Why are rear kitchens not so popular?
I read the thread about rear kitchens and all who have them say that they love them and would have no other. If they are so wonderful, then I wonder why most (90+%) of the floor plans manufactured ...
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The manufacturers build what sells. As most people used to hauling with trailers, of any kind, the plan is normally to put the most weight over the axles, be it a TT, a 5th wheel, a horse trailer, boat trailer, etc. Much of the weight of our 5th wheel is in the kitchen area, the fridge, stove, converter, the majority of storage cabinets for food, etc. I would not want all this weight on the rear of the trailer.
My wife's parents had a 5th wheel with a rear kitchen. One problem they found was that in their particular unit, the rear galley grey water tank hung too low and in 4 years they had to replace it twice, due to it dragging when pulling out of gas stations, going up into drive ways, etc. But their main complaint was the loss of the large windows in the rear of a rear living room model. While couples tend to spend time together in the living room area, seldom do both spend much time in the kitchen area unless they are one and the same. So the "cook" may prefer a rear kitchen with more counter space, often the non-cook will not care for the loss of rear vision when parked. When most of us are parked in a camping site, the only real view area we have are out the front and the back, unless we enjoy looking at our neighbors RV parked next to us. The front view in most 5th wheels is not there to enjoy the scenery, so without a good rear view, you are somewhat living in a box.
But everyone to their tastes, but from the few rear kitchen units out there, it would appear that they don't appeal to the majority of buyers.
My wife's parents had a 5th wheel with a rear kitchen. One problem they found was that in their particular unit, the rear galley grey water tank hung too low and in 4 years they had to replace it twice, due to it dragging when pulling out of gas stations, going up into drive ways, etc. But their main complaint was the loss of the large windows in the rear of a rear living room model. While couples tend to spend time together in the living room area, seldom do both spend much time in the kitchen area unless they are one and the same. So the "cook" may prefer a rear kitchen with more counter space, often the non-cook will not care for the loss of rear vision when parked. When most of us are parked in a camping site, the only real view area we have are out the front and the back, unless we enjoy looking at our neighbors RV parked next to us. The front view in most 5th wheels is not there to enjoy the scenery, so without a good rear view, you are somewhat living in a box.
But everyone to their tastes, but from the few rear kitchen units out there, it would appear that they don't appeal to the majority of buyers.
