Rear kitchen model

[bigmichael]

We recently looked at a rear kitchen model Excel LTD with the two doors. Liked it a lot but am curious to hear from others who own or have owned these. We looked at the 36 length. Heard issues with SOB's in particular regarding weight in the rear, roughness on the dishware etc when traveling.

I sent a PM to Rockin Tom--but didn't hear back. Maybe he doesn't do PM's--or at least with someone he doesn't know. I thought I remembered he owned one previously.

thanks for your thoughts

[rockintom]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigmichael We recently looked at a rear kitchen model Excel LTD with the two doors. Liked it a lot but am curious to hear from others who own or have owned these. We looked at the 36 length. Heard issues with SOB's in particular regarding weight in the rear, roughness on the dishware etc when traveling. I sent a PM to Rockin Tom--but didn't hear back. Maybe he doesn't do PM's--or at least with someone he doesn't know. I thought I remembered he owned one previously. thanks for your thoughts

I feel bad as I replied to your PM right away. I'm gonna back and resend it. I even sent you my email address. tomclapham@hotmail.com


We had a rear kitchen with no problems. It in my opinion that the cheaper SOBs that have weak suspensions are the one that folks fuss about. rockin'

Big Mike.....I went back and your PM and my reply message are gone!! Sorry 'bout that.

[BSmith01]

That’s because he goes through trailers like disposable diapers. There is only so many square feet in a rig and so many ways to have a floor plan. I have went to a rear kitchen to eliminate those huge windows in the rear of the coach. They are cold in the winter or hot in the summer.

[Mr_D]

It's been many years since I owned a rear kitchen TT, somewhere over 30 in fact. BUT I hated the "self arranging" drawers and storage areas. Hard to break Melmack dinnerware though!

[bigmichael]

Quote:

Originally Posted by rockintom I feel bad as I replied to your PM right away. I'm gonna back and resend it. I even sent you my email address. tomclapham@hotmail.com We had a rear kitchen with no problems. It in my opinion that the cheaper SOBs that have weak suspensions are the one that folks fuss about. rockin' Big Mike.....I went back and your PM and my reply message are gone!! Sorry 'bout that.

No problem--you feel bad but I feel better! I thought you must not like me and we hadn't even ever met yet I'll send you an email. Thanks

[John & Terri]

Just my two cents worth. We have a 36' foot Excel with a rear kitchen although not the one mentioned. We, too, heard all the horror stories about a rear kitchen so we also had Mor Ryde IS added when the rig was built. We have not had any of the issues that we had been warned about. Sometimes on really bumpy roads, items do get shifted a bit but I would expect that to be the case wherever the kitchen is located.

[Endeavor2BnC]

Ask Makin Smoke,aka Virg, about the rear kitchen. They have a lot of miles with theirs.

[MakinSmoke]

We have a rear kitchen (L36CLO). We have had no issues with broken dishes. We do not have Mor Ryde, just stock suspension. Bryan told us not to waste money on an upgrade to MorRyde suspension and he was right.

My wife really likes all the room of the rear kitchen in our fiver and we both like entering the living room instead of entering the kitchen. Just my not so humble opinion. As my friend Workhorse always says..."hope something helps".

[Jim & Bona]

Michael -

We had the same concerns as you when choosing a floor plan. I watched a bunch of user forums and heard the same stuff as you did. Some say they have no problems and others say never again. After many miles, including trips to Alaska, we're happy with the 35FLR and have not had any problems which might be attributed to the rear kitchen. Also, with the 35FLR, we have two entry doors. The second door is at the kitchen and we love it. Although the FLR floorplan has been discontinued I have heard that PI will build it on request. I'd recommend that you take a look.

Since the subject of Mor/ryde IS suspension came up, I'll offer my comments. We ignored the recommendation to stick with standard suspension and upgraded to the IS suspension. It is an excellent system and we have no complaints on its performance. I am unable to make a statement comparing it to the standard suspension. However, I would suggest that before you make the decision to upgrade to the Mor/ryde IS system that you check with Mor/ryde as to where you can have the system aligned - there are relatively few sources. On the other hand, Mor/ryde builds an excellent product, stands behind the product, and has excellent customer service at the factory.

Happy hunting!

Jim

[campingmillr]

We have a '08 36FLR and haven't had more than the normal bounce movement
in the dish area and we have hit some good bumps in the road. We love ours too.
In fact this is our second one, the first was an 35FLE.

[Slowmo]

We have had 4 5th wheels and 2 have been rear kitchens. We just bought a winslow 34rkm. We have never had a problem with things bouncing around any more than the center kitchens. However I do not like the way they did the cabinets over the sink. They did not round the bottom corner (like the other cabinets) and I have hit my head on the sharp corner when I lean over the sink. Also it has about a 4" space behind them to the the windows. They could have done a better job. If anyone reading this has this model I would like to know what you think.

[ExcelRVGuy]

Slowmo,

Thank you for your input. We will change the styles on the bottom of the overhead to be radius instead of square. Also, the next time we run that model, I will check to see where we need to do a better job behind the cabinets.

It's input like yours that helps us build a better coach.

Bryan

[rfhtlh]

we previouly owned a 2004 fle which had the rear kitchen and door. no problems with the kitchen in the rear with dishes or cabinets. i was glad to see they swapped the doors (flr) as the 04 had the sewer line coming out under the entry steps. it was nice just bringing the groceries right into the kitchen. we had a second awning added on the rear door side and glad we did because we used that door most of the time. we owned the unit 4 years with the major problem being the slide motors. we had the L shaped sofa and removed the extension to make it a straight sofa. that allowed us to walk through the unit when slides were in.

[Slowmo]

I was wondering about the weight of the rear kitchen. Is it more than a rear living room? Do they locate the axel in the same place?