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Old 03-12-2022, 04:58 PM   #1
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New V-Lite owner needs info

I recently bought a 2009 V-LITE 30 ft .... and find that there seems to be no support materials for it , and FR has ( seemingly ) ZERO interest in assisting me , or even being courteous.

I have repaired a seized-up electric awning motor WITHOUT any help , and a few other small projects , but it would be nice to know of any sites that I could look to for future needs.

I am not new to RVs , but FR seems to have the least interest of ANY RV mfgrs that I have dealt with , and I have owned 12 Class A's , 2 fifth wheels and one B+.
I realize that 2009 is not exactly NEW , but at an NADA value of $16,000 , is is hardly a junker, and mine is in good shape , overall.

I would like to hear from any/all who own(ed) one and have info to share.

ALSO ... I have a 2003 Dodge 1500 / HEMI that I am considering to pull it with , which SHOULD be OK , but uncertain about that as well.

Thanks ..... Rich
Inverness, Fl
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Old 03-12-2022, 05:52 PM   #2
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Welcome from SoCal!

You will get more specific answers to specific questions in the appropriate sub-forum. The seearch function (top right corner of your screen) generally produces more reading material than is needed.
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Old 03-12-2022, 06:51 PM   #3
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Thank you....
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Old 03-12-2022, 07:59 PM   #4
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Moved to the V-Cross sub-forum.
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Old 03-12-2022, 09:03 PM   #5
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Two thoughts

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rich30 View Post
I recently bought a 2009 V-LITE 30 ft .... and find that there seems to be no support materials for it , and FR has ( seemingly ) ZERO interest in assisting me , or even being courteous.

I have repaired a seized-up electric awning motor WITHOUT any help , and a few other small projects , but it would be nice to know of any sites that I could look to for future needs.

I am not new to RVs , but FR seems to have the least interest of ANY RV mfgrs that I have dealt with , and I have owned 12 Class A's , 2 fifth wheels and one B+.
I realize that 2009 is not exactly NEW , but at an NADA value of $16,000 , is is hardly a junker, and mine is in good shape , overall.

I would like to hear from any/all who own(ed) one and have info to share.

ALSO ... I have a 2003 Dodge 1500 / HEMI that I am considering to pull it with , which SHOULD be OK , but uncertain about that as well.

Thanks ..... Rich
Inverness, Fl
Rich,

After owning all those RVs, you surely realize there's not much in an RV outside the trim that wasn't made by a third party. I imagine you've already written down the model numbers of all the appliances, water heater, furnace, and converter and gotten the manuals from their manufacturers' websites.

As for pulling with a 1500, think about this. With a half-ton pickup you will likely run out of payload before any other limit. Your 2003 should have a sticker on the driver's door frame stating "Weight of passengers and cargo should not exceed..." To safely pull the trailer, you need 10-15% of its weight on the truck. Look at the tongue weight, add 100 lbs. for the Weight Distribution Hitch you need and see if there's any payload left for people and gear in the truck. Those older Dodges didn't have much payload to work with. Let us know what your calculations show.
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Old 03-12-2022, 09:23 PM   #6
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I own V-Lite 30WFKSV

I've put on close to 20,000 miles on my 2018 V-Lite. 8,000 towing with my 2017 ram 5.7 1500 not quite 1800lb payload. Used equalizer wdh and will say truck towed it but I never felt real comfortable even though it was my wife and I and that's it The most I ever had in gross weight was 8200 pounds. I have a 2020 ram 2500 6.4 gas. The trucks are night and day. I love my camper and will keep it as long as I can. I'll answer whatever questions you may have. I believe based on mine and others whom I've run into on the road they are very desirable and great rigs. At the forest river rally this summer I had a guy come up to me and say he was extremely sorry he bought his 5th wheel. He wanted my camper/one like it back.
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Old 03-12-2022, 11:30 PM   #7
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What floor plan do you have? The v nose trailers with the front kitchen were front heavy. This might cause an issue with your payload weights.
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Old 03-13-2022, 12:17 AM   #8
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Rich, for 2009, there are two V-Lite models that are 29ft and two that are 33ft.
As was suggested, you need to post which model number yours is.
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4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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Old 03-13-2022, 11:11 AM   #9
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V-Lite Responses

Thanks to all who answered my questions !
-----------------------------------------

My unit is a 2009 30WRLS , which shows , on the FR site a Dry weight of 6056 lbs.
Dodge cust support had no data on Towing capacity , however the local dealer , ran the VIN , and said that with the HEMI I have , it can "PULL" a trailer , up to 8350 lbs.

Theoretically , I should be fine, however as I go into SC and NC , I may find I have complications (?).

I did buy a CAMCO eze-lift sway bar with the 600 lb. bars , which they say will handle 400-800 lbs of tongue weight , and 8000 lbs of trailer , so THAT should be OK as well.

I only plan to go from Florida to Greenville SC once or twice a year with it , and hopefully these numbers will prove acceptable .

As LARRY stated , most ALL internal products are made by someone else , however , my electric awning would not work , and It turned out to be that the wires that feed it , came from the B/R ceiling light, with no indication of that in power box or fuses. ALSO .. the motor shaft was poorly designed , and it allowed rust to build up and stop rotation. ( which I repaired ).

To complicate matters ... SOMEONE replaced several of the original lights with LEDs , and wired them wrong , and no power was going to the awning or the Bathroom vent or light. All of that made for a REALLY DIFFICULT FIX !

NOW .... everything works , and I THINK/HOPE/FEEL that my problems are over , however , it does disturb me that FR does not offer ANY support , other than refer me to a DEALER , which could have been a VERY expensive situation.

I can say that it WOULD stop me from buying any other FR products in the future, and has already made me consider if I should sell THIS one to avoid them BEFORE a future issue arises.

I did redo all of the graphics , as that is what I did for 24 years.
( pictures will follow )

AGAIN ... Thank You to all who responded.

Rich
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Old 03-13-2022, 01:50 PM   #10
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I'm not aware of any major RV manufacturer that would provide support for a used 13 year old RV.
Here's some specs for your TT, if you don't have them already:
https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2009-...-30wrls-tr5741
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and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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Old 03-13-2022, 01:55 PM   #11
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Rich at the rally this past summer even though my unit was well out of warranty FR replaced my slide runners without cost. I also needed to replace some graphics. They charged me next to nothing. Bottom line I have no issues with the manufacturer. Your frustrations might be better directed at previous owners. The design on these campers change so often. In some sense they can be close to one offs as opposed to car manufacturing. As you know vnose campers Flagstaff and Rockwoods are not made by them anymore. Too much change in manufacturing for this type of camper. Happy travels to you no matter what you do.

Dan
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Old 03-13-2022, 03:39 PM   #12
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dannyby, you were the original owner right?
The factory warranty is only for the original owner. RV manufacturers sometimes fix things out of warranty, for the original owner.
There is no such thing in the RV Industry, as a transferable factory warranty.
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and Zoe the Wonder Dog(R.I.P.)
2016 PrimeTime TracerAIR 255, pushing a 2014 Ford F150 SCREW XTR 4x4 3.5 Ecoboost w/Max Tow Package
4pt Equal-i-zer WDH and 1828lbs of payload capacity
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Old 03-13-2022, 03:59 PM   #13
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V-Lite

Bilkendan .......

I had a 2002 Winnebago Adventurer 36 ft , that I sold in Dec. 2021.
To their credit ... Winnebago actually does support that age and further back , and does spend as much time as needed to supply answers as well as written materials. I do admit , this is rare, but most RV mfgrs. that I have had experience with, do maintain documentation for older units , and will send them , with no hesitation , although , many do not attempt to SUPPORT them in detail .

Thank you for the RV USA info.

Rich
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