Front or rear kitchen model questions

[danrn]

So, my wife is liking the front or rear kitchen floor plans. I believe she likes the rear kitchen the most. I have read were people state they have little problems with things bouncing around or breaking, others say it looks like a hurricane came through. Others have said the bouncing has caused their refrigerators to break, or malfunction. I have tried to do as much research into this as I can, but would like to ask those would have these floor plans their comments. Some say you have to have IS in order to control the bouncing, but even with IS wouldn't the 5th wheel still porpoise when going over a bridge? Would a front kitchen model have less bouncing than a rear kitchen? Would you say that IS is a must have in these models?
Thanks for your time with my questions.

[Oaklevel]

Interested is seeing what others say. We have always had midship kitchens several campers since 1985. (Over the axles)

The only issue I have heard is rear kitchen can take too much weight off of the tongue (can add to sway) and opposite front kitchen add a lot of weight to the tongue. Have no idea if this is true.

Curious what is IS ??

[D W]

Our rig has a rear kitchen and we don't have stuff bouncing all over the place nor has it affected the refrigerator operation. During our short camping season many of our roads are undergoing repairs from the previous winter. There are some rough spots with broken pavement and frost heaves. We pack the unit accordingly.

[bikendan]

Moved thread from the General Community Discussion section to the General TT/5th Wheel Discussion section since the OP's questions are specific to that sub-forum and not general community questions.

[bikendan]

The DW will only have a rear/front kitchen TT or 5th Wheel.
Our previous TT was a rear kitchen that we owned for 7 years.
We never had any of the negative issues that you mentioned.
Our next TT will probably be a particular Rockwood/Flagstaff front kitchen model.

[Believer45]

Lovely Wife's family had a center kitchen Nomad trailer somewhere around 22' back in the eighties and it seemed to do OK. They were careful securing things which I am sure is largely responsible.

Our current trailer is 35' Rockwood 3008W with front kitchen and things do not move around on us at all, even on rough roads (I-65 south out of Louisville KY comes to mind!) Floor plan below.



Dave / Believer45

[jimmoore13]

I'll limit my 2 cents to the weight and balance issue. Kitchen stuff is heavy. Cookware, dishes, food in cabinets and the fridge, silverware, and so on all add up to a fairly substantial portion of the cargo weight in your rig.

While that ground hugging weight will be an important consideration whether front or rear, my inclination is to put the kitchen...and all that weight...up front. It may be easier to stow temporary cargo, such as EZ-Ups, portable grills, outdoor chairs and so on in the rear to counterbalance. With a rear kitchen, that loading might lighten the tongue too much, and it may be difficult to adjust the load without significantly disrupting the kitchen. Too much pin weight is a problem, but too little is dangerous.

Another thought. If you counterbalance with consumables...say a case of beer...they will work on the way out, but they won't be there for the return trip.

As for jounce, the kitchen will ride more smoothly up front because much of that ride is influenced by the tow vehicle's suspension...which has shock absorbers to dampen the oscillations. One thing you could do vs. independent suspension (IS?) is add shocks to your RV's suspension. It's a relatively modest investment to add shocks, and they will improve the ride considerably. Rather than undamped springs oscillating unchecked after every bump, the shocks will snub that oscillation and settle things down much more quickly after hitting, say, an expansion joint.

This is just my hunch...a lot depends on the specific rig and how well it's balanced "dry." One consideration would be the dry tongue/pin weight on a specific rig and how much flexibility you have with both pin weight and fore/and/aft balance as you load it.

Not much help...just food for thought.

[Rickards Red]

We have a rear kitchen trailer for the past 7 years and have never had an issue, besides having a drawer open but a bungee cord takes care of that. We like the rear kitchen as the entrance door is there so we have access to the fridge while travelling.

[FlagstaffBen]

I wouldn't worry much about it, 99% of the foolishness you read on these and other boards is just that, usually commented on by someone who never had a rear kitchen unit. What is in that space if the kitchen isn't there? A sofa or recliners with overhead and side cabinets? How about a bunkroom and outside kitchen? The bathroom? The dinette? And in most case some outside accessible storage?


It's hilarious how folks get on this subject and other boards with OCD about a few pounds of weight and where it's positioned. A lot of BS.



FWIW I tow a Flagstaff SL 26RKBS (RK for rear kitchen) with a GMC 2500 and don't use any weight distribution. No issues whatsoever.

[Aussieguy]

My kitchen is over the trailer wheels
does not bounce around and we once left a coffee pot on the stove

Found it 2 hours later....... still on the stove , upright and it still contained 1/4 pot of coffee

never have had a plate or cup out of place in the overhead cupboards
but Mrs AG insisted on fitting that semi sticky cupboard liner she found in the discount store

[AudiDudi]

We had a 28ft TT with a front kitchen a few yrs back. With the slope of the front of the TT, the cabinet space was limited inside due to the interior slope along the front wall.