Possible New Montana (and fridge question)

[L3]

Hi All,

Been looking for awhile now at different floor plans and getting close to pulling the trigger. Possibly as soon as next month. We have been around the world it seems looking at different ones and keep coming back to the Montana 3790/3791RD. Been in several and really like everything about it and can get a decent deal right now. I know there is a thread on here with that exact model that has a nightmare story with the side panel coming loose from the frame. Wondering (hope) if this is an anomaly? Are there other folks on here with that model that are happy? Or Montana owners in general that love their rig?

Also, you can get the rig with a residential fridge or a RV unit. Any reason to lean toward a residential Fridge?

Appreciate any and all comments. Thanks!

[nremtp143]

DReisinger wrote:
If the power goes out, the beer will get warm with a residential

Best answer I've ever seen!!!:B

[DReisinger]

If the power goes out, the beer will get warm with a residential

[nremtp143]

I am the one that has had the trouble out of the 3790Rd that we have. Like I've stated many times, you get good ones and bad ones in any make or model, it is how the company responds when you have a problem that matters. And I'll leave that one up to you for you to decide yourself.
We love the unit's floor plan and we still use an RV fridge as we still have the occasional boondock. That too is a personal choice.

[Endricken]

On my old 05 Montana, the APT Size Whirlpool Residential Fridge that replaced the Dometic 4 door that lost its ammonia about 1 month out of the 3yr warranty (later recalled) RV Fridge was MUCH Lighter, cools fast and COLD, and is Frost Free. Its still running great in 2017 (10 years later).
Its been fine for at least 10 hours sans power (aka like an ice box).
Would never have a too warm, prone to failure, fire hazard, frosted up Propane Fridge again!

[quoyfab]

donn0128 wrote:
Montana has been number one in sales for a long time. But since Thor took ownership I suspect your going to hear more problems. Residential refer? Go for it unless your planning to spend a lot of off grid time. Then the residental refer might be an issue.

Thor bought Montana just about 15 years ago, about the same time we purchased our'02 Model 3295. We kept it for 10 years, and would have bought another Montana IF they made stuff in the 30' range. We downsized to a Cougar which we are most happy with.

[quoyfab]

donn0128 wrote:
Montana has been number one in sales for a long time. But since Thor took ownership I suspect your going to hear more problems. Residential refer? Go for it unless your planning to spend a lot of off grid time. Then the residental refer might be an issue.

Thor bought Montana just about 15 years ago, about the same time we purchased our'02 Model 3295. We kept it for 10 years, and would have bought another Montana IF they made stuff in the 30' range. We downsized to a Cougar which we are most happy with.

[Me_Again]

Our 2118 Nevercold in a 2017 Bighorn will not keep ice cream hard. Get the residential refer. RV refers in slides do not cool very well as the flow of air across the coils does not work well without a actual roof vent vs the side top vent in a slide.

But also check the pin weight of that trailer if you do not have a modern duallie. This trailer is beyond the capabilities of a SRW truck.

Fully loaded pin weight will be around 3700 or more if you add the washer and dryer.

Chris

[RustyJC]

After having the residential fridge in our current Mobile Suites, no way I'd ever go back to an RV fridge. The residential fridge is powered by the RV batteries through a dedicated 1500 watt PSW inverter, and the truck's alternator keeps the RV batteries topped up while we're traveling.

Two of our friends have lost RVs to RV fridge fires, and we've lost cooling units on both Norcold and Dometic RV fridges. Why would I want that aggravation and grief again?

Rusty

[Arcamper]

We ordered a 2016 3100RL with the options we wanted and it has been great so far. I received updates from the factory and they made it a shipping priority to our dealer once it was built. We only had a few minor issues like a loose ceiling fan blade and some rear ladder screws that I took care of and it has never been back to the dealer. I would buy one again but there is always a chance you get a unit like one poster has had nothing but trouble with. I think that's a risk with any brand out there. They all can make a lemon sometimes.
We have the big Norcold 18CF RV fridge and it has a lot of room and has performed flawless so far. I can tell you it uses a lot more power than a regular RV fridge because it has several fans built in. It has 2 inside and 2 or 3 outside that come on depending on how hot it is. When running on propane you can hear the burner 20 feet away so it will go through some propane also.
Also keep in mind they are heavy and tall. Our 3100 is the smallest one they make and equipped with a washer and dryer our pin weight is about 3,400 ready to camp. We pull with a Ram dually so weight is not an issue for us. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[JTrac]

md_procouple wrote:
Another vote for the 3-way RV Fridge, besides they weigh less. Good Luck and Happy Camping !!

A Norcold 1200 weighs 215 pounds. A Samsung RF18, commonly used in rv's, weighs 231 pounds but has 6 more cubic feet of space. Yes, it weighs more but I think the 16 pounds is well worth it. We have had both and the residential is by far our preference. No boondocking for us so it works well. Our Samsung is on its 6th season without a hiccup and has been towed for over 35K miles that includes some very rough roads.

[ACZL]

Heartland had a thing on Facebook about which type of fridge is best for your needs. But as AP said, residential fridges are more suited for folks who are plugged in most if not all the time to shore power. Personally, I'd opt for the RV fridge cuz at least it will operate on gas if the power goes out.

[md_procouple]

Another vote for the 3-way RV Fridge, besides they weigh less. Good Luck and Happy Camping !!

[netjam]

Pulled out my Norcold 1210 3 years ago to replace with residential fridge. World of difference....would never go back to rv fridge.

[boshog]

Wife and I bought a Montana 3790RD in June of 2015, we are getting ready to start our third camping season with it. I've had no issues with it outside of minor dealer inflicted problems. Seems they broke two things and fix one that wasn't really broke. I finally smarten up and fixed the issues myself and stay away from the dealer.

I pull it with a 3500 SRW along with an auto-slide hitch. The RV pulls very nice.

We chose the RV refer so we could keep items cold when off AC power. I think the residential refer is for folks that have permanent camp sights, at least that is what our salesperson told us.