5th Wheel Reliability

[DJ1096]

Unlike he auto industry that tends to have a vast database to pull reliability and quality information from. The Camper industry seems to be wide open for opinion. with that being said I'm trying to get feedback on 5th wheel manufacturers that tend to have a more reliable product. I've spoke to a number of RV Stores and of course they all have the best product. So far I have had a 17ft Jayco Hybrid and a 36ft Keystone Laredo (both with little to no issues). We are looking to upgrade to a 5th wheel and looking for some input on brands. Some that we have looked at are Laredo, Montana and Cougar (by Keystone), Crusader (by Primetime), Sabre (by Palomino) and Jayco.

Thank you in advance.

[Parrothead_Mike]

I've had my '01 Cardinal (Forest River) for 11 years and purchased it when it was 2 years old. Based upon the age of this unit I'm not advocating for Forest River products for longevity, but I do like the quality they've built into several of their lines.

What I have been doing though is looking to replace my Cardinal with a well-made, slightly used 5th wheel. Since I've had such good fortune with my Cardinal I've been looking for another Cardinal (or another FR product like the Cedar Creek series) that's anywhere from 3-6 years old. I've also looked on-line at other quality made 5th wheels, but I'm having trouble finding the right floor plans or ones that aren't too large (trying to stay under 33 total length). There seems to be a lot of Cougars on the market so I'm wondering what is the reason for that? Are former owners not pleased with the product or is that they just sold a lot of them in the past 6-7 years, thus putting more on the used RV market? Other models seem to be more difficult to find than Cougars.

The lower and mid-range FR products seem to be out there though, but I think I've been spoiled with my Cardinal. In regard to the OP's search I think the Montana's, Crusader's, and Sabre's appear to be more appealing in my mind. In fact, I'm planning to take a look at a 2010 Montana Mountaineer this week. I've also seen an '08 Big Country at the same dealership that looks good on-line along with an '08 Jayco Eagle. I'll likely have to trade my '01 Cardinal since I don't want to have 2 5th wheels at once. It's a darn good unit, I wish I could find another with a similar floorplan, but about 4-5 foot longer that's almost new.

[Seattle_Lion]

You definitely get what you pay for. Even things (like the stove) that look alike are different in better units. We had a TT (Kodiak) that was nothing but trouble. This year we bought a Bighorn (Heartland). It's like night and day. Everything is first rate. There are some fit and finish issues. No trailer is exempt from those. However, Heartland customer service is excellent. There is a very active owners association and it holds rallies across the country.

We are very happy with our purchase and expect the problems all to be fixed when we bring it in next month. I have to say that it was well worth the added cost to buy a luxury unit.

[Gsport]

Another that I recommend in Grand Design RV. A new company that is sure getting a lot of good reviews. I've got a 39' solitude and totally pleased with it. We've put about 7000 miles on it since last year

[n7bsn]

sharker6 wrote:
You get what you pay for. Expensive ones are almost always better quality than the less expensive. The one's your looking at are mid-range and the quality is about the same.

What he said

If quality is the most important, buy a New Horizon. Of course it will cost you on the order of $100,000.

Just a bit down from that (in price and reliability) is Excel by Peterson, DRV and NuWa (although the last gets a small question mark, they are no longer "building their own", but have contracted out to an un-named firm)

Used to be that Sunnybrook was right close there too, but I've heard unsettling things about their quality since Winnie bought them and I couldn't say if they are, or are not, as good as they used to be.

One thing to remember is the "sub-systems" (refer, oven, water-heater, etc) tend to be the same makers from the top end RV to the low end RV.

Traditionally I believe that Northwoods (Arctic Fox, Nash, Fox Mountain, etc) gives of the best value for the dollar spent.

[davosfam]

We just purchased a 2015 Cougar and love it. No issues so far. When we were looking, we really liked the Forest River Surveyors but they didn't have a large enough floor plan. We walked through some Arctic Foxes and were unimpressed, especially for the money.

[TXiceman]

As noted, you are looking at mid-range on 5th wheels for price a overall quality. If you want better, look at 2 to 4 year old higher end 5ers. Of course, with a higher end unit it will be heavier and probably require more truck to haul it.

Ken

[DJ1096]

I was trying to stay away from Economy as some sites list them but stay more in the mid affordable range and avoid "Luxury."

[sharker6]

You get what you pay for. Expensive ones are almost always better quality than the less expensive. The one's your looking at are mid-range and the quality is about the same.

[DJ1096]

I'm just trying to see if there is a consensus on some that may stand out above the rest.

[donn0128]

Arctic Fox seems to get high ratings. Personally my Cedar Creek has been extremely reliable in the nine years of its life. Your going to get lots of "mine is best" comments from people with questions like this.