Travel trailers....best vs worst

[Cranky]

What are the top 10 brands? Been wanting to get a car hauler with living quarters but that doesn't look like it's going to happen so....we're looking for something in the 25-28 foot range.....so....what to look for and what to stay away from...

 

[Darter6]

Been into RV's since 78 And have owned mostly Fleetwood products and all have had their problems (minor). I LOVED my lance camper,8 footer in the bed of my diesel Dodge and still able to pull the race trailer. My last was from Skyline,24 foot Layton Travel trailer, a very good unit. Now a Coachmen motorhome. Cheep trailers are just that, do a lot of looking. And you can get great deals on used as most only keep them for a year or two and then trade up.

 

[Cajun Ace]

Not only research the RV but also where you plan to buy it. We bought a Jayco Eagle in 2005 and have had nothing but problems. Dealer was wonderful until we signed the papers then the service went out the door. We still enjoy camping and even took our camper to Cruizing the Coast wehre we found our 68 Satellite. Good luck

 

[Cranky]

Don't plan on buying one off a lot but kinda figured they would be like a used car...as is with no warranty? So, the Jayco was a peice of crap?

Been into RV's since 78 And have owned mostly Fleetwood products and all have had their problems (minor). I LOVED my lance camper,8 footer in the bed of my diesel Dodge and still able to pull the race trailer. My last was from Skyline,24 foot Layton Travel trailer, a very good unit. Now a Coachmen motorhome. Cheep trailers are just that, do a lot of looking. And you can get great deals on used as most only keep them for a year or two and then trade up.

What kinds of minor problems did you have with the Fleetwoods?

 

[Darter6]

Simple things like frige curcuit boards, leaking shower, leaking fresh water tank fittings, bad water pump wiring, water lines run wrong causing frozen pipes.3 way frige (electric,gas,battery) wiring causing dead battery. Lots of water leaking windows.
Now if you go with used most all of this stuff has been through warranty and the first owner has had them repaired. My wife made jokes about me fixing everything for the next owner. On private sales look for elderly folks that bought and rarely ever used.RVing is alot of work and the fun goes away quick for most. I sold my Layton trailer to a guy over a year ago and it is sitting in his driveway right where I parked it and has never been used.His wife has told my wife that he goes out and sits in it every so often. A 20,000 buck RV is worth about half in the first two years. That goes for all no matter what the price. Now this is just me but I don't care for slideouts if you are a weekender.More leaks over time and just a hassle. Happy Hunting !!

 

[Cranky]

Yeah, I've always been a skeptic on slide outs. Kinda like having a fully optioned car.....just more junk to fix but the slide outs are nice. Guess I'll get to lookin before the temps head back up. I saw a Dodge 2500 at the track a few weeks ago with a slide in unit pulling what looked to be a 30+ footer car trailer. Only thing bad about that is I use my pickup a lot for other things and having to take the slide in off and on so much..

 

[Darter6]

It takes about a 1/2 hour to do the Install/removal of the bed type camper. Like I said earlier I wish I still had that set up. I started out with a 2500 with it then stepped up to a 3500 Dually Diesel.(and a 24' car trailer) Stopped much better and the duals just felt better on the road. The only reason I don't have it any more 'cause the wife wanted more room and something easier for the dogs to get in and out.Plus we aren't getting any younger. But for pullin a race car trailer and livin in it,, it down right gets it done. We would tow cross country and do about 5-7000 miles a season. I do alot less now.

 

[Cajun Ace]

Our Jayco seemed to have lots of problems. Within the first two years the roof leaked in three spots. The first was at the TV antenna and the second was at the front where the roof meets the plastic front peice and the third was the window iat the rear of the trailer. The dealer where we bought from gave us a hard time because they said we were supposed to re-cauck the roof every 6 months. Ended up contacting Jayco and they basicilly told us it was between us and the dealer. Those were just the major problems. Our camper went back to the dealer 5 times in the first two years. From what we hear and the research I've done, Jayco seemed to be a good brand but we will never even look at one in the future. My mom and dad have a Sabre and have had few problems in the last three years that they have owned it. Sorry so lond winded,, but Jayco has pissed me off and this is my only outlet.

 

[Cranky]

How does this sound? http://houston.craigslist.org/rvs/2120169247.html
2000 HOLIDAY RAMBLER 26' "ALUMASCAPE - $7000

 

[generaljmwlee]

we bought a Jayco about 3 yrs ago and we have had good luck with it. the only thing bad is they want you to recaulk the joints at least once a year. if you dont it will leak!

 

[Darter6]

Holiday Rambler at that time was owned by Harley Davidson(now sold) and they were known to be very good and quite pricey. Look to see what a new one cost and I'd bet it is in the 20K range.See what I mean about the elderly and little use? 7K may be high for a 11 year old unit but HR may hold their value better than others.Take a good look at the roof, It should be a 1 piece rubber. Check for chalking and calking of the joints and seams. Ask if the roof as had any conditioner on it (slows chalking wear). Look for any stress cracks at window and door openings and also check around the axle welds. This just checks for use,abuse,and possible curb shot damage. Look at the floor around the shower area of signs of leaks.Check to see if the water pump,fridge,a/c,and heater is working.Some times spiders,bees and related critters plug up the units when they have sat for a while with out use.That's all I can think of now. It really looks like a nice unit and may be well worth the price........

 

[Cranky]

Thanks for the info Darter. Talked to the guy on the phone and we're supposed to go look at it in the morning. Sounds like a nice low mileage unit....we'll find out soon enough.

 

[campaignin]

toy hauler rentals arizona
With Jayco Park & Travel Trailers, you simply get more for your money... and that includes build quality! Jayco Travel Trailers have a long list of standard features that other makers only offer as expensive options. With a full range of park and travel trailer floorplans, you are sure to find a custom fit for any size family.

I use Weekend Warrior Trailer and does well in the desert

 

[Cranky]

Well, I ended up with a Holiday Rambler. It's older (87) but the guy I got it from is a neighbor and decided they wanted a larger trailer and they took care of it to the max! No evidence of leaks and very well maintained.....here's a link to it. I think we got it fairly cheap at 4500 bucks. Needs to be washed right now but that's about it.
http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?t=32230

 

[Budnicks]

Well, I ended up with a Holiday Rambler. It's older (87) but the guy I got it from is a neighbor and decided they wanted a larger trailer and they took care of it to the max! No evidence of leaks and very well maintained.....here's a link to it. I think we got it fairly cheap at 4500 bucks. Needs to be washed right now but that's about it.
http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?t=32230

Good to see you got what you were looking for, I have owned a bunch of tag trailers & fifth wheels, the Featherlite All Aluminum Race car Trailer was by far the best I ever owned, 40ft with 12ft of living space & a full bathroom shower etc., lighter & much easier to tow, less wear & tear on the tow rigs & trailer components, I ended up with Kodiak intermediate tow rig, after using several different, 1 ton Ford Chevy & Dodge dually for tow rigs, still have the Ford 2002 F-350 4x4 extra cab, my Pops loves it, me not so much... I also had a Dynacraft Race car trailer, it was OK, I was at the facility when they finished it they were a bunch of cluster f--ks, eyeballing stuff & not using tape measures, squares or levels, I got impatient, pissed & jumped in to help finish it, with Me & my partner Rob & his wife Dee, spent a week in Inglewood Colorado at Dynacraft's shop, helping them to correctly finish the 36ft fifth wheel with 10ft living quarters & bathroom/race car trailer, so we could get it home for our 1st race of the year... My father/Pops has had a bunch of campers, Six Pack fell apart & was cracking all over the place after less than a year, Had a couple of custom motor homes, both diesel pushers, I really liked, My Pops ended up with a 28ft Jayco fifth wheel 2003 travel trailer/RV LOADED with a 8ft slide out, bed towards the front & kitchen towards the rear, it has been great for the most part, but any travel trailers are like dogs, they age like 7 years to 1 year on the road, if you stay on top of stuff, they will last for a long time, most people don't maintain their stuff properly & then just complain it's junk, the roofs, vents, batteries, generators, tires, trailer brakes, bearing, pumps, faucets, lighting, refers, propane systems, A/C & Heaters, etc. all need to be looked after on a regular maintenance schedule or you are just asking for trouble out on the road, it's a damn house on vibrating wheels.... Good luck & Happy RVing/Traveling

 

[YY1]

How are Airstreams? I've always liked the styling and aluminum construction.

 

[Budnicks]

How are Airstreams? I've always liked the styling and aluminum construction.

I grew up with Campers & RV's, my family was always going somewere, my best friend/racing partner Rob is a RV/Trailer expert tech. with 35+ years.... I had an older late 60's 24ft Airsteam tag along, when I was in my early 20's in the early 80's, it was really nice, it towed great, but very limited storage space & living space, because of the shape & styling, great for a couple, but not really for a large group our families with a ton of stuff to take along, you learn to do with out certain things out on the road... I always had a Generator either in my tow rig or built in, they come in vary handy for dry camping, with no electrical hook ups... Let me see I have owned a Comfort, Tree Rivers, Airstream, Dynacraft, Featherlite, Jayco, amongst others & also some other custom home built stuff....