Better RV Brands?

[Grizzly]

Kodiak by Skamper are manufactured by Dutchmen. They are only rated 2 stars. Here's what JD Gallant of RV Consumer Guide has to say about Dutchmen;



These brands are good examples of Dutchmen's attempt to build trailers with a combination of modern and standard building techniques. They laminate sidewalls over structural foam sometimes with fiberglass siding and sometimes aluminum. With the floor and roof laminated with the same structure as the walls, I would think the structural integrity would be good. They are using leaf springs now but I liked the rubber torsion axles they used until 2009 -- they helped keep the bounce down on models without shocks. My inspections still reflect some of the workmanship problems that keep showing up in Dutchmen's entry level brands. It might work, but it could be better.

 

[Grizzly]

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!!

I don't agree with the statement in bold. A cheap junky product is always a cheap junky product no matter how much you maintain it and how good you are at doing the maintenance work. For instance, I'd hate to be going up I-5 through Los Angles at 65 mph when an axle or some other critical component decides to bite the bullet.



I believe in quality first because it may depend on your safety and the safety of your family and anyone else on the highway. You can get quality at an affordable price, even if it's a used RV.



Nash by Northwood Mfg. is a good quality trailer at a very affordable price. All Nash TT and 5th wheels are rated 4 stars. They don't have all the glitter, but they do have quality workmanship and materials.

 

[RCarrillo]

I've been RV'n for 30 yrs + and have seen lots of junk !!!. Don't buy anything by Keystone, ( had a 36' Raptor and it was A PILE ! #@$%!) I bought a new Inferno 4012 Toyhauler in 98 and it it is really well built w/ no problems or leaks :-laf!!!! If I were youI I would try to find a used 5th wheel from Western Recreational or Carriage as I've found them to be of exceptional quality, and you could easily find one in that price range ! -

 

[amsoilman]

I've been RV'n for 30 yrs + and have seen lots of junk !!!. Don't buy anything by Keystone, ( had a 36' Raptor and it was A PILE ! #@$%!) I bought a new Inferno 4012 Toyhauler in 98 and it it is really well built w/ no problems or leaks :-laf!!!! If I were youI I would try to find a used 5th wheel from Western Recreational or Carriage as I've found them to be of exceptional quality, and you could easily find one in that price range ! -

So what do you think of a "Stellar" Toy Hauler, made by Eclipse?



Wayne

 

[HBarlow]

Wayne,

I've never heard of Eclipse. Is that the manufacturer or a model within a brand?

If I had to guess I would guess Eclipse is a Forest River product but not sure.

In general I don't like toy haulers because they are of mediocre quality, lighter weight, not well insulated, and not all season trailers. They are designed for weekend trips to the sand in generally mild weather. I doubt they can be heated comfortably in cold weather.

The only good one I've ever seen was an Alfa but it was very heavy, very pricey, and built in limited numbers.

 

[Grizzly]

Stellar is a new model made by Eclipse in Riverside, CA. I have no information on then on my RV Consumer Group. Eclipse

 

[HBarlow]

I think it's the one that rose out of the dust when Weekend Warrier or another one whose name I can't recall in Riverside County went under with the depression that began in 2007. A lot of jobless RV factory managers from both companies were left with nothing to do.

Their website contains a lot of hyperbole or lofty sounding claims with no details to back the claims. Luxury trailers they are not. Quality? I doubt it.

 

[Grizzly]

Harvey and Wayne, We had discussions about the Stellar by Eclipse in Sept 2010. See post #386 to #396 this thread. george

 

[amsoilman]

Harvey and Wayne, We had discussions about the Stellar by Eclipse in Sept 2010. See post #386 to #396 this thread. george

I knew this trailer was discussed earlier, but I was hoping new information was now available... ... ... ... ... . Thanks for the information you provide.



Wayne

 

[HBarlow]

It is still a new start up company with no history. I would stay away from their products.

 

[EricBu12]

Hey all,
I have a 2005 Keystone Raptor and yes it has had some problems which I fixed. Mostly it was to address the insulation factor. . not from cold but heat. . I put 2" foam board in the spaces in the floor under the bedroom and bathroom. Then the same board in the rear of the pantry to insulate the pantry from the heat of the fridge vent... . also had to add strips of insulation in the front cap. (home type 8' strips)

then I added the optional A/C and put reflectics in some of the windows. . it cools nice now when hot outside with the 5400 watt generator. . can run both a/c's on low...

. . Went to 16" rims and E tires. Put a lift on the suspension so the trailer is level with the truck (self made). . Have 4, 6-volt batteries and 200 watts solar. . Roof is good, no leaks, and everything works good. . Trailer is 7 years old and still works good. think I'll keep it a while...

 

[AClayton]

My Raptor is doing well also. Only mild issues that were easy and inexpensive to repair or update. My rig came with 16" tires but I plan to upgrade to higher quality soon. The carpet seems to be wearing rather poorly and I have had minor wood trim issues inside. I did upgrade the suspension after only a few hundred miles due to increased wear on the cheap shackles and hardware. I like to think I saved overall by choosing a lesser quality rig and performed the upgrades myself to bring it up to par. Only 3 yrs old so we will see how long it lasts.

 

[Grizzly]

My Raptor is doing well also. Only mild issues that were easy and inexpensive to repair or update. My rig came with 16" tires but I plan to upgrade to higher quality soon. The carpet seems to be wearing rather poorly and I have had minor wood trim issues inside. I did upgrade the suspension after only a few hundred miles due to increased wear on the cheap shackles and hardware. I like to think I saved overall by choosing a lesser quality rig and performed the upgrades myself to bring it up to par. Only 3 yrs old so we will see how long it lasts.

Hi Alan. Whenever you do get new tires for your trailer, I'd like to suggest XPS Rib by Michelin. They're not cheap, but they are great tires. george

 

[Wingate]

Wingate,



I understood that you were not looking for a HitchHiker because they only build fivers.



I would own a Jayco. I pulled for their private transportation company, JET Transport for awhile when I was transporting. I looked at a lot of Jaycos. They are good trailers. Their conventional travel trailers are on the lower end of the price scale but are better quality IMO than the Keystone, Thor, and Forest River products. I don't know who builds Jayco frames, perhaps they are built in-house, but they are not Lippert and Jayco normally uses Dexter running gear. Although I am not a fan of Goodyear, their trailers built on 15" wheels normally use Goodyear Marathon tires which are definitely better than Will Pops imported from Communist China.



If I were looking for a new conventional travel trailer I would give serious consideration to Jaycos but not their light models. I would not care to own any manufacturer's light model.

Just wanted to come back to this thread as it has been since approx. June/July of last year when I got serious about a new TT. .

We ended up with a Jayco 298RES... . Came with a 2 year warranty. We have pulled this camper atleast once a month ever since... some have been local trips that were 30 miles one way, other times its been 300 miles one way.

There were four of us couples that bought campers at roughly the same time.

One couple bought a Prowler, one bought a camper by LaCrosse by Prime Time MFG. , another bought a Flagstaff, by Forrest River.....

To date, the Prowler has had issues with manufacturing, The LaCrosse has had water leaks into the floor of the kitchen.

The Flagstaff has been relatively problem free, only issue was some mis-wired electric stabilizer jacks that I had to re-wire the first time we all went camping, but have since been without issue.

Our Jayco has been absolutely flawless,(knock on wood)

We have camped in a record heat wave and stayed plenty cool,(although I want to add another air unit in the bedroom) we just camped last weekend in 22 degree rainy weather and stayed warm without effort( has gas heat AND the fireplace) The camper is balanced great and pulls great.

If anybody is in the market for a new TT, I would highly recommend a Jayco. .

 

[HBarlow]

It's good to hear feedback. We seldom hear feedback on recommendations made. I'm glad the Jayco is working out for you. I think Jaycos are a good value for the price.

You'll normally need 50 amp power to run a second air conditioner unit.

 

[AClayton]

Hi Alan. Whenever you do get new tires for your trailer, I'd like to suggest XPS Rib by Michelin. They're not cheap, but they are great tires. george

Thanks George! I have been offline for a few mos. but have recently gotten the bug to check TDR regulary again. With all the threads filled full of great advice regarding the 'Ribs', I am positively going to go with them. I am playing a game that could teach me a valuable lesson if I lose, by gambling how long my 16" china tires will last. So far no problems but I can see the wear across the face of the tread that it won't be much longer, so I need to replace them very soon.

 

[CBlack]

In general I don't like toy haulers because they are of mediocre quality, lighter weight, not well insulated, and not all season trailers. They are designed for weekend trips to the sand in generally mild weather. I doubt they can be heated comfortably in cold weather.



The only good one I've ever seen was an Alfa but it was very heavy, very pricey, and built in limited numbers.

What about Mobile Scouts? My in-laws have one and I think it's pretty nice.

 

[HBarlow]

I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a Mobile Scout toyhauler. Mobile Scout was a decent trailer IIRC. I think they're gone now.

A MS toyhauler is an unknown to me. It might be a good product. Toyhaulers are generally built light, very light, skipping insulation and comfort items in favor of carrying capacity behind mediocre tow vehicles. They are intended to sell at a lower price point and be used for weekend and week long vacations at the beach or desert for younger families with kids who like to haul their four wheelers. They are probably fine with windows and doors open and a good breeze blowing but when temps get high they can't be cooled and when temps drop owner's find them very difficult to keep warm.

 

[SierraRam]

I use my toy hauler (Eclipde Attidude) in all weather, I can stay warm in sub-freezing and cool enough in 100 plus, do you have to pay in energy yes. But then again we use it for dry camping and to haul our toy's in.

 

[Newt]

Mobile Scout was a decent trailer IIRC. I think they're gone now.

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