Brand survey likes/dislikes

[87bob]

My DW and I are thinking of up grading from a Bumper Tow to Fiver. This is with an eye to possible be full timers. I'm in sales so I've both heard and given BS in my time. That is why I asking folks here to give me their honest opinion. I want to cut out the sales BS. If you have or had a 5th Wheel. If you could respond to this post with Brand Year Model and Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down. If you care to elaborate that is welcomed too. I know this is not scientific but people remember the the build quality and problems for a long time. I was looking at an used Open Range that an older couple had from new in a campground. The bad reviews were so plentiful about leaks and broken sliders on their units I wouldn't take one of those if it was given. I have been in some of the plants in Elkhart and have watched while the guys literally run from one unit to the next. For me there are two main issues, build quality and manufacture responsiveness of the manufacture. If you care to help out with my survey I will thank you in advance.

[wvcampers]

This really is not a fair question without knowing how the units have been used and taken care of. There are campers that get used 2 or 3 time a year and some that are used continuously. Some owners are very handy and perform the routine maintenance, others do nothing but hook them up and go. Our 08 Cardinal gets used average 60 nights a year and has about 30,000 miles on it. There have been some problems, but there is no delamination, the decals look great, the roof has never leaked. It has spent it's entire life outside in the weather, never covered. I have replaced some things, commode, lavatory faucet and one axel due to damage from a bad bearing. The interior of the camper looks as good as it did the day we purchased it. I owned 2 Jaycos(1999 & 2006) and Prowler (1986) all of them had leaks by the time they were 3 years old. The one Montana(2005) that I owned was a good camper. The biggest problem with it was the peeling decals and one grey water tanks fell partially out. The best one that I have owned was a 1990 Holiday Rambler. The only one that I did not purchase new was the Montana. I actually traded the 2006 Jayco for the 2005 used Montana. With that said, would I buy another Jayco or Monatna? Probably, my friends have them and have no problems.

[travelnutz]

Our 3 Carriage 5th wheels purchased new and our 3 new Lance truck campers, all 6 since the first of each in 1988 have been superb and none has had any warranty work done or needed or repairs done due to any RV manufacturer items failing or breaking and never a leak either. Excellent quality RV's and is why we still have one of each today (11'4" Lance TC and the Carriage Carrilite 29' 5th wheel) and use them both a lot. Love'em and they fit our needs, wants, and desires, so why buy a new one until it's needed?

Only repairs done in total to all 6 RV's:

1. A tree fell on our 36' Carriage 3 axle 5th wheel and crushed the roof and stopped about 8" above the bed and our insurance totaled it when it was 16 years old. They (insurance) were fabulous and more than made us whole! We weren't there at the time the tree fell as it was parked on land we own in an RV resort up north.

2. The 29' Carriage Carrilite had to be repaired in 2016 as we had 3 tires blowout (2 on the one side and one on the other) that had less than 5,000 miles on them and were only 2 years old, on our Florida trip, which tore up the wheel well area and the molded wheel opening reveal cover etc. The tire manufacturer refused to replace the 225/75/15 "E" tires which were still under warranty claiming a road hazard caused it. Ya right! They had blown hundreds apart and NO, it wasn't road hazards! Our insurance paid total RV repair bill and we paid for 4 new much better Carlisle HD "E" tires.

3. Rubber roof on the Carriage Carrilite 5th wheel was gouged thru in 6 places and the rolled up awning had 2 rips on top of the roll from a tornado that went over us in Florida in 2012 which broke large branches off the trees in the CG and hit the top of the 5th wheel. Insurance paid for a new roof and awning.

Certainly not the fault of the RV manufacturer as the blowouts weren't even on the OEM tires as it was on the 3rd set of tires we'd put on the 5th wheel. Yup, lots of miles of travel on the RV! Wore out 3 sets of tires and the 4th had blown out! But, alas, new HD tires on it now and already about 3800 miles on them now!

[87bob]

Thank you all great information!

[przao]

We have a 2011 Rockwood Signature Ultralight 8288SS. We loved what we saw at the dealer - wide open living space in the back of the rig with opposing slides, two recliners, sleeper sofa and free standing table and 4 chairs. There was even an electric fireplace that puts out 1500 watts of heat - great on cool mornings.

Here's what we did not consider carefully enough (our bad)

• The recliners are 90 degrees to the TV - doesn't sound like much but when you sit for a while looking off to the right it does get old
• We have a counter extension that projects into the room - cool - extra counter space. We did not take into account that you can't open the sleeper when it is in place, and it covers all the utensil drawers so you need to stoop down under the counter extension to get to your kitchen gadgets
• In order to use the fireplace, we need to kick a foot switch that disconnects the microwave, and vice versa
• We have a 30A rig, and it is hard to keep cool to the point where we wanted an additional A/C, but the salesman did not tell us that we could not add one (not enough power)

These are build quality issues we were not aware of:

• Had to replace the CO/propane detector. The factory had cut the hole too large to the point that they put in a loose piece of plywood to hold the screw in place. I had to remove cabinetry panels just to be able to hold the plywood in place so I could screw in the mounting screw. On the same day I planned to replace the thermostat for a residential unit - imagine my shock when they had cut that hole too large too! This time they were too cheap to even use plywood - they just used a scrap piece of paneling which barely holds the unit in place.
• My A/C is so weak I took off the interior shroud - there was so much extra foam in the intake that it obstructed the airway by at least 50%. The "ducts" are actually just 1/2 inch thick Styrofoam channels running the length of the unit, and they are so leaky I get cool air coming out of my light fixtures.
• A water line to the hot water heater was so shoddily installed, it blew off the fitting, flooding the unit.
• I've replaced nearly all the 120v outlets with residential units containing USB charge ports - the same sloppy holes in almost all of the socket openings. As to the original outlets themselves, the entire back end is open to electrical shock - there is no insulation of any kind, just bare metal for positive, neutral, and ground connections.

I do not think my story is all that unusual when I browse other RV sites and read of similar issues. In fact, there are several that I have seen recommend purchasing a used unit because likely the first owner had worked out all the problems. Despite all the problems I still like the rig because I've modified most of what I should have seen when purchasing the rig, and many of the hidden problems.

To add another A/C I adapted a 50A power cord to two 30A plugs and added a second 30A power inlet - Now I have two 30A power sources coming into the rig and have attached a 12,500 BTU portable heat pump to the new circuit. Completely closed off the leaky ceiling ducts and opened the shroud so cold air now dumps directly into the rig - HUGE improvement. The new 30A circuit also powers the fireplace so now I don't need to kick that foot switch any longer to use the microwave or fireplace- everything just works without any fuss. I know that sounds kind of goofy, but in the morning when I want a little fireplace heat and eye candy, and want to use the microwave to warm something I can do both at the same time. I was like a kid with a new toy when I first could do that!

Moved the counter extension to the side of the counter so it now no longer covers the utensil drawers and does not interfere with the sleeper. Also, instead of the tabs that used to hang it in place, I used hinges so it now just swings down in place and I do not need to store it away.

Moved table to the back of the rig so my wife can play on her iPad in the mornings, and moved one recliner right next to the sleeper - now we can both sit next to each other and no craning the neck to watch TV. We took out the extra recliner and an added bonus is that we no longer need to turn the recliners sideways to close the slide.

I put an inexpensive display shelf (8 inches x 4 inches) on the wall next to my recliner - makes a perfect wine glass holder and only cost $8 at Home Depot.

I guess the best advice I can give is to go over the rig you like as thoroughly as you can and don't miss a single corner, outlet, or cabinet. Get a 50A rig with 2 A/C units, or at least prepared for a second unit. If you ever travel to the southwest, then you'll be extremely happy you have the cooling power. The take home lesson for me is that an RV is not just a home on wheels, it is an on-going project of modification and repairing, both of which I actually find I am enjoying.

[lhenry8113]

Have had 2 5'vrs-both Arctic Fox's by Northwood Mfg.in La Grande, Or. The first one was a 03, 28 5D bunk house model not made any more. The 2nd is a 29 5T used primarily for my DW and myself. Loved them both but the 29 5T we traveled in extensively-1 trip to Or., one trip to the Yukon Terr., and 1 trip to Fl. and a lot of trips in between. These trips were usually a minimum of a month and up to 2 months. When I got both 5'vrs I got rid of the Chinese tires and put Good Year Wrangler's Lt tires on-never had any problems. Northwood makes the camper as well as the trailer-it is made as a 4 seasons camper. It is heavy, it has quality materials in it so it is a bit pricey. The campers are built in the N.W. so they have to be well built to withstand the weather--snow, ice, high winds, bad and off road, etc. Never had any regrets, Lars
http://northwoodmfg.com/5th-wheels/arctic-fox-5th-wheels/

[donn0128]

My 2005 Cedar Creek has been absolutely bullet proof. It has never been to a dealer for warranty work. In the 12 years we have owned it I can count on one hand the number of parts I have had to replace due to age.

[laknox]

md_procouple wrote:
Well we have an "Older" 5'er, a 2008 Keystone "Montana". We bought it used with one previous owner, 4 years ago, the only "problem" we have had is with one of the appliances the Microwave/convection oven combination. When it went, it took out the converter as well. Replaced the converter with one with a bit more power and since D/W didn't use the "oven" part just replaced it with a conventional Microwave oven. As far as structure we have not had any problems. Good Luck and Happy Camping !!!

Forgot that I had a MW problem, too. Called a mobile tech out after I pulled it out and couldn't find anything wrong. Turned out to be a poorly seated wire that =looked= like it was tight but was, in fact, almost falling off the spade clip it was attached to. Cost me about $100, but I figured that this was part of my "education" and, if it quit again, I'd know where to start troubleshooting. 🙂

Lyle

[BB_TX]

We bought a 2007 Montana new July 2007. It has been as troublefree as I could have ever hoped. Replaced failed convection/microwave and no-name sound system. Virtually no significant problems at all with the trailer itself.

[md_procouple]

Well we have an "Older" 5'er, a 2008 Keystone "Montana". We bought it used with one previous owner, 4 years ago, the only "problem" we have had is with one of the appliances the Microwave/convection oven combination. When it went, it took out the converter as well. Replaced the converter with one with a bit more power and since D/W didn't use the "oven" part just replaced it with a conventional Microwave oven. As far as structure we have not had any problems. Good Luck and Happy Camping !!!

[laknox]

87bob wrote:
My DW and I are thinking of up grading from a Bumper Tow to Fiver. This is with an eye to possible be full timers. I'm in sales so I've both heard and given BS in my time. That is why I asking folks here to give me their honest opinion. I want to cut out the sales BS. If you have or had a 5th Wheel. If you could respond to this post with Brand Year Model and Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down. If you care to elaborate that is welcomed too. I know this is not scientific but people remember the the build quality and problems for a long time. I was looking at an used Open Range that an older couple had from new in a campground. The bad reviews were so plentiful about leaks and broken sliders on their units I wouldn't take one of those if it was given. I have been in some of the plants in Elkhart and have watched while the guys literally run from one unit to the next. For me there are two main issues, build quality and manufacture responsiveness of the manufacture. If you care to help out with my survey I will thank you in advance.

My '04 Komfort has been a pretty trouble-free rig since we got it. I only had a couple warranty issues, and one was never fixed. Small leak on the input water line on the toilet that only crops up when you step on the pedal for a while. I simply put a small plastic bowl underneath the valve and don't worry about it. 🙂 Most of my other problems are related to having to store it outside in the AZ sun. My dealer was a friend before I bought it and he treated me well and didn't take forever to fix the couple problems I did have. That being said, Komfort is NOT the same company it was in '04, so I wouldn't have a clue as to the more recent models. IMO, unless you get a complete custom rig, like a Spacecraft, you're going to run into the same terrible-to-mediocre build quality, no matter how much you spend. Yes, some mfrs are more responsive than others, in how they handle problems but, again IMO, there are still way too many problems that they do have to handle, some d@mn serious. Right now, for a mid-priced RV company, and based on a lot of reading, KZ isn't a bad way to go. Also, Northwoods (Arctic Fox) is also right up there, especially as they build their own frames; one of only 2 or 3 of the "major" mfrs that still do. (I'd be interested in an AF if 1) I had a 1 ton dually and 2) they made a floorplan that I liked.) If you read enough, you'll find people that have the cheapest RVs made and have literally no problems with them in years of ownership. At the same time, you'll find people who have purchased $100k+ trailers that literally fall apart.

Lyle