What 34-39' FW do you recommend for FULL TIME Living?

[UntetheredExplo]

Hello All!
Do you full-time in your <40' 5th wheel? If so, I would love to hear if you DIG your rig (including what you use to tow)!! Not looking for BH or TH but all other recommendations appreciated. Currently, looking at the Grand Design Solitude, Keystone Montana High Country. Highland Ridge 3X349RLS and Heartland Landmark - used! If you have suggestions of other makes/model/year I should consider, let me know! I plan to hit the road in the spring, going coast-to-coast, some boondocking some RV Parks so rig needs to hold up well. All new for me and I can't afford to buy the "wrong" rig so counting on ya'll's insight and experience to help me make an informed decision-thank you! What are your thoughts on a FW with a raised patio-sound like a great feature...?

[goducks10]

memtb wrote:

justme wrote:

neal10a wrote:
Here is something to consider

https://4radicalroadschoolersandafatcat.com/2018/08/20/the-day-our-heartland-rv-left-us-homeless/

This is the worst I've seen without being in an accident. Heartland/Lippert should "pony up to the bar on this." Heartland spec'ed the frame to use from Lippert and it looks like a severe frame failure. I have always felt that many trailer manufactures spec marginal frame and running gear in favor of glitz, but this is ridiculous. Lippert supplies what ever frame that is specified. And of course Lippert could supply bad materials as well.

Glitz over quality,has been a complaint of mine for quite a few years....and it appears to be getting worse. It appears the majority of Buyer’s, “ONLY” see the “glitz”.....and don’t concern themselves with the materials or workmanship.

You can chrome plate a “pig”...but it’s still a “pig”!

Oh come on now, what would you rather have lighted knobs on the stove top or proper gusseting? 🙂

[memtb]

justme wrote:

neal10a wrote:
Here is something to consider

https://4radicalroadschoolersandafatcat.com/2018/08/20/the-day-our-heartland-rv-left-us-homeless/

This is the worst I've seen without being in an accident. Heartland/Lippert should "pony up to the bar on this." Heartland spec'ed the frame to use from Lippert and it looks like a severe frame failure. I have always felt that many trailer manufactures spec marginal frame and running gear in favor of glitz, but this is ridiculous. Lippert supplies what ever frame that is specified. And of course Lippert could supply bad materials as well.

Glitz over quality,has been a complaint of mine for quite a few years....and it appears to be getting worse. It appears the majority of Buyer’s, “ONLY” see the “glitz”.....and don’t concern themselves with the materials or workmanship.

You can chrome plate a “pig”...but it’s still a “pig”!

[justme]

neal10a wrote:
Here is something to consider

https://4radicalroadschoolersandafatcat.com/2018/08/20/the-day-our-heartland-rv-left-us-homeless/

This is the worst I've seen without being in an accident. Heartland/Lippert should "pony up to the bar on this." Heartland spec'ed the frame to use from Lippert and it looks like a severe frame failure. I have always felt that many trailer manufactures spec marginal frame and running gear in favor of glitz, but this is ridiculous. Lippert supplies what ever frame that is specified. And of course Lippert could supply bad materials as well.

[Veebyes]

neal10a wrote:
Here is something to consider

https://4radicalroadschoolersandafatcat.com/2018/08/20/the-day-our-heartland-rv-left-us-homeless/

Holy Sheep, what a mess! Would not want to speculate on the frame failure causing the sidewall failure on the opposite side however that could very well be the case.

It is a Lippert frame, no different to any other Lippert frame used by so many RV builders. I see they put a totally inadequate gusset above the center spring hangers instead of proper reinforcement in the area that gets the most stress. Lippert built it but Heartland approved it as an OK standard for them. Bet they went cheap on the spring pack as well & only used a 6 leaf pack.

I would not be a bit surprised if what they put ontop of the inadequate frame & springs was near max safe capacity before the customer even began to put his 2000# worth of stuff inside.

The owner is all packed up for a long trip, hits a few nasty bumps or potholes & this is the result of an inadequate frame & running gear.

My 2007 Alpenlite has a very similar frame. I saw the weaknesses & had the areas around the spring hangers totally re engineered & boxed. In addition the springs were replaced from a 6 stack to a 7 stack. It also gets frequent inspections when we are on long trips.

Many of us are running the high risk of the same damage occuring & are totally unaware. What happens underneath is difficult to inspect so it gets neglected until the damage is done. Upgrading the spring hanger areas is a whole lot cheaper than fixing when it eventually goes bad.

[Itching2go]

UntetheredExplorer wrote:
Thank you for all your recommendations and experiences-very helpful and look forward to reading more! If there are any Grand Design owners out there, would love to hear from you- either Solitude or Reflection. Again, really appreciate the insights of the community!

Grand Design Solitude owner here, and past owner of Cedar Creek and Jayco Designer. We’re pretty close to full timers, living on the road for better than 8 months of the year. Grand Design trailers, especially the Solitudes, are designed for full timers, with really good fit and finish. Very happy with ours. If you have the option, I strongly recommend you make a trip to northern Indiana and take a few factory tours. We did this, and ended up going with GD due to its design and construction quality. Make the trip if you can!

[laknox]

neal10a wrote:
Here is something to consider

https://4radicalroadschoolersandafatcat.com/2018/08/20/the-day-our-heartland-rv-left-us-homeless/

Good G*d!! That's as bad as I've ever seen that wasn't involved in a wreck! I certainly hope that family gets some relief. Hopefully, they can shame Heartland enough by posting far and wide, that HL and/or LCI will simply write them a check to make them go away.

Lyle

[laknox]

UntetheredExplorer wrote:
I will look into the Teton, thanks! But a question- do you have any issues getting into some parks with a rig over 10 years old? I read where some parks actually can deny space if older than 10 years.

IMO, that's strictly for appearance's sake The park doesn't want a bunch of raggedy-a$$-looking RVs/TVs around the park; =especially= the "resorts". As if they're going to turn away a fully restored 50's/60's vintage Airstream pulled by a restored period car or truck... :B If you have a 20 y.o. RV that looks as good as it did on Day 1, I doubt you'll have a problem. Same with your TV.

Lyle

[JTrac]

You already have more recommendations than you need or maybe want but our Excel has held up very well. We have put about 50K miles on it and the only thing done to it was a slide adjustment. It has a 10 below zero guarantee (which is useless since the company went out of business in 2015). I will say it does very well in cold weather. We've had it out in the low teens and stayed warm. Ours is considered a 34 footer, 35', 5" to be exact. They are heavy and we need a dually to pull ours. Excel used a house made, fully boxed frame which adds a bunch of weight. There are used ones out there. The company, Peterson Industries, had a good reputation for quality while they were in business.

[2012Coleman]

UntetheredExplorer wrote:
Thank you for all your recommendations and experiences-very helpful and look forward to reading more! If there are any Grand Design owners out there, would love to hear from you- either Solitude or Reflection. Again, really appreciate the insights of the community!

I have a 2018 GD Reflection 303RLS. Rear living floor plan, opposing rear slides, motion sensing LED lighting, huge pantry, recliners with massage, heat, fireplace, and big screen TV. We camped in cold weather on the shake down trip and were nice and toasty using the fireplace to take the morning chill off. Absolutely love it. Grand Design is rated for full time living - meaning if you live in it, the company won't void your warranty. Super impressed with the upgraded appliances, fit and finish and materials used. If you can step up to the solitude, even better. If you have a specific question(s), feel free to PM me.

[Veebyes]

Seems that you want to travel with it rather than sit in a RV park for weeks on end.

In spite of it sitting on a Lippert frame our 2007 Alpenlite has held up to over 100,000 miles, 1500 plus nights of use which has included THREE 14,000 mile trips to Alaska. No, it is not for sale yet but there are some good Alpenlites out there which are. Best ones are 2000-2005 models. Well made & not on Lippert frames.

What is important for long term travel is a functional galley with lots of counter space & large freshwater tankage. Aplenlites can carry 100gal freshwater. These are not lightweight trailers so a dually is almost a must have for a pleasant towing experience.

[Navyvette]

I would look at the full body paint (looks way better especially a darker color) and stay under 10 years just to prevent the hassle. Lots of the parks in CA and here in Texas I’ve done have had 10year rules. One in CA did check and make a copy of the registration.
Usually a waiting list to get in the parks there so you don’t argue lol.
I found that around 3-5years is a sweet spot in age and depreciation. My Landmark was 80k new in 2013 and I bought it in 2017 for 26k.

[neal10a]

Here is something to consider

https://4radicalroadschoolersandafatcat.com/2018/08/20/the-day-our-heartland-rv-left-us-homeless/

[davidbt]

We've been living in a Montana High Country 310RL for about 3 yrs now. We live in Sonoma county and have been on trips to Vegas,Quartzite, and Boise so far. Not real happy with the build quality. The are a lower end modle. It's just what we could afford.

[memtb]

UntetheredExplorer wrote:
I will look into the Teton, thanks! But a question- do you have any issues getting into some parks with a rig over 10 years old? I read where some parks actually can deny space if older than 10 years.

I’m sure that there are some that are real “petty”” But, If the unit is well maintained, unless they demand a registration.... they’ll be none the wiser.
We’ve stayed at a few with the 10 year rule, and we were honest. With the units appearance .....it was waived!

We’ve seen a few newer units, that looked older, because of faded decals and other issues!