Front windows on Trailer leak or not?

[Dmacman]

Question about weather-tightness of Front windows. I am looking at trailers with Front windows, such as Flagstaff V-Lite. But a concern with Front windows is the road vibration from travel possibly causing leaks at Front windows.
Anyone have experience with Front window leaks, or not leaking? Can you tell if those leaks were caused by road travel or something other?
Thanks in advance!

[Dmacman]

Drbolasky wrote:
Our '83 Sunline had a front window - no leaks ever. Our current TT would let in a few drops now & then, under extreme downpours. Dealer removed the window & resealed and we've had no issues since then (12+ years).

We've been browsing for a unit to replace this one (not happening soon). All of the TT's with a front master bedroom and no front window are dark inside and feel claustrophobic. We like the natural light a front window provides and in good weather we like to have the window above our heads open as we sleep, both for the air movement and the sounds of the great outdoors!

DrBolasky - You might find the Flagstaff line interesting with its front windows. With bedroom in rear and a slide it has plenty of rear bedroom windows as well. Thanks for your input!

[Dmacman]

Dewey02 - that picture of the Beatles Yellow Submarine in hilarious in this context. Good post! Thanks.

[dewey02]

I would love to have a front window as our previous TT had. It seems very few models have them these days. I agree completely on the "submarine" comment.
Our TT has no front window (above the bed) and no rear window (the bathroom).
We can see outside on the sides, but not fore or aft.
Kinda like this:

[Drbolasky]

Our '83 Sunline had a front window - no leaks ever. Our current TT would let in a few drops now & then, under extreme downpours. Dealer removed the window & resealed and we've had no issues since then (12+ years).

We've been browsing for a unit to replace this one (not happening soon). All of the TT's with a front master bedroom and no front window are dark inside and feel claustrophobic. We like the natural light a front window provides and in good weather we like to have the window above our heads open as we sleep, both for the air movement and the sounds of the great outdoors!

[Dmacman]

Thank you all! These are helpful replies. I think that overall I will consider front windows.

[hohenwald48]

I wouldn't have a front window. Why risk it? I don't really see any advantage to it and can see where they might be a problem. I just wouldn't take the chance.

[profdant139]

The front window on my old 2003 Fun Finder did eventually develop a leak -- it was not too hard to fix it. We removed the window and put in butyl caulk strips instead of sealant (which is what the manufacturer had used). No more problem.

I have had my current 2012 Fun Finder for four years -- no problem. And given the layout of the trailer, with the dinette/bed at the front, we could not do without the front window. One of the best parts of camping (and especially boondocking) is setting up the trailer so that there is a good view out of that big window, especially from DW's seat at the dinette. 😉

[Steamguy]

We had a 2000 Arctic Fox for 14 years, our front window had a rock guard over it and the window could be opened (which we almost always did); never had a single leak from it. And we camp in winter and in a part of the country where there can be some long hours of rain.

[Golfcart]

Ive been in some real heavy downpours driving and have never noticed any water inside the front window. in my floorplan i have a front couch right under the window and i usually store my tub of dog toys on it. never had water in or on it

my trailer is 7 years old

[BarneyS]

Both our present trailer and the one before that (another Sunnybrook) have/had the front window with a rock shield that doubles as a window awning when parked. Neither one has ever leaked a drop.
Barney

[toedtoes]

Bumpyroad wrote:

toedtoes wrote:
Wouldn't "road vibration" affect the back windows and/or side windows also? I know the cabover windows in Class Cs and TCs can be a problem because of the stress sitting over the truck/chassis cab, but a trailer doesn't have that stress. And the entire trailer is going over the same road - and the back is more likely to have excess movement than the front.

My old trailer didn't have problems with the front window. Just keep all the windows properly caulked and you should be good to go.

does rain coming at the front window at 60 mph also hit the rear window at that speed?
bumpy

OK. Rain makes sense, but the OP stated "road vibration" as the issue which doesn't make sense.

My old TT had a rock guard cover over the window so rain wouldn't hit it anyway.

In my clipper, I love my cabover window - never hit a "cold window" at night, but don't get claustrophobic. Never had leaks in that either.

[Bumpyroad]

when I was looking at Cs and TCs, any with a front window had curtains/valances/etc. and you lost a good deal of room to them. also, I wouldn't want a cold window to roll against in the middle of the night.
bumpy

[M_A_S_H]

Sold my 2000 Trail Lite last season. Had a front window with travel cover. Never had a leak while I had it. On a side note, I do miss having that window! I could watch what was going on out front from inside the camper, see my kids when they went out there, or lay in our bed that was there and look up at the stars....

[scbwr]

Our 2002 Sunline had a front window and we never had a problem with it. For better ventilation, I wish our Minnie had a front window although the angled front would limit the size. As far as leaks, it's all about the design and weather sealing.