Happy with the quality?

bobbyg123 · 11-07-2007, 05:42 PM

I know this is broad question, but we are strongly considering purchasing a flagstaff/rockwood TT within the next year and I'm curious how you owners feel about their quality. We have 19 month old twin boys, so I'm obviously concerned about the durability and the longevity of an ultralight TT.

How many years can someone expect to get out of one of these units? My wife would be the first to tell you that I am "one of those" type A Dad's who is meticulous about everything he owns. I flawlessly maintain my vehicles and don't eat or drink in them. Your first TT is such a tough decision. We're not an ultra wealthy family, but at the same time I don't expect to use the same TT for over 10 years. What I would like to expect is that we'll get 6-8 years of durable, reliable quality when our boys are from (say) 2-10 years old. After that, we'll something bigger to get us through the teen years. LOL

Seriously thought, can these ultralight's hold up for 10 years if maintained properly even if they're stored outside?

Thanks in advance.

MRimmer · 11-07-2007, 05:49 PM

We love our unit and I would think 10 years is no problem at all if maintained properly.

Maintainence is the key on any brand of RV. Maintain and enjoy or sit back and watch it fall apart.

Our's is a 2004 and I have had one screw back out on a drawer slide and we until this year (family health) use it atleast two times per month and have traveled many miles.

Back to the lake in two weeks for us.

Welcome to our site.

Mike

powerboatr · 11-07-2007, 06:02 PM

we have been living in ours since july of 05, FULL TIME
lets see what got broke by me

5 heater vents registers, replaced em with ones of what appeared to be a more durable material, i broke them to so now i resolve myself to just having a few back ups and replace em as i step on em.

we did remove the entire shower glass doors and reseal them with a poly sulfide sealant that BONDS more if it gets wet, unlike the silicone that was used from the factory and just wouldnt stop leaking/seaping

this being said i did look at a few other fr brands yesterday whilst looking over a new 36rlts to see if any thing changed i maight want to do
the rockwoods i was surprised at pretty good fit and finish and floorplans, but a few also had alot of rough edges and SEE holes under things and open wire chases.

we are pretty much loonatics about fit/finish and keep it clean, ( we have a big dog that SHEDS)
overall i have been very pleased with our cedar creek and every time i look at something else i am really happy.

even class A pushers.

aintgotnun · 11-07-2007, 06:32 PM

to FRF!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRimmer

Maintainence is the key on any brand of RV. Maintain and enjoy or sit back and watch it fall apart.

I agree completely with what Mike said.

A well maintained RV no matter the brand or style can last well over 10 years. My inlaws until recently had a Skamper TT for over 25 years.

greg

bobbyg123 · 11-07-2007, 06:55 PM

Thanks a lot everyone. I didn't realize that was first post or I would have announced it.

I'm a 40 year old "new Dad" (wife is 31), so I've been around the block a few times regarding first time purchases. I don't have false illusions regarding the durability of these things. We'll probably end up with either the 26RBSS or the 25RBSS. While only 27'-29', I know that a rig of that size will be plenty of room for us until our kids get 8-10 years old. Best of all, these models are light enough to be pulled my 2007 Ford F150 5.4L XLT. (Yea, yea yea, I know a V10 would be better) lol My goal is to purchase the biggest lightweight TT we can tow and be comfortable in for 6-8 years. I've already learned from sites like this to avoid going the PUP, small TT, bigger TT trade up conveyor belt that most new campers climb on.

I'm glad to hear that your units have held up over time. I will maintain the heck of whatever TT we get, and Mom (whom I call the hammer) will make SURE that the little ones obey certain TT rules. We don't wear our shoes in our home, so applying that principle to the TT will be easy. We are totally excited about this new chapter in our lives. We're planning on attending all 3 major Pacific NW RV shows this winter and making a decision by this time next year at the latest. I know that time frame seems drawn out, but I want our kids to get another 6 months older and I also want to make sure I'm prepared to tow safely, store the unit somewhere, and have everything in order before we buy. I told you I was type A.

Thanks again!

NDJollyMon · 11-07-2007, 07:14 PM

Welcome.

welshman599 · 11-07-2007, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobbyg123

Thanks a lot everyone. I didn't realize that was first post or I would have announced it.

I'm a 40 year old "new Dad" (wife is 31), so I've been around the block a few times regarding first time purchases. I don't have false illusions regarding the durability of these things. We'll probably end up with either the 26RBSS or the 25RBSS. While only 27'-29', I know that a rig of that size will be plenty of room for us until our kids get 8-10 years old. Best of all, these models are light enough to be pulled my 2007 Ford F150 5.4L XLT. (Yea, yea yea, I know a V10 would be better) lol My goal is to purchase the biggest lightweight TT we can tow and be comfortable in for 6-8 years. I've already learned from sites like this to avoid going the PUP, small TT, bigger TT trade up conveyor belt that most new campers climb on.

I'm glad to hear that your units have held up over time. I will maintain the heck of whatever TT we get, and Mom (whom I call the hammer) will make SURE that the little ones obey certain TT rules. We don't wear our shoes in our home, so applying that principle to the TT will be easy. We are totally excited about this new chapter in our lives. We're planning on attending all 3 major Pacific NW RV shows this winter and making a decision by this time next year at the latest. I know that time frame seems drawn out, but I want our kids to get another 6 months older and I also want to make sure I'm prepared to tow safely, store the unit somewhere, and have everything in order before we buy. I told you I was type A.

Thanks again!

One suggestion as you make your decision (welcome by the way). If you see things that seems weaker than they really should be, list them and discuss it with your dealer (kind of as a "here are things we'd like taken care of if we buy this" discussion). For example, when we were looking at ours, we noticed that the front fascia on the upper bunk was held with just three screws covered with upholstered buttons. That is too few over a 6' board that tends to get crawled over repeatedly so we asked the dealer if he could arrange to have two more screws, covered with the same buttons, installed. No problem and no charge. Now it will hold up for years.

Upgrading the mattress is also an often easy thing to arrange to make the sale and will give you a longer lasting and more comfortable bed.

An item we didnt notice at that time was the construction of the desk/makeup area of the Master bedroom - laminate over particle board secured at back and sides but sagged in front with moisture/humidity. If we had noticed, we would have asked that the dealer install an 1x2" oak strip underneath as support (as other models have). We ended up doing that ourselves and it was easy but the dealer would have taken care of it if we had asked (in fact offered me the oak when we asked about it.) Anyway the point is, small weaknesses can be solved quite easily (and cheaply) to make the sale.

milzat · 11-08-2007, 06:43 AM

Welcome to the forums, bobbyg123.

bobbyg123 · 11-08-2007, 12:41 PM

Hey Milzat,

Thanks for welcome. How well does your Chevy pull your 8315? I just purchased a new 2007 Ford F150 5.4L V8, and the guys at Ford (service, not sales) swear that I won't have any trouble with a 31' ultralight, but I'm not so sure.

Thanks.

milzat · 11-08-2007, 06:38 PM

The Z-71 tows well. No problems.
Of course, the Terran is mostly flat down here with low grade hills. I'm sure your Ford will do fine. Reason being, I've driven a friend's F-150, 5.4L, towing about the same load and seems to have a little more power than my Chevy.

Haven't weighed the 8315SS, but after hearing from others with a similar TT, I'm thinking it's around 6650 lbs, ready to camp. Will scale it when I get the chance.

bobbyg123 · 11-08-2007, 07:09 PM

The 32' length concerns me more than the weight. Our kids are small, and there's no way we'll come close to exceeding 6,500lbs for the foreseeable future. My wheel base on the Ford is only around 140", but my service dealer said it shouldn't be an issue. Frankly, I'll probably rent a trailer this summer just to check it out.

I'm 40 years old, and the days of thinking I'm a cowboy are long gone. I'll take her slow, and probably not even fill the water tanks until we get close to our destination. Living is Seattle, we do have a mountain pass (snoqualmie pass/cascade mountains) to negotiate from time to time, but snow will never be an issue and the pass in nicely divided with 3-4 lanes in each direction during the steep grades. If I'm doing 50, I'll move right. LOL

CampDetective · 12-10-2007, 04:38 PM

I have the 2007 F150 with the 5.4 in the Lariat trim, depends on the wheel base and size of wheels but they are rated to tow a max trailer weight (now this is with all the proper equipment, i.e. wght dist bars, sway control, etc. etc.) between 9100 and 11000 lbs. Is yours a reg, super or crew cab. I tow a 27' Flagstaff (2006 model) that gross is 6,497 lbs and don't have a bit of trouble. Shoot with the Forest River models the 31 footers don't weigh 8000 lbs gross, so you should not have any worries.

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