Community Forums

caissiel · 01-24-2015, 09:18 AM

I would not attempt to tow any of the above mentioned units period. The undercarriage do not last. To much for my liking when I have great quality with our BC from Heartland at 15500 lbs and 40 ft long with lots of storage for all our full timing stuff.
When starting with high weight it only gets heavier anyway and it can be felt heavy when towing. Can hardly feel ours being towed with my F250 and I prefer it that way. Just sit and observe the units on the road 90% are Heathland, Keystone and Jayco.

glennwest · 01-24-2015, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caissiel

I would not attempt to tow any of the above mentioned units period. The undercarriage do not last. To much for my liking when I have great quality with our BC from Heartland at 15500 lbs and 40 ft long with lots of storage for all our full timing stuff.
When starting with high weight it only gets heavier anyway and it can be felt heavy when towing. Can hardly feel ours being towed with my F250 and I prefer it that way. Just sit and observe the units on the road 90% are Heathland, Keystone and Jayco.

You think a Teton has a weak undercarrige?

caissiel · 01-24-2015, 09:24 AM

I was told that more then one time as I was asked how mine was lasting.

consolenut · 01-24-2015, 08:06 PM

If tetons are weak WOWi dont know what strong would be. Teton, Newmar, and Travel supreme would all be weak then. Other then updates newer appliances bigger tires and spray foam in new horizons etc there built as well as any on the market right now including drv and new horizons.

suprdave1958 · 01-25-2015, 07:49 AM

Consolenut...don't believe everything you read on here, like the post from caissiel. I'm sure they are nice people, but he/she doesn't have a clue of what he/she is talking about. There are many well built 5th wheels now and yes there are some not so well built. If you have a question about the undercarriage, then find out they are constructed and how much wood is used in the framing. Your better built 5th wheels will all have aluminum framing for the floors, walls and roof. Some have 1/2 aluminum and 1/2 wood...this is not so good. Some have aluminum and galvanized with wood. Then the 5th wheels with all aluminum framing...some are double welded and some are not. Some are riveted and some are welded....point is welded is best...and double welded is even better. Just do your homework on whichever you choose. And by the way...over the last year or so Heartland has had one of the m.ost customer complaints in the industry. Good luck

jonbrown · 01-25-2015, 10:22 AM

Reading the post of 4 pages , I saw Glennwest and hone eagle say what I was thinking.
My father bought a 1992 Teton for $198,000 . It was and still is the supreme of the road. In the years he has replaced superficial items like faucets,washer machine/dryer dishwasher etc. Things that break. He thinks it has well over 500,000 miles on it . I stayed in it at least 200,000 miles . I now bought a 1992 to rebuild because it was cheaper and they need updated. If the previous owner would have cared for it even in the slightest it would be excellent. Although I replaced 100% of the floor. It has a 1' steel I beam frame with thick undercarriage cover , great plumbing for 1992 , awesome counter tops. Dual pane windows . These were state of the art and Teton never went down in quality, every year they went up. I and my father have had no breaking chassis or faulty workmanship. The interior is solid oak and durable better than most homes.
I think a used Teton is only second to a Carriage Royale. Or carriage product.
And that is due to their full fiberglass roof.

JDT · 01-25-2015, 12:11 PM

Just another thought and certainly not trying to be argumentative but not all better built 5th wheels are aluminum framed. I think Excel has a pretty good reputation and they use all wood framing with a house built box frame. Part of their reasoning is wood does not transfer heat and cold as easily as metal. Also, it is a good material for the way they build the walls which are bonded together using a giant press. You will never see the outline of the framing on a cold morning. All their products are built for full time use. We are on our 3rd one since 97 and never had a problem with any structural item. As with anything there could be problems especially if regular inspections and maintenance is not done.

There are a number of good products out there that use different construction methods.

jonbrown · 01-25-2015, 02:20 PM

I have heard even from manufacturers that the wood framing is better thermal and better to press the siding/wall assembly together. Mine is wood, although I have been in many aluminum frame Tetons and feel no direct difference.

consolenut · 01-26-2015, 07:34 AM

Hi

I have a newmar kountry aire. That is as strongly built as a teton or some of the others. I was just commenting on the comments of the undercarriage being weak.i recently upgraded to a medium duty truck to pull it.

I have hauled my kountry aire all over the country. Cold weather climates in minnesota and hottest of climate in west texas. Cant be to much wrong to be hauled around as much and be put through the weather extremes it has endured.

glennwest · 01-26-2015, 09:07 AM

My2003 Teton is rock solid and very nice. Easiest to heat and cool of any I have ever owned and previous was DRV. Nice est piece of "junk" I ever owned.

Cummins12V98 · 01-27-2015, 07:16 AM

3.5 years ago we found a nice 07.5 36SB3 Mobile Suites we liked at a local dealer. We traded a RV that were selling for 13-15K all across the US. We paid 35K out the door after taxes of over 9% on the difference. We are getting about 36K for trade considering sales tax on the trade in amount. So for 3.5 years of full time use we really did not loose much money.

Greytraveler · 01-28-2015, 09:45 AM

We are in the process of searching for a replacement fifth. The independent RV repair shop we have been using knows a great deal about the construction of various brands. For that reason, any rig I am considering, I ask for their thoughts. Some interesting insights are the result.

12 Tires · 01-30-2015, 12:48 PM

We have been 100% thrilled with our Continental Coach Elegance (Forks RV) for full timing. They have a broader entry price than you may think.

Best quality everything and the absolute best customer service I have ever encountered in 20+ years of RVing.

They also have several used units available--including Teton's (of which they are the official service center for the Teton Owners Group).

Dasmoeturhead · 01-30-2015, 02:09 PM

We have totally enjoyed our Landmark Newport. We full time in it, and its as close to a real house as it gets. It is extremely comfortable and well built. The Heartland Owners forum is also very good. I have got quick answers when needed from them, and when I mentioned I was going to install the included TPMS, the guy that supplies them to Heartland sent me a PM to tell me that the cable for the antenna was to too short, and sent me a longer one almost overnight. 2year warranty on the coach as well, and everybody in the park wants to know all about this 5er.