That was our thinking exactly!

imafarmboy2 I’m with you and am studying the changeover process because like you, the cost for a pickup compared to a tractor, yeah I could buy a lot me or fifth wheel by buying the tractor. Looking at auctions, private sellers and truck dealers. Will be fun to convert one now that I’m retired.

I'm glad I watched this, I'm a trucker and never even heard of that thing! I'm definitely going this way for retirement, pre emission!

It's pretty simple, but we know all too well it can seem overwhelming. Glad you enjoyed it!

I'll admit, we have also seen some crazy stuff out there too!

That's awesome!!!

That would be awesome!

Sounds like a great plan! We wish you all the best with that and you're right, it should be a nice project.

It really is a very comfortable way to travel! You're absolutely right, too...that truck doesn't even know the trailer is back there.

Thank you!

Yes, we had a mechanic in Michigan (which is where the truck was being sold) pull an oil sample and run a test on it. Then we had our own mechanic review the results for us.

Very true! We felt pretty confident with the dealership we worked with, but you never know.

We're so glad you found it helpful! You're also welcome to email us with any questions you have and we'll do our best to answer them.

What did you have to do to get the truck ready to haul your Rv 5th wheel like wiring and the air brakes for the semi trailer and how did you come across one with a automatic transmission and what did you have to do to get the inside of the truck ready for use did you have to put in a brake controller in and what did you have to do to get the trailer ready for this type of truck and why not use the 5th wheel that came with the truck

After a lot of research we learned it's easier on the frame of the fifth wheel to use an air ride hitch when towing with a semi. An RV hitch also gives you side to side articulation, which a commercial hitch won't. We removed the commercial hitch, then bought and installed a Trailer Saver air ride hitch. We purchased a Jackalopee, which is a brilliant device that allows the truck wiring to "talk" with the rv wiring, and ran a plug to the rear of the truck. We bought a brake controller and installed that in the truck (and ran it through the Jackalopee). We removed and capped off the air hoses for the air brakes, and put a set of fenders on the truck. That was pretty much everything we did to get it set to haul the RV. Since then we have made some changes, but our initial setup worked great. As for the transmission, the auto shift was one of the things we looked for while we were shopping. They'll usually say in the ad what kind of transmission the truck has.

@@TipsyMarlinTravels thank you for the information now I have to price out the hitch and find out how much it will cost to remove the old 5th wheel and to remove the air hose going to to semi trailer

I wish we could help you out on pricing but we did all that work ourselves. Our hitch is rated for 18,000 lbs. and we paid $2600 for it, but the size of your hitch will depend on how heavy your trailer is.

You tie the brake controller to one hot wire for the brake light on the truck. That way when you hit the brakes on the truck, the brake light activates the trailer brakes. Works great so far.

The other way is to purchase a Harris commercial electric brake controller which interfaces between your electrical brake output that you need and uses the air brake from the treadle valve to determine how much force to apply. Either work.

We spent $4500 to have the Smart car bed built, about $150 on the Jackalopee for the wiring conversion and about $1500 for the Hensley air ride hitch. You could say we had the bargain build, and I'm sure prices have gone up since then. You can definitely spend more -a lot more - but you also could just go with fenders, Jackalopee and hitch for about $2000 to $3000, then add more as your budget allows.

Yes, you can use a day cab, but here are a couple of things to consider. First, a cab with a sleeper is generally more comfortable, especially if you have a passenger. Plus, you have a handy place to sleep if you need to catch some rest on the road. The big one though has to do with your state's licensing laws. If you can register it as a private truck without having to have a special license (like we do in South Dakota), no problem. A lot of people register their trucks as RVs though, because otherwise their state would require a Class A license. In those states, you would likely not be able to title or register a day cab as an RV. If you built a camper onto a truck chassis, you would then have what they call a truck conversion. In that case you could register it as an RV. There are some good Facebook pages on truck conversions you might take a look at. We hope this answers your questions, and if you have any more let us know. Good luck!

The only think with a commcial hitch is it has no side to side movement only forward and back. With a fifth wheel hitch it has both forward and back side to side. This will give more flex at the pin box and keep it from flexing the trailer frame as much. This is only my opinion but I would replace the commercial hitch.

That's why the ping tanks that I asked him about, I think it's to smooth the ride and prevent chucking.

Welcome and thank you for joining us!!! We have a video coming out on March 4th where we discuss why we removed the commercial hitch and went with the air ride hitch. If it doesnt show enough of what you'd like to see, let us know and we can send you more detailed photos.

Tipsy Marlin Travels I’ll be looking for it. Thank you.

Not to mention COST WHEN it goes, and it will go.

Each state has it's own laws regarding licensing, so you want to make sure you're in compliance with the state you're registered in. We're South Dakota residents, and the only thing we had to do was register it as a private truck rather than a commercial truck. It was that simple, no special license required. Some states will also give you the option of registering the truck as an RV. We bought our truck in Grand Rapids, Michigan. While we were there we spoke with a State Patrol commercial enforcement sergeant. At that time (four years ago), the licensing requirements in Michigan were similar to South Dakota. Either way there was no special licensing requirements for the air brakes.

I talked to the dot officer he said only if you are not making money with it you don't need a CDL the only thing I was wondering about the air brakes? And I need your. Advice on something please call me sometime I would like to talk to you sometime 6162138892

Will do!

We have heard that fuel mileage is better with a single axle. We aren't unhappy with ours though - averaging 8 to 10 MPG when towing. It will be interesting to see how the added weight of the bed and car affects that. Tell your wife we agree that there's no better way to travel 😉😄

@@TipsyMarlinTravels ROGER THAT THANKS. MAYBE WE MEET UP SOMETIME SOMEWHERE

@@TipsyMarlinTravels PS WE'LL BE IN SAN ANGELO TX IN FEBRUARY

We love Texas in the winter! We're headed to San Diego for Christmas and from there we don't know yet. We would definitely enjoy meeting up on the road though!

We left it stock - the cab has two air bags. It actually rides really nice as is.

Congratulations on your pending retirement!!! Yes, an automatic makes it a lot easier if something happens. Depending upon what year of truck you're looking at, the auto shift is becoming more and more common.

So glad you found it helpful!

Absolutely!!

Thank you and welcome!! We did A LOT of research on licensing before we pulled the trigger on buying, just to be sure we'd be okay. If you haven't seen it yet, there's a Facebook page called HDT's. It's full of people doing what we are, and a lot of good information to be found there.

@@TipsyMarlinTravels Thanks for the information I'll take a look. Wow South Dakota is really a easy going state when it comes to RVs. Good Luck out there and enjoy!

Thank you so much! If you ever have any questions you're welcome to email us (we always put it in the video description). We're happy to help wherever we can.

We originally were insured through National General. I believe they required us to insure the truck and fifth wheel together. Last year we switched to Progressive and we have a private truck policy but it's still written through their commercial truck division.

We had to adjust the pin box on the trailer just a bit. Some people will recess the hitch down into the frame.

We have it registered in South Dakota as a private truck, which was really easy. No special license or endorsements are required. We're insured through Progressive right now, and they wrote a non-commercial policy through their commercial division for the truck. We have previously had National General and their only requirement was that the trailer had to be insured with the truck. Prices were similar. State Farm will also insure private semis, but will only write a full-time RVer policy for existing customers.

@@TipsyMarlinTravels Thank you so much I will give them a call. I'm from Arizona an it seem to be alittle difficult around here.

@@jaredontiveros1277 if you are thinking about domiciling in South Dakota, give Americas Mailbox a call. We use them, and they've been great. For a small fee, you can mail them all of your vehicle paperwork and they'll take care of the registration for you, then mail everything back.

Hi Armando! We wish you all the best in your search for a semi. My question is, will you be on the road full time or will you keep a residence in California? If you're going to be full timing, it's easy to set up your domicile in South Dakota. Going through Americas Mailbox or Escapees is easiest. Then you can get your vehicles registered in South Dakota. We have ours registered as a private truck, and there are no special license requirements. You also have the option of registering the truck as an RV, again with no special license requirements. We can register our truck, trailer and Smart car for about the same cost as registering one vehicle in California. If you are only camping occasionally and intend to keep a residence in California, then you will end up having to register the truck there. Again, best wishes!

Thank you! We believe it began in 2008. The 2007 has an EGR valve, but no DEF, and the mechanic we spoke to before buying recommended a 2007 or older in order to avoid all the emissions stuff.

07 and earlier is what you want, no DEF, which, in my opinion, is just a money making scheme, not to mention$$$$$$$ if it goes. A well tuned mid 90s to 07 will run very clean, and get a little more power. I know my wife feels the Volvo's are too closed in, due to the design of the dash, but she's a bit claustrophobic. I love them, NOTHING will turn under one with a SBA, set back axle, sorry.