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Old 06-11-2017, 08:54 AM   #1
MPH
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Yellowstone Canyon Trail

We are thinking of going from a 40' Class A diesel pusher to a fifth wheel and downsizing in the process. We have looked at a number of 5th wheel units and really liked the floor plan of a Canyon Trail model. However, when I checked out the bathroom, I was shocked. The shower surround is crap. It's cheap plastic like something they shrink-wrap toys in.

Does anyone have any experience with Yellowstone products? I believe they are owned by Gulf Stream and I've seen mixed reviews about Gulf Stream.

BTW, we may not sell our coach and buy a 5th wheel until next spring or summer. We're just trying to look at a lot of models right now and get a handle on what we like and want. We're looking in the 31' - 34' range, 3/4 ton towable.

I appreciate ideas, suggestions, input of any kind. Thanks.

Mel
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Old 06-11-2017, 10:24 AM   #2
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You just have to think that if this is what they use on something important that you can see, what do they use on the things you can't see easily? I have no opinion on the Yellowstones, except I haven't seen any around our part of the country. If you like your Allegro, maybe check out the Vilano since they have a family connection.
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Old 06-11-2017, 10:36 AM   #3
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We had a 30' 5ver for 17 years-towed it with a 1T Dodge Dually V-10 gas. It weighed just 11'000 loaded, but I would not have wanted to tow it with anything less than our 1T truck.

Back then, 30' was a big 5ver, at least to me. And, for me, towing is fatiguing, the trailer chucking fore and aft; and we had an air ride hitch and Mor-Ryde pin box.
Set up, while not hard, is much easier in a MH.

f you go that way, please consider adding disc brakes to your 5ver-its the best safety move you can make as electric drum trailer brakes are woefully inadequate at best and, to me dangerous. I did the conversion to disc myself, not hard.

I wouldn't go back to a 5ver, but again, that's me.
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Old 06-11-2017, 08:40 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Texastbird View Post
You just have to think that if this is what they use on something important that you can see, what do they use on the things you can't see easily? I have no opinion on the Yellowstones, except I haven't seen any around our part of the country. If you like your Allegro, maybe check out the Vilano since they have a family connection.
Good points, all. I thought about the unseen stuff. We said "NO" to the Canyon Trail. Yes, we love our Tiffin coach, but with our new budget it will be hard to handle the maintenance expenses associated with a big DP coach. We have had practically zero issues with this coach, for which we are grateful! (Just ask any of our RV Mutant friends in the Just Conversation tab about our woes with our first coach - a 2000 Fleetwood Discovery. Whew. You couldn't pay me enough money to have another Fleetwood!

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Originally Posted by cruzbill View Post
We had a 30' 5ver for 17 years-towed it with a 1T Dodge Dually V-10 gas. It weighed just 11'000 loaded, but I would not have wanted to tow it with anything less than our 1T truck.

Back then, 30' was a big 5ver, at least to me. And, for me, towing is fatiguing, the trailer chucking fore and aft; and we had an air ride hitch and Mor-Ryde pin box.
Set up, while not hard, is much easier in a MH.

f you go that way, please consider adding disc brakes to your 5ver-its the best safety move you can make as electric drum trailer brakes are woefully inadequate at best and, to me dangerous. I did the conversion to disc myself, not hard.

I wouldn't go back to a 5ver, but again, that's me.
Are you kidding me?! Y'all have a pet named Zorro, too? Our 12 month old Havanese dog is named Zorro. And a dashing little fellow he is!

I agree about the ease of setup for a MH. Piece of cake compared to the two travel trailers we've had. But for us it's a budgetary thing. It will be far less expensive to maintain a diesel pickup truck compared to a motorhome. I know that any RV of any kind can have issues,
but as I said, we are looking for a less expensive option for RVing. Don't get me wrong, if we felt we could afford to stay with the Tiffin Allegro Bus,
we definitely would. Trouble free coach, it is!
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Old 06-12-2017, 05:57 AM   #5
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We did the same thing 5 years ago. We had a dp that just ate up too much of our budget. We got lucky I guess and have had no issues with our fifth wheel other than a few minor things like a water pump and propane leak detector. There are only a few things I probably couldn't fix on the Winslow but there was a whole bunch on the dp. We had issues with getting service on the dp because no one in our area would work on it but there are GM dealers in every town of any size if I need service for the truck.

You don't say what your budget is but there are several brands of fifth wheels out there that have a better reputation for quality. Like everything else, none are perfect but if we were in the market we would look very closely at Artic Fox and the Vilano, which is a Tiffin product. They have models in the size you are considering. Kansas RV Center in Wichita has a 325RL Vilano that is a little over 34 feet on their website. The DRV Mobile Suites are nice also, but I'm not sure they have a model that would work with a 3/4 ton. There would be some nice used ones also like Hitchhiker, Excel, Carriage and maybe some others that someone else can suggest.

To make things easier I would highly recommend auto leveling as an option. We can set up just as fast as we did with our motorhome but we do have to go outside to push the button. Also, getting a good quality hitch will make life a little easier also.

Just one thought for you. Since you are evidently wanting a single rear wheel truck, which would be the case for a 3/4 ton, for very little money difference you can get the same thing in a one ton that would give you some more options for what you could tow. I don't think you would find much difference in the empty ride if that is a concern.
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Old 06-14-2017, 10:47 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by JDT View Post
We did the same thing 5 years ago. We had a dp that just ate up too much of our budget. We got lucky I guess and have had no issues with our fifth wheel other than a few minor things like a water pump and propane leak detector. There are only a few things I probably couldn't fix on the Winslow but there was a whole bunch on the dp. We had issues with getting service on the dp because no one in our area would work on it but there are GM dealers in every town of any size if I need service for the truck.

You don't say what your budget is but there are several brands of fifth wheels out there that have a better reputation for quality. Like everything else, none are perfect but if we were in the market we would look very closely at Artic Fox and the Vilano, which is a Tiffin product. They have models in the size you are considering. Kansas RV Center in Wichita has a 325RL Vilano that is a little over 34 feet on their website. The DRV Mobile Suites are nice also, but I'm not sure they have a model that would work with a 3/4 ton. There would be some nice used ones also like Hitchhiker, Excel, Carriage and maybe some others that someone else can suggest.

To make things easier I would highly recommend auto leveling as an option. We can set up just as fast as we did with our motorhome but we do have to go outside to push the button. Also, getting a good quality hitch will make life a little easier also.

Just one thought for you. Since you are evidently wanting a single rear wheel truck, which would be the case for a 3/4 ton, for very little money difference you can get the same thing in a one ton that would give you some more options for what you could tow. I don't think you would find much difference in the empty ride if that is a concern.
Very helpful! Thank you.

I guess we should look at one ton trucks. If there isn't a lot of price difference ....

We would like to find a used fiver for somewhere between $25 & $35k. I have looked at some Open Range models that seem like solid units. I have a friend who has had an Open Range for 3 years now and she loves it. Our budget could put us into a 2012 - 2014 OR.
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Old 06-15-2017, 08:40 AM   #7
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The cost between a 3/4 ton and 1 ton is roughly $900-1,000.00 new. Probably the same or so used.
Very little considering that you want a heavy 5er. You'll spend 1/2 that on rear suspension upgrades so the 3/4 ton can handle the weight.
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Old 06-16-2017, 07:56 PM   #8
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Yeah I don't understand why everyone thinks one ton trucks are more expensive. They arent. At least in SRW form. DRW you do pay a bit more for.

maybe $1000. and if you get a 3/4 ton truck, your going to spend $1000 redoing the overloaded suspension anyway so it can handle the loads that...guess what... a 1 ton will do stock...
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Old 06-17-2017, 02:21 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JDT View Post
We did the same thing 5 years ago. We had a dp that just ate up too much of our budget. We got lucky I guess and have had no issues with our fifth wheel other than a few minor things like a water pump and propane leak detector. There are only a few things I probably couldn't fix on the Winslow but there was a whole bunch on the dp. We had issues with getting service on the dp because no one in our area would work on it but there are GM dealers in every town of any size if I need service for the truck.

You don't say what your budget is but there are several brands of fifth wheels out there that have a better reputation for quality. Like everything else, none are perfect but if we were in the market we would look very closely at Artic Fox and the Vilano, which is a Tiffin product. They have models in the size you are considering. Kansas RV Center in Wichita has a 325RL Vilano that is a little over 34 feet on their website. The DRV Mobile Suites are nice also, but I'm not sure they have a model that would work with a 3/4 ton. There would be some nice used ones also like Hitchhiker, Excel, Carriage and maybe some others that someone else can suggest.

To make things easier I would highly recommend auto leveling as an option. We can set up just as fast as we did with our motorhome but we do have to go outside to push the button. Also, getting a good quality hitch will make life a little easier also.

Just one thought for you. Since you are evidently wanting a single rear wheel truck, which would be the case for a 3/4 ton, for very little money difference you can get the same thing in a one ton that would give you some more options for what you could tow. I don't think you would find much difference in the empty ride if that is a concern.
Yes, there is a big difference in the ride. That's why RAM went to coil springs in 2500 as opposed to leaf springs in the 3500. Been there, tried that, and very happy with what we got.
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