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Old 10-13-2022, 08:09 PM   #1
OldJimi
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New Montana Owner

Hello everyone, I've been gleaning information from the forum here for a little while and decided I should join. My wife and I are new full-timers. We have owned a few RVs over the years, lived in our last 5th wheel for several months, and had discussed full timing on a number of different occasion. We reached the point where it was now or never.
We sold our house, bought a truck, a new Montana 3231CK, and have hit the road. That was a couple months ago and we made it about 8 miles so far, the clinging pull of doctors and dentist and pharmacies has been tough to shake free from, but I think we'll be moving along soon!
 
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Old 10-14-2022, 04:22 AM   #2
Joint Venture II
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Welcome to a great forum, lots to learn here about a Montana for sure. We have owned a few RV's over the years, 3 truck campers, 2 travel trailers and finally bought a new to us FW. Been boat owners for 20+ years and loved cruising the PNW waters and the Inside Passage of BC Canada. With the pandemic and the Canadian border closure for two years we sold the boat and decided to see the US with our FW. DW wasn't sold on full timing but thought we could try it for 4-5 months and "test the waters". We left home end of July and now she's thinking that this life is pretty good. She thinks we can rent our condo for a year and continue our journey seeing America. Lots to see and experience.
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Old 10-14-2022, 05:40 AM   #3
Lee-CI
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Welome aboard! Glad you decided to join us. Lots of helpful and knowledgeable folks around here. Good luck on your travels.
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Old 10-14-2022, 08:01 AM   #4
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Welcome to the MOC. We full timed for over six years and now are seasonal snowbirds in Florida. Hope your adventures are as good as the ones we had.
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Old 10-14-2022, 08:36 AM   #5
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Welcome
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Old 10-14-2022, 08:38 AM   #6
DQDick
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Welcome to the forum! May your new rig bring you many years of wonderful memories.
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Old 10-14-2022, 09:02 AM   #7
jsb5717
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Welcome aboard! Staying close to home has likely also allowed you to get used to and break in your new rig before hitting the road.

Were you impacted by the hurricane?
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Old 10-14-2022, 09:59 AM   #8
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Welcome to the forum!
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Old 10-14-2022, 10:12 AM   #9
OldJimi
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Thanks everyone! I haven't figured out yet how to update my signature with my rig info, but I will mention that I am trying out a Pullrite Superlite hitch - an adapter with a ball is mounted on the kingpin box and a receiver cup with a frame is attached to the ball in the bed. I used a B+W turnover ball 5th wheel mount on my last rig and liked it, but I've gotten older and wanted something a bit lighter to handle, plus it offered the flexibility of hitching on uneven ground and at an off angle from the trailer. Like I'm going to get out in some rough country the boondocks with it, LoL.
I've put several hundred miles on the highway with it and the handling hasn't seemed as smooth as my my last set up and I'm not yet sure why. Everything is different - the pin box rubber is locked so it doesn't flex, the B+W had cushion rubber as well, and I had Timbrens on my Ram 2500. The new rig is longer, heavier, there is no cushion in the hitch link, and my Ford 350 doesn't have Timbrens. It may have them in a few weeks, depending on how it handles on our upcoming trip from Pensacola back to the dealership in St. Augustine.
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Old 10-14-2022, 01:15 PM   #10
jsb5717
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For the signature go to the top left of this page to User CP. That will give you a menu including a Signature.

Is this trailer heavier than your previous setup? A different/rougher ride would be expected with more weight. Like many others here I use air bags for an adjustable ride. It feels quite smooth to me. Your rig is about 2000 lbs heavier than mine so you can adjust to what feels good to you.

The Super Lite hitch is a good one. However, it will void warranty for any frame issues should you have any. Only a standard fifth wheel hitch or a Goose Box will be acceptable to Lippert. I also have a B&W goose ball and find our Demco Recon hitch is a good fit for us. It works great and is also relatively easy to install/remove.

You'll get it all figured out...just keep after it.
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Old 10-14-2022, 01:16 PM   #11
Lee-CI
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OldJimi
At the top of the page, click on <User CP>
On the page that opens, click on Edit Signature and fill in your info as you like. Hope this helps out.
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Lee, Edith, Lil' Bit & Cuddles
22 MHC 331RL, Surge Guard 35550, SumoSprings, Kodiak disc brakes, 412Ah Lithium, Gen 3 Goosebox, Sailun 85s
22 Ram 3500 CC DRW 6.7 CTD Herrin Hauler Classic Bed, 45 gal AUX tank
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Old 10-14-2022, 09:14 PM   #12
rames14
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Welcome to the family. Great choice on the 3231CK, we love ours. Best of luck.
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Old 10-15-2022, 08:38 AM   #13
OldJimi
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jsb5717 View Post
For the signature go to the top left of this page to User CP. That will give you a menu including a Signature.

Is this trailer heavier than your previous setup? A different/rougher ride would be expected with more weight. Like many others here I use air bags for an adjustable ride. It feels quite smooth to me. Your rig is about 2000 lbs heavier than mine so you can adjust to what feels good to you.

The Super Lite hitch is a good one. However, it will void warranty for any frame issues should you have any. Only a standard fifth wheel hitch or a Goose Box will be acceptable to Lippert. I also have a B&W goose ball and find our Demco Recon hitch is a good fit for us. It works great and is also relatively easy to install/remove.

You'll get it all figured out...just keep after it.
Thanks, I'll work on the sig. I had read a response from Pullrite about Lippert voiding the frame warranty, I've seen that mentioned a couple times in different forums but haven't haven't been able to verify it, I searched. I did see that Lippert has a history of so many frame failures that they must have used every excuse in the books at least once.
My last 5er was several feet shorter and a couple of tons lighter, quite a bit of difference between the two, and I'm sure that contributes to the difference in feel.
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Old 10-15-2022, 08:45 AM   #14
rames14
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Oldjimi, I had the same hitch and ended up with frame flex on our last Montana. So, when we got our new 3230CK, we traded hitch to the 3900, which is the same base as yours but with a fifth wheel head. I kayak fish and need to be able to remove my hitch in the field without a hoist by myself. I like the Pullrite hitches and they are among the few that do the full ASTM testing.
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Old 10-15-2022, 08:50 AM   #15
OldJimi
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Originally Posted by rames14 View Post
Welcome to the family. Great choice on the 3231CK, we love ours. Best of luck.
Thanks, wife and I liked the layout, the generous counter space, and the load capacity - going full time, it's nice to be able to store seasonal clothing.
I was really hoping to get a used 21 Legacy model that was for sale in Louisiana, but was too late.
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Old 10-15-2022, 08:53 AM   #16
OldJimi
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Originally Posted by rames14 View Post
Oldjimi, I had the same hitch and ended up with frame flex on our last Montana. So, when we got our new 3230CK, we traded hitch to the 3900, which is the same base as yours but with a fifth wheel head. I kayak fish and need to be able to remove my hitch in the field without a hoist by myself. I like the Pullrite hitches and they are among the few that do the full ASTM testing.
Ahhhh - first hand experience! Can you explain 'frame flex' for me?
'
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Old 10-15-2022, 09:03 AM   #17
rames14
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Oldjimi, frame flex occurs when welds crack in the frame. You will see a gap forming at the overhang as it “flexes”. On ours, the door would open when we were going down the road. Now, Andersen and Pullrite have said if Lippert won’t take care of it, they will. There are many that feel that it is a non-issue. I just didn’t want the hassle. About the same time this was happening, I had a new Hobie kayak that developed cracks where I had Boondox landing gear mounted. Hobie pointed to their warranty and said it wasn’t their fault. BooneDox said they can’t control wall thickness from Hobie, so they weren’t going to cover it. Fortunately, my Hobie dealer said he would cover the $2k for a new hull. I don’t see an RV dealer doing that. I just didn’t want to get in the middle of something like that, so I switched hitches. Just my $.02. Below is a long thread on the history of the warranty issue.

https://www.montanaowners.com/forums...ad.php?t=83693
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Old 10-15-2022, 09:05 AM   #18
jsb5717
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Here's the thread that contains the memo from Keystone re: the Andersen Hitch and any other gooseneck adapter type hitches...which will include the Pullrite Superlite.

https://www.montanaowners.com/forums...andersen+hitch
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Old 10-15-2022, 09:23 AM   #19
Foldbak
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I pass my dealership twice a day and I see Montana's with the front cap and sidewall off weekly. Frame flex isn't limited to the front, it can also occur at any slide opening which doesn't necessarily have anything to do with the hitch. The suspension can cause flexing as well.
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Old 10-15-2022, 09:31 AM   #20
rames14
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Tony, frame flex is different from the sidewall cracks. Ron Marlin (same unit as OP and mine, developed a sidewall crack. But, it wasn’t frame flex.
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