New Fifth Wheels
So I'm trying to stay under $50,000.00 for a new 5er and have some questions. I've looked hard at the Heartland Elkridge and Silverado and the Montana Mountaineer. Looking at their bunkhouse models an...
Forum Discussion
I wish you luck. Recently I was looking at the current crop, and I wasn't happy. I came out of the experience with a very soured opinion, which I am now dumping here. I suspect that it is an opinion that may be shared by many. I understand that some of these companies are just barely staying in business, and are forced to cut corners in order to make a profit, but even some companies with a decent reputation are falling victim of this.
There was a time when you bought an RV and it wasn't a hodge-podge of cut-rate products from a well known manufacturing company that builds junk. Of course that is my opinion and others will tell tell you otherwise, but just my experience with what I have seen, left me appalled. One company, new to the awning business made their electric awning without an automatic stop, so when you rolled it out it could roll itself up inside out. Lots of thought went into that. The same company made furniture that when the hide-a-bed folded out it wouldn't sit flat on the floor. Everyone seems to now use inflatable mattresses in the hide-a-beds. Saves weight, but they none of them hold air very long. I saw an RV 6-volt battery from a company with an otherwise stellar reputation, that had only 75 amps of storage, installed in a big trailer. Do they really think we are that desperate to buy things just because they are fashionable; they must because they are selling them. People are buying RVs and the manufacturers aren't standing behind their products. Also, there is a reason that one trailer might weigh less than another, and it often is because corners have been cut. This site is filled with stories about the issues people have run into.
I certainly understand the desire to keep the cost and weight down, but it seems to be at the expense of quality. Everything is made pretty, but it seems rare to see them made well.
Since you asked I will give my positive advice. There are many companies out there that have been in business for many years, that make quality products and stand by their products. They are the tried and true backbone of the industry. Look for a trailer that uses those products and installs them well. That should be the trailer you choose. It will take some work and research, but you might be happier. Remember the old saying that really applies; where there is smoke, there is fire.
There was a time when you bought an RV and it wasn't a hodge-podge of cut-rate products from a well known manufacturing company that builds junk. Of course that is my opinion and others will tell tell you otherwise, but just my experience with what I have seen, left me appalled. One company, new to the awning business made their electric awning without an automatic stop, so when you rolled it out it could roll itself up inside out. Lots of thought went into that. The same company made furniture that when the hide-a-bed folded out it wouldn't sit flat on the floor. Everyone seems to now use inflatable mattresses in the hide-a-beds. Saves weight, but they none of them hold air very long. I saw an RV 6-volt battery from a company with an otherwise stellar reputation, that had only 75 amps of storage, installed in a big trailer. Do they really think we are that desperate to buy things just because they are fashionable; they must because they are selling them. People are buying RVs and the manufacturers aren't standing behind their products. Also, there is a reason that one trailer might weigh less than another, and it often is because corners have been cut. This site is filled with stories about the issues people have run into.
I certainly understand the desire to keep the cost and weight down, but it seems to be at the expense of quality. Everything is made pretty, but it seems rare to see them made well.
Since you asked I will give my positive advice. There are many companies out there that have been in business for many years, that make quality products and stand by their products. They are the tried and true backbone of the industry. Look for a trailer that uses those products and installs them well. That should be the trailer you choose. It will take some work and research, but you might be happier. Remember the old saying that really applies; where there is smoke, there is fire.
