5th Wheel Reliability
Unlike he auto industry that tends to have a vast database to pull reliability and quality information from. The Camper industry seems to be wide open for opinion. with that being said I'm trying to g...
Forum Discussion
I've had my '01 Cardinal (Forest River) for 11 years and purchased it when it was 2 years old. Based upon the age of this unit I'm not advocating for Forest River products for longevity, but I do like the quality they've built into several of their lines.
What I have been doing though is looking to replace my Cardinal with a well-made, slightly used 5th wheel. Since I've had such good fortune with my Cardinal I've been looking for another Cardinal (or another FR product like the Cedar Creek series) that's anywhere from 3-6 years old. I've also looked on-line at other quality made 5th wheels, but I'm having trouble finding the right floor plans or ones that aren't too large (trying to stay under 33 total length). There seems to be a lot of Cougars on the market so I'm wondering what is the reason for that? Are former owners not pleased with the product or is that they just sold a lot of them in the past 6-7 years, thus putting more on the used RV market? Other models seem to be more difficult to find than Cougars.
The lower and mid-range FR products seem to be out there though, but I think I've been spoiled with my Cardinal. In regard to the OP's search I think the Montana's, Crusader's, and Sabre's appear to be more appealing in my mind. In fact, I'm planning to take a look at a 2010 Montana Mountaineer this week. I've also seen an '08 Big Country at the same dealership that looks good on-line along with an '08 Jayco Eagle. I'll likely have to trade my '01 Cardinal since I don't want to have 2 5th wheels at once. It's a darn good unit, I wish I could find another with a similar floorplan, but about 4-5 foot longer that's almost new.
What I have been doing though is looking to replace my Cardinal with a well-made, slightly used 5th wheel. Since I've had such good fortune with my Cardinal I've been looking for another Cardinal (or another FR product like the Cedar Creek series) that's anywhere from 3-6 years old. I've also looked on-line at other quality made 5th wheels, but I'm having trouble finding the right floor plans or ones that aren't too large (trying to stay under 33 total length). There seems to be a lot of Cougars on the market so I'm wondering what is the reason for that? Are former owners not pleased with the product or is that they just sold a lot of them in the past 6-7 years, thus putting more on the used RV market? Other models seem to be more difficult to find than Cougars.
The lower and mid-range FR products seem to be out there though, but I think I've been spoiled with my Cardinal. In regard to the OP's search I think the Montana's, Crusader's, and Sabre's appear to be more appealing in my mind. In fact, I'm planning to take a look at a 2010 Montana Mountaineer this week. I've also seen an '08 Big Country at the same dealership that looks good on-line along with an '08 Jayco Eagle. I'll likely have to trade my '01 Cardinal since I don't want to have 2 5th wheels at once. It's a darn good unit, I wish I could find another with a similar floorplan, but about 4-5 foot longer that's almost new.
