Looking at 8289WS

Appalachian Ed · 11-13-2015, 11:53 AM

What a great forum for a person like myself looking to purchase my first TT. I am a real newbie to this but my DW and I are very excited to hit the national parks.

We are considering putting a down payment on a 2015 Rockwood 2829WS Fifth wheel tomorrow. It has the Diamond package and being a 2015 we feel we are getting a good deal compared to other TT's we have seen. Main competitor is a Cougar Ultra-Lite. Probably a silly question on a Rockwood forum, but is the Rockwood brand good compared to Cougar (Keystone)?

Any suggestions for things I need to be vigilant in checking during my walk through?

Advice for purchasing the right supplemental needs the first time wold be very helpful.

Is it hard to find repair if needed on the road away from home? Good/Bad chains I should be aware of?

BTW, I have a 2009 F-250 to haul it. Yes it is gas but I believe it should be okay for this trailer (about 8300 lbs before cargo)

I have a lot to learn but man am I looking forward to this adventure.

Thanks for all the good advice I have already seen on this site! It is so cool that smart and experienced people are willing to take the time to help this of us with less experience.

Ed

RodeoGeorge · 11-13-2015, 12:57 PM

I'll jump in and mention that many 8289WS owners regret not having the 50 Amp service update, and the second Air Conditioner.

I don't know if the one you are looking at has those options, but something to consider, particularly if you plan on camping in hot weather.

Other than that, I think you will be pleased with the 8289WS.

RodeoGeorge

B and B · 11-13-2015, 01:34 PM

I would agree on second AC for sure, I would so additional 20 amp mod instead of 50 amp. Hauling 120 ft of 50 amp anaconda is a lot of weight compared to a 30 amp.

The F 250 Gasser will move it just fine, not the Diesel torque but stability and braking ability is there, even more payload too boot.

We love ours and enjoy the double awnings as well.

Appalachian Ed · 11-13-2015, 01:35 PM

Thanks RodeoGeorge. The 5er we are purchasing does have 50amp and second A/C in bedroom. That was one plus driving us to this trailer.

Coincidently, the Cougar we were looking at did not have the second AC. When it was priced in I was shocked to look at the details which included $435 delivery fee?

Also, I did find a great thread full of PDI suggestions. I already have a page full of items from that thread. Don't hesitate to throw any lessons learned to this newbie please.

Ed

RangeMaggotBob · 11-13-2015, 09:40 PM

That's mainly what the Diamond package is- upgrade to 50 amp and 2nd AC. There are other upgrades, but those are the main things. Well worth the extra money. We love our 8289WS and you will too! Be sure and have them show you where the water filter is; a lot of people can't seem to find it. Take your time with the PDI and take notes. You will be glad later on down the road. Don't expect everything to be perfect the first time out. It might be, and it might not be. It took us a week to figure out how to turn on the kitchen faucet, but that's a whole 'nother story. There's a lot of small things you'll learn as you go. For instance, if mud daubers get into your vents and mess things up, it can void your warranty. But nobody will tell you to buy the mud dauber screens for around five dollars. On our roof, we had covers for everything except one unit. Can't remember what it was, but cost 20 dollars for the cover. Why wasn't that one covered? We haven't got a clue, but you need to get one. Also, check the entertainment system thoroughly-ours wouldn't work at low volume, lots of static, etc. etc. We called up the manufactuer direct and they sent a new unit. Easy install. Again, lots of small stuff to watch out for. Hope you get it!

RodeoGeorge · 11-13-2015, 10:00 PM

tdst51,

I beg to differ with you, but the Diamond Package does not include the 50 Amp Service and second Air Conditioner options.

Those are separate options, not in the Diamond Package.

RodeoGeorge

See Options under the Features Tab on this Page: Rockwood Signature Ultra Lite Fifth Wheels / Travel Trailers by Forest River RV

5er_tom · 11-13-2015, 10:39 PM

Tires!! Be very wary of the load range "C" tires. They will cause you trouble.

Get a tire pressure monitoring system, change the rubber valve stems to metal stems, and upgrade to load range D tires.

Trust me. I know from personal experience with a brand new 2013 8289WS.

Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

RangeMaggotBob · 11-14-2015, 01:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RodeoGeorge

tdst51,

I beg to differ with you, but the Diamond Package does not include the 50 Amp Service and second Air Conditioner options.

Those are separate options, not in the Diamond Package.

RodeoGeorge

See Options under the Features Tab on this Page: Rockwood Signature Ultra Lite Fifth Wheels / Travel Trailers by Forest River RV

RodeoGeorge- yes, I see what you mean, but to me it's a little confusing. Everything it says that's in the Platinum pkg. we have, and we have the Diamond pkg. The way it was explained to us was the 50amp service w/additional AC unit was part of the Diamond pkg, including said Platinum pkg. But I guess that comes down to the salesman, huh? I think the 15K AC is an option by itself in place of the 13.5, but is included as a second AC in the Diamond pkg. w/ 50 amp service. I think.

RangeMaggotBob · 11-14-2015, 01:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5er_tom

Tires!! Be very wary of the load range "C" tires. They will cause you trouble.

Get a tire pressure monitoring system, change the rubber valve stems to metal stems, and upgrade to load range D tires.

Trust me. I know from personal experience with a brand new 2013 8289WS.

Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

Tom- what kind of tires did you go with? How soon after purchase did you have problems? From what I've read, a lot of people change them out right away. Did you? Thanks.

robertew · 11-14-2015, 07:42 AM

I'm glad the tire warning was added. Our first failed for no apparent reason when the unit was less than a year old. The second at less than two years old. I'd suggest going to load range E as that's what we found available on the road both times. I'm told the rims are stamped with a warning about maximum pressure of 60 pounds, so don't let the tire place inflate them to the normal 80# or so for that load range. I run mine at 65# and use a Minder, Tire Pressure monitor. When my first tire failed, there was no noticeable difference in handling. If a fellow, interstate driver hadn't pointed to the problem, I'd really had issues as we were only ten miles into a 1300 mile trip. A tire pressure monitor would have saved that day, otherwise.

nomad297 · 11-14-2015, 07:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RodeoGeorge

tdst51,

I beg to differ with you, but the Diamond Package does not include the 50 Amp Service and second Air Conditioner options.

Those are separate options, not in the Diamond Package.

RodeoGeorge

See Options under the Features Tab on this Page: Rockwood Signature Ultra Lite Fifth Wheels / Travel Trailers by Forest River RV

X2

Bruce

5er_tom · 11-14-2015, 08:35 AM

We lost a tire after about 3,000 miles, as I recall. The tire pressure sensor alerted me to the deflating tire so I was able to get off the road before the tire came apart. I had no damage. We were on I-80 west of Salt Lake City and it was hot, perhaps 95 degrees and we were rolling along about 65mph. I replaced all the tires in Wells, NV with load range E tires, as that was what the tire dealer had in stock. I then ran 70psi in the tires. However, I would have gone to LR D tires if available, as I am sure they would carry the load no problem. I do not recall the tire brand name, but I am sure they were a product of China. I had no more tire issues and we put about another 25,000 miles on that unit before we traded it.

Sent from my iPhone using Forest River Forums

Appalachian Ed · 11-14-2015, 08:47 AM

Thanks for so much good info. You folks "rock". I am not sure what comes standard for tires on this unit. Do you think it is a big enough issue to basically throw away the new tires it comes with to upgrade? That seems expensive to a man on a budget but I want to be safe and would hate to do damage to the trailer from a blowout. I saw another thread where a lot of folks are installing Goodyear D LR tires.

Ed

robertew · 11-14-2015, 08:54 AM

I would try to trade the tires. As I previously stated and was re-stated, load range E tires seem to be available on the road so I'd go to that range so if you do have a damaged tire while on the road, the replacement will match the others. Again, I don't think it's good to run the high pressure that permissible with the E tires as it's far above the rim's marked capability.

nomad297 · 11-14-2015, 09:01 AM

If you're not sure about whether or not you want a fifth wheel or a travel trailer, check out the Rockwood Windjammer 3029W. It is basically the same unit, but on a travel trailer frame. Of course, with the travel trailer version, you would lose some outside storage space and I think the refrigerator is smaller.

I really like our Windjammer 3029W, but if I was willing to give up the back of my truck, I would definitely have bought the fifth wheel.

Just a thought.

Bruce

WFD · 11-14-2015, 09:37 AM

50 amp service has nothing to do with "Diamond Package". 50 amp service is an upgrade just as the 2nd AC is. If you get a a 2nd AC then the 50 amp service is an automatic thing. There are a ton of 8289's out there in a Diamond Pkg that don't have 50 amp service. The 2nd AC is the big determining factor.
As for tires, we rode 1 season on the factory load range C's, and changed them out this year to Goodyear D's....so do you HAVE to do it right away...probably not! Depends what your travel plans are for the first year. But be very diligent about checking pressures and inspecting them. When we did change over to D's, I listed the C's for sale and a guy who had a smaller trailer on a seasonal site bought them to replace what he said were beat up tires on his trailer. So I was able to recover some of the cost of the new D's.

PhoneDude 8289 · 11-14-2015, 10:20 AM

Tires, tires, tires. Can't stress enough about replacing them ASAP. You never know how the OE tires were treated on the way to the dealer. All ST tires have a 65 MPH limit on them and need to be run at max sidewall pressure for the "C" & "D" rated tires or enough pressure for the max load of the trailer. Had a tire failure after about 1500 miles of towing our three week old 8289. I replaced all five with Maxxis 8008 10 ply, "E" rated tires, steel valve stems and had them balanced with the tire pressure monitors on them, 70 PSI all the time. I have had them on for over a year now with about 3K miles on them. There's a ton of reading about tires on this forum, you could read from now till next summer and still not finish. Our 8289WS has been a great unit except for the tire thing. We have the 50 Amp with the 2nd A/C unit in the bedroom and glad of it. Good luck in your decision.

tdidad · 11-14-2015, 03:27 PM

Be careful with the front cap! Ours has been pushed in due to an assembly issue. It spent the month of August at my RV dealer, still unresolved.

WFD · 11-14-2015, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tdidad

Be careful with the front cap! Ours has been pushed in due to an assembly issue. It spent the month of August at my RV dealer, still unresolved.

Some seem to have said in here in other posts dealing with this issue that this problem was resolved with the 2015 model? Ours has the front cap dents as well but for now we have decided to live with it as the fix seems to be hit and miss depending on the dealer doing it, and its more cosmetic than anything with me at this point...not so bad that I can't live with it.

camping baba · 11-14-2015, 05:53 PM

This may be a small item but the fan in the kitchen area should have a switch on the wall or you may need a stool to reach the switch . Check the radio volume at the low range .a fireplace is a great option to have . I can't remember if the slide toppers are in the diamond package . You may not like the blue light in the ref .Dometic replaced our's no charge . After you take del. you may want to look at the two heating outlets one in the bedroom and the one in the bathroom to reduce the amount of heat comming out .we have a 8280 and love it . Good luck with yours .

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