Looking for info on Cross Roads Rv's

[retirednak]

I know some of you transporters out there know what RV's are junk and to run away from, which are over built and will hold up for yrs to come. I think I'm finally fed up with the Alaska winters and this may be my last one. I've been looking at Cross Roads Rv's and like their Rushmore 5ver series because the main sleeping area has double slides giving a guy lots of room, the rest looks nice and plush. They seem to talk a good game, but most do anyway. The other model I'm leaning the most towards is the Redwood because its also a toy hauler and I need to haul my bike. I'm going to have to get another truck & retire mine I believe. I only have 114K miles, but its the early '03 w/250 hp and with that kind of weight it will struggle.

Any one with experience with the Cross Roads RV? Think I could get away with pulling a new 5ver with a single rear wheel?

 

[Grizzly]

Cross Roads is a good RV. They are rated from 3 stars to 4 stars with 5 stars being the max rating. This accordingt to RV Consumer Group.



george

 

[SSteilow]

Are you going to buy your Cross Roads Rushmore Fifth Wheel new?

Be sure to verify if Cross Roads (Rushmore) Fifth Wheel customer service is up to your standards for Warrenty work thats very Important.

You might check out the Cross Roads RV Family Forum, Open roads Forum or IRV2-Forums to get some informtion from the people who own them.

Like any Ram Truck or RV New, it will have some issues for correction make sure you make a list.

Best of luck,

Scott

 

[retirednak]

Thanks guys
I haven't made my mind up which brand I'll finally end up with. We don't have a dealer for the Cross Roads here in AK, I keep hoping to see a tourist I can flag down before the season is over, and see how they like their RV & see how well it held together coming up the ALCAN. Its always nice buying something new, its always better finding something slightly used & let the former owner take the hit. I may look into some of the big RV sales events do-da's in the lower 48 where every brand shows up, throws out the DuPont Spinner Treble Hook & hope to snag a few customers. That way I can see, touch, smell & educate myself in the RV ownership. I'd rather not have to buy another dually to drag a RV all over the states if I can help it.

 

[S.Morris]

AFAIK the smarty will upgrade even the 250hp up to the output it was made for eg the 250 will put out as much as a 305hp with smarty.

 

[Grizzly]

Purchase a copy of the RV Consumer Group. It tells you everything about every 5th wheel and TT made from present to about 10 years old. It's not cheap, but it is well worth the money.

 

[SSteilow]

Thanks guys

I haven't made my mind up which brand I'll finally end up with. We don't have a dealer for the Cross Roads here in AK, I keep hoping to see a tourist I can flag down before the season is over, and see how they like their RV & see how well it held together coming up the ALCAN. Its always nice buying something new, its always better finding something slightly used & let the former owner take the hit. I may look into some of the big RV sales events do-da's in the lower 48 where every brand shows up, throws out the DuPont Spinner Treble Hook & hope to snag a few customers. That way I can see, touch, smell & educate myself in the RV ownership. I'd rather not have to buy another dually to drag a RV all over the states if I can help it.

I agree going with a pre-owned unit at first. The first owner should have all the bugs worked out, and took the big Depreciation hit.

Might check out NuWa Hitch Hiker,a well built 5vr, even through they stopped producing 5th wheels last year 13 models where the last. Their service center(Located in Kansas) is still in business and refurbishing 5th Wheels trailers, and a good customer service record. I am looking for a 300FK HH 13, in a few years. Also check into the Excel Winslow used, Fifth Wheels, Good record. My top two companies on my list.

This is just for your information to add to your list. Grizzly has a very good point about RV Consumer Group, I

will be getting my copy next year as i get closer to my retirement date.

Best of Luck,

Scott

 

[retirednak]

AFAIK the smarty will upgrade even the 250hp up to the output it was made for eg the 250 will put out as much as a 305hp with smarty.

I'm already running with a Smarty and quit towing the heavier stuff couple yrs ago. I'm tired of watching/driving by the EGT gauge when hooked to a trailer. I'm not sure if I want to go the route of adding parts to stay cool, or put up with towing slow. My truck is pretty much trouble free, I'm a bit tired of the dually part though. Or buy another truck new/used when I pick up my RV.
I will pick up a copy of RV Consumer Group and take a vacation this winter and check out all the 5th wheels.

 

[S.Morris]

Driving by EGT?? my 04 will not go over 1200 deg if set on tow with jr if you held it floored up hill all day in 5th. Thats why I like it, it runs cooler EGT than stock and I don't have to worry about who drives it.

Understand , tired of dually part but I don't daily drive mine often. My son got a new 13 DRW 3wks ago and right at 4000miles now. You don't want to drive one inless you plan on buying one

 

[retirednak]

Driving by EGT?? my 04 will not go over 1200 deg if set on tow with jr if you held it floored up hill all day in 5th. Thats why I like it, it runs cooler EGT than stock and I don't have to worry about who drives it.
Understand , tired of dually part but I don't daily drive mine often. My son got a new 13 DRW 3wks ago and right at 4000miles now. You don't want to drive one inless you plan on buying one

If I had a manual trans it might be a bit easier to keep the EGT's at a manageable level. I suppose the same could be said if I dropped out of OD. Before I do anything I'm going to pull the radiator/coolers and have them professionally rodded? out. I'm positive they have yrs of bugs, dust and oil from from the engine blow by tube. I usually towed on 3 or 4 and adjusted the timing for better fuel economy, and used the POD to to back off or increase power when towing. If I was smart I'd keep the truck since its paid for, most of the bugs have been worked out. I'll have to stay away from the new trucks at the dealers cause if I drive one, more then likely I won't make the wisest decision. Need to decide which RV I want and go from there. Did the '13 trucks come with the front axle disconnect or what ever Ram calls it? I'm wondering what kind of mileage folks are getting empty/loaded.

 

[S.Morris]

My sons new 13 DRW 4x4 mega with aisin and 3. 73 is better on fuel than the 11 Dmax he traded.
He is getting a consistent 17-18 hand calc on all round empty driving with a fair amount of idling.
Empty hwy at 70 =20 ( these are usmpg)
Towing 10000 on float at same =11
Towing seems about same as our other 5. 9's regardless of year.
Empty is as good or better than my 04.
Yes has axle disconnect. Oil stays much cleaner than 04. 5-07 but not as clean as 03-04.

 

[retirednak]

Wow, if he is getting that kind of mileage, it may help make my decision easier after finding my RV. I assume he got the highest HP/Torque engine, in my opinion, its about time Dodge/Ram/Cummins has finally caught up with the other two's MPG. Ram/Cummins has always been light years ahead in low end grunt, we finally have the best of both worlds.

I'm waiting to hear how the traction control works in winter conditions like snow/ice, is it too intrusive, able to disable, or works like it meant to. Some systems work great, others...

 

[Troubleshooter]

Crossroads was an independant brand, started by a couple of fellows who had worked for the big factory outfits. I bought one of their toyhaulers and spent a couple of years fulltiming in it. I was extremely impressed with the workmanship for a mid-price point rig, and was also pleased with the customer service on those problems which I did encounter. About 2-3 years ago they were sold off to one of the big outfits (Fleetwood, I think) and I am told that there were quality control issues in some of the newer units. So as others have mentioned, you may wish to look at one of the older units, and for more reasons than just the depreciation.

 

[retirednak]

Crossroads was an independant brand, started by a couple of fellows who had worked for the big factory outfits. I bought one of their toyhaulers and spent a couple of years fulltiming in it. I was extremely impressed with the workmanship for a mid-price point rig, and was also pleased with the customer service on those problems which I did encounter. About 2-3 years ago they were sold off to one of the big outfits (Fleetwood, I think) and I am told that there were quality control issues in some of the newer units. So as others have mentioned, you may wish to look at one of the older units, and for more reasons than just the depreciation.

Do you remember which model you had, and did the weight require you to tow with a dually? If you don't mind, what kind of problems did you run into? You can PM the info if you don't feel comfortable posting it. How big was your toy room? Did you do any winter camping, snow & freezing temps. The paperwork sent to me bragged about being able to full time even in freezing temps. The adventurer in me wonders if they would allow a test run for a weekend in freezing temps. :-laf

 

[Troubleshooter]

Do you remember which model you had, and did the weight require you to tow with a dually? If you don't mind, what kind of problems did you run into? You can PM the info if you don't feel comfortable posting it. How big was your toy room? Did you do any winter camping, snow & freezing temps. The paperwork sent to me bragged about being able to full time even in freezing temps. The adventurer in me wonders if they would allow a test run for a weekend in freezing temps. :-laf

It was the Crossforce model XF-29SL (no longer being made). As I recall, the actual weight on the CAT Scale was pretty close to the advertised weight of 8580# empty. I pulled it with a SRW 2WD. It towed well except on steep grades, where it struggled a bit until I bought a Smarty and programmed it for Setting #3. The toy room was built for something the size of a motorcycle, golf-cart or ATV, with a side ramp. So about 8' width and I think about 7' or 8' length.



Warranty problems: I had a cracked window (it was that way on the lot, not sure why the dealer didn't fix it before I noticed it). There was also a problem with drawing water from one of the tanks which turned out to be a one-way check valve that had been installed backwards. The biggest problem was that the fuel tank vent would leak on hot days; that took three different visits to two dealers before it got fixed. Once during a very heavy rainstorm (something like 11" of rain in two days), it developed a water leak through the TV antenna crank handle, but that was a quick-fix with some Kool-Patch roofing putty. Otherwise it was just normal maintenance. I will note that it came with cheap Chicom tires and I experienced a tread separation with one, but I guess they're the only ones who still manufacture ST tires these days.



I'd call it a true 3-1/2 season rig rather than a 4-season rig. One of the winters that I spent in it, the temperatures went as low as -10*F and I drained the tanks rather than attempt to keep them from freezing. My experience was that low temps weren't a problem above 20*F, although you would go through a lot of propane to keep the tanks from freezing. Between 20*F and about 15*F, it was iffy depending on the daytime high tempeature; and below 10*F you just weren't going to keep the tanks from freezing.



So yes, it was "capable even in freezing temperatures" as long as the temperature doesn't go too much below freezing and you have plenty of propane. The thing that you have to remember is that once you get down to 20*F or so, the propane isn't as volatile. That meant that I would have take the 30# tank in for refill even though it was only 2/3 empty, because the remaining propane couldn't build enough pressure to flow properly. (That particular year I was stationary due to the job I was working, so rented a larger tank from a propane company and had them plumb it directly to the trailer).



Does that help?

 

[retirednak]

Thanks for getting back to me, and yes that kind of info does help. I've done plenty of winter camping & fishing here in AK, never used running water or the other indoor thing in winter. I wish the US builders would take a few notes from the folks Down Under. I've watched some amazing videos of folks dragging their RV's through places that make you cringe, and through water I wouldn't drive through without a load. Most RV's there are built to be pressurized to keep all the dust out, and extra door trim keeps the water out.
I've been listening to other members who have had issues with their RV's, as well as some of the members who make a living delivering RV's and know more about them then most dealers. It amazing how many brands have folded up/sold out, or building a more affordable RV for the weekend crowds and cutting corners to make them affordable and light weight for the family with 2 kids,2 vehicles, and mortgage.
I was just wondering what model you had so I can keep an eye out for one going down the road. Thanks again

 

[Troubleshooter]

My pleasure; glad to help.