First 5th wheel advise

Floorplan would be #1 priority for me. I would avoid a plan that has kitchen on the door side. You usually can't see your camp site, the only view being your next door neighbors camp site. I would try to avoid having a fridge in a slide. They sometimes dont ventilate/draft well.
Most of the mass produced units are basically built the same. I would lean towards Grand Design.

TXiceman wrote:

Toolshed wrote:

laknox wrote:

TXiceman wrote:
First and foremost, avoid anything built by Thor or Forest River. Look for used Carriage Cameo, HitchHikers, Excel, Arctic Fox. These are generally heavier than the currently built trailers, but are better quality.

Ken

I'd add a pre-'17 KZ Durango 1500 or Durango 2500 to the list. 2017 was when Thor bought them out.

Lyle

I’m curious as to why to avoid Forest River?

They have a poor history of quality control and customer service.

Ken

Thank you, all.

If you have enough tow vehicle, do not discount a Teton Homes 5 th wheel. Teton closed it’s doors in 2007/2008 along with several other high quality, high dollar RV manufacturers! They offered several models in a lighter weight units, though most Tetons were pretty heavy ....ours goes right at 20K, loaded and ready to go! There are still a few out there, offered for sale, at a fraction of what they sold for when new! Obviously, as with any used unit, be very cautious and observant when checking for roof, sidewall, or slide leakage causing sidewall ( they used wood frames) or flooring damage. We’re on our 4th Teton since 1993, and while there are a few (darn few) high quality construction, 4-season units around.....the Tetons are among the “best of the best”! memtb

TXiceman wrote:
Look for used Carriage Cameo, HitchHikers, Excel, Arctic Fox. These are generally heavier than the currently built trailers, but are better quality.

X3. We're on our third Carriage. Several weeks ago, on our return trip from Texas, a guy blew a stop sign and hit us. The end result was that both our truck and trailer were totaled. Our Carriage was totaled because of the exterior damage from his vehicle hitting it and when we jackknifed. The interior was a bit messed up from the contents being strewn about, but we incurred very little damage to them. When we started looking for aa replacement Carriage was at the top of our list. Even though the original brand hasn't been manufactured since 2011 the quality is very good. Hope this helps.

You might also want to look at older high quality 5ers that don't have any Lippert in them. I will keep my 2008 forever because of that. Craig

Toolshed wrote:

laknox wrote:

TXiceman wrote:
First and foremost, avoid anything built by Thor or Forest River. Look for used Carriage Cameo, HitchHikers, Excel, Arctic Fox. These are generally heavier than the currently built trailers, but are better quality.

Ken

I'd add a pre-'17 KZ Durango 1500 or Durango 2500 to the list. 2017 was when Thor bought them out.

Lyle

I’m curious as to why to avoid Forest River?

They have a poor history of quality control and customer service.

Ken

laknox wrote:

TXiceman wrote:
First and foremost, avoid anything built by Thor or Forest River. Look for used Carriage Cameo, HitchHikers, Excel, Arctic Fox. These are generally heavier than the currently built trailers, but are better quality.

Ken

I'd add a pre-'17 KZ Durango 1500 or Durango 2500 to the list. 2017 was when Thor bought them out.

Lyle

I’m curious as to why to avoid Forest River?

M.R.E. wrote:
My son-in-law is looking for a good first 5th wheel under 32'. He will be pulling it with a Ram 2500 CTD.I am not sure what to recommend in that size for two people. Any recommendations would be appreciated.

I would stay with around 12k for max rv weight, GVWR, with a 3/4 ton.
Look for one that has a floor plan that allows you to access the fridge, and bathroom with the slides closed, for quick lunch breaks while traveling.
I have owned, Forest River Cedar Creek, Keystone, Jayco, Vanleigh, and have not had any major problems from any of them.

We ended up with our Montana HC because it had the gen prep, but when looking, I really liked the smaller Grand Design Reflection 150 series. There's just two of us and some fur kids and we use it just for vacations.

TXiceman wrote:
First and foremost, avoid anything built by Thor or Forest River. Look for used Carriage Cameo, HitchHikers, Excel, Arctic Fox. These are generally heavier than the currently built trailers, but are better quality.

Ken

I'd add a pre-'17 KZ Durango 1500 or Durango 2500 to the list. 2017 was when Thor bought them out.

Lyle