Sprinter by Keystone

[mberry]

I would appreciate the groups' opinions on the Sprinter brand of TT. I am looking for one for our family and the quality seems very good for the price. It's a 25' model tag-along.



I have been to the other RV websites with little luck of finding reviews.



I'm going to order the new truck in a couple of weeks or whenever DC decides to publish the prices on the '05s.



Thanks everyone!



Mark

 

[Crazy Horse]

Here's a link to Keystone. I sell Sprinters here in Alaska along with Springdale. The Sprinter is midrange to upper quality in construction and decor. Good Luck.

 

[mberry]

Originally posted by Crazy Horse

Here's a link to Keystone. I sell Sprinters here in Alaska along with Springdale. The Sprinter is midrange to upper quality in construction and decor. Good Luck.

There is a dealer in town that sells them. I have heard good things about Keystone products and I have also heard that they have had their quality issues as well. Can you comment on this please?



I just want a good quality TT for my hard earned money and the Sprinter floorplan is good for us. I just don't want to get stranded in BFE because of a poorly built product.



Anything by Fleetwood is out of the question in my opinion.

 

[JRMora]

We are looking at bigger fith wheels but I am very impressed by the Keystone Everest models we saw.



Very well screwed together and possibly the only unit we looked at that didn't look like it was decorated by my Grandma! (No flowers in the fabrics)



All the units we walked around and under looked good.



Now, if I can ever get the bills paid off...



Juan

 

[mberry]

I understand that Juan. I'm in the middle of refinancing my house to pay off some bills. Should be done in a couple of weeks and then I can start to seriously RV shop.

 

[Ram4Sam]

Keystone

We have a Keystone Sprinter and have been quite happy with it. We have had it for almost two years and it has never been back to the dealer. For an entry level unit, the fit/finish and overall quality is quite good. It was our favorite of all the ones we looked at because of the interior color combos and no frickin' flowers!



Sam

 

[mberry]

I definitely like the no flowers option!!!

 

[MHalberstadt]

We purchased a new 31ft Keystone Laredo Fifth-wheel three years ago. We had a Fleetwood Caribou camper before that. After looking at fifty some trailers in the 20 to 30k price range the Laredo best fit our needs. We've had few problems with it. Although all the trailers we looked at are built pretty cheap. The Laredo being no exception. Most of the appliance's, fixtures, doors, windows, sink, toilet, cabinetry, hardware, etc are identical to everyone else's trailers (and motor homes).



On our fifth wheel we liked the slide out and landing gear being hydraulically actuated inside of electric. It also had aluminum side frame rails and a little better insulation.



One thing that didn't come with our trailer were shock absorbers. The trailer normally sits at a Colorado River RV park near Yuma. We took one trip to Lake Shasta and there were things that flew around inside during the trip including the globe from the light over the dinette breaking.



We've had the drawer guides break several times in the kitchen. This could be heat related as things will break in the desert that will be okay elsewhere.



My advice is get the unit that best fits your needs at what you can afford and look harder at the dealer and availability of service than the actual trailer.

 

[DannyCornelius]

I had a 249RKS and it was a great trailer. I had too many toys to haul around so ended up selling it and buying a toyhauler. Great product for the money.

 

[fyrescott]

We just refinanced the house,paid off the truck and bought a 2004 Mountaineer 318BHS by Montana. I looked at so many 5vers over the past 6 months, I was going stir crazy. I chose this model for the double slide bunkhouse and the quality. Keystone really manufactures some nice units. Can't wait to go over the 4th.

 

[mberry]

Great input everyone! Thank you all so much. I think I'm going to stick with the Sprinter at this point. Money being the issue I don't think I can go wrong with it at this time.



MHalberstadt,



You make a good point about the fixtures and everything basically being the same. My issue is how securely they are installed. Kind of like the difference between a "handyman" and a licensed contractor to my way of thinking and I would rather have the contractor.

 

[sundancerice]

We have a 24' fifth wheel Sprinter 2003 model and have been pretty well satisfied with it. I did have problems with the springs being undersized. They didn't break, but most of the curve was gone and it lowered the trailer an inch or two. Too late for Warrenty work of course. Sundance

 

[mberry]

Thanks sundancerice. That's good to know. Did you keep it trip ready all the time?

 

[Froadin]

What great timing, I am looking at a 2002 Sprinter fifth wheel. Not very old, but a nice drop in price being slightly used.

There are always goods and bads to every company and trailer, but these trailers seem like a good bang for the buck setup.

 

[HBarlow]

mberry:



A friend of mine bought a new Montana fifth wheel manufactured by Keystone a couple years ago. It is a 32' or 31. 5' I think. Right away he realized that he couldn't cool it with the factory 13. 5 btu air conditioner and traded up with his dealer for a 15k unit. He also had some complaints about inefficient heating and modified some of the ducts himself. He claimed he was satisfied after that.



He hadn't had the trailer long or pulled it much when several of the tires blew out. It was factory equipped with LT225/75R16 Goodyears on 6 lug 16" wheels. He and his tire shop decided the factory tires were marginal for the weight carried so he replaced them with a set of LT235/85R16s but had to retain the six lug wheels because of the six lug hubs. Not long after that the left rear leaf spring broke on another trip. The trailer had not been pulled anywhere but relatively smooth highways. He replaced the broken spring. It was readily available at a Dexter retailer for only $25 or so it was not a huge problem. When he visited me I crawled underneath and examined the axles. If I'm remembering correctly the axles were 5100# Dexters ... too light in my opinion for a trailer with a GVWR of 12,500. I urged him to consider replacing the entire axle assemblies with 6k Dexters. I think 6k rated Dexter axles are equipped with 8 lug hubs as well as stronger springs, possibly larger brake drums and other components as well. He opted instead to just replace the springs. He bought four replacement springs with an additional leaf from a Dexter retailer for about $125 and installed them himself. He likes the trailer and that is all that really matters.



Harvey

 

[RKozy]

I have purchased a new 2004 30 foot fifth wheel sprinter. I have not been happy with the quality of my trailer. The decals all have air bubbles although most of the other trailers I have looked at all had the same problem. Also the cabinets had all of the drawers and shelves fall apart, they have used staples to build them with and I drove the trailer less than 10 miles although it was transported from Oregon to the Los Angeles area. I had paid for an oven when I purchased the trailer and I am still waiting for it four months later. The welds on the front powerjacks broke I repaired them myself. The rubber roof had to be replaced it had about a hundred air bubbles some ran from one side of the trailer to the other. The twelve volt outlet will not run a TV. The wiring under the trailer was not put in wire looms and it was wire tied to the frame. There were holes through the floor where the wiring came through and also the plumbing. Where the water tank is mounted under the frame there was an eight inch six hole that critters could access. All this could have been avoided if I had inspected the unit better but I to felt it was a nice looking and good quality unit. I have spent about fifty hours on the phone to various departments and I am starting to get satisfaction.

 

[Froadin]

I just picked up my Sprinter yesterday. I had been looking at this for a little while before I decided to get it.

It's the 2002 model 350 FWBHS.

It's been used for 2 years now, but my dealer replaced every part I could find any issue with.

Towing it home yesterday was a pleasant drive. But I really need to get rid of my brake controller and put a prodigy in for controlled breaking, and I MUST have wider mirrors so I can even see around this thing!

Loving it otherwise though. Just more excuses to BOMB the truck further, and the wife approves



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