Rockwood Travel Trailers

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peterbiv

Member
Joined
Jul 19, 2012
Posts
7
Need input good or bad on Rockwood travel trailers(Craftsmanship, warranty) I'm kind of leaning toward the Windjammer series of trailer 28 to 30 foot. I have a 3/4 ton Chevy so I don't think weight on either will be a factor.
 
BAAAAAAAAAD!!! stay away! have one parked next to me at the resort, lots of problems!
 
Just because ONE unit had problems (owner inflicted?) doesn't mean they're bad units. I'm on my 2nd one with no real problems. Our current one is the Rockwood Ultra Lite 2605, and other then s SMALL leak around the shower enclosure ther's been NO problem with it. Our previous Rockwood was also the same, no real problems, a loose screw here or there etc, just NORMAL RV issues.
 
It's a box on wheels with stuff inside of it.

Find a floor plan and features you like that is within the weight range of your tow vehicle and buy it.  A good deal of the "it's bad" stuff you'll hear on here is simple snobbery.  Sorry, but that's the way I see it.

Not everybody is retired, has all the free time in the world, and $200K to spend on an RV.  A lot of us work long hours, get the thing out 4 weekends a year if we're lucky, and don't want to spend more than $25K new for a camper.  A lot of us also don't have a 2012 F450 to pull it with either....and to get the space we want, we select a "lite" trailer.  Will that have the build quality of a top-of-the-line unit?  Probably not.  Will it meet our needs for the next 2 decades until we do retire (God willing)?  Probably.

There you have it.  Buy the unit you like and don't worry about anyone else's opinion of it.  There's a butt for every seat, and a seat for every butt.
 
I have a 2008 Rockwood Signature Ultra Light, 28' model, and we live in it 7 months of the year  No issues, even using it much harder than average.  Reasonably priced and it has held up well for us.
 
I suspect the refrigerator was not made by Rockwood but was a brand found in many TT and 5th wheels.
 
vmax1 said:
The fridge door fell off onto the floor yesterday

Last I checked, Forest River doesn't manufacture refrigerators.  Probably a Dometic....same one used in multiple RV's.  They usually get sick before they die.  I'm betting it's been loose for ages and the owner couldn't be troubled to fix it.....or lacked the mechanical prowess to operate a screwdriver or wrench.

Much of the condition RV's wind up in is due to normal wear and owner abuse / lack of maintenance.  Unless you've bought it new and personally cared for it, there is no way to know what it's endured.  I've seen people beat on RV's and wonder why they break.  I've seen people expect it to run forever with zero maintenance, and wonder why it broke. 

I don't have a Rockwood, but I do have a 2012 Palomino (also made by Forest River)  4 trips now, 1000 miles, and a ton of smiles.  Nothing has gone wrong with this unit beyond a cabinet door catch that was misaligned.  Lot of trailer for the money. 

Your mileage may vary, of course.

 
The fridge door hinges are just little plastic rings know wonder the fridge door fell off. I had to fix it with epoxy and fiberglass tape so she could use her fridge. Water leaks have bubbled the interior walls and on the outside the walls are starting to separate from the framing. The 33ft trailer is only 1.5 years old, I`m no snob but I sure know crap when I see it!
 

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Certainly should not have to deal with these things in a 1 1/2 year old trailer.  What are the bumps you show on the inside of the trailer?  I've seen this before with no obvious evidence of leaking so I'm curious.
 
Thanks All for the responses. I am not retired and won't be for at least another twelve years (if then married with grown children who I seem to still have to help every now and then). I travel for a living doing construction and am away from home 10 or 11 months a year so I don't want to put a lot of money into something I won't get to use a lot but, I don't want it to fall apart either. I'm not stuck on the Rockwoods and am open to any suggestions of better quality manufacturers they all can supply the same floor plans with only minor differences.
 
I wouldn't single out Rockwood as having poorer quality than other trailers in their price range.  A $20,000 trailer will not be built like a $50,000 unit but they all can have their problems.  There are plenty of people who bought "better" rigs and had issues.  You could avoid probelms like VMax had by buying one that is a few years old  The initial problems would be past and repaired by the original owner.  And remember that for every complaint about a specific manufacturer there will be others who feel it's the best rig ever.  There are no absolutes.  No trailers that are always bad or never bad.
 
What are the bumps you show on the inside of the trailer?

Almost surely a sign of water intrusion in the sidewall. Judging from the location, a leak where the sidewall joins the roof, or perhaps where an awning rail is attached.

I'm one of the snobs - I think  the more expensive, heavier units are generally better constructed. But all brands and price ranges are vulnerable to quality problems due to inconsistent manufacturing processes.  These things are hand built by workers who vary from "craftsman" to "Noobie" in their skills and experience, plus things happen during the assembly that can rush a portion of the job or require some on-the-spot re-engineering or other non-standard procedure.
 
Gary RV Roamer said:
I'm one of the snobs - I think  the more expensive, heavier units are generally better constructed.

They are.  But if they were all that was available, 2/3 of the people interested in a new unit would be priced out of the market.....and a lot of floorplan variety wouldn't be available either.  And as you mentioned, "better" doesn't mean perfect....not by a long shot.  And while some can afford $50K for a trailer, they can't necessarily justify it.

My advice if you're going to buy new is buy from a locally owned dealer with a reputation for keeping customers happy.  You can buy the floorplan you want, and have reasonable assurance that if issues arise, you'll be taken care of.

 
The water leaks causing the delam on the outside, and the bumping on the inside could very well be cause by the owner scraping a branch and tearing the rubber foof without knowing it, and didn't do periodic roof maintenance and failed to find the leak. The bumps right at the very top op the wall would indicate the leak was right at the roof edge.
 
Cant Wait said:
The water leaks causing the delam on the outside, and the bumping on the inside could very well be cause by the owner scraping a branch and tearing the rubber foof without knowing it, and didn't do periodic roof maintenance and failed to find the leak. The bumps right at the very top op the wall would indicate the leak was right at the roof edge.

Yep, definitely possible.  I'd be willing to be that a very large number of RV problems are actually owner inflicted.  I've damaged them myself.  It happens.
 

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