Forest River Surveyor 292RK 5th wheel

[Windspell]

We are brand new to RVing and purchased a 2013 Surveyor 292RK 5th wheel in August. Due to work commitments are first trip is scheduled the first week of December. I have not noticed discussions about the Surveyor 5th wheels and would love to hear opinions, advice, and lessons learned from anyone who owns one of these. Thanks in advance.

[Lloydg]

We purchased our 2013 SVF293 in April and love it. Just some minor issues that were taken care of by the dealer. We put about 2000 miles on it this year and plan to travel to Florida in January. The only advise I have is have fun!!! Try to make it to the FROG rally in August. I was the only Surveyor 5ver there last August and would liked to have commiserated with others. Enjoy your new toy.

[1surveyor]

Just purchased a 2014 SVF293RL surveyor ,have not even taken delivery yet waiting for hitch to be installed

[Lloydg]

Congratulations. Hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy ours. Hope to see you at the Goshen rally in August too. We could have Surveyor gathering!!!

[Lloydg]

Here's what you guys have to look forward to! Hope we meet up some day.

[Windspell]

Originally Posted by 1surveyor

Just purchased a 2014 SVF293RL surveyor ,have not even taken delivery yet waiting for hitch to be installed

Congratulations. We are loading up getting ready for our first trip in about a month.

[jamie325i]

Hey Lloyd, nice rig!

I am going to look at a Surveyor 293 today and I hoped you would answer a few questions. I hope this doesn't devolve into a towing capacity/safety discussion... I have an F-250 short bed, crew cab diesel. I have calculated my max pin weight to be about 1800 lbs. The 293 has a rated pin weight of 1792.

Questions:
how does it tow?
was the slider required for that trailer or more of a just-in-case thing?
any concerns or advice?

Thanks a lot,

[Lloydg]

Originally Posted by jamie325i

Hey Lloyd, nice rig!

I am going to look at a Surveyor 293 today and I hoped you would answer a few questions. I hope this doesn't devolve into a towing capacity/safety discussion... I have an F-250 short bed, crew cab diesel. I have calculated my max pin weight to be about 1800 lbs. The 293 has a rated pin weight of 1792.

Questions:
how does it tow?
was the slider required for that trailer or more of a just-in-case thing?
any concerns or advice?

Thanks a lot,

I think it tows great, but I don't have much to compare it to. I just installed air bags to eliminate the minimal squat I had. Everyone tells me that the towing will be much improved so I'm looking forward to see how it changes. I towed about 2000 miles this past summer. I have a gas engine so I should think you would see a different if not a better towing experience than I have.
I bought the slider as a "just in case thing" and have not used it yet. I have a super cab vs. your crew cab so my bed is a few inches longer than yours. I'm glad I have the slider and if I had your bed I think it would be even more important. I got the final price for the 5er then went out and looked for a hitch and the best price. Came back to the dealer and got them to throw in the hitch for what I think was their cost. Good luck with your search.

[1surveyor]

Originally Posted by jamie325i

Hey Lloyd, nice rig!

I am going to look at a Surveyor 293 today and I hoped you would answer a few questions. I hope this doesn't devolve into a towing capacity/safety discussion... I have an F-250 short bed, crew cab diesel. I have calculated my max pin weight to be about 1800 lbs. The 293 has a rated pin weight of 1792.

Questions:
how does it tow?
was the slider required for that trailer or more of a just-in-case thing?
any concerns or advice?

Thanks a lot,

Hey Jamie

i know people will say i'm not very smart but i will be towing mine with a F150 eco-boost w/ a pullrite super slide .

I have a co worker that pulls his 2013 293 just fine and with no problems

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by 1surveyor

Hey Jamie i know people will say i'm not very smart but i will be towing mine with a F150 eco-boost w/ a pullrite super slide . I have a co worker that pulls his 2013 293 just fine and with no problems

No way I'll say you're not smart- far be it from me to judge! But, unless you have one of the newer high payload F-150s, you'll quite likely be over you're ratings.

[Lloydg]

Originally Posted by jamie325i

Hey Lloyd, nice rig!

I am going to look at a Surveyor 293 today and I hoped you would answer a few questions. I hope this doesn't devolve into a towing capacity/safety discussion... I have an F-250 short bed, crew cab diesel. I have calculated my max pin weight to be about 1800 lbs. The 293 has a rated pin weight of 1792.

Questions:
how does it tow?
was the slider required for that trailer or more of a just-in-case thing?
any concerns or advice?

Thanks a lot,

Jamie,

Did you have a chance to look at the 293 and if you did, what are your thoughts?

[jamie325i]

Hey Lloyd,
Actually i didnt get over to see it but i have scoured the net for info and pictures. I think i am pretty familiar with the rig. I hope to go see it this week and finally make a decision. It has pretty much come down to the Surveyor Pilot vs. the svf293rl. They are basically the same but obviously one is a 5'er.

It sounds like you are happy with your 293 and so far we are very pleased with our small surveyor. I dont see where we can go wrong here.


Thanks again,

[Lloydg]

Keep me posted.

[1surveyor]

The layout of the 293 is the best i have seen for the $$$$$ we had a larger one at one time and this seems like more space for us , just traded off a 2013 TT after 5 months missed the way the 5er pulled.

happy hunting

[Lloydg]

Originally Posted by 1surveyor

The layout of the 293 is the best i have seen for the $$$$$ we had a larger one at one time and this seems like more space for us , just traded off a 2013 TT after 5 months missed the way the 5er pulled.

happy hunting

Can you post some pics?

[1surveyor]

Originally Posted by Lloydg

Can you post some pics?

i will as soon as we get it home hitch going in the truck tomorrow , ours has the dark leather theatre seats , and the wood plank floor 3 slides , island in the kitchen.

[jamie325i]

Hey Lloyd,
I just got back from the dealer where I spent a lot of time looking at the Surveyor 5th wheel and Pilot. The 5W is really nice but I think I am going to go for the Pilot. The Pilot Spirit of St. Louis is a really nice TT and is a few thousand less than the 5W. It has many more options and is in my opinion a better build quality. PM me if you want me to explain further.

Thanks for your help on this,
Jamie

[Lloydg]

Originally Posted by jamie325i

Hey Lloyd,
I just got back from the dealer where I spent a lot of time looking at the Surveyor 5th wheel and Pilot. The 5W is really nice but I think I am going to go for the Pilot. The Pilot Spirit of St. Louis is a really nice TT and is a few thousand less than the 5W. It has many more options and is in my opinion a better build quality. PM me if you want me to explain further.

Thanks for your help on this,
Jamie

Darn!! I was hoping we could have a Surveyor 5W gathering at the 2014 rally. Seriously, I'm sure you will enjoy the Pilot and here's wishing you years of happy travels.

[gold country jim]

I'll add my statement of satisfaction as an owner of the 293 fifth wheel. Took delivery in Feb of this year and have several thousand miles and 4 trips in the unit. The floorplan is great and so far no real issues with the unit, just a couple of minor things. We have discovered that the fit and finish is a little less than I hoped for (like molding on dresser showing signs of separation - panels in basement storage needed to be screwed in securely) but for the most part, it is what you'd expect for a mid price fifth wheel.

Rig tows like a dream behind a 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 short bed diesel. I have a slider hitch (just to be safe) but so far, even in tight spaces with hard turning, have not had to use the slider.

[jamie325i]

Hello friends,

I wanted to send a quick update since I started this thread. After weighing all of the options we ended up purchasing the Prime Time 327RES. This thing is massive!!! We are going to be testing it out this weekend, I cannot wait. Pics below.