Open Range RVs

[Cookie_Mom]

My husband has been opposed to even considering an Open Range fifth wheel because the slide system isn't hydraulic. However, I looked at the specs for them and it says the following: Accu-Slide 4-Corner Compression Slide System. Does anyone know what this means?

[rcookin]

My problem now is I have an extended warranty and even they will not help with the repairs because they say they are not covered. This ads insult to injury. Open Range says it is not there problem because they are no longer Open Range, They are now Highland Rv and they not responsible for my unit, yet Randy Graber is still the president of the company. He will not respond himself to my letters, he has someone else tell me they won't help. Mr Graber has the nerve to put out a video and ads saying how he wants to have HAPPY and satisfied customers. My unit was one of the first with the deck option which has some great design flaws that they have failed to face up to. As a result of all these problems with this unit, I sit here looking at my fifty thousand dollar t.v. that I can not two or use safely, and I can not trade it in because the dealers won't take it in trade. I have nothing good to say about Open Range revs. CONSUMERS BEWARE.......

[JJnLilly]

rcookin, I can understand you frustrations but not Open Range owners have experienced your difficulties. Before I bought mine, I had a real lemon from Heartland. Too many issues to go into here. I was able to part with it by going back 2 years and from a 3 slide to 2 slide unit.

[rcookin]

To all interested in Open Range Rv's. for your own good I would ask you to please look elsewhere. I am telling you this from my own experience. I have a 2011 Journeyer 359fks that I thought was going to be my last trailer. This has turned into my worst nightmare. In three years that my wife and I have owned it, it has been in the shop or back at the factory more than I have had it. My latest problem is (1)the curb side wall has broken welds causing it to bow out when the slide is put out. already replaced once and told they reinforced that wall. (2) the Quick bite tongue has stress cracks that are causing the metal to tear. (3) cross members on the frame have and are breaking off, three so far. I have contacted Open Range and was told Highland Rv bought out Open Range and will do absolutely nothing for me. I went all in to buy this trailer so that after I retired the wife and I could travel the country. Well I have retired and we can not travel with this unit. I have tried to trade it and the dealers do not want it because of all the problems. So here I sit with my fifty thousand dollar trailer that I can not use, what a lawn ornament. It is not safe. Thank you Open Range for nothing

[3_dog_nights]

I like mine and the slides work better than my old system with the teeth. (I had to go out and push while my wife held the button) I don't mind the cables, my only drawback is lack of dealers.

[rwess]

I have an 2011 Open Range 337 RLS Journeyer travel trailer.

Cable operated slides-if you do the required routine maintenance on them they are fine. If you do not maintain them, then at the most inopportune time they will have a problem.

OR quality-I have had lots of problems with my trailer. Water leaks in the water system under the shower which flooded the underneath 3 times. The 2 Carrier heat pumps were no good from the beginning. Water leaking from the rear window. Decals going bad.

OR service-I have had no complaints. With all of the problems I had they repaired/replaced everything. Even after my 2 year warranty had expired. My dealer was excellent and repaired stuff for me also. This is my 6th new travel trailer/5th wheel that I have purchased. I have had more trouble with it than my previous 5 combined. OR even replaced my 2 Carrier heat pumps with 2 new Coleman Mach 8 heat pumps. I just hope now that everything is repaired and no further problems. OR does stand behind their products. I keep seeing on these posts about people complaining about their manufacturers service or unable to contact their customer service departments. OR customer service is superb, I have no complaints.
I am retired Navy/retiring from 2nd job on Monday (30 June) and turn 62 in July, I am ready to go camping!!!!!

[Lantley]

topjimmy wrote:
I'm with ya JEBar what's with the braces on the level up ,I have the lippert 6 point level up on my Montana and it is rock solid without any braces, makes you wonder why they need them and also Other brands just throw in the level up with no extra charge

These comments are obviously from those who don't own an OR.
What has set OR apart and created a stir within the industry is OR's ability to think outside the box. OR came out with the gray color scheme and has done very well. Notice how many lines now produce gray color RV"s?
OR is very innovative. They saw the pros of cable slides and their ability to reduce weight and ran with it. Part of that weight reduction was the reduced beam size. As a result I imagine the smaller beams gave more potential for floor bounce. OR addressed this issue by making JT Strongarms standard on many of their models. JT Stongarms is a premier brand of after market stabilizer.
Or uses a 4 point not six point Lippert level up system.
Again OR is thinking outside the box. They are not building your grandfather's RV.
There innovation is apparent in their floorplans,engineering, interiors and overall color schemes. OR RV have a very distinctive look and feel.
No they are not perfect. In many ways they suffer from the same old quality control issues that plagued the RV marketplace.
We have discussed slide issues. There are poor OR dealerships.There are cheap ST tire issues Some do not like OR interiors or colors, Nevertheless OR has established a name for themselves and are a recognized and imitated name in the RV market.
If you check out the OR forum most owners are very satisfied with their units. In the end OR is not superior to any other RV, but they do build a quality unit (quality is a murky term in the RV industry).
I have had my unit for 3 years and have not encountered any major issues,with slides,frame,stabilizers or anything else.

[topjimmy]

I'm with ya JEBar what's with the braces on the level up ,I have the lippert 6 point level up on my Montana and it is rock solid without any braces, makes you wonder why they need them and also Other brands just throw in the level up with no extra charge

[TomC1216]

My Open Range 5th wheel is a 2010 model with the wire slide cables. We have not had a second of trouble with the slides or anything else (so far!). The cables, besides being light weight as mentioned previously, also allow the slides to sit closer to the main floor. Dining and bedroom room slides are only 1/2 inch off the floor. The kitchen slide, with extra weight, is still only an inch higher. Everything is easily accessible to work on.

[PamfromVA]

dup...

[PamfromVA]

Our OR is almost 4 years old. It has been drug across the country two times, down to Florida once and right now we are on a two week trip where we took it down to southern Georgia and slowing heading back home. We camp locally just about every weekend during the fall and winter. In other words, we use our camper. We have not ever had a problem with the slide and the camper still looks brand new inside and out. You can get a bad camper with any brand out there. Our last camper, a Coachman, fell apart after three years but we know there are other people out there that have been very happy with that brand. It's all luck of the draw.

[JEBar]

Open Range installs cable slide systems (per info from one of their factory reps at an RV Show) for 2 reasons .... 1. they are light weight 2. they are the least expensive system .... Open Range is committed to taking all possible weight out of their campers which isn't a bad thing .... unfortunately, they have cut their frames to the point they are so soft that with 6 point leveling systems they factory install stabilizer bars to all 6 levelers .... Open Range is also committed to offering their product at the lowest possible price which isn't a bad thing .... unfortunately, some times lower cost components offer lower long term service

Jim

[Bandaid]

As I said in my earliest post, I've had all three of the slide out systems and there are pro's and cons to all three. The one I have had the most trouble and mess with was the hydraulic. Other than the leak and mess, the only other negative I had with that system was not being able to operate the slide rooms independently.

Now I see this thread becoming a discussion debate about overall build quality and the presumed reasons for two companies merging. In my honest opinion, it does not matter which trailer manufacturer people buy from, as any assembly line mass produced product is liable to performance and quality issues. Trust me, I have personal; experience in this! Workers have only so much time to accomplish the jobs they are assigned before the product moves to the next station. When companies grow in popularity rapidly, as Open Range has, production has to speed up to meet demand. Is it a good thing, in most cases NO. Comparative issues exist in the auto industry as well, as we have seen in the big three American companies! Couple the increased demand for the products with the outsourcing of components, mostly coming from small companies, their abilities to meet the needs of the trailer manufacturers, and the quality issue trickle down to them as well.

Lets not forget the capitalism economics in play here either. Each company, from the trailer manufacturers, to the outsource suppliers, have a hand in the money pie. They all want their profit margins to be as high as they can establish and hold. Minimalist engineering of the components, sub standard materials, and poorly motivated underpaid workers all play into final quality of the product.

I would suspect even those who can afford and buy custom built trailers, can find some points in their units that do not meet what they consider craftsmanship and quality. Those of us purchasing in the "mass produced RV lines" more or less get what we pay for. and it is not always what we expect. I remember sitting in a trailer at a rally, talking with the President and company owner. I saw and pointed out a splinter in the fascia molding of a slide room and quietly said, "that needs to be replaced before this unit leaves the factory!" I was surprised when his reply was, "The dealer will take care of that, we don't have time to fix that here!" It seems to be the trend in the RV industry where the manufacturer pushes off the get ready and repairs onto the ordering dealer. As we know, some dealers pride themselves in customer service, where others just smile and watch their customers drive off, saying to themselves, " another sucker down the road!"

I own an Open Road and while I was not happy to see the merger with Jayco, I am happy with my unit. Will I have issues over the years of ownership, probably. Will I have as many as I had with my previous three year old unit. I sure as H, E, double tooth picks hope not!

Bandaid

[Vulcaneer]

Dandy Dan wrote:

Vulcaneer wrote:

Cookie Mom wrote:
My husband has been opposed to even considering an Open Range fifth wheel because the slide system isn't hydraulic. However, I looked at the specs for them and it says the following: Accu-Slide 4-Corner Compression Slide System. Does anyone know what this means?

I think your husband may be right to being opposed to look at an Open Range. Not because of the slide system. But because they are not all that great quality. They are very well appointed with creature comforts. Nicely decorated. Lots of good features. But their build quality is quite lacking in comparison to other companies. The trailers of today are a lot better than back in 2011 when I bought mine. But I will never buy a new one.

Now Open Range is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jayco. That is good. But what is NOT GOOD is that Jayco is letting them operate solely independently. So I doubt you will get Jayco quality in an Open Range.

Vulcaneer, Have you looked at a new one? We saw a 388RKS this past week and it was really nice. Just because Jayco bought out OR you make the statement that you doubt that the quality will be any better. Is this speculation or known fact? It came from OR that they merged with Jayco to attempt to inhance the quality/product.

No that is NOT what I said. What I said, "I doubt you will get Jayco Quality...." What I didn't say ... "I doubt the quality will be any better." IMHO. You are basing your information on that claim from OR? By making that claim, they are pretty much admitting to have quality issues.

[Lantley]

Dandy Dan wrote:

Vulcaneer wrote:

Cookie Mom wrote:
My husband has been opposed to even considering an Open Range fifth wheel because the slide system isn't hydraulic. However, I looked at the specs for them and it says the following: Accu-Slide 4-Corner Compression Slide System. Does anyone know what this means?

I think your husband may be right to being opposed to look at an Open Range. Not because of the slide system. But because they are not all that great quality. They are very well appointed with creature comforts. Nicely decorated. Lots of good features. But their build quality is quite lacking in comparison to other companies. The trailers of today are a lot better than back in 2011 when I bought mine. But I will never buy a new one.

Now Open Range is a wholly owned subsidiary of Jayco. That is good. But what is NOT GOOD is that Jayco is letting them operate solely independently. So I doubt you will get Jayco quality in an Open Range.

Vulcaneer, Have you looked at a new one? We saw a 388RKS this past week and it was really nice. Just because Jayco bought out OR you make the statement that you doubt that the quality will be any better. Is this speculation or known fact? It came from OR that they merged with Jayco to attempt to inhance the quality/product.

I understand the Jayco Open Range deal to be all about financing.
OR needed more capital and Jayco felt it would be a sound investment. Jayco would not have made the deal iof they thought OR was an inferior product.
While I imagine Jayco has some input OR is still and independent operation.

In the end I think it is a good match. Jayco may assist OR in mass producing lots of units while maintaining some quality control. OR may give Jayco some innovation and creativity ideas to improve the bland Jayco product line.
While in general OR has more bells and whistles on their units. The overall quality and finish between Jayco and OR is the same