Rear Kitchen in 5er

[baba]

We found a floorp lan we really like which has a rear kitchen.  We have spoken to some people while camping and they say that a rear kitchen is problamatic.  Anyone give us some advise?
We are looking at a 30 ft. fifth wheel with 3 slides.
Thanks,
Barbara

 

[Wendy]

My parents have a 28-foot 5er with a rear kitchen. So far as I know, they've never had any problems related to the rear kitchen.

Wendy

 

[joer]

We have a rear kitchen 5th wheel and it is a problem with the rough ride in the rear of any trailer.  The problem is not a deal-breaker if you like the specific floorplan, just be aware that there is a lot of bouncing in the rear of the 5th wheel.  Dishes and other things stored in the rear kitchen area need to be packed in such a way as to accommodate the extra movement.  You will get good at  packing so things will not move around.---joe

 

[huronwoods]

We have a rear kitchen, and as mentioned, you quickly learn to pack things well, especially the refrigerator. We pack kitchen breakables in plastic containers on the floor under the table, when travelling.

For us, the advantages of this layout outweigh the disadvantages. We have a large LCD television with a surround-sound system in an entertainment unit which is just ahead of the axles, and I would rather have the kitchen subjected to the rough ride than the electronics....the dishes can be stored away as mentioned above.

Shocks on the trailer axles help a lot...these are available as a retrofit kit.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

We had a rear kitchen model fiver - liked the floor plan a lot. Had to be a little extra careful about packing things in cabinets, but it wasn't a big deal.

Shock absorbers on the trailer axles will help too. If the trailer doesn't have them (most do not), consider adding them.

 

[Dave R]

We had two rear kitchen models and would have bought another, but couldn't find one that had all the other things
we wanted. As others have said you just need to be aware that there is a lot of bounce in the rear and pack your
stuff accordingly. We never had any problems. If we were to buy another 5er we would look for another rear kitchen
as you get so much more living area.

Dave

 

[davemittan]

Shock absorbers on the trailer axles will help too. If the trailer doesn't have them (most do not), consider adding them.

How expensive?  Easily done by a competent mechanic?  Just curious.......

 

[huronwoods]

They come in kits for one axle, consisting of shocks, brackets and hardware. I paid about $160 per kit in Canada. Of course, two kits are required for a tandem axle trailer.

I installed them myself. I would guess the installation would take a mechanic around 3 or 4 hours, depending on how easy it is to remove the any underbelly covering above the axles. I had to relocate a propane pipe over a couple of inches to clear the bracket on one side.

 

[Fordcamper]

We are picking up our rear kitchen 5er next Friday and have been told to use bubble wrap between the dishes and have non breakable glasses and dinnerware.  We are also putting the non slip shelp paper in the cabinets.  We will put the coffee pot down below and also wrap in bubble wrap.  Everything else is plastic so we should be OK.  Anyone have any other suggestions on who to wrap or what to use?  We would appreciate any suggestions to this new 5er couple!

 

[LindaH]

A rear kitchen does take some extra packing before moving so that stuff doesn't shift around...a lot depends, too, on the suspension of the fifth wheel. 

However, I like the rear kitchen because, usually, you get more counter space and it's out of the way of people walking through the rig. 

 

[Jankees]

I love the rear kitchen lay out. It opens up the center space of the trailer, because the kitchen does not protrude into the trailer. What I have noticed is that the rear kitchen lay out is common in trailers built in the late nineties. They are much less abundant from 2000 on. The mid kitchen or even the kitchen island seems to be more popular. What are your thoughts?

John

 

[Rick and Cheryl]

Most mfg'rs recognize that their customers have different preferences, and therefore offer a variety of floor plans in an attempt to satisfy the highest percentage.  Carriage does seem to offer more models with island kitchens than others. 
In the end, it really comes down to what you and yours likes the best, there's no perfect floor plan that will suit everyone.

 

[ramcneal]

We've got a Keystone Challenger 32RKS which has the rear kitchen. Besides the vibration issue that folks have already mentioned there's one other downside to having a rear kitchen. If you have someone sleeping on the fold out couch it's difficult to get from the bedroom in the morning to the kitchen to start coffee.

 

[ellie0149]

We have a Cougar 292RKS and love our rear kitchen. It gives you so much more counter space,(our 1st 5er had a center kitchen.) We have nonslip in our cabinets and I have yet to wrap any of my dishes (I do wrap wine glasses due to the stems) and so far so good. I just make sure that all heavy things (crock pot etc.) are in lower cabinets. Happy Camping