Newmar 5th wheeler

[lincoln30]

Do you have one?

What is your opinion, good, bad, etc

Worth the extra money?

Quality?

[FiverBob]

Don't have one but know a lot about them. Newmar builds very good products but they are extremely heavy. Make sure you are ready to buy enough truck to handle the weight. You might also take a look at Carriage - - excellent product, a tad lighter and some great floor plans.

Bob

[ParTheCourse]

We are on our third (the second was totaled by a falling tree) and have been very happy with all. Not only are they very well made units, any little problems we have encountered have been addressed by Newmar without delay, including the replacement of a ceiling light lens that was mailed out at no charge after I dropped and cracked it. They are heavier and cost a little more than similar sized units by other manufacturers but well worth it in our opinion.

[lincoln30]

What type truck would be recommended?

[NLOVNIT]

Due to the pin wt on even the smallest of the Newmars, a 1T dually diesel at minimum. An MDT would be even better.

Lori-

[Spoonman]

We are in our third Newmar,American Star fiver, Dutch Star MH, and now back to Kountry Star fiver and couldn`t be happier, as was mentioned earlier, be concious of the weight.

[ParTheCourse]

You did not mention the year / model being considered.

This link may help, scroll down to your year and model, then down to the data on weights etc. There are numerous threads on IRV2 discussing weights, but basicaly you will be interested in the total gross weight of the trailer and taking 18% / 20% to determine its pin weight or the weight you will be placing in the bed of your truck, then the combined max. weight of both the rig and truck. The manual of the selected truck will tell you the total of these two weights the truck can handle. Do not listen to the salesperson, all of their trucks can the world out of orbit.

http://newmarcorp.com/brochuresarchive

[jojolima]

They are very good units. I use a 1 Ton SW HD Ford F350. I do not agree that a dual pickup is required to pull most Newmars. Ford does not agree that dual wheels are needed either, but you really need to do your homework.

Newmar will stand behind their products 100%. No arguements if you report the problem during the warranty. They will do repair at their factory, their dealer network, or, in some cases with other recognized repair facilities.

[Add]

I purchased a used 1997 American Star XL 5ver 3 years ago and I love it. It is sound, dry and all systems work. I have both boondocked and used full service campgrounds and it has been great.

Add

[K-Star]

We have a 2005 Kountry Star. We are fulltiming and we love this trailer. We only had few minor issues and the dealer fixed them without hesitation and fixed them correctly. Newmar never flinched at what needed to be done. I tow with a Ford F-450 so I am well within the T.V. limits, but as others stated, Newmar 5rs are very heavy units so it is important that you do the math.

[RustyJC]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jojolima They are very good units. I use a 1 Ton SW HD Ford F350. I do not agree that a dual pickup is required to pull most Newmars. Ford does not agree that dual wheels are needed either, but you really need to do your homework.

I have a hard time believing an 18,000 lb GVWR (or more!) Newmar could be towed within a SRW truck's GVWR rating. This is the weakness with using only a fictitious manufacturer's trailer tow rating (GCWR minus the weight of a base truck with only a 150 lb driver) - the trailer tow rating doesn't take into account the truck's GVWR until you get to the fine print that says "None of the truck's other ratings are to be exceeded when towing." With a heavy 5th wheel, what the truck can carry (i.e., pin weight of the 5th wheel) is just as important as what the truck can pull or, even more importantly, turn and stop.

Rusty

[jojolima]

My Newmar weighs loaded 14,000. I am well within the weights that Ford provides for 5th wheel towing. I have a 2011 F350. My Newmar is a 2003 34 Ft. Kountry Star.

Check the towing and pin for the 2011 and you will find that my information is correct. 11,800 for truck and pin weight combined. My pin weight is around 2500. Truck will weigh around 7800.

Happy Trails

[RustyJC]

If you say Ford rates a SRW F350 for an 11,800 lb GVWR, so be it. The largest GVWR I found was 11,400 lbs for a 4x2 and 11,500 for a 4x4 - see HERE. Since you didn't give any specifics regarding the model of Newmar you're towing, I was thinking in terms of the last Mountain Aire 5th wheel we looked at - 19,999 lbs GVWR.

Rusty