New 5th Wheel advice

[Texas Diesel]

Thinking about buying a 2004 Holiday Rambler Presidential 5th wheel.



Any experiences with the brand?



TIA

 

[BigMike]

Sure see a lot of them out there. Don't have any real knowledge of them however. A friend of mine has a Presidential. He's out there full timing it! If it's go a floor plan you like, good storage and other features and the price is right, go for it!! I like spending other peoples money.

 

[RustyJC]

At the risk of incurring the wrath of the HR owners, the comments I've seen would indicate that HR's 5th wheel quality isn't what it used to be. We chose to go another route (see signature).



Just my opinion (that determined to whom I wrote the check), of course.



Rusty

 

[tkerrigan]

The Presidential is likely to be quite a bit over max gvw if your are planning to tow it with a 2500. Mostly pin weight.

 

[Texas Diesel]

Agreed it's over weight for a 2500 but we will be fulltiming in it and only have to move it 8 miles. It was $75k new a year ago, you name the option and it has it. We are buying it for payoff ~$40k.



Only part I dont like is the Dexter Never-Lube axles, have to see exactly how they are "never-lube".



Now to trade for a 3500 or add dually conversion to my Dana 80 2500... .

 

[RustyJC]

Only part I dont like is the Dexter Never-Lube axles, have to see exactly how they are "never-lube".

You'll love 'em, unless you have some subconscious need to pull, clean, pack and replace your wheel bearings and seals annually.



I have them on my current 5th wheel. They are sealed roller bearings that are supposed to be good for 100K miles. I, personally, am glad Dexter finally moved out of the 19th century with this stuff, although frankly they're only up to mid-20th century with these bearings.



Rusty

 

[Loren]

Texas,



We have never had a Holiday Rambler fifth-wheel, and the newest HR travel trailer we have owned was a 1995 model. (The other one was bought new in 1970. )



Having said that, I think that HR is one of the best brands you can buy. I very much like the Alumaframe welded aluminum construction. There are no wooden studs to rot if you get a leak and don't discover it right away. It's also light, strong, and rigid.



They don't cut corners on amenities, and the trailers we have owned have been well thought out. We currently own an Airstream, but the main reason for that is because almost none of the "mainstream" travel trailer manufacturers produce models that do not have a slide out.



We have used a fifth-wheel unit with slide outs, and I don't like them. They add weight and create problems inside if you are parked where it's impractical to slide them out. I don't want to turn this into a slide-out war. That's just my reason for preferring the Airstream right now. If HR were to make a 30-33 foot unit with the right floorplan, I'd consider giving up the Airstream.



Unless their quality has slipped since 1995, I don't think you'll be sorry with a Holiday Rambler.



Loren

 

[Larry Willard]

In my opinion the quality has dropped. I think after 1999, mine is a '98 and am very happy with it. If/when we buy another one it will most likely be something other than HR. Just be sure to check the frame above where the axles mounts are welded to the frame, especially if it has the adjustable suspension to raise it for our high trucks.

Larry

 

[Grizzly]

I've not had the Presidential, But I did purchased (new) a 1988 HR Alumalite 5th wheel. Structurally they are built the same as the Presidential and not near as spendy. I had it for 11 years and it was a great trailer. Only problem I had was that the running gear was too weak for the Alaskan Highway (frost heaves). The 5er was 29', which is considered too large for that kind of use. The best RV for the Alaska Highway is a cab-over camper with the right truck under it. I now have a 11'-3" Lance extended cab-over camper with a built-in 3500 W generator. Grizzly

 

[Texas Diesel]

Well we bought it and been in it for a week and cant find a single fit/finish problem except a mis adjusted screen door.



It's perfect but that would be expected for a $71k RV. We didnt pay that much since it was 6 mos old.



The quality construction and thoughtfulness of the manufacturer is amazing, the heatpump is amazing and the 1. 5 ton aux A/C should be nice in the summer.



Cant think of any complaints except I wish it had a vent directly over the shower.



The artic package (whatever it's called) is definately an asset. So is the built in generator, wonder how long 60#'s of propane will last if used a lot...



And it does NOT have hydraulic slides, they are gear drive



We give it 5 stars (so far).



Well, one defect, the hot water heater wont work on 12V, havnt even looked at it yet. Anyone know if I can get onsite RV service to fix it?

 

[Slow Six]

I am assuming a typo, the hot water heaters do not have 12V. A lot of them have 120v and or propane. On any I have had there is an off/on switch located somewhere on the water heater and can be tricky to find. Also there should be a switch somewhere in the kitchen area to transfer from microwave to water heater. Usually you cannot run microwave and heater at the same time. It is also possible that the 120v element could be defective or burnt out from being on when there is no water in the tank. As far as I know the elements are replacable. A good mobile RV service could fix you up. Enjoy the rig.

 

[Texas Diesel]

You're right, I wasnt clear enough.



The propane side isnt working, it uses 12VDC for the ignitor circuit.