Really like this 5th wheel--opinions please

[HBarlow]

That is good news that the trailer has decent American made axles under it and 16" wheels. I thought another owner reported replacing his 15" wheels with 16" on a Raptor.

Southwest Wheel is a dealer in Alko suspension parts.

 

[AClayton]

Harvey

1 out of 3 ain't bad it has mapop missions but they are 235/85/16's on mag wheels and they are on al-co axles which are made just up the road.

Griz

Everything is relative I guess, when I mounted the etrack for the bike I had to take down the treated cardboard and then cut the black fabric that was under the frame and then move the approx 18" of fiberglass insulation to put the washers and nuts on. I also wanted to mount a speaker switch by the radio which is an interior wall and there is 6" fiberglass insulation there to. The outside walls measured by the window frame is 2" which is about 1/4 to 1/2 wider than most of the coaches we have looked at, I know it's not an HR but it didn't retail for over 100k. Unlike the oil companys, with an RV you pretty much get what you pay for.

Fred

Fred,



I just purchased a 10' Raptor and have read with interest all the criticism placed on my 5th wheel. I have noticed the exact same thing you have regarding insulation... ... it seems to be insulated very well. My Raptor replaced a Winnebago Brave MH..... which is among the highest rated RV's sold. I can say with confidence that my Raptor is much better insulated than the MH was. With one exception,as noted by fellow member EricBu12,the area under the bedroom was not done well and I performed that work immediately with his advice. If tires are the concern,I am replacing them with the Michelins that are so highly recommended by George and Harvey. I am new to 5th wheel ownership and respect their opinion but for me,I think I have purchased a nice rig for the money I spent. I usually keep an RV for about 6yrs before trading up and have always 'garage kept' them and that alone has always granted me high trade in value.



I don't know how old George's RV book is but it MAY be possible that Keystone and/or the Raptor line may have stepped up their game a bit. I have noticed nothing major to be under-achieved on my trailer and it handles great and tows fine. I hope to have continued success with my purchase!! I actually did look at a used Arctic Fox a few mos. back and DID notice a very strong build quality and was really interested in it but unfortunately,my now X-wife did not like the floorplan! I wear the pants in the family now and I purchased what I wanted... ... . a 2010 Raptor! I like it and hope it extends me the courtesy of trouble-free service. We will see!



Alan

 

[Grizzly]

Alan, you're right, my RV Consumer Group guide is a couple of years old. It could be that your Rapter is a better rated trailer than the older ones. I will upgrade my subscription and let you know. You could also ask the dealer where purchased your trailer. They all have the guide. However they may be not willing to show it to you if your trailer is not rated high. They will just say that they don't have it or that they don't believe is such things and make small light of it. However, if you were buying a Hitchhiker or an Excel, they would gladly show you the data. I have first hand experience of that.



The newest Rapter I show is rated 2 stars and the older Rapter are rated 2. 5 stars. I do see that the larger Rapter do have 16" ST tires.



Most Toy Hauler are not rated very good because of the heavier weight at the rear of the trailer, which gives them a bad Highway Control. The one exception to that is the Desert Fox by Northwood Mfg, which are rated 3 to 4 stars.

 

[mickeyblueyes]

I am posting here just to let you know and agree with the financial aspect of it the depreciation will just kill you, my friend passed away and I am selling his Titanium 5th wheel its on the for sale postings now. It would be border line for a 2500 ,but doable with some upgrades. It has a play room/ toyhauler / patio room in the rear. I have pix email me. Price is listed as B/O which is about$20,000 for a 2004. Listed at $60,000 6 years -$40,000.

 

[AClayton]

Alan, you're right, my RV Consumer Group guide is a couple of years old. It could be that your Rapter is a better rated trailer than the older ones. I will upgrade my subscription and let you know. You could also ask the dealer where purchased your trailer. They all have the guide. However they may be not willing to show it to you if your trailer is not rated high. They will just say that they don't have it or that they don't believe is such things and make small light of it. However, if you were buying a Hitchhiker or an Excel, they would gladly show you the data. I have first hand experience of that.



The newest Rapter I show is rated 2 stars and the older Rapter are rated 2. 5 stars. I do see that the larger Rapter do have 16" ST tires.



Most Toy Hauler are not rated very good because of the heavier weight at the rear of the trailer, which gives them a bad Highway Control. The one exception to that is the Desert Fox by Northwood Mfg, which are rated 3 to 4 stars.

George,



I appreciate your input on this matter and I would certainly agree with your claim regarding what the dealer would do if presented with the question... . what is my Raptor rated at?? I do have 16" rims and tires but they are among the ones that you and Harvey and many others so diligently reject. I do not want any problems with tires and will change them out before the end of the year. I will take the chance on them lasting a 1/2 year due to the fact that I am only going to tow at 65 or under anyway. I will miss my Norcold fridge as I feel they are better in design than the Dometic that came with this unit. The other appliances seem to be good and the TV's are good and even the cabinetry seems to be constructed and installed well. The Genset is an Onan and this rig even came with an auto transfer switch... . Surprised with that one!!





Alan

 

[VolCTD]

I have to second what Eric says about the 19. 5 wheels. They made a major difference in the way my 2500 handled the 5th wheel (or how the 5th wheel handled my truck), much more stable in the curves. I know they don't add a single pound of towing capacity but do make it much safer which was one reason I did it, the other being the longer lasting tires.



Now get out and enjoy... VERY nice looking rig!

Dabbelt1,



I have a 36' 5th wheel and I used to have a 01 2500. . I had the 5th airborne sidewinder and I did the suspension upgrade and as well, I also got 19. 5" . . "F" rated tires. These really helped the handling on turns and such. . no squishie feeling. . the "E" tires are just barely up to it. Look at some of my other posts in this forum and see what I did.

 

[DaveHess]

I have a 2 cent input concerning Keystones then I will shut up and color. I had a Springdale that was built by Keystone and that thing was flimsy in my opinion. Here is an example and the most profound for me, if the trailer was not perfectly level, the bathroom door in the back would not close or open if it was shut initially. It got to the point where we would level the trailer by looking at the fit of the bathroom door in respect to the bathroom door frame. We became so unhappy on an OTR trip we traded the trailer in for a Jayco Eagle at a dealer in MT. I know everybody has an experience and/or opinion about makes of RVs but I love my Jayco Eagle 298BHS. BTW, that was in 2005.

 

[Grizzly]

DaveHess, That's a significant improvement. I can see why you're happier with it. Your Eagle is a Travel Trailer, 33' long and is made for snowbirding use. Eagle is a well built trailer and has good "Reliability", good "Value", but most suffer with poor "Highway Control". Other Jayco's do well on Hwy Control, as well as Reliability and Value. The Designer is an example of that.



AClayton, My Arctic Fox came from the factory with 16" ST Chinese tires. Upon delivery we went a 2000 mile trip with those ST Tires. When we got home I took the 5er to Discount tire and had all 5 tires changed out for 16" LT Michelin XPS Rib. I didn't have any problems with the ST tires on the long trip, but I know I would sooner or later. I sold the ST's on craigslist.org for like cheep. I agree with you on Norcold Refrigerators being better than Dometic. I had problems with the Dometic in my, sold, Lance camper, which did finally have a recall on them. You can't beat an Onan generator. That's what I have in my AF. The Lance had a Generac, which I understand are not all that good, but in the 10 years we had the camper we never had a problem with the genset.



george

 

[DaveHess]

Thanks George. I have read about poor highway control on my particular Jayco. I am not entirely sure what constitutes poor highway control. I have not experienced anything that I would consider a problem. Can you expound?

 

[Grizzly]

Thanks George. I have read about poor highway control on my particular Jayco. I am not entirely sure what constitutes poor highway control. I have not experienced anything that I would consider a problem. Can you expound?

My guess is because of the small Pay Load Capacity. The actual weight of your trailer is 8,177 lbs, which includes liquids. The GVWR of 9,500 lbs. That leaves you only 1,323 lbs for Payload Capacity, which includes food clothing and all personal items. If your wife is like my wife she has to take 6 pair of shoes, lots of cloth for 4 seasons and enough food to feed an army for a month for just a few days trip. Us guys take along our fishing gear, 7 chairs, lot of fire wood, almost every tool we own, extra propane, the two dogs, all of our camera gear and who knows what else. You can overload that trailer pretty quick, which will make the trailer handle somewhat squarely. RV Consumer Group guide says that one can help the situation of over loading the trailer with a heavier truck. The recommend size truck for your trailer is 3/4 ton. A typical Designer has a net Payload Capacity of 2,146 lbs. My Arctic Fox 5th wheel has a net Payload Capacity of 3,459 lbs.



george

 

[CharlesHoward]

Keystone Montana's are generally decent RV's and are the top selling brand for several or more years. We're very happy with our 2005. I've towed it with the "dangerous" Gooseneck Adapter and its survived that.

 

[FPettijohn]

There are more Montana's in south Texas in the winter than there are snow birds in Florida. Almost all of them are from MN,WI,MI. and IL and take them back and forth every year. I have heard a few complaints about axle and tire wear but for as many as there are it must be one heck of a trailer, if I had not wanted a toyhauler it would have been my 1st choice.

Fred

 

[AABEN]

You only get what you pay for. A good fifth wheel or pull tip should run around 60. 000 for a fifth wheel and around 40. 000 for the pull tip. Make shore it has a aortic package on what ever you by. If you go with a fifth wheel and are going to road it you will need to have a air ride pin box put on it when you by it. I did not do it at first the ride is bad and hard on the "trailer"I had to do some work on it after I put the air ride hitch on. My fifth wheel is an 04. I have pulled it around 50. 000 miles I am on my second set of tires. I put light truck tires on it they have more than double the milage than the good years ST that came on it. I put Fire stone Trans force E rated on it. The price is for a trailer that is in 35 FT or 38 FT you can find the hitch at www.ultra-fab-products.inc/ == Good Luck on what ever you do.

 

[JKeith]

You should be fine, but do keep an eye on tire pressures. Recommend keeping the trailer tires at max psi. Hope you enjoy for a long time.

 

[Grizzly]

There are more Montana's in south Texas in the winter than there are snow birds in Florida. Almost all of them are from MN,WI,MI. and IL and take them back and forth every year. I have heard a few complaints about axle and tire wear but for as many as there are it must be one heck of a trailer, if I had not wanted a toyhauler it would have been my 1st choice.

Fred

I hate to disappoint you, but no Montana is rated greater than 3 stars. A Montana typically rates 1. 5 to 2. 5 stars. Don't forget, they are made by Keystone, which is a pinch better then a Fleetwood or a Forest River.



AABEN, you don't have to pay $60,000 to get good quality. For instance, you can get a 4 star rated 5th wheel from Nash, made by Northwood Mfg for $18,000 to $42,000 +/- with American made axles, frame and running gear.



george

 

[FPettijohn]

Griz

and yet another RV brand I had not heard of! I thought I lived in the RV manufacturing capital state. Do you of a web site that lists the remaining manufacturers? Google does not list them all.

Fred

 

[Grizzly]

FPettijohn, Here's one of many list of RV Manufactures I found on Bing. Click Here RV Manufactures are all over the US and BC, Canada.



george