New Member/New 5th wheel

Sporoo · 08-26-2012, 09:41 PM

Hi folks, new to this forum, and looking to purchase a 5th wheel in the near future. Currently looking at the Columbus 320RS. Have some questions for you:
We are looking at a unit the RV Wholesalers has. Has anyone purchased from them, and if so, how was your experience. We are in Maryland, so it is quite a distance from us. A little concern.
I have been reading about the leveling system, and I think it looks like everyone that has it likes it.
We are considering the bedroom a/c, any thoughts?
Considering the King bed with upgraded mattress, once again, any thoughts?
It does not seem to have a pantry. Has this been an issue with anyone?
We were looking at the theatre seating. How does that compare to the Deluxe recliners?
Last thing, what kind of hitch does everyone use (obviously everyone may use something different, but overall, who likes what? We have a 6'6" bed.

Thanks in advance. We do not live close to a Palomino dealer so we have yet to see one.

B47 · 08-26-2012, 10:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sporoo

Hi folks, new to this forum, and looking to purchase a 5th wheel in the near future. Currently looking at the Columbus 320RS. Have some questions for you:
We are looking at a unit the RV Wholesalers has. Has anyone purchased from them, and if so, how was your experience. We are in Maryland, so it is quite a distance from us. A little concern.
I have been reading about the leveling system, and I think it looks like everyone that has it likes it.
We are considering the bedroom a/c, any thoughts?
Considering the King bed with upgraded mattress, once again, any thoughts?
It does not seem to have a pantry. Has this been an issue with anyone?
We were looking at the theatre seating. How does that compare to the Deluxe recliners?
Last thing, what kind of hitch does everyone use (obviously everyone may use something different, but overall, who likes what? We have a 6'6" bed.

Thanks in advance. We do not live close to a Palomino dealer so we have yet to see one.

As far as your hitch question - we have the Husky 16KS and are pleased with it. We tow a 34 foot Silverback FW and our TV is a 2012 Ram 2500 with a 6 foot bed and have yet to have any problems hitch-wise. It is easy to operate in both hooking and unhooking - you see a red band on the handle when it is unhooked and a green pin protrudes when it is properly hooked.

There are others on this forum who have other makes and some of them are more fancy than ours. But we only travel on paved highways so we don't need some of the features that others have.

**Terier** · 08-26-2012, 10:29 PM

to the FR forums!
Other members should be dropping by soon to give some input on your questions. RV shopping can be fun. The more shopping you do the more you discover what you like or dislike. Takes good notes on your favorite unit or units.

redfinaddict · 08-27-2012, 01:58 AM

Welcome to the forum Sporoo! One of the top features for us is the auto leveling system. Worth every penny in my book.
On the bedroom a/c I think it is absolutely necessary if you camp in 90 + temps.
We chose the trump mattress and added a 4" foam topper. It is now the most comfortable bed we have ever had.
We have the theater seating and love it.
I'm not sure what your needs are in a pantry, the 320 rs has a slide out in the island that we use for the pantry. It along with the rest of the cabinets provides ample space.
I think that if you like what you see online you will absolutely love it up close and personal.
I can't speak to purchasing from RVW, but we are finding that a dealer that can offer great service in a timely fashion may be more important than saving
a few bucks on the purchase.
That's my 2 cents others will give you there's.
Good luck! Take your time and you will find the perfect camper for you.

dkwin1 · 08-27-2012, 06:48 AM

We are picking up our new 320rs from RV wholesalers on Wednesday. I will absolutely let you know how our experience went. So far so good. We did add the strong arm stabilizers to ours. It already had the bedroom A/C and slide toppers. Also has the wood flooring and flex pinbox. We are also driving about 4 hours to pick up so I made it very clear to them that they need to go through with fine tooth comb to make sure that the problems (which I listed for them) that others have had on this forum are not happening on my unit. May have gone in one ear and out the other but I am dealing with 1 of the owners and will have no problem in advising him he will be paying for my hotel room while these problems are fixed.

Will try and post my experience on Thursday if I do not have to spend the night because of problems.

Cajun Po-Boy · 08-27-2012, 07:10 AM

If you consider a slider hitch...look into the Pullrite Superglide (automatic & wrap around latch system).

Sporoo · 08-27-2012, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkwin1

We are picking up our new 320rs from RV wholesalers on Wednesday. I will absolutely let you know how our experience went. So far so good. We did add the strong arm stabilizers to ours. It already had the bedroom A/C and slide toppers. Also has the wood flooring and flex pinbox. We are also driving about 4 hours to pick up so I made it very clear to them that they need to go through with fine tooth comb to make sure that the problems (which I listed for them) that others have had on this forum are not happening on my unit. May have gone in one ear and out the other but I am dealing with 1 of the owners and will have no problem in advising him he will be paying for my hotel room while these problems are fixed.

Will try and post my experience on Thursday if I do not have to spend the night because of problems.

dkwin1, thank you for the info. I hope things go well for you. I am still up in the air with who we will be purchasing from. RV wholesalers has a great price, but they really do not take trades, and we live in maryland, so the drive is very long. That being said, they have a great price and that will be a consideration. Let us know how everything goes and good luck!

dkwin1 · 08-28-2012, 07:12 AM

I sure will. Yes I know about the trade deal. I was told they give you auction price and that is it. It was funny though, a couple weeks back we were at a campground in Southern Indiana and I told the wife I am going to put a for sale sign on the front of the unit. Would you believe it sold that weekend from people at the campground looking to upgrade to a 5th wheel.

Yes, RV Wholesalers had a good price and that was really where I made my decision. 4 hours is a long drive but not that long. Hopefully they give good support with the network of service dealers (as they have advised me they will) when it comes times for service. I will post further after picking unit up.

lgray · 08-28-2012, 01:59 PM

The 320 RS is great. We tow with a 2011 Silverado 2500 HD, 6 foot bed, never a clearance problem and performed some very tight turns. This unit’s cap is aerodynamic and shaped to allow for clearance. We also have the Husky 16 KS, really like the safety features on this hitch. There was at least one dropped 320 RS, posted on this forum that may have been prevented with these features. We were without our front air while on a camping trip this summer. The outside temperature got up to about 90-95 degrees, the coolest we could get the trailer was 86 degrees, very much value the front AC. King sized Donald Trump mattress, the only “stock” mattress that I have not had to add a foam topper to. We would not replace theater seating. More than enough kitchen storage, don’t forget the island also has storage. Read mixed reviews on RV Wholesalers, and service may be an issue. Even if there is another dealer closer to you, they have the right to refuse to work on your trailer. I know of at least one dealer who will not work on trailers in his area that he did not sell. The loss of the sale or deterring the loss of a sale outweighs any income derived from service work reimbursement from the factory.

Sporoo · 08-28-2012, 02:48 PM

lgray, thanks for the info. I am still up in the air about RVW. I am making a trip to upstate New Jersey on saturday to look at a 320. I will give them the opportunity to come close, or give me a decent trade. One other question for everyone, did anyone upgrade to the double pane windows?

dkwin1 · 08-28-2012, 03:12 PM

I would say pass on the double pane windows unless your planning on camping in the absolute cold a lot. The cost addition does not make sense if your going to be doing regular camping (100 to 25 degrees). I would lay it all on the line with your local dealer and let him make up his mind if he wants the sale. Remember to remind him that RVW has a distribution of service dealers (which I have yet to see) that will apparently service your unit just as if they sold it to you (kind of hard to believe). But hey, I am a real pain in the as* and I have the owners direct line at RVW and will bug him till days end if I am not happy with how I am being dealt with.

amxpress · 08-28-2012, 05:08 PM

Spend the little extra and get either of the Trail Air/Roto Flex pin boxes as an option. Either will make a difference in how it tows.
Enjoy.

Chaps · 08-29-2012, 01:36 PM

We enjoy having the dual panes.
They are $ & add approx. 100+ lbs of weight, BUT-----not only do they help keep the interior quicker by damping the outside noises, they are equally helpful in BOTH summer & winter by providing improved insulation (especially important due to the rather extensive amount of window space in the Columbus)
Either way, you are quaranteed to enjoy the Columbus as we do.

Sporoo · 08-29-2012, 02:09 PM

Since we have been looking into purchasing from RV Wholesalers, and they do not take trades (well, not to the benefit of the seller), I have been looking into different ways to sell our KZ. I looked online, and found a place called ClassyRV.com. So I submitted some information and the guy calls me back. He asks me some basic questions about my unit, year, make, model, etc, condition. So he says he thinks he can sell it, for a decent price. He will list it multiple places, including Ebay motors for 21 days. If it does not sell, he will continue to list it until it does. All of this for $399. According to this guy, he makes his money on the financing and delivery. Anyway, I decide to do some research on this company and guy. GLAD I did, the reviews pretty much call them crooks, well not pretty much, they do!. So beware, as usual, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

DAISY BOYKIN · 08-29-2012, 02:13 PM

Before you buy a hitch, check with your dealer, Forest River now installs the "REESE REVOLUTION HITCH" at the factory. It will serve as a slider (for short bed) or stationary for the standard 5th wheel hitch.

Cajun Po-Boy · 08-29-2012, 03:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sporoo

Since we have been looking into purchasing from RV Wholesalers, and they do not take trades (well, not to the benefit of the seller), I have been looking into different ways to sell our KZ. I looked online, and found a place called ClassyRV.com. So I submitted some information and the guy calls me back. He asks me some basic questions about my unit, year, make, model, etc, condition. So he says he thinks he can sell it, for a decent price. He will list it multiple places, including Ebay motors for 21 days. If it does not sell, he will continue to list it until it does. All of this for $399. According to this guy, he makes his money on the financing and delivery. Anyway, I decide to do some research on this company and guy. GLAD I did, the reviews pretty much call them crooks, well not pretty much, they do!. So beware, as usual, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

Based on our experience, your best bet will be to list and sell yourself if you have the patience to wait.
Took us four months to get ours sold through online rv sites and got $3-4K more than trade in quotes from three different dealers!

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