[stanleyz]

Based on your posts on here I guess u are looking for a used fifth wheel. Be careful, there are a lot thorns on those roses. First decision is what do you want to do with it. If you are going to take the grsnd kids to the lake or park a couple weekends during summer then most anything will do. But, if you intend to hook up and tow across the country and back a few times there are only a couple brands worth looking at. Mobile suites is one, very heavy duty, Petersen Industry not as much luxury but built very well, some of the older Travel Supreme and there are a couple others. Most all the luxury models went out of business in 09/10. Do not consider anything with a wood frame, they quit doing wood in late 90s early 2000s.

If you like MS it is a good choice but heavy so stay on dry land, no wet areas lol. The stuff you want to know about is the "trailer" part of it. Here's some stuff to look for.

Axles, what axles are on it. 7000 lb are barely adequate. Mine has 7000 lb axles with 8000 lb hubs, Axles should have a slight bow in them with the middle slightly higher than the ends. Look at tires for a strange wear pattern like all the wear on the inside or outside, usually means axle problems. Don't let it kill a good deal deal they can be straightened and alighned at a good trailer shop for a 1000 dollars or less.

Brakes, it is a heavy trailer and brakes are very important. Disk brakes are a bonus. Regular electric brakes are OK if maintained. I don't know how to tell you how to check the brakes. You could ask, but if you are at a dealer they don't know and if private it would be a rare person who would tell you it needed brakes. One of the problems buy used is you normally don't get a test drive but if you do get er up to highway speed and do a hard stop, you will be able to tell if the brakes are good. If you find one that needs brakes the best way to repair them is to buy "brake assemblies". That is the whole package and bolts to the axle, replace them and get the hubs turned and you would be good for a long time. Again, cost is around 1000 dollars if you do it, a few hundred bucks labor at a trailer shop.

Wheel bearings. Most of the older suites have neverlube sealed bearings. So if you see a lot of seepage around the hub be concerned, hard to check them because the hub has to come out but if you can get the wheel raised off the ground grab the wheel on both sides and see if there is any play in it then do the same from top to bottom, a lot play indicates probably bad wheel bearings. You can get them from etrailer or Dexter for 150 bucks or a little less, If it has regular bearings they need serviced every year, a good DIY project but dirty job.

Tires, very important. MS is heavy. Tires and wheels should be 17.5 inch H rated. Check the date on them, if they are 4 or more years old I would replace them. If they are 16 inch (on anything but a 32 foot) on a MS I would replace them. I had very bad luck with Goodyear G114. Had 2 blow outs with 16 inch and one with 17.5, all three on the fifth year of the tires. Others swear by them. I tow a lot, back and forth the country a half dozen times or more. I can't tell you how much of a bummer a blow out is. You can replace all four tires and wheels for around 2000 bucks. If they are questionable. do it.

Spring packs and shocks make up the rest of the running gear. The trailer should sit and ride level from side to side although most are off a hair or so, Most used trailers will have a level mounted on the front. Take a look. if it is way off investigate. Could be a busted spring leaf or two. A good trailer shop can fix it and build you some springs but it will cost. You can also replace them yourself but it's dirty job.

And the big one is the frame. Some folks on here have said they had a frame failure uo by the pin. I've never seen that but take a look and see if you have any deformity. I have no idea how that gets fixed but I'm thinking a welder will be involved.

All the other stuff is pretty easy to keep up with. Water leaks are the most likely to find. A leak is not a big deal but an undiscovered and unrepaired leak is a big problem and can rot the floors in the RV or the slides. You sound like you know what to look for. The damage can be repaired but the best thing is to find a unit from someone who has kept it caulked (twice a year) and checked often for leaks.

There is some other stuff but not worth mentioning, All the rest is just like home except the stuff that works on DC. That system is straight forward, It runs off the batteries. If you are plugged in it runs off the battery and the battery is kept at full charge by the converter, Just plug in and check that every thing works.

Hope this helps you or anyone who finds it. I've been retired just short of 20 years and I'M on my second 5er and third truck. My trailer has well over 100,000 miles and I wouldn't hesitate to hook up and head for the west coast tomorrow. Maintain, maintain, maintain. BTW, in all those years I've had my trailer to a dealer twice. Once to repair my rear stabilizers (hydraulic) Camping World kept it two weeks longer than they had promised and did not fix the problem. Then they handed me a bill for 750 bucks which I negotiated down to about 250 but I still had the problem. Took it home and fixed it myself for less than 200 dollars. Second time I had a local dealer install an awning, they did OK. Use trailer shops when possible. The internet is your friend. You can find almost anything to do with a trailer on line, most with videos,