Lightweight FW

4x4ord wrote:
My BIL uses his Phoenix about 8 weekends per year and is fairly happy with it. It is a pretty cheap light rv. My Citation is about as light as I would want....15500 lbs gvwr with a curb weight around 13000 lbs. It seems as though most people prefer buying junk and saving money as opposed to spending the bucks on quality.....therefore there is only about two quality 5th wheel manufacturers left in business.

LOL, which ones are they?

My BIL uses his Phoenix about 8 weekends per year and is fairly happy with it. It is a pretty cheap light rv. My Citation is about as light as I would want....15500 lbs gvwr with a curb weight around 13000 lbs. It seems as though most people prefer buying junk and saving money as opposed to spending the bucks on quality.....therefore there is only about two quality 5th wheel manufacturers left in business.

cougar 1/2 ton towed with 2500 hemi east coast to west coast three times. lived in it full time three winters total of 23 months, no major issues. solid construction. maintained seals and running gear, batteries, etc. keeping my 2014 another three years and upgrading to new model of the same keystone product.

Denniso wrote:
Sorry about that. Intended use is 5-6 trips per year. Probably about 4 weeks use per year.

With your intended use, any unit, lite or otherwise should hold up fine. But in any case, proper maintenance over the years will have the biggest impact on the unit.

I wonder who sets the standards for declaring a model to be "light". Is there a certain weight standard or is it just something used as a marketing technique aimed at a certain segment of the rv purchasing crowd? I know there are a few models that are considered half ton towable but most require at least a 3/4 ton truck. Maybe that is the difference.

Way off subject, but I find the recurring comments about using a fifth wheel for parking and a motorhome for traveling to be nothing more than a personal preference opinion. Having had 2 motorhomes, the last a 40' diesel pusher for 7 years, and 5 fifth wheels thru the years, our preference by a long shot is a fifth wheel. I can hook and unhook our fifth wheel just as fast, and maybe even faster than I could the tow car behind our motorhome. Hooking up the outside connections is no different than a motorhome's. With auto level I can level just as fast also. The big argument is the convenience of having kitchen and bathroom facilities and leveling buttons on the inside which we have found to be not such a big deal. I still have those but I have go outside to get to them, yes, sometimes in not pleasant weather, but not very often. We have put close to 50K miles on the Winslow and done many trips moving fairly frequently. I have never found it to be any more of hassle than when we had the motorhomes.

There are many more arguments for and against that have been covered time and again. Like I said, it's a personal preference.

Jim@HiTek wrote:
What's your intended use? 5th-Wheels are generally better for making one or two trips a year and staying parked the rest of the time. Snow bird style. The Keystone Light Weight line would be adequate for that style of RVing.

Have heard some complaints about how cheaply they are made.

What? LOL, we use our 28' lighter 5th wheel from april to Nov 1st doing weekends and several 1-2 week trips. Hardly full timing.
We got a 5th wheel for the exc storage and tow-ability.

Dennis, look at the Jayco Eagle HT and KZ Durango 1500 lines. Both decent mfrs with 2 year warranty. I just got a Durango 1500 277RLT, but have yet to take it out. Both claim "half-ton towable", but there's no way I'd tow even the smallest of either with a half-ton truck for any distance, unless it was to deliver them from the factory and completely empty.

Lyle

Please do not tell my Cougar Xlite 25RES that it is supposed to be used only once or twice a year. It will start thinking that it is being abused. :)

Jim@HiTek wrote:
What's your intended use? 5th-Wheels are generally better for making one or two trips a year and staying parked the rest of the time. Snow bird style. The Keystone Light Weight line would be adequate for that style of RVing.

Have heard some complaints about how cheaply they are made.

‘15 Cougar XLite here pulled by ‘12 F150 6k+ Miles towed and over 200 nights. Never knew 5th wheels weren’t for traveling. 60k+ on the last one. I thot 5th wheels were to enjoy the towing and camping experience. Towing is half the fun.

Cheaply made? “ there is nothing a sane man an make that an insane man can’t destroy” My last Ultra Lite 5th wheel had 14 years when sold and still going.

The key to "long term" has nothing to do with who put the trailer together. It's all about how it is used and maintained.

We don't have the smoothest roads and bouncing down them at 60+ MPH, things (screws, nuts and bolts, plumbing fittings, etc) are going to come apart. Rougher the roads, the more things will come apart.

Proper maintenance of wheel bearings will make them last longer.

If you store it outside, you'll need to be more proactive with inspecting and fixing cracked caulking.

If it is regularly parked in dirt or grass, versus gravel or pavement, your tire will not last as long.

You need to be concerned with matching up the truck and trailer, weight wise, and a floor plan that works for you, much more than a name on the side of the trailer.

If you're going to use it in cooler weather, I would recommend a unit with electric heat pads on the holding tanks and sewer lines. Last time I was shopping, I was told, by a Keystone dealer, that Keystone does not, and will not install them. I'm currently on my second Flagstaff (Forest River product) that has them as a factory option. Some dealers order that option on all of their stock.