norfla71 wrote:
I've concluded that cost does not dictate quality, as each of the higher end units suffer from the same maladies as "3 seasons" or "lower quality" rigs; improperly installed slides, dangerous wiring, cabinet doors falling off, bathroom pocket doors jamming shut due to hardware falling out, bathroom mirrors falling out and destroying vanities, water leaks, improperly installed suspensions, delamination, cracking frames and the list goes on.
I'm not as experienced as some, but here is my opinion - it's worth what you pay for it.
'Quality' is a perception - it means something different to each person.
A high-end fiver which travels several thousand miles per year is going to have several hardware / finish / fit issues.
A low-end fiver which hardly ever travels is going to have almost not hardware / finish / fit issues.
When traveling - stuff in trailers moves. There is no way to build a rig that doesn't weigh dozens of tons which does not have some movement induced issues.
We have a lower end TT for full-timing. I've had some things come lose. I've had to tighten many things. No, I don't think it's poor quality. It's 6,500 miles in the first year.
Every new rig needs some adjustments, some tightening, some minor modifications after a while on the road. As you take care of the really minor maintenance issues - you have fewer and fewer.
Frames, axles, etc - my uninformed opinion is that 60-75% of the RVs I see - hundreds over the past year - are overloaded. Ours is very close to the maximums. I've had mine weighed with Escapees SmartWeigh - and had to move stuff around because I had too much weight on one side of the trailer.
Probably 10-15% are dangerously over loaded.
I saw a fellow pull a 32 ft TT into the state park where we are hosting two days ago with a 3500 dually. His equalizing/ anti-sway hitch was set so that he had a near six inch dip at the hitch ball, his front of this his truck was elevated almost five inches due to improper setup of the hitch.
He complained about cheap Chinese tires because he had another blowout on the way to the park. His blowouts are always on the driver's side front axle tire. Which when you look at the trailer in tow condition - you can see the nose down attitude and tilt to the driver's side that his trailer load isn't balanced.
He's also been RVing for 'over 30 years' and knows everything about towing.
There is a thread on another part of this forum about 5th wheel height - and several folks talk about there 5ers tow nose high because of the way their truck is setup.
Towing nose high shifts more weight onto the rear axle - and it is very easy to exceed the axle weight capacity. I've only known about ten people who've had axle issues with 5ers. All tow nose high, and all have heavily loaded rigs.
I've met people over the past year who have full-timed for over five years in Casita's - which are certainly not 4 season rigs, and people who have full-timed over five years in the top 5ers, and in everything between. We co-hosted with a lady and her disabled son who have been on the road four years in a Roadmaster conversion. Met a family three weeks ago on their fourth year on the road in a King Aire that costs more than my total income over my best 10 years.
The key thing is each of these folks knows their rig, takes care of minor issues, watches their weight closely, and pays attention to warning signs - and fixes things before they become major issues.
