr 28, 2013
Welcome to the forum!!!
Terry and Jo said
02:26 AM Apr 29, 2013
Chris and Cheri,
Welcome to the forums at RV Dreams. You've already got the "gist" of what questions to ask, and I'll guarantee you that you will likely read of various ideas. Feel free to ask any question that comes to mind as we all tend to learn from each other. Who knows? You may ask a question with a different perspective that gets us all to thinking.
Since Jo and I are not traveling full-timers, but "static" instead, I can't say a lot to your question number 3. Even after we got rid of a 2250 sq ft home (with a three car garage) on 3/4 of an acre, we still have managed to "purchase back" a few things. Being "static" full-timers, we did buy a smaller grill, but still larger than most RV'ers carry.
As to the "basement" area, I've seen both tubs and shelves put into that area. Many like to get the "roll-out" tray that allows them to store things on it and then pull it out to get the things they need that may be in the middle of the bay. We chose to not get one of those because the tray itself takes away some room that may be valuable at some time. In our case, we've got eight 6" high (I think that's the right height) clear plastic tubs in the front compartment area of our coach with four in each stack and two stacks side by side.
The wife is planning on "forcing" me to remove EVERYTHING from the basement and help me get that one organized. It is different in that a number of the things I carry are longer than most of the plastic tubs out there, thus they lie on the floor between other items to keep them from shifting around. We have enough "stuff" in our basement that nothing is really shifting around.
In our case, we have the fifth wheel (usually refered to as a "fiver") towed by a Ford F450. (Our coach (fiver) weighs 18,500 lbs, so a larger truck was preferred in my case.) Then we also have Ford F150 with a topper shell on the bed. With that, we can carry larger, bulkier, and heavier items in either of the two trucks. The grill, which is a Coleman Roadtrip LX, will likely be carried in the F150, unless I can better arrange the basement.
I'm not much to advise you on the batteries as when we ordered our coach, we ordered it with a pure sine wave inverter and they "built" an extra compartment on the door side of the front of the coach for the extra two batteries. Then, the installed the inverter on top of that compartment inside the basement so it would be close to the batteries.
Good luck with your planning and research. You will find a lot of knowledgeable folks here that have a wealth of information for you.
Terry
CJSX2fromCT said
08:08 PM Apr 29, 2013
Greetings to all, Thank you to those who responded. In further search and readings here a great deal of other ques I was going to follow with are or have been getting ans. This site in full of a wealth of info. (Cheri said is was a bad idea turning her onto the site, She is CONSISTENTLY reading in here now.) The latest I found was in regard to the pressure pro. tire system, that is at the top of my list for next purchase. Again thank you to those for response... The readings continue... Chris & Cheri
Terry and Jo said
01:13 AM Apr 30, 2013
Chris,
Look into all of the tire monitoring systems. There is another one called TST that also monitors temperature as well as tire pressure. Truck System Technologies' Page for TPMS system. The benefit of monitoring temperature as well will allow one to know if one tire is heating up more than the others, thus perhaps indicating a bad bearing or brake pad rubbing on metal and the heat "migrating" to the tire.
Terry
WestWardHo said
01:36 PM Apr 30, 2013
Welcome Chris and Cherie!
You sound like fun people and we are glad you joined our friendly forum. If you don't already have one, we strongly recommend using a 50 amp sure protector that adjusts down to 39 amp when needed. (Ok guys, hope I said that right but according to DH, it works with both types of power hook ups.)
After reading posts of several others on here we measured our basement and bought clear plastic bins to fill and stack underneath. Some things (recliners, inflatable kayak, broom, etc.) don't fit in bins and go on top. A recent little purchase that I really like from Camping World is a small rug for outside the door steps that really clean off the shoes with a artificial grass type center. We've used all kinds of mats but this is the best.
If you're like us, you'll load, unload, reload and make some changes as you go along. Right now we are 3 days from driving off into the sunset....
Sherry
dianneandsteve said
08:23 PM May 7, 2013
Hey Chris...did you get my May 1st response to your personal message?
Cheers
PIEERE said
04:19 PM May 8, 2013
C&C; Welcome to what I believe is the best and friendliest RV Forum on the internet.
CJSX2fromCT said
04:38 PM May 8, 2013
TY. Pieere, the wealth of info here is just amazing...
Hello to all, my name is Chris and my wife is Cheri, from Bolton, CT. Hence the screen name (we have the same initials). As you see this is our 1st post here and believe me there will be MANY more to follow. We purchased a 5ther. (did I say that right?) 09 Montana 3665re a month ago, No truck yet, (plans are for a 3500 GMC diesel). The unit was used once and in spotless condition when bought, (or should I say stole it, WHAT A DEAL!!). We are taking our time in setting it up for travel. Although Cheri is ready to sell everything yesterday and hit the road, I myself have been around being on the road almost my whole life, so I know a great deal of what it is going to take and do's and don'ts of being out there...However NOT in a RV. Cheri was a military wife prior to our getting married. (4yrs now HELP ME!!!)
My 1st ques., if I may, is in regard to the large cargo bay... do most of you find it easier to keep things in plastic totes as storage or have some of you racked it out under there to keep things from sliding all over the place while underway? 1st and foremost, I am hanging fishing rods from the ceiling in the bay ( that is a sure bet).
2nd. The front storage area under the hitch... the more I read the more I like the idea of putting in extra batts. for 12v usage. That being said, my thoughts are to run the batts on the bottom and then shelve over them (not permanent shelfs.) My blocking (wood), I plan on keeping in the bed of the truck, along with generator and extra gas.
3rd. Knowing what you all know now (hind sight is 20/20), what are some of the things you wished you had when you left home and had to buy on the road?. What are some of the things you took with you and wish you left at home?.
Will close for now and await replies. To all of you out there... Safe travels and take each day as a gift for that is truly what it is... A GIFT!. Chris & Cheri.
Welcome to the forum Chris and Cheri!
We also have the 09 Montana 3665RE and love the floor plan. If your unit came with the Goodyear Marathon tires and it's in your budget I highly recommend replacing them. They are famous for tread separation so watch them for uneven tread wear and sidewall bulging. We had signs of abnormal wear within 6 months and had to replace all 4 at 19 months...one tire had 4" of cord showing. I have a tire pressure monitoring system and keep my speed at 60 mph and very rarely travel with a full tank of fresh water unless it's a short distance. There is some good info on this forum about tires and wheels so check it out if your interested using the search function.
As for the large cargo bay we have a few plastic storage containers as well as the original boxes that some of our items came in.
When we added our solar system we upgraded to 4 of the 6volt golf cart batteries. They are far better than your standard 12V deep cycle batteries. We have since learned that the AGM batteries are even better as they are maintenance free and last much longer.
About the only things we got rid of were dressier clothes and jackets that we packed around for about 30 months and never wore. Everyone's lifestyle on the road is different...ours turned into shorts, flip flops, jeans and t shirts...gotta like it!
Safe travels!
-- Edited by dianneandsteve on Sunday 28th of April 2013 11:45:42 PM
Chris and Cheri,
Welcome to the forums at RV Dreams. You've already got the "gist" of what questions to ask, and I'll guarantee you that you will likely read of various ideas. Feel free to ask any question that comes to mind as we all tend to learn from each other. Who knows? You may ask a question with a different perspective that gets us all to thinking.
Since Jo and I are not traveling full-timers, but "static" instead, I can't say a lot to your question number 3. Even after we got rid of a 2250 sq ft home (with a three car garage) on 3/4 of an acre, we still have managed to "purchase back" a few things. Being "static" full-timers, we did buy a smaller grill, but still larger than most RV'ers carry.
As to the "basement" area, I've seen both tubs and shelves put into that area. Many like to get the "roll-out" tray that allows them to store things on it and then pull it out to get the things they need that may be in the middle of the bay. We chose to not get one of those because the tray itself takes away some room that may be valuable at some time. In our case, we've got eight 6" high (I think that's the right height) clear plastic tubs in the front compartment area of our coach with four in each stack and two stacks side by side.
The wife is planning on "forcing" me to remove EVERYTHING from the basement and help me get that one organized. It is different in that a number of the things I carry are longer than most of the plastic tubs out there, thus they lie on the floor between other items to keep them from shifting around. We have enough "stuff" in our basement that nothing is really shifting around.
In our case, we have the fifth wheel (usually refered to as a "fiver") towed by a Ford F450. (Our coach (fiver) weighs 18,500 lbs, so a larger truck was preferred in my case.) Then we also have Ford F150 with a topper shell on the bed. With that, we can carry larger, bulkier, and heavier items in either of the two trucks. The grill, which is a Coleman Roadtrip LX, will likely be carried in the F150, unless I can better arrange the basement.
I'm not much to advise you on the batteries as when we ordered our coach, we ordered it with a pure sine wave inverter and they "built" an extra compartment on the door side of the front of the coach for the extra two batteries. Then, the installed the inverter on top of that compartment inside the basement so it would be close to the batteries.
Good luck with your planning and research. You will find a lot of knowledgeable folks here that have a wealth of information for you.
Terry
Again thank you to those for response... The readings continue... Chris & Cheri
Chris,
Look into all of the tire monitoring systems. There is another one called TST that also monitors temperature as well as tire pressure. Truck System Technologies' Page for TPMS system. The benefit of monitoring temperature as well will allow one to know if one tire is heating up more than the others, thus perhaps indicating a bad bearing or brake pad rubbing on metal and the heat "migrating" to the tire.
Terry
You sound like fun people and we are glad you joined our friendly forum. If you don't already have one, we strongly recommend using a 50 amp sure protector that adjusts down to 39 amp when needed. (Ok guys, hope I said that right but according to DH, it works with both types of power hook ups.)
After reading posts of several others on here we measured our basement and bought clear plastic bins to fill and stack underneath. Some things (recliners, inflatable kayak, broom, etc.) don't fit in bins and go on top. A recent little purchase that I really like from Camping World is a small rug for outside the door steps that really clean off the shoes with a artificial grass type center. We've used all kinds of mats but this is the best.
If you're like us, you'll load, unload, reload and make some changes as you go along. Right now we are 3 days from driving off into the sunset....
Sherry
Hey Chris...did you get my May 1st response to your personal message?
Cheers