Travel Trailers.....what brands to stay away from??

2oldman wrote:

SoundGuy wrote:
Why "bumper pull" ? ... old terminology from yesteryear? :h

Yep.

X2. This is like when people go back and forth about the term 1/2 ton vs 1500/150 designations. Old habits are hard to break. :(

Oasisbob wrote:
It is very confusing and the industry works hard to keep it that way. What I mean is different brands can be made on the same asembly line with just a different name and cosmetic differences. Someone had trouble with their Prowler so never again. They buy Wilderness. Same asembly line. Same trailer different name. In my observations quality is sorely lacking with few exceptions. As for trailers Lance is great quality for the design. I also like Camp Lite and top of the quality chain is Airstream in my opinion. Read the archives here. Problems in quality occur because asembly line focus is on speed not pride of workmanship. You tube has video's to support this. How a company deals with problems counts alot. Some have their trailers at the shop all through the season for warranty work. What a joke. Take your time and research. Best of luck

A very astute reply.The last three words cover it all.

Keystone has 11 or 12 different named TTs. Forest River has over 15. KZ has 7-8. Jayco has 6-7. Arctic Fox has at least 4. Add in Winnebago, Coachmen, Lance, Airstream, Dutchmen, Gulfstream, etc. and, yes, there is an incredible number of brand names out there.

And you will invariably find someone who says never buy so and so brand as they had nothing but problems with it. And then there will be another who says they had that same brand and it was the best rig they ever had. One will say brand X had the worst customer service ever, followed by another who says brand X customer service was great.

Really a roll of the dice. Pick one that fits what you want, looks good in and out, everything works as it should, a price to fit your budget, and go with it.

SoundGuy wrote:
Why "bumper pull" ? ... old terminology from yesteryear? :h

Yep.

imq707s wrote:
I'm looking for a nice used bumper pull travel trailer....

Curious terminology I've noticed is oft repeated here on the forums. :@ "Curious" because no one would want to tow anything but perhaps the tiniest travel trailer off the bumper of a tow vehicle but instead use a weight distribution hitch, the receiver of which is bolted or welded to the frame of the tow vehicle, nothing to do with the bumper. Why "bumper pull" ? ... old terminology from yesteryear? :h

For every brand & model line someone posts that is poor quality and you should stay away from, there will some with the same brand & model that say that they've never had any issues with theirs. Some are willing to accept substandard quality or don't recognize it. Some just fix things as they need fixing and think it's normal in a TT. I could post a couple of brands to stay away from, but won't.

A better question might be which brands & models are above average in quality. Lance, Nash and OutdoorsRV come to mind. There are some others in this category. TTs all use the same appliances & components so after the warranty expires, it's the initial build design and quality that is the question.

I'd stay away from a TT that has I-beams in the frame that are made from 3 pieces of steel welded together because they flex a lot more and can cause various problems. Look at axle and tire ratings and if they are loaded to near their weight capacity, I'd pass. (Take the trailer's GVWR and subtract 12 percent of that as estimate of weight on the tires & axles).

Before you hand over the cash, you might consider hiring an independent RV tech. to do an inspection.

In no particular order, these are some of the better quality brands:

Lance
Nash
Arctic Fox
Jayco

imq707s wrote:
What about crappy ones that are build really cheap that need to be avoided???

The cheap ones need to be avoided.

It is very confusing and the industry works hard to keep it that way. What I mean is different brands can be made on the same asembly line with just a different name and cosmetic differences. Someone had trouble with their Prowler so never again. They buy Wilderness. Same asembly line. Same trailer different name. In my observations quality is sorely lacking with few exceptions. As for trailers Lance is great quality for the design. I also like Camp Lite and top of the quality chain is Airstream in my opinion. Read the archives here. Problems in quality occur because asembly line focus is on speed not pride of workmanship. You tube has video's to support this. How a company deals with problems counts alot. Some have their trailers at the shop all through the season for warranty work. What a joke. Take your time and research. Best of luck