Best brand 5th wheel

[fireboat0203]

Hi everyone, I have just bought a new f250 diesel and I am looking for a 5th wheel camper. Most reviews for the brands that I have been looking at are described as junk. What is the best brand for quality? Recommendations anyone?

[dpgllg]

fireboat0203 wrote:
Thanks guys. I was actually leaning toward the Grand Design but I saw bad reviews for them too! I have air bags for my F-250 and I don't want a real long fifth wheeler. So I am thinking of the Grand Design 29RS, 303RLS or one of the 150 series.

You will see bad reviews on just about every RV out there. You can't please everybody. They ALL use the same basic components to make them and when you look across the various models you will even see the floorplans are all very similar.

I chose my Grand Design based on the following:

1st and most important. My truck could safely tow it

2nd We loved the floorplan.

3rd While Grand Design has issues the way they seem to address them is a whole lot better than other manufactures.

4th The dealer knows the product and is able to service it

One thing to mention is that Grand Design has been bought by Winnabego (sp). Things are bound to change and we will see if it is for the good or not.

One other thing you can do is once you have narrowed down your list, then most RV's have owners forums. Go on these forums and see what actual owners are saying about not only the RV BUT also how the manufactor stands behind them. Then find a reputable dealer for that brand and go make the deal.

Good luck!

Dave

[WTP-GC]

goducks10 wrote:


I've been reading in the GD forum since it's inception. I was excited to see a new company enter the RV market. In the end they're just like the others. That means they can build some just as good or just as bad as the others. That holds true for all brands.
In some areas they're built better than others and some areas they scrimp more than others.
There's happy customers and unhappy customers in all brands.

When we were in process of getting a new rig, I had a candid conversation with a tech at the dealership (very large dealership, MANY brands). He had no skin in the game regarding any particular manufacturer, but he said that of all the units that come through there for any kind of service, GD is by far the one they see the least. If I remember correctly, he said the ratio is like 1 GD coach for every 10-15 Forest River products. Now I'm sure his math isn't exact, but the point is that he had no reason to tell me this or make up a story a that time.

[goducks10]

2012Coleman wrote:

fireboat0203 wrote:
Thanks guys. I was actually leaning toward the Grand Design but I saw bad reviews for them too! I have air bags for my F-250 and I don't want a real long fifth wheeler. So I am thinking of the Grand Design 29RS, 303RLS or one of the 150 series.

So lots of opinions from people who most likely have never been inside the GD...

Go start looking at fifth wheels at dealers in your area. Decide for yourself what quality is for you. If you have specific questions concerning GD, then go to the Grand Design Owners forum and ask them. Feel free to PM me as well.

Don't get turned off/on by any particular brand based solely on internet reviews.



Good luck.

I've been reading in the GD forum since it's inception. I was excited to see a new company enter the RV market. In the end they're just like the others. That means they can build some just as good or just as bad as the others. That holds true for all brands.
In some areas they're built better than others and some areas they scrimp more than others.
There's happy customers and unhappy customers in all brands.

[memtb]

ReneeG wrote:

memtb wrote:
We did a little research on the Grand Design. Much of what they had to offer seemed pretty good....but, they use the notoriously problematic Lippert components.

Lippert is the leading OEM of RV components. I think their past reputation unfortunately has stuck whereas their quality as vastly improved.

I would love to believe that to be true, but, in following several RV forums and Facebook Groups .....this dosen’t seem to be the case!

[ReneeG]

memtb wrote:
We did a little research on the Grand Design. Much of what they had to offer seemed pretty good....but, they use the notoriously problematic Lippert components.

Lippert is the leading OEM of RV components. I think their past reputation unfortunately has stuck whereas their quality as vastly improved.

[2012Coleman]

fireboat0203 wrote:
Thanks guys. I was actually leaning toward the Grand Design but I saw bad reviews for them too! I have air bags for my F-250 and I don't want a real long fifth wheeler. So I am thinking of the Grand Design 29RS, 303RLS or one of the 150 series.

So lots of opinions from people who most likely have never been inside the GD...

Go start looking at fifth wheels at dealers in your area. Decide for yourself what quality is for you. If you have specific questions concerning GD, then go to the Grand Design Owners forum and ask them. Feel free to PM me as well.

Don't get turned off/on by any particular brand based solely on internet reviews - or on opinions expressed on an internet forum.

Good luck.

[WTP-GC]

topjimmy wrote:

Why do ya think GD sold out to Winnabago?? because they did not have the Capitol to keep up with Warranty claims like Forest River and Thor...

Unless this is confirmed information posted somewhere, I don't belive this was the motivating factor. It is the inherent goal of smaller companies like GD to build a product line and brand that ultimately attracts the interest of a larger company in the hopes of a buyout. To me, that's why they are now part of the Winnebago family. The ability to handle warranty claims plus the other capital resources are a convienient and expected side effect of such a merger.

I'm not going to go all-in on GD. As a new owner of one of their products, I can tell you that I'm satisfied with some things, unhappy about some things, but generally lack enough experience with the rig to offer much of an opinion. I will agree that the GD forum is indeed a little distressing to read about the problems, but I think it's imperative to study the root of the problems. To me, it's comforting that most of the problems are related to components moreso than the coach itself. There's no reason for me to associate an A/C or refer or appilace problem directly with GD when I know for a fact that these are the same components used across the entire RV industry. Lippert components may be generally seen as problematic, but there are only a few select manufacturers that aren't covered in LCI products.

Overall, I think they make a quality product that's worth considering among other brands/models in similar price ranges. They do still claim one of the best customer service ratings in the industry, which may mean more to some people than others.

[memtb]

We did a little research on the Grand Design. Much of what they had to offer seemed pretty good....but, they use the notoriously problematic Lippert components.

[buc1980]

I don't consider the DRV the best.

[GHop]

We currently have Northwood Arctic Fox which is three years old and prior we had a Northwood Fox Mountain. I do agree Northwood does not offer much in the way of a floor plan but we only had one problem with our AF and not one problem with FM. The only other unit I would consider is Grand Design. Our friend has a Reflection and only a few issues, which Grand Design repaired right away. As stated prior, you can call both Grand Design and Northwood directly with a concern/problem and they will help you.

[colliehauler]

Me Again wrote:

fireboat0203 wrote:
Hi everyone, I have just bought a new f250 diesel and I am looking for a 5th wheel camper. Most reviews for the brands that I have been looking at are described as junk. What is the best brand for quality? Recommendations anyone?

Ones not towable with a 2500/250. New Horizons, DRV and Spacecraft.

These would be the top three if you have deep pockets.

[Allworth]

This whole thread (which appears often) is a waste of pixels.

What is "best" in my experience may be "trash" in someone else's mind.

No one can answer this one for you!

[twins89]

I agree with most of what has been said. Nothing is built that well. Our Jayco Designer, 2010, has been a terrific unit for us. We have had a few Jayco's over the years. Any problem we did have was remedied quickly by either the dealer or the factory service center (which I highly recommend) However, the quality may be downgraded over the years. Avoid the word "lite" on any model or brand. Usually made with toothpicks. Be prepared to have a few issues, document all issues with pictures. Do not be swayed by the bells and whistles- compare construction, read owners forums, visit a few campgrounds on the weekends and talk to the owners of several brands; they will be pretty honest. Understand that it will depreciate severely the first few years. If you can find a nice used one with no damage or leaks that has been well taken care of (they are out there, you need to look), you might be happier.

[goducks10]

Michelle.S wrote:
Everyone talking about Thor and Forest River products, don't forget that Grand Design is now owned by Winnebago!

Yes but it looks like their CS is still superior to most but not all.
I'm no means putting GD on a pedestal. Spend a week on their forum and everyday it's a different new owner coming on with another problem. They all get resolved and everyone goes about their merry way.
Many tout Northwood for being slightly above the rest. Well just recently a new NW owner on the NW forum received his new AF 5er he purchased from the east coast or there abouts. Had it shipped to his local dealer. Multiple problems to the point that I would've asked for a new one. Hard to not be excited about all the good comments about NW, but then when you finally receive it it's a pile. Emotions play a big part in how one feels about problems. How much can one overlook things to keep feeling good about your purchase? They had way more patients than I do. Husband had the skills to fix most everything. Parts were sent from factory and MFG was a great help.
Problem is that the issues were mostly QC. Same pattern all RV's have.
It's hit or miss.

[Hammerboy]

topjimmy wrote:
Go ahead and drink that Grand Design Koolaid but They are just like every other brand they build good ones and bad ones just like everybody else, I have 2 friends with Solitudes and they have been back to the shop many times for warranty work and have met many folks with them on the road in my many years of fulltiming ,I am not saying they are bad 5er's at all but just no different than any other brand so just pick a brand and floor plan ya like and buy from a good dealer and hope for the best,Why do ya think GD sold out to Winnabago?? because they did not have the Capitol to keep up with Warranty claims like Forest River and Thor And they needed to step it up with better Quality Components because before Winnabago they really cheaped out on a lot of things compared to other brands in their price range

I agree with this also, When we went shopping for our 5th wheel we looked at Grand Design also. I can honestly say I don't think they were built any better than anybody else, after all they are from Indiana where the majority of the junk is manufactured. From what I hear however they do have excellent customer service and that is worth something.

We ended up with a Forest River Wild Cat (which is junky too like most out there) and while we did have some major issues to the point of them replacing our unit with a new one, they have been excellent to deal with as well as our dealer. Our new replacement unit has been great so far. Make sure you shop out a good dealer as well the unit.

Dan