RV manufactures

[Joebear_movie_l]

:?Hi, can I get opinions about which RV manufactures to avoid and which you know to be quality, good ones? Thanks.

[Doug33]

What's also interesting is that many manufacturers share brands of appliances, awning, HVAC components, electronics, etc.

[myredracer]

I would definitely investigate dealer quality as well. Often overlooked. Some are really bad. Simple warranty repairs can take weeks to fix (or weeks and weeks). Some of them just don't care how long it takes or how many times you have to take your RV back to get the same thing worked on multiple times before they get it right. (BTDT) Some dealers are outstanding but harder to find than at the other end of things...

Some brands have terrible factory support and blow you away on what you would expect to be ordinary warranty issues. Another common thing you'll find is that the plant or factory defer to a third part supplier, like say Lippert, to determine if the problem will be covered under warranty. Often they will say you overloaded our camper or "it's within spec." and not cover you.

I would definitely look into weight capacities of campers. Assuming you are considering a trailer, do not use any factory dry weights (UVW or tongue or pin) for a buying decision. Do not believe "1/2 ton towable" labels. They conveniently do not mention payload capacity of your tow vehicle and you can find your tow vehicle seriously overloaded and you can't return the trailer. Often when you weigh your camper loaded and ready for camping, you are almost at the GVWR and have no spare capacity left and/or the tongue or pin weight is way higher (as much as double). Many don't understand this or ignore it. It's not good to overload your trailer frame and suspension which can result in major damage and/or to overload your TV.. If you can upgrade a load range in the ST tires (assuming a trailer again) I'd go with the upgrade. It's a really good idea to weigh your tow vehicle to determine what the actual payload is, not what's on the door jamb sticker or in the manufacturer's print. Then you'll know what trailer can suit your tow vehicle when shopping around.

Look inside cabinets for ex. and see how things are put together. Do drawers work properly? In particular, look underneath the trailer and see what the frame and components look like. You may not know what to look at first, but after a while you will see that there is a difference between brands and models. Two brands I know of have really flimsy & substandard frames with "extreme flex". Excessive frame flex will end up damaging the entire trailer superstructure in the long run besides ending up with frame damage.

I suggest reading some of the brand specific forums out there - Jayco, KZ, Forest River, etc. Our last TT was a FR product and we'd never buy another for a number of reasons.

Don't believe what you read in the various glossy RV magazines. They typically just talk about the lovely layout, wonderful colors and how nice it tows. Never anything on durability, quality of construction, strength of frame & suspension, etc. or quality of factory and dealer support.

If you want to buy one that is at the top of the heap, look at a Lance unit. Among the rest of them, there are better ones and lesser ones. I've read and heard that even Airstream isn't all that great. A well-recognized name doesn't necessarily mean better quality. You'll never find really good answers to your question though as many have personal opinions. Be wary of "light weight" trailers. Light weight means lighter construction throughout and thus less durability.

Most RVs have quality issues, esp. trailers, and that's just the way the industry is. Lack of design standards/codes. Lack of quality control procedures in the plant. Use of low-skilled and low-paid workers that whack the units out 24/7...

My (lengthy, once again) $.02 worth.

Next you should ask what ST tires to use, lol.... :R

[Clonefan]

I would read this forum regularly and you will see patterns. For the most part they all have good ones and bad ones.

I have owned a Thor (Aerolite Cub), Cruiser RV (Shadow Cruiser), and a Keystone (Passport). Cruiser RV is terrible. You can see an axle problem thread just above this one.

Good luck.

[Canyon-Cruiser]

LBL 1206 wrote:

WoodGlue wrote:
One TT I would avoid is any Jayco.

WoodGlue

I have owned 4 new jaycos since 1988, all trouble free....coincidence, me thinks not!

This pretty much proves the point made earlier, opinions about RV's and the manufacturers are very subjective. Never take one persons opinion as fact. Do your own research. With the technology available today it is extremely easy to do research right from your living room. Browse the forums (ALL of them). Do an internet search using different search engines for a more comprehensive result.

Floor plans are pretty much all the same from one manufacture to another with only a few exceptions (only the model number varies). So, find the one that fits your needs then look at reviews of it based on the model number of the manufacturer. Go look at them. When you feel comfortable with the floor plan and (based on your research) the manufacturer, check out the reviews of the dealers in your area (including BBB ratings). Then do the deal.

It sounds like alot of work (and it is) but, it's your investment. In the end you are the one holding the bag.

[goducks10]

Highway 4x4 wrote:
Find one you like. Look it over real good. Buy it. Use it. In a few years you'll know all about rv's and want a different one anyway.

Ding, ding, ding we have a winner. So true.

[Doug33]

Gdetrailer wrote:

Doug33 wrote:
These topics never end well because there are so many opinions on brands. So find a good floorplan at as good of a price as possible, inspect the TT very well and have the tech show you everything to make sure it works well. And make sure you buy from a reputable dealer that has great service. You may want to buy from a dealer that is closer than an hour away, because almost every TT has some things that have to be fixed or replaced under warranty.

Correct!

I would add in that if you are wanting slides, make SURE you can get around the slides when they are IN. This is extremely important since often times the floor layout is BLOCKED when the slides are in.

While you may not ever use the RV with the slides in, often times when you store the trailer you may need to store it with the slides in...

When I store my TT on the side of the house, the slide comes out towards the house and partially blocks the walkway to the back yard. Thus I keep the slide in the IN position except when packing or showing the TT. With the slide IN, I still have a wide enough aisle to get through the TT.

[LBL_1206]

WoodGlue wrote:
One TT I would avoid is any Jayco.

WoodGlue

I have owned 4 new jaycos since 1988, all trouble free....coincidence, me thinks not!

[WoodGlue]

One TT I would avoid is any Jayco.

WoodGlue

[Highway_4x4]

Find one you like. Look it over real good. Buy it. Use it. In a few years you'll know all about rv's and want a different one anyway.

[lgarcia]

I have a Dutchmen and have had no issues. But, another thing to consider is how much you have to have - and which could themselves have issues. My Dutchmen has no slides, one sink, one toilet, one AC etc., so there is just less to have problems.

[Joebear_movie_l]

:R Thanks all for responding. I guess it's all a******shoot. :h

[Gdetrailer]

Doug33 wrote:
These topics never end well because there are so many opinions on brands. So find a good floorplan at as good of a price as possible, inspect the TT very well and have the tech show you everything to make sure it works well. And make sure you buy from a reputable dealer that has great service. You may want to buy from a dealer that is closer than an hour away, because almost every TT has some things that have to be fixed or replaced under warranty.

Correct!

I would add in that if you are wanting slides, make SURE you can get around the slides when they are IN. This is extremely important since often times the floor layout is BLOCKED when the slides are in.

While you may not ever use the RV with the slides in, often times when you store the trailer you may need to store it with the slides in...

Another point of contention is quality vs leaks, this is a never ending heated discussion.

There are only two types of RVs, one that is leaking and one the WILL be leaking.

If this is your first RV, be prepared to do battle with never ending leaks. RVs unlike stick and bricks homes tend to flex a lot, this tends to break the caulking around any opening from the roof down over time.

Many on the forum seem to feel that no RV should ever leak and therefore never check the caulking. Then after one or two years sign up to forums like this and badmouth the manufacturer and the dealer when they discover major water damage.

Hence the reason as to my first statement, don't worry so much about manufacturer brand quality.

[Doug33]

These topics never end well because there are so many opinions on brands. So find a good floorplan at as good of a price as possible, inspect the TT very well and have the tech show you everything to make sure it works well. And make sure you buy from a reputable dealer that has great service. You may want to buy from a dealer that is closer than an hour away, because almost every TT has some things that have to be fixed or replaced under warranty.

[LBL_1206]

path1 wrote:

"opinions" on this matter are all over the map, what is "good" to one person just may be a total "lemon" for another.

Rather than concentrating on brand quality you are better off finding a RV that suits your taste.

Wish I would of said it like that in above post . My thoughts exactly!!!!

Yep, well stated...
Washington State, Dry Side, Walla Walla