Ready to purchase

[P3driver]

I'm in the final stage of decision making, whittled things down to two maybe three based on what I hear. My choices are Arctic Fox, 29.5T, Reflection 303RLS, and Laredo 325RL. Not concidering price and this point. Reliability, safety and functionality are what I'm looking at. I also have the dealers chosen for each unit. Please help, any input will be appreciated. Thank you.

[work2much]

Didn't see that coming. Enjoy your new RV and happy trails.

[Winnebago_Bob]

Chose a Keystone over an Arctic Fox? (just traded mine) SMH.

[P3driver]

Well, as you can see by my signature I bought the Laredo. The dealer made me a very good deal. I looked at about 10 different manufacturers and discovered what I already knew. All the " midrange " trailers are built the same. It's a crapshoot and I just have to accept what I get. I did all my own work on my last t trailer and will do the same with this one.

[goducks10]

Agree. furniture is the last thing I worry about. We hate swivel rocker recliners. We prefer just swivel recliners. We sat in those reclining sofas and they're decent enough that I wouldn't swap till it was worn out.
It is weird that someone ordered a 29-5T with 4 recliners.
The furniture in an RV has absolutely nothing to do with the reliability of the RV.

[work2much]

goducks10 wrote:
It took you most of the day to figure out the seating? Could've saw that online and called. You could sell the recliners on CL and buy a sofa. Guaranty it would be better than the RV stuff they put in them.

So it had 4 recliners?

Happen do be looking at similar units. The 29-5T has 2 swivel recliners and a 2 person couch that reclines as well. The furniture such as sofa and rockers is pretty far down my list of must haves. Quality of frame, axles, and general construction are hard to impossible to fix. Furniture I anticipate swapping at some point or ordering deleted no matter what unit we get. Here is a pic of the interior.

[goducks10]

It took you most of the day to figure out the seating? Could've saw that online and called. You could sell the recliners on CL and buy a sofa. Guaranty it would be better than the RV stuff they put in them.

So it had 4 recliners?

[Bumpyroad]

gee, lots of folks here wanting to exchange sofa for recliners?
bumpy

[P3driver]

Well, I spent a good part of the day at the Arctic Fox dealer. I went through the 29.5 T with a fine tooth comb. I'm an engineer and a OCD type so I did find a list of non consequential things that would need to be fixed. However, the major deal breaker is the sofa. It's missing, they had recliners in its stead. The salesman told me it would add an additional 1K to the price. So I had to decline. Tomorrow I will make an offer on a grand design 303RLS. Thanks for the help, you folks saved me a lot of money.

[mtofell1]

My first reaction is to scratch the Keystone as well. It's funny I say that too since I own one and am even pretty happy with it. I'm just not going to fool myself into thinking it's in the same category as the Arctic Fox and Grand Design.

Between those last two brands I'd say the floor plan is the most important thing. Dealer proximity/support starts to enter in if floor plan is a tossup. Then, of course, price does come into play.

[ChuckV1]

We just bought a new Kz Durango Gold G384FLT, heavy but well built trailer, solid draws with metal slide's not the cheap plastic junk. Large frame lots of storage under the unit and a two year warranty ...

Featured 5th wheel this month Trail Life stated MSRP was $79 an change. We bought ours for around $62K and from what I am seeing on the web that's the average price an ours has all the upgrades you can get except a generator, we opted out since we already have a Honda 6.5 ...

None of that cheap plastic hardware even thought Trailer Life review on this 5th wheel this month stated that they wished there would have been an upgrade of hardware in the bathroom ares. I do not know what they were looking at because ours has all brushed stainless faucets both on the sink and shower an so do two of are friends that bought the same trailer ...

We have looked at a number of upper end units from 60k to 100k and we both agreed that Kz gave us a better bang for the buck than the one's costing 70 or 80k or more.

We are not ones to look at the fancy stuff, we look how the trailer is built, will there be problems, sure, but so far Kz has stood behind their product 150 percent ...

As well it's all about your dealer, ours has been great and stands behind everything they sell.

Another reason we bought this unit is because as many people know going to an RV show an walking though TT, MH, 5th wheels after a couple of days they tend to start to fall apart. Molding falling down, loose cabinet doors, broken drawer knobs etc, our Kz G384FLT had none of that after 4 days of people walking thought it, yes we bought the show model an that why ...

Now think about it, open up your TT, MH or 5th wheel and let a few hundred walk thought it, opening an slam doors, pull on everything possible an see how it holds up ...


Safe travels

[work2much]

I believe that AF is the only one of the three that uses all plywood vs. OSB. They are also build their own chassis and have it independently certified. They also have shocks on their wheels. Not sure if the others do. One other manufacturer you might have a look at is Outdoor RV which is also built in Oregon minutes from AF and shares the same cassis and other features like 100% plywood. This is the brand we are looking at (and Arctic Fox). They have a few shorter models that we like.

After looking at threads here and elsewhere showing Keystone products and their customer service I would scratch that one right off my list.

If weight and cost aren't barriers for you, AF is probably the best built of the three.

[P3driver]

Thanks for the inputs. I just bought a 2017 F350 SRW, 6.7L. I'm an engineer and as my friends say over design everything. I looked at the AF at a show and really liked the layout and more than that the construction and materials used. They are defiantly a step above the others. I'm going to a dealer today to look at it again, who knows I may end up owning it. Thanks again all.

[goducks10]

Northwood offers the same good warranty service that GD or any other 'Good Warranty Service' MFG does. They will set you up with an independent repair shop if a dealer isn't nearby. You can call NW's tech service department anytime. If you don't get thru they will always call you back. BTDT.
The 29-5T will need a 1 ton to pull it. They are heavier than the other's because of the way they're built.
We are going in to our 5th camping season with our NW 5th wheel. After a couple very small fixes it's been trouble free. for the last 3 years.

My suggestion would be to go and look at how the drawers are put together on all 3. Look at how the frame gussets are welded in at spring hanger areas.
Look to see how thick the baggage doors are. Is there any OSB used anywhere instead of plywood?
Of all 3 why does the 29-5T have the highest GVWR of 15,700 lb? using the same tires as the others? Stonger frame.
I would take a bed slide out over a fixed bed any day.
Fiberglass rear cap and 8'6" wider on the NW
Go to the Northwood MFG web site and then to their Facebook page. There's a couple photos of how the roof is made. They glue and screw 3/8" plywood down on thicker roof trusses. Most don't glue and just use staples. You can see that the insulation is the same thickness clear out to the edges. Not tapered down to nothing as you get to the edge of the roof like others do.
Lots of little things are the reason the AF costs more and weighs more. May not be as glitzy because the glitz money is spent on better construction materials and methods.

[Norskeman]

1. Purchase from a dealer close to you - you will need warranty work.
2. Pick the floor plan/options you want - just traded up because we wanted a better floor plan for long term stays
3. Grand Design is supposed to have a good quality program - they were recently bought out (Winnebago Industries http://www.rvbusiness.com/2016/10/winnebago-industries-to-acquire-grand-design/) for that reason - new buyer wanted a builder that had a good QA program.
4. Make sure your tow vehicle can handle the weight of the RV.