How a TT is built

There is more than one way to build a RV, particularly a towable, and most mass market manufacturers like Jayco, Forest River, Gulfstream use at least two different approaches, one stick-built like a lightweight house, the other using laminated panels with aluminum reinforcing frames, for the two sidewalls at least. In the second category, a lot of the details differ: roof construction, end caps vs framing or another laminated wall, wheter it sits in the floor or walls hang on the side of the frame, and how panels are fastened together to make a box.

Alternative methods like molded shells (BigFoot, Scamp, Casita, Escape, Oliver), aluminum framed (not laminated) walls (Newmar, New Horizons, the former Carriage and some Sunnybrook models), and aluminum semi-monocoque borrowing '30s aircraft methods (Airstream the only one left today) are confined to premium markets because the constuction techniques are more expensive.

Before buying I toured Jayco (plant was building laminated wall Eagle line), Winnebago (the "standard" line building four brands of C and six of A gas motorhomes with common construction) and Newmar (main line building fivers and all motorhomes up to Mountainaire). There was not much in common to the working methods, Newmar looking more like a craftsman shop, Winnebago organized and automated more like a 1960s automobile plant than Jayco's labor team operation.

Since then, I've visited Casita, which has more of a feeling a boat building shop putting together a dozen or so small, semi-custom cruisers at a time.

But what most of us buy is probably built the way shown at Jayco, the prices we are willing to pay put us there. More money doesn't always get you better, because the mass market guys create premium lines with more options, more slideout rooms, fancier interior trim, and exterior paint jobs. But you won't get better quality without psying more, because it costs more to build them better.

Last factory tour we took they explained to us that the assembly workers came early AM and are paid on piece work. When they meet their quota they are allowed to leave.

Happy trails,

Dadmomh, there is no negative slant on the Amish, but it's marketing at its best for the mfr to describe a manufacturing line worker as a craftsman. The Amish are noted for their precise craftmanship, so the manufacturers want you to believe that they build trailers like that, but they don't.

You are 100% correct, I'll bet those line workers are more than capable of building a TT that any craftsman would be proud of, but they aren't getting paid to do that, mainly because we as customers couldn't afford to buy them.

Overall, when you consider what you pay for what you get in a TT, it's a good value....a lot of folks who come on this forum to complain are expecting Lexus quality for the price of a Yugo and frustrated when they don't get it.

Besides Airstream, there are several companies that build hi-end 5ers that are craftsman quality and they price out at $150k++

The trailers we buy are engineered to a price point, not to a quality standard.

Kneeling on the water tanks, flying through with the nailer, drilling through the floor at an angle to mount it to the frame! many other little things that will show up for the new customer!

I`m sure nothing has changed except maybe they increased the amount they do in a day.

That is pathetic and I wouldn`t be proud of that video or assembly process at all, and all the manuf. do it this way!

BillB800si wrote:
We looked the Lance over but didn't like any of their floor plans. They make great slide on campers..

x2. IMO they do build a quality unit. Just don't make one with the right seating floor plan.

We looked the Lance over but didn't like any of their floor plans. They make great slide on campers..

If you want to see how a quality TT is built, watch the newest Lance Camper video - they're precision built to zero tolerance (no room for gapping or gimp") Plus they build in California, one of the most stringent set of rules (CARB) etc, to begin with! No formaldehyde or mercury in the Lance!! They've been at this for 50 years (and 6 years for the TT)

It was this video that got me interested in Lance to start with:

Lance Camper & Trailers

We also had a plant tour - of the Rockwood ROO/Mini Lites factory in Millersburg, IN. DH was in manufacturing management his entire career and commented he wished he'd had employees that hustled like that. Maybe many are not familiar with production work, but there is a system, a schedule, a goal for a particular time. It's not at all unusual to see workers at some of the automotive supplier companies finish their goal very early in their shift and the rest of the time they can play cards or whatever as long as they're in the building and no, I'm not kidding. You won't see that in the plant we toured. We were told that when the goal is met, there is plenty or resupply and cleaning to be done. We were there mid-day and didn't notice them near their goal at that time.

There is an inspection area toward the end and virtually all of the employees in that are women. They spotted problems here and there, tagged or marked them and then they were corrected.

I do wish that there didn't seem to be such a negative slant to Amish craftsmen/assembly line workers. Would many of us be able to handle the cost of a "craftsman built" TT?? Look over the threads on Airstream and some of the higher end trailers and most feel that their budgets would not allow for that. Certainly, not ours. These are Amish or Mennonite workers who happen to work on an assembly line and they work long, hard, hot, freezing cold hours. They are not paid to produce craftsman products. If a person wants a "craftsman built" RV they need to be prepared to pay 2 or 3 times what a FR or Jayco, etc cost. We would have to stay home. We're pleased with both FR trailers we've had and felt that they were well built and a good value for what we paid.

stus. family wrote:
....most of the workers were done for the day as they start at 5:00AM then leave after they meet their quota.

Great tours at both factories you can stay at the Elkhart KOA which is also great and then tour all of the surrounding Amish area.

The piecemeal pay system has been a standard in the RV industry for years. Workers are rewarded for speed, not accuracy or craftsmanship. Why we see the results we do, especially when it's behind a wall or under a cabinet. But they are building to a price point in most cases, and fancy trim and doo-dads are what sells campers, not how neatly the wiring is run in the ceiling.

We have been on several factory tour over the years and they are a lot of fun. If you are in Elkhart, also visit the RVIA Hall of Fame Museum, it has a lot of cool exhibits that show camping vehicles and equipment as they were used throughout the 20th century. You can walk in most of the old campers and trailers and see how they were back in the day.

K Charles wrote:
And Jayco is proud of that video.

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We had a 2007 Jayco Eagle 322FKS trailer. Guess they still use old technology( wood trusses- wood floor- fiberglass batten insulation etc..)
We presently are looking over a 2015 Forest River Rockwood 8310SS trailer with aluminum walls, flooring and roof. Also has solid foam insulation. Got rid of our Jayco when we found delamination problems.

Happy trails,