Manufacturers?

[Rcole33]

Hello All.
Looking for some advice.
My wife and I are searching for our first TT, a bunk house version to be exact.

Can anyone offer up a list of the best manufacturers down to the ones to stay away from?

I know most are made in the same location in Indiana but while at a recent RV show in Tampa, we found one we really liked, a Sport Trek, when we went to a different dealer, they had never heard of it and gave me a hundred reasons why we should avoid it and buy from them.

What manufacturer gives you the best bang for your buck in a 27'-31' TT?

Anyways, your help and knowledge is appreciated.
Thanks

[wrvond]

We have had our Lippert framed Coachmen for 25 months with no issues. I've pulled it just over 8000 miles in that time over roads and through construction zones that caused the change in my coin holder fly out.
My thought is that many manufacturers use the exact same materials and construction methods for relatively short TT's and long TT's. The longer ones of course being weaker and more susceptible to extreme flex.

[stufarmer]

This forum has a long history of horror stories posted with frame failures on Travel Trailers that were produced using the Lippert Frame Company.

[Rcole33]

I could not agree with you more!

I'm not interested in putting my family or anyone's else's life in jeopardy by towing more than my truck can handle.

I have since researched and I think we will browse the keystone passports as they are considerable lighter.

I want to say again that I really appreciate everyone's input on this forum.
Really nice to learn from others that's have already been through this.

[RedRocket204]

Rcole33 wrote:


My favorite was
Sport Trek 312VBHK. Leftover 2015 and can buy for around 23k

Also like the
Prime Time 3150BH
Forest River 8312SS

Make sure you pay close attention to the weights on these TTs as those are big trailers for a 1/2 ton truck. Given your favorite:

UVW = 7290 lbs
Carrying capacity = 1190 lbs (this is not a high number for a TT and will be easy to max out for a family of 4 even without filled tanks)

That would equal 8480 lbs for the trailer's GVWR, but forget about max tow of your TV and pay attention specifically to your payload. At 13% tongue weight (13% is a happy medium and a generalization, could be as high as 15% for proper town manners) of the GVWR of 8480 lbs for most likely a properly loaded trailer maxed out, your tongue weight will be at 1102 lbs. You stated your TV has 1562 lbs payload, so after only the tongue weight, you will have 459 lbs left over for WDH, family and any items loaded into your truck. Towing only 40 miles or for a short weekend will have zero to do with anything, you will still be out on public roads towing with your family's safety in consideration.

Aside from all of that, you probably will not like the tow manners much with that big a trailer and will probably be stuck with the situation many on this site have been faced with... feeling like your trailer is too big for your current TV and faced with the decision to upgrade your TV. There is a very big difference between towing a flat bed trailer that weighs 8500 lbs and a high-walled TT that weighs 8500 lbs. The force of wind resistance traveling down that road is that difference and having higher tongue weights on TTs to help counter the wind resistance is the norm versus why flatbed trailers can get by with a lot less tongue weight. This is not something most like to hear but it is a reality and better to know ahead of time.

Guaranteed there will be those that chime in saying no problem with that TV/TT combo and "I have done it". This is a decision you will have to make by yourself but better to be armed with information ahead of time than not. My point is, I would not do that combo you are considering... but that is purely my opinion.

[lenr]

X2 on 4400 lb. axles; the problem is that they use the same 10" hub as a 3500 axle and it just isn't enough braking when you get above 6000 lb of trailer weight. We switched from 4400 lb. to 5200 lb. with 12" hubs on our 9400 lb. fifth wheel and now have barely enough.

[Rcole33]

Thanks everyone for all of your help and information.
I have my homework cut out for me that's for sure.

We just attended to Tampa Fall RV show and we really liked a few models we saw from different manufacturers.

My favorite was
Sport Trek 312VBHK. Leftover 2015 and can buy for around 23k

Also like the
Prime Time 3150BH
Forest River 8312SS

All nice trailers so I'm still looking at the differences.
Didn't see any Jayco's so I'll do some research now.

Thanks again for all the input.
What a great tool these forums are for all aspects of camping.

[myredracer]

I would look at getting one with a non-Lippert frame. Jayco and Lance use a BAL frame that has no welding on it and is good. Some other manufacturers use it and you could always call BAL and ask who. Nash and Outdoors RV (Northwood) build their own in-house heavy duty off-road frame which is good. Stay away from ultra-lites that have the type of frame that is made from 3-pieces of mild steel welded together and *looks* like a regular I-beam - much weaker than a regular I-beam and can/will eventually have issues. (You can just run a finger along the vertical/horizontal part of the beam and feel the roughness of the weld instead of kneeling down.)

Look closely at tire and axle ratings compared to a TT's GVWR rating. It is always safer to assume a TT will end up weighing close to it's GVWR rating (max. it should weigh) when it's fully loaded for camping along with mods & upgrades you may have done. Some TTs have ample cargo carrying capacity (CCC/NCC) and some have the opposite. When some TTs have one or more full holding tanks, a TT (like ours for ex.) can even exceed the GVWR. The axle rating will be on a sticker on the axles and max. tire loading will be on the tire sidewall. Some manufacturers do not provide much spare load capacity (20% is a number often recommended) and tires and axles can be loaded to near capacity. Load on tires will not be even (more on one axle and/or left or right side of TT heavier) resulting in overloading which can lead to tire failure and bent axle(s). I was looking at a Keystone TT on display recently and it had this situation. Not only that, it had the 3-piece welded frame and spread axles which will further add to potential problems. You need to deduct the tongue weight (estimate using 13% as an average, but can be up to 15% in some cases) from the GVWR to get the actual load sitting on the axles/tires. (Take 13% and multiply that by the GVWR rating and then deduct that from the GVWR.) If available, upgrading to optional higher load range tires can be a good idea.

Personally, I would avoid a TT with spread axles. Because a trailer's axles have different turning radii in a turn, one set of tires gets dragged across the pavement and is hard on tires. Spread axles exacerbate this.

If you want to start with what should be a better quality TT, stay away from ultra-lites. They are built to be as light as possible and are typically built with the lightest and least substantial methods and materials.

If you want a real education, go to one of the factories and see how they build these things like in this Jayco vid for ex.

It's also not just the quality of a TT that matters. Some (many??) dealers can be atrocious and turn an otherwise great TT into a nightmare. Similar thing can happen with some manufacturers. Before committing, I'd see what you can find out about a dealer and factory.

Man, oh man, there's just so many things to look for it would take pages and pages. Hard to reduce down to a handful of recommended manufacturers. Some can have a particular make & model and totally love it, while others can have lots of problems and hate the same one. Friends of ours have a Keystone Cougar TT and some of the construction quality is dismal (cabinetry, ex.). Met a Keystone TT owner recently and his TT had major roof leakage. Took it to the dealer who only made it worse. Then it got sent back to the factory who took it apart to repair it and while it was better, it still leaked. From this and other things I know, I would not recommend Keystone. Some love their Keystone units though.

[mdamerell]

Rcole33 wrote:
I know most are made in the same location in Indiana but while at a recent RV show in Tampa, we found one we really liked, a Sport Trek, when we went to a different dealer, they had never heard of it and gave me a hundred reasons why we should avoid it and buy from them.

Sport Trek is a Venture RV, a subsidiary of Thor Industries, Inc

Thor Industries

Recreation vehicles
Airstream
Breckenridge
CrossRoads RV
Dutchmen RV
Redwood RV
Keystone RV
KZ RV
Heartland RV
Livin Lite RV
Bison Coach

Motorized recreation vehicles (motorhomes)
Airstream
Thor Motor Coach (combined Four Winds International and Damon Motor Coach)

Actually they also include more as Thor's Heartland acquires Cruiser RV, DRV

[Need-A-Vacation]

One thing I forgot to mention that I considered when shopping was the axles under the trailer! One model had about a 9500lb gvwr, but only had 4,400 axles!!! So the manufacture counted some of the tongue weight toward the gvwr of the trailer.

Our Jayco Jay Flight 32 BHDS has a 9975lb gvwr, with 5,000lb axles under the trailer!!! I would rather have a little more cushion. Just like I plan on replacing our LR D tires with E's in the spring, more cushion for the weight capacity....

[lenr]

The RV business is evolving into conglomerates such as Thor Industries and Forest River. There are other smaller ones such as Jayco buying Open Range. Every manufacturer has multiple factories, brands, subsidiaries, etc. Some do well, some have good days, bad days, etc. It is very difficult to draw conclusions to a particular brand. The RV industry just hasn’t discovered the quality model. If you’re not the fix it type, then you’re going to be dependent on your dealer. Check them out on line, through other customers, any way you can, etc. I prefer the low cost program where I can afford to pay for some repair to mitigate a poor dealer, a remote dealer, or the inconvenience of just doing myself.

I just recently learned that Forest River’s second year program for $145 is limited to just the Forest River and Palomino brands. It does not include Prime Time, Coachman, Shasta, or Dynamx. One of the Palomina brands is Puma which I picked out as seeming to be better made. Our Puma was not perfect, but the problems were minor and fixed at home for less effort and money than hauling back to the dealer. Forest River also seems to be a little easier to get along with in terms of factory repair, but it will be up to your dealer to campaign for you—and then you have to get to the factory in IN.

RV towables have up to 40% profit at the dealer. I wouldn’t buy a unit for less than 30% discount, but that’s just me. Next year units start coming out of the factories in April—2016 units are built in April 2015. If it’s past April, it’s time to dicker for a discount. Remember if the salesman’s lips are moving, he’s lying—just check out everything independently. Don’t EVER let the salesman rush a decision—check it out here on RV.NET. Use rvtrader.com to compare prices and find availability around the country.

[temccarthy1]

Am very happy with quality and layout of my new 2014 Keystone Bullet 285RLS Ultralite. They make a bunkhouse version in many sizes also.. I have seen all positive responses from other Bullet owners on this forum.. including several with over 12,000 miles on them. They are reasonably priced, easy to tow because of aluminum framing and have luxurious interiors. Check out the brand on line and tour several of the Bullet models at your local Keystone Bullet dealer. We have had ours 1 year and not had a single malfunction of any system or component!.. Think that is outstanding.. certainly expected some. Check them out!

[Tequila]

Airstream, Northwood (Or Outdoors), Lance in that order. Stay away from anything with a Lippert frame, which happens to be most of them.

[tatest]

After 2 years RV shopping, 10 years RV ownership, four factory visits covering four different kinds of RVs, and ongoing visits to RV shows sort of shopping for a new phase of my RVing life, I still cannot rank manufacturers, can't really find any to stay away from, though I have some I prefer, either because they are building something completely different (Bigfoot, Escape, Oliver, Airstream, Scamp, Casita, Columbia Northwest, LivinLite) or because they have good relationships with their dealers which results in better service for customers (Jayco, Winnebago, Newmar).

Bang for the buck sounds price conscious. That puts you in the mainstream, where there is not much that is really special. There are three basic ways to build a travel trailer: frame a box like a house; prebuild wall panels, and sometimes end panels (usually laminated with foam core) and assemble a box; or build a hull like a boat or aircraft. Materials for framing, lamination, hull building vary.

Mainstream RVs tend to be boxes, as building hulls can cost 50% to 200% more. Better materials to build the box, whether framed or assembled from panels, can raise costs 50% or more. Does "best bang for the buck" mean best construction, greatest structural integrity, choice of most modern materials or lowest price for biggest size? Or something in between? For some buyers it is slideout count, the more slides the better. Do you want special features like outdoor kitchens?

I suggest you start going to RV shows, see what travel trailers look like at different price levels, see what might meet your needs, what that might cost. When you find two or three things you like from different manufacturers, then you might think about comparing the manufacturers, if they happen to be different; often you may find two or more brands are coming from the same manufacturer, as there has been a lot of consolidation in the industry, particularly the past eight years.

SportTrek comes from Venture which is a subsidiary brand at K-Z, Venture's two model lines looking a lot like K-Z's Spree and Vision laminated wall lightweight and ultralight lines. Creating another brand lets K-Z place into more dealers where someone else has an exclusive territory for K-Z. So if you look at Spree and Vision, you would be looking at essentially the same thing. For this type of TT, lightweights assembled from laminated panel walls, I think best bang for the buck is Lance because the materials choice means superior wall panel construction, although the bucks will be at least 50% more than K-Z (or an equivalent from Forest River).

K-Z is now a Thor company, like Dutchmen, Keystone, Airstream and several others. But each Thor company is a separate entity, with its own business practices and RV manufacturing philosophy.

[FrankShore]

X2 on the Lance. It also has a 2 year warranty!

Link To Lance Travel Trailers

Lance Factory Tour Video

You should watch the Factory Tour Video, Lance does things a lot differently than other TT and Truck Camper & Toy Hauler Mfgs.