Strongly considering a Columbus 295 RL

[jamesdjimenez]

BigTJohn,

I've racked my brain about this issue and have been told by experts both that I will be fine & that I shouldn't pull with my truck.

I shoe racehorses and have a Stonewell shoeing pack on my truck so I may try to sell the truck with the pack to a farrier and start over with a new truck.

[eisbell]

We did have a tran cooler put on it as well but added an evolution chip that ate up the transmission so took it off. That was a waste of money.

[iceblaze580]

With the f250 you should be fine the 295 is not too heavy

[amxpress]

As for the movable island post, the 295 doesn't have one. I've had our 320 for over 2 years and mucho miles with no problems with my island. Besides strapping it down, I lock the two front wheels to prevent movement No problem

[VenturaBill]

We have a 2013 295RL and are finally pleased with it... the first year was tough but Cel Lopez at Columbus is pretty helpful with warranty issues. The other factor is that we had a terrible dealer that we had to deal with, so pick your dealer based on reviews and word of mouth.
We ordered ours with the trailair triglide pinbox, second air, rear end cap, JT strongarms, Onan 5.5k generator, dual pane windows and slide toppers. We did not want the auto level since the 5th wheel is so easy to level and the auto levelers are way overpriced and can be problematic.
If you order one time it so it will be built and delivered during /spring/summer/fall, ours was built and delivered in January and it had an unbelievable amount of crud and salt on the under carriage.
We fell in love with the 295RL for all the reasons that you mentioned, the angled TV position and under 35'... we love state and national parks so length is important. There's also a factory-installed conduit that runs from the roof to the basement which I used for mounting solar panels and wiring.

[Jczreed]

I pulled our 340rk with an 03 with 7.3. For the most part it did fine power and suspension wise. Didn't like the 30-50mph wind in Columbia River Gorge. The other issue we had is getting it to stop. Came across an 08 F350 6.4 CC SB. Hope to try it out one of these days. Trailer has been at dealer for a grand total of 21 weeks.
Good luck

[iceblaze580]

Originally Posted by Jczreed

I pulled our 340rk with an 03 with 7.3. For the most part it did fine power and suspension wise. Didn't like the 30-50mph wind in Columbia River Gorge. The other issue we had is getting it to stop. Came across an 08 F350 6.4 CC SB. Hope to try it out one of these days. Trailer has been at dealer for a grand total of 21 weeks.
Good luck

And I thought having mine at the dealer for 12 weeks was bad

[jamesdjimenez]

amxpress,

We've seen some pretty damaged floors from moving the island around every time the trailer is moved.

[Mike61]

Check out the new 2014 trailers! What a difference!

[jamesdjimenez]

VenturaBill,

Can I ask, what is a rear end cap?

James

[denandra2]

Originally Posted by jamesdjimenez

amxpress,

We've seen some pretty damaged floors from moving the island around every time the trailer is moved.

Put some furniture moving pads under wheels and it will slide into place much easier and won't mark up the floor, has worked on my 320 very well!!

[jackdi]

We have a 320 and love it. We full time with our horses. You should get 2nd air if you are planning on being in 95 degree heat.Strong arms are a must on any RV.You should have a great Rv and hope you enjoy it the same as we do. We would buy another Columbus if we ever get a new one as we have had 2 minor problems and it was taken care of right away

Jack and Dianne
IOWA go Hawkeyes

[Don and Elaine]

We have also had our 320 for 1 year and plenty of miles....Not a single mark on our floor from the island...Like anything, If you abuse something, don't expect to have it looking good for long!

[SYE]

I have a 295RL and absolutely love it, I have a washer/Dryer combo that I bought and put in myself. The camper is just thr right size for the 2 of us. You should have no problem pulling it with that truck, I have a 2005 GMC 2500HD with a gas engine, it is pulls it no problem. Our Columbus group over on FB, there is almost 700 members that you can get input from as well. I will be trading mine in for the toy hauler as soon as I am able to, I have a golf cart and hate towing it behind th 295.

[SYE]

Originally Posted by iceblaze580

With the f250 you should be fine the 295 is not too heavy

The 295 is 10,700 empty

[jackdi]

We don't have any marks from moving our Island. Buy we are going to trade it in for a Columbus 365 as my wife is in love with the 365. Our 320
has been a great RV that is why we are buying another Columbus


Jack and Dianne
Go Hawkeyes

[SYE]

When I said I was going to be trading it in on a toy hauler, I meant a Columbus 3650, or a 3800!!

[GreenImp]

Originally Posted by jamesdjimenez

VenturaBill,

Can I ask, what is a rear end cap?

James

The rear end cap is a (TPO plastic?) cover that transforms the back of the trailer from perfectly flat to a (supposedly) more aesthetically pleasing and aerodynamic design/shape. When we shopped the Columbus's in 2013, you could not have both the rear cap and rear bike/storage rack.

FWIW, the Columbus's are awesome and what we wanted (365RL), but we went with a used (4 weekends) Rockwood 8289WS w/Platinum pkg for less than half the price and do not regret it. It is basically the same floorplan as the 295RL with a few "shortcuts".