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Feed back wanted on the "Real" Top Brands

Expediter
Explorer
Explorer
Im a total newbie looking first RV, a 5th wheel, and asking for some guidance. Ive been told that Jayco, Heartland are some of the better manufactures however looking for input. It seems that every maker out there has some horror stories on units leaking bad slide assemblies etc.

Any advise as to the "Real" Top brands?
39 REPLIES 39

lee_worsdell
Explorer
Explorer
landmark 365

4x4ord
Explorer III
Explorer III
We are very happy with our Citation. It is almost exactly the same length as my BIL's fifth wheel. Both trailers have similar floor plans with 3 slides. The Citation weighs very close to 1.5 times that of my BIL's. I think weight is somewhat an indication of quality.
2023 F350 SRW Platinum short box 4x4.
B&W Companion
2008 Citation Platinum XL 34.5

Goostoff
Explorer
Explorer
Dont overlook a used unit with a few years on it. If it has been properly cared for it will have all the new trailer bugs worked out of it already. One thing to really pay close attention to is storage. We have been wanting to get a new trailer for a few years now but every time we go shopping we just cant find anything with the amount of storage we have. We have so much now that there are actually drawers and cupboards that are empty.

On to brand and quality. I think all the new ones are junk. We were set on a new montana last year. We looked at just about every floor plan they had. I dont think we walked into a single trailer that didnt have at least one cupboard door that fell off in someones hand. Its like they said screw it its 5:00 on Friday and I am just going to stick that door in there and not even bother to put a single screw in the top hinge. I kid you not.

Our current trailer is an 05 Cedar Creek. Its been a pretty good trailer to us but it is not without its share of faults and "what the hell were they thinking" kinda designs. We love our trailer, and I guess thats why we are being so picky about replacing it.

Our next older trailer was a 1995 Hornet travel trailer. That thing was your mid to lower priced unit in its day but in reality it was way better built that our Cedar Creek , and head and shoulders better built than all the junk being pumped out today. We would probably still have that trailer if it had a slide in it. With a family of 7 and a large breed dog it was pretty cramped in there.

It boils down to pick what works for you and fits your needs and future needs, and just plan on having to fix things.

One more note to mention. I would stay clear of the newer "Lite" models. My sister bought one for a permanent site, and in less that a year the foam core floor was all sagging and coming apart. That fall they took it back to the dealer who sent it to the factory. It spent all winter getting fixed. Last year they noticed that the outside walls on 2 of the slides were delaminating. Well, it spent all of last winter back at the factory getting repairs. Now it is out of warranty and this year every time the wind blows they get a huge bubble on the back wall end cap. Now this thing is 3 years old and the only miles it has seen are the ones from the factory to the dealer and the dealer to the factory.

There son bought a "Lite" model last year, and now this summer we started noticing that the back wall end cap is starting to come apart as well. It is all wavy and big bubbles everywhere.
1993 Chevy C3500
2005 Cedar Creek 34RLTS

Expediter
Explorer
Explorer
Great info thanks how do I find the resources and companys that do objective recommendations you referred to?

4x4ord
Explorer III
Explorer III
Continental Coach makes a good 5th wheel if you're not on any kind of budget.
2023 F350 SRW Platinum short box 4x4.
B&W Companion
2008 Citation Platinum XL 34.5

justme
Explorer
Explorer
This may not be a good place to get un-biased recommendation because there are too many brand loyalists out there. To get an objective recommendation there are resources available, but they cost money and they are worth it. They are available for both used and new units. Most RV's are built for glitz and gliter over sound engineering and manufacturing build. There are professional organizations that can offer guidance as well. ISO certification is something to look for, but not many RV manufactures would qualify. RIVA is one another, but I never felt they are that reliable of a certification like ISO based on owner complaints during warranty.

Expediter
Explorer
Explorer
LOL Yup

JeffPhillips
Explorer
Explorer
Married? Let your wife pick out the floor plan she likes! Then figure out what truck you need to pull it.

laknox
Nomad
Nomad
Expediter wrote:
Thank you for the detailed reply!!

I do like the KZ thank you


One other thing that I like about KZ is that they admit they're a smaller company, with fewer dealers, and didn't seem to have a problem in authorizing warranty work by independent RV techs. Caveat: this was on a call before the Thor buyout.

Lyle
2022 GMC Sierra 3500 HD Denali Crew Cab 4x4 Duramax
B&W OEM Companion & Gooseneck Kit
2017 KZ Durango 1500 D277RLT
1936 John Deere Model A
International Flying Farmers 64 Year Member

Rangerman40
Explorer
Explorer
Spacecraft Mfg....

Expediter
Explorer
Explorer
Thank you for the detailed reply!!

I do like the KZ thank you

laknox
Nomad
Nomad
IMO, Northwoods is probably the best of the "independent" RV builders right now. They tend to be heavy, so a dually is virtually required for almost all their RVs. Even their smallest I wouldn't feel 100% comfortable towing with my '02 D'max 2500 HD due to the weight even =if= the floorplan would work for us. On paper, I like KZ, but I've only seen a couple of them, so far. There is only 1 dealer here in AZ and they only stock toy haulers and the real high-end units, not what I'm interested in, so I've only been in once, just to look around. If you want =true= quality, you're likely to jump up well into 6 figures with a full-on, or near-full-on custom job like Space Craft. Again, I'm speaking from my own experience and about 13-14 years of reading about problems and reviews here on RVNet.

Lyle
2022 GMC Sierra 3500 HD Denali Crew Cab 4x4 Duramax
B&W OEM Companion & Gooseneck Kit
2017 KZ Durango 1500 D277RLT
1936 John Deere Model A
International Flying Farmers 64 Year Member

Ralph_Cramden
Explorer II
Explorer II
Expediter wrote:
LOL interesting many brands from a few manufacturers.


Forest River =

Coachmen
Dynamax
Palomino
Prime Time
Shasta
Artic Wolf
Berkshire
Black Diamond
Blue Ridge
XLR
Cardinal
Cedar Creek
Charleston
Cherokee
Salem
Evo
Flagstaff
Forester
FR3
Georgetown
Wildwood
Legacy
Rockwood
Sabre
Sandpiper
Sandstorm
Sierra
Sonoma
Stealth
Sunseeker
Surveyor
Vengeance
Vibe
Wildcat
Work and Play

---------------------------------------------

Thor =

Airstream
Bison
Crossroads
Cruiser
DRV

Dutchmen;
(Aerolite, Aspen Trail,Coleman,Denali,Kodiak,Razorback,Rubicon,Voltage)

Entegra
Heartland
Highland Ridge
Jayco
Keystone
K-Z
Livin Lite
Redwood
Starcraft
Thor Motor Coach
Venture

--------------------------------------------------------

Winnebago has purchased Grand Design.

------'---------------------------------

Want it more interesting? How about the current market share?

Motorized RVs
Thor 42.1%
Forest River 24.6%
Winnebago 13.4%
Everyone else 19.9%

Towables RVs
Thor 48.6%
Forest River 36.8%
Grand Design 4.2%
Everyone else 10.4%

Thor and Forest River dominate the entire industry and that is never good. That is the reason they can get away with the shoddy assembly and lackluster service after the sale.
Too many geezers, self appointed moderators, experts, and disappearing posts for me. Enjoy. How many times can the same thing be rehashed over and over?

Expediter
Explorer
Explorer
LOL interesting many brands from a few manufacturers.

Ralph_Cramden
Explorer II
Explorer II
DanNJanice wrote:
There are really only two large companies. Thor and Forest River. They make up about 75% of all the TT/5vers sold. I would expect similar quality from all the "brands" sold by these two companies. Possible exception would be Airstream (Thor) as they are much higher priced and a unique design.
Of the remainder, there is Lance, Outdoor RV(Timber Ridge, Blackstone, etc), Northwoods(Arctic Fox), IMO these three are a cut above in both price and quality. I think Keystone and Heartland are still independent as well.


Keystone and Heartland are Thor, as is Jayco. Supposedly Jayco will remain intact / independently managed but eventually Thor will pull the plug the same way they combined service and support of numerous other brands / divisions over to Keystone.

donn0128 wrote:
IMHO Forest River Cedar Creek is hard to beat. Mine is 12 years old, and has never been in the shop for a warranty related issue. I can count on my hands what I have to replace or repair in that 12 years.


Unfortunately trying to compare a rig / brand built in 2005 or so to ones built today is like comparing an apple to a lawnmower. The large manufacturers could care less about repeat business and quality control. QC only exists in brochures, on websites, and other advertisements as well as lip service. Its all about push them out the door as fast as possible while times are good, because they know that the boom will not last forever. Its all about bottom line and maximizing profits for the stockholders.
Too many geezers, self appointed moderators, experts, and disappearing posts for me. Enjoy. How many times can the same thing be rehashed over and over?