Community Forums

The Okie · 08-12-2022, 05:35 PM

Any open range owners here. Looking for opinions. Looking at a nice used 2015. Looked at open range back around 2012. Ended up going with a Motorhome instead. Things have changed and will be going the 5th wheel route.

wrvond · 08-12-2022, 09:00 PM

When I was shopping for a new fiver I considered the Open Range. They did not rate very high so I passed them over.

RVnAggie · 08-13-2022, 09:05 PM

Recommend Google search for Open Range Owners forum. There’s one out there where you’ll hear the good, bad and ugly from owners.

I have a good friend with one circa 2016-2017 I believe. A high end model 3x (meaning 3” side walls.). A very nice unit.

I’s say there are probably some things that Open Range does better than other makes and some things they probably don’t do as well as others in the same price/quality range.

Happy hunting.

Jkjavelin · 08-14-2022, 09:28 AM

We bought our Open Range new and like most brands, the majority of problems showed up in the first 2 years. I would say that they are pretty much the same as the rest as far as quality goes. The Roamer line, if that's what you found, tend to have bigger tanks than the rest from that era and have JT Strongarms. If you like the floorplan and it's well cared for, go for it.
Open Range was plagued with bad gearboxes for the slides from BAL in 2015/ 2016 but they usually failed right away.
I originally expected to own ours a few years, then get something else, but so far haven't seen anything we like better.
JK

Dark Sky · 08-14-2022, 10:04 PM

I moved from a diesel pusher back to my 5th wheel roots this year. I sought out an Open Range and settled on a lightly used 2019 36 footer. They had an earlier problem with their cable slide system but that was resolved some time ago. I have friends who are on their 2nd unit, and some other friends are on their 1st unit, no problems with any of them. As for me, I replaced a very poorly installed grey tank valve cable, and I had a problem with the Atwood (now Dometic) water heater that I resolved with a new thermostat and E.C.O.
Positives include the windows, slides, layout, J.T. Strongarms, Gel coat cap with no signs of chalking, and quiet roof A/C. Negatives include a really crappy furnace location which will require some carpentry when it ever needs attention, a lack of basement storage (spoiled by the bus I guess), and a very slight soft spot on the floor. It's subtle, but it's there.
Overall, they seem a bit better built than other units in the same price range. OTOH, maybe my friends just got very good units. It often seems like there's every bit as much quality variability among trailers from the same manufacturer as there is among different manufacturers. Whatever you find or choose, you'll want to do as thorough an inspection as you possibly can.

Crusader Bob · 08-16-2022, 10:58 PM

Owned a 2015 427BHS for three years. Had to trade it in in 2018. Too many issues. Floor had gotten very spongy all over, felt like you were walking on a mattress. All slide gear boxes had to be replaced because they were made with plastic components. Had residential fridge/inverter but came with only a 1000 watt inverter when the fridge needed 975 watts to operate. Should have been at least 1,500 watts or 2K. As a result, inverter kept cutting out and turning off. We'd pull into rest area and enter trailer to find fridge has been off for hours and fridge/freezer temps rising. But biggest issue was that the trailer was made with spring hangers that were undersized. On a trip from Michigan to Grand Canyon, first one hanger broke in Holbrook, AZ (roadside truck repair welder had to weld new one on) and then second one broke in Nebraska (had to call another roadside truck repair welder to weld). Important to note we always knew our weights, never (then or now) carry any fresh water and yet these incidents happened. Got so frustrated, sold it for a DP Motorhome in 2018. Now, our family has grown and our needs have changed so just recently ordered a Grand Design Solitude 5'er. We'll see what issues develop with it. Anyway, I cannot in good conscience recommend Open Range unless they have made a complete turn around on quality.