Nervous about ending up with a mass produced junk box.

[brianosaur]

First timer ready to go to Hershey next week.
Looking into 27'-31' BH TT.

Reading & researching up the wahzoo for weeks now.

Floorplans, weight, towing, tow vehicle, ratings, GCVR, GWR, hitches, appliances, power, water, awnings, slides, hookups, dumping, aluminum or fiberglass, maintenance & storage, tires, cover, space to store at home, ect. .....aaaaaahhh!

Once I got past all the how to's, what to's and pretty surface stuff I got looked into construction and manufacturing.

Watched the Jayco speed build video on youtube and my jaw dropped.
It looks like a mass produced speed built junk box!

Reading thread after thread leads me to believe the following, whether it is true or not:

- Most TT are made this way.

- This is the industry standard, quality control sucks and that's what dealers are for.

- Reviews can be found on every manufacturer where some say they are horrible and others just love them.

- Repairs are part of owning an RV, suck it up and deal with it.

- Maintenance is key and due diligence will prolong the inevitable.

- Water damage is a 'when' not an 'if'.


So am I being paranoid?

[afidel]

SidecarFlip wrote:

rjxj wrote:
Good reason to be paranoid and remember, a lot of people come on here with 2 or 3 year old rigs with water damage. It dint just start, they are just seeing the result of the leak that was always there. They are bound and determined to ride that Amish thing right into the ground aren't they!

Amish ride horses for the most part...or bum a ride from a Gentile.

Most ride buggies, at least in Ohio, PA, Indiana, and Utah.

[brianosaur]

John Wayne wrote:
AS a first You may dump a lot of money on a new unit then decide you don't like camping. go used for the first unit.

We've been tent camping for years and I have gone backcountry backpacking many, many times. (Backpacking is what real boondocking is all about. -LOL)

In fact, but forgive me, when I say -*tongue in cheek*- I dont believe RV'ing is really 'real camping' at all. 🙂 ...it's rv-ing

I doubt "movin' on up" to an RV's gonna discourage me!

I am just at the stage in my life that I'm done with all the work and prep involved in tenting.

[SidecarFlip]

rjxj wrote:
Good reason to be paranoid and remember, a lot of people come on here with 2 or 3 year old rigs with water damage. It dint just start, they are just seeing the result of the leak that was always there. They are bound and determined to ride that Amish thing right into the ground aren't they!

Amish ride horses for the most part...or bum a ride from a Gentile.

[toedtoes]

I recommend going to an RV rally (any kind) and asking folks to show areas to inspect on a new trailer. It will help you see what to look for - things like corners that don't line up, and so on.

Yes, most trailers are built the same. Some makes have better reputations, but you can have issues with any. Getting someone who has been through it to walk you around a few units and point out things will go a long way as you start looking to buy.

Small trailers have options with fiberglass shell bodies (casita, escape, etc.). Bigger trailers tend to confine you to the standard build techniques. Also, unlike cars, RVs are more likely to have different issues from the same build period. So, when you narrow down your preferred floor plan, don't just ake the first trailer they walk you to. Check all the trailers on that lot with that floorplan. If they don't look that great, go to another dealer and look at all their trailers with that floorplan.

And remember that many different trailer brands are made by the same company and offer the same floorplan. So check all the trailers in different brands with the same floorplans.

As for water damage, sidecarflip is right. Some due diligence and preventative maintenance goes a long way. I'll add that after the first rain of the season, go out and check your trailer for leaks. Do not put it in storage and forget about it until spring. Even with indoor storage, you can come back to a destroyed trailer. A leak found after one rainfall can be fixed relatively easily for the most part. A leak found after an entire winter of storms is a lost cause without rebuilding.

And remember, indoor storage can have a roof leak, or a fire sprinkler malfunction, etc. Not catching those quickly can do as much damage as leaving it out in a rain. Make regular checks on the trailer when in storage - you'll not only catch water issues, but electrical malfunctions, rodents, insects, theft, and so on.

And yes, plan on maintenance and repair work. Just like when buying a house. Things break. Preventative maintenance is cheaper than repair. And so on.

In the end that part will come down to your personal preferences. Some people love camping/RVing so much that the added effort of maintaining a rig is worth it. Others don't. You'll figure out which one you are after about 1-2 years at the latest.

[azrving]

Good reason to be paranoid and remember, a lot of people come on here with 2 or 3 year old rigs with water damage. It dint just start, they are just seeing the result of the leak that was always there. They are bound and determined to ride that Amish thing right into the ground aren't they!

[theoldwizard1]

Now you know why some people buy an empty cargo trailer and convert it themselves. I have not seen a conversion that DW would be willing to live in, even for a weekend.

[John_Wayne]

AS a first timer I'd say go with a used unit for a few years and find out what you really want and what you can live with out. You may dump a lot of money on a new unit then decide you don't like camping. go used for the first unit.

[SidecarFlip]

Additionally, all the manufacturing hype is just that, it's all phooey. RV manufacturers spend a lot of time patting themselves on the back and claiming this and that like 'Amish Quality' when in fact moat are wham-bam slap it together and ship it builders. One reason why retail dealers are swamped. They aren't swamped selling new units (all that takes is a good drummer), they are swamped fixing the factory's screw ups. The factory, for the most part, never sees an end user (unless the unit is really screwed up and is shipped back), the dealers get to deal with the end users and the warranty issues.

[SidecarFlip]

brianosaur wrote:

SidecarFlip wrote:


My present unit has been basically trouble free but I was careful about one, the brand I bought, two, my pre delivery inspection and correction of any issues and three, continuing maintenance.

Any suggestions on how to go about being careful of the brand I bought?

I mean if I go to the JC, KS, FR, SC, HL, HR, CR websites they pretty much all *claim* wonderful manufacturing processes and that they have above average standards.

I mean has any advertiser ever said in any industry ever that 'we use the bare minimum standards in the stuff we pump out'.

...or is it something I can kind of tell once I start really looking.

We only went to one dealer (Jayco) so far and have nothing to compare to. Hence, the Hershey trip.

s much as I don't like admitting it, I have a FR unit but I went through it very, very carefully for one, didn't order it loaded up with gee-gaw options secondly and mine is 2.5 years old so it was built prior to the current slam them together and shove them out the door attitude that prevails today.

My suggestion is, if you can live with a pre owned unit, buy a pre owned unit that is 2 years old or older, but still look it over carefully. Just because someone else slept in the bed don't mean you cannot replace the mattress and toilets was clean everyday (I'm sure you've stayed in a motel where some one else slept in that bed and used the john before you rented the room)...

A pre owned unit lets the original purchaser take the depreciation hit (and depreciation is steep on new RV's plus, the original owner had to deal with the issues and get them resolved so you don't have to.

Most RV's as a rule get very light use, most RV'ers aren't full timers so wear won't be an issue, however, maintenance might be so it pays to look any used unit over carefully, more carefully than a new unit in most cases.

[SidecarFlip]

pianotuna wrote:
one piece fiberglass roof goes a long way to a zero leak situation.

Look at a used Boler for example. They are a bit smaller than you want--but it may give you and idea of what may be possible.

Water intrusion isn't confined to just the roof. On the contrary. Water intrusion can occur anywhere the outer skin (Filon or Aluminum) is breached. That includes but is not limited to furnaces, HWH's windows and power ports. They all have leading edges where water pounds under pressure driving down the road. Roof seals are important but so is any place the outer skin is breached. One reason I'd never have outside speakers on any RV. Their very design causes them to be leakers.

I't don't matter what the frame is constructed from either, though aluminum is a bit better than wood but soaked insulation, mold and ruined inter walls all happen no matter what the structure is made from.

The primary leak points are always forward facing seams and breaches in the skin.

[Alabama_Jim]

R'ving is full of things that can go wrong, as you stated. After touring the factory and buying a Riverside Retro and I honestly say they do try to build in quality. We have enjoyed our TT and had very minor things to add or fix. They are built in Lagrange, In. You can visit the Riverside website and also visit the Riverside owners forum for more information.

[dodge_guy]

It all depends on your luck! The majority of us are lucky, then there is a small percentage that found the trailers that give the industry a bad name. Even those of us without issues have small little things that need to be repaired.

Just shop smart and find a trailer that doesn't look slammed together by someone who doesn't care.

[brianosaur]

SidecarFlip wrote:


My present unit has been basically trouble free but I was careful about one, the brand I bought, two, my pre delivery inspection and correction of any issues and three, continuing maintenance.

Any suggestions on how to go about being careful of the brand I bought?

I mean if I go to the JC, KS, FR, SC, HL, HR, CR websites they pretty much all *claim* wonderful manufacturing processes and that they have above average standards.

I mean has any advertiser ever said in any industry ever that 'we use the bare minimum standards in the stuff we pump out'.

...or is it something I can kind of tell once I start really looking.

We only went to one dealer (Jayco) so far and have nothing to compare to. Hence, the Hershey trip.

[downtheroad]

brianosaur wrote:


- Repairs are part of owning an RV, suck it up and deal with it.

- Maintenance is key and due diligence will prolong the inevitable.

- Water damage is a 'when' not an 'if'.


So am I being paranoid?

You pretty much have it nailed....except for your 3rd one:
We have 30 years and 5 different RV's - never had a leak... Leaks are not a given. The other 2 that you listed are.

[pianotuna]

one piece fiberglass roof goes a long way to a zero leak situation.

Look at a used Boler for example. They are a bit smaller than you want--but it may give you and idea of what may be possible.