Alright.....you are definitely over qualified for all of this nonsense. Carry On! :D

Oh, I wouldn't go that far........ I have been out from "behind the wheel" for 26 years and haven't pulled an oversize for about 30 years! You know, sometimes we forget things??:) Actually, I am looking forward to getting my truck. Too bad it will be a while yet........

I figured out that my car is 180" (15') long, so obviously it won't go cross ways. So I am looking at having a deck that is about 20 feet from the back of the cab to the center of the pin. If I have the pin 4 feet behind the rear axle would that present much of a problem? I know J's Rig says 6' is about the maximum, so I should be OK then? I would like to keep the truck as short as possible, but the longer it is the better it rides too.............

I'd want at least a foot in front of the car so it's not ramming up against the back of the sleeper. Then the other measurement you need to make sure of is from the hitch pin to the back of the car. 5th wheel trailers need a certain amount of room there so they don't hit anything when you're turning tight turns. I'm sure you can find that dimension out. As far as how far back you can put the hitch. I don't think there's much concern there. I've seen lots of HDT's with the frame extended back and the 5th wheel hitch hanging way off the back. The owners tell me it actually makes it easier to back up and maneuver when it's moved way back there.

Here I go thinking again....Somebody pass the aspirin, please? lol.. I was wondering, other than a few roads I have been on (Needles Hwy, Black Hills for one), is there a real need for hauling a car with you? If I put my car on the back my truck it getting quite long when what I want is something comfortable and fun to pull my trailer with. What about the times when you really need or desire a car for a couple of days you rent a car? For the overall cost that may be my solution.... HHHMMMmmmmm.

If you use it like a true RV and not running a race operation, you need a car. I've done it both ways. For me, just the peace of mind in case of an emergency is worth the trouble. Sometimes we stay a few days and never use it....but anything more than a long weekend. ..you will be glad you have another set of wheels. Personally, I would just get a Sportchassis if I was pulling a 5ver and use the truck as my get around once I got there.

Doggonit...... Now you got me second guessing myself again..... My wife and I are looking at liquidating our assets and going full time so I want to make sure I get it right the first time. I have had to re-think and re-do things too many times!! Maybe I should put this on the back burner until the 2015 HDT Rally and let my wife see what I am thinking of doing. Once she sees and understands my plans then it might be easier to make a decision.

when we 1st bought the coach - i didnt thing we'd really need a toad....and quite honestly we didnt factor it in (not that it broke the back or something, it was just unexpected cost).

i figured if anything i'd put my wifes miata or another car on our car trailer and go....but after our 1st couple of times out we realized once the jacks go down & the slides go out, we were there to stay.

we rented a car a couple of times (but that was a PIA getting to the rental location and dropping it off).

sometimes we haul the toad (jeep wrangler) even when we don't expect to use it....consider it insurance ('case something happens to the coach)....i can use the toad to run and get parts (if were broke down) or i could put the wife in the toad and let her continue on (to her parents or a hotel) while i wait for roadside assistance etc.

there are plenty of times that we leave the toad at home - camping locally or when we WANT to be trapped (no need to do anything other than relax).

while i like the MTD / sport chassis - they seem pricey & a weak value (when compared to a larger, more capable class 8)....you can buy a clean used 40+ foot (truck conversion) coach for less than what a tricked out MTD would cost.

Like I said, Don, I am going to be pulling a fiver, so I will have the truck to get around with. After driving big trucks for a living I would be comfortable even city driving in it. That is why I am questioning bringing a car. If I was going to do like you and stay in the truck/MH, then absolutely I would have a car with me.

Bush, I agree with you on the cost of the Sportchassis. ..BUT, I shopped around when cut a good deal when I bought mine used and I almost got my money back out of it when I sold it two years later. We were pulling a 53' gooseneck race car trailer with extra height, LQ, & a slide out with it. I almost broke out on the truck and trailer. That sale was what allowed us to pull the trigger on the Renegade a little sooner than expected. That truck and trailer was the only depreciating asset that I ever got my money back on. I have lost my shirt on everything else that has had wheels on it my entire life. :)

The only "problem" I see with a Sportchassis is the ones I see are about double or triple the price of what I could comfortably spend. For $15K I can set up a road tractor as a motorhome. I could spend the same money on a pick up, but I am thinking that at age 59 this in all reality would probably (hopefully?) be the last truck I ever buy. That is why I am looking in the direction I am.

I totally understand. Even owning one and enjoying it, there is definitely more bang for the buck out there if you are going to keep it. I just wanted to share that even though they are overpriced (relative), you can get really good $$ back out of them if you take care of them and get a good deal on one a few years old when you make your initial purchase.

As far as a MDT vs. HDT, I think HDT has a lot of advantages. Many of the HDT owners I've talked to at the 5 HDT Rally's I've attended have owned MDT before going HDT. Most of them will tell you they wished they hadn't gone MDT at all and gone straight to the HDT. Okay, now that we have that decision figured out.

Do you need a car on deck? There's plenty of people that use an HDT to pull their 5th wheel and then use it to drive around. There's probably more that bring some sort of shopper/touring veh. along. What are the cost differences? Building the deck is going to cost more. It's going to be a bit longer (which will make it not as nice to drive around for shopping, etc...) and it might make it harder to get into some camping areas. It's going to be more desirable for resale. This is a pretty important point here. Remember above where I said a lot more people are bringing some sort of veh. At some point you (or your kids after you die) are going to have to sell this truck. Maximize the sales potential. Even if you have a long deck doesn't mean you have to toss a car up on it.

For sure don't do anything until you attend a rally. The East Coast rally is in the spring. That would be a good one but it's a bit farther from us in MN. The National Rally in Hutchinson is great. Lots of rigs and info sessions.

I believe that will be my plan. I just looked and the dates are posted, but that seems to be about it for now. Guess I need to keep an eye on it to see when I can sign up.

You can sign up when you show up too. But you have to pay cash, no checks or charge. And there is a small late fee. I usually do that because I'm not organized enough to pre-register.

I think I will pre-register if I can.

If you pre-register then you get the t-shirt. I'm never organized enough to know for sure if I'll be able to make it.

Where and when is the east coast version?

we should have a truck conversion/super C rally in the "south".

I am definitely down for that. We could probably use the Nashville Super Speedway. They built it for Nascar but they never came. It is never used but extremely nice. It is on the 840 loop right outside of Nashville. I could make a call if anyone else would be interested. I would think that we could get a couple of manufactures to show up as well.