5W narrowed down....any input??

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Devinh2

Member
Joined
Dec 7, 2014
Posts
19
Location
Washington
Hey all, kinda new here. I've enjoyed and learned a lot here so far. Now I need some input from you experts. :) I'm getting a 5W in the next year or so. I have it narrowed down to the Keystone Montana, Grand Design Solitude, and Heartland Bighorn. Any and all comments, good and bad, are welcome. It will be for extended living. 9-12 months a year. Thanks in advance!!
 
I have several friends with heartland products, including a bighorn.  ALL of them have had serious problems.  My brother in law lost his house because his Heartland 5W caught fire in the middle of the night.  All of the HLs I know have spent lots of time in the shop.  The Bighorn has been in this time for a full month.

We had a Montana and would buy one again.

If you want a fifth wheel that will last a long time look at Arctic Fox.  Not as much glitz as some of the others but well built.  AF builds their own frames.
 
You haven't stated your budget but we are doing the same thing 9-12 months when we get going in about a year. Any Carriage product will suit your purpose.  We started with an 07 Cameo F35FD3  and progressed to our Carri lite 36XTRM5.  With a Cameo or Carri lite make sure it has the astrofoil pkg. This makes hot summers and cold winters bearable.  With both you should have a dually but we managed both with  2500HD for three yrs with no problems.  Good luck whatever your choice.
 
We love our Grand Design Solitude. Customer service is excellent. You might want to check out the Grand Design owners forum.
 
Thanks for the replies so far. Still looking for more. I think I have eliminated the Bighorn after reading several threads on the Heartland owners forum. Looks like a lot of unhappy campers. I'm really liking the Grand Design team and their product. And Montana has been a leader for a reason I guess. So, the research continues. Please don't hesitate to give me your 2 cents. Good or bad, I want to hear it. Thank you!!
 
I've had my solitude 369RL for almost two years and totally love it, with about 10,000 miles so far..
 
We're on our second Montana and love it. The first one we had just purchased (used) 2 1/2  years ago and was on our way to FL from NH when we were rear ended and totaled the 5v'r. We went out and bought another one (used) last year, traveled from NH to FL and back last year and to FL this year with no issues.
 
Reading the other posters comments,  I would believe that it may be wise to look at a used unit the first go around.  For several reasons.

1.  Bugs have been fixed by the PO.  I would hope. 

2.  Considerably lower cost.

3.  You will find out what you just have to have and what you don't need.

4.  No showroom depreciation, let the other fella have the fun of the "NEW" smell.

Example:  Friends of ours decided to get rid of their MH and go back to 5r and spend 2 months of intense shopping enroute from Iowa to Yuma doing so,  they just fell in love with a 5r that had a rear kitchen, but when they found out the brand and model they wanted couldn't be had immediately new, they kept looking and found another MFG's product that had the same design they thought and promptly bought it, then the fun began.  Once they took delivery of it in Yuma, they have spent the last 6 weeks trying to modify it to suit as it did not have anything they like other than the rear kitchen and in the end the  DW didn't like it either, because the counter space was to small and their storage was much less than they thought.

So here they are stuck with what they thought was their dream, and it has become an expensive night mare.

We bought our first TT old and cheap lived in it 6 months, learned and sold it and bought our current TT for a fraction of new cost, the PO had maintained to perfection and it was pristine when we picked it up in 2013.  5 years old and lovingly cared for.

Now the only problem is when we get to a new location for the first week I have to listen to RV envy from SWMBO and I tell her she can have anything she wants as long as she is willing to keep working to make the payments.

 
You mentioned that you've pretty much eliminated the Heartland products because of comments on their forum.  Take a close look at those comments and see if the problem issues are really Heartland related of related to items supplied to them by outside venders.  On post her mentioned a fire causing the loss of a home also.  OK WHAT CAUSED the fire in the trl, was it another case of Fridge fires?  If so that's not a problem with Heartland but with a sub supplier.  We had our list narrowed down to 3 different 5th wheels to full tiem in and the Heartland Landmark was 2nd on the list!!! 
 
Agree with Cant Wait.....if you base your decision solely on comments from others, you won't buy anything....every one of them has bad reviews and people who have had problems..same goes for cars, boats, whatever...I would not totally strike one manufacturer off a list because someone had a fire....many things could have contributed to that fire, from manufacturer defects to owner error...would you not buy a car from a certain manufacturer because someone you knew who had one had a fire? I put out fires for a living, and believe me, I have seen it all.
Go to the Jayco owners forum, you will see tons who have had problems...go to the Forest River owners forum, you will see the same thing, and the list goes on. There are very likely more happy owners but the ones with issues will post looking for methods to resolve the issues.
You have to find what works best for you...your idea of the perfect floor plan may be the worst floor plan in my opinion.
 
Loving the input!! THX. I did not see anything about a fire in a heartland.  I went off of some posts and then also have talked to a couple of people who own them and then went and looked at a couple. I guess I'll just chalk it up to gut feeling. I don't rely on one or to opinions or on forum talk (we all know the negative gets played way more than the positive). I'm still a ways off before buying, so I'll probably change my mind a couple more times. Figure if I find something I love in a 2014 model, I may find a good used one in 2016.  ;D
 
Cant Wait said:
You mentioned that you've pretty much eliminated the Heartland products because of comments on their forum.  Take a close look at those comments and see if the problem issues are really Heartland related of related to items supplied to them by outside venders.  On post her mentioned a fire causing the loss of a home also.  OK WHAT CAUSED the fire in the trl, was it another case of Fridge fires?  If so that's not a problem with Heartland but with a sub supplier.  We had our list narrowed down to 3 different 5th wheels to full tiem in and the Heartland Landmark was 2nd on the list!!!
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Heartland builds a nice looking RV and lots of people look no deeper than that.  The biggest RV dealer in my area is one of the biggest HL dealers around.  SeeGrins RV in Gilroy, Ca.

It was not a fridge fire.  HL and the lawyers tried every angle they could to pin it on the refer.  The Fire Marshall said the fire started 'near' the waterheater.  Not in the water heater, just near it.  That  would seem to point to an installation error wouldn't it?  Incidentally, nothing in the RV was on.  But it was plugged in to maintain the batteries.  If my sister in law hadn't had to pee in the middle of the night they could have been trapped in a burning house.  If it had happened a day later that would have been on their way to India on their honeymoon.

The stuff you're looking for, ie blaming the supplier, just ain't happening.  They use the same suppliers as everyone else and other than the crappy Jensen DVD/sound system stuck on the wall near the TV everything else has been reliable.  It's been replaced twice that I know of.

My brother in law, the one who lost his house, is on his third Heartland. 
 
Here's a few things to think about when buying a 5th wheel.

1) Can you efficiently get into the bedroom without putting-out a slide when overnighting in a WalMart or Truckstop?

2) Can you financially keep up with the added expenses of fixing stuff you will break because of a lack of experience with a 5th wheel versus a tail dragger?

3) Do you mind giving-up most of your truck bed for a 5th wheel?

4) Don't ever buy a 5th wheel with only one A/C if you plan on desert trips.

5) You might want to remove your truck's tail gate, because one is likely to crash it into the receiver anyway.

I'm glad I never bought one and will stick with tail draggers, but enjoy watching a friend of mine cope..
 
AirDragon said:
Here's a few things to think about when buying a 5th wheel.

1) Can you efficiently get into the bedroom without putting-out a slide when overnighting in a WalMart or Truckstop?

2) Can you financially keep up with the added expenses of fixing stuff you will break because of a lack of experience with a 5th wheel versus a tail dragger?

3) Do you mind giving-up most of your truck bed for a 5th wheel?

4) Don't ever buy a 5th wheel with only one A/C if you plan on desert trips.

5) You might want to remove your truck's tail gate, because one is likely to crash it into the receiver anyway.

I'm glad I never bought one and will stick with tail draggers, but enjoy watching a friend of mine cope..
Click to expand...

IMHO, I don't think a 5th wheel is difficult at all. We had been looking at 5th wheels and travel trailers for years and had only pulled a tent trailer once when our boys were young. That trip was almost 4,000 miles. 25 years later we decided to buy a tent trailer and after 5 trips decided it was too much work to set up and since we were planning a trip to Alaska, we knew that the tent trailer wouldn't cut it. So......we sold it and lost a few bucks. So all we had pulled to this point was a tent trailer.
Now, we start looking at 5th's and TT's again and quite frankly, a 5th is a bit imposing to look at because the front sits up so high. However.......the payback is a high ceiling and a separate bedroom area which we really love. And fear of pulling a large rig is only due to lack of experience. It took me all of about driving it home to be comfortable.
So now I'm hauling a 28' unit instead of a 14' tent trailer. Guess what? Pretty darn easy and as far as backing it up, it is easier than my tent trailer. Put it right in my driveway on a dime the first time I backed it up.
Safety wise, no white knuckle trips, no tail waging, no movement as big semi trucks pass me and I can have mine set up much quicker than our friends travel trailer. I give up space in the bed of the truck, but I don't need the space.
Cost for fixing stuff is no different than a travel trailer and heck, yes I could forget to drop the tailgate, but I could also forget to attach the emergency brake cable or connect the electric brake control or retract the front jacks or many other things. Just need to be careful and either have a check off list or double or triple check the rig before you hit the road.
My wife and I are pleased that we bought a well built 5th wheel. Would I have been happy with a travel trailer? Heck yes.......we just love to travel, but a 5th suits us just fine and most important, we both feel safe pulling it and the set up is 15 minutes.

Stan
 
donuts said:
IMHO, I don't think a 5th wheel is difficult at all. We had been looking at 5th wheels and travel trailers for years and had only pulled a tent trailer once when our boys were young. That trip was almost 4,000 miles. 25 years later we decided to buy a tent trailer and after 5 trips decided it was too much work to set up and since we were planning a trip to Alaska, we knew that the tent trailer wouldn't cut it. So......we sold it and lost a few bucks. So all we had pulled to this point was a tent trailer.
Now, we start looking at 5th's and TT's again and quite frankly, a 5th is a bit imposing to look at because the front sits up so high. However.......the payback is a high ceiling and a separate bedroom area which we really love. And fear of pulling a large rig is only due to lack of experience. It took me all of about driving it home to be comfortable.
So now I'm hauling a 28' unit instead of a 14' tent trailer. Guess what? Pretty darn easy and as far as backing it up, it is easier than my tent trailer. Put it right in my driveway on a dime the first time I backed it up.
Safety wise, no white knuckle trips, no tail waging, no movement as big semi trucks pass me and I can have mine set up much quicker than our friends travel trailer. I give up space in the bed of the truck, but I don't need the space.
Cost for fixing stuff is no different than a travel trailer and heck, yes I could forget to drop the tailgate, but I could also forget to attach the emergency brake cable or connect the electric brake control or retract the front jacks or many other things. Just need to be careful and either have a check off list or double or triple check the rig before you hit the road.
My wife and I are pleased that we bought a well built 5th wheel. Would I have been happy with a travel trailer? Heck yes.......we just love to travel, but a 5th suits us just fine and most important, we both feel safe pulling it and the set up is 15 minutes.

Stan
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What Stan said!
 
Assuming you've experimented with the "lifestyle" (RVing is not for everyone) and are sure you're going to spend the time you stated... I always say find a good used unit and buy the largest one you can afford. For some reason almost everyone I speak with wishes they had more room/space.

FWIW-We are grossing out at 23,000 pds (truck and trailer loaded) and our F250 with a 6.4 Powerstroke does the job. However, I am not completely confident in its ability to make a panic stop. I'm also not sure stepping up to a one ton will help.
 
I agree that anything 30 feet and under can be comfortable and easy to pull, but there are some 5th wheels out there that were built cheaply and my friend thought he was getting a great deal, but can't get in his forward bedroom with the larger slide in. He acquired the 5th wheel with only one A/C and wasn't a happy camper here in the Arizona desert one Fall season, had to buy and install another one, plus I remember the complicated water/sewer system he had to deal with, internal pumps and switches for this and that instead of the good old pull the handle and let stuff happen.

He has hardly any room in his Dodge Ram truck bed....

It's about 40 feet long and riding on two axles instead of three. He had a blow out because of the weight and maybe cheap tires that came with the rig. He's gotten used to everything and now he's comfortable with the system. Pulling and maneuvering for him is easy from the get-go, since he also owns a semi tractor and does OTR half the year.

I bought a simple 30 ft trailer and had no problem pulling it, since I have experience pulling 53 ft trailers commercially, between flying jobs, and decided I like living in narrow and mobile things...but the lifestyle, be it on or off the grid, or both, takes some time to get it just right for your own taste. My only regret is not going solar from the beginning and dealt with a generator for two years. If I need a boost charge of sorts, during rainy days, I just back the Sierra p/u close to the hitch and plug in the trailer and let the truck run for about an hour. It's quieter than a cheap generator...

The other problem with 5th wheels is that most are difficult to deal with when doing antenna work or something on the roof.

Anyway....those that have 5th wheels wouldn't change to a tail dragger for many reasons and we tail draggers will stick with what we have and watch you guys from afar. LOL
 
My Montana High Country, we can get into bed with the slide closed, I can get into the fridge and I can start and run the furnace. All the floor grates are out in the open and not under any slides.  These are things you should look at if you're traveling a lot and in colder climates.
 
Weighing in late here but new as well so just saw post.  We are on our second Avalanche since 2011 and think it is a terrific product.  It is Keystone like the Montana but in my opinion more value and innovation.  In both cases, I had no warranty work!  If you are in the Midwest, I can direct you to a great place to purchase.
 
I bought my Montana used. It 6yrs old when I bought it and talking to the previous owner, I don't think anything has every been done to it.  The heating element in the WH was burned out, but that is a cheap fix.  I would buy another Montana, but would still look at a good used unit to avoid higher price tags.  The Big Sky is the top of the line or was and isn't cheap, around $60-$80,000.00 but my 4yr old was $20,000.  As said before, I would never buy one that you couldn't get the refrig open without opening a slide.  I have full use of mine with all the slides in.  That's really nice when I have to take my afternoon nap.  I think if I were to do it over, I would look closer at a front living, center kitchen, and rear bedroom.

Hope you find what you want.
 
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