Probably Ordering a V-Lite 30WFKSS

TNTraveler · 11-25-2010, 08:32 PM

Hello, all. My wife and I are probably going to order a V-Lite 30WFKSS this spring. A local dealer has a 30WFKS in his inventory and we liked everything about it except the smaller bedroom. We were thrilled to find out that Flagstaff is offering this model now as the 30WFKSS with the bedroom slide! The additional room as well as the wardrobe is just what we were wishing for when we viewed the former model. We like this dealership both for its proximity and for its reputation. Since I am new to the Forest River forum, does anyone have any comments about the V-Lite series, either pro or con? Is the build quality satisfactory? How about towing? I have a '10 F150 Crewcab with the maximum trailer towing package and I'm planning on ordering a ProPride hitch. Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

08flagvlite · 11-25-2010, 11:18 PM

I have an 08 30WRLS that I've had for a little more than 2 years now, and I still love it. Quality is good, towing is good, and my Hemi 1500 does the job, but it really needs a steeper rear end gear, for more pulling power. There are several good improvements since I bought mine, mostly the addition of 15" tires, and bigger holding tanks (all 3.) You'll be very happy with these units. Randy

BKennedy · 11-26-2010, 05:51 AM

I have been researching for a long time and we finally decided to go with the 30WFKSS also. Our dealer had one on the lot but I was not crazy about the two different wood colors. I reallize this is the new look but for some reason it just did not grow on me. We ordered ours with the Tuscan creme throughout and also minimal carpet. If you go with the Tuscan creme you can get the wood look floor rather than tile look. We also liked this. We really liked the extra slide for the bedroom and the front kitchen has tons of counter space. I spent a good 4 or 5 hours looking all throughout the one on the lot and they look to be built very well. I am looking forward to taking delivery of mine. Should be here end of December (fingers crossed).

BK

kz08h5 · 11-28-2010, 07:25 PM

I have a 2010 WRB26 that I tow with Jeep Commander. I really like the trailer. About the only thing I would change, if I could, is the shower. It is smaller than I would like, but gets the job done. We have the cream and stainless interior. I do wish we had no carpet. It is hard to take good care of. I think this would be the same in any brand of
RV.

Being a light weight trailer I think you can tow a bigger trailer than you could normally. I am not sure how much, if any, difference the V front makes in towing. One downside to it is, at least for me with a Jeep, is the inability to open my lift gate with the trailer hooked up. I can open the rear window though.

Overall I really like it.

pkravec · 11-28-2010, 08:42 PM

I just purchased a 2009 rockwood wind jammer.. v nose... love the roomy space... I am towing it with a 2000 150 that was a dominion gas work truck.. crew cab without the back seat.. By fuel CNG gas or regular gas.. Bought the wind jammer in florida and have only towed it a 120 miles south to Sebring. We are loveing the space. trying to get use to the different storage space.. no space for a trash can in the kitchen.. very small kitchen sink, and very little counter space.. I think the newer models have more counter top.. It comes with a sub wolfer that you have to open a cuboard door to use.. obvious the younger generation has designed the interior, lack of common sense, very little ac outlets.. none on counter area for coffee pot or toaster.. I will be adding ac outlets and cutting holes in doors to accomadate speaker cloth to allow speaker to work with out opening doors .. etc... etc.. overall we are loving it.. over our 27H Wilderness we traded in..

pkravec · 11-28-2010, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 08flagvlite

I have an 08 30WRLS that I've had for a little more than 2 years now, and I still love it. Quality is good, towing is good, and my Hemi 1500 does the job, but it really needs a steeper rear end gear, for more pulling power. There are several good improvements since I bought mine, mostly the addition of 15" tires, and bigger holding tanks (all 3.) You'll be very happy with these units. Randy

Do you have 3 holding tanks... 2 grey ... and how do you go about draining..

I have a 373 rear end in a 150 and seems to tow great.. at least in Florida and hoping I can get over the hills in Pennsylvania..

BigRed · 11-28-2010, 09:54 PM

ok....We have the Windjammer 3065w/2010 F-150 Trailer Tow package...the Max Package I believe is the lower gear in the rearend thats good !! The Hitch wieght of the V-lite 30FKSS is all that I would question, its 965lbs. thats alot of wieght on the hitch for a F-150. The Windjammer 3065 (Rockwood) is 535lbs. Thats a big difference when you start carrying stuff in the bed for camping. Maybe someone with better understanding with hitch wieght will chime in here!! Not to scare you off but you run into that with front Kitchens.---- Mine pulls great your should too as long as you watch the extras you throw in the bed of the truck. We carry 2-scooters(135lbs each) and a generator(4500W-187lbs.) in the bed so it was nice to have the lighter hitch wieght. Just a thought !!

TNTraveler · 11-29-2010, 08:49 PM

Thanks for the encouraging posts. I see the 3001W and 3065W models both have front bedrooms which would lessen the hitch weight. The overall weight of these models is also comparable to the 30WFKSS so I'm encouraged to hear the 3.73 rear works well towing these trailers. I'm hoping the hitch weight won't be an issue. But I'm already somewhat limited on how I can use my bed as I have a hard cover.

One more question--is the V-nose design really worth the hype? Can you tell much difference in towing, mileage, sway, etc.?

lbrjet · 11-29-2010, 09:36 PM

You will probably be way overweight on the tongue. Don't go by the FR website. The specs are similar on the trailer you are thinking about and mine, except the TW is 85 lbs. MORE on yours.
My listed dry weight 6273 - actual 6907
My listed TW 880 - actual 985
You also need to add the weight of your hitch and bars - mine is 94 lbs.
Loaded up I'm at 1,155 lbs TW. Yours will probably be more.
Worth thinking about since your truck is probably rated for less TW than mine.

08flagvlite · 11-30-2010, 12:25 AM

Hi pkravac. Yes, mine has 3 holding tanks, 2 grey and one black. My kitchen is towards the rear, so the galley sink has it's own tank. The other2- the gray bath sink and shower, and the black toilet tank hook to the same drain outlet.
Tn traveler, I really don't see any difference in handling with the V front or gas savings, but on mine, the 30 foot length is the box size, and the enclosed V area up front is free bonus space! It encloses the gas bottles, and gives mine a very big walk-in closet. My tongue weight incidentally is 690 lbs. on my 1500 Ram shortbed w/helper springs. Randy

SoundMan · 11-30-2010, 07:31 AM

Hello

What is the difference between the 3 V nose models from FR. I'm ready to purchase the WJ3065 as soon as my TH sells.

Thanks Dennis

08flagvlite · 11-30-2010, 10:22 AM

Dennis, there are many V nosed units built by F.R. out there. The Windjammer line by Rockwood, the V-lite line by Flagstaff, and the V-cross line, available in many different sizes and configurations. I believe all are still being built in 2011. The V front campers have been very successful sellers. Randy

TNTraveler · 12-01-2010, 08:10 PM

Now I'm concerned about the tongue weight of the 30WFKSS with my F150. Is the published 965 lb. weight going to be too much for my 1/2 ton truck? Is a 3/4 ton called for here? Will a ProPride hitch help?

lbrjet · 12-01-2010, 08:28 PM

Only you can answer that question (TW too much for truck). You have the available data (your truck's GAWR / GVWR / payload rating / receiver maximum rating). Do your homework and make an informed decision.

RhoZeta · 12-01-2010, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pkravec

I just purchased a 2009 rockwood wind jammer.. v nose... love the roomy space... It comes with a sub wolfer that you have to open a cuboard door to use.. .

Uhhh, SUB woofers do not need to have a door opened to work correctly. SUB actually means SUBsonic, which means it operates at a frequency where you feel it rather than listen to it as you would do with a standard woofer and tweeter. So, keep that door closed, as it was intended. (if you look I am sure you will see where the factory actually screwed the door shut so it would not open without taking out the screws, on mine they used another hinge to lock it down)

There are a few things the "younger generation" does know about, believe it or not....

BigRed · 12-01-2010, 11:36 PM

Take a look at the Windjammer 3065 .....we love it and pull it with our 2010 F-150... but any V-nose with the lower hitch wieght will be good !! That extra space...walk in closet is BIG !! Oh and the Pro-pride hitch will not help you with the hitch wieght problem !! Nice hitch though !!

MtnGuy · 12-02-2010, 08:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TNTraveler

Now I'm concerned about the tongue weight of the 30WFKSS with my F150. Is the published 965 lb. weight going to be too much for my 1/2 ton truck? Is a 3/4 ton called for here? Will a ProPride hitch help?

The hitch weight might be a concern. The floor-plan looks like the heavy storage will probably be in the front where the kitchen is, although your exterior storage is in the back, which should counter the front weight some.

My dry hitch weight "grew" about 100 lbs from the number listed in the brochure. The battery and full propane tanks add up.

You say you have the maximum towing package, but that has a lot to do with the cab/bed configuration, engine, and final drive ratio. Check out this site to see what your actual tow rating is: https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/...2010/F-150.pdf

Some 2010 F150s are rated to tow up to 11,300 lbs. Surely, Ford would put a hitch on the truck to equal that, but you need to be sure. Check the sticker on the hitch. If it reads something like " 5000/500 lbs." (maximum weight carrying trailer weight/maximum weight carrying tongue weight), and the 2nd set of figures indicating a weight distributing of 12000/1200 lbs, you might be OK. Anything lighter that that, and that would be a concern. You will probably have to go with 1200 lb bars for the WDH.......I don't think it wise to go higher than that with a 1/2 ton pickup.

The listed tongue weight and trailer weight shows a ratio of 15.5% for this trailer. That is a little heavy for the tongue, so in this case trying to keep the weight towards the back of the trailer might be advantageous, being careful to not get the ratio below about 12%. I also have a relatively high tongue weight, and try to keep my tongue weight ratio around 13.5% by loading towards the back.

08flagvlite · 12-02-2010, 11:22 AM

Remember also that you can beef up the rear of that F 150, by changing the springs, or at least adding helper springs to the existing leaf packs, as I did on my Dodge. Also, you can add better shocks, or even air ride suspension, as some folks on here have. Personally, for what you are doing, I wouldn't go that extreme. Also, you can add LT rated tires- that made the biggest difference of all on my Dodge. The beginning of the tire number must be "LT", instead of "P". Anything P rated, even so called truck and SUV tires are not even close. Make sure you have a weight distributing hitch- such as the Reese dual cam or Equal-i-zer brand. These type hitches will help take away the sagging effect associated with a heavy tongue weight. And, last but not least is the rear end gearing. It really needs to be around a 3:92/4:10 ballpark figure- with 17" tires, you could get away with 3:73, possibly, but the newer the truck, they keep putting larger diameter tires on them, thereby hindering their pulling abilities, especially with the "came with it" rear ends. Good Luck, and just be aware that you can pull it with your truck, but you will probably need to incorporate at least some of these mods later on, as needed. Randy

TNTraveler · 12-02-2010, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mtnguy

The hitch weight might be a concern. The floor-plan looks like the heavy storage will probably be in the front where the kitchen is, although your exterior storage is in the back, which should counter the front weight some.

My dry hitch weight "grew" about 100 lbs from the number listed in the brochure. The battery and full propane tanks add up.

You say you have the maximum towing package, but that has a lot to do with the cab/bed configuration, engine, and final drive ratio. Check out this site to see what your actual tow rating is: https://www.fleet.ford.com/showroom/...2010/F-150.pdf

Some 2010 F150s are rated to tow up to 11,300 lbs. Surely, Ford would put a hitch on the truck to equal that, but you need to be sure. Check the sticker on the hitch. If it reads something like " 5000/500 lbs." (maximum weight carrying trailer weight/maximum weight carrying tongue weight), and the 2nd set of figures indicating a weight distributing of 12000/1200 lbs, you might be OK. Anything lighter that that, and that would be a concern. You will probably have to go with 1200 lb bars for the WDH.......I don't think it wise to go higher than that with a 1/2 ton pickup.

The listed tongue weight and trailer weight shows a ratio of 15.5% for this trailer. That is a little heavy for the tongue, so in this case trying to keep the weight towards the back of the trailer might be advantageous, being careful to not get the ratio below about 12%. I also have a relatively high tongue weight, and try to keep my tongue weight ratio around 13.5% by loading towards the back.

The sticker on the bottom of the hitch shows 11,500/1150 on the second set of figures. My '10 model F150 Crewcab 4X4 has 3.73 rear gearing. It also has 20" wheels although the tires only have the "P" rating. I have read that more tongue weight helps with sway, but I don't want too heavy a load for the truck either. I plan on towing the trailer a few thousand miles and don't want any setup that will make the trip a handful. We really liked this floorplan, but will reconsider if this trailer doesn't carry the right "balance".

lbrjet · 12-02-2010, 08:42 PM

TN. An 1150 lb receiver is good. Now what are these numbers?
rear GAWR / GVWR / payload rating
You will find them on the sticker on the drivers side door frame.

As others have said 'P' rated are not made for towing; they are made to give your truck a nice smooth ride. They are car tires, not truck tires. Truely don't understand why Ford puts them on a truck with MAX tow package. The 20 inch rims aren't going to help any, but they should be OK. They will certainly hinder your trucks towing performance a bit.

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