Nuts & Bolts
Need information from all of the seasoned Fifth Wheel owners out there. Taking off all the lipstick and mascara tell me what's the most important things to be looking at in terms of our first RV? Ta...
Forum Discussion
First thank you for the opinions!
Second my answers to your questions.
At this time we think we want to do year round camping, weather permitting. Meaning that we don't plan on taking off in a blizzard but we did actually discuss using it should the power go out in the house because of a storm. We plan on starting with weekend/extended weekend trips till we get the hang of things (and any bugs worked out, we actually figure our first weekend spent in it will be in our driveway). Then taking some one or two week trips and we plan on traveling all over the country.
To me the build of it starting at the frame and working up to the roof are important. So I know we want a good foundation and that means, good framing, insulation and sub floor material. Some we've seen use tongue and groove plywood, others some sort of particle board. What I don't know is what insulation values are standard vs. upgraded on RV's. Is the plywood exterior grade or treated to prevent mold growth? Are they using a house type wrap too? Can anyone answer that for me?
What about the roof trusses? We've seen metal and wood but which is better and will last longer. Does one flex better than the other? What should be on the roof, what's the most durable roofing product and again what insulation value should be in there?
What about the walls, again we've seen wood and metal framing and the insulation in the walls varies as well. People think insulation and they think cold but it protects against heat and help keep your cool air in too, but what we don't know is what value is standard in the RV industry vs. what is considered higher quality.
Tires are another issue! Been reading it's one of the first things a lot of folks replace to me that's nuts. You spend that much money on something you shouldn't have to replace the tires before you ever use it.
Slides have several different ways of being maneuvered, we seen aircraft type cables, we seen rack and pinion and we've read about hydraulics. How do you know which is better?
On the exterior they talk about automotive quality paint or gel coating. While it being pretty isn't important to me, the seal of it is. I don't want water getting in behind corners and doors, rusting out things I can't see, so which of these is better or is there another option that I've not found yet?
The awnings we've seen them mounted over the slide and open when the slide does other don't have that. Is this feature better for the protection of the slide from weather or just a 'neat' feature?
As for floor plans I bet we've looked at every manufacture there is in a fifth wheel in a size we want and know we can tow. They are all the same! So finding a floor plan isn't going to be near as hard as finding a manufacture that is doing a better build that's going to last. I know no single one will do all that we think they should but we'd love to come close.
As a side note, not being familiar with the industry, we figured that a company as iconic as Winnebago would have quality products. When we first started looking before we had decided on a fifth wheel we looked at some of their Class A's. We were shocked at how cheaply made the insides looked. Walking through a brand new one and seeing the trim not attached, bi-fold doors that didn't work and closet doors off their hinges really surprised me. Yes, these a little things but if you aren't paying attention to those, what do the really important things look like???
Second my answers to your questions.
At this time we think we want to do year round camping, weather permitting. Meaning that we don't plan on taking off in a blizzard but we did actually discuss using it should the power go out in the house because of a storm. We plan on starting with weekend/extended weekend trips till we get the hang of things (and any bugs worked out, we actually figure our first weekend spent in it will be in our driveway). Then taking some one or two week trips and we plan on traveling all over the country.
To me the build of it starting at the frame and working up to the roof are important. So I know we want a good foundation and that means, good framing, insulation and sub floor material. Some we've seen use tongue and groove plywood, others some sort of particle board. What I don't know is what insulation values are standard vs. upgraded on RV's. Is the plywood exterior grade or treated to prevent mold growth? Are they using a house type wrap too? Can anyone answer that for me?
What about the roof trusses? We've seen metal and wood but which is better and will last longer. Does one flex better than the other? What should be on the roof, what's the most durable roofing product and again what insulation value should be in there?
What about the walls, again we've seen wood and metal framing and the insulation in the walls varies as well. People think insulation and they think cold but it protects against heat and help keep your cool air in too, but what we don't know is what value is standard in the RV industry vs. what is considered higher quality.
Tires are another issue! Been reading it's one of the first things a lot of folks replace to me that's nuts. You spend that much money on something you shouldn't have to replace the tires before you ever use it.
Slides have several different ways of being maneuvered, we seen aircraft type cables, we seen rack and pinion and we've read about hydraulics. How do you know which is better?
On the exterior they talk about automotive quality paint or gel coating. While it being pretty isn't important to me, the seal of it is. I don't want water getting in behind corners and doors, rusting out things I can't see, so which of these is better or is there another option that I've not found yet?
The awnings we've seen them mounted over the slide and open when the slide does other don't have that. Is this feature better for the protection of the slide from weather or just a 'neat' feature?
As for floor plans I bet we've looked at every manufacture there is in a fifth wheel in a size we want and know we can tow. They are all the same! So finding a floor plan isn't going to be near as hard as finding a manufacture that is doing a better build that's going to last. I know no single one will do all that we think they should but we'd love to come close.
As a side note, not being familiar with the industry, we figured that a company as iconic as Winnebago would have quality products. When we first started looking before we had decided on a fifth wheel we looked at some of their Class A's. We were shocked at how cheaply made the insides looked. Walking through a brand new one and seeing the trim not attached, bi-fold doors that didn't work and closet doors off their hinges really surprised me. Yes, these a little things but if you aren't paying attention to those, what do the really important things look like???
