What brands of Travel Trailers are NEW & Quality

[crasster]

Pretty much I've come to the conclusion ANY RV travel trailer coming out of Northern Indiana are not of good quality. On youtube there are brands such as Jayco that they build in 6+ hours. Real thin wood, small screws, etc. There are countless issues coming in to dealerships about sub par mfg of many travel trailers.

Many of the workers are paid by piece (not by hour) and literally RUN as fast as they can all day to crank out as many units as possible for maximum $.

It's just REALLY gone sub par.

The brands I've noticed are pretty much anything owned by Forest River, Jayco, KZ etc. etc. This includes a PLETHORA of smaller brands. Also most brands produced by thor, except for Airstream because I think Airstream customers would probably have a revolt. LOL

Many dealers that push the "junk" out of Indiana factories can have customers leave their unit from 4-5 months to administer the warranty fix... It doesn't take long to realize the warranty period is being used up in this time frame, the customer loses the use of the RV, and the RV is getting older.

So what brands of Travel Trailers today have REAL quality?

Preferably Aluminum wall (studs). Built well. Doesn't have to be "light". Just something that can last and not have problems for the most part.

Thanks!

[colliehauler]

Double post due to RV net not working correctly, kind of are apropos for the subject.

[colliehauler]

I purchase the Forest River and Keystone RV'S because of the low price. The devaluation on luxury high end RV'S is more then what I paid for my RV. With keeping up with maintenance and fixing things myself I can easily get a decade or two out of a RV. My cheap RV has taken me to some beautiful places and the price per year has been negligible, for me probably about 1k a year over the lifespan.

[colliehauler]

rbpru wrote:
In spite of all the whinging and complaints, the only thing I can figure is, the construction practices and rework levels on an RV are satisfactory for the market.

We expect phones, television's, computers, monitors and other cheap, off shore, electronic products to work first time and every times. Not so our RVs.

Go figure.

To me it comes down to price.

I don't know about electronics lifespan but on ebay you can buy pallets of new television's that are non-functional. I know several people who have had issues with their phone and simply replace them or upgrade offten. My last washing machine went out after 8 years of use (plastic gears). My last high end HP laptop the mother board failed after just a few years, cost more to fix then replace. Good friend is on his 3rd Sony lcd tv, was told average lifespan was 8 years. Another friend was already having to replace their Blu Ray DVD player. Look at all the posts about the even cheaper RV electronics that go out or fail without making it out of the 1 year warranty.

I personally think a lot of the stuff we buy is garbage and we have become a throw away Society. I think planned obsolescence is alive and well.

[rbpru]

In spite of all the whinging and complaints, the only thing I can figure is, the construction practices and rework levels on an RV are satisfactory for the market.

We expect phones, television's, computers, monitors and other cheap, off shore, electronic products to work first time and every times. Not so our RVs.

Go figure.

To me it comes down to price.

[36guy]

I'm looking at my new Imagine through the window right now. Grand Design is a new company under the parent of Winnebago, I've owned rv's for forty years now, my last one an 05 cougar fifth, put out by the same people that formed Grand Design, back then they formed Keystone and before Thor bought the company, they put out a fine product. I was impressed enough to buy my Imagine, and so far, it has been a fantastic trailer, I had my cougar 13 years trouble free and I expect this Imagine to be the same or better.

[colliehauler]

To bad it's not like the old days when you could purchase a RV in kit form and put it together yourself. Kit mfg went out of business a few years back.

[myredracer]

I went to make the bed one day and the entire headboard fell off. Only held on by a few staples. This sort of thing shouldn't happen and is just poor workmanship. As long as it *looks* as it leaves the factory, that's all that matters. Have had lots and lots of ridiculous things like this happen. Pure sloppy-ness and could care less attitude. How much more time would it have taken to whap in more staples at the time?

[colliehauler]

rbpru wrote:
Wireman you are correct. Except the public was willing to accept a 6 to 15 times increase in vehicle costs over the next 15 to 25 years. Quality, dependability and reduced maintenance was not free. People need,want and are willing to pay for dependable vehicles.

Few people are willing to pay for a top notch RV, so the industry builds what sells. Airstreams figured out how to attract an upscale market and it is reflected in the price.

If you want Rolls Royce or Ferraris quality at a Ford or Chevy price you are in to a long weight.

Good analogy, I bought a new GMC half ton bare bones truck for 14,995 in 1994, now the discount on GMC's are about what I paid for a new truck.

[rbpru]

Wireman you are correct. Except the public was willing to accept a 6 to 15 times increase in vehicle costs over the next 15 to 25 years. Quality, dependability and reduced maintenance was not free. People need,want and are willing to pay for dependable vehicles.

Few people are willing to pay for a top notch RV, so the industry builds what sells. Airstreams figured out how to attract an upscale market and it is reflected in the price.

If you want Rolls Royce or Ferraris quality at a Ford or Chevy price you are in to a long weight.

[wireman]

gbopp wrote:

crasster wrote:
Many dealers that push the "junk" out of Indiana factories can have customers leave their unit from 4-5 months to administer the warranty fix...

As long as we keep buying junk, they will keep building junk.

Exactly. The American auto industry of the 70's is where the RV manufacturers still exist.

For the most part American built cars are much better than the junk they use to build.

Most RV builders have done a 180 and build worse quality than the 70's. Always exceptions of course.

Read their brochures and you would think everything is gold plated.

Point blank, they just don't care.

[colliehauler]

The custom builders are not pushed like the mass produced get your quota done and go home. I went through the New Horizon plant in Junction City Kansas. The difference was very interesting. I talked to the cabnet builder and some other workers along with the owner. The draw back is most people cannot afford to spend that much money. The frames and the welds were very nice. Being able to sit down and pick every aspect of the build was a plus as well. I would not mind a used New Horizon or Excel with hickory interior.

[GrandpaKip]

Sorry, myredracer, I have to disagree.
I used to do custom woodworking in a previous life. I can absolutely say that it does take more time to do the work properly than to just slap something together.
For example: making drawers. A couple minutes to staple butt joints. An hour or so for dados. A few hours for dovetails.
That comparison can be made for everything in a camper, even placing a screw correctly. It may only be a second or so, but it does take longer. Unfortunately, time is money and the manufacturers must have figured out that warranty work is cheaper.

I wonder how much time it takes to put a Jayco together compared to an Artic Fox of the same size.

[normal_dave]

Northwood's Nash line is a surprisingly well built trailer, and tough to boot. Very similar to Arctic Fox and Outdoors RV, but traditional wood frame walls and fiberglass insulation. Same heavy duty frame with shock absorbers, and the wood framing is very strong compared to the typical. Also includes a decent 4 seasons package for those Texas Summers. They have a dealer over in Baird, TX with decent inventory. (Hanner)

[Vulcanmars]

Like others I have been around campers most of my life. They are the worst when the economy is the good. Everyone is racing to produce as fast as possible. When the economy tanks, I'm pretty sure they hold onto the better workers and slow down.

[TBammer]

I'm buying an Arctic Fox next week. I chose them based on a number of things, not the least of which is tank size. It's definitely heavier/beefier. I'll let you know what I think.