Light 5vrs

There "light" for a reason. If your planning more than the occasional weekend, then go for an older more high end unit. Of course then TV comes into play.

Aircrafts are made out of light weight materials. The space shuttle was made out of light weight materials. The quality of the build has no relationship to the weight. You need to do your due diligence and investigate the quality of the build regardless of what material it is made out of.

Two RV's with the same weight, built out of the same materials, can vary widely in quality of build.

Our rig came off the assembly line weighing in at 5700 lbs. Perfect.

For regular use, I prefer a heavier unit. Weight doesn't guarantee a quality build, but unless you can afford a titanium frame/ect., the lightweight will probably be pretty fragil! If you've been on many of our highways, the lightweight will "probably get lighter as you travel"! ;). memtb

I think the Lite models will have smaller tanks, lighter frames, lighter axles/suspension/brakes, less CCC, making them more use able for lighter duty tow vehicles.

Jerry

We have had lite/ultra lite trailers and have a heavy one now. The heavy one is better quality, has higher cargo carrying capacity, and was more expensive.

Jayco Eagle HT 28.5 owner here. We have put more than 15,000 mi on our rig in two years. It still looks like the day we bought it and have had no problems. WOW no broken frame!!!! Nothing falling apart!!!!! Didn't shake apart going down the road!!! The funny thing is over the years on here I read of all the problems people have and non of them seem to be from guys and gals with light rigs. What i do see is the same old problems with rigs across the industry. Light lb rigs have been out for some time and unless i am mistaken i have not read one post with the "suppose problems". If this is were your leaning then go for it because even if you buy a heavy rig it can and may still have problems. LIGHT RIGS RULE!!!!!!!!
:) :)

billy1davis wrote:
What are the Risks of buying newer 5vr that is in the Lite Class versus an older 5vr that weighs more?
Am I paranoid? I am thinking that an older 5vr that may weigh 1/3 more is a better bet than a brand new one that is in the lite class?
What think ye?

Depends on the use you want to put it to and what you're towing with. With an older 3/4 ton, you might want to look at "light" FWs. If you're in 1 ton, then look at the non-light models; new or used.

Lyle

Depends on how old your truck is. If you have a newer truck you may find an older 5er will not fit without expensive lifting modifications.

I don't see lightweight as being the enemy if engineered correctly. I prefer to look for products that have safety margins with their frame capacities and running gear. My trailer axles and tires have capacity safety margins of 42% and 36% respectively. After following this forum for a while I conclude there are many failures due to people running things right to the edge of their specs. "Can't understand why my tires failed, I was 6 pounds under max capacity". Look underneath. A manufacturer that over engineers their running gear will probably be conscientious elsewhere.

Durb, I could not agree more! It's just very difficult (not impossible) for the buyer to ascertain the quality of construction. Too many manufacturers do the minimum (maybe less),to be competitive in the market while maximizing profits. I hate government, but it's a shame that there are strict regulations similar to the auto industry. I predict that quality and customer satisfaction would go up..... along with the price! memtb