Better RV Brands?

[Grizzly]

AS a TDR newbie who has read every page of this very informative thread, I'm beginning to change my thinking on buying a used 5th wheel built by a company that has gone out of business. At first, I thought I would never do that... . based on the future need for parts and/or support... but some made the point that most of the mechanicals/appliances etc are from 3rd-party suppliers anyway.



My wife and I are looking for a larger (36' +) 5th wheel or park trailer to use in a campground up in the mountains of New Mexico (they don't allow traditional non- self contained "park models". ) It gets down into the teens on winter nights, maybe single-digits, so insulation and heated tanks/underbelly are important.



We will tow it there, and I doubt we'd move it more than once every couple of years.



How is the King of the Road reputation? I know they're out of business. We are looking at a 2006 King Of The Road Royalite 36 IKQS resale. Can someone help with the RVCG report? I see a couple of models, like the Royal Villa, Grand Marquis, Royalite, etc. Any idea of the pecking order of the model lines?



Any other suggestions? We have an open mind, and like to keep the budget no more than $25,000.



It's a big decision for us, as eventually we plan on living in this RV for 6 months out of the year, and we don't have the finances to make a costly mistake and fix it ($$$$) at a later date.



Thanks for you help!!

The 06 King Of the Road, 36' IKQS is rated 3. 5 stars.



Other 06 Royalites are rated from 1 star to 4 stars.



Royal Vista, 2. 5 to 4 stars.



Crown Marquis, 3 stars.



Can you be more specific with a model number as the ratings do vary?



george

 

[PeterW]

Hi Grizzly,



The info on the manufacturer's label says " 2006 King Of The Road Royalite R36 IKQS". It has four Slides. It does say "Royalite" on the front of the RV.



I don't see any other model number other than R36 IKQS.



Is this rated Snowbird?



I appreciate your help.



Peter

 

[Grizzly]

Hi Grizzly,



The info on the manufacturer's label says " 2006 King Of The Road Royalite R36 IKQS". It has four Slides. It does say "Royalite" on the front of the RV.



I don't see any other model number other than R36 IKQS.



Is this rated Snowbird?



I appreciate your help.



Peter

It's rated as a Fulltimer. Very few King Of The Road 5er are rated Snowbirding.



I really don't know much about King Of The Road, except they have a good reputation. What bothers me is that some are rated very low, like one star, which is due to poor Highway Control. Sounds to me like they are just too big, awkward, and heavy, but if you're going to park it for months at a time, it may just be the right trailer for you.



There are many other very good Fulltimer 5er to consider, such as Teton, Excel, Hitchhiker, Carriage, Mobile Suites, New Horizon, Travel Supreme, Royals International and a few more.



george

 

[PeterW]

I came across a good deal on a 2005 KZ Escalade KZ 37REB 5th wheel.



Is this one rated as a fulltimer RV?



Any other info?



Thanks and have a great Thanksgiving!!

 

[HBarlow]

Peter,

There is a very good looking used 2003 Mountain-Aire (built by Newmar) 37' triple slide triple axle fifth wheel sitting for sale by owner in the small agricultural town of Idalou just east of Lubbock. I have been seeing it there for a month or six weeks as I drive into Lubbock. It looks very clean and damage free on the outside but I have not seen the interior. Out of curiosity, I called the number on the For Sale sign a week or so about it.

The co-owner, a woman, claimed it is very clean inside and well maintained. Her asking price was $25k. I have no idea what the KBB or NADA value is but a large fifth wheel like that is going to be slow to sell in this economy with fuel prices rising. My guess is the sellers would grab an offer of less. Winter is just around the corner and it might be sitting there next spring unless they are flexible.

A Newmar is a very well built and well insulated fifth wheel that was a popular choice among many full-timers and extended time RVers until the economic crash. It is probably 39' long actual measurement and probably weighs around 18k when fully loaded. It would not be my choice for traveling unless the buyer has an MDT but would be a great trailer to park long term.

I don't have any idea who the owners are, and would not be compensated in any way should you be interested. I'm simply passing along the info because it is a trailer I admire and would be interested in myself if I were a full timer.

If I wanted a large and comfortable fifth wheel to park in a resort area for a long period of time as you stated I would jump on that trailer with cash in hand before I would even consider spending $50k for a cheap new one or $75k to $100k for a new one of quality.

I can get you the phone number if you are interested.

 

[RustyJC]

Unless there are any major hidden gremlins, that sounds like a HECK of a deal for somebody. That RV was probably $80K to $100K or more when new. As Harvey mentioned, though, these beasts aren't very conducive to being yanked around the countryside by a 2500 (or even a 3500) - the last Mountain Aire we looked at had a GVWR of 19,999 lbs. And, yeah, the RV salesman told me he had one just like it that he pulled with a 2002 Dodge Ram 3500 (coincidentally, the same truck I owned at the time. ) :-laf



Rusty

 

[HBarlow]

I came across a good deal on a 2005 KZ Escalade KZ 37REB 5th wheel.

Is this one rated as a fulltimer RV?

Any other info?

Thanks and have a great Thanksgiving!!

KZ is a fairly recent entry into the RV manufacturing industry and not noted for high quality IMO.

I purchased a used '95 Travel Supreme in summer of 2003 after my 32' Avion conventional shrank on me during a trip to AK. I used it to travel with for a year and a half then, when I started transporting RVs, I used it as my full-time home away from home in IN and OR for another three years. I sold it to my son-in-law for use as temporay lodging for one of his job superintendents on out of town contruction projects in November or December '07. It has been in full-time daily use as a residence since the day I sold it. It survived a very bad hailstorm a couple of years ago. The outside is dingy now from lack of proper care but functionally it is as good as ever. The furniture, carpets, drapes, cabinets, flooring, and accesories of the old high quality high-priced units will last for many years. They were designed and built for full time use. The interior is more durable and of higher quality than my mid-range HitchHiker fifth wheel.

Not true the newer, cheaper brands. I would scratch a KZ.

 

[PeterW]

Peter,



There is a very good looking used 2003 Mountain-Aire (built by Newmar) 37' triple slide triple axle fifth wheel sitting for sale by owner in the small agricultural town of Idalou just east of Lubbock. I have been seeing it there for a month or six weeks as I drive into Lubbock. It looks very clean and damage free on the outside but I have not seen the interior. Out of curiosity, I called the number on the For Sale sign a week or so about it.



The co-owner, a woman, claimed it is very clean inside and well maintained. Her asking price was $25k. I have no idea what the KBB or NADA value is but a large fifth wheel like that is going to be slow to sell in this economy with fuel prices rising. My guess is the sellers would grab an offer of less. If not, they may be stupid. Winter is just around the corner and it might be sitting there next spring unless they are flexible.



A Newmar is a very well built and well insulated fifth wheel that was a popular choice among many full-timers and extended time RVers until the economic crash. It is probably 39' long actual measurement and probably weighs around 18k when fully loaded. It would not be my choice for traveling unless the buyer has an MDT but would be a great trailer to park long term.



I don't have any idea who the owners are, and would not be compensated in any way should you be interested. I'm simply passing along the info because it is a trailer I admire and would be interested in myself if I were a full timer.



If I wanted a large and comfortable fifth wheel to park in a resort area for a long period of time as you stated I would jump on that trailer with cash in hand before I would even consider spending $50k for a cheap new one or $75k to $100k for a new one of quality.



I can get you the phone number if you are interested.

Hi Harvey,



Yes, I'd be interested in taking a look at it. Please PM me with her telephone number.



Thanks for your help!!



Peter

 

[HBarlow]

Peter,

I've got my Honda out for a ride over to the small ranching town of Dickens for lunch. It may be my last day for a ride for a few days. It is supposed to be very cold tonight and tomorrow here on the TX south plains. After lunch I'll ride over to Idalou to get the number for you. I"ll pm it to you this afternoon.

 

[HBarlow]

Peter,

Here is the information on the Mountain-Aire fifth wheel. I spoke with the owner and also his wife by telephone a few minutes ago, this afternoon.

It is a 2002 (not 2003 as I wrote earlier) Newmar Mountain-Aire 37. 5' triple slide, triple axle. The current owners are the original owners. They purchased it new in April '03 from Country Coaches RV in Lubbock. MSRP was $71k, they paid $62k. Seller says it has an empty weight of 15,500 lbs. and a GVWR of 18,000 lbs. He said they had set it up on a lake front property south of Lubbock while building a home there. He said it has only approximately 2,000 towed miles on it. Owner says no one has ever smoked inside or had pets inside. The trailer has an electric fireplace and an icemaker as well as all the standard features of an upscale fifth wheel. The owner is asking $25k but said they would consider offers! He claims that is $5k below avg retail.

I will pm you their names and phone number. If my pm doesn't make it to you pm me or post here.

 

[JWGreen]

I haven't read all the posts on this thread, however, I thought I'd put in my 2 cents worth. I've been towing a '99 Airstream Excella 34' trailer with my 2005 3500 DRW truck since 2005. This summer, I was on a caravan from Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California. By the time I got back home to Illinois, the trip was over 9300 mi. Then in October, we diid another caravan from Delaware down the east coast to Jekyll Island, GA, another 3K miles. The trailer weighs about 9500 lbs. wet and is a triple axle model. Towing fuel mileage for the two trips total was 13-14 mpg. I have a cap on the bed. The only problem on the last trip was a plugged fuel filter. I have a PacBrake PRXB on the truck and it worked great going through the mountains in the NW

 

[PeterW]

Peter,



Here is the information on the Mountain-Aire fifth wheel. I spoke with the owner and also his wife by telephone a few minutes ago, this afternoon.



It is a 2002 (not 2003 as I wrote earlier) Newmar Mountain-Aire 37. 5' triple slide, triple axle. The current owners are the original owners. They purchased it new in April '03 from Country Coaches RV in Lubbock. MSRP was $71k, they paid $62k. Seller says it has an empty weight of 15,500 lbs. and a GVWR of 18,000 lbs. He said they had set it up on a lake front property south of Lubbock while building a home there. He said it has only approximately 2,000 towed miles on it. Owner says no one has ever smoked inside or had pets inside. The trailer has an electric fireplace and an icemaker as well as all the standard features of an upscale fifth wheel. The owner is asking $25k but said they would consider offers! He claims that is $5k below avg retail.



I will pm you their names and phone number. If my pm doesn't make it to you pm me or post here.

Thanks Harvey! I'll give them a call on Friday.



Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[HBarlow]

I haven't read all the posts on this thread, however, I thought I'd put in my 2 cents worth. I've been towing a '99 Airstream Excella 34' trailer with my 2005 3500 DRW truck since 2005. This summer, I was on a caravan from Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and California. By the time I got back home to Illinois, the trip was over 9300 mi. Then in October, we diid another caravan from Delaware down the east coast to Jekyll Island, GA, another 3K miles. The trailer weighs about 9500 lbs. wet and is a triple axle model. Towing fuel mileage for the two trips total was 13-14 mpg. I have a cap on the bed. The only problem on the last trip was a plugged fuel filter. I have a PacBrake PRXB on the truck and it worked great going through the mountains in the NW

I have owned several Airstreams including a '93 Airstream 34' triple axle in the mid-90s. I grew tired of the cramped feeling I got when inside. Fifth wheels with slide rooms feel several times larger inside. Fifth wheels are heavier and push more wind requiring more truck and more fuel to tow but the difference in interior space and comfort makes up for it.

Actually, the 34' triple axle was my least Airstream. The overhang behind the third axle is far too long. The rear end drug the pavement over any slight uneven surface such as fuel station drive way ramps. I preferred the 30' through 32' floorplans on tandem axles.

 

[AHarris]

Update on 2010 Hornet Hideout 30

All,

Just an update from a guy who bought a "budget" camper because our priority right now is a retirement house in the North woods of Michigan or Northern Wisconsin.

Have had the Hideout for 6 months now and 5 camping trips. Here's the good, bad, and the ugly:

The good:
1. It has a lot of room, decent storage and is well laid out.
2. The major structures, brakes and tires have worked perfectly in over 4K of towing.
3. Furnace, fridge, electrical, and propane systems have worked flawlessly.
4. Solid overall structure, good running gear and 16" wheels.
5. Excellent dealer service from Campers RV in Shreveport, Louisiana and warranty support from Keystone so far.


The bad:
1. Bathroom door deadbolt won't catch. It doesn't line up with the door jamb and will have to be taken to the dealer to fix--I was unable to adjust it to work on my own by moving the striker plate around.
2. It takes (4) FOUR different keys to unlock all the locks in the storage areas and doors of this thing.
3. Dealer swears this coach has a 15,500 BTU a/c unit but it takes an hour to cool it down when it's hot. Dealer did some warranty repairs on the A/C unit after the first trip and it improved a little, but no where near as good as I think it should be.
4. This sucker really sways in windy conditions. I have an anti-sway bar and it doesn't help much even when cranked down. Hopefully upping the rear tire pressure to 70 when towing will help.
5. There's a defect in the siding on the left side between the slideouts. Keystone approved the repair and the dealer will be fixing under warranty when I take the camper in next week since we've reached the end of camping season.
6. When one person in the camper moves it causes the whole camper to shake... even if that "person" is an 80lb 11 year old girl. It goes without saying no one gets much sleep until she is sleeping and not moving.
7. We miss the outdoor stove that the old camper had.
8. Has the aerodynamics of a loaf of bread (and is kinda shaped like one too). Although both the old and new trucks tow it with ease, a strong headwind nets a whopping 9 mpg!

The ugly:
1. Apparently the quality control at Keystone needs a bit of work. On the first camping trip there was a bad black tank valve installed that only closed halfway. I found this out the hard way at the dump station when I took the end cap off and got a shyt shower surprise. Dealer replaced tank valve under warranty and it works fine now.

The list for the dealer to fix from this trip:
1. Check the rear hatch--seems to be leaking just a little bit.
2. Deadbolt won't close on bathroom exterior door, despite adjusting the striker plate.
3. Electric heating element appears to be bad on HW heater--only heats up water on gas.
4. Check the A/C again--still seems a little weak and shouldn't take 45 minutes to cool the camper down when it's only 79 outside.
5. Sometimes the toilet doesn't flush and water backs up even when the tank is full.
6. Excessive sagging noticed on the fresh water tank when it was full.
7. And, of course, the above-mentioned warranty repair.

Verdict: the Hornet Hideout is a value priced trailer that meets the needs of a family of four on a budget. It's a structurally sound, solid unit that I think will hold up fine for the 5-10 years we plan to keep it until we either go with a Class A motorhome or a 5th Wheel after the kids are out of the nest and we have the retirement house paid off. A major improvement in overall quality above than the 2003 Coleman (Fleetwood) Caravan I had that fell apart on me before. However, the niggling bugs mentioned above are starting to get old. I think I would have shopped around a little more and spent a few more thousand on a fifth wheel or higher end trailer if I had to do it over again. I paid $18K for a brand new 2010 30 foot travel trailer. I wasn't expecting Bigfoot, Airstream or Hitchhiker quality for a brand new coach at this price point. The hassle-free dealer and warranty support is a huge plus. I got pretty much what I expected... I got what I paid for.

Overall, I'd give it 3. 5 out of 5 stars and would recommend the Hideout with one major caveat: do a COMPLETE function check of all systems before you take it off the lot and inspect closely for any minor issues and expect a few gremlins to surface on your first couple camping trips. Don't expect BMW quality when you're paying a Kia price. SHOP AROUND!

 

[Grizzly]

Your assessment of a Hideout is very typical for a Keystone RV. A large number of owners complain about rain leaks.



The following is a RVCG Staff review;

Keystone's Hideout mid-priced and entry-level brands appear to be as prone to leaks as their their high-line brands -- so much so that leaks could even be considered a Keystone characteristic. Nevertheless, some buyers were satisfied with their purchase while many were not.



george

 

[mwilson]

"so much so that leaks could even be considered a Keystone characteristic. "



Wow, if that ain't the truth.

Had to fix several leaks on my Cougar over the years, didn't realize that was a built-in feature... ..... :-laf:-laf LMAO.



Mike.

 

[Grizzly]

For anyone thinking about investing a sizable amount of money on an RV whether it's a high dollar, medium dollar or low dollar or a new unit or a used unit, invest on a copy of the latest RV Consumer Group. It cost very little, but can save you hundreds of dollars in the long run. It's money worth spent. They include books that help you get the best deal with good negotiation strategy. I don't work for them and I don't get any compensation from them in any way. I just believe in their product and I hate to see anyone get taken to the cleaners by buying an inferior RV.



There are many high dollar RV's that are rated low and many low dollar RV's that are rated high.



Also, don't get a unit that's too big and heavy for your needs. If you're not going to be Fulltimeing, you don't need a 38' triple axle. They're harder to pull and maneuver and use more fuel to tow.



george

 

[FFL8N]

Just wanted to bring this back to the top...

 

[Yo Hoot]

The 2005 Nash 26X we picked up the end of last year is finally out from under the cover. We used it twice last year.
Looking at the title it was originally titled in 2007. They purchased it brand new so its actually only been in service since 2007.
Once for a Pocono Mountain weekend excursion with my Wife and once for a trip to Maryland for an RC helicopter funfly weekend event.
The only issue I had was when I got up to the Poconos the batteries weren't fully charged.
I assumed the truck would charge them on the way up. I did a R&R on the battery connections after that trip.
Have to wait and see this year. I have twin Yamaha generators for the dry camping. Nice and quiet.

One thing I do not like about the layout is when the slider is stowed it makes it hard to get into the bathroom.
The door barely opens.

Overall we are real happy with it. Everything works and it really seems solidly built. It's got very large tanks. . what I wanted for dry camping.
Winterizing was a piece of cake. It has a factory bypass installed.

I have to admit this unit is heavy. Going up the steeper hills at the campsite my trans got real hot. I installed the TC lockup switch yesterday. I think that will make a huge difference.
It was killing me going up the steep hills in like second gear... . high rpms and seeing the trans temp go through the roof. It hit 300 deg! Now I see why many get a manual trans. I can't imagine pulling the full rated load up hills with a stock truck.

#ad



This is a model...

#ad

 

[gtoli]

WOW! You could have told me that was real and would have believed you.