Wildcat Maxx 262

[goduc]

Looking at a Wildcat Maxx 262 5th wheel 2018 new. Left over I guess.
I know this is a forest River forum so I expect some bias answers, but are most Wildcat Maxx owners fairly satisfied or disgruntled?
I have a Northwood Fox Mountain I may be trading in. It's been for the most part rock solid for 6 seasons.
Like they say "If it ain't broke don't fix it". We want something a little larger with bigger tanks so we're looking. I'm on the fence about parting with 'old reliable' and going new again.
Appreciate your answers.

[Kimber45]

cant speak for wild cat. just remember if you pull the trigger 20's will be out very soon and it will be two model years old. be sure to get a good mark down clearance price.

[SeventyGTX]

Originally Posted by goduc

Looking at a Wildcat Maxx 262 5th wheel 2018 new. Left over I guess.
I know this is a forest River forum so I expect some bias answers, but are most Wildcat Maxx owners fairly satisfied or disgruntled?
I have a Northwood Fox Mountain I may be trading in. It's been for the most part rock solid for 6 seasons.
Like they say "If it ain't broke don't fix it". We want something a little larger with bigger tanks so we're looking. I'm on the fence about parting with 'old reliable' and going new again.
Appreciate your answers.

We have a 2016 262RGX and are pretty happy with it after some fairly major $$$ spent on upgrades and fixing some assembly issues. Since ours came with that Navy gray front cap, it started fading as they all do. Forest River ignored my request for help since it was out of warranty, so spent $2600 having it professionally painted two-tone like the 2017's. I don't think that will be an issue with 2018's.

Another large expense was we replaced the folding couch and chair with a home style Lazyboy loveseat recliner and rocker. MUCH more comfortable, although no fold out bed now. Also fixed some goofy assembly stuff. The kitchen sink faucet head would only pull down about 4 inches, so I got under the sink from the trash bin side and relocated the hose mount as it was hitting a wood divider under there.

Then there was the fuse for the landing gear. It popped one time and I could not find the fuse box. But I would here a clicking under the hallway floor. So I got in the main storage compartment and traced it behind a partition. I removed the partition, replaced the fuse, then cut a hole in it for easy access for if/when it blows again.

One of shower door frames started coming apart where the two meet. I pulled it off and used clear silicone to reattach it. Had to replace the heating element in the Dometic fridge last year. Pretty simple with the help of the internet. In fact I carry a spare now.

Since ours came with 15" rims and cheap Chinabomb tires, I bought 16" rims and Goodyear Endurance tires. Mainly for peace of mind, plus raised the rig up a couple inches which helped level it to my truck. Some come with 16's already so you may not have to worry about that.

Ours has the "Garden Room" with table and chairs instead of a booth. Since it has that option, it has four long vertical windows, which are tough to open and close at times. In fact I got on the forum tonight to see if anyone has a secret to free them up.

Also removed the 3 entry steps that it came with and replaced it with an aluminum 4 step version. The wife thought she had to step too high on the old ones, although they didn't bother me.

Overall we love the rig, especially after replacing the horrid furniture ours came with. The 2018's may be better, but I have no idea. My wife absolutely loves the huge rear kitchen counter and overall layout. The only thing I wish it had, is a couple of drawers in the bedroom. But for the relative small size it is, you can't have everything.

[goduc]

Originally Posted by SeventyGTX

We have a 2016 262RGX and are pretty happy with it after some fairly major $$$ spent on upgrades and fixing some assembly issues. Since ours came with that Navy gray front cap, it started fading as they all do. Forest River ignored my request for help since it was out of warranty, so spent $2600 having it professionally painted two-tone like the 2017's. I don't think that will be an issue with 2018's.

Another large expense was we replaced the folding couch and chair with a home style Lazyboy loveseat recliner and rocker. MUCH more comfortable, although no fold out bed now. Also fixed some goofy assembly stuff. The kitchen sink faucet head would only pull down about 4 inches, so I got under the sink from the trash bin side and relocated the hose mount as it was hitting a wood divider under there.

Then there was the fuse for the landing gear. It popped one time and I could not find the fuse box. But I would here a clicking under the hallway floor. So I got in the main storage compartment and traced it behind a partition. I removed the partition, replaced the fuse, then cut a hole in it for easy access for if/when it blows again.

One of shower door frames started coming apart where the two meet. I pulled it off and used clear silicone to reattach it. Had to replace the heating element in the Dometic fridge last year. Pretty simple with the help of the internet. In fact I carry a spare now.

Since ours came with 15" rims and cheap Chinabomb tires, I bought 16" rims and Goodyear Endurance tires. Mainly for peace of mind, plus raised the rig up a couple inches which helped level it to my truck. Some come with 16's already so you may not have to worry about that.

Ours has the "Garden Room" with table and chairs instead of a booth. Since it has that option, it has four long vertical windows, which are tough to open and close at times. In fact I got on the forum tonight to see if anyone has a secret to free them up.

Also removed the 3 entry steps that it came with and replaced it with an aluminum 4 step version. The wife thought she had to step too high on the old ones, although they didn't bother me.

Overall we love the rig, especially after replacing the horrid furniture ours came with. The 2018's may be better, but I have no idea. My wife absolutely loves the huge rear kitchen counter and overall layout. The only thing I wish it had, is a couple of drawers in the bedroom. But for the relative small size it is, you can't have everything.

Wow, thats not really the stuff I was looking for. I was hoping the Wildcats were like most and just needed some minor tweaking after purchase.

[SeventyGTX]

Originally Posted by goduc

Wow, thats not really the stuff I was looking for. I was hoping the Wildcats were like most and just needed some minor tweaking after purchase.

I was not trying to make it sound like these are junk. Like I said, overall we are happy with it and love the layout. Its possible they improved the furniture on 2018's, you would have to see for yourself if you like it. Repainting the nose was my decision and the problems were only with the gray caps pre-2017. I just like to keep my stuff looking nice.

With tires and wheels, 16's were an option and if ours came with it, I probably would have just upgraded to better tires. As far as assembly issues, none of the them we had were really out of the norm with new RV's. The only thing that has really failed us was the heating element in the fridge. That is not a Wildcat issue, that was a Dometic issue.

So basically most of it is just minor tweaking like the shower door, remote fuse box or kitchen faucet hose. Everything I fixed myself since the dealer is hours away. Unless you go real high end, they are all going to have some things to address after purchase.

[RSchleder]

We own a 2016 T28RKX travel trailer and it's the best RV we've ever owned. To provide some prospective, we've owned 12 RV's ranging from Class A diesel pushers to a Jayco popup and most everything in between. Yes, like "all" RV owners buying a new unit, we've had a few problems that needed sorting out but once we took care of those issues, it's been trouble free for the past 2 1/2 years. Highly recommend the MAXX trailers.

PS- we did change out the Chinese tires and the 2 stuffed rockers. Found 2 nice replacement Lazy Boy recliners that fit nicely into the floor plan and are very comfortable.

[mwheue]

I have a 2016 262 RGX and have been very happy with it. I had a issue with the Kitchen faucet hanging up like SeventyGTX did and used the same fix.
Furniture could be better, I also put in two lazy boy recliners.
Mine came with 16" rims and good tires.
I also had a slide out fuse blow, like SeventyGTX found the fuse under the stairs and made a hole with cover for easy access. Fuse was blown when I bought it and has not been a issue since.
My ac quit putting out cold air after the first season and Dometic sent me a new unit. I installed it myself in about a hour.
I have owned two travel trailers and this is my third fifth wheel and they have all have there issues at some point in time. I think the Wildcat Maxx is a good trailer at their price point and of decent quality.

[High Desert]

I was the original owner of the unit SeventyGTX owns now and told him that the furniture in the living room was just absolutely miserable. The trifold bed (sofa) is a good way to end a relationship and is probably one of the most miserable things I ever slept on! SeventyGTX did an excellent job with his upgrades and got the unit dialed in the way it should have been originally. The other thing I think is misleading, to me, about the unit is that it is shown as "towable by a 1/2 ton truck". I would not even think about trying that as I used a 1 ton diesel, and SeventyGTX has a Dodge 3/4 ton diesel, as I recall for towing the unit. The bedroom was nice and the bed was very comfortable, but you could not get into the closets with the slide in. Plenty of cabinet space in the kitchen area for storage, too.

[MrE]

My wife loves the coach because it has the garden windows and rear kitchen. We stay at the Malibu RV park and the view out the window is breathtaking. As with all coaches unless you purchase a million dollar unit you will have some minor problems. We have over 10000 mi on ours with few problems. The only tire problem was in front of our house I rolled a small bolt into the sidewall of the tire. replaced the spare and put the new tire on that rim. Use at least a 3/4 ton truck. Use lots of window spray on the garden windows, all 5 of the vertical windows should be opened and lubed each trip. Open the window prior to lube. Remember your coach in an earthquake every time you move it

[SeventyGTX]

Originally Posted by MrE

My wife loves the coach because it has the garden windows and rear kitchen. We stay at the Malibu RV park and the view out the window is breathtaking. As with all coaches unless you purchase a million dollar unit you will have some minor problems. We have over 10000 mi on ours with few problems. The only tire problem was in front of our house I rolled a small bolt into the sidewall of the tire. replaced the spare and put the new tire on that rim. Use at least a 3/4 ton truck. Use lots of window spray on the garden windows, all 5 of the vertical windows should be opened and lubed each trip. Open the window prior to lube. Remember your coach in an earthquake every time you move it

Our little dog (miniature Dachshund) at about 10" high also loves the garden windows as she too can she what's going on outside.

I use WD-40 dry lube our windows and it works well. I think I will try 3 in 1 next time.

Agreed on the 3/4 ton truck even though it is 1/2 ton rated. Diesel if you have to deal with mountains which we are surrounded by here in the high Nevada desert.