Rear kitchens

We've got a rear kitchen in our newest TT. Totally love the rear kitchen too. It's a Forest River Surveyor Select SV-301. No problems at all with things getting out of sorts during a trip. We have lots of counter space and tons of cabinets. We can also access the fridge with the slide closed. Great camper.

VolFamily wrote:
I am really surprised by those who have had problems with their rear kitchens. I wonder if it has to do with the way the TT is loaded and one's set-up. Our current Jayco Eagle with RK has had no issues with bounce at all. Speed bumps don't create a problem, drawers don't fly open, nothing bounces from the sink, etc, etc. To date, everything has been in the expect spot on arrival as it was on departure. Makes me wonder why some folks have such severe issues. Hmmm.

Thank you! I totally agree.

I am really surprised by those who have had problems with their rear kitchens. I wonder if it has to do with the way the TT is loaded and one's set-up. Our current Jayco Eagle with RK has had no issues with bounce at all. Speed bumps don't create a problem, drawers don't fly open, nothing bounces from the sink, etc, etc. To date, everything has been in the expect spot on arrival as it was on departure. Makes me wonder why some folks have such severe issues. Hmmm.

Last Trailer was a front kitchen. That layout sucked, no counter space very limited cabinet space, no room to move.

Our 2014 Puma has a rear kitchen, tons of cabinet and counter space, plus room to move around.

The fridge would be blocked by the slide, but this is not an issue as we are at a permanent site. I can see how that would be a problem though which I never considered.

Bottom is line is that DW loves it! and as long as she's happy.... I'm living large!

camperforlife wrote:

Dick_B wrote:
Pay more attention to those that have express problems with the rear kitchen. None of us wants to admit that we made a mistake in our purchase eg. rear kitchen so we will either be silent or express approval of the choice.
We don't have one and would never have one and would never have one because of the bouncing problems inherent with a TT. 5ers may be better.

What is highlighted is the most important part of this post. It could also read "never had one so I really don't know". I can say I've had a front kitchen, a mid kitchen and now a rear kitchen. If people who never had a rear kitchen would quit telling me how bad they are,I wouldn't have never known that there is supposed to be a problem with them.

I would have to say the rear has been our favorite with no added issues. I would buy another with no hesitation.

Great advice. I'd amend the first poster's quote, "Pay more attention to those who have actually owned a rear kitchen." As I stated earlier, we loved ours and would buy another in a heartbeat. If you know how to pack, you won't have a problem. If you don't know how to pack, you'll have a problem with anything.

Dick_B wrote:
Pay more attention to those that have express problems with the rear kitchen. None of us wants to admit that we made a mistake in our purchase eg. rear kitchen so we will either be silent or express approval of the choice.
We don't have one and would never have one and would never have one because of the bouncing problems inherent with a TT. 5ers may be better.

What is highlighted is the most important part of this post. It could also read "never had one so I really don't know". I can say I've had a front kitchen, a mid kitchen and now a rear kitchen. If people who never had a rear kitchen would quit telling me how bad they are,I wouldn't have never known that there is supposed to be a problem with them.

I would have to say the rear has been our favorite with no added issues. I would buy another with no hesitation.

We have a Jayco Jayflight 31RKS and found that what little bouncing around occurred was greatly reduced when I had the tires balanced. Other than that, we put the coffee maker and toaster in the sink when on the road and don't have any other problems. The thing we like most is the relative abundance of counter space in the kitchen.

Rear kitchens tend to suffer from a LOT of bounce. Speed bumps are a killer. Doors can fly open and things can bounce out of the sink, even on short trips. The amount of bounce depends on trailer length, it's weight, position of axles relative to the tail end, tire load range, GVWR rating, and if it's a TT or 5th wheel. Frame design and strength is also a factor. Our frame is a lot weaker than most and has a lot of flex. Keystone Laredo has the same frame. This weak frame is something to look for, esp. in a rear kitchen.

If you get a rear kitchen, it's a really good idea to get shock absorbers, either as a factory option or add-on afterwards. Shocks are a good idea anyway for other reasons.

You can add a 2nd latch to the doors but it does make them somewhat harder to pull open. Haven't had trouble with the lower cabinet doors. The drawers can slide open though. I may add RV type roller slides that have a positive locking mechanism.

Another factor is WDH spring bar rating. We initally had an 800 lb set of bars but upgraded to 1200 lbs after weighing the trailer and finding out that the actual tongue weight is 960 lbs. The heavier bars significantly reduced the amount of bounce.

We love the rear kitchen. Has a lot more counter width than most kitchen layouts which is the biggest plus. So nice to be able to leave coffee maker, toaster and other things on the counter and still have good working space left. Another good thing in our rear kitchen is the pantry at one end.

Dick_B wrote:
Pay more attention to those that have express problems with the rear kitchen. None of us wants to admit that we made a mistake in our purchase eg. rear kitchen so we will either be silent or express approval of the choice.
We don't have one and would never have one because of the bouncing problems nherent with a TT. 5ers may be better.

If that's directed at my earlier post, let me reiterate: problems we had were related to a bad road situation, not the unit itself. We have shocks and a trail air pin, and have never had a problem during usual travel. We would purchase another rk model if in the market, and would encourage a friend to get one, if they liked that floor plan, especially for the increased storage.

Dick_B wrote:
Pay more attention to those that have express problems with the rear kitchen. None of us wants to admit that we made a mistake in our purchase eg. rear kitchen so we will either be silent or express approval of the choice.
We don't have one and would never have one because of the bouncing problems inherent with a TT. 5ers may be better.

I disagree. Suspension plays a big factor. All four of our TT's were rear kitchen and we didn't experience a mess or issues. Never had cupboard doors fly open or food fly around in the fridge. We currently have a center kitchen and I've opened the cupboards to find a glass fallen over or cans moved around in the fridge. Depends on what roads are traveled too. A lot of factors.