Community Forums

j2detoit · 12-22-2006, 12:40 PM

Way back when I first grad from tech shool I worked at a body shop that was also a midsized Rockwood dealer I remember well when the owner brought a new fifth wheel in and made it winter ready He wraped heat tape around all of the tanks and plumbing ,Insulated the enire bottom and encolsed it He also installed some type of inside storm window. Just a couple of years ago there was a couple who lived in a 25ft TT for just over a year while they built their new house Trust me it gets colder than 20degrees up here and it stays that way for what seems like forever

Allegro Happy · 12-22-2006, 02:37 PM

We camped in 25-35 degree cold about 3 years ago in MH. It had 2 furnaces. We had to have the propane company come 2 TWO times a week to fill. The slides were a real bear. Put towels around. HAd to keep inside at least 55-60 for dogs, and left doors open where water was. Yes we had heated tanks, but they were heated with the furnace. DUH.
The electric was really bad so we could only use one heater in the water/sewer compartment. I like Florida best in winter

apackof2 · 12-23-2006, 04:24 AM

Not a Earth Explorer a Earth Roamer and they are awesome, 4 wheel, all season AND very expensive RVs!
EARTHROAMER

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rocinante:
On a recent swing through Colorado I saw a real beast called Earth Explorer. Made in Colorafo and priced over 200k, it looks like something the military would use. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

apackof2 · 12-23-2006, 04:27 AM

I wish Excel would make a small, less than 24ft with no slide for us singles who don't need or want a LARGE 5th Wheel

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Hitchhiker:
You might be interested in the "Zero Degree Guarantee" by Peterson Industries on the Excel RV's.

Richard </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jeff_in_The_Dalles · 12-23-2006, 12:30 PM

Also, how well something does in the winter also depends on if you are talking about boondocking, or camping with hookups (at least power).

I've used mine for several days well below freezing w/o hookups, but if I did that when it's below zero very often I'd need some serious batteries/solar and probably one of the catalist/radiant heaters.

Keeping up with the 12v draw of the furnace seems to be the major challenge for the typical RV in really cold temps. In a park, I think most rigs with insulated/heated underbelly would be OK with a huge stationary propane tank and electric power, as long as we are talking about a climate that doesn't get below zero much.

I agree the Bigfoot is probably the best bet in a camper (especially the boat hull construction ones like the 10.6), and the Earthroamer is really neat and doesn't use propane.

BigPackFan · 12-23-2006, 04:09 PM

Arctic Fox by Northwood Mfg has a good reputation.

ChristineMarie · 12-24-2006, 06:48 AM

I've also been checking into this, as I hope to full time soon, and will still need to be in the n/w PA area during the winter. Teton and Excel are frequently referenced for 5ers from what I've seen. As far as Class A's go, I've found that Winnebago (Adventure) and Four Winds (Wind Sport) both offer packages including heated tank areas and dual pane windows. I'm sure there are others, including diesels, it's just not info I've run into in my line of sight. Though I don't run into a lot of info addressing year-round, I do know a couple of guys who take a Class A extended hunting up into Canada in cold temps and snow for a month or more with no complaints. I've also had opportunity to meet a sales rep at the Hershey show who lives in his full time with his wife, near Albany, NY. He has been very helpful with info, and has specifics at this website: http://www.2rvguys.com/winter.html
Hope the info helps. I'll also be watching to learn more from the replies you receive.-- Chris

skipsor · 12-24-2006, 08:30 AM

I seem to recall Holiday Rambler had an ad a few years ago touting the insulation and livability of their products in cold weather.

jspande · 12-24-2006, 02:29 PM

Back in the early 90's, I full-timed two winters in southern Minnesota in a 5th wheel (please don't ask why<g&gt

. Each winter I went through about 800 gal. of propane (I think - memory fades) and 1 furnace blower motor. I'd like to warn you about a couple of the RV appliances that are quite inadequate. One, of course, is the RV furnace and the other is the RV refrigerator.

An RV furnace (and water heater, as well) is only about 50-60% efficient, so they waste a lot of fuel. It's also really noisy and unreliable if used a lot. Teton uses two furnaces, and that would be beneficial for the reliability problem. Or you can use electric heaters for backup, if you can count on electric hook-up. But strongly consider something like the Aqua-Hot (motorhome) or the new propane boiler system from Precision Temp (5th wheel). These systems provide both space heating and endless hot water, and do so much more efficiently and quietly. Unless you actually enjoy buying propane, filling tanks, etc., of course<g>. And for a 5th wheel, 40 lb tanks are a must, plus probably an "extend-a-stay").

Don't expect the RV refrigerator to work well in cold weather. I was initially quite surprised when my refer actually warmed up when the outdoor temp reach around 20 (if I remember right). Then it dawned on me that the absorbtion cycle depends on boiling off ammonia at one stage and generally requires various elevated temps at various locations in the system, which could be prevented at very low ambient temps. And at really low temps, since the back of the refer is exposed to outdoor temps, the refer temp can get too cold without the cooling system doing anything at all. I'd suggest looking into getting a 12 v compressor type refer (common in boats) such as the Tundra (Dometic) or Nova-Kool. They are about 10 times more efficient than the RV refers, so they work well with solar systems.

Unfortunately, I'm not aware of anyone offering such options in their RV's, but New Horizons makes custom 5th wheels for around the money of a Teton, and presumably they'd be willing to install such systems.

tripleesignature · 01-05-2007, 10:08 AM

Triple e out of canda makes class a motorhomes which do quite well in winter. I live in minnesota and have been in canada in Jan when high temperature was -18 F for a week and did not freeze up. They are well inulated and have heater options to keep sealed water areas from freezing. All water pipes run in the heated area of the coach