River Hill wrote:
Bumping up an older post as I am getting closer to pulling the trigger on one.
Any advice on options before I pull the trigger or anything to watch for?
I'm going to give you a brutally honest review of my 2016. With that said, don't let this dissuade you from purchasing an ATC trailer, just be mindful and pay really close attention to the details.
We picked up a new old stock 2016 8528FB at the end of this past May from SunCity RV in AZ. The dealer has been top notch, whereas the manufacturer is just now getting to our warranty concerns.
I'm a picky buyer. I believe you get what you pay for and I believe in the old adage, "buy once, cry once". I wanted this toy hauler to last me 10 years and I believe it will, once we get stuff fixed.
Issues from the get go:
Awning is torn - (not an acceptable solution for the price of this unit)
This is because the manufacturer installed the center support too low and when you retract the awning, the holder catches the material and ripped a hole in it. The repair facility says they need to move this up by 1" or possibly more which may expose the original lower hole.
Cabinet door over fridge manufactured incorrectly - (Now fixed by repair shop)
The cabinet door rivets were not seated completely when manufactured. This has since been repaired to my satisfaction.
Bedroom laminate at sides of bed falling off - (Repair shop is re-gluing these)
The trim on the night stands area is literally falling off. The repair shop is going to re-glue these in place
Bedroom window street side does not lock - (ATC is sending a replacement)
The window lock on the street side emergency window does not lock and can be opened from the outside.
Bedroom curb side clothes hanger only secured by one screw - (ATC built a new one and is shipping it to us)
Repair shop confirmed this was not built correctly and created drawings for ATC to build a new version.
Vented battery box screws stripped - (Repair shop installed bigger screws)
The vented battery box was not secured properly as all the screws were stripped. I wonder why and noted the trailer came with a lead acid battery when the brochure says it should come with AGM.
Now, this may be a shock to you, but my trailer, unloaded with only some items in the front storage (sewer hose support, water filter, empty sewer pig, 2 folding chairs and a few misc items, weighs in on the tongue at 1500lbs.
That's nearly 500lbs heavier then the 1004lbs the trailer left the factory at. Granted, I probably have 100lbs of **** between clothes and the other junk, but this is 400lbs heavier than listed and I don't even have full propane tanks.
This also caused my trailer jack to struggle to lift the trailer and as such, stripped the gears. ATC is being kind and sending another trailer jack. However, I'm concerned this will just happen again.
Let's talk about the rear door. It would seem in 2016, ATC was contracting these out to Challenger. I reached out to them because I wanted to install the patio kit and was told this door would not support a patio kit. It will support 1000lbs per tire / 3500lbs total drive on weight, but not 2 or 3 people standing on it.
Finally, if you've read all this, I want to warn you about getting warranty work done.
#1 - DO NOT talk to Rachel. She will waste your time. I tried to get this done in June, it's now Sept and we're finally making progress.
#2 - DO TALK to Josh. He's been awesome and he represents what the ATC brand should be. I give him HUGE kudos.
If I had to do it all over again:
1) Inspect EVERYTHING and I mean everything. Every rivet, every corner, every door, window lock and take your time. These are not cheap trailers and you should expect them to be built right.
2) Ask who built what, meaning is this all in house? If not, who built it and what's the warranty. Ask how much weight the rear door will carry, get them to show you the specs on the door. Example: Ask if you can install a patio railing kit, if they say yes, get it in writing.
3) Have them weigh the tongue in front of you on a level surface. Get the actual weight.
4) Inspect the ROOF! If you can, spray water on it and check for any leaks or pooling.
5) Check the exterior panels for warping especially around the windows. Although the trailer won't technically rust or rot, you don't want water leaking in between the interior and exterior walls because this will cause mold on the insulation.
If you're going to travel to the desert, get 2 AC's for sure.
If you're going to haul a toy like a Honda Pioneer, do NOT get the happyjack bed. This takes up valuable space overhead and you will not be able to get the Honda onboard.
