Looking at a Flagstaff...

[john q publik]

Hello, new travel trailer shoppers here in NJ looking for any and all info we can get our hands on before making our first travel trailer purchase. We are looking at a 2005 Forest River FLAGSTAFF 26BHSS. Seems like it would be a decent fit for us. Anything anyone can tell us about these would be of great assistance in our research.


Thanks in advance for your help.

[capucine]

The most important thing to check I think is delamination of the panels. If you look carefully for deformation in the fiberglass panels that can spell for major expenditures. If you see this problem stay away from this trailer. There are many others points to check on a used trailer but this one is the problem that will say to you: dont buy it! delamination is very expensive to fix and only new replacement panels is the cure that will cost more than the price you paid for the transaction.

[capucine]

jOHN: ANOTHER THING i FORGOT TO MENTION IS THE TIRES. CHECK THE WEARING PATTERN ON THAT TRAILER. SOMETIMES THERE IS SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE AXLES TRACKING PROBLEMS. IF THERE IS SOME CUPPING ON THE SIDE I WOULD BE CAUTIOUS AND IF THIS TRAILER HAS BRAND NEW TIRES IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THE SELLER IS TRYING TO HIDE SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE TIRES. DONT FORGET TO HAVE A LOOK AT THE ROOF WITH A STEP LADDER. CHECK THE MENBRANE . GOOD LUCK AND LET US KAOW WHAT YOU DECIDED.

[tom50mg]

Hi John,we purchased our 06 F/R 8528 BHSS,similar to yours this past July,I had the dealer install new tires and replace a couple decals with the purchase,we put about 6,000 miles on it,over three trips,we are very happy with the 5er and would recommend it.I pull it with a 08 F-150 Super Crew,5.4 L,with a super slider hitch.I also added an extra leaf to the rear springs to level it out a bit more.

[wayne anthony]

With the problems I had (maybe still have) with a new trailer, you might be alot better off getting the used one. I know I would never buy a new one again (at my age won't get another one, period). Maybe when I sell mine in another couple of years, the new buyer might think he getting a good trailer. Wayne

[john q publik]

Thanks for the info guys. Being as this will be our first travel trailer, I would like to make as informed a decision as I can.

capucine...how and where specifically do I examine for this delamination, inside, outside, joints, etc.?? And I will check the tires when we go back to look at it again, though being a mechanic I am no stranger to cupped tire wear and its causes.

Tom50mg...it sounds like yours is a fifth wheel? If so, how would that compare to what to look for on this tow behind unit??

Not trying to be smart, just new at travel trailers and want to learn as much as I can about what to check out prior to laying out the cash.

Thanks

[capucine]

Delamination shows like bubbles on the fiberglass and large sections that are bulging. Check around the baggage doors and the front . Delamination also shows around the windows area. On the inside check the floor for soft spots. Since these floors are using the same concept than the walls delamination occurs also there because of a leak that occured in a wall section. Let us know what you decided.

[john q publik]

OK. thanks for that. We're gonna go take another look at it this weekend and look it over as thoroughly as possible. It is at a RV dealer who is the largest in the area, so who knows. One other question on it....the slide out contains the kitchen. I was wondering if there are any issues I need to be concerned about regarding what would necessarily be the flexible pluming to and from the sink, and stove/oven?

[Hud33]

We just purchased a 2004 Flagstaff 26BHSS. Ours had been well maintained by a flight mechanic. Main things to check for are delamination, seams caulking maintainance (not old and cracking), roof solid with no soft spots, and any evidence of water damage on the inside.

The 26BHSS is a great floorplan with plenty of room for a family and still light enough to tow with an SUV.

[cardwellmarty]

There was mention is this thread about tire problems, I recently purchased a Flagstaff TT, it has signs on fender skirts that a tire has blown out on both sides of trailer, it was pulled 50 miles to my residents with no problems, I know there is no way of telling could have been old tires, low tire pressure, but what should I look for to double check if there is a problem? Could I measure from center of both axles on each side to determine if axles are out of align or some other way?

[rsdata]

cardwellmarty

blown tires on TT are fairly common... search "china bombs" in this forum

TT manufacturers typically use the cheapest tires they can find that will just barely handle the load expected in the TT... therefore many owners purchase higher grade and higher load range tires almost immediately after they take possession... other owners do not, and often a year or two down the road they have tires blowing out, and some have significant damage to the TT as a result of having these blowouts.

Look for a sticker on the TT that documents the GVWR... the most weight that the trailer will handle. Then look at the tires and determine the size. You can then look up the weight that a tire will handle at a specific air PSI. Example: I looked this up on etrailer.com and I find...

ST205/75R14 Radial Trailer Tire
Tire capacity:
Load range: C
Ply rating: 6
Maximum load: 1,760 lbs at 50 psi

So 4 of these tires would handle a GVWR of 1760 X 4 = 7,040 pounds at full tire pressure.

If your trailer sticker says GVWR is 6500# (just an example) then you have about 500# of reserve capacity on the tires at full tire pressure of 50 PSI. Should an owner let a pressure get less then 50 PSI, say it got down to 30# then the tire is compromised and will probably blow prematurely while under stress on the road.

Bearing these numbers in mind, an owner will often opt for a higher load range tire, like maybe a D range which will give a higher load rating, up to 2040# per tire... 2040 X 4 = 8160 pounds tires will handle or over 1500# of reserve capacity at full tire pressure, or a 1000# more reserve than the same size load range C tires.

In conclusion... the indication that a TT has had previous blowouts is not damning. However, do some math on what tires are on the unit now and conclude if they are as safe as you would like them to be. Doing some cross measuring of the tires on the axles might also be wise just in case that might have been a problem.

[cardwellmarty]

rsdata this is good information, thanks for going the extra to be very helpful.

[cardwellmarty]

Look for soft spots in the floor and on top of the roof at end caps, skylights and vents. Just because a trailer is on a RV lot for sale doesn't mean any or all repairs have been done, sorry to say by my experiences it's left up to the buyer to find any damage.

[FlagstaffT23FBSOwner]

We are selling our 2015 Flagstaff T23 FBS $17950. In some ways better than new! We are going bigger don't have to use SUV.