I stumbled across this forum today and I am excited

I ended up buying the Heartland Bighorn. It was laid out exactly the way I wanted my 5th wheel to be. My wife and I used it several times and love it. What a difference from the Heartland BH270 pull behind.

2oldman wrote:

prelucir wrote:
I cannot find data on any manufacturer that shows the quality they put into it. They all just State that they us high quality materials. .. I am thinking about going on some factory tours.

Yes, I doubt you'd find any mfr stating they use the cheapest materials they can find.

Using high-quality materials is one thing, taking the time to properly install them is another. That's where the costs go up: labor. Another gauge of durability and quality, is weight.

Factory tours are a good thing. I've been on many. You really get to see the nuts 'n bolts there, like how the floors are done. Stuff you can never see in a finished unit.

You are correct on that. I was looking on Jayco and they showed a video about how their roofs can hold up to 4500 pounds I think it was. But what they don't say is whether or not the walls can support that much weight. I will keep searching. I am guessing there are only a few companies that make the materials that go into the 5th wheels, so I doubt there are too many choices for the manufacturers to purchase.

I was comparing the Jayco HT 5th wheels with the Grand Design Reflection which is the line below the Solitude. The difference was the Grand Design had very few options that you could select because it included everything that was optional on the Jayco, I can't buy right now but if I did I think I would go with the Grand Design. When I added all the options that the Grand Design already included to the Jayco there was very little difference in price.

I would also check the various owners forums and see what the actual owners are saying.

Jayco Owners Forum

Grand Design Owners Forum

Use these forums to ask specific questions you may have regarding quality on the models you are interested in.

Good luck in your search

That makes sense to me. I did not notice that GD comes with more options. When I look at the web page where there is one for sale, the options are not fully listed. Or they state a "package". I don't think most people know what a package is unless they Google it. Thank you very much.
-John

prelucir wrote:

2oldman wrote:

prelucir wrote:

2oldman wrote:

prelucir wrote:
Prices seem to be low end Heartland and high end Grand Design. So now the question is, why the big difference in prices?

It's always the same answer: it costs more to make them.

What does that even mean? .. But what about the quality?

You don't think what a product costs to make has anything to do with quality?

Yes I do. The problem is I cannot find data on any manufacturer that shows the quality they put into it. They all just State that they us high quality materials. So now that goes back to, if everyone is using high quality materials then the price difference is either name or inefficiency.

It's like buying a house. Do u buy it because it looks good or because it has a solid inspection. My mind is far from made up. I have a long road ahead, but I am not in a hurry.

I think I am asking for information that does not exist. I have family in Indiana, I am thinking about going on some factory tours.

I was comparing the Jayco HT 5th wheels with the Grand Design Reflection which is the line below the Solitude. The difference was the Grand Design had very few options that you could select because it included everything that was optional on the Jayco, I can't buy right now but if I did I think I would go with the Grand Design. When I added all the options that the Grand Design already included to the Jayco there was very little difference in price.

I would also check the various owners forums and see what the actual owners are saying.

Jayco Owners Forum

Grand Design Owners Forum

Use these forums to ask specific questions you may have regarding quality on the models you are interested in.

Good luck in your search

prelucir wrote:
I cannot find data on any manufacturer that shows the quality they put into it. They all just State that they us high quality materials. .. I am thinking about going on some factory tours.

Yes, I doubt you'd find any mfr stating they use the cheapest materials they can find.

Using high-quality materials is one thing, taking the time to properly install them is another. That's where the costs go up: labor. Another gauge of durability and quality, is weight.

Factory tours are a good thing. I've been on many. You really get to see the nuts 'n bolts there, like how the floors are done. Stuff you can never see in a finished unit.

2oldman wrote:

prelucir wrote:

2oldman wrote:

prelucir wrote:
Prices seem to be low end Heartland and high end Grand Design. So now the question is, why the big difference in prices?

It's always the same answer: it costs more to make them.

What does that even mean? .. But what about the quality?

You don't think what a product costs to make has anything to do with quality?

Yes I do. The problem is I cannot find data on any manufacturer that shows the quality they put into it. They all just State that they us high quality materials. So now that goes back to, if everyone is using high quality materials then the price difference is either name or inefficiency.

It's like buying a house. Do u buy it because it looks good or because it has a solid inspection. My mind is far from made up. I have a long road ahead, but I am not in a hurry.

I think I am asking for information that does not exist. I have family in Indiana, I am thinking about going on some factory tours.

You seem to have your mind already set so anything we say will not matter. We pull them all and it will not come apart inside or out if the structure is solid.
I wish you luck in your decision.

prelucir wrote:

2oldman wrote:

prelucir wrote:
Prices seem to be low end Heartland and high end Grand Design. So now the question is, why the big difference in prices?

It's always the same answer: it costs more to make them.

What does that even mean? .. But what about the quality?

You don't think what a product costs to make has anything to do with quality?

2oldman wrote:

prelucir wrote:
Prices seem to be low end Heartland and high end Grand Design. So now the question is, why the big difference in prices?

It's always the same answer: it costs more to make them.

What does that even mean? I take that statement to suggest that Grand Design has poor management and thus their costs are higher and so they pass it on to the consumer. But what about the quality?
I am looking for the specific data to show that they are using better quality products vs. others. And not blanket statements. That is what salesman say and then people draw their own picture of the meaning. Then purchase and are disappointed because their own picture did not equal the facts. I know, I did that once.
So far only Jayco has listed some pretty impressive specific date. I might have to look closer at the rest. It just seems odd to me that each manufacturer does not list, in big bold letters, all of their highlights. Auto companies all do it. When I was shopping for my Ford, there was an endless supply of data on each manufactures web page that I was easily able to compile and then make a decision. Of course, there is no substitute for hands on. The problem is, I knew more about my truck than the salesman, he knew nothing. Couldn't even tell me the tow rating.

I guess I am not so concerned about the interior. I can see that with my own eyes what that looks like. I am concerned with what I cannot see. I cannot see the frames or the construction of the trailers.
Jayco is the only one of the three that I have mentioned that shows on their web page the specific quality of how their trailers are build. I am impressed with Jayco's climate shield. I am also impressed with their roof construction and two year warranty.
I don't know anything about their smaller trailers, but I find hard to believe that the 5th wheels fall apart in towing. You cannot put a two year warranty on a product that is going to fall apart when you first pull it.
The other major thing is, what amenities come in each. Believe it or not, that data is a bit hard to correlate on each model. Perhaps I am not looking hard enough. At this point I am not concerned with the aesthetics of the interior. I am more concerned with who has the better built, not buy reputation, but by demonstration. I have not found that.
I am going to hit the shows this spring and check out the trailers. I have to sell my TT before I can buy anyhow. I am not in a rush. I am just looking for specific data and cannot find it. But I will. Perhaps I need to ask my questions differently.