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The reason I asked about trail-Air by lipper when I wrote last week was because while we were in Colo. Spgs. two weeks ago we saw a 5th wheel with a broken spindle sitting in a parking lot. Maybe he tried to turn to sharp and the rear wheel broke off leaving nothing but a nub. Maybe the wield broke.
We are planning to be in the Southfork, Col. area in a week or so. Might stay at Delnorte.
Bill Carlyle - White Dodge dooly 2008 towing 36 ft. Mobile Suite.
We are planning to be in the Southfork, Col. area in a week or so. Might stay at Delnorte.
Bill Carlyle - White Dodge dooly 2008 towing 36 ft. Mobile Suite.
I had the same thing happen to my 88 Holiday Rambler 5th wheel with Dexter axles on the way back from Alaska in 1995. Can't explain why it happened. We had to stay put for 4 days while a new Dexter axle was shipped in. As soon as we got home from our trip, I had to have the other axle replaced because it bent on the long trip. Suburban RV here in Albuquerque, who replaced the axle and all the bushings, said that the HR was too heavy for the running gear plus the frost heaves proved to be too much. That was the reason I sold the HR and purchased the Lance truck camper. Now we have the Arctic Fox 5er, which is suppose to be superior for the Alcan Highway. We'll see, hopefully next summer!
george
I am a big fan of Dexter products but have bad news to share regarding the Dexter EZ-Flex equalizer.
Back in late '07 early '08, when my HH fiver was only a few months old old, I discovered that NuWa was installing or making optionally available, the Dexter EZ-Flex system on the '08 model fivers. I wanted them on my HH so when I was in Chanute I talked to the service department shop foreman and he told me to take it down the street to Young's Welding, the company that builds their frames.
I took it to Young's and had them installed. Price for the parts and labor was very reasonable and I was happy. A year or so later I was in Chanute again and complained of an electric brake on my trailer that was slow to release each time I used the brakes. Again, I was sent down to Young's Welding. The same guy looked it over and told me to leave it a few hours and he would fix it.
When I returned about three hours later he had fixed the brake but he explained that he found that the gap between tires on the left/street side of the trailer had closed up to a margin too small because my Dexter EZ-Flez equalizers had already worn out the bushings and was sagging, allowing the distance between axles to narrow. He said they had been finding that on a lot of the ones they had installed on new frames. He said Dexter had made a mistake on the design of those products and they were not strong enough for the rated weight and he was replacing them. To my disappointment, Youngs had changed over to a similar product made by Lippert. I wasn't pleased and told him so but he explained that was all he had to install. And he had installed them on my trailer at no charge to me.
So, I'm still a big fan of Dexter products in general and no fan at all of Lippert products but that is the rest of the story.
On the other hand, I ordered the 7,000 lb. Dexter axle assemblies and large drum brakes for my trailer. The big brakes work as well as hydraulic disc brakes on my trailer and are self adjusting in the forward direction. Every time I apply the brakes when towing, the brakes adjust themselves as needed.
Grizzly, many, perhaps most new trailers come with marginal or inadequate axles and suspension under them from the factory. I've seen many a fifth wheel being pulled down the highway with the wheels canted inward at the top and outward at the bottom, an indication of bent spindles. That was the reason I ordered my trailer with 7,000 axles and springs instead of the standard 6,000#.
Back in late '07 early '08, when my HH fiver was only a few months old old, I discovered that NuWa was installing or making optionally available, the Dexter EZ-Flex system on the '08 model fivers. I wanted them on my HH so when I was in Chanute I talked to the service department shop foreman and he told me to take it down the street to Young's Welding, the company that builds their frames.
I took it to Young's and had them installed. Price for the parts and labor was very reasonable and I was happy. A year or so later I was in Chanute again and complained of an electric brake on my trailer that was slow to release each time I used the brakes. Again, I was sent down to Young's Welding. The same guy looked it over and told me to leave it a few hours and he would fix it.
When I returned about three hours later he had fixed the brake but he explained that he found that the gap between tires on the left/street side of the trailer had closed up to a margin too small because my Dexter EZ-Flez equalizers had already worn out the bushings and was sagging, allowing the distance between axles to narrow. He said they had been finding that on a lot of the ones they had installed on new frames. He said Dexter had made a mistake on the design of those products and they were not strong enough for the rated weight and he was replacing them. To my disappointment, Youngs had changed over to a similar product made by Lippert. I wasn't pleased and told him so but he explained that was all he had to install. And he had installed them on my trailer at no charge to me.
So, I'm still a big fan of Dexter products in general and no fan at all of Lippert products but that is the rest of the story.
On the other hand, I ordered the 7,000 lb. Dexter axle assemblies and large drum brakes for my trailer. The big brakes work as well as hydraulic disc brakes on my trailer and are self adjusting in the forward direction. Every time I apply the brakes when towing, the brakes adjust themselves as needed.
Grizzly, many, perhaps most new trailers come with marginal or inadequate axles and suspension under them from the factory. I've seen many a fifth wheel being pulled down the highway with the wheels canted inward at the top and outward at the bottom, an indication of bent spindles. That was the reason I ordered my trailer with 7,000 axles and springs instead of the standard 6,000#.
I bought the 88 Holiday Rambler 5er new, but I didn't order it. I was too young dumb and stupid back then to know any better. I hope I'm a little wiser and smarter now. Live and learn as my daddy always said.
Another piece of stupidity in my young age is that I even had an F250 gasser Furd before my 95 CTD.
george
Yep, I had one also. It was actually a decent truck but that big block Furd gasser became a worthless piece of junk better abandoned along the roadside the first time I got behind the wheel of an '01 Ram 3500 HO six speed.
Dexter's EZ-Flex was and remains a big disappointment to me. I expect better than that from Dexter.
When Roger Payne at Young's Welding put the free Lippert stuff on my trailer I figured I'd tolerate it for a few months until Dexter offered a new and improved version of their disappointing first try at the shock absorbing equalizers. But as far as I know Dexter simply withdrew and pretended it never happened.
If I hear they've introduced an improved replacement I'll be the first to buy and install them on my trailer.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
EDIT:
I thought about this later and decided to send an email inquiry to Dexter to ask if they had corrected "the problem. " I received and immediate phone call from the Product Manager politely explaining that he was unaware of any problem with the EZ Flex products. He explained that perhaps Young's Welding had installed the 6000 lb. EZ Flex equalizers on my trailer and the trailer was too heavy for them. He went on to explain that they also manufacturer a set rated at 8,000 lbs.
Apparently this was the reason why I experienced early wear on my EZ Flex equalizers. My trailer has 7,000 lb. axles I special ordered when I ordered the trailer because I estimated it would be too heavy on 6,000 lb. axles.
The Dexter EZ Flex Product Manager asked me to send him the axle centerline to centerline measurements on my trailer and said he'll send me a replacement set of 8,000 lb. EZ Flex rubber bumper equalizers.
I posted a public apology in another new thread because I now regret accepting the wrong conclusion from Young's Welding two years ago without asking Dexter about it. I believe it was a simple misunderstanding on the part of my contact at Young's Welding.
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We're all guilty of being human.
After several small cars, I bought a used big car: a 5L F150 stick. Drove it 8 years and put 105K miles on it before I bought the '98 Dodge new in '97, which I've had for 12+ years and have put almost 270K on it, and have had to do very little maintenance on it.I had a Chev. diesel about 20 years ago and was on a travel-cade with 20 other rigs. I made a mistake of bragging about how good my truck was and a week later my engine blew a piston in Browning, Mt. so now I am happy as can be with the 3 dodges that I have owned.
Bill - 2008 Dodge dooly
Bill - 2008 Dodge dooly
It appears NuWa will be my next fifth wheel unless something dramatic changes. I have been reading the owners forums from Mobile Suites, Excel and Hitchhiker. Mobile Suite does not insulate their slideout floors. The slide out floors are just vapor barrier, plywood, carpet pad and carpet. That tells me the floor is like what I have now, step into the slide and the floor bows quite a bit. Also the floor is chilly in winter and hot in summer. Also what keeps the batten insulation from dropping down inside the wall, curious about that. There is a dealer not too far from me which I plan on visiting to check out the floor in a Select Suite for myself.
Now to the Excel Limited. Owners are posting as recent as June this year about their slide out floors rotting due to water intrusion. Some have stated ALL their slide outs are doing this, one owner posted pictures of rotten wood not only in a slide but above the entry door and above the large living slide. I could inderstand maybe 2 or 3 owners but it seems there are at least 20 to 30 or more and they say that the factory knows of the problem. Again with the question about the batten insulation staying put. I may try and tour the factory in September after I visit NuWa to check on this problem.
This brings me to Hitchhiker. Their slide out floors are insulated and infact made the same way that their walls are with the vacuum bond process according to the website. So far on the owners forums the only problems I can see are not with the actual coach itself and how NuWa builds them. No problems with floors, walls or roof. Seems that most are extremely happy with NuWa. They did raise the prices on the 2011 models but I found out that they took a few optional items and made them standard equipment which is a good thing. I plan on visiting their factory in September to see just how good they are. They have a video of a Chevy truck ( diesel equipped so it has a little weight to it ) driving up on a piece of their sidewall ( maybe two feet square ) with the front tire and the wall holding the weight without breaking. They only had supports on the corners of wall piece and nothing in the middle that I could see. I plan on putting that video to the test when I am there.
Scott
Now to the Excel Limited. Owners are posting as recent as June this year about their slide out floors rotting due to water intrusion. Some have stated ALL their slide outs are doing this, one owner posted pictures of rotten wood not only in a slide but above the entry door and above the large living slide. I could inderstand maybe 2 or 3 owners but it seems there are at least 20 to 30 or more and they say that the factory knows of the problem. Again with the question about the batten insulation staying put. I may try and tour the factory in September after I visit NuWa to check on this problem.
This brings me to Hitchhiker. Their slide out floors are insulated and infact made the same way that their walls are with the vacuum bond process according to the website. So far on the owners forums the only problems I can see are not with the actual coach itself and how NuWa builds them. No problems with floors, walls or roof. Seems that most are extremely happy with NuWa. They did raise the prices on the 2011 models but I found out that they took a few optional items and made them standard equipment which is a good thing. I plan on visiting their factory in September to see just how good they are. They have a video of a Chevy truck ( diesel equipped so it has a little weight to it ) driving up on a piece of their sidewall ( maybe two feet square ) with the front tire and the wall holding the weight without breaking. They only had supports on the corners of wall piece and nothing in the middle that I could see. I plan on putting that video to the test when I am there.
Scott
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Scott
I do not have a Select Suite. that is the bottom of the line. I have a Mobile Suite and I have had no problem with the floor in the slide out. The Elite Suite is the top of the line but I can"t see any differencebetween it and my Mobile Suite. I would not consider a Select Suite as it is a lot cheeper and to do this corners had to be cut.
Bill
I do not have a Select Suite. that is the bottom of the line. I have a Mobile Suite and I have had no problem with the floor in the slide out. The Elite Suite is the top of the line but I can"t see any differencebetween it and my Mobile Suite. I would not consider a Select Suite as it is a lot cheeper and to do this corners had to be cut.
Bill
Bill,
These are Mobile Suites the owners are talking about only reason I mentioned Select Suites is because thats all the dealer near me has on the lot. Members ( owners ) quotes
That is correct. If you are planning on staying a while in one place and need the extra R-value for the slide floor, (which is R-7 with the plywood, moisture barrier and carpet) you can probably put styrofoam underneath the floor to increase the R-value. Basically for every inch of styrofoam you pick up R-3. 48, so if you stuff a 4 inch piece of styrofoam up underneath the slide floor, you would gain an R-value of roughly 12-14 for a total of roughly 19-21 R-value.
Rain day for work today. Sitting here web surfing, looking at the DRV site and got an idea. Call the factory! Grabbed the phone and spoke with Dan Tauer. very nice, very helpful. the slide room outside and end walls are all R16. the roof is R16. floors are R7-8. the walls and the roof are all 3. 25 inches thick.
so there you go
yes, that's what you were told, plywood, carpet, moisture barrier. Other words no insulation added. Just typical construction material.
__________________
2006 32TK3 Mobile Suites 2005 GMC 3500 CCLB 4X4 dually
This is what I will be getting an answer on as soon as I can. As much as you pay for these things I hope there is some insulation to the floors.
These are Mobile Suites the owners are talking about only reason I mentioned Select Suites is because thats all the dealer near me has on the lot. Members ( owners ) quotes
That is correct. If you are planning on staying a while in one place and need the extra R-value for the slide floor, (which is R-7 with the plywood, moisture barrier and carpet) you can probably put styrofoam underneath the floor to increase the R-value. Basically for every inch of styrofoam you pick up R-3. 48, so if you stuff a 4 inch piece of styrofoam up underneath the slide floor, you would gain an R-value of roughly 12-14 for a total of roughly 19-21 R-value.
Rain day for work today. Sitting here web surfing, looking at the DRV site and got an idea. Call the factory! Grabbed the phone and spoke with Dan Tauer. very nice, very helpful. the slide room outside and end walls are all R16. the roof is R16. floors are R7-8. the walls and the roof are all 3. 25 inches thick.
so there you go
yes, that's what you were told, plywood, carpet, moisture barrier. Other words no insulation added. Just typical construction material.
__________________
2006 32TK3 Mobile Suites 2005 GMC 3500 CCLB 4X4 dually
This is what I will be getting an answer on as soon as I can. As much as you pay for these things I hope there is some insulation to the floors.
Scott
Thanks for the info. We don't stay anywhere that is below freezing. We stay in Fla for six months during the winter and we do live in it full time. Anyway we are happy with it. Maybe it is the layout and the easy acces to things in the compartment.
Bill
Thanks for the info. We don't stay anywhere that is below freezing. We stay in Fla for six months during the winter and we do live in it full time. Anyway we are happy with it. Maybe it is the layout and the easy acces to things in the compartment.
Bill
Bill,
It's not just the cold, Texas summers can heat up the slide floors quite a bit. I do like the Mobile Suites but if they do not insulate the slide floor it's hard for me to justify spending the money for one. If work would leave me alone long enough to visit the dealer near me I could find out for sure if they are or are not insulated. They may have made some changes for 2011 models who knows.
It's not just the cold, Texas summers can heat up the slide floors quite a bit. I do like the Mobile Suites but if they do not insulate the slide floor it's hard for me to justify spending the money for one. If work would leave me alone long enough to visit the dealer near me I could find out for sure if they are or are not insulated. They may have made some changes for 2011 models who knows.
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Scott
Thinks for the input. I know that all RV's have problems and I have never seen one that didn't have to go back several times to have things fixed. We try to stay in Fla for the winter wher it is warm and somewhere in the mountains durning the summer. Colorado where we are now is great. Low 50 and high mid 70's. We love it here
Bill
Thinks for the input. I know that all RV's have problems and I have never seen one that didn't have to go back several times to have things fixed. We try to stay in Fla for the winter wher it is warm and somewhere in the mountains durning the summer. Colorado where we are now is great. Low 50 and high mid 70's. We love it here
Bill
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