ORV...worth it?

[Red_5]

I have a 2 year old Creek Side 23 DBS and I'd say I'm only moderately happy. Would I be happier with another brand? I don't know.

Overall, yes it seems to be a nice trailer and really didn't seem to be too much more expensive than some of the other trailers I looked at. I love the floor plan for our family of 4, so that works well. I like the large holding tanks too, they've come in handy at some of the campgrounds we've stayed at that only had a dump station.

A couple of things that I haven't been happy with which I've mentioned here before was that my trailer frame and bumper started to rust in less than a year of ownership. My trailer wasn't sitting a lot either, I picked it up within days of it arriving at the dealer from the factory. My frame also has some pretty suspect welds. I sent pics to both my dealer and ORV and was told to spray some rust inhibitor on it and call it a day. Given my trailer was less than a year old when I noticed, I thought they'd at least have the dealership take care of the rust.

The cushions in the bunks are a joke. I don't know if they're intended to be disposable but that's the quality. The cushioning isn't terrible for a child but it collapses so easily that it really doesn't work for an adult. Plus the fabric covering the bunk cushions is super cheap. If we keep our trailer I'm going to have some better cushions made.

I think most trailers use a rubber roof but man does it make me nervous. I just can't see it lasting very long and I'm sure it will be expensive to fix/replace. I washed it with some kind UV protectant and I try to keep the trailer covered if I know I won't use it for awhile.

Don't get one of these trailers if you intend to tow it with a 1/2 ton pickup. These used to be listed on the ORV site as 1/2 towable trailers. Sure you can do it and I have been but it's exhausting and my truck is about as heavy duty as a half ton truck gets.

I'm not here to badmouth ORV but to give you an honest report of my experience in less than two years of ownership.

[GBB]

Prime frame with Ospho primer then paint, never have to worry about it again. Rubber roofs are good for 10 years. A friend of mine replaced his after 15 years on his 32' Arctic Fox. One day to remove air conditioners and rubber roof and one day to install. Did it himself..said removing and re-installing trim took the longest. Applying the new rubber wasnt a big deal.

[ModestMonk]

Originally Posted by Red_5

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*snip*
A couple of things that I haven't been happy with which I've mentioned here before was that my trailer frame and bumper started to rust in less than a year of ownership. My trailer wasn't sitting a lot either, I picked it up within days of it arriving at the dealer from the factory. My frame also has some pretty suspect welds. I sent pics to both my dealer and ORV and was told to spray some rust inhibitor on it and call it a day. Given my trailer was less than a year old when I noticed, I thought they'd at least have the dealership take care of the rust.


*snip*

Don't get one of these trailers if you intend to tow it with a 1/2 ton pickup. These used to be listed on the ORV site as 1/2 towable trailers. Sure you can do it and I have been but it's exhausting and my truck is about as heavy duty as a half ton truck gets.

I'm not here to badmouth ORV but to give you an honest report of my experience in less than two years of ownership.

1. Rust on the frame...when I first heard about this I was leary. Last June, having fully restored my farm truck and understanding the need for redundant periodic rust preventative and treatment as an absolute must here in the northeast. I dismissed this concern, as I intend on being proactive on this subject. That said, I’m concerned for the amount of rust appearing on the frame already. Less than 4K on the trailer and the frame is uniformly pitted on all surfaces. This isn’t from road hazards, just poor surface preparations prior to painting. I have the labor intensive solution, but it is a check in the negative column.

2. My GMC can tow this trailer (24KTS), but the Ford F-150 has no trouble and the ride is much more comfortable according to the DW. It’s important to consider that the Ford F-150 with twin turbos and max tow was the best option I had in the 1/2 ton class.

[Superslif]

Have previously owned two Aerolite trailers (24' & 25'), which were relatively issue free, except the last one which I had a slide issue that clearly was a "design / build" issue Thor / Dutchman never fully committed to fixing.

We searched for 18 months for the ORV unit we bought. At one point I never even knew about ORV being a sister company of Arctic Fox.

1. My research was extensive before our purchase. We needed a unit that was above average for weathering the cold. We will camp from October to April in the Northeast and Ontario. If you are camping in the "off season" in northern BC you qualify!

2. The factory has stood behind the few issues I had. The repairs I did the parts were sent promptly to me. The other repair I needed was preformed by a local RV shop and the reimbursement check was promptly recieved.

So I knew our next RV trailer had to be under 30', better insulated for shoulder season camping and a quality build.

In reality the ORV's if bought right are on line "Price Wise" with: Winnebago's, Grand Design Imagine, Cougar's and Highland Ridge Light's. And less than Lance and Airstream's. We drove 4500 miles to buy ours back in Oct.

Yes, as in any new RV we had a few this and that things to take care of. The day after we bought our Timber Ridge we did the factory tour. (3 hours). After the tour I stopped at there parts deck and bought a cabinet door and hardware because I wanted to swap out the drawer below the frig for just a cabinet door. I also talked to the warranty guy about how scratched up the outer frig plastic cover was. Two minutes later he returned with a nice new cover.

One other item, one call to the factory and they were sending me 16 rubber bushings for the MorRyde shocks that looked like they were 10 years old with a good deal of cracking.

[60sumtin]

To say don't get one of these trailers if you intend to tow it with a ½ ton is too simplistic. When looking at any trailer find how heavy it is unloaded, calculate how much you are typically going to put in it, then look at your truck's capabilities (specs). Also look at your own capabilities. Make an informed decision base on facts.

With all I carry I have no problem towing my ORV with the truck I have and when doing so is certainly not exhausting in any way shape or form. The truck handles the trailer and all the cargo quite easily. Towing with a ½ ton might be exhausting for some folks but thats not necessarily the fault of the truck and/or trailer.

[Red_5]

Originally Posted by 60sumtin

To say don't get one of these trailers if you intend to tow it with a ½ ton is too simplistic. When looking at any trailer find how heavy it is unloaded, calculate how much you are typically going to put in it, then look at your truck's capabilities (specs). Also look at your own capabilities. Make an informed decision base on facts.

With all I carry I have no problem towing my ORV with the truck I have and when doing so is certainly not exhausting in any way shape or form. The truck handles the trailer and all the cargo quite easily. Towing with a ½ ton might be exhausting for some folks but thats not necessarily the fault of the truck and/or trailer.

Yes my quote on towing a 23DBS with a 1/2 ton pickup was simplistic because it was only one point of several I was trying to make about my experience with the older version of the same trailer the OP asked about. There are full threads on many-a-forums discussing what's the best tow vehicle for towing a given trailer. I actually have experience towing the older version of the same trailer mentioned by the OP with a 1/2 ton. Forum member Off Road also has the same trailer as me and he switched from a 1/2 ton to a 3/4 ton so I know I'm not alone in my thoughts. Plus, according to the ORV site, the new 23DBS has a GVWR of just under 10k pounds. I definitely would not want to tow a 10k pound TT with any half ton pickup for any real distance especially if it includes mountains. Using 15% hitch weight and that's 1500 pounds on the truck . . .

I've towed my Creek Side from Santa Barbara up to Portland, OR and back. I've towed out to Tucson, AZ and back plus several trips in and around CA. Most days towing with my 1500 Sierra Max Tow have been fine but I've had other days that I'm not afraid to admit were exhausting. My point wasn't to say that it can't be done, remember I said that I do it, it was to say that it's a lot of trailer for a 1/2 ton and that anyone would be happier towing that trailer over the long haul with a 3/4 ton. A 3/4 ton truck doesn't fit in my life right now so I'll be keeping my 1/2 ton and making it work.

I want to also point out that not all floor plans are the same weight, height, length nor do they have the same weight distribution. One ORV trailer might be fine to tow with a 1/2 ton, but that doesn't mean they all are. I'm also not saying that I'm right and you're wrong or the other way around, I was giving my experience with a very similar trailer mentioned by the OP.

[Freqz]

I wouldn't say no half tons with an ORV but I would say tread carefully.

[60sumtin]

Originally Posted by Red_5

I was giving my experience with a very similar trailer mentioned by the OP.

Thanks for clarifying. I misunderstood and thought you were referring to the whole ORV lineup.

[Red_5]

Originally Posted by 60sumtin

Thanks for clarifying. I misunderstood and thought you were referring to the whole ORV lineup.

I can see how that happened.

[Superslif]

When we first looked at the Arctic Fox line, the only possible model (25W) was going to be too heavy for my truck....On paper it might have passed the sniff test, but in real life there would be an unknown. Anyway I spun it was not going to happen. So glad I never went that route. At the time (summer of 2016) I never even heard of ORV. And I really wanted to stay under 30'. So my 28' Timber Ridge was the right floorplan. And it checked the box that when over-nighting at a Walmart, the slide doesn't need to be open to fully use the RV (kitchen, frig, table, couch, bathroom and bed).

Personally to me the GVWR means nothing. I have always bought a trailer with a healthy cargo capacity. My new TR has 4000 lbs of CCC. Who in the right mind can pack a unit with two tons of "stuff"? Trip to Alaska (2016), loaded to the hilt (full water 40-50 gal., extra food, extra tools, kayaks, gold prospecting equipment, portable solar).....came in at 1500 lbs. of total cargo. Weighed at CAT scale. Everyone supplies / packs their RV differently....

[NorthernJeff]

Hey guys............thanks for all the input. What an awesome pool of experience to draw from.

Canadian dealers cant seem to sell this trailer for less than 48k before tax. Im sold on the product, floor plan, and brand. Just need to decide if its worth the extra 10k. Hence why weve been looking South. Seems to be a savings of at least 5k even when factoring for exchange, import fees etc. Im totally willing to pay myself 5 k to drive to the US for a few days.

Any dealer options on the trailer that you guys would consider a must? Slide topper? Solar?

[Freqz]

The off road package: the upgraded suspension without a doubt.

[Off Road]

I agree with Red 5 you can pull this trailer with a half ton but it is way more comfortable with my Ram 2500. Glad I upgraded with as many miles as we put on it.

[Randy the sly old fox]

My ORV Timber Ridge is my 5th trailer since 1983. I tend to buy good quality when possible and keep them for a long time. I had a Komfort from 86-98 then I bought a Trail Lite which started falling apart just after the warranty ran out - I fixed it up and then sold it to buy a 2005 Arctic Fox. The Fox finally gave way to the 2017 ORV TR 25DBS as we move towards retirement. I drew a conclusion from the Trail Lite experience that IN can't build good units and the folks in Oregon can. Being part of the Northwoods family I watched ORV go from infancy to being a viable producer of quality RVs. I also looked at Keystone Cougars, and the Arctic Fox and Nash lines but fell in love with the 25RDS floorplan and the rest is history. We are starting our second season and so far no issues with the general quality of the product. We have only spent about 15 nights in it - plan on at least 20 this year and more as time goes on and I retire.

As for buying in the states and taking it into Canada. Northwood started holding back the CSA certificates except to units heading to Canada dealers. While not mandatory it makes crossing the border with a US built unit easier. Without the cert you will need to have the unit inspected and approved to CSA standards - you will also need to pay any taxes on it.

As far as being 1/2T towable, at 6350 dry wt most modern 1/2T trucks can be equipped to handle this much. The issue comes with the tongue wt of 850 lbs. Which will grow to over 1000 lbs with LPG, batteries and stuff in the front storage. This is an awful lot of wt so you really need to watch your truck's payload. Most 1/2 T trucks top out around 1900 lbs (std cab 2WD) to get a crew cab 4WD truck your payload goes down to around 1700 lbs. So now with your 1000 lb tongue you have 700 lbs left for the family and any cargo you thought you could carry in the bed.

The trailer has plenty of payload at 3900 lbs but add the Off Road 4X package and that goes up by almost 1000 lbs at the GVWR of the tt goes from 9995 to 11,000 lbs. I believe that the Off Road package adds more than GVWR and is well worth the $$ besides lots of dealers add it to every rig they order.

IMHO most of the Timber Ridge line should be towed with a 3/4T truck.