Travel trailer quality

[catrutt]

What is the best built trailer ? Have been looking at new ones and man they sure look slapped together.

 

[pfi572]

Arctic Fox seem to be the better ones since the Canadian manufacturing shut down if looking at new .
A good used Citation trailer is tough to beat but heavy .
Owned a couple of them and very well built.
Kustom Coach , Triple EEE built a pretty trailer as well .

 

[Hoehand79]

Check out jayco on YouTube they have cheaper trailers built from scratch to finished in 11 minutes or some crap lol

 

[teamdirt]

I’m on my 3rd unit. You buy new you will most likely encounter problems that need to be figured out...nature of the beast...I’m practically a RV tech these days...lol

I really liked my Grand Design for the features added and warranty pledge. Had a Denali that was ok and now have moved onto an Arctic Fox Truck camper I love.

I’d say most are slapped together with Cardboard...

 

[LUCKY 7]

I talked with a RV repairman and he says keep away from Jayco as they are junk. But did say most Coachman trailers are good trailers. Also say to buy a soft wall trailer as they are easier to repair when crap happens and it will happen

 

[Beer Slayer]

What is the best built trailer ? Have been looking at new ones and man they sure look slapped together.

I believe that's why they call 'em "sticks and staples".
I'm looking for a small toy hauler...so far I've just checked out Coleman, Grey Wolf and KZ.

 

[maxwell]

ive been wanting a new Trailer for some time now. But im just having a hard time when my 1999 Nash has out performed and outlasted all of my friends new units. Shes heavy but like they say, they just dont build them like they used too.

But this is good info thanks

 

[DRD]

I talked with a RV repairman and he says keep away from Jayco as they are junk. But did say most Coachman trailers are good trailers. Also say to buy a soft wall trailer as they are easier to repair when crap happens and it will happen

I had an 05 Jayco that was excellent, just sold it last year so dunno? I did do a roof after a branch punched a hole in it, typical 2/2's and staples like all the rest. They are pretty much all garbage IMO. Arctic Fox is supposed to be better but I had a 10' slide in camper that sucked so kinda neutral on them as well.

 

[ferniesnow]

Outdoor RV in Oregon make a decent trailer (there are lots on the lots in Canada). The comment above about the "soft wall" I wouldn't worry about. How many have had to repair a trailer wall. The hard shell plastics seem to be the thing to use these days. They sure clean up nice and look sleek.

https://outdoorsrvmfg.com

 

[blubbles]

In older trailers, the ones made by Peak Performance (Vanguard etc) were very well made in alberta

In newer/current trailers, ones made by Northwood. So Arctic Fox and Nash seem to be the best made.

 

[Cdnfireman]

In older trailers, the ones made by Peak Performance (Vanguard etc) were very well made in alberta

In newer/current trailers, ones made by Northwood. So Arctic Fox and Nash seem to be the best made.

Agreed.... Arctic fox, Nash, outdoors rv.....built well but heavier....not really made for pulling with half ton.... I have an Arctic fox 25p and it weighs about 7k empty.....

 

[armascott]

We have a 2013 Coachmen Freedom Express I bought it a couple years old and it has held up very well. We do a fair bit of bush camping and travel down gravel / lease roads often. Like others have mentioned I wouldn’t buy new, if you do buy new anticipate dealing with issues that will pop up the first summer as the dealers are too busy in the summer to deal with warranty issues.

 

[teamdirt]

I will say- don’t keep these things to long. they depreciate like crazy after year 3-4. I’ve turned a couple over at a Depreciation cost of 2-300 a month of ownership. On to the next. Makes sense at that price. Furthermore I’ve been lucky on purchase price as my buddy owns a dealership and I bought them 20-30% less asking....u are hosed if ur buying at retail!

 

[rknight111]

You will find most trailers have axle problems right from the day you get them. Undersized axles are common. You get your gear loaded in and your overloaded. I advise you to take it to Fleet Brake or a reputable repair shop and have them checked out. I had this problem on my first trailer, then my second one, and had them all fixed on the manufactures dime, rather than mine. My first unit was a keystone springdale and that was junk, took it out for first trip, by the time I got home tires were very warn on the outside edges. Ended up the water tank was resting on the axle when full and caused lots of issues. Cost me about 1800 to fix. No help from dealer or manufacture. Second trailer axles were a problem again but I included this in the deal and took it to McCoys which is now Fleet Brake.

My advise, look at tires right away, if its a used trailer, and the tires are new, WHY? this may have the same issue.

 

[overkill19]

They are all junk! It just depends on the level of junk you can live with.
I’ve had 2 Arctic fox , 1 Open Range, and now 1 Grand Design

My Af was great but the olds dealer was chit, which has changed hands now. The open range was pure junk, we used it have a summer and sold it.
A good dealer can really go along way.
My Momentum has been great so far and Woodys has been great.
Trailers are selling high due to the increase of sales right now as with slow replacement from factors due to c19.
My sister bought her 2017 for $26000 and just sold it for $22000!

 

[blubbles]

They are all junk! It just depends on the level of junk you can live with.
I’ve had 2 Arctic fox , 1 Open Range, and now 1 Grand Design

My Af was great but the olds dealer was chit, which has changed hands now. The open range was pure junk, we used it have a summer and sold it.
A good dealer can really go along way.
My Momentum has been great so far and Woodys has been great.
Trailers are selling high due to the increase of sales right now as with slow replacement from factors due to c19.
My sister bought her 2017 for $26000 and just sold it for $22000!

Buddies just sold a 03 17' Hybrid trailer for 8k, 57 Kijiji replies in the first hour. Mind blowing.

On the quality end Its for this reason that I struggle to get rid of my 06 Vanguard, its built like a brick ****house, and handles nothing but crap roads like a champ.

 

[09 arctic cat m8]

Jayco makes a good solid unit anything before 2016 was decent I like older units in the 90s was when they we’re made to last, anything like mallard or fleetwood is junk I’m sure now a days most are, but they sure look good hitched up to that 1 ton diesel

 

[Lunch_Box]

Like others have said they are all junk. I have a 2015 Raptor bought new and I would never go with a Keystone product again, buddy has a Fuzion and a ton of issues as well. Once you look past the fluff to make it look pretty you will see how poorly built most trailers are. Pretty sad considering what they charge for the higher end ones. And with only a 1 year manufactures warranty and the short camping season its hard to have all the bugs worked out before warranty it up. I have been looking into getting a different trailer and if I was to buy one now it would be the Momentum by Grand Designs, only company that I know of that has a 3 year warranty instead of 1. Also make sure you buy from a good dealer, if you have any warranty issues you need to take it back to the dealer you purchased it from. Unless thats changed over the years.

 

[ABMax24]

We had a 2018 Keystone Hideout 281dbs fifth wheel. I liked the trailer floorplan design, but it was thrown together with Chinese made junk parts. Oven gas valve rarely worked, bathtub cracked, numerous defects in the roof sealant, they never even bothered to sweep the roof before putting on the membrane, staples and such poking through. Soft spungy floor. Garbage Suburban appliances. Loud water pump. Undersized gray water tank. Interior trim always falling off. Undersized 12 volt wiring. Manual adjusting brakes. The furnace was junk, they ducted it with way too small of ducting and it barely blew warm air and constantly tripped the over-temp on it causing the burner to always cycle on and off. The tires it came with weren't even rated for the 5000 lb axles it had. We actually lost this trailer in a fire at the dealer a month ago, of course in the service department where it spent a lot of it's time. I often joked that I didn't have to store it, I'd use it for a weekend and drop it off for more repair work and would pick it up the next time we needed it.

We replaced that trailer with a 2020 Jayco Eagle HT 29.5 BHOK fifth wheel. This trailer is built so much better than the Keystone, 5/8" plywood floors, better insulation, higher quality Dometic and Furrion appliances. More storage space, higher amperage converter, solar prep, bigger copper 12 volt wiring, proper heating system, way quieter AC unit. 16" aluminum rims and Good-year tires, greaseable suspension, self-adjusting brakes. So far our only issue is the water tank gauge quit working our first trip, that and I'm going to get them to adjust the big slide, it's out a 1/4", most people won't see it but it bugs me. I could do without the fancy water control station and the cable operated valves, but that's fine. The 2 year limited and 3 year structural warranty sold us on it, everything else around here is 1/3 year warranty.

When looking we also really liked the grand design trailers, but the model we were comparing to our Jayco was $10k more, and really only offered double pane windows as an upgrade over ours. I don't like how grand design has cheaped out and ran the heating through the roof ducts. Heat rises, heat ducts belong in the floor.

My parents also own a 2017 Coachmen Freedom travel trailer. It's more basic, but so far it's been extremely reliable for them, they've towed it a lot of places in western Canada including up the Dempster highway to Tuktoyaktuk, they've even wore out a set of tires in 4 years of owning it, and not due to bad axles or alignment, simply that many miles put on. The price on those units is also really hard to beat.

The key is to pick a good dealer, for me I like the Jayco dealer the best, although our Grand Design dealer is good as well.

 

[teamdirt]

I have been looking into getting a different trailer and if I was to buy one now it would be the Momentum by Grand Designs, only company that I know of that has a 3 year warranty instead of 1. Also make sure you buy from a good dealer, if you have any warranty issues you need to take it back to the dealer you purchased it from. Unless thats changed over the years.

thats the beauty of the Grand Design. Inorder to sell them you must honour there warranty pledge which allows you to take it to any Grand Design dealer and the dealer must service you promptly and efficiently.

Mine broke down on Vancouver island, took it to a dealer in Victoria area and it was fixed that day upon arrival and back out the door to us by nightfall!