Better RV Brands?

[Bill Carlyle]

DFark



We go to the Tampa RV shows and have found that this is a good place to talk to the men from the factory. Sales, service and construction.



Bill Carlyle

 

[DFark]

Thanks Bill

 

[toomeyddt]

Tan units (metal siding) have fiberglass insulation. Not sure when the blue foam (fiberglass siding) was started, but have seen tan units from as late as mid 90's - not that long ago.

 

[Newt]

Tan units (metal siding) have fiberglass insulation. Not sure when the blue foam (fiberglass siding) was started, but have seen tan units from as late as mid 90's - not that long ago.

My 04 SnowBird (built in 03) had the blue foam. I don't know what year NuWa started using it.



Newt

 

[firefighter]

Buy a Kodiak,all fiberglass fiver eltreamley well made, I would not have a slide they have to many leaking issues they also leake more than not.

 

[HBarlow]

Buy a Kodiak,all fiberglass fiver eltreamley well made, I would not have a slide they have to many leaking issues they also leake more than not.

Kodiak?? Never heard of it. Who makes it?

Quality fifthwheel travel trailers do NOT leak at the slides or anywhere else. My HitchHiker built by Nu-Wa has three slides and doesn't leak. My previous old Travel Supreme, bought used, well-used in fact, didn't leak. I used it for three years in northern IN or OR as my home away from home living in it year round including rain, snow, and extreme cold. I could maintain comfortable interior temps even when overnight lows were 0* in Indiana.

Quality costs money.

 

[HBarlow]

I googled Kodiak. Here's what I found:

Kodiak Travel Trailer

Kodiak trailers are entry level junk built by Dutchmen, one of the lowest quality manufacturers in the industry.

 

[firefighter]

google the name ,made in canada the last i heard.

 

[HBarlow]

google the name ,made in canada the last i heard.

I already had googled the name but as you suggested I did it again.

It appears you "heard" wrong. I could find NO such thing as a Kodiak trailer made or sold in the US or Canada other than the entry level low quality trailers built by Dutchmen.

Kodiak is not a good quality trailer regardless of what anyone may have told you or what you wish to believe.

 

[toomeyddt]

Buy a Kodiak,all fiberglass fiver eltreamley well made, I would not have a slide they have to many leaking issues they also leake more than not.

Slides are a pain if not rigorously maintained. (Yeah, NuWa slides will leak from time to time, but noticeably fewer than most. )



If don't mind doing a little work, get an older, well made trailer and re-do the insides. Early 80's Holiday Ramblers can be a good starting point. Spartan Trailers are probably the best old ones to start from. (Spartan Aircraft Trailercoaches shows some for sale in various stages of decay and not. )



Newt, not sure. 1992 used fiberglass, and 2001 uses blue foam - there was a transition time there, but I think it was about 1995 or so.

 

[firefighter]

kodiak fiver are made by vanguard manufactuting in north battleford saskatchewan, for info send them an email to -- email address removed -- good luck and there is lots of used ones on craigs list up here in canada.

 

[HBarlow]

kodiak fiver are made by vanguard manufactuting in north battleford saskatchewan, for info send them an email to info@vanguardrv.com good luck and there is lots of used ones on craigs list up here in canada.

Are you familiar with the abbreviation, "bs?"

I searched the internet using every keyword I could think of. I could find no website for a Canadian company named Vanguard that manufactures RV trailers.

I found a trailer company named Vanguard that makes van trailers for eighteen wheel rigs. I also found lots of Dutchmen Kodiaks for sale in Canada.

It makes no difference where Kodiak trailers made by Dutchmen are sold, they are still entry level trailers of mediocre quality.

I did find mention of a Canadian RV manufacturer who once built class C motorhomes with the name "Kodiak" but it may be out of business now.

 

[HowardW]

Hitchhiker by NUWA, great 5th wh. with 70k plus miles on it. 2003 2500 auto/3. 73 stock 5. 9. HowardW

 

[MLoftis]

I like my 2012 Fuzion, but would like to know any specific things to watch out for, first 5er myself. Only issues I've had so far are difficulty in jacking it to check the brakes since it's so tall, and the dexter axles tell you to not jack on the axle tube. Brakes were fine BTW, it was the pile of crap Dodge ITBM/factory brake controller that was the issue.



The Fuzion doesn't seem to have much insulation -- it definitely needs the second/option AC unit for the size... the one unit really struggled to cool off and keep the rig cool when it was over 90F outside. Despite having the "blizzard" package it burned through two full tanks of propane (w/ heat set at 60F) in less than 7 days while being left sitting in the driveway. Long story short, took it out to go visit family, came home, was sick, decided to wait to (re)winterize... . it ran out of propane and froze. Looks like I might get off easy with only the toilet needing either some new O rings or MAYBE a whole flush valve, and the shower. No leaks from the pump and pipes in the unit... just those two fixtures, unless they're extremely slow leaks. Totally my fault for not checking on the thing and turning on the electric heater as a backup since it was plugged into a (20A) shore power.





I do wonder about the long term of the (I assume) Lippert frame after reading a bit more about them. The new 2011/2012 Fuzions are built with an aluminum frame structure, well, according to their videos, not that I've torn into a wall to look. Starting to worry I should've! :/ This thread goes pretty far back in time though and I haven't read all of it yet... trying to now though!

 

[RustyJC]

I like my 2012 Fuzion, but would like to know any specific things to watch out for, first 5er myself. Only issues I've had so far are difficulty in jacking it to check the brakes since it's so tall, and the dexter axles tell you to not jack on the axle tube.

Right, but you can certainly jack under the spring mount plates. Those transfer the weight of the 5th wheel to the axle, so it's not like they're not designed to take the load. I use a piece of wood on top of a hydraulic bottle jack to lift one wheel off the ground at a time. I've done this for many years with no ill effects.



If your axles are "flipped" such that the springs sit on top of the axles, this obviously won't work.



Rusty

 

[MLoftis]

Right, but you can certainly jack under the spring mount plates. Those transfer the weight of the 5th wheel to the axle, so it's not like they're not designed to take the load. I use a piece of wood on top of a hydraulic bottle jack to lift one wheel off the ground at a time. I've done this for many years with no ill effects.



If your axles are "flipped" such that the springs sit on top of the axles, this obviously won't work.



Rusty

Yeah this model comes with the springs on top of the axles. So you basically are left with extending up to the spring perch on the frame. It's sorta dicey. The other way I've done it was to push/pull the other tire/axle up a steep enough ramp that would get the remaining tire up off the ground. Haven't tried that with this yet. Not even certain that would work without tipping the whole rig.

 

[Shadrach]

Kodiak, Frontier, Plainsman and Vanguard were all brands built in Western Canada by Peak Manufacturing. The Canadian RV industry changed in the last decade just like the American one did with lots of good brands disappearing. I own a 1999 Frontier and while there are better built models I consider it a good model for the money. Here is some info for those who have never seen one : About Us Kodiak

Shad

 

[HBarlow]

Kodiak, Frontier, Plainsman and Vanguard were all brands built in Western Canada by Peak Manufacturing. The Canadian RV industry changed in the last decade just like the American one did with lots of good brands disappearing. I own a 1999 Frontier and while there are better built models I consider it a good model for the money. Here is some info for those who have never seen one : About Us Kodiak

Shad

That must be the trailer firefighter was talking about. I ran across a mention of the names Peak Manufacturing and the Kodiak name last night but didn't find any mention of a small and light fifthwheel named Kodiak.

 

[DClark]

For my . 02 worth, my RV experience is with a tent, a '75 Toyota chassis mounted Chinook (raised 4 kids with that one), a '94 Terry 5er and presently a '96 Terry 25. 5D 5er. Fleetwood was the largest RV manufacture until the crash, with more towables then anyother manufacture, from cheap to expensive, but no more. As for my '96 Terry, it's a camper, not a 4 season full timer, but has been a great trailer. I have had not major problems with this trailer. In Montana I have to travel considerable distances most of the time to go camping and often on gravel rds, so the trailer has some miles on it. I pull a 20' boat behind it with no problems. There certainly are RVs to be aware of and there are "lemons" in any brand. You need to determine what your needs are and what you can afford and then start looking within those guidelines. Don't be afraid of good used ones if they are not too old. Stay away from famijly owned ones. Kids can be hard on equipment. Older couples will tack better care of there RV. Check for older people where a spouse has died and left an RV that is no longer used. Have fun.

_____________________________________

Dick Clark

'96 4X4 excab, 5spd

'98. 5 4X4 quad, 5spd

'05 4X4 quad, 6spd

 

[toomeyddt]

One can get good service out of a cheap POS if one can do a little maintenance along the way - my case is perfect example. And not too hung up on "pretty". Have lived full time for over 5 years in '97 Kit that is now on its last legs. Before that, it was used aggressively and lived in over 50% time the first half of its life (not purchased new until 1999).

A few months ago, bought a longer '95 Fleetwood for $500 with better floor plan and the roof ripped off and decay in part of one wall. Rest of it in pretty good shape. In process, but looks like for about another $1,000, will be back up and running with a reasonably decent piece of equipment. Pulls good with the Dodge, and will always be inexpensive to keep.

And the Kit frame might just make a good cargo trailer, with all the other stuff stripped off.

In particular, watch the inside walls at the four corners of the trailer. If you can push a thumb through the inside paneling at the corner support, it is rotten...

And keep the outside joints and roof edges caulked!!