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?

[topjimmy]

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

[Second_Chance]

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

But still operating independently. I've had interactions (warranty) with them both before and after the sale and nothing has changed.

Rob

[Me_Again]

ReneeG wrote:


You can call Heartland directly or whomever supports it now. Last year one panel in our shower shattered. Husband called Heartland and got instant support and they were going to ship the entire shower glass walls, but our friend who owns his own RV repair service, did it for us instead.

Heartland is noted for working directly with the customer. We have a 2017 Bighorn that has needed a Air Conditioner recall, and a few small items. Heartland handle these things without a question. The Lippert supplied theater seats had to be replace and Heartland ticket and Lippert support replaced them.

:B

[sgfrye]

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.

3/4 ton diesel will be fine with that size.
stay within specs and go camping

[sgfrye]

Halmfamily wrote:
Pick the design and style your wife likes the most and ensure your within the specs of your truck and buy that one. Be prepared to do work any unit you purchase.

x2
happy wife happy life
we bought a new TT a year ago. Wildwood bad reputation but so far no issues. i learned early on how to inspect, maintain and service everything. bumper to bumper

[Michelle_S]

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

[Me_Again]

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.

[ReneeG]

mowingman wrote:
Buy used and someone else will have had most things fixed. Older 5th wheels also tend to be better built in general. Try to find one olde than 2007 or maybe 2010.
I suggest you go up to Nuwa in Kansas and buy a used from them. It will be fully checked out and serviced when you pick it up. We are from Texas, and went up there to buy ours. Call up and talk to Orville. He will find you what you want, not what they want to sell. There is a big difference.

I agree with you on an older FW. If we were in the market, that's what we would do considering the quality of new RVs are an issue now. Just read RVTravel.com and you'll know.

[ReneeG]

goducks10 wrote:
There's really no difference in stuff from Indiana, Even the smaller (Northwood, Lance) MFG's spit out some shoddy stuff every so often. Yes you will get a pile of **** that you more than likely will have to take back to the dealer a few times if you're not the handyman type.
Just remember when looking at RV's, beauty really is only skin deep. What you'll find behind closed doors will be ugly. Lots of misleading specs from MFG, lots of glam and lots hype about their product being superior.
I own a Northwood 5th wheel and it's still rock solid entering it's 6th year of camping. It'a had a few issues caused by the MFG. The other couple issues were component MFG problems. 2 faucets and a Shurflo water pump. Those issues are right in line with any trailer made.
If I were buying today and after reading most brand forums for 5-6 years I'd probably opt for a Grand Design product. Not because I think they're built better, which I know they're not, but because of their floor plans. Northwood doesn't offer a floor plan we like. Owning a 3/4 ton I would also look hard at the Reflection travel trailer models and at the Reflection F150 models.
I used to like Jayco but since they've been bought out by Thor it seems the QC has dropped according to owners on the Jayco forum.
My pet peeve is being able to talk directly to the MFG. I know you can do that with Northood and Grand Design. Outdoors RV as well. That makes dealing with warranty items a lot easier. Many times you can call about a problem and they will just ship you the parts. Try that with Forest River, Heartland, Keystones, etc.
I would also give a look at Outdoor RV. I don't care for their floor plans either but they build a quality 5th wheel and TT.

You can call Heartland directly or whomever supports it now. Last year one panel in our shower shattered. Husband called Heartland and got instant support and they were going to ship the entire shower glass walls, but our friend who owns his own RV repair service, did it for us instead.

[ReneeG]

IdaD wrote:
They're all kind of junky, imo. Even the really high end models, at the end of the day, are trailers. A well built trailer is still a trailer and it's going to pale in comparison to a well built home.

I'm probably regionally biased but I do think Northwood tends to make pretty good campers, relatively speaking.

We have Northwood here too and they are good. Although I believe Arctic Fox is Northwood. Friends purchased a brand new Arctic Fox FW 2 years ago and had a lot of problems with it. Dealer did the right thing and fixed everything, but friends were disappointed.

[goducks10]

There's really no difference in stuff from Indiana, Even the smaller (Northwood, Lance) MFG's spit out some shoddy stuff every so often. Yes you will get a pile of **** that you more than likely will have to take back to the dealer a few times if you're not the handyman type.
Just remember when looking at RV's, beauty really is only skin deep. What you'll find behind closed doors will be ugly. Lots of misleading specs from MFG, lots of glam and lots hype about their product being superior.
I own a Northwood 5th wheel and it's still rock solid entering it's 6th year of camping. It'a had a few issues caused by the MFG. The other couple issues were component MFG problems. 2 faucets and a Shurflo water pump. Those issues are right in line with any trailer made.
If I were buying today and after reading most brand forums for 5-6 years I'd probably opt for a Grand Design product. Not because I think they're built better, which I know they're not, but because of their floor plans. Northwood doesn't offer a floor plan we like. Owning a 3/4 ton I would also look hard at the Reflection travel trailer models and at the Reflection F150 models.
I used to like Jayco but since they've been bought out by Thor it seems the QC has dropped according to owners on the Jayco forum.
My pet peeve is being able to talk directly to the MFG. I know you can do that with Northood and Grand Design. Outdoors RV as well. That makes dealing with warranty items a lot easier. Many times you can call about a problem and they will just ship you the parts. Try that with Forest River, Heartland, Keystones, etc.
I would also give a look at Outdoor RV. I don't care for their floor plans either but they build a quality 5th wheel and TT.

[mowingman]

Buy used and someone else will have had most things fixed. Older 5th wheels also tend to be better built in general. Try to find one olde than 2007 or maybe 2010.
I suggest you go up to Nuwa in Kansas and buy a used from them. It will be fully checked out and serviced when you pick it up. We are from Texas, and went up there to buy ours. Call up and talk to Orville. He will find you what you want, not what they want to sell. There is a big difference.

[ReneeG]

Next what you need to ask is the quality of the RV dealer you are looking to buy from. Their support and service will be no. 1 while you are getting to know your new RV.

I won't recommend mine and only because 1) it's too heavy for your F250 and 2) I can't attest to the quality of a new one. We purchased ours new in 2010 and have had zero issues with it. One more year and we own it outright and intend to keep it. We've done a lot of mods and are extremely happy with it. The dealer we bought it from was amazing and now that it's out of warranty, our RV tech (who happened to be the dealer's service mgr) now does all needed maintenance.

[fireboat0203]

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.

[Second_Chance]

2012Coleman wrote:
Grand Design Reflection - 303RLS or 337RLS

I will agree (for obvious reasons) with the Grand Design suggestions. Your first mistake, though, was buying a 3/4-ton diesel truck. They'll pull anything, but are limited as to payload. The Reflection 337 can put 3,000 lbs. or more on the pin when loaded. I would suggest sticking with the Reflectio 303 or one of the "150 Series" in that line for your truck's sake.

Rob