Community Forums

garypolzin · 11-28-2014, 09:41 AM

looking to buy a keystone what are your thoughts.

Czar Of Poop · 12-03-2014, 06:07 AM

We had a 05 Raptor that we bought new and had ALOT of trouble with. We work on rvs and in our opinion both Keystone and Fleetwood are low quality.

dduerden · 12-03-2014, 07:46 PM

I can't speak to the new ones, but we recently bought a 2004 Raptor 3612 and it is a piece of crap. Nice inside, but the structure and mechanicals are a mess. Had to replace the ramp door wood right off the bat and the floor in the garage is soft and needs replaced. The ramp door does not fit or seal worth a hoot, which explains those problems. There is some sort of structural issue in the fifth wheel area that I am going to have to tear outer panels off to figure out, basically the hitch flexes up enough to notice when you put the weight on it, and small cracks open up on the left side wall at the same time. From appearances inside and out it was very lightly used, but is just falling apart once you really know where to look. Just seems like they used the absolutely cheapest possible components and mechanicals and dressed it up with really nice trim and upholstery. So far have had problems with generator, power vents, slide pump, dump valves, brakes, replaced tires (which I expected, but one actually blew up 20 miles from the dealer), fuel station pump, fresh water tank crack, taillight wiring, water heater mounting, exterior lighting wiring, tv cable problems. Basically you name it and I've had to mess with it. And this was a very nice appearing unit on a major national dealer lot. I won't say the name, but it rhymes with "Jeneral RV Center". When I wrote a long letter to the dealer to go with the survey they sent me, all I got was, "well, you bought a used unit as-is for a discounted price". Fun, Fun!

Wv William · 01-03-2015, 11:33 PM

We have a 2013 381 Fuzion and love it. We have had little trouble with it. It came with the monster package. Some of my favorite things are the Level up system, Frameless windows, side by side frige, Power lit awnings, stainless steel kitchen and bathroom sinks.

Jake74 · 01-06-2015, 08:07 AM

I have a 2008 3612 DS raptor. It has been very reliable so far. It had some really crappy quality decals. Keystone did right and sent me new ones that I installed the other day. I keep it under a shed to keep it from weathering which is the life of an rv in IMHO. Here is a pic I took after I replaced a few of the decals. Not best pic of camper but all I had on computer.

major105bc · 01-21-2015, 03:24 AM

We ended up going with the Carbon 357 because of the floor plan. Haven't had it out yet. Only trouble so far is gen gas gauge not working. Full shake down coming in March. Only system I haven't checked yet is water/plumbing. Yeah, I'm nervous but it appears to be very solid.

suprdave1958 · 01-21-2015, 03:01 PM

Keystone is decent..but there are better quality toyhaulers and it depends on how many weeks a year you plan on using it. Also depends on what you want.
High-end toyhaulers are the DRV full house (but Thor just bought them out), Excel, and New Horizons, but they are expensive and have limited models.

Just below these high-end toyhaulers...as far as quality of how they are built. you have the Evergreen Tesla, and Forrest River Vengeance. Then the Keystone Raptor/Fuzion, Heartland Cyclone, and Crossroads Elevation. The Raptors, Cyclone, and Elevation are very nice but have had many quality control issues at the factory and long term durability issues as well.
The next level you have the Dutchmen Voltage, KZ has a decent toyhauler, and the Jayco Seismic. These "look" very nice and have nice features, but base construction quality is low...many, many problems. I was sold on the Voltage because of the nice features, looks, etc. until I spent about 2 months finding out how poorly they are constructed as well as how cheap some of the features are (like a real cheap mattress), poor tie-downs in the garage area...mounted to the plywood floor and not the frame. High quality toyhaulers have tie-downs mounted to the frame.
Most on here have new units less than 2 years old, haven't had them long enough to experience the problems that poor quality construction will show.

Do your homework!!!...Good Luck

SDCOToyhaul · 02-25-2015, 09:57 PM

Own a 2013 Keystone Cougar toy hauler. Have had it almost 1 year and have pulled it in SD from the Black Hills to the flats of eastern SD and then through Nebraska. Also have pulled it over the Colorado Vail pass and on other higher terrain in Co. I feel it pulls very well and have towed on narrow winding passes as well as in rain and strong winds. Electric brakes work well also. No problems except slide control panel which was replaced by my dealer. Did remodel the stair up into bed and bath. Made 3 steps instead of two. Have also had it in SD when temps were near zero and snow. Stayed warm and no drafts. All in all, very satisfied.

USMC0331 · 03-11-2015, 12:13 PM

We have a 2008 Raptor 3612 and use it a lot
At least every weekend and several week long trips
Haul dirt bikes and a golf cart in it for motocross racing
Everything on ours has been excellent, we upgraded to 6 volt batteries and heavy duty tires after first set was worn.
Generator and all electrical has been great and we just keep up on regular maintenance
We had a newmar pusher before this and of course no comparison to quality on the inside but my raptor is a 30k rig and the pusher is 100k so apples to oranges.
Inspect anything u go look at real well, I think it's great to look at a rig at someone's home if u can.....how they take care of everything is a good indicator of how hauler was cared for.....

C130 · 04-10-2015, 03:47 PM

We have a 2011 Fuzion 322 Touring Edition III and love it and it's been excellent so far. I am extremely picky and take care of my stuff and also keep it stored inside a fully enclosed storage unit. I think leaving RV's outside is absolutely terrible for them and causes lots of issues. I guess you pay one way or the other though as storing it inside is very expensive. I'd buy another one if that says anything but I think the Cyclone, Fuzion, Raptors, Voltage are all comparable.

I think all these trailers, unless you get in to the very high end units which I've never owned, have to be well taken care of and not treated rough. They are not brick and mortar homes and definitely not built for any abuse but if taken care of they do fine. My sister and brother in law have young kids that don't behave and don't take of anything. They treat their trailer like crap, slam the doors, etc. and they constantly have trouble with it and it stays in the shop half the time. Then, they complain about it all the time and say it's a piece of junk. I'm not saying they don't give any trouble if taken care of and the craftsmanship definitely need some improvement but the Fuzion is a great toy hauler. I know lots of people with Raptors also and overall they are happy. Now, if people plan of full timing in these level of toy haulers I think it's better to go high end but then you spend double the amount or close to it.

Bigg-limo · 04-13-2015, 04:09 PM

Have a '12 Fuzion 3999

jesilvas · 04-14-2015, 05:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by garypolzin

looking to buy a keystone what are your thoughts.

In the line up of the main three, Forest River, Jayco, and Keystone, I'd rate Keystone at the bottom (worst) as far as dumb things and bad designs I've seen from the factory.

raineman · 04-16-2015, 11:24 AM

I have a 2014 Raptor and have to disagree with people calling them low quality. We looked at several brands and the Raptor was above everything we looked for quality and finish except the Momentum. So far we use it about 3 weekends a month without any issues and love it.

Maybe the people with bad things to say about Keystone had a lemon and or a bad dealer? I am not aware of any RV company that has not had quality control issues at one time or another.

Bigg-limo · 04-16-2015, 09:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesilvas

In the line up of the main three, Forest River, Jayco, and Keystone, I'd rate Keystone at the bottom (worst) as far as dumb things and bad designs I've seen from the factory.

I'm sorry that I didn't give my thoughts. As stated,...the dumbest things and worst designs from the factory is what I agree with. I have to go through and inspect my trailer at least every other trip. I've fixed most of what was wrong, but still have some issues. Mine is a Fuzion 399, lol.