Used TT Recommendations

[Wiredawg]

Ouch!
That's my unit bought new... bad caulk job from factory... repaired it myself. about 100 hours of my time.

Looking at pics, looks like might have been a kitchen leak. Really tough replacing flooring under cabinets. Any RV you buy, good idea to check plumbing frequently. Jarring, bouncing, jerking plays heck on plumbing.

Gotcha

 

[CAROLINA CUMMINS]

Assuming that is in an area that is under the slide-out you may be looking at removing the slide-out to get to the heart of the soft spot's origination. If you have lots-n-lots of patience and a covered area to perform the repair AND are up to a skill challenging event with the potential of spending more on repair parts and time than you save on this purchase, it's your decision. Me, I know what's needed and would be running to get back to the search for the affordable dream RV that can be immediately enjoyed. If you're comfy with saws, nails, hammers, glue, parts acquisition, the carpentry work is not the issue...it's the time and available resources to get the job done in time to enjoy it.

Yes sir that's what I'm trying to decide. I do have a good place to do the repair. NADA on this one and comparable models is around $13-14K. Possibly could get this one for under $7,000. I'm fairly handy, so trying to decide if my time is worth it.

I'm still shopping around...

 

[brucejohnson]

Yes sir that's what I'm trying to decide. I do have a good place to do the repair. NADA on this one and comparable models is around $13-14K. Possibly could get this one for under $7,000. I'm fairly handy, so trying to decide if my time is worth it.

I'm still shopping around...

Even if you fix it you would still have the branded title that may haunt you in the future.

 

[jgillott]

Just my opinion, but there is enough of a learning curve getting in to the RV lifestyle in general, that I wouldn't complicate it with a project rig. Start with a solid unit that you can enjoy now and spend the time sitting around that campfire.

 

[CAROLINA CUMMINS]

Even if you fix it you would still have the branded title that may haunt you in the future.

Just my opinion, but there is enough of a learning curve getting in to the RV lifestyle in general, that I wouldn't complicate it with a project rig. Start with a solid unit that you can enjoy now and spend the time sitting around that campfire.

Yeah, what I'm leaning towards now. I think I could repair it but is it really worth it? Also, hard enough to sell something nowadays even with a clean title

 

[Tuesdak]

When I first started looking for an RV I started with a truck camper due to small size and go to lots of campgrounds in the 22' size limit range. (Length of the pickup.) One look at the weight limits for SRW and going as far as 19.5" wheels and tires... Then started looking at travel trailers including 5th wheels.

I mentioned the NorthWoods Arctic Fox I have. I dropped $2K on it the day after I bought it to redo the roof as it was time, but, hadn't failed yet. The later delamanation of the crack area has me looking at fiberglass for my next RV. Regardless there is PLENTY to do on an RV just in upkeep without a project. Loose screws and constant calking. It's not an Airstream build quality, but, it's better than most of the budget boxes on 4 wheels.

As CHEAP as new RV's can be on end of the year clearance you may consider a "blow out special" on a brand new RV. Insist on better tires on delivery... Looking at the cabinetry from the bed in a random Camping World rig ... I just can't stand warped doors on a brand new rig.

Tin Cans as noted: Avion, Airstream, Argosy, Silver Streak, Boles Aero, Spartan.

One smaller model of Airstream (2006 year or so) had the water tanks in the back and was noted for busting it's frame even with fixes from the factory. That fragile behind a 1 ton Cummins Uh, no thanks. Larger ones are just that: RV park queens and not my desired lifestyle with an RV. They are very rare to find in the shorter lengths. The insulation was in question vs. a 4 season rig. Don't dent one... That said the build quality of them is so far above everything else it's not funny. This is why my comment of "Project" is best put on one of these. I looked at a few Silver Streaks that needed to be gutted from failed roof vents and floor rot. There was even a "Command Center" Silver Streak 5th wheel in an RV salvage yard I walked past. It had a 4 cylinder Wisconsin powered genset in it!

Fiberglass rigs built like a boat:

So far the Bigfoot RV is the closest to what I want (4 season) along with a 5th wheel from Escape trailer. If I ever get a dually or a 4500 on up I would consider a Northern Lite truck camper.

https://escapetrailer.com/

https://www.trailerlife.com/rv-gear/rvs/smooth-moves-10-great-molded-fiberglass-trailers/

 

[CAROLINA CUMMINS]

I really like that Bigfoot, just a little out of my price range this go-around

I'm just biding my time, the right one will show up. Have a couple on my radar, just trying to be patient and go look when I have the time.

2008 Forest River Wildwood LE 26TBSS
2009 Forest River Salem LE 27RBEC - no slide out, but checks out otherwise.

 

[CAROLINA CUMMINS]

Just caught one posted this morning within an hour or so of me.
2013 Forest River Salem LE 281BHXL

Everything checks out, great price, just waiting on sellers to get back home next week. Only thing- its 32.5'
As adamant as I was about staying under 30 I want to check it out. Outside kitchen also.
I can just barely squeeze that into my storage spot, researching different campgrounds now to see how limited I will be.

 

[Steves191145]

Forest river makes a solid unit. We have a Heritage glenn 309bok we use daily at the farm. Its held up well after 2 years of use. Only problem we had was the outside switches for the stabilizers shorted out and I replaced them with sealed marine grade switches.

 

[Tuesdak]

Just caught one posted this morning within an hour or so of me.
2013 Forest River Salem LE 281BHXL

Everything checks out, great price, just waiting on sellers to get back home next week. Only thing- its 32.5'
As adamant as I was about staying under 30 I want to check it out. Outside kitchen also.
I can just barely squeeze that into my storage spot, researching different campgrounds now to see how limited I will be.

Encouragement to hold out for the shorter rig... You will be glad you did with the campgrounds you indicated you like.

They only measure the trailer and if you can disconnect and park the truck elsewhere you may have too. Hooked up my rig is 41' bumper to bumper because of the 4' bed overhang. (22' truck + 27' RV - 4' - 4'.)

This 28' limit site is "Free" and there are not a lot of other choices in the 4 corners area. Yeah, word is you can sneak a bigger than 28' rig in here, but, other "old" National Parks campgrounds you simply can't easily fit the rig between the trees. I didn't disconnect when I stayed here. Some "Long Term Resident" RV Parks I have used in CA required 5 cars to be moved so I could back in between the wall and the spot. No other choice in the area and we weren't there on vacation.

 

[jgillott]

Encouragement to hold out for the shorter rig... You will be glad you did with the campgrounds you indicated you like.

They only measure the trailer and if you can disconnect and park the truck elsewhere you may have too. Hooked up my rig is 41' bumper to bumper because of the 4' bed overhang. (22' truck + 27' RV - 4' - 4'.)

This 28' limit site is "Free" and there are not a lot of other choices in the 4 corners area. Yeah, word is you can sneak a bigger than 28' rig in here, but, other "old" National Parks campgrounds you simply can't easily fit the rig between the trees. I didn't disconnect when I stayed here. Some "Long Term Resident" RV Parks I have used in CA required 5 cars to be moved so I could back in between the wall and the spot. No other choice in the area and we weren't there on vacation.

View attachment 116404

This is pretty common. I've even noticed that most KOA's for example cut off their small sites at 27'.

 

[brucejohnson]

Encouragement to hold out for the shorter rig... You will be glad you did with the campgrounds you indicated you like.

They only measure the trailer and if you can disconnect and park the truck elsewhere you may have too. Hooked up my rig is 41' bumper to bumper because of the 4' bed overhang. (22' truck + 27' RV - 4' - 4'.)

This 28' limit site is "Free" and there are not a lot of other choices in the 4 corners area. Yeah, word is you can sneak a bigger than 28' rig in here, but, other "old" National Parks campgrounds you simply can't easily fit the rig between the trees. I didn't disconnect when I stayed here. Some "Long Term Resident" RV Parks I have used in CA required 5 cars to be moved so I could back in between the wall and the spot. No other choice in the area and we weren't there on vacation.

View attachment 116404

OR, TomTom reroutes you to the "most fun" part of California Highway 49 where you get to reenact a scene from the movie The Long, Long Trailer with Desi and Lucy. (if you pull a trailer, you need to see this "educational" movie) Been there...

 

[jgillott]

OR, TomTom reroutes you to the "most fun" part of California Highway 49 where you get to reenact a scene from the movie The Long, Long Trailer with Desi and Lucy. (if you pull a trailer, you need to see this "educational" movie) Been there...

2 Required movies for any RV owner.....Long Long Trailer and RV with Robin Williams.

 

[CAROLINA CUMMINS]

RV is pretty funny. Will have to watch the other.
I regularly park 53's at work so not too worried about maneuvering and backing. Just quality/quantity of good campsites.
I'm already second in line to the that 281QBXL so who knows. Good quality and reasonably priced TT's go super quick around here. One I was looking at was posted for 2 hrs and it sold.

2007 Starcraft Aruba Lite 288BHS for sale in Pigeon Forge I am watching also. That's 3hrs for me so be a week or two before I could ride over.

 

[jgillott]

RV is pretty funny. Will have to watch the other.
I regularly park 53's at work so not too worried about maneuvering and backing. Just quality/quantity of good campsites.
I'm already second in line to the that 281QBXL so who knows. Good quality and reasonably priced TT's go super quick around here. One I was looking at was posted for 2 hrs and it sold.

2007 Starcraft Aruba Lite 288BHS for sale in Pigeon Forge I am watching also. That's 3hrs for me so be a week or two before I could ride over.

Just one more comment on length and site availability. We often take long distance trips and stop overnight at a campground along the highway to catch some rest. I specifically look for pull through sites, easy in and easy out. In the 3 or 4 places we often use for overnight stops (the KOA's in Statesville NC, Kingsland Ga, and St. Augustine FL for example), the pull through sites are 50'. I just squeeze in with a little room to spare in those spots and can stay hooked up. It's one less thing to do for a quick overnight. Anything longer in my combination and I would be forced to unhook.

 

[JR]

OR, TomTom reroutes you to the "most fun" part of California Highway 49 where you get to reenact a scene from the movie The Long, Long Trailer with Desi and Lucy. (if you pull a trailer, you need to see this "educational" movie) Been there...

A buddy and I go fourwheeling in West Virginia every year. One year we decided to try a new place out. We got pretty far down in the holler by the time we realized neither of us grabbed the written instructions we were supposed to use past a certain point... So we took our chances on gps. 45 minutes of a
narrow, sketchy 2 lane road turned into a one lane switch back road with a 32ft trailer that abruptly dead ended at a very homely (abandoned) looking spread. 3 big ol corn fed boys appeared out of nowhere on either side of the truck...you can imagine the things going through my head by now. Then the biggest fella cracked a big ol gaping smile and said, "yeah boy ol Tom Tom brought yoins up ere didn't he?!" I could about see the weight lifted off my buddies chest when we realized they meant no ill will. Nicest bunch of boys you could ever hope to meet In the middle of the hills but lesson learned, if someone gives you written directions instead of an address it's for good reason

 

[CAROLINA CUMMINS]

A buddy and I go fourwheeling in West Virginia every year. One year we decided to try a new place out. We got pretty far down in the holler by the time we realized neither of us grabbed the written instructions we were supposed to use past a certain point... So we took our chances on gps. 45 minutes of a
narrow, sketchy 2 lane road turned into a one lane switch back road with a 32ft trailer that abruptly dead ended at a very homely (abandoned) looking spread. 3 big ol corn fed boys appeared out of nowhere on either side of the truck...you can imagine the things going through my head by now. Then the biggest fella cracked a big ol gaping smile and said, "yeah boy ol Tom Tom brought yoins up ere didn't he?!" I could about see the weight lifted off my buddies chest when we realized they meant no ill will. Nicest bunch of boys you could ever hope to meet In the middle of the hills but lesson learned, if someone gives you written directions instead of an address it's for good reason

Man, those times make you sweat but are so hilarious afterwards. My wife and I were out in the backwoods looking for a certain road we thought would take us to a cool spot. We end up on a dead end road that turned into someone's driveway. Once we realized it I started to turn around and I swear it looked like 1,000(only a slight exaggeration) Weiner dogs(Dachshunds)came running out barking at us and chased us all the way down the driveway. It's been a few years and we still laugh about that.

I think the size and all the features we would like are best served in like a Forest River Salem/Wildwood 26TBSS. Or comparable floorplan. I've been searching for specific model numbers now, which alot of private sellers don't list alot

 

[NIsaacs]

I know Arizona is too far away but since it is a snowbird state, used RV's are everywhere. Just for fun to compare price, here are 3 local ones. 1st one is fifthwheel, but should be a dandy, then 2 tags.

https://showlow.craigslist.org/tro/d/lakeside-nu-wa-hitchhiker-ii/7007683440.html

https://showlow.craigslist.org/rvs/d/white-mountain-lake-04-aerolite/7006598419.html

https://showlow.craigslist.org/rvs/d/white-mountain-lake-2009-road-runner/7005881719.html

 

[CAROLINA CUMMINS]

I know Arizona is too far away but since it is a snowbird state, used RV's are everywhere. Just for fun to compare price, here are 3 local ones. 1st one is fifthwheel, but should be a dandy, then 2 tags.

https://showlow.craigslist.org/tro/d/lakeside-nu-wa-hitchhiker-ii/7007683440.html

https://showlow.craigslist.org/rvs/d/white-mountain-lake-04-aerolite/7006598419.html

https://showlow.craigslist.org/rvs/d/white-mountain-lake-2009-road-runner/7005881719.html

Those are priced pretty good, better than I feel most are priced here on the East Coast. Definitely seen some great deals on fifth wheels, will consider that next time.


Heading 2.5 hr to TN on Friday if everything works out. Looking at 2006 Forest River Salem 27BHSS. Has all features we want - 28', bunks, slide out, 15" wheels, master bedroom with real doors (hate the curtains/accordian doors) looks great from pics.

 

[AH64ID]

Very nearly the same floor plan as our 2011 Creekside 26BHS. We have loved that floor plan, but just bought a 5er and will be selling it... simply wanted a rear living style 5er over a BH at this point.


Really the only difference in our 26BHS at that is that we have a L shaped kitchen counter, which was still too small. I see zero counter space for meal prep on that floor plan. Does it have a stowable shelf?

Ours also has the accordion doors to the main bed, rarely close them so it’s never been an issue.

28’ seems short thou. Ours is 29’11” and has the shortest tongue I’ve ever seen on a TT. It’s such a short tongue there isn’t room for 2 6V’s, only 2Group 24’s due to vertical limits. Not sure where they lost 2’ with the same size beds, slide, etc.

All in all, if you’re looking for a BH I think you will really like that floor plan.

This is our floor plan.