Is the 2018 Forest River Chaparral Lite 29BH a Good First 5th Wheel?

[Viper46]

I'm looking to buy a 2018 Forest River Chaparral Lite 29BH as my 1st 5th wheel RV. I have over 20 years of experience driving an 18-wheeler, so the 5th wheel is nothing new to me. I'd like anyone's thoughts and opinions on this RV. It is used and I understand it's not going to be perfect, but will it be a good starter 5th wheel?

 

[Kirk]

With an RV that is 8 years old, the most important thing is its condition. I think that you should consider having it professionally inspected by a professional RV technician or by a certified pre-purchase RV inspector. That's the best way to know if you have found a dream, or a nightmare.

 

[Bearcatrp]

Hello from a fellow trucker. Anything built before Covid should be good but as posted above, get it inspected. Look for wet marks on the ceiling. Would indicate a leak. Find yourself a place that works on RV’s, not a dealership. Will save you money. Plan on doing needed work on your own if you can. Are you buying from a dealer or a private party? Either way, hook up everything to test. Open every door. Turn on every light. Look underneath. Check the suspension, tires and underbody. You’re on one of the best rv forums. Feel free to ask questions. Allot of knowledgeable folks here. Has saved my bacon many times getting advice here. Good luck.

 

[Larry N.]

To the above (very important) I'd add to be sure that the floor plan suits you and spouse. When looking it over, walk around in it, pretend to cook, shower, sleep, use toilet, spend a rainy afternoon or day, watch TV, etc. Not just a glance, but actually act out the parts as best you can- that should help you decide whether this one is for you.

 

[Boat Bum]

If equipped with slides I would want to make sure I could still access what I needed to when the slides are in.

 

[TXMOOSE]

I looked at a couple of Forest Rivers. I'm looking to live in a 5th wheel. The forest has a couple of sweet set ups with that extra room on the other side of the kitchen, closed door and all, walk through kitchen, nice bath set up, separate good size bedroom, plenty of storage. Thing they were 35ft.
Buying older I see no problem with , I've dine it but everyone is rite just check it well or have it checked. I've even put clean cardboard under any pipes while the water is running for drips. Most time if the person selling looks clean so is the RV well taken care of. As I've noticed.

Good Luck

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

It is used and I understand it's not going to be perfect, but will it be a good starter 5th wheel?

There are two aspects of "good" in this situation:

1. Does it have the space and equipment that suits your needs (subjective)
2. Will it fulfill #1 without costing so much $$ and effort that you regret it.

A professional pre-purchase inspection can help with #2, especially if you have no previous RV experience. It's much more complex than buying a car - you are also buying a mobile house with it's own water, electric & sewer systems. If you have some background knowledge about electrical, plumbing and construction and a "good eye" for signs of problems with those kinds of things, you can carefully inspect it yourself. If not, spending several hundred $$ on a professional inspection will substantially reduce your risk. Pay special attention to tires and batteries. Tires probably die of age rather than tread wear and batteries in an RV get a lot of abuse. Both tires & batteries may be original in a 2018; if so they both will need replacement ASAP, regardless of how they look.

#1 is harder to answer without a discussion of what you plan to do with this RV. Occasional weekend outings or long term travel? You alone or a family and/or pets? Mostly staying in campgrounds with water & electric & sewer access, or "boondocking" without any of those things onsite? Also, your tow vehicle is part of the "equipment" that makes for a happy experience. Your trucking experience is a big help operationally, but RV trailers are configured different than a semi-trailer and can place loads on a pickup truck that wouldn't bother a semi-tractor at all. For example, a 5W trailer is more likely to exceed a pickup's payload capacity than its tow capability, and trailer weight balance is more of a factor because RV trailer axles are much further forward than on a semi-trailer.

Generally, though, the Chapperal 29BH is nicely equipped and sized for 1-2 people. But it's a bunkhouse model so can actually sleep as many as 8, though the interior will be awfully crowded with even 4 adults. Kids ok. However, if you are an avid tv fan, you might be frustrated by the tv location - no good viewing angle.

 

[Viper46]

It would be a perfect size for us as it's just my wife one kid a dog and me 98% of the time. The bunks in the back would give us the room for others to sleep if we had someone else to come along. 90% of our trips will be weekend trips and maybe a cpl times a year we may stay in it for a week, but we wouldn't be going allover the country with it. Ill be pulling it with a 01 Dodge 2500 with the 5.9 Cummins. It has air bags. i pull a 40 foot gooseneck equipment trailer with it now and have no problems. I dont think the RV would be much different than me pulling my backhoe on my equipment trailer. A little more top heavy maybe but not much different in weight.

 

[Kirk]

The issue is not what you have to tow it with but the condition that it is in. Only a qualified professional can tell you if it is in good condition or bad. It could be a money pit, but it may also be the right choice. None of us can make that decision for you.

 

[Viper46]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

Ill be pulling it with a 01 Dodge 2500 with the 5.9 Cummins. It has air bags.

Should be entirely sufficient. You'd surprised how many people come here and expect to tow a 9000 lb 5W with their F150 or even a Tacoma.

 

[Adventurous Traveler]

I would suggest that you head over to the Forest River Forum and check in with those who have the rig you are interested in. There will be a sub-forum with all the different models they make.

When I bought my second used motorhome, I signed up to that forum to check out the Georgetown I was interested in before I made an offer on it. The information I received and had the dealer take care of before pending the sale saved me $$$ thousands in repairs I would've been on the hook for if not for the heads-up advice from fellow Georgetown owners.