Questions about my KIT Companion 5th Wheeler

[Firstgenfanantic]

I bought a used 1998 23ft Kit Companion 5th Wheeler just a few months ago. Does anyone know much about this brand of trailer? I researched online and found that Kit has been around since the 1940's and recently was taken over by Extreme RV. I believe these trailers are built in Caldwell, ID... ... ... but not positive? Anyway, here are my real questions:



-What kind of sealer should I use to recaulk the gutters?

- Where can I find replacement parts/seat cover for the fold-out couch?

- The tires on my trailer are the same size (all 4), however, 2 out of 4 tires have a very different max psi rating. Is this correct? or should I have them all matching?

- How are bed matresses sized for trailers, compared to home use ones

?

 

[ScottLewis]

Not real familiar with Kit. A friend used to brag on her's as being topdrawer.



As for caulk, Dicor lap cement is great, comes as self leveling (for flat surfaces like the top) and one for vertical use. EternaBond tape is used for rubber roofs but is also excellent for sealing virtually everything.



Check for brand name on the hidabed, FlexSteel (sp?)is common, and look online for it. You might get lucky.



Tires should be rated for the load on them. You really need to weigh the RV to see if they're adequate. Since the equalizer suspension puts about the same load on both tires on one side, the lower capacity tires get overloaded easily.



RV mattresses are generally shorter than the home counterpart; i. e. 74" long vs. 80" on a queen size.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

I bought a used 1998 23ft Kit Companion 5th Wheeler just a few months ago. Does anyone know much about this brand of trailer? I researched online and found that Kit has been around since the 1940's and recently was taken over by Extreme RV. I believe these trailers are built in Caldwell, ID... ... ... but not positive? Anyway, here are my real questions:



-What kind of sealer should I use to recaulk the gutters?

- Where can I find replacement parts/seat cover for the fold-out couch?

- The tires on my trailer are the same size (all 4), however, 2 out of 4 tires have a very different max psi rating. Is this correct? or should I have them all matching?

- How are bed matresses sized for trailers, compared to home use ones

?

Just for reference, here's several pics of our '88 24 foot Kit 5er:



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Our rooftop is aluminum, and has a couple of seams that have been no problem - best source of sealers for RV rooftop sealers, would be any reputable RV parts supplier - most larger RV sales outlets also provide varying degrees of aftermarket parts - and roof sealers are likely to be a high-volume item.



Dunno exactly what sort of "parts" you refer to for the couch - it's all pretty much just a pipe framework, with various flat metal parts - all pretty easily duplicated in a modest shop or garage - otherwise, a RV wrecking yard is a good source, and a complete replacement is also possible, if the couch is badly worn or deteriorated - places like Camping World are a good starting point.



Personally, I prefer to keep at least the same brand and size tires on the same axle - but each pair don't necessarily need to be the same brand - although mixing brands might create unusual and unwanted handling issues. On our 5er, I use all "E" rated tires, and make sure they are balanced, and inflated to 60 PSI for travel.



At least in our 5er, the mattress size is a common Queen size - we are using a memory-foam type, and like it quite well - just take mattress/platform measurements, and go shopping at any decent mattress outlet.



Good luck with your new toy - we have over 100K miles on ours - across the USA several times, and MANY dry, wilderness campsites, and lots of travels and stays up and down the west coast. At least when our '88 was built, the materials and construction were absolutely TOPS! - well insulated, double, fully insulated floor of what appears to be a top quality 1/2 plywood, with full aluminum underbelly - we completely wore out one set of axles on ours over the years - and working on wearing out the second set - I love the size and layout of ours! And yes, they are/were made in Caldwell Idaho - at least ours was - with all the failures and shutdowns of various RV makers, dunno if Kit is still in business or not...

 

[AMink]

If the tires are older than 4 or 5 years, I'd replace them no matter what. Trailer tires wear out faster sitting than they do rolling. If your mattress is indeed a trailer queen, or RV queen, it is about 6-8 shorter than a regular queen. And it is probably shot. Nothing is worse than going on vacation and having a sore back and lousy sleep. I put a full size queen in our trailer (I got one of the memory foam kind from Costco) and it works great. We have a walk-around and it did cut off some room at the end of the bed, but it is well worth it. I'm not a tall guy, about 5'10", and it is way nicer than having my feet hang off the end. If you have room, I'd definitely look into this type of mattress.

 

[HBarlow]

I bought a new Kit conventional travel trailer, a 22'er, I think, when I was in college in the late 1980s -early 1990s. The trailer was a '89 or '90 model. It was not an expensive unit or top of the line by any means but it was well-made and was an excellent value for the RV dollar. Kits were wood-framed, or stick-built, and were light and easy to pull.

I toured the Kit factory in Caldwell, ID on a cross-country trip to Vancouver, BC when we had it. We took lots of short trips with it and enjoyed it.

My wife and I lived in it for three months while home-shopping when we moved to Lubbock in 1992 and I sold it in 1993 and bought a used Airstream 31'er.

Sometime in the early 1990s, when the economy was in an economic downturn, Kit Mfg. went out of business temporarily and then was purchased and restarted by a new company formed by former employees. It quietly disappeared from the industry a year or two later.

As other posters suggested above, most components used in an RV or standard RV industry products that are similar in other brands. Major appliances such as cook stove, refrigerator, furnace, air conditioner, water heater, water pump, axles, running gear, are all standard RV products that can be obtained from other dealers or retailers like Camping World.

If the previous owner (now you) kept/keep the roof and other joints caulked and sealed in the Bremerton climate your kit should last almost forever. They are good, practical, lightweight trailers.

Gary, who are those old men in your trailer? Were the photos taken during a nursing home visit?

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Gary, who are those old men in your trailer? Were the photos taken during a nursing home visit?

AH, Harvey, you really should make that Optometrist appointment - only one "old man" shown, my fishing buddy brother-in-law - the lady facing the camera is his wife, my wife's sister, they both also moved here to the John Day Oregon area as we did - and the lady with her back to the camera is my wife - what you probably thought (with that poor eyesight!) was a rat raised up against my SIL, is actually the very spoiled Chihuahua of the in-laws. You can't actually see me - I was sitting in my wheel chair up on the bed, taking the picture... :-laf



Here's a better pic of the in laws, up at a nearby lake:



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AND, at the recent wedding of their daughter:



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BUT, I'll be sure to forward your compliment...



AND, you should always remember - there's only ONE known way to avoid old age...



.

 

[HBarlow]

Gary,

Beautiful scenery and not bad photography either.

Yeah, I'm very familiar with that concept of avoiding old age you spoke of and I'm doing my best to avoid that method of avoidance.

As old people I know tell me, old age ain't for sissies but it sure beats the alternative.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

Gary,



Beautiful scenery and not bad photography either.



Yeah, I'm very familiar with that concept of avoiding old age you spoke of and I'm doing my best to avoid that method of avoidance.



As old people I know tell me, old age ain't for sissies but it sure beats the alternative.

We're sure glad to have the in laws up here in the area with us - we've all been together since high school days - my BIL is the same age I am, and the SIL is a couple of years younger than me - we've vacationed and RV-ed together most of our lives - and still enjoy all the same things as related to the outdoors - this is beautiful country for the outdoors-man - great hunting and fishing - as well as all types of camping and off-road activities.



Sorry to have hijacked - and to the thread starter - I sincerely hope you get the same outdoors enjoyment from your Kit 5er as we have ours over the years - bought it new - and sorry to read what Harvey posted about the Kit company not being active anymore - I saw one of their 29 foot 5ers with a slide out back in the 90's - absolutely loved the floor plan, and with the excellent price, was seriously interested in buying it, but closer inspection showed FAR less quality of detail and construction than that our older unit, so walked away - sure hope yours is equal to what ours has been!



Cheers.

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

As to the existence of Extreme RV - the (apparently!) spinoff of the former Kit Co. , here's this from Oct. '08:

CALDWELL, Idaho -- RV manufacturer Extreme RV has shut its doors, RV Industry News has learned.



The factory had laid of all but a handful of people a few weeks ago, according to one dealer in the Pacific Northwest, and now those employees appear to be out of jobs as well.



"We have been unable to reach anyone in the office for several days," the dealer explained.



In the last conversation she had with the company, another dealer learned that the firm was no longer honoring its warranty, nor was it making parts available to dealers. "I was supposed to take a unit into the factory for repair," she said. "When I finally got through to someone, he explained the firm was shutting down and that they weren't providing warranty work for anyone. "



Nobody answered the phone at Extreme RV's offices when RV Industry News has tried to call since Wednesday. Messages left with one of the business' key partners were not returned.

 

[Firstgenfanantic]

I find it a little sad that Kit/Extreme RV has dried up in the RV world. I am pretty happy with getting the 1998' Kit. This will be my first travel trailer, so I am learning as I go. I do have a Camping World membership and often find myself researching brands/parts/etc.



On a different note: The current mattress in the trailer is a Serta. I believe this mattress was purchased by the previous owner. I am currently the 3rd owner of the trailer. To me, this mattress seems really small... ... ... I am 6'4" and my wife is 6'. We are giant people! Haha! It looks like I have about 6"-8" of clearance on each side of the mattress, this tells me there maybe room for a wider mattress?



Thanks for all the great comments/ideas/suggestions!

 

[Gary - K7GLD]

If you have the time and inclination to post pics of your 5er, I'd be interested in seeing the difference between it and my older unit.

 

[Firstgenfanantic]

I will have to get some pictures together soon.