Excel RT 26TRW a good traveler

[MaryJane Svenson]

Does anyone have this unit? We are looking for the "perfect" rv for retirement. Small enough to go most anywhere, be pulled by a 3/4 ton, 4 season and enough space and comfort for 3-4 month trips. I happened upon Excel through the RV consumer ratings and found this model which seams to fit all of the above. How do these tow? Would love to hear opinons from those who travel a lot in their Excel.... thanks Mary Jane & Barrie

[MaryJane Svenson]

Does anyone have this unit? We are looking for the "perfect" rv for retirement. Small enough to go most anywhere, be pulled by a 3/4 ton, 4 season and enough space and comfort for 3-4 month trips. I happened upon Excel through the RV consumer ratings and found this model which seams to fit all of the above. How do these tow? Would love to hear opinons from those who travel a lot in their Excel.... thanks Mary Jane & Barrie

[ChiefJohn]

MaryJane, welcome to the Excel Forum. I cannot address this specific model. However, based upon our personal experience with several types of RVs and manufacturers, we've found our Excel to be an outstanding coach in all aspects. I'm sure others will chime in with more specifics on the RT model.

[rucksack]

Hi
We have a 33RSO for full time use and find the towing excellent as we did tow last winter on poor roads (from snow covered to ice conditions with strong 30mph+ side winds in the mountains). We had the bad fortune to encounter 4 blizzards on 2 trips and had no bad experiences.
Monika & Wilf Kern

[hotair]

The 26 is a new model for 2008 so you won't find many people that have one yet. However, it is very similar to the RT28 that has been around for a number of years. They cut the size of the sofa, went to a flat screen tv and shifted the bath around to cut the length. We seriously considered a 28, but I had a problem with the ceiling height in the bedroom, at 6' even I hit my head on the ceiling if I was at the front of the bedroom. Since that is where I am allowed to get into bed it was a problem. We did not like the open bath either, the rear kitchen has more counter space, and we did not like the lack of cross ventilation in the bedroom. However you should not pull our Excel with a 2500, it is too heavy. I think that it would be possible with the 26, I know that our dealer has been agitating for some time for the 26 for just that reason. If you do get one order it with the Demco Glide Ride pinbox. You can customize the RT's to some degree at modest cost. The only person I know who had a 28 traded it in on a 30 RKO due to problems with bucking. Note that the RT is an entry level rig, and does not have things like hydraulic slides, and the trim level is lower. Be sure you look carefully at it before you buy and think a lot about how you would live in it.

We like our Excel a lot, but we always go by the dealer at the start of each trip to get the latest warranty work done. I don't think the quality is quite as good as Excel's reputation, but it may be that we have a poor one. While we have had 1 serious problem with a slide, most of the problems have either been with outsourced components, e.g. water heater, awning, television; or due to careless construction, e.g. water connections not tight, flooding the basement and holding tank area while connected to city water (at 42 psi) and tank sensor improperly installed (don't listen to anyone who says they never work anyway). Eventually we hope to be able to bypass the dealer, but we are not there yet.

Speaking of dealers, they make or break the way you will feel about your Excel, we are very pleased with ours, they always get us in when we need work, and get things fixed promptly. Some problems we fix ourselves (like the water problem). We are new to fifth wheels, but long time RV'ers so we do have considerable knowledge about what quality means.

[MaryJane Svenson]

Thanks for all that helpful info. I am concerned about the towing (bucking) We have rv'd a lot - TT, MH and tents, so 5th wheel idea is new. It seems like a good choice for towability and shorter overall. We want to travel a lot and I'm concerned about tight winding roads and getting into the natl. parks - One example is Acadia in Maine that has some very tight campground roads. It is very difficult to find a shorter unit that is high quality, good suspension and well made to withstand lots of miles on all kinds of roads (and without the overdone interiors) I don't mean backcountry stuff, but would like to travel without bruising ALL the fruit and opening cabinets. It looks like the Excel RT doesn't have the option of mor/ryde suspension either. I'll keep looking and asking.

[Highgturn]

MaryJane,

If you read this post by the PI President you might rethink the mor/ryde suspension.
More on Mor/Ryde

[D and J]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by MaryJane Svenson:
Thanks for all that helpful info. I am concerned about the towing (bucking) </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

A 5th wheel can also "buck" or "porpoise" if the hitch hieght is not set correctly. We added the Demco Glide ride kingpin option to our Excel, and I will never buy another 5th wheel without one (unless someone comes out with something better!)

[Highgturn]

Ditto on the Glide Ride. I assume that the situation you are describing is fore and aft movement jerking the truck around. This is called chucking and it is very common with fifth wheel trailers. The Glide Ride will all but eliminate this condition. If the motion is up and down then there is not enough pin weight. This is easy to cure by adding some fresh water to the holding tank or simply moving some stuff forward. I have pulled a lot of trailers and never have I seen a smother tow than an Excel with a Demco Glide Ride.

[MaryJane Svenson]

I'm getting an education on 5th wheels. I read the link on the mor/ryde - very interesting. Do the RT's have the same frame as the higher end Excels? I can't find anything that indicates what the differences might be to make them lighter except length. I still hope they are as good and as well insulated.

[LindaH]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">It looks like the Excel RT doesn't have the option of mor/ryde suspension either. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

If you really want the Mor/Ryde suspension, ask if they'll include it.

When we were first considering our 30RKE, we were contemplating the RT. PI was willing to include several items that were not shown as options on the RT, including the Mor/Rydes. The thing that finally swayed us to the Classic, however, was PI's inability to do the King Suite on the 30RKE RT...something about how it is made compared to the Classic model. Since a king-size bed was one of our *must haves,* we opted to go with the Classic rather than the RT.

[hotair]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Do the RT's have the same frame as the higher end Excels? I can't find anything that indicates what the differences might be to make them lighter except length. I still hope they are as good and as well insulated. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

They do not have the same frame, the RT has a 8" box frame while the Classic and Limited have 12" box. This is much of the weight reduction. I don't think this is a drawback, it is still a very rigid and well constructed frame (built by Excel). As far as insulation goes all 2008 Excels are warranteed to -10 degrees (against freezing) provided you have dual pane (thermopane) windows and have the furnace running. We had ours out in zero degree weather last winter for a week, the minimum temperature in the basement was 38. Insulation is the same in all Excels. I see that the 2008 28 RT shares the features of the 26, the 2007 did not. I presume you have downloaded the catalog etc. from Peterson Industries. If not if you click on the RT (or either of the others), there is fine print about downloading it. One would think it would be more obvious.

[camperguy]

Mary Jane..We purchased an Excel 28 TRW about a year ago. Our tow vehicle is a Chevy 2500HD with a 6.0 engine. The trailer pulls very well. We purchased it for the same reasons you are looking at. We wanted a shorter trailer that was only 12' high, for manuverability reasons. We toured the plant at Smith Center Kansas, and were pleased with the way they contstuct their trailers. If you have any specific questions about this unit, feel free to ask...

[MaryJane Svenson]

Does anyone know what kind of insulation is used in floor, walls, ceiling? The web site shows they use plywood, not other kind of composite board, but I can't figure out the insulation. Is it the fiberglass batting that when wet is useless? Hopefully they are using one of the more up to date types that won't grow mold etc. if damp or a leak occurs. thanks for any info MJ