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FreshMeat
Member
| Joined: | Mon Aug 7th, 2006 |
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| Posts: | 2 |
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Posted: Mon Aug 7th, 2006 08:53 pm |
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When I shop for a car, I know the brands. When I hear Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, Mercedes, BMW, and so on I have a picture in my mind of what these things stand for.
But, I am in the process of shopping for our first fifth wheel and there is no association in my mind of the various brands and models with good, bad, cheap, well made, luxury, lemon, or anything else for that matter.
Will others share their opinions the various brands of fifth wheel trailers available?
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Fred
Administrator
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Posted: Tue Aug 8th, 2006 06:09 pm |
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Welcome to the site! The issue you bring up is one of the reasons why I put up the RV review features. Unfortunately, it hasn't gotten much use yet.
As for the difference between brands, it's difficult to list every company because there are so many brands. And, to top it off, there are numerous brands owned by a small number of companies (just like cars). For example, Keystone has 15 seperate brands, each made in it's own plant and with it's own admin staff. Keystone is a division of Thor Industries, which has 10 subcompanies (including Keystone) that each have numerous brands under them.
The up side is that most of these seperate brands have their own management team and can design and cost out units within their assigned price per unit range. Montana and Everest are 2 seperate keystone brands that compete with each other for the same price range customer. each has it's own admin staff that decide what components to spend money on. So, you may see 2 different brands of similar size and cost side by side and you will notice that one brand has better entertainment features and the other may have nicer furnishings, etc.
To get to the meat of your question about which brands apply to good, bad, etc...it's difficult to say. We have owned 2 Fifth Wheels and my wife's family has owned several other fifth wheels of various brands. Based on what I've seen and my family's opinions of their units, here's my impression of several brands:
- Montana - Good all around design and factory support
- Mountaineer - Budget version on Montana
- Everest - Similar to Montana but focus is more on entertainment features rather than construction, I don't know about their factory support
- Royals International - Higher price range, good attention to detail (but I haven't seen one of the more recent models)
- Dutchmen - Low end brand
- Holdiay Rambler - Has a very strong brand, but the contruction quality has decreased over the past 3 or 4 years.
- Mobile suites - Strong high end brand recognition, but there has been some discussion about recent lower quality of construction.
- Fleetwood - Lower end brand
Due to the lack of QA in the RV industry, I feel that it is more important to find a brand that you are comfortable with their support and to find a dealer that will stand behind the unit. Dealers have little incentive for aftermarket support due to the way the RV manufacturers deal with them. So, I would recommend paying a little extra to go with a dealer that you have heard good things about.
As for factory support, I am impressed with Montana. After reading some of the stories of people having problems with their units and how far Montana has gone to fix things, we decided to go with one. After we joined the Montana club, we attended the 1st rally and talked with the Senior VP of Montana as well as the customer service staff. They spent several days at the rally taking notes about what we owners did and didn't like and the modifications owners made to their units. What really impressed me was that a lot of the points that were made at the rally and on the montana owners forum have been incorporated into their newer models.
I know that Holiday Ramblers have a huge club also, but it appears that the management has not been very active in getting owner opinions anymore. It also seems like Holiday is using the club to maintain their sales via upgrades and some of the Holiday owners I've talked to are only continuing to buy Holidays because they have been club members for along time and don't want to leave the club.
I know that I didn't directly answer your question, but I hope that explaining how the market and brands are interrelated helps explain some of the market forces to you. I'm sure some of our other members will jump in with their own opinions on brands.
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Fifth Wheel Living Founder
2004 Montana 3575RL
2007 Dodge Ram 3500 4WD LB, Reese 20k hitch |
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FreshMeat
Member
| Joined: | Mon Aug 7th, 2006 |
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Posted: Tue Aug 8th, 2006 06:12 pm |
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| This is exactly the kind of feedback I am seeking. Do any others wish to speak up as well?
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Rotaxman
Member
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Posted: Wed Aug 9th, 2006 01:01 am |
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Hi Freshmeat
Welcome to the forum. Fred gave you some pretty good info and advice he is always good at doing that. The only other things I can add is that it is a buyers beware market. I currently own an 06 Mobile Suite by Doubletree and can without a doubt highly recommend that you don't ever consider this brad. They are to new a company and have a lot of QC and engineering problems at this point in time.
I know that I will get jumped on for saying that about them but it is the truth lots and lots of repetitive mistakes no communication between the management, engineers and the line
people.
I feel that you will best be satisfied by staying with the older established company's just to name a few.
Hitchhicker
Teton
Excel
Forest River
Jayco
Keystone
These company's have been in the business long enough to know what it takes to build a fairly good trailer. Granded you can and will have some problems with what ever brand you buy but your chances are better with the ones that have been around the block a few times and know what's going on.
QC seems to be a problem in the Rv industry right now. Not much you can do about that. Other than do your homework before you plunk down a large amount of money for your unit.
Best thing is do lots of research on the brands you are interested in and you are starting out on the right track by looking at the forums. Don't take anything for granted ask lots of questions and asume nothing. Like I said its a buyer beware world in the Rv market place but with the righ preparation you can increase your chances of not making a mistake. Hope this is of some help
As always good camping
Jerry and Joyce
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Jerry Sharp
Joyce McAlpin
Two Lives one Dream
2009 Mobile Suites 38TKSB3
2000 Ford F 450 V-10 Automatic 5.38 Gears
Trailer Special
20000# Reese Hitch
Honda 4500 EX
Hughes Internet
Garmin 2720 talking GPS
Pressure Pro |
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Rotaxman
Member
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Posted: Mon Sep 4th, 2006 02:26 pm |
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Freshmeat
I was just setting here reading my previous post looks like I might of graduated the 3rd grade with that poor spelling. Fingers are faster than brain. Sorry for all the mispelled words. I guess someday I will start proof reading before hitting send. Sorry again for the poor spelling.
Jerry
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Jerry Sharp
Joyce McAlpin
Two Lives one Dream
2009 Mobile Suites 38TKSB3
2000 Ford F 450 V-10 Automatic 5.38 Gears
Trailer Special
20000# Reese Hitch
Honda 4500 EX
Hughes Internet
Garmin 2720 talking GPS
Pressure Pro |
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webevis
Member
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Posted: Thu Mar 29th, 2007 07:08 pm |
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I agree our first camper a 1985 Jayco was old (for a pop up) but it was still holding it's own. We have since purchased a Rockwood (pop up), then a Salem (travel trailer) and now have moved up to another Rockwood (a Fifth wheel). There wasn't anything wrong with the campers, my husband found a deal on a new pop up, then he found a deal on the travel trailer and a couple months ago he decided that him and my four year old wanted a fifth wheel, so he fould a terrific deal on the fifth wheel!!  I have since closed his internet account especially ebay who knows what them two will find a deal on???
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gatorgreg2004
Member
| Joined: | Mon Aug 20th, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 2 |
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Posted: Mon Aug 20th, 2007 01:15 pm |
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| Well, I have the perfect solution for you and it's the "RV Comparison Guide". We are a consumer based company that rates RV manufacturers and compares each manufacturer regarding customer satisfaction, quality of construction and resale value, etc. We also have an affiliate program. We pay $45% of the net profit. This works out to $13.48 per book sold. Let me know if you’d like to become an affiliate of ours. If you have an RV motorhome related website this product would be a nice income generator for you. http://www.jrconsumer.com
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Tarbushfamily
Member
| Joined: | Fri Aug 17th, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 5 |
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Posted: Thu Aug 23rd, 2007 01:42 am |
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Hi Freshmeat,
Welcome to the Fifth Wheel World. Our first camper was a Jayco pop up camper and we quickly knew that we wanted to move to something bigger. We did a 6-8 month study on several brands and we finally decided on a 37ft Legends by Pilgrim International.
It is a pretty new company, but the construction was very good and we liked the fact that the studs were all metal and NO wood products. It is very well insulated and our local dealer gave a great deal. We saved 7K-10K more than all other brands out there and got features like gel exterior, surround sound in and out of the camper, flat panel TV's in the bedroom and living room, upgraded to 15K BTU air conditioner in the living and a 11k BTU in the bedroom. We also got power awnings and stabalizers, 13 gal hot water heater, upgraded wheels, etc.... Tremendous storage and we also got a 2008 edition for the price the other dealers were selling 2007 models.
I would certainly give them a look. Our local dealer is John's RV in Lexington, South Carolina. Here is the website.
http://www.johnsrv.com
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Deepwaters
Member
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Posted: Sat Sep 1st, 2007 01:45 pm |
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I studied every 5'ver I could find for 3 years prior to purchasing. I went to every RV show I could (CT, RI, MA) and walked through so many that my mind was boggled. then I talked with every 5th wheel owner I encountered. I had a good idea of what I wanted and did not want as well as a price range that I could afford. I looked at: Titanium, Mobile Suite, Big Horn, Cardnial, Outback, Hitch Hiker, Montana, Rockwood, Holliday Rambler and Jayco. Size was a big factor for accommodating CG's including federal; Amps 30 vs 50 (there may be and added expense for electric at some CG's); suspension; storage; rig weight; you name it I scoped it. When I walked into the Jayco Eagle 5'ver I knew right then "This was the one". Workmanship was outstanding. Kitchen, living room, bedroom slide outs provide enough comfortable room for me and the occasional 2 grandbabies & their parents. (I opted for the dinette booth because it converts to a bed for the kids). The 291RLTS (hooked up tows at 29') is 34' 10"; UVW 9915; Dry Hitch weight 2100; GVW 12500; CCC 2585; 2 year manufacturer warranty and 1 year road side assistance program. List price 34K. Payed 27K. Granted I am promoting my own halo worship on this unit/brand. I have towed about 3k mi to date and have had zero problems other than my own foolishness like wacking my head on the bedroom slide out after getting some equipment out of one of the compartments. Give it a "look-see" it may meet your needs. Their site is: http://www.jayco.com Just consider me a satisfied customer...so far.
____________________
2007 Jayco Eagle 291 RLTS
J.T. Strong arm stabilizers
Gooseneck adapter
2003 GMC duramax/allison ext cab long bed dually
2 stimulating grandbabies
1 wacky Jack Russell
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chicknoodle
Member
| Joined: | Mon Oct 8th, 2007 |
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Posted: Mon Oct 8th, 2007 08:08 am |
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Hi all,
My Hubby and I have decided to buy a 5th wheel we have been reading searching and attending any and all rv shows possible, we are looking for something in the 26-30 range with bunks for the little ones. I have heard good things about Keystone, but not so good about Thor, But to my suprise we are really liking the Thor Jazz fifth wheel 2007 or 2008. Anyone have any experience with a Thor Jazz Fifth wheel? We love yellowstone and the montana area and usually drive there from southern calif. and Stay in a cabin. but the cabins are getting to darn expensive and we like the idea of sleeping in our Own Bed. So the fifth wheel is a great idea for us! Thanks so much for your help this website is WONDERFUL!!
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Dusty
Member
| Joined: | Fri Aug 24th, 2007 |
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Posted: Mon Feb 4th, 2008 02:14 am |
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We have a Carriage and really like it. They cost a little more but have an excellent reputation. Lot of attention to detail and the fit and finish is wonderful. Went through the Carriage factory and was very impressed. Use great products building these 5th wheels. Lots of insulation in the 5er and also in the slides. They are heavy.
Last edited on Sun Feb 24th, 2008 09:32 pm by Dusty |
jayc
Member
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Posted: Fri Feb 13th, 2009 07:50 pm |
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We have a Heartland Bighorn, which I didn't see on the original list. While Heartland is a new company, their owners came from other manufacturers in an effort to produce the best trailers on the road, and as far as I'm concerned, they have done it. I have never had service after the sale like I have had from Heartland. My local dealer where I bought mine left something to be desired but the factory stepped up and took care of me.
There is also a very active group on the [url=http://.http://.http://www.heartlandowners.org]http://www.heartlandowners.org]http://.http://www.heartlandowners.org[/url] where you will find other owners of these trailers and also factory monitoring of the site.
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Driver-Jay
Navigator and Director of Operations-Stella
Cassie-Schnauzer
2002 GMC 2500HD CC SLT
Duramax(Edge, no Attitude)/Allison
2007 Bighorn 3055 #5082
(soon to be Bighorn 3370RL)
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Fred
Administrator
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Posted: Tue Feb 17th, 2009 03:47 am |
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My wife has been looking at Heartland Big Horns for a while now. So far, I am impressed by their design and apparent build quality. If (When?) we trade, we're going to give Heartland a serious look.
____________________
Fifth Wheel Living Founder
2004 Montana 3575RL
2007 Dodge Ram 3500 4WD LB, Reese 20k hitch |
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