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Old 12-23-2012, 09:02 AM   #1
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Spotted This

Spotted this old 5th wheel stored at a boatyard right in my neighborhood. Sorry about the bad cell phone pictures, had to take them through the fence. I've never seen one of these before, would sure like to see the inside! I think it's a 1985, like ours, maybe someone can confirm. We don't have an appropriate tow vehicle for this, but for some reason I really, really want one of these. Would love to get my hands on it and fix it up. It is so unique!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Jenny
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Old 12-23-2012, 01:41 PM   #2
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Jenny,

From your pixs the outside seems to be in decent shape - decals look good. I would like to see the inside too and am hoping that someone (Sunline Fan ) can tell us the year and model. It doesn't look overly long. We do have the tow vehicle for a 5th-wheeler but don't want to put in a 5th-wheel hitch. It's been said that once you tow a fifth-wheel you won't go back to a TT.

Merry Christmas to you too!
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Old 12-23-2012, 03:09 PM   #3
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We have a member here on the club with one of these he fixed up. Hardy Bus I think is his screen name and uses a GMC Canyon PU to tow with. He did an outstanding job on the camper.

As far as pulling, it has a gooseneck hitch on it from Sunline so it uses a ball in the truck bed on a gooseneck hitch plate. Simpler and no large 5er hitch.

I'll see if I can find his posts.

John
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Old 12-23-2012, 03:13 PM   #4
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OK found it

Here is his post introducing his new 5er
http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f7...eel-12281.html

Here is his picture album
http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/me...albums122.html

And now recalling we have another member here with one. He was working on getting a hitch plate in the bed of his truck. I do not recall his screen name.

These were and still are a nice little camper.
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Old 12-23-2012, 03:25 PM   #5
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Here is another post with pic's by Sunline Fan. The member with the hitch mounting was Nessmuck. Just he did not make t to posting pics yet.

http://www.sunlineclub.com/forums/f6...5-a-10600.html
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Old 12-23-2012, 04:37 PM   #6
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Yep, red/med blue/orange stripes, tan sides, and aluminum frame windows- '85 F-1850.
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2007 T-286SR Cherry/Granola, #6236, original owner, current mileage: 9473.8 (as of 6/18/21)
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Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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Old 12-23-2012, 04:47 PM   #7
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Glad I was correct on the year! The decals and stripes do look pretty good from the side I could see, but the ones on the rock guard were pretty bad. We have a Chevy S-10 Pickup, but unfortunately it is just a four cylinder with a manual transmission, so I don't think it would pull this. But if I had this, I would maybe spring for another truck. Andy has been trying to get a new truck out of me for a while now, but I like having no car payments. Sunline Fan, do you know how many of these were made?
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Old 12-23-2012, 08:48 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JTurner View Post
Sunline Fan, do you know how many of these were made?
Not many. I don't have real accurate numbers, but they don't show up very often. I know of three for '85, now four with the one you found. It was a short run too.
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2007 T-286SR Cherry/Granola, #6236, original owner, current mileage: 9473.8 (as of 6/18/21)
1997 T-2653 Blue Denim, #5471
1979 12 1/2' MC, Beige & Avocado, #4639
Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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Old 12-26-2012, 07:35 PM   #9
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Thumbs up INTERESTING, Good Lead.

..JENNY,: Good pics , topic. Keep us posted..I see a Non - Sun LIne style like this at our cove camp ground For Sale. Maybe the typical green NOMAD,(?) Not my 1st choice, BUT this thread / idea is interesting. We have a 05 Ford sport trac , so I guess the truck would match up ..
. I like the upper Queen bed in the re-furbished 5th rig the member did..
.What are some of the advantages of towing this 5th wheel style..??
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Old 12-26-2012, 11:24 PM   #10
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What are some of the advantages of towing this 5th wheel style..??
Hook up and go without worrying much about sway. The gooseneck style simply uses a trailer hitch ball in the bed that you connect the trailer to and go, whereas you generally need weight distribution and/or sway control on a travel trailer. Because the fifth wheel goes up over the truck bed, you don't have the air gap between the tow vehicle and trailer. That air gap, since it isn't constrained at all, allows the trailer to easily sway when another vehicle or wind moves air around it. As the faster vehicle cuts through the air, it compresses the air between the vehicles and forces it around somehow and/or moves the vehicle away. With a conventional travel trailer on a ball pivot point, a lot of that air is forced around the front of the trailer as well as pushes the trailer over/away. Since the vehicle is just connected at a pivot point, the trailer moves first and causes it to sway on that pivot point. If it were just the trailer moving down the road (say, like a bus or motorhome), it just pushes it sideways a little, that vehicle corrects, and then keeps going about driving.

With a fifth wheel, that air space between the truck and trailer is minimized. The two almost fit together like puzzle pieces instead of two rectangles next to each other. Yes, a fifth wheel can sway, but on a very limited basis. That air being forced around the trailer has to go around a jagged path (around the front profile shape of the fifth wheel), so it will contact the truck as well and just move the whole thing more as one unit and not two separate. Since there is a pivot point involved, it will still wiggle a little, so it won't be like a motorhome, but chances are you'd not feel it nearly as much.

So, you're probably wondering why everything isn't a fifth wheel design- well it has to do with flexibility. Many more vehicles can tow trailers over fifth wheels, so they still have a strong popularity. There are many hitch systems out there designed to basically give a travel trailer fifth wheel characteristics and do their best to keep the tow vehicle/trailer as one solid unit. The tough part is that with most hitch systems, they have to be adjusted right in order to be effective. A hitch that isn't adjusted or set up properly can actually make the situation worse.

There is a difference between gooseneck style and fifth wheel pin style. Gooseneck uses a long arm with a ball coupler on the end, and it connects to a ball in the truck bed. Mostly for light duty applications and it does take a little more time to connect. Many farm trailers use gooseneck because the ball can be mounted in the truck bed and can often come out/flip over to provide a clear bed for hauling stuff. A pin style uses a metal box on the front of the trailer that has a pin protruding out from the bottom. It goes into a much more complex fifth wheel hitch that mounts on rails bolted to the truck bed. On the flip side, this is much easier to connect because you back the truck up to the trailer and have this pin self-center into a slot. You then close the jaws around the pin (or they often close themselves from the jolting action), lock the jaws, and away you go. I think Sunline stuck with the gooseneck style on the smaller fifth wheels because they were designed to be used with mini-trucks. I know someone in town here that had an '82 25' Sunline gooseneck a few years back that she pulled with her old Dodge Dakota. No need to buy the expensive fifth wheel hitch to get the same benefit as a fifth wheel. It is also a huge weight savings for an already light duty truck.

Fifth wheels don't need weight distribution because the weight/force point on the truck is right over the axle instead of behind it. So it will squat the rear of the truck, but it really won't lift the front tires up much at all. It's much safer in that respect, and I think people enjoy that ride more. If using a lighter duty truck with a heavy fifth wheel, sometimes it's necessary to add air bags to lift/level out the rear of the truck. But generally no weight distribution is needed because the trailer is right over the rear axle, not using the rear axle as a pivot point.

That's how I understand it anyway. I guess it isn't a real technical explanation, but I hope it makes sense.
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2007 T-286SR Cherry/Granola, #6236, original owner, current mileage: 9473.8 (as of 6/18/21)
1997 T-2653 Blue Denim, #5471
1979 12 1/2' MC, Beige & Avocado, #4639
Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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Old 12-27-2012, 07:57 PM   #11
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Thanks, Sunline Fan, for the explanation. I was wondering about the advantages of a fifth wheel myself. I am still learning about all this, since this is our first real camper other than pop-ups, and I never really paid attention before.

I am going to keep my eye on this one, see if I can spot the owner someday and find out if he wants to sell it, or at least let me take a look at the inside. It looks like they have winterized it. When the weather warms up and I start riding my bike again, I will make sure I pass by that boatyard periodically. Place is locked up now.
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Old 01-03-2013, 05:39 PM   #12
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Smile 86 Goose PICS , AD

..WOW , JENNY , This ad for 86 Goose just popped up on Craig yesterday . Lots of interior pics.. New parts for roof ,/ undercarriage, Not mine. Should be Lexington , KY,, Does it look like owner has a cut out / modified four door JEEP Cherokee,??
.. Asking $3k . Will also put it in classifieds. Good reference here...
1986 sunline gooseneck rare
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Old 01-03-2013, 06:19 PM   #13
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O wow - $3,000! These old Sunlines seem to be fetching a pretty penny lately. It sure looks nice, though. I like the layout, it is almost like our 1550 except where the bed is.
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Old 01-03-2013, 09:00 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Split View Post
..WOW , JENNY , This ad for 86 Goose just popped up on Craig yesterday . Lots of interior pics.. New parts for roof ,/ undercarriage, Not mine. Should be Lexington , KY,, Does it look like owner has a cut out / modified four door JEEP Cherokee,??
.. Asking $3k . Will also put it in classifieds. Good reference here...
1986 sunline gooseneck rare
haha, it sure looks like that's what he did!

That one's actually an '88 though.
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2007 T-286SR Cherry/Granola, #6236, original owner, current mileage: 9473.8 (as of 6/18/21)
1997 T-2653 Blue Denim, #5471
1979 12 1/2' MC, Beige & Avocado, #4639
Past Sunlines: '97 T-2653 #5089, '94 T-2251, '86 T-1550, '94 T-2363, '98 T-270SR
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