Searching for a good quality medium price 5th wheel

[DBF]

Your PM mailbox is full. My email is -- email address removed --



Tx, DBF/O

 

[Grizzly]

I have decided on the Arctic Fox 27 5L, because it is about the heaviest built for it's size. which is 27'. I wouldn't want it any longer then that. Another reason for the AF is that it is only 10' 11" tall, which means it will fit in my Trailerport. That's important to me. It is not a, "stand-up", bedroom and that okay with my wife and I. We also liked the floor plan best and it includes far more standard options then any other brand. In fact the only other options I will get are 3. 6W Generator, BBQ, Slideout Awning Topper and Low Profile AC. I looked at and considered all brands mentioned on these posts and on PM sent to me. I researched them online and studied their floor plans and specs. Although the AF it is not perfect, it does fit our needs best and we think will be the best suited to make the Alaska trip again in two years and hopefully more trips after that.

Thank you all who responded by post or by PM. Your two cents worth, was worth gold. george

 

[Fireman]

Don't forget a Sealand porcelain toilet, Fantastic Fans, and thermal pane windows.



Fireman

 

[klenger]

Great choice. Dito on thermal pane windows. Maybe solar prep.

 

[Grizzly]

Dealer say it come standard with a porcelain toilet. Fantastic Fan, yes, I need to add that. My Lance has one. I haven't decided on Thermal windows. I'm not sure I need them. If you break one, your looking at big bucks to replace it. Fireman and Ken, do you have them? No to solar prep for two reasons. 1, It's going to sit in my Trailerport when not in use, no sun under the roof. 2, I don't have the head room for anything added to the roof of the 5er, that's why I'm going for the low profile AC.

 

[klenger]

I don't have the t-pane windows, but wish I did. I don't know if they were available in 2001. Also consider 16" wheels.

 

[TowPro]

The porcelain toilet is probably a sealand. I like mine after we figured out how to use it. After a couple trips you will discover the bowl will start to drain empty. The fix is when you push the lever to flush it, let your foot slip off the leaver and let it slam closed.

 

[Grizzly]

I don't have the t-pane windows, but wish I did. I don't know if they were available in 2001. Also consider 16" wheels.

Your right Ken about 16" wheels. I originally didn't want to go with them because it would raise the trailer, however we are only talking about 1/2". After reading your article on "RV and Tow Vehicle Weights" by you and the insert by Peter Greig, for the second time, on your website, I am convinced that the bigger heaiver wheels and tires are a must especially if I want to take this 5er to Alaska and endure rough roads. I think that anyone who tows a trailer of any type should read Ken's website on "Weights".

 

[klenger]

Thanks for the plug. Here's a link to the page.

 

[PKnoerzer]

I'll chime in with some insight on the Cougar 245. - We had a Lance 821 which is too heavy for a SRW truck and short on storage space for more than a weekend - we traded for a Cougar 245. The Cougar is not as nice as a Lance but we are happy so far. I took it to Moryde and had them install their rubber equalizer suspension and pin box. I think the better ride is going to make everything last longer. The Cougar has a solid frame but it's light enough to not overload the truck or its 15" tires. We also really like the floor plan. The slide is not in the way when it's retracted but it gives a lot of room when it's open. We have the gaucho couch and free standing dinette. We leave two chairs at home and have more room for two people to sit.



Happy Camping!

 

[litespeed]

I don't understand, all of the above are companies that make a couple lines of RV's. Some make junk, some make Good RV's. I sure hate to see someone place the glendale name next to fleetwood like that. No comparison

Gross comparison... . And you're right.



The Golden Falcon would be a good example.



AJ

 

[Trophy1]

Everest by Keystone

Griz

We are going to follow your footsteps to Alaska this July with a Everest by Keystone, It is a great fifth with lot of room we have 343L and LOVE IT. IT is one model down from Keystones Montana and has almost all the amenities of the Montana with out the sticker shock. We paid a little over 29,500. 00 out the door after much dickering with washer dryer and a bunch of other extra's. It has 3 slides 14,000 gross and 2,000 pin weight. PM me if you are interested.

I have also heard that there is are better units by Heartland, BIGHORN< for a few more list dollars than the Everest list. You can easily get a 30% discount off list by dickering some on most RV's.

Good luck on your quest.

 

[Grizzly]

Griz

We are going to follow your footsteps to Alaska this July with a Everest by Keystone, It is a great fifth with lot of room we have 343L and LOVE IT. IT is one model down from Keystones Montana and has almost all the amenities of the Montana with out the sticker shock. We paid a little over 29,500. 00 out the door after much dickering with washer dryer and a bunch of other extra's. It has 3 slides 14,000 gross and 2,000 pin weight. PM me if you are interested.

I have also heard that there is are better units by Heartland, BIGHORN< for a few more list dollars than the Everest list. You can easily get a 30% discount off list by dickering some on most RV's.

Good luck on your quest.

Thanks for the information. I've been doing a little wheeling and dealing with our local Arctic Fox dealer. He's only 16% off of MSRP right now. If I can't get him down to 30% or near that, I'll look else where or consider other brands.

Would some of you with Arctic Fox 5th wheels that are within 800 miles of Albuquerque supply me with your AF dealer and their phone number. I'll go that far to get the best price. That's what I did when I ordered my Lance. I ordered it from St. George, Utah.

 

[K5IP]

I like the Artic Fox also. If you like a good solid camper without all the fluff, you might also look at Nash. It has the same basic construction as Artic fox, but at less cost.

Mine is a 21. 5R. Good and solid. Light weight and great for boondocking. It seems to hold together well no mater how rough the terrain.

Rog

 

[Grizzly]

I like the Artic Fox also. If you like a good solid camper without all the fluff, you might also look at Nash. It has the same basic construction as Artic fox, but at less cost.

Mine is a 21. 5R. Good and solid. Light weight and great for boondocking. It seems to hold together well no mater how rough the terrain.

Rog

I was looking at a Nash in the brochure and they have a 27-5L. The floor plan looks like the AF 27-5L. I understand that Nash are wood frame, which is not a bad thing. The AF is 500 lb heavier then the Nash, maybe due to the front and rear caps and smooth sides. Besides wood frame and outside differences, how else do they differ and what is the price difference? I haven't seen any AF or Nash 5th wheels at our local dealer since they don't have any and don't plan on getting any. They push their Keystone line far more.

 

[klenger]

I don't know if this is still the case, but when I bought my fox, the Nash line did not have the four-season insulation package or the enclosed heated tanks. Personally, I would stick to the Arctic Fox line and not consider the Nash.

 

[Grizzly]

I don't know if this is still the case, but when I bought my fox, the Nash line did not have the four-season insulation package or the enclosed heated tanks. Personally, I would stick to the Arctic Fox line and not consider the Nash.

Good point, which I didn't know due to lack of information from our local dealer. I found a AF dealer in Silver City, NM that has a 2007, AF 27-5L on the lot with everthing we want except for generator. To order an AF with a generator from the factory is $2,400. The best price I found for a 3. 6 Onan locally and I install is $3,400 plus shipping and, no doubt, some hardware. It also does not have the slide out toppers, which I'm not sure is a good thing. It has the hide-a-bed, I'd rather have the jackknife sofa. It has 16" wheels

with Load Range "E" tires. We may run down and look at it, but I'd still would rather order it and get it equiped exactly the way we want it.

 

[RNelson]

I bought my first 5th wheel a little over 3 years ago. I did extensive research and found the information available from www.rv.org to be very valuable. They are like a consumer reports for RVs. They rate several key areas, towability, reliability, quality. Only one manufacturer rated 5 stars and that was New Horizons (a factory direct company in Kansas).



If I recall, the Nash/Artic Fox product line rated pretty good. Keystone and Fleetwood products were poor.



I didn't want to buy a new one right off the bat, so I searched for used ones. Could not find any New Horizons (seems owners hold onto these). I looked at a couple of Artic Foxes, but ended up finding a NuWa Hitchhiker II, which rated four stars. We've had it now for 3 years. It's a '99 model. Only problems we've experienced are a broken faucet handle and a water pump. The window shades are not the greatest, but everything else has lived up to expectations.

 

[Grizzly]

I bought my first 5th wheel a little over 3 years ago. I did extensive research and found the information available from www.rv.org to be very valuable. They are like a consumer reports for RVs. They rate several key areas, towability, reliability, quality. Only one manufacturer rated 5 stars and that was New Horizons (a factory direct company in Kansas).



If I recall, the Nash/Artic Fox product line rated pretty good. Keystone and Fleetwood products were poor.



I didn't want to buy a new one right off the bat, so I searched for used ones. Could not find any New Horizons (seems owners hold onto these). I looked at a couple of Artic Foxes, but ended up finding a NuWa Hitchhiker II, which rated four stars. We've had it now for 3 years. It's a '99 model. Only problems we've experienced are a broken faucet handle and a water pump. The window shades are not the greatest, but everything else has lived up to expectations.

Really sounds impressive. I've checked them out and they do have a 5 star rating. They are custom built to any floor plan you want. I talked to them at length on the phone. For something comparable to an Arctic Fox 27-5L, which is a 4 star rated 5th wheel, your looking at about $75,000 and you go the factory in Kansas to pick it up. They also said that there is no room for negotiating the price. For a four star rating, I'm going to stick to an Arctic Fox.

As a side note, the Keystone Cougar, which has been mention several times on this thread, and in my opinion is no Arctic Fox, has a 2 1/2 star rating.

 

[BDeMartile]

You might want to look at warrior they make toy haulers but they are very nicely appointed slides are optional and They come with a LIFETIME structural warranty and a 20 year vinyl (read NOT stretched RUBBER) roof. www.warriormfg.com. pm me for more info if you wish