Forum Discussion

kennyd63's avatar
kennyd63
Explorer
Feb 25, 2015

Rear kitchen.

Top of the morning-

Hello folks,

Does anyone know if Jayco, or any other manufacture makes a T.T. with a rear kitchen? I have seen some, however they are too long and heavy for my T.V. which is a 2009 F-150 4.6 engine.:h

Thank you in advance to all.

17 Replies

  • As far as layouts go, we really like the KZ Spree 262RKS. The fridge is in the slide with the pantry next to the door. With the straight counter, there is above average usable counter surface area and more upper & lower cabinets compared to some other designs and since the counter isn't L-shaped or angled, there is more circulation space around the kitchen area. The exterior door at the rear, next to the kitchen is very handy for carrying food in & out to the picnic table or BBQ (some doors are at mid TT length).

    KZ had an early 2014 version of the same TT (261RKS) where they moved the fridge next to the door and made the counter angled (as in 2015 Sportsmen S262RK). KZ supposedly had a lot of negative industry feedback and went back to the layout below.

    A couple of things that can be overlooked in some RK layouts is that you may not be able to view the TV from both sofa and a dinette seat. Also, there may no place for a garbage can (our Spree has room for a decent size one next to dinette seat at bathroom wall).

    I thought there were a few other makes with an almost identical layout but can't see any on the RVingplanet.com list . I thought Jayco did for sure, but they may have revised their 2015 model. FWIW, one feature that the Spree 262RKS has that I haven't seen elsewhere yet is the large shower stall.

    As Lynnmor said, bounce can be an issue in RK models. You may at the least need to secure doors closed with better latches and/or tie handles together, use non-slip liners in cabinets and not leave things on the counter or in the sink. We've even had the stove grate bounce off and the open/close rod on the mini-blinds behind the sink come off. Some frames are stronger than other and that's something I would definitely look at closely. We installed shocks on our Spree and it runs very steady down the road. Our Spree has a standard Norcold fridge in the slide (8 cu. ft.). I think a Carefree Ascent slide topper works after talking to them last year, but would have to fully check details first.

  • Some things to consider before buying a rear kitchen model.
    The rear of any trailer takes the biggest bounce when traveling.
    More weight at the very end of the trailer, versus centered over the axle, will affect the handling and stress the frame more.
    If the refrigerator was installed in a slide, it may be shorter than one installed elsewhere. Also, a refrigerator in a slide will have less cooling so fans might be installed, reducing battery life. Side vents may interfere with a slide topper if you want one.
  • Surveyor makes the 264, which is my all-time favorite, but it's over your capacity. We have the F150 with 5.4, etc and we would have been maxed out plus a bit. Darn! I believe there are other similar models, but can't recall which brands. Might take a look online at the 264 just for reference. Good luck...love the rear kitchen!
  • Go to KZ and browse the different product lines. They have rear kitchens in most of them. We have had ours for 10 years now and has been a great unit. Some are lighter as well since you have a smaller TV and engine.

    http://www.kz-rv.com/index.html
  • We had three TT's prior to our fifth wheel with rear kitchens, two were Kit Companion's and the other a Komfort. One of the Kit's was 25', the other 27', and the Komfort was 32', the two latter were heavier.