Searching for a good quality medium price 5th wheel

[Grizzly]

I'm in the market for a new good to best quality 24' to 27' 5th wheel in a medium to high price range with onboard 4K+/- generator. My wife and I returned from a two month trip to Alaska on our 11'-3" Lance camper. The truck and camper were great, except the camper got too small for us at times. Not enough storage and not enough elbow room for a long trip. If anyone is interested in the camper, it's for sale.

I'm considering an Arctic Fox, model 27 5L and a Cougar 245 or 276. We are planning on making to trip to Alaska again in two years, therefore I need a unit that can withstand the long and rough roads. We made the trip in 95 with our 29' HR Alumilite 5er and we had to replace both axles, all four tires and all bushings in the running gear. Fortunately the roads have been greatly improved since then. I prefer not to have a slideout, however I don't think I could find a good quality unit without one. I am staying away from anything made by Fleetwood and Forest River. No offence Fleetwood and FR owners. All recommendations are appreciated. grizzly

 

[jjdiesel]

Arctic Fox

I think you're looking in the right direction with an Arctic Fox. They are nice rigs and I wish I had one! Probably the best all-season rig out there. . very well built. Because of the wood construction they are a little heavier than the aluminum rigs but not a problem for our CTD.

 

[starkmr]

I pulled my 30' Cougar down the Alcan in 2003 with no problems whatsoever. That was in June so the heaves weren't too bad for that time of year. I've been really happy with the unit. The only complaint I've had is that the water pump is mounted under the stove with no outside access. That was some engineering there.

 

[Katman]

I want to do an Alaska trip and if I decide on a 5er the Arctic Fox looks like a pretty good option. I did take a a Winni View on a trip a couple of weeks ago to Maine and Nova Scotia. If I wanted to leave the truck home and spend the bucks the View is a nice unit. It did have a slide, which gave us plenty of room when we had to stay inside. The mercedes diesel moves it along and I averaged about 18 mpg. It is a little light on carrying capacity but I think it can tow a sizable amount.

 

[Jumbo Jet]

A Keystone Laredo is a step above the Cougar. I have pulled mine over 16,000 miles with no problems.

 

[DBCooper]

I'll second or third the Arctic Fox. We just picked up a 31' this past spring and really like the way it's built. Very heavy duty, thermal windows, heated large tanks, 16" load range E tires, all of which of course comes back to haunt you in weight. They are heavy, but built well.

 

[JERRYKAM]

I'm on the Arctic Fox band wagon. Owned an Arctic Fox model 22H TT and recently upgraded to a 2006 AF 29SE Silver Fox Edition 5th Wheel. Wife just had to have more room. Since these are the only RVs of recent vintage that I have owned I really can't do a comparison with other brands.



I made the purchase of the 22H based on the RV Ratings offered by http://www.rv.org/. Satisfaction with this TT brought me back to the Arctic Fox dealer.



One option the 5th wheel has that I really like is the factory installed Onan 3. 6KW propane fueled generator. Inside push button start/stop. No worry about carrying gasoline.



With my 22H I used a Honda 2kw generator. Very nice unit but certainly not in the same class as the built in Onan

 

[litespeed]

Excel

Griz,



Check out Excel (Peterson)... They are a true four seasons camper. They are built to be used in rugged terrain and are EXTREMELY well built.



They used to make a model called the 27-5. Probably right up your alley. Not sure if they still make it. Could be an option for you. It wont have all the bells and whistles of a newer one. But it will be able to handle the cold and rough terrain with ease.



Link: http://excelrvs.com/



They are also there own company... . Unlike others: IE: Keystone, Newmar, Fleetwood, Glendale, etc...



Makes a difference... .



Send me a PM about your slide in..... My father is interested.



Thanks,



AJ

 

[SnoKing]

A Keystone Laredo is a step above the Cougar. I have pulled mine over 16,000 miles with no problems.

If he is staying away from Fleetwood and Forest River, then he most likely should stay away from Keystones also. All like apples. SNOKING

 

[Grizzly]

I'm on the Arctic Fox band wagon. Owned an Arctic Fox model 22H TT and recently upgraded to a 2006 AF 29SE Silver Fox Edition 5th Wheel. Wife just had to have more room. Since these are the only RVs of recent vintage that I have owned I really can't do a comparison with other brands.



I made the purchase of the 22H based on the RV Ratings offered by http://www.rv.org/. Satisfaction with this TT brought me back to the Arctic Fox dealer.



One option the 5th wheel has that I really like is the factory installed Onan 3. 6KW propane fueled generator. Inside push button start/stop. No worry about carrying gasoline.



With my 22H I used a Honda 2kw generator. Very nice unit but certainly not in the same class as the built in Onan

What's included in the Silver Fox Edition? My literature from the dealer doesn't say.

 

[klenger]

I forgot to mention this in my PM to you. The silver fox editions are the models built with aluminum framing in the walls vs wood.

 

[Grizzly]

I forgot to mention this in my PM to you. The silver fox editions are the models built with aluminum framing in the walls vs wood.

I prefer aluminum frame over wood, good to know. My local AF dealer didn't know. Hmmm!

 

[gonzo2]

Grizzly,



Here's something different to look at Kodiak



Unfortunately the website doesn't do them justice but the construction is quite solid with a full fiberglass moulded roof. I have been impressed with the few I've seen. Probably not too common in your area, though. You might have to go on another trip! :-laf



Here's there fifth without a slide K 22 + 2

 

[JERRYKAM]

Grizzly,



Here is the link to the Arctic Fox (Silver editon) options page.



http://www.northwoodmfg.com/2006/FoxFeatures.pdf

 

[JERRYKAM]

Forgot to mention. My dealer who has been in business for 14yrs and I might add sells exclusively Arctic Fox gave me a bit of insight into the construction of the Silver Fox edition RVs.



Northwood has resisted the move to aluminum frames until this year. They allowed other manufacturers to, shall we say lead the way. Thus benefitting from the hard lessons learned by others. The primary lesson was that unless special precautions are taken aluminum frames tend to come apart due to the inability of aluminum to grab screws and maintain the same holding power as wood. There were several other issues but this was the big one.



Interesting enough Northwood began offering the aluminum superstructure in 06 primarily to keep up with the competition but they accounted for the limitations of using aluminum. What they did was to use wood backing on aluminum attachment points in all critical area . For example where cabinets are attached, plywood sheets are used to provide solid support.



Here is the kicker. The aluminum frame claim to fame is lighter weight, hi tech etc. However, The Silver Fox editions are heavier than their all wood counter parts. Northwood had to take the plunge to keep up with the competition but also had to make up for the short comings of using aluminum. Thus allowing them to maintain their classification of "RV Trekker" as defined by RV. ORG.



Fact or fiction? You be the judge. In any case Arctic Fox does enjoy a decent reputation for building quality RVs

 

[Jumbo Jet]

From my experience, the aluminum frame RVs transfer in more heat and cold too.

The Keystone Laredo has an aluminum frame. My Shasta was wood framed. Just my 2 cents and a gut feel.

 

[TowPro]

Griz,



Link: http://excelrvs.com/



They are also there own company... . Unlike others: IE: Keystone, Newmar, Fleetwood, Glendale, etc...



Makes a difference... .



AJ

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

 

[RustyJC]

Prior to our current 5th wheel, we owned 3 wood-framed Jayco RVs - 1 pop-up and 2 5th wheels. None ever gave any structural problems whatsoever, and the pop-up was 18 years old when we sold it. Starting in 2001, however, Jayco caved in to market pressure and started building the Designer and higher 5th wheels with aluminum superstructures.



In our experience, there's absolutely nothing wrong with a quality wood-framed unit, but it seems that an aluminum superstructure is a "gottahaveit" in today's marketplace. And, yes, our current 5th wheel is aluminum framed.



Rusty

 

[Fireman]

We really love our Arctic Fox, and would like to add that their customer service is second to none. We also looked at Excel RT, very well built, very impressive trailer. Comperable to AF in price and quality. We would have bought the Excell, except they only made 3 RT models at that time and none fit our needs exactly, so we bought the AF. I don't think you could go wrong with either.

 

[DBF]

See my PM to you. Regards, DBF/Owen