Originally posted by jwdeeming
Trying to assemble the mixed bag of opinions on here about travel trailers. Looking to keep cost to about $15k and have found the following:
1. Doing our own looking, was most impressed with a 26' Prowler - new (translate - eat the depreciation) but with good warranties on appliances, roof, frame, etc.
2. Many people have posted here about being happy with Prowlers. BUT - many people have posted about poor quality of Fleetwood - who makes Prowler.
What's the scoop on Prowler quality? What should I look for? This trailer would see a lot of mountain and cold weather use (December elk hunt!) so I'm interested to know how well insulated they are and whether the fluid systems are protected from freezing.
More opinions please!
Thanks,
JimD
Our first travel trailer was a 1989 Wilderness Yukon by Fleetwood. The Yukon was the economy, unadorned version, and they don't build it any more. Wilderness models now fill that niche. We discovered some things about the way Fleetwood builds trailers during the time that we owned it. Our Fleetwood experience was based on that trailer, discussions with the factory, with service facilities, and other owners. When we replaced it, we didn't buy Fleetwood.
==Fleetwood builds trailers at several different locations. Their entry level trailers, Yukon, Wilderness and Prowler were at the time built at the same facility in Rialto, CA. Most of the labor we saw was unskilled to semiskilled, which might explain some of our experiences. Terry and other lines were built elsewhere, and may be of better quality.
==Many of the trailer's components seemed to be discontinued closeouts. When something broke, there was no way to get another one like it. Even the components that were industry standard items weren't on Fleetwoods. Replacing many of the component thingys required modifying the structure or the attaching point.
==The fresh water tank inlet and the fresh water tank did not have the same size fill pipe fitting. Fleetwood dealt with that problem at the factory by just jamming the semi-rigid fill pipe onto the larger fitting until it stuck there. It leaked from day 1. The dealer's service department was incapable of fixing that (or anything else), so I made up a Rube Goldberg adapter that lasted as long as we owned the trailer.
==One of the semiskilled workers at the assembly plant drove a screw part way into the top of a rafter, for no apparent reason, before the roof was installed. That worried a hole into the roof. Fleetwood replaced the roof (at the factory) with no argument, and they were very accommodating. (Actually, they were surprisingly friendly and helpful. ) But the roof had a pin hole leak, anyway.
==The pinhole leak in the roof caused rot at the left front corner, so I had to remove much of the aluminum skin to fix it. When I had the skin off, I discovered yet more production shortcuts or bad workmanship (pick one):
----Where studs and crossmembers were a little short and didn't match up exactly, the production line people dealt with it by driving in an incredibly high number of air staples, as if the staples would work as glue.
----The fiberglass insulation, touted as R-7, was very spotty. In some places, there was no insulation at all. Where the insulation existed, it had been wrapped over the framework just before the skin had been stapled on. No effort had been made to fit the insulation into the wall and ceiling spaces, and in some cases, the R-7 roll had been stretched to cover just a little farther. The roll may have been R-7, but the result wasn't.
===The trailer was skinned with long aluminum sheets with formed joints. No caulk had been placed into the joins, and the joins were loose. When we towed in the rain, we got water seeping in along the front wall. Again, the dealer could not fix that.
===The factory saved a few bucks by using cheap tape sealer rather than the slightly more expensive butyl tape sealer on assembly. The cheap stuff seems to be oil saturated clay, and it dries out and fails. We had lots of leaks from that. The butyl lasts much longer and seals better in the first place.
===The axle mounts had been welded on to the trailer slightly out of line, or it had been damaged in transit. We were never able to tell which. We could not keep the left front tire from wearing out. (My neighbor's 2001 Prowler has the same problem. )
===The underside was sheathed with PVC or HDPE sheets air stapled to the plywood floor. The staples were not sealed, which provided a conduit for moisture. Fortunately, I discovered that before we used it extensively, and I was able to seal them. That involved two hours under the trailer, on my back, with a caulk gun and plastic spreader.
We used the trailer in cold weather, and never froze the internal pipes. However, we had to keep the furnace operating a lot to prevent the freezing and stay warm. That's not limited to Fleetwood, and it is still something we have to do with our new one. When it's not being used in cold weather, any trailer's water lines MUST be drained and blown out with air. Our eventual insulation discovery later explained why we had to use the Yukon's furnace so much.
None of the problems that we had would have been found through a walk-thru or inspection of the interior.
Maybe we got the lemon and everyone else's was just fine. Maybe they're not like that now. We used the trailer a lot, and enjoyed our trips with it (behind a full size Jeep, getting 6 mpg on premium gas). We eventually outgrew it. Unfortunately, the nature of our experiences seemed pretty widespread as we talked with dealers and owners. I see a lot of Prowler and Wilderness trailers on the road, but we won't buy another one.
Attention: TDR Forum Junkies 
) and have had 0 problems with it. I think it's a bargain considering the price. 
Along comes my first Cummins powered Dodge. 
The point was made about premium trailers & value. 
(saving the time & trouble of selling it myself) 
