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Need some advice from out experienced rv'ers. I am fixing to start looking at a 5th wheel rv in the 35 - 38 foot range and am wondering about quality of the different brands and manufacturers.
Alan,
I am getting mine on Thursday. I spent 3 weeks going to as many dealers as I could looking at the floor plan I wanted. I ended up with a Keystone Laredo 29rl. I found the Laredo are in the mid price range (got mine for $27k, list was $38k) and yet they have some great features(fireplace in the Ent ctr) and have really good quality IMO. I would definately research on line for a specific floor plan and then check out local dealers websites to see who has them. Otherwise you can spend 2-3 hours looking at ALL the floor plans they have to offer. Hope this helps.
Last edited by mndiesel; Apr 15, 2007 at 11:49 PM.
Thanks mn, I have a whole folder full of floor plans I have been going through, just wanted to make sure there were no "Stay away from" manufacturers. Wifey really fell in love with the Big Sky 360REQ.
Amiller93,
We have a Jayco Eagle 293 and love it. Don't know if you are looking for a new or used one but there a lot of good looking used ones on RV.net. There is a link on the KOA site for searching for campers (where we found ours, btw) that is very good. Seems that the market is flooded since fuel is as high as it is. Whatever you get make sure it has an aerodynamic front on it, as this really makes a difference pulling and fuel mileage. I got as air deflector that mounts at the front stake pockets that helped a lot. Hope this helps.
Stroker350
Check out the Cedar Creek line by Forest River. We have a 36RLTS and love it.
That's the same trailer that I have.
I wouldn't say it has the best quality of construction, but it's a very nice trailer.
Sort of a side issue for this thread, saftman: Have you had any issues with the axles being mis-aligned? I wore out my first set of tires in 15,000 miles.
I bought a new set last year and am getting ready to loosen the U-bolts and reset the alignment. There is a 1" gap on the right side between the tires and less then 1/2" on the left.
Alan, I would like to mention to you that when you get over 30 feet long, it sort of limits you where you can stay. I have found that I stick out on both ends of the lot in many places where I stay.
I stay at a lot of KOA's.
Perhaps the bigger resort type locations would be more accomodating to a rig that size.
I am not trying to talk you out of a nice big trailer like that. But just be ready to feel like you are driving a small semi-truck. Swing wide on every corner, etc.
My first trailer was a 21' Terry Resort that was nearly bulletproof. NOTHING ever rattled loose on it. And it didn't have shocks on it. It bounced over every bump. Still held together.
After a year of research (long story) we figured out that we could afford a NEW Keystone , wanted an Alfa or Newmar so we settled for a slightly USED Forest River .
Alan another thing that I would like to recommend is get heavier axles on the trailer than they spec.
For instance, I bought my trailer new with two 6000 lb axles with six lug rims.
That puts the wheel weight well within the design of the axles with a little over 1000 lb extra with the 50 gallon fresh water tank full and the waste tanks empty. That weight gets transferred around as we use the fresh water and it ends up in the grey and black water tanks. At the next facility I empty the waste tanks and refill the fresh tank so that weight never changes.
But after I brought the trailer home I noticed the 6 lug wheels.
It never entered my mind for one millisecond to specify the heavier duty 8000 lb axles with the 8 lug wheels or I would have done that in a heartbeat.
My trailer rolls along just fine and rides just fine, but I am a big believer in having more than you need. (LOL look at my F-550.)
It will translate into a greater margin of security and also will completly remove any worries you may have about carrying too much weight.
And it's very easy to go over the weight limit if you want to bring everything with you.
Last edited by Kwikkordead; Apr 21, 2007 at 02:01 PM.
From my experience go out and buy the biggest most expensive truck and fifth wheel you can't afford and save 10 years and a whole lot of cash upgrading to bigger trucks and trailers.
Agree with Super08 Get the most fifth wheel for your money and plan to hold onto it for 10 years. It does cost a lot to upgrade later if you did not get what you wanted in the 1st place. Some Makes give upt to 25% off list and some only 10% depends on the Manufacture.