Fifth Wheel Brands / Reviews

We just went thru this. I am somewhat cynical when it comes to reviews, as some folks are never happy. And while some coaches are better than others, I don't think anyone makes a totally lousy unit.
To help narrow things down what we did was pick our major concerns, for us a king bed and a well insulated coach.
As previously mentioned, pay attention to the trailer weight / truck capacity.

We have the 29.5BHOK. Living in it for 7 months now and a few tows. Does very well with our 3/4T diesel.

We did find that we got near the upper weight limit with all the stuff we brought with us. Probably won't be that bad if you are just weekending in it.

Like most RV's there have been a few little things to fix along the way. Had to tighten a couple of water fittings. Drawer bottoms at the back of trailer failed when they had some weight in them and we hit some good size bumps on the road.

I did put Goodyear tires on it (I think all Jaycos come with Goodyears now). We also replaced with fold out couch with theater recliners and added a rear camera.

charlie

Of the ones the OP listed, The Jayco Eagle is the best. Excellent insulation, much stronger roof that the others, and has a 2 year warranty with lots of other perks and pluses for the original purchaser. Jayco has been making RV camping trailers since 1968 and has an excellent reputation with both owners and dealers.

Stewart123 wrote:

Road Phantom wrote:
We have a Keystone Cougar Xlite 5th wheel with the rear kitchen. I'm not sure if it's up or down in class from the Laredo, but we have had very little trouble with it. The downside is that our Ram 2500 is a little high for the trailer. So far we pulled it to Calif from Pa and then down to TX to Fl and back to Pa.
We wintered in TX for three years in it. The fridge went out but I can't fault Keystone for an aftermarket product that's out of warranty.
Interestingly, we tow with a 2500 5.7 Hemi, get about 11 mpg flat hwy doing 60 and so will stick with the gasser when we eventually trade to a new truck. If you will be over a 9000 lbs 5th wheel get the diesel. Otherwise, the Hemi is a strong alternative and won't burn a hole in your pocket. We owned 9 trailers and 5th wheels since '85 and feel this has been one of our best trailers overall.

Great information! My husband is leaning towards the diesel 2500 series but the fifth wheel, unloaded, would be in the 8300 lb range most likely.

I'll be the first to say diesels excell when towing heavy, but you seriously don't NEED diesel to tow under 10K lbs. A lot of people towing with gassers don't pay any attention to the rear axle ratio when truck buying. They just buy what's on the lot. My 2016 Ram does a great job towing my 12,000-12,500 lb high profile fifth wheel with the 6.4 hemi. It has a 4.10 rear axle and is rated to tow 15,650 lbs. I live in flat Louisiana but have towed Tennessee and Kentucky with this combo (did great and could go 65 everywhere I went) and will soon head off to Colorado.

I get 8 mpg towing this fiver with the 6.4 gasser and I got 11 mpg towing the same fiver with my 2015 Ram with Cummins diesel. If most of your towing is at elevations above 5,000 feet with lots of steep and long grades, I can certainly see getting a diesel at around 10K lbs. If most of your towing is in the eastern states, with occasional trips west every year or so, then a diesel is certainly a luxury and not a necessity. It's your money to spend any way you like. I just think it's bad advice for anyone to say you NEED a diesel at 10K lbs to someone located in flat Florida.

Izzy211 wrote:
We have the Starcraft 28TSI. Although not the bunkhouse you are looking still much the same unit. We bought last September and have used it every month since. Have had no real issues with the unit. I did have one issue with the 4 point level up on one rear stabilizer. Took to dealer and found loose wire at the main controller. Unit tows nice, finishes are excellent and the center island sink is perfect. The only item to get used to is the fact there is no way to add fresh water when you are at places with no water hookup. Good luck in your search. Choose one that best fits your family and enjoy!

Thank you! We have a 15' 2012 StarCraft ARONE as we've just been doing weekend camping since we are not retired yet. We bought it new and have had no issues with it whatsoever but it only has a manual awning, small fridge, microwave and AC, but it's been great. We like StarCraft a lot.

Road Phantom wrote:
We have a Keystone Cougar Xlite 5th wheel with the rear kitchen. I'm not sure if it's up or down in class from the Laredo, but we have had very little trouble with it. The downside is that our Ram 2500 is a little high for the trailer. So far we pulled it to Calif from Pa and then down to TX to Fl and back to Pa.
We wintered in TX for three years in it. The fridge went out but I can't fault Keystone for an aftermarket product that's out of warranty.
Interestingly, we tow with a 2500 5.7 Hemi, get about 11 mpg flat hwy doing 60 and so will stick with the gasser when we eventually trade to a new truck. If you will be over a 9000 lbs 5th wheel get the diesel. Otherwise, the Hemi is a strong alternative and won't burn a hole in your pocket. We owned 9 trailers and 5th wheels since '85 and feel this has been one of our best trailers overall.

Great information! My husband is leaning towards the diesel 2500 series but the fifth wheel, unloaded, would be in the 8300 lb range most likely.

We bought a Crossroads Cruiser 5th wheel 3 years ago. 1 year and 2 months after purchase I had a wheel snap all 6 lugs of and go out through the sidewall. Had to fight with them to repair that because we were 2 months over warrantee. We noticed a seam separation when we were bringing the unit into CW for a repair. It was determined by CW and the extended warrantee company that Cruiser failed to put wood in the channels of the trailer base. Resulted in $2500 damage. I'm sure you can tell that I am not recommending them. They have now stopped responding to my communications.....

We have the Starcraft 28TSI. Although not the bunkhouse you are looking still much the same unit. We bought last September and have used it every month since. Have had no real issues with the unit. I did have one issue with the 4 point level up on one rear stabilizer. Took to dealer and found loose wire at the main controller. Unit tows nice, finishes are excellent and the center island sink is perfect. The only item to get used to is the fact there is no way to add fresh water when you are at places with no water hookup. Good luck in your search. Choose one that best fits your family and enjoy!

We have a Keystone Cougar Xlite 5th wheel with the rear kitchen. I'm not sure if it's up or down in class from the Laredo, but we have had very little trouble with it. The downside is that our Ram 2500 is a little high for the trailer. So far we pulled it to Calif from Pa and then down to TX to Fl and back to Pa.
We wintered in TX for three years in it. The fridge went out but I can't fault Keystone for an aftermarket product that's out of warranty.
Interestingly, we tow with a 2500 5.7 Hemi, get about 11 mpg flat hwy doing 60 and so will stick with the gasser when we eventually trade to a new truck. If you will be over a 9000 lbs 5th wheel get the diesel. Otherwise, the Hemi is a strong alternative and won't burn a hole in your pocket. We owned 9 trailers and 5th wheels since '85 and feel this has been one of our best trailers overall.

There may be Face Book pages for those units. I know there is one for the Grand Design units.