Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 04-04-2012, 11:44 AM   #1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Fairborn
Posts: 6
Lacrosse 318 BHS

NEW Lacrosse Owner

For all of you Lacrosse 318 BHS owners. What are your likes and dislikes of this trailer? Has anyone had any towing issues using 1/2 ton tv? We are going to take a short trip to our locl VFW and make our checks. Always better to find out something is not working or you forgot to add something to the camper when your only a few minutes from home.

We have a mini vacation (no baby) this summer at Michigan International Speedway. Nothing like camping at a NASCAR race. "Let's Go Racing"

Can't wait to use the outdoor kitchen. So much storage space. We had the electric tongue jack added. Setting up now is so much easier. Neither of my last two campers had electric/automatic anything. So much space! It's a great camper for a family to grow. The bunk house will provide privacy for parents and a little break at the same time.

Hope to hear some great posts about your campers. Happy Camping!
jjumpoh is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2012, 03:58 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 325
We really like our 318....I have towed mine with a Titan with the Big Tow option for 1.5 years thus far. I was only getting 8.4-8.5 mpgs....switched to full synthetic oil and got 9.3 this trip with more mountains than usual. It tows nicely. I do get nervous pulling it through tight cattle shoots. I wish the little bumper mounted grill was a little larger. I wish it had a heat vent in the bathroom. I wish the outside kitchen drained into the grey and not the black water tank. If you are camping in a state campground without full hookup but has showers..the black fills up much faster which is a problem. My unit is a 2011...touring edition.....wish it had the front fiberglass cap like the newer units. Otherwise, well thought out trailer. Clearly the best fit for my family....I like the fact that you can have a pull down tv in the master bedroom while others watch something in the living area. I do not care for the swivel tv option. Big slam doors are great, power everything is convenient. Outside kitchen saves alot of mess and condensation inside the trailer. Extra drawer under the frig is nice....many manufacturers do not have the nice large drawer. ...other thing on my wish list..a ladder to access the roof. Outside tv is nice if you have a group wanting to watch "the big game". Nice to have the black tank flush and a protected hookup center. The outside shower location is great. It keeps the mess on the otherside of the trailer....the Outback 312 has it right under the awning. A number of nice units have the same floor plan but there were always more flaws for me......I hope you enjoy your trailer as much as my family has enjoyed ours.
__________________
2011 Lacrosse 318BHS Touring Edition
2012 Ford F150 SupCrew 4x4 XLT 6.5' Max Tow
padave65 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-04-2012, 07:46 PM   #3
Member
 
6.4 tow rig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 55
A couple issues that we had were quickly taken care of by Primetime Customer Service. They were able to explain things via email and therefore did not need to make a return trip to the dealer. The trailer feels really stable when towing, but I can tell a difference in weight when towing compared to my Wildwood. It also makes my 250 squat a little more than the Wildwood. I can say without doubt there is no way I would pull this trailer with my f150 I had prior to my 250. Im sure it can be done as mentioned above, but the experience has to take its toll on nerves as this is a heavy trailer, especially after loaded up for a trip. I am biased though as I love my diesel.
Our decision was between the Tracer and the Lacrosse, and we picked the Lacrosse because of the pantry next to the fridge that the Tracer doesnt have. The outside kitchen is great also.
6.4 tow rig is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2012, 09:32 AM   #4
Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 82
Great trailer - you are going to hate the bed. Look into a good topper!
Laura is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-05-2012, 11:43 AM   #5
Member
 
weiman1983's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2011
Location: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Posts: 97
Send a message via Skype™ to weiman1983
We love our 318. Havn't really done much with it yet since the parks are not open out here yet though, after looking at lots of different units I think that the Lacrosse was the best choice. A lot of likes and very few dislikes. I think the fit and finish in the Lacross is the best compared to other bunkhouse trailers.

We tow ours with an F150 and have not had any issues and never felt nervous. We definetly notice the extra weight compared to our Jayco but find it tows much nicer. I haven't paid much attention to the mileage yet but my guess is around the 9mpg range.
weiman1983 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2012, 09:19 PM   #6
Member
 
phrogdriver93's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 55
Towed from VA to GA (round trip) with a 2010 F-150 and it towed great. Averaged 8.5 mpg. Would I have loved to have had a 250, sure, but I don't!

Compared to similar models, we think the 318BHS is the best one out there. Fits our family great. Best "mod "; under counter coffee maker :-)
phrogdriver93 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-06-2012, 10:53 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brewerton, NY
Posts: 329
Well I just arrived in spring hill Florida from central new York. Towed it with a dodge ram 1500 No issues with the tow vehicle. My hitch was not adjusted properly from the dealer. I'll be taking care of that tomorrow. Was at about 8 mpg for the trip. That went up once I got to flat land in georgia and Florida. Was getting 10 mpg in those states I do agree that the bed sucks. We bought a new matress right away before our trip and love it..found it on overstock.com is a generic temperpedic short queen 8 inch memory foam ..was 300 bucks and WOW it is fantastic.... Also got a screw in my tire...sucks cause it is brand new but oh we'll...we put the spare on and kept going. Had trouble getting the lug socket around the bots in the aluminum rim and broke the plastic hub cab...those could be improved...and my wife keeps bumping her knee in the brackets under the table...where it folds...I laugh.

All in all we love it. Prime time customer service has been great...apparently I have a year of road side assistance....wish I knew that yesterday when I was changing my tire in the rain. Dealer never told me I had that...anyways they are also helping me acquire a shelf for the cabinet above my sink...and some cabinet doors for the storage under my u shape dinette. They are great with assistance with any mods u may want to do..

Good lunch with the new camper...we are very pleased so far and I am sure u will be too
__________________

2015 Dodge 2500 Big Horn 4x4 6.4 HEMI
2015 Grand Designs Reflections 323 BHS
Reese 16K Quick Slide with Factory Rail Kit Option
kozzy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2012, 10:31 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Texas
Posts: 117
We love ours. We looked for a very long time. We got the 2012 Touring Edition w/ 50 amp service. We have all the same minor issues as mentioned above, but most can be solved with minor modifications. We wanted more counter space in the bath vanity so we added a flip up shelf to the side. We have three kids and two dogs and everyone is comfortable. I personally like a hard bed so we I am ok with the mattress.
Compared to other manufacturers and plans, this is as close to perfect as we could find. Why the others do not put a dry pantry in a trailer that holds this many people is a mystery to me.
Have Fun.
HAARubicon is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2012, 06:47 PM   #9
Junior Member
 
hicks10192's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Posts: 9
We just returned from our first trip in our 318BHS. This thing pulled better than I expected. Went through some pretty rough storms and some big wind and to be honest I could not feel it sway once. With that said I am using the Equalizer hitch system with sway bar control. Best on the market in my opinion. TV is a 6.0 Suburban 2500. Fuel mileage was around 9.5 for the trip.

We looked at many campers before deciding on the 318BHS. This unit has about everything we wanted and more. We do have some cosmetic issues with the unit. The dealer says they are not covered under the warranty but I think they are blowing me off. There has really been no service after the sale with this dealer. Once they got my check and it cleared they have pretty much written us off. I have some pictures but don't want to post them until Prime Time gets a hold of me. I want to give them the opportunity to make things right with us first.
hicks10192 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2012, 10:42 PM   #10
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Metro-Vancouver Area, BC
Posts: 33
We took our 2012 318 BHS on it's first trip this long weekend (Sat - Mon) and just got home. I pulled it with our 2009 F150 and it handled great. Mileage was very little different than when I pull my 18' toy hauler. It pulled fine on the straights but I did notice the hills were a bit more sluggish. Lots of room for us and our kids and their 3 kids. They loved the bunk house and no one wanted to go home.

We were surprised at the amount of hot water we had from the 6 gal tank as every one took a shower one after the other.

Issues:
Never slept on concrete before but that was what the bed felt like.

When I swept off the slides before we left I noticed that there were some long bubbles across the top of the trailer roof under the membrane. I told another camper about it and he said - don't get it fixed. You don't want to start cutting that membrane.

Loud furnace - it woke up the kids each time it cut in. The second night we used the fireplace and the heater didn't kick in at all.

Sharp corners by the master bed when you forget where you are at night and roll over to get out of the bed.

I was concerned about the length but got used to it very quickly.

Love it.
freedom 750 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2012, 11:23 PM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brewerton, NY
Posts: 329
Overstock.com has a great 300 dollar memory foam mattress. It is a generic tempurpedic. 8 inch think and is a short queen size...my wife and I are currently on our maiden voyage with our 318... This will be night number 6 on that mattress and we love it....
Can't help with the furnace...we have the ac running not

We did notice a dent in our counter top...and a few other minor things that I am sure the dealer will take care off...so far we love it though...
__________________

2015 Dodge 2500 Big Horn 4x4 6.4 HEMI
2015 Grand Designs Reflections 323 BHS
Reese 16K Quick Slide with Factory Rail Kit Option
kozzy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-09-2012, 11:33 PM   #12
Member
 
skgeorgy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 92
We bought our 318 in the Summer of 2010. We traded our 26 bhs for it . In the 1.5 summers we have had it it has been great. We have only had a couple issues. Nothing major though. Only had to miss one weekend of camping due the door not being able to open. My only regret is not waiting another year. the 2012 model was just a little nicer. lol. Totaly agree with Freedom 750 that the furnace is a little loud. Invested in a space heater and that solved that issue. We also found the A/C was louder and rougher running that the Carrier unit in our previous trail. However since we camp usualy in the Alberta Rockies there usually isn't a need for it.

If the weather holds this weekend I am hoping to de-winterize it. However not looking good for that. Just getting antsy to get out. It has been almost 6 months since our last outing.
__________________
Stephen Georgy
2011 Lacrosse 318BHS
2006 F-350
]
[SIGPIC]
skgeorgy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2012, 12:17 AM   #13
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Metro-Vancouver Area, BC
Posts: 33
Quote:
Originally Posted by kozzy View Post
Overstock.com has a great 300 dollar memory foam mattress. It is a generic tempurpedic. 8 inch think and is a short queen size...my wife and I are currently on our maiden voyage with our 318... This will be night number 6 on that mattress and we love it....
Can't help with the furnace...we have the ac running not

We did notice a dent in our counter top...and a few other minor things that I am sure the dealer will take care off...so far we love it though...
I read up on this mattress and it says that it has 6" of heavy dense foam and 2" of light foam. Would keeping the old mattress which is dense (very very dense) and adding 2" of memory foam be the same as buying this 8" mattress or ???
freedom 750 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2012, 08:54 AM   #14
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brewerton, NY
Posts: 329
I have a 3 inch memory foam topper from the bed in my boat...I tried that and it felt exactly like you are saying....it sank and then was hard....this mattress is comfortable all around..your body sinks a little and the mattress conforms to it...doesn't disturb My wife or anything...been sleeping on it a week now...it is fantastic...in my opinion...and I have a bad back to boot..
__________________

2015 Dodge 2500 Big Horn 4x4 6.4 HEMI
2015 Grand Designs Reflections 323 BHS
Reese 16K Quick Slide with Factory Rail Kit Option
kozzy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2012, 09:09 PM   #15
Junior Member
 
wdan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 12
Been looking at bunkhouse travel trailers for some time now. Recently discovered the 2013 318 BHS. My family fell in love with it. However, today we also discovered the Forest River Surveyor SV 305 with a sectional sofa instead of the split couch/u-dinette configuration. The SV-305 also has a wider/bigger awning and a step down bunkhouse with extra storage that seemed nice. However, the interior quality seemed a level below the 318 BHS and the 318 BHS has a door going from outside to the bathroom. Of these differences the sectional sofa is a must, we loved that configuration. I have searched the Primetime wedsite without much luck finding a sectional sofa option. Since Primetime is associated with forest river, does any one know if I could order a sectional sofa for a 318 BHS instead of the U-dinette/couch configuration. Or better yet order it from Primetime that way. If not, does anyone know of any other bunkhouse travel trailers that has a sectional sofa option?
wdan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2012, 09:19 PM   #16
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Brewerton, NY
Posts: 329
RV guy might be able to answer that one for you...if you can't get it from prime time but love the 318 you an always modify it after you get it.
We love ours and looked a ton and bunkhouses. I have never seen one configured the way you described.
Good luck with the search..
__________________

2015 Dodge 2500 Big Horn 4x4 6.4 HEMI
2015 Grand Designs Reflections 323 BHS
Reese 16K Quick Slide with Factory Rail Kit Option
kozzy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2012, 03:02 PM   #17
Commercial Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 580
wdan - are you referring to the "giant U sofa" that has a stand alone dinette table with pedestal in the middle of it?
RV Guy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2012, 03:49 PM   #18
Junior Member
 
wdan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 12
I believe you are referring to the U shaped dinnette. I am referring to a large sectional/lounge sofa that fits between the walls of the slide out and replaces the U-dinette and "love" seat sofa. I saw this sectional sofa yesterday in a SV-305 TT. It did come with a kidney shaped dinette table and an ottoman that stowed within the sectional couch. We like the 318 BHS overall better, but also really like this large sectional sofa instead of the U-dinette/Love seat combo. If I could get a 318 BHS with this large, slide out filling sectional sofa configuration my progblem is solved. Thanks for your input.
wdan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2012, 03:53 PM   #19
Commercial Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 580
See this link - is this what you are referring to?

Surveyor Ultralight Travel Trailers and Fifth Wheels by Forest River
RV Guy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-13-2012, 04:30 PM   #20
Junior Member
 
wdan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 12
Yes, that is the sectional sofa I am referring to. I would like to have that one or one similar for a Luxuray Lacrosse 318 BHS. Thanks again.
wdan is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Forest River, Inc. or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.



All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:04 AM.