What the RV Industry needs and how it works.

theoldwizard1 wrote:

BurbMan wrote:
One mfr is now offering a 3 year warranty on all new towable units.

Please give us a name !

Jayco brags about their 2 year warranty. It does not cover any of the appliances or awning. Hardly "bumper-to-bumper".

ATC has 3 yr warranty

Had a conversation today with an "RV industry insider", not a dealer. His comment was there is little manufacturer interest in upper end travel trailers. They are stretched to build units as they exist at market volume demands. He also suggested innovation and industry restructuring won't likely be seen till the next market slow down.

IMO if we really want to see change sooner than later stop opening your wallets.

BurbMan wrote:
One mfr is now offering a 3 year warranty on all new towable units.

Please give us a name !

Jayco brags about their 2 year warranty. It does not cover any of the appliances or awning. Hardly "bumper-to-bumper".

hvac wrote:
I gave up on traditional folks. Bought a ATC 28 front bedroom with a 5.5 onan. No toys. Garage converted to a living room. All metal. No slide. Its been perfect and I see no reason for future surprises.

Something I would consider, but SWMBO would never go for it.

SidecarFlip wrote:
Houses are the same. We had a contractor build a deck and this fall, I had to replace the steps. I'm surprised they never fell off as at least 50% of the deck screws missed the mark and were holding nothing but air....

Wasn't 'Amish' built either...lol

Gotta agree here. The circa 1978 built home I own had exterior wall insulation stopped a foot above the floor wall plate, HVAC duct runs not connected to room registers, totally illegal wirinng, etc. Now I have remodeled 75% of the interior space with the help of friends, Google and YouTube. Thankful the structural framing is good. Where were the building inspectors during construction?

My camper isn't much better. Structural frame all seems good, but interior craftsmanship not so much. Screws missing supporting structure, Staples missing the 2 pieces they're supposed to connect, outlets not even close to being installed plumb, etc.

My problem is not keeping up with caulking on a flexing structure. Everything needs constant maintenance.

BurbMan, your point about innovation is right on target. My 2003 Shadow Cruiser had an aluminum skin, wooden frame, and fiberglass insulation between the studs. My 2012 Fun Finder (almost the same unit) has a fiberglass skin, aluminum frame, and thick styrofoam on all six sides, sandwiched between the layers. A huge improvement in insulation from noise and temperature, far more durable and rugged.

If you want to know what's going on in the industry, subscribe to RV Business magazine. I have been a subscriber since I started offering my consulting services to the RV industry.

First off, there is a tremendous level of innovation today in the industry. One mfr is now offering a 3 year warranty on all new towable units. More mfrs are now adding staff and floor space to do PDIs at the plant instead of making the dealer responsible for it, so problems get fixed quicker and dealers have less headaches delivering trouble-free units to their customers.

You cannot compare RVs to cars, appliances or anything else for that matter. The demand for RVs is VERY elastic, meaning that it's a completely discretionary purchase. Mfrs need to balance hi-tech with a price point, consumers are only willing to spend so much for a "toy". The majority of towables buyers are families with kids, once you get into the hi-end bus market, price takes a back seat to luxury.

Elastic demand also means that once the economy slows down, the RV purchase is the first thing to get chopped. Mfrs, dealers, and CG owners that have been around for a while know that you must be cautious in boom years if you want to survive the bust years. Coming off of the biggest bust in 2008, the camping industry is now in its biggest boom period....ever.

You want a quality build with attention to detail, then you're in the $40-50k market for a towable. If you are shopping $20-30k for a towable brand new, then expect some compromises in either build quality or features. There's no magic formula here. Go take a factory tour and see what goes into making a trailer and you'll leave wondering how they can even afford to make a trailer for $20-30k, and understand why they are made the way they are.

Sidecar, I think that is a very perceptive comment. The industry has a finite capacity. Sales are booming, I think because the baby boomers are retiring and buying RVs. So there is no need or ability to expand the market by seeking out higher-end buyers.

The egg trailers, by the way, do have some high end units -- like Escape and Oliver. But they are the exception.

With an RV, robotics play no part. Cannot assemble one with CNC guided robots.

One thing I see is that RIVA condones the current atmosphere (I subscribe to the industry publications. RIVA spends all it's time / effort on grooming industry executives and little on mandating any product improvement.

I agree 100%. When the market slows down (and it will because the market is economy driven and economics is always cyclical), RV builders will then engage in building a better product instead of just building quantity.

Right now is boom time. The future may be bust time.

Not sure if the vast majority is happy with the product, they accept the product for what it is. Acceptance and contentment are 2 different animals.

Since we are all rambling on, it is safe to say that the current TT and 5ver market is not changing because it has no reason to change.

Thor and FR have no incentive to drop brand names and jeopardize customer loyalty when they can sell all they make.

Foreign competition sees no future in a market that will not pay for added quality and who's multiple model line does not lend itself to robotics.

Labor force, Amish or not are paid for parts out the door.

The vast majority of the consumer base is happy with the product. They might like a yacht but the bass boat gets the job done.

When the market sales slow then we may see some changes.