Here's a little tip. Lower the nose of your fifth wheel a few inches prior to hook up. The hitch will pick it up and unload the front jacks, saving them from any damage as you hit the pin.
JonesN2Travel love your videos, thank you for your service, retired US Navy Submarine Sailor here. One of the possible causes of the what appeared to be your front axle bushing could be the slight “down bubble” forgive me a little submarine humor, from the video it would appear you have about a 5 degree down bubble therefore loading a considerable amount of weight, I am assuming the 3 axles are 7K each? I am not sure where you have your air bags set, you could possibly level your house that way vs relocating your hitch. Good luck my friend, fair winds and following seas ............... Rich
@@richardspicer8261 Thanks Rich. The RV has 8k axles and sits pretty close to level when hitched up. I'll double check it isn't putting too much stress on the front axle. Thanks for the words of wisdom. Thank you for your service as well. Safe Travels. :)
Hooked 5th wheels for 20+ yrs and the #1 rule was never ever hook high for a good hook, always lift during the coupling, never allow an air gap. Watching you and others on this medium has me wondering if your hitch's immune to uncoupling failure that we tried to avoid or if it's something that's not been drilled in to the mindset?
I like to have the pin box as close to the head of the hitch as possible but there is about a half inch slack in the height of the pin so unless its way too high I don't really think its and issue. I always do a pull test as well to make sure its latched before taking up the leveling jacks completely. Thanks fro the tips and advice. Safe Travels
I’m living vicariously through your channel and Suite Travels till I can get out and full time myself. I’ll kick this cancers butt and head out in my HDT and DRV with all of you. Can’t wait!! Love the videos!
She will literally ride anywhere as to not be left behind LOL. She loves going and she really loves doing it in style :) We love Danes, she's our 4th. Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
We stayed in 2 Cabella's on the way to Indiana and they were both super nice. I always forget to check for Cabella's along our route :). Thanks for following along. We appreciate it. Safe Travels
Great video series! I watched all 4 episodes even though I have no desire to buy a rig like yours. Very informative while being entertaining. Well done!
I love it that you have a nice bed in the bed of the truck for the dog. That is just too cute and cool and nice. I love the truck. It’s nice it can pull a fifth wheel. Hope to see you soon with Suite Travels. Love them two. Jim And Kelley. Have fun and stay safe. I saw thus video before and I loved it. Sherri
One thing you definitely don’t need is a 3-axle twin screw or even necessarily a sleeper cab if you’re just toting an RV with it. The idea is you want the power and gears of a heavy duty tractor in as compact of a package as possible. I’ve got one of those comfort ride hitches too…the smaller 184 model on my 1-ton hauler setup. I believe Roadmaster discontinued all of them recently, probably because they were expensive and didn’t sell well enough. But I’ve had pretty good luck with mine. The heavy duty 5th wheel on a truck like that isn’t a great idea for the trailer frame.
RV trailer suspensions are crap. I replaced the axles in my 5er with 8,000 pound torsion cattle trailer axles with Kodiak disk brakes. Best money I ever spent.
drop by your DMV and pickup a CDL handbook and it will show you how to do a good pre.trip on truck so you can spot some trouble before it breaks. it will give you some good info also. nice truck
Thank you so much.. love the set up.. because of you we will be buying a 780 as well to pull our toy hauler to pull us into retirement.. thank you both for sharing your story..
Thank you and thanks for following along. That is awesome; Please let us know if you have any questions. We'd love to offer our 2 cents where possible :) Safe Travels
Hi from England. We tow our caravan with a BMW530. Nothing like what you have. Wow well impressed. We have Been across to the USA many times but never seen your type of rig. Love the video Love the USA unfortunately now getting too expensive with all that's going on. hope to visit again ASAP. Will keep a look out for you and all the others.
Hey Kevin. Thanks for stopping by and checking out the channel. If you do see when you return make sire to gives us a shout, we'd love to meet you guys. :) Safe Travels
Thanks for that tips. We've really enjoyed having the CB. Brings back fond memories of cruising around in my grandfather's truck when I was a kid. :) Safe Travels
@@TruckerFAFO That's awesome Shawn. Thanks for following along. Glad to hear you like our stuff :) Not sure a boat is in our future but it definitely sounds like a great adventure. Safe Travels
please remember. to give way for ALL rest parking to the rig drivers. as fed law sets there working rest hrs. you are out for "fun" they are trying to earn a living.
As a somewhat new subscriber, perhaps I missed the explanation in an earlier video but... if soon the Smart car is to travel on the truck, why get a FullHouse layout? Loved the series on the HDT purchase process, thank you for that.
Great point. Originally we bought the fullhouse to have the extra living space/office space. Now that we have the HDT we want to shift the weight of the car to the truck and that frees up the toyhauler for a small side X side, e-bikes, kayaks that sort of thing. :) We werent originally going to get the HDT but so glad we did because it frees up spaces for other things too :) Hope that helps. Thanks for being a new subscriber. :) Safe Travels
The truck is registered in South Dakota as an RV so no CDL needed. Check with your state to see if you can register it the same way. Hope that helps. Safe Travels
Hi James. yes, we used the Jackalopee to convert the truck commercial wiring to the 7 pin plug for the RV. It works great too. Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
Hey guys. Glad to see you got your smarty up on the truck. Our bed is a little over half done and we couldn't be more excited. :) Maggie says hi. :) Safe Travels
Hi my name is Sherri! I subscribed to Suite Travels. Been subscribed to them for at least 5 months or so. They said in their last video that they were going to travel with friends up to Michigan. I asked them while they go to the Up Macinac Island have some pasties while there. They are so good and so is the home made fudge. It’s all good. They the Finish people make them up there but I heard it’s actually an English food. But they are good too. Have to find the right dough for it.i just subscribed to your channel. Looking forward to see Michigan in next video and you too of course. So you soon and stay safe yourself. Have fun. Sherri
Thank you Sherri. We had a blast in Michigan with Jim and Kellie and yes the Pasties were amazing :) Thanks for subscribing. We're happy to have you follow along. Safe Travels
Don’t forget about your suspension drop in your tractor so you don’t have to raise your trailer. Oh wait what was I thinking, you guys have all the high tech landing gear on your trailers lol. Looking forward to your bed build videos. I did see the one I want to do in the ST Idaho gtg video. Now a tech question. I always see “I’ll put a link in the description” in a lot of videos. I can never find them??
Its pretty cool that when you let the air out of the bags the truck lowers and moves forward a bit. But yes we also have the fancy leveling system too LOL:) If you scroll down underneath the video player you should see where it says "Show More" and that will open up the description so you can see all the details there. Hope that helps. Let me know if you still can't find it. :) Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
I did forget another question. Do you have to give up your local drivers license in order to get the South Dakota license? I remember my in-laws talking about registration in SD when they lived in Mexico. Am I to assume you don’t have a permanent residence? I saw you spent a lot of time in quartzite during the winter. I might have to stop by when we’re headed through 😊
@@folsomtransport We actually "moved" our residency to South Dakota and have SD DLs but you can register a vehicle there without a driver's license. You just need a local address in South Dakota but you can use America's Mailbox (our permanent residence) for that like we do. We don't currently have a house somewhere else but our sticks and bricks was in Arizona. We return there to visit family in the wintertime and to meetup with all our friends in Quartzsite. Please look us up this winter, we'll be in Quartzsite around the end of December
Just4Fun Motorsports in Layton Utah did the extension for us. We already had the hitch in our Ford so he took that out and mounted it on the truck for us. I did the fenders myself, pretty simple to do. We are getting ready to build a bed for he truck so stay tuned for a bed build series as well. Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
Please be very careful when your dog is in the cab, with the engine running. There have been cases where the dog bumps into the gear shift lever and puts it in gear.
Hey Carlos. Thanks for that tip. I will make sure to fold the shifter out of the way next time. I really never thought of that so good to know. Thanks again and Safe Travels
Good video glad you’re HDT is working good I was wondering are you also going to cover the process of getting the smart car and what happened to your Ford
You bet. We can cover that in a future video. We've had so many video suggestions its been great, so thanks for your suggestion. :) We'll put that together soon. :) Thanks
Just wondering if you were near the DRV plant wouldnt they be able to fix your suspension issues? Why take it to Axel Inc? It seems like that would be an issue DRV would take care of for you. Thanks Great Rig and set up!!
Hi Chris. That is an excellent question. The DRV factory doesn't do suspension they actually send everyone to Moryde but because of Covid they couldn't get us in so after a google search we found Axles Inc. Axles Inc was awesome too. Thanks for checking out the video and following along. Safe Travels
Found you guys thru Suite Travels and have followed your purchase of the HDT as I'm interested in doing the same. Plus you have a GD! as I have 3. 2 females,small, 130 lbs and a goofy large male, 180lb. Mine are a tad older but still get the zoomies and then there is DRI, Dane related injuries! Especially from the tail and ear flops! Cya on the road!
Yeah I was really surprised when he said the bushings were plastic. Why would they even make plastic bushings? LOL Not the place to skimp and save LOL Safe Travels
We purchased from Mountain West Truck Center in West Valley City Utah, Tim Smith was our salesman. We registered the truck in South Dakota as a RV so no CDL needed. We lengthened the truck frame in the rear 30" and added the fifth wheel hitch. We also added a Jackalopee to connect the truck's commercial trailer wiring to a 7 pin for our fifth wheel. Then we built the smart car bed on the back. Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
Yes, I've thought a lot about that but I am going to save that for an upgrade a little later on. Want to really plan it out before I tackle that one. :) Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel u know i m so happy for u guys and the other people like u with these truck beasts lol unfotunatly im 50 drugs and alcohol ruined my life dont do drugs ahy more but threw away halh a million dollars in 18 years now i regret it so now i work and watch people like u and feel down but happy for u happy travels
Hi Brenda. We use the small pool noodle, cut into short lengths, just as a little insurance to keep the cabinet doors from flying open. The doors do have latches but better safe than sorry. Hope that helps. Safe Travels
Out of curiosity what does a new truck cost in the states based on your spec and is double drive the way to go , or is a lift axle or even making it a singe axle , my thoughts being that double drive axle is costing cash when it might not be needed.
Hey there Rick. Check out this video and see if it helps. ruclips.net/video/zDfodZAT3-w/видео.html I didn't really cover costs too closely but I can do that in a future video. Thanks for the feedback and thanks for following along. Safe Travels
So just out of curiosity.. what gas mileage do you get with that setup? Is it pretty easy to backup when compared to a ton truck ? Nice setup 👍 Thanks, Bill in Utah
Hey Bill. Thanks for following along. We are averaging between 8 ad 10 MPG with the new truck while towing. Just slightly better than we got with the Ford. Yes, super easy to back up. I mounted a camera just in front of the hitch so I can see it perfectly from the cab. The truck has enough weight behind it that you simply idle into the hitch and it latches perfectly every time. :) Hope that helps. Safe Travels
We are residents of South Dakota and since its a personal truck (RV) there is no CDL required. I believe that is federal but some states may require endorsements for air brakes etc. Best to check with your state's DMV to see what the requirements are. Hope that helps. Safe Travels
Hey Warren, thanks for following along. Its kind of a lift and shove method but we'll be sharing the exact process ;) in a future video. LOL We'll also share how we get her in the Smart Car so stay tuned for that :) Safe Travels
Hi Jim. We ended up with a comfort ride hitch. A lot of our HDT friends recommended it and one came up for sale so we couldn't pass it up. They run about $3500 for the 308 model (30k towing/8k pin capacity). Hope that helps. Safe Travels
We are about 73' total. There is no length permit required for a motor home that I am aware of. We don;t stop at scales so its never been an issue. :) Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel Single vehicle length is 45 feet in many (all ?) jurisdictions. Most jurisdictions are 68 feet long max length, but it varies. Ask @SuiteTravels how long they are with a tandem truck, extended hitch, DRV and the SxS behind the 5th with a separate trailer. Had to be 80 feet. The issue with long rigs isn't manoeuvrability. It's how long vehicles take to pass them. Will be interesting to see if lengths start to get enforced. Would put a serious crimp in using an HDT with a Smart car behind the cab. Though they could save a bit of length by using a shorter sleeper or no sleeper.
Hi Marilyn, We are residents of South Dakota and the HDT is registered there as an RV so no special license required. Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
Why is first tow on shopping for HDT #4, I’d like to know about registration changing, did the dealer take car of it or did you, did you go thru DOT and/or state department of transportation. First 3 episodes were good.
We felt that the first hookup and tow was the next step but to answer your question we will be doing a video all about questions we've recieved about the process. As far as registration we took care of it with our home state of South Dakota. The truck is registered as an RV so no DOT state or fed. Sorry this episode left you disappointed.
We plan on leaving our truck tandem because it could easily be turned back into a commercial truck if that ever needed to happen plus the cost of singling it. :) A lot of people have singled trucks but if you are buying a commercial truck to transform like we did then it cost more to have them singled. There is nothing wrong with a singled truck though if you are buying one already converted to a RV hauler. ITs really up to you if you want tandem or singled. Hope that helps. Safe Travels
Hey guys..we subscribed to you as well as to suit travels...good looking set up...getting ready to do a conversion on our hdt for our drv....who are you getting to do your...take care stay safe...J&A
Hey Guys, thank you so much for subscribing. We thrilled to have you follow along. We purchased the HDT in Utah and had Just4Fun Motorsports in Layton, UT do the extension and mount the fifth wheel hitch. We are now at Tina's folks house in the midwest and we are building our truck bed at a relative's shop. We will be doing a full series on the truck bed build too so stay tuned for that. Please let us know if you have any questions. Welcome to the channel. Safe Travels:)
@@jeannealex2560 Feel free to email us, jonesn2travel@gmail.com. That is the best and quickest way to get in touch. :) Look forward to chatting with you. Safe Travels
Hey Bill. I think it might be standard now but in 2017 it was an option. We'd love to go to Moryde and have it installed one day.:) Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
I Etherton: having a problem trying to find someone to write insurance on a HDT /5 th wheel can u point me on a directions. Seems no one that I have dealt with in the past wants nothing to do with it. Thanks help
@@ivanetherton8514 Hi Ivan. Check with Millers Insurance out of Lake Oswego Oregon. Give them a call and see what they can do for you. Our fifth wheel and HDT are insured with Progressive through Millers Insurance. Safe Travels
Yes. We tried taking him in the truck but he doesn't like it at all. We put up a remote camera to monitor him and he sleeps on the bed the entire time we are travelling. :) Saves his nerves and ours LOL Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel To those nay sayer's who say the above I personally disagree. With the weights you're towing and a full-timer it makes perfect sense. At about half the cost of a new F350 or F450 (plenty left over for trailer suspension upgrades) you ended up with a truck that will easily go another 500k miles maybe more. Not sure a F350 or F450 will do the same. Add in the pure "physics" as well. You now have a truck that weighs more than a pickup or trailer, has 2x the torque, 3-10x more braking power, go up & down hills with ease. You'll more than likely not wear those tires out due to mileage . Likely only change the oil 1x per year. Doubtful ever need to replace the brakes again. HDT is built to pull~60-80k pounds and not break a sweat; your about 1/3rd that amount. The only negative I see is your overall length may be a few feet longer. ALL well worth it. Congrat's and many safe miles....
@@herb7877 Thank you Sir. It is refreshing to see your comments and know that someone else besides me gets it. :) We took everything you've mentioned into consideration and those are the exact reasons we decided to "upgrade" to a HDT. Thanks again for your support and for checking out our video. Safe Travels :)
Here's a little tip. Lower the nose of your fifth wheel a few inches prior to hook up. The hitch will pick it up and unload the front jacks, saving them from any damage as you hit the pin.
Great tip. Thank you. :) Safe Travels
JonesN2Travel love your videos, thank you for your service, retired US Navy Submarine Sailor here. One of the possible causes of the what appeared to be your front axle bushing could be the slight “down bubble” forgive me a little submarine humor, from the video it would appear you have about a 5 degree down bubble therefore loading a considerable amount of weight, I am assuming the 3 axles are 7K each? I am not sure where you have your air bags set, you could possibly level your house that way vs relocating your hitch. Good luck my friend, fair winds and following seas ............... Rich
@@richardspicer8261 Thanks Rich. The RV has 8k axles and sits pretty close to level when hitched up. I'll double check it isn't putting too much stress on the front axle. Thanks for the words of wisdom. Thank you for your service as well. Safe Travels. :)
Hooked 5th wheels for 20+ yrs and the #1 rule was never ever hook high for a good hook, always lift during the coupling, never allow an air gap. Watching you and others on this medium has me wondering if your hitch's immune to uncoupling failure that we tried to avoid or if it's something that's not been drilled in to the mindset?
I like to have the pin box as close to the head of the hitch as possible but there is about a half inch slack in the height of the pin so unless its way too high I don't really think its and issue. I always do a pull test as well to make sure its latched before taking up the leveling jacks completely. Thanks fro the tips and advice. Safe Travels
I’m living vicariously through your channel and Suite Travels till I can get out and full time myself. I’ll kick this cancers butt and head out in my HDT and DRV with all of you. Can’t wait!! Love the videos!
You will for sure and we'll be waiting to meet you once you get on the road :) Safe Travels and best of luck to you Lori.
Maggie looks like she is in heaven in the back of your new rig .Iv'e had several Great Danes. They are just wonderful dogs. Hard to beat 'em.
She will literally ride anywhere as to not be left behind LOL. She loves going and she really loves doing it in style :) We love Danes, she's our 4th. Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
Looks like a great comfy ride, especially for the dog.That was a nice Cabella's, cool that they have a campground too. Thanks!
We stayed in 2 Cabella's on the way to Indiana and they were both super nice. I always forget to check for Cabella's along our route :). Thanks for following along. We appreciate it. Safe Travels
As a truck driver I tell everyone if you can manage it, the HDT is the way to go! So much more bang for your dollar!!
You are 100% correct Sir :) Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel You're Welcome!!
Great video series! I watched all 4 episodes even though I have no desire to buy a rig like yours. Very informative while being entertaining. Well done!
I love what your doing. I think you should call your truck. MIDKNIGHT
That is an awesome name, will keep it in mind. :) Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
I love it that you have a nice bed in the bed of the truck for the dog. That is just too cute and cool and nice. I love the truck. It’s nice it can pull a fifth wheel. Hope to see you soon with Suite Travels. Love them two. Jim And Kelley. Have fun and stay safe. I saw thus video before and I loved it.
Sherri
Thank you Sherri. Maggie loves lounging in the truck. :) We are having a blast with the truck. Hope to meet you too someday. Safe Travels
That had to be a blast driving your new truck.
It was so awesome. Two years on and I still get just as excited when its time to drive the truck. Safe Travels
You did better then I did on my first hitch up on a HDT. The smart fits good. Way to go!
Thanks Dave. Safe Travels
One thing you definitely don’t need is a 3-axle twin screw or even necessarily a sleeper cab if you’re just toting an RV with it. The idea is you want the power and gears of a heavy duty tractor in as compact of a package as possible. I’ve got one of those comfort ride hitches too…the smaller 184 model on my 1-ton hauler setup. I believe Roadmaster discontinued all of them recently, probably because they were expensive and didn’t sell well enough. But I’ve had pretty good luck with mine. The heavy duty 5th wheel on a truck like that isn’t a great idea for the trailer frame.
RV trailer suspensions are crap. I replaced the axles in my 5er with 8,000 pound torsion cattle trailer axles with Kodiak disk brakes. Best money I ever spent.
I agree. Sounds like you found a great solution though. :) Safe Travels
drop by your DMV and pickup a CDL handbook and it will show you how to do a good pre.trip on truck so you can spot some trouble before it breaks. it will give you some good info also. nice truck
Hi Clifford. Great tip. Thanks for sharing. Safe Travels
Thank you so much.. love the set up.. because of you we will be buying a 780 as well to pull our toy hauler to pull us into retirement.. thank you both for sharing your story..
Thank you and thanks for following along. That is awesome; Please let us know if you have any questions. We'd love to offer our 2 cents where possible :) Safe Travels
Hi from England. We tow our caravan with a BMW530. Nothing like what you have. Wow well impressed. We have Been across to the USA many times but never seen your type of rig. Love the video Love the USA unfortunately now getting too expensive with all that's going on. hope to visit again ASAP. Will keep a look out for you and all the others.
Hey Kevin. Thanks for stopping by and checking out the channel. If you do see when you return make sire to gives us a shout, we'd love to meet you guys. :) Safe Travels
Keep your cb on at all times. Also get a rand McNally 740 set it to rv and run it as well as Google maps. You'll think me later.
Thanks for that tips. We've really enjoyed having the CB. Brings back fond memories of cruising around in my grandfather's truck when I was a kid. :) Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel thank you. I'm an otr trucker but love your videos. My dream is to buy a boat do the great loop and then cruise to the Bahamas
@@TruckerFAFO That's awesome Shawn. Thanks for following along. Glad to hear you like our stuff :) Not sure a boat is in our future but it definitely sounds like a great adventure. Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel safe travels and God bless
@@TruckerFAFO Thank you. You as well :)
Traveling in sryle.😊
Thanks for sharing your adventures.
Hi Jerry, Thanks for checking out the video and following along. Safe Travels
Love the smart car in the back.
Thanks for following along :) Safe Travels
Nice set-up we glad you got everything fixed
Thanks for checking out the video. It is nice when everything finally works LOL. Safe Travels
Great video. Thank you.
You are most welcome. Safe Travels
Thats massive!
Michael. Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
I like more information on the truck because is my next goal
Let me know if I can answer any specific questions for you and I'll do my best. :) Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
Did you end up getting class a license in south Dakota for the Volvo
Wow, thanks for the 4 episodes, my first exposure to HDT sales process, definitely not my last.
Hi David. Let us know if you have any questions along the way, we'd be happy to help where we can. Safe Travels
Hello from fans in Lincoln, Nebraska👋🏼👋🏼
Hi Friends (fans) from Lincoln Nebraska LOL Thanks for following along. Safe Travels :)
THANK YOU JUST LEARNING ABOUT HDT PROCESS....
You're welcome. Thanks for following along. Safe Travels :)
please remember. to give way for ALL rest parking to the rig drivers. as fed law sets there working rest hrs.
you are out for "fun" they are trying to earn a living.
Thanks for checking out the video. Safre Travels!
Great video, keep them coming. SAFE TRAVELS 👍🏼
Thank you! Will do! Safe Travels :)
This is Awesome so much easier and Safer Yall Have Fun
Thanks Keith. Be safe with that crazy weather over there. :) Safe Travels
We use a Volvo VNL 670 to pull our Montana.......the only way to tow. Enjoy!
Very nice. Yes, we are enjoying it so much, wish we'd done this sooner actually. :) Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
New sub great video pal enjoy it thank u 👍🏻
Hi John, Thanks for subscribing. Safe Travels
As a somewhat new subscriber, perhaps I missed the explanation in an earlier video but... if soon the Smart car is to travel on the truck, why get a FullHouse layout? Loved the series on the HDT purchase process, thank you for that.
Great point. Originally we bought the fullhouse to have the extra living space/office space. Now that we have the HDT we want to shift the weight of the car to the truck and that frees up the toyhauler for a small side X side, e-bikes, kayaks that sort of thing. :) We werent originally going to get the HDT but so glad we did because it frees up spaces for other things too :) Hope that helps. Thanks for being a new subscriber. :) Safe Travels
I am looking for info on the Hitch extension. I want to haul a 5th wheel with one of my semi's as well.
You should be able to find someone who can do it. Check off-road fabricators, I had one do mine in Utah. Safe Travels
What about the CDL? How long to get?
The truck is registered in South Dakota as an RV so no CDL needed. Check with your state to see if you can register it the same way. Hope that helps. Safe Travels
Good luck with you new truck 😎👍
Hi Barry. Thanks for checking out the video and following along. So far we are loving the new truck. :) Safe Travels
Looking forward to seeing more truck videos.
No worries, more to come for sure. Thanks for following along, we appreciate you. :) Safe Travels
I wish you luck this is John I wish I was there with you
Hey John. Thanks for following along. Safe Travels :)
Did you hook up your electrical plug for brake and turn signals?
Don’t go under any bridges that are less than 13 foot 6 inches clearance.
Hi James. yes, we used the Jackalopee to convert the truck commercial wiring to the 7 pin plug for the RV. It works great too. Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
Love the new setup. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching! You're new rig is just around the corner ;) LOL Safe Travels
Just curious as to why you have the hitch so far back on the chassis?
Saw your later comment :)
Looks like a over kill to me (Class 8 truck pulling a toy hauler) gonna be a lot harder to get in and out of campsites with that rig.
Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
The jacks before and after your tires are really low. If you ever hit a curb when turning you'd probably tear them off.
I do need to raise them up. Another project/video for Quartzsite LOL Thanks again. Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel How high are they off the ground?
Great video. Your setup is awesome. Looks like your pretty level with truck and 5er.
We set the head height between 47 and 48 inches off the ground and it seems to be just about perfect. Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
Great job on the first try!
Thanks. :)
Welcome to the life of big trucks big bucks. Good to see you two. Well you three, hi Maggie.
Hey guys. Glad to see you got your smarty up on the truck. Our bed is a little over half done and we couldn't be more excited. :) Maggie says hi. :) Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel Awesome! Can't wait to see the finished product!
Nice set up congratulations
Thank you Dennis. Safe Travels
Hi my name is Sherri! I subscribed to Suite Travels. Been subscribed to them for at least 5 months or so. They said in their last video that they were going to travel with friends up to Michigan. I asked them while they go to the Up Macinac Island have some pasties while there. They are so good and so is the home made fudge. It’s all good. They the Finish people make them up there but I heard it’s actually an English food. But they are good too. Have to find the right dough for it.i just subscribed to your channel. Looking forward to see Michigan in next video and you too of course. So you soon and stay safe yourself. Have fun.
Sherri
Thank you Sherri. We had a blast in Michigan with Jim and Kellie and yes the Pasties were amazing :) Thanks for subscribing. We're happy to have you follow along. Safe Travels
👏👏
Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel 😀👍
All you have to remember is 13’8
Yes, a very important measurement. :) Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
Great Video, Love your new truck. Looking for 1 also but we are still living in "Sticks & Bricks"
Thank you. If you decide to go HDT I think you'll really like it. Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
What year is your DRV?Thought they all had Morryde independent suspension. What year is you tractor?How many miles? Is it a D13?
Our DRV is a 2017 and no, Independent suspension is not standard, on any brand that I'm aware of. We have a 2016 780 with the D13. Safe Travels
Great video on the first tow Aaron and Tina. So happy you found your truck and coach. Looking forward to the build videos. See you soon!
Thanks guys. Thanks for the HDT mentorship :) We had a blast. Safe Travels
Don’t forget about your suspension drop in your tractor so you don’t have to raise your trailer. Oh wait what was I thinking, you guys have all the high tech landing gear on your trailers lol. Looking forward to your bed build videos. I did see the one I want to do in the ST Idaho gtg video. Now a tech question. I always see “I’ll put a link in the description” in a lot of videos. I can never find them??
Its pretty cool that when you let the air out of the bags the truck lowers and moves forward a bit. But yes we also have the fancy leveling system too LOL:) If you scroll down underneath the video player you should see where it says "Show More" and that will open up the description so you can see all the details there. Hope that helps. Let me know if you still can't find it. :) Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
I did forget another question. Do you have to give up your local drivers license in order to get the South Dakota license? I remember my in-laws talking about registration in SD when they lived in Mexico. Am I to assume you don’t have a permanent residence? I saw you spent a lot of time in quartzite during the winter. I might have to stop by when we’re headed through 😊
@@folsomtransport We actually "moved" our residency to South Dakota and have SD DLs but you can register a vehicle there without a driver's license. You just need a local address in South Dakota but you can use America's Mailbox (our permanent residence) for that like we do. We don't currently have a house somewhere else but our sticks and bricks was in Arizona. We return there to visit family in the wintertime and to meetup with all our friends in Quartzsite. Please look us up this winter, we'll be in Quartzsite around the end of December
Who put the extension,hitch and the wheel fenders
Just4Fun Motorsports in Layton Utah did the extension for us. We already had the hitch in our Ford so he took that out and mounted it on the truck for us. I did the fenders myself, pretty simple to do. We are getting ready to build a bed for he truck so stay tuned for a bed build series as well. Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
Please be very careful when your dog is in the cab, with the engine running. There have been cases where the dog bumps into the gear shift lever and puts it in gear.
Hey Carlos. Thanks for that tip. I will make sure to fold the shifter out of the way next time. I really never thought of that so good to know. Thanks again and Safe Travels
Dogs also lock you out. Trucker tip. Always have spare key on truck outside and on your body
Gotta show up how Maggie gets into and out of the truck!
Will do. Thanks for the suggestion. :) Safe Travels
Good video glad you’re HDT is working good I was wondering are you also going to cover the process of getting the smart car and what happened to your Ford
You bet. We can cover that in a future video. We've had so many video suggestions its been great, so thanks for your suggestion. :) We'll put that together soon. :) Thanks
Just wondering if you were near the DRV plant wouldnt they be able to fix your suspension issues? Why take it to Axel Inc? It seems like that would be an issue DRV would take care of for you. Thanks Great Rig and set up!!
Hi Chris. That is an excellent question. The DRV factory doesn't do suspension they actually send everyone to Moryde but because of Covid they couldn't get us in so after a google search we found Axles Inc. Axles Inc was awesome too. Thanks for checking out the video and following along. Safe Travels
Found you guys thru Suite Travels and have followed your purchase of the HDT as I'm interested in doing the same. Plus you have a GD! as I have 3. 2 females,small, 130 lbs and a goofy large male, 180lb. Mine are a tad older but still get the zoomies and then there is DRI, Dane related injuries! Especially from the tail and ear flops!
Cya on the road!
Welcome to the channel. Thanks for following along:) Safe Travels
Dump the air bags !!
We did a spring upgrade on our unit and found plastic bushings. How much cheaper can these axle companies get? Upgraded to brass.
Yeah I was really surprised when he said the bushings were plastic. Why would they even make plastic bushings? LOL Not the place to skimp and save LOL Safe Travels
be safe have fun
Thank you. Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
Where did you buy the truck? Do you need CDL for the Tandem Axle? Who did the Mod work for your truck to accommodate the 5th wheel
We purchased from Mountain West Truck Center in West Valley City Utah, Tim Smith was our salesman. We registered the truck in South Dakota as a RV so no CDL needed. We lengthened the truck frame in the rear 30" and added the fifth wheel hitch. We also added a Jackalopee to connect the truck's commercial trailer wiring to a 7 pin for our fifth wheel. Then we built the smart car bed on the back. Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
glad we found your channel. new friend here. looking forward to watching more of your videos. we have a small rv travel channel.
Thank you for following along and subscribing. :) Safe Travels
Really interested in your bed build have you given any thought of adding "tanks" under bed for fresh and black water?
Yes, I've thought a lot about that but I am going to save that for an upgrade a little later on. Want to really plan it out before I tackle that one. :) Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
how do u guys pay for all this for example fuel food maintaince i dont see anybody working with a job these beauties dont run cheap pls reply
Hey there Syed. We still work we just do it remotely from the RV. Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel u know i m so happy for u guys and the other people like u with these truck beasts lol unfotunatly im 50 drugs and alcohol ruined my life dont do drugs ahy more but threw away halh a million dollars in 18 years now i regret it so now i work and watch people like u and feel down but happy for u happy travels
What's the colored Styrofoam items inside all of your handles in the DRV? Does that protect the handles when traveling?
Hi Brenda. We use the small pool noodle, cut into short lengths, just as a little insurance to keep the cabinet doors from flying open. The doors do have latches but better safe than sorry. Hope that helps. Safe Travels
Out of curiosity what does a new truck cost in the states based on your spec and is double drive the way to go , or is a lift axle or even making it a singe axle , my thoughts being that double drive axle is costing cash when it might not be needed.
Would love to see a video relating to the cost and what it took to be able to tow your trailer with your new chariot
Hey there Rick. Check out this video and see if it helps. ruclips.net/video/zDfodZAT3-w/видео.html I didn't really cover costs too closely but I can do that in a future video. Thanks for the feedback and thanks for following along. Safe Travels
So just out of curiosity.. what gas mileage do you get with that setup? Is it pretty easy to backup when compared to a ton truck ?
Nice setup 👍
Thanks, Bill in Utah
Hey Bill. Thanks for following along. We are averaging between 8 ad 10 MPG with the new truck while towing. Just slightly better than we got with the Ford. Yes, super easy to back up. I mounted a camera just in front of the hitch so I can see it perfectly from the cab. The truck has enough weight behind it that you simply idle into the hitch and it latches perfectly every time. :) Hope that helps. Safe Travels
Thank you for the informative videos. For your situation are you required to have a CDL or is it state dependent? Illinois would be my home base.
We are residents of South Dakota and since its a personal truck (RV) there is no CDL required. I believe that is federal but some states may require endorsements for air brakes etc. Best to check with your state's DMV to see what the requirements are. Hope that helps. Safe Travels
I'm curious about your overall length; I pull a Tesla 3970 toyhauler behind our Volvo 770 and we're over 75' nose to tail...
We're about 73' overall. Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
I love watching your videos. Is all of your traveling pleasure traveling or do you ever pick up and deliver RV's, as well? Thank you.
Hey Mike. Always pleasure travelling. :) Thanks so much for following along. So glad to hear you are enjoying our channel. Safe Travels
I've been Jones'n to get a HDT. (I know, terrible pun.) Have really enjoyed your videos. Wondering how you get your 'little' doggie up into the truck?
Hey Warren, thanks for following along. Its kind of a lift and shove method but we'll be sharing the exact process ;) in a future video. LOL We'll also share how we get her in the Smart Car so stay tuned for that :) Safe Travels
WHAT KIND DOG IS MAGGIE.
Hi Max. She's a Great Dane. Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
Can you give a ballpark range of the cost of the truck when you first drove it out from the dealer?
Sure thing. $47k with new brakes and tires. Hope that helps. Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel wow......very nice! That definitely helps me figure out what I want to do!
V/R
Omar
What kind of hitch did you get and how much was it please and thank you
Hi Jim. We ended up with a comfort ride hitch. A lot of our HDT friends recommended it and one came up for sale so we couldn't pass it up. They run about $3500 for the 308 model (30k towing/8k pin capacity). Hope that helps. Safe Travels
Do you tie down the Smart car in the garage while underway?
Yes, we tie down each wheel. The garage has built in tie downs in the floor. Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
How long is your rig length? Is there any permit needed to exceed 65’? Also, from another vet, thank you for your service.
We are about 73' total. There is no length permit required for a motor home that I am aware of. We don;t stop at scales so its never been an issue. :) Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel Single vehicle length is 45 feet in many (all ?) jurisdictions. Most jurisdictions are 68 feet long max length, but it varies. Ask @SuiteTravels how long they are with a tandem truck, extended hitch, DRV and the SxS behind the 5th with a separate trailer. Had to be 80 feet.
The issue with long rigs isn't manoeuvrability. It's how long vehicles take to pass them. Will be interesting to see if lengths start to get enforced. Would put a serious crimp in using an HDT with a Smart car behind the cab. Though they could save a bit of length by using a shorter sleeper or no sleeper.
Do you have to have a special license to drive the truck and trailer with a HDT?
Hi Marilyn, We are residents of South Dakota and the HDT is registered there as an RV so no special license required. Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
Why is first tow on shopping for HDT #4, I’d like to know about registration changing, did the dealer take car of it or did you, did you go thru DOT and/or state department of transportation. First 3 episodes were good.
We felt that the first hookup and tow was the next step but to answer your question we will be doing a video all about questions we've recieved about the process. As far as registration we took care of it with our home state of South Dakota. The truck is registered as an RV so no DOT state or fed. Sorry this episode left you disappointed.
Would you recommend dual or single axle. We’re looking to buy a Volvo for our Forrest river
We plan on leaving our truck tandem because it could easily be turned back into a commercial truck if that ever needed to happen plus the cost of singling it. :) A lot of people have singled trucks but if you are buying a commercial truck to transform like we did then it cost more to have them singled. There is nothing wrong with a singled truck though if you are buying one already converted to a RV hauler. ITs really up to you if you want tandem or singled. Hope that helps. Safe Travels
Hey guys..we subscribed to you as well as to suit travels...good looking set up...getting ready to do a conversion on our hdt for our drv....who are you getting to do your...take care stay safe...J&A
Hey Guys, thank you so much for subscribing. We thrilled to have you follow along. We purchased the HDT in Utah and had Just4Fun Motorsports in Layton, UT do the extension and mount the fifth wheel hitch. We are now at Tina's folks house in the midwest and we are building our truck bed at a relative's shop. We will be doing a full series on the truck bed build too so stay tuned for that. Please let us know if you have any questions. Welcome to the channel. Safe Travels:)
@@JonesN2Travel thank you ...may take you up on the questions....retiring at the end in October....how can we contact you guys personally...Alex
@@jeannealex2560 Feel free to email us, jonesn2travel@gmail.com. That is the best and quickest way to get in touch. :) Look forward to chatting with you. Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel 👍👍
Hey brother! What did you do in the military? I retired after 28 years 😳 I was in the Chemical Corps 🤘
Hey Brother, I was a hydraulic mechanic on C-130s. Thank you for your service. :) Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel Thank you for your service as well! Ya'll be careful out there! Love the videos of you NEW adventures!
I thought DRV’s had independent suspension
Hey Bill. I think it might be standard now but in 2017 it was an option. We'd love to go to Moryde and have it installed one day.:) Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
Love your channel, I have a question do you need a CDL to drive the Volvo?
Thank you. No, its registered as a RV in South Dakota so no CDL needed. Thanks for following along. Safe Travels
JonesN2Travel so I’m assuming that you can also bypass the DOT scales.
What is your wheelbase on your hdt
Hi Chris. Our truck wheelbase is 235". Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
I Etherton: r u stopping at scale when they r open? Has any of the states given u a hard time? Do u have a C D L?
We are registered as an RV so we don't stop at scales, don;t need a CDL and we've never had an issue. :) Hope that helps. Safe Travels
Since you’re not driving a commercial vehicle I don’t think you need a CDL. Looks like you have a ‘Not for Hire’ sticker on the truck.
I Etherton: having a problem trying to find someone to write insurance on a HDT /5 th wheel can u point me on a directions. Seems no one that I have dealt with in the past wants nothing to do with it. Thanks help
@@ivanetherton8514 Hi Ivan. Check with Millers Insurance out of Lake Oswego Oregon. Give them a call and see what they can do for you. Our fifth wheel and HDT are insured with Progressive through Millers Insurance. Safe Travels
JUST JUNK SUSPENIONS
Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
When you’re travelling do you leave the cat in there?
Yes. We tried taking him in the truck but he doesn't like it at all. We put up a remote camera to monitor him and he sleeps on the bed the entire time we are travelling. :) Saves his nerves and ours LOL Safe Travels
Aww you never mentioned how you get your Dane in and out of the Volvo!
We're working on a top question video where we'll show exactly how we do it :) Safe Travels
Harris Sarah Lewis Joseph Moore Paul
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THE HITCH BELOW THE RAILS ON THE TRUCK?
Hitch height needs to be between 47 and 48 inches so in order to get it that low it has to go between the frame rails. Hope that helps. Safe Travels
Differently to much truck.Really a waste. You should have spent the money on an upgraded suspension for the RV.
Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
@@JonesN2Travel To those nay sayer's who say the above I personally disagree. With the weights you're towing and a full-timer it makes perfect sense. At about half the cost of a new F350 or F450 (plenty left over for trailer suspension upgrades) you ended up with a truck that will easily go another 500k miles maybe more. Not sure a F350 or F450 will do the same. Add in the pure "physics" as well. You now have a truck that weighs more than a pickup or trailer, has 2x the torque, 3-10x more braking power, go up & down hills with ease. You'll more than likely not wear those tires out due to mileage . Likely only change the oil 1x per year. Doubtful ever need to replace the brakes again. HDT is built to pull~60-80k pounds and not break a sweat; your about 1/3rd that amount. The only negative I see is your overall length may be a few feet longer. ALL well worth it. Congrat's and many safe miles....
@@herb7877 Thank you Sir. It is refreshing to see your comments and know that someone else besides me gets it. :) We took everything you've mentioned into consideration and those are the exact reasons we decided to "upgrade" to a HDT. Thanks again for your support and for checking out our video. Safe Travels :)
Don’t have a Yutube Channel
Hi Dan. Thanks for checking out the video. Safe Travels
A lot of maintenance. Get your wallet out
Thanks for following along. Safe Travels