[OT] - 5th wheel recommendations?

[Nathan_OR]

Hey folks,

My wife and I are starting to look at a 5th wheel (RV style trailer, not for the tractor). Figured you guys would know something about the brands that are good, where to start looking, maybe even a recommendation for a dealer in the Portland, Oregon vicinity?

Thanks all, sorry to go Off Topic (OT) but heck this forum has a bunch of guys who value quality the same way I do and who really get informed about their purchases so I figured why not?

Thanks,
Nathan

 

[wushaw]

Well lets see...Here is the way I list them as to the best "production" fivers (in my opinion) on the market made...also the most expensive.
Teton, New Horizions, Newmar are the ones I have any experience with, I have lived in a Teton for three years and my parents live on the road in a Newmar and I have seen the factory of the New Horizions.
There are a few more that are considerd top of the line also, Travel Supreme, Excel, Hitchhiker.
New Horizion and Excell have fiberglass roofs and Teton and Newmar I know have the PVC..."not the rubber roofs"...there is a difference.

The big question is...what do you want to do with a fiver and what do you want to spend...weekends and the occasional vacation or live on the road for long periods at a time??
The fulltime units are the most expensive, heaviest and have the best quality.

Look at alot before you buy and do a complete rundown of the unit before you pull it off the lot and don't take the salesman word on most of what he/she says.

 

[Nathan_OR]

Awesome info, thx, I'll look up all those brands.

I've looked at the Keystone Montana and Big Sky, they seemed decent quality-wise but not really that smart in terms of layout. Also we like the cleaner interiors in the Carriage fifth-wheels we saw online.

To answer your question, this is going to be a vacation rig, not full time.

Also, the towing vehicle is already determined: a 2000 Ford F250 Super Duty Crew, full size bed. So I think the Tetons are all out of our range in terms of pin weight. I read a review about a Teton Phoenix which is smaller but couldn't find it anywhere else (even on the tetonhomes.com website).

The main concern we have is finding one with a good interior layout (we like the kitchen island and big windows instead of cupboards all over the place) but shorter (we like to use gov't campsites and basecamp out of the parking lots at trailheads, not RV sites).

Anyhow thx again for the advice, I'm gonna get to looking

 

[Bird]

Nathan, having owned 6 RVs, having been a full timer for nearly 6 years, having one brother who currently lives in a motorhome and is in the business of RV repair, and another brother who lives in a fifth-wheel, used to be in the RV sales and later service business, I've had lots of experience, but unfortunately, my experience and knowledge are dated too badly to make any recommendations. We used to live in a 1988 Carrilite by Carriage fifth-wheel, the brother who lives in a fifth-wheel has a ten year old 38', three axle Carriage. So, yes, I've liked Carriage. The Hitchhiker line has always been one of my favorites, but I haven't looked at any lately. As mentioned, the Tetons were fine quality, but very expensive. For a long time, I would have avoided Newmar like the plague. In fact, the number one Newmar dealer in the nation dropped the line because of fires and lawsuits, but that was a long time ago, so I'm sure, since they're still around, they corrected the problem. One I've had little personal experience with, but was sure favorably impressed with was the Alpenlite.

For many years, Fleetwood was the biggest manufacturer of RVs in the world and made so many "brands" from some of the cheapest junk to luxury models, but with the mergers, sale of brand names, etc., I'm not sure that's even true anymore. There are more choices for an RV than for a car, pickup, or tractor.

 

[wushaw]

Here is a site that will help in your search.
http://www.rv.net/

 

[Dozernut]

Asking which RV is the best is like asking which tractor is best, You will get a lot of different answers. A good dealer is very important because no matter what brand, you will have some issues with an RV. We started with a travel trailer and ended up with a fifth wheel. Will you travel with children or guests, if so then you will want to look at the bunkhouse models. The thing to watch when buying an rv is the pin weight and over all weight of the unit when empty and when loaded with your camping gear and supplies. You don't want to exceed the capacity of your truck, you want the dog to wag it's tail, not the tail wag the dog.
We have a Crossroads Cruiser that we are happy with and have a few thousand miles logged on it. They are a growing company and have a good line and good customer service. Here is a link to their site CrossRoads RV, Fifth Wheels, Travel Trailers, Destination Trailers, Park Models, Toy Haulers, Recreational Vehicles. There are some other good brands out there, find the floor plan that you like then do a little research, good luck!

 

[Bird]

find the floor plan that you like

In my opinion, that's the best advice of all. If the floor plan doesn't suit you, you'll never be happy with it, so that's the first thing to consider. There are only a few brands of each of the appliances that go into RVs; i.e., air-conditioners, refrigerators, cookstoves, furnaces, water pumps, water heaters, generators, inverters and converters, etc. so I wouldn't be too concerned about which particular ones an RV has. And while there's some quality differences in material and workmanship in some of the different brands, the most common problems with RVs are roof and plumbing leaks, and electrical problems. So, yes, the dealer is important.