Crusader 335BHS advise needed

[lkish526]

Hi I'm Lisa from Illinois. I'm looking at replacing my 2009 Keystone Laredo 29BHS with a 2016 Prime Time Crusader 335BHS. I would love to get any advise from current owners. I've never dealt with Forest River so what should I expect from their warranty department? I will be ordering within the next two months so any recommendations on options that are a must? Is it worth the extra $$ for the 2nd AC or is one sufficient? What type of hitch is best? (new to 5th wheels) Would you recommend getting airbags for a 2009 Chevy 2500HD diesel 4x4 short bed? Any info would be greatly appreciated!

[X96mnn]

This is my opinion only, take it for what you want.

Looked at the 2015 model of this unit, thought it was nice. Main complaint I seen online was the front caps are known to fade, i see it reported on 2014 and newer models, this could be the 2015 is not old enough yet.

Your current RV is made by Thor, this as you know is made by Forest River. My 2012 was a Keystone by Thor, my current a Sandpiper by Forrest River, both RV manufactures are the exact same, the good and the bad is 100% dealer. Those who do the PDI they are paid to do, often have less quality issues that you will discover, they also are the dealers who will go to bat and look after warranty repair. Garbage into Thor and Forrest River equals garbage out, good reports and quality service writer request equals approved service and happy customers.
Be more concerned about the dealer then the product line is my experience.

I went with the Sandpiper, reason, outdoor kitchen fold up door was roughly 6ft off the ground on the crusader, I am 6ft 2. This was a deal breaker for me. Although it is important to point out, the outdoor kitchen in the crusader has the propane stove, Sandpiper does not, a feature I miss greatly.

[X96mnn]

On if the second AC is worth it or not, depends on where you live and travel. I have found on my unit, although not a crusader, one AC does well to cool the RV until the outside temperature hits 90F. The AC will cool the unit down to 70F until this point. After 90F I find the AC starts to lose some ground by a degree. As an example if it is 95F outside the inside temp will be 75F and take longer to get to this point with one AC. Where I live this is not an issue, above 90 may hit two weeks a year BUT my camper is pre wired for the second AC and 50amp service. If I plan trips to Texas or warmer states for extended periods I will be adding the second AC.

For the best 5th wheel hitch, there is a thread that talks about hitches you may want to check out. I have a Reese Pro 15k, does the job, nothing fancy. You may want a slider hitch with the short bed.

For your truck,adding airbags is a preference item usually. It can help level the truck and improve the ride and handling. Not sure that trailer would put that truck in a position to need it, not knowing the numbers on the truck it is hard to say.