info on 5th w

[rescue1]

I posted this on the dealer forum, when I should have really posted this on here....New to Rv scene, always wanted to invest in one but family committments came first, but now it's our time. Have been looking at 5th whr's at rv shows and have a few friends that own. All dealers tell you that their units are the best and so on, as well as friends, not that my friends would steer me wrong but would like to get as much info as possible before diciding what to buy. Are their any mags or such that explains the difference in construction make up, suspension, manufactor's reliability, pro and cons of trailers and so on. Have been checking the web but haven't come acros any pages or sites with the info I'm looking for. Thanks
Newbie

[hemlock]

Hello - We have all been in the spot you in right now. It depends who you ask - everyone will say their unit is the greatest.......
You have to pick the one out, that your willing to pay for and feel good about it. One that fits your family needs.....
I selected a MONTANA, I did a lot of research to find a Dealer that gave great after sale service and a Manufacture ""KEYSTONE"" that stepped up to the plate and fixed the problem without a lot of red tape. I did extensive research of 5th wheel forum's and found the MONTANA OWNERS CLUB, a forum of owners that tell it like it is and all are ready to help another MONTANA OWNER or anyone for that matter.
You will have to do what we all have done. The RESEARCH, and when your comfortable - then you make theMOVE..... Good Luck and Happy Hunting. John

[smokeybear]

There is a Consumer Group who rates RV's.

It's Web site is below:

http://www.rv.org/

This is a membership group which means that they charge for their information. I did locate a copy of their book at a public Library in the research department.

Good Luck with Your Quest. Check out several RV Manufacture companies. There are often Forums such as this that help. Do your Homework.

Marv

[2dreamweavers]

Rescue1 Everyone has their favorites but one thing that I would look at would be construction.Are the wall studs on 16" centers or less?Is the floor decking plywood ,OSB or chip board?I looked at one unit that was a thing of beauty but on taking a closer look the wall studs were about 4 feet apart and the fiber glass outer skin was laminated to styrofoam sandwiched between the interior wall.when those delaminate they look like an ocean wave.
John :eek:

[john3697]

If your're planning on spending alot of time in this RV, shop for it as you would a house. Keep in mind that it's really just a box on wheels, so look at things like stud spacing, insulation, cabinet design and general layout. In considering slideouts, remember each one you add will add weight to the trailer so that may be a consideration unless you already own a huge truck to pull that 4-slide model. In referencing slideouts, look for accessabiltiy with the slides in if you may be stopping alongside the highway for lunch or a quick nap (or even overnight). All the slides won't do you any good if you can't access such imprtant things as your stove, refrigerator, bathroom and bedroom. Once you have selected a brand that looks to be of sufficient quality, ask others who may own the brand what they think of the quality, and above all, customer support. There are some good RV's being sold by sheisters out there and almost everything you buy will require some customer service to work out the bugs in the first few months of ownership. Information like this can usually be had from other campers or perhaps by posting an inquiry on this forum.