Betsy II wrote: My wife would check out the interior and I would check out the exterior and chassis. The interior was fancier than we wanted and the chassis wasn't what I was looking for. I wanted 8 lug wheels, 8 or 10 ply 16" wheels. There also had to be reserve capacity in the axles when the 5er was at GVWR.
Where are you going to find a 27-29 foot fifth wheel with 8 lug wheels? 16" wheels were an option on mine. And axle rating is one of the factors considered when determining GVWR and I would have to pack 3000 pounds of stuff to get to my GVWR. I've seen big fancy fifth wheels with less than 500 pounds of cargo carrying room between dry weight and GVWR. Wildcat uses a 10" I-Beam steel chassis. For a 27' trailer, that seems pretty stout, even if there are only 6 lugnuts on each wheel.
Yeah, we're happy with our Wildcat, had it for 3 years now. A few little things here and there, but nothing to warrant a trip back to the dealer.
We owned our 2001 27RL Wildcat for 7 years. Just sold it and we got back 53% of what we paid for it so was extremely happy! The Wildcat is Entry Level. It competes with the Keystone Cougar which is also entry level but the Wildcat does provide good bang for the buck.
It was an excellent unit. Our only issues.
1. Front Cap Separation (Common in older models)
2. Plastic drain in shower leaked and replaced with metal drain.
3. Front Jack failure first time out. Replaced entire jack.
4. Went thru 2 water pumps. Needed new pump when I sold it.
5. Plastic fresh water tube from opening to tank was completely cracked and needed to be replaced.
6. Kitchen faucet handle kept coming loose.
7. Replaced Regulator on dual LP tanks.
8. Furnance kept acting up. Finally had no issues when the LP regulator was changed.
9. Difficultly snapping closed the awning. I beleive it was slightly bent but it was a good awning. 22 ft long on the 27RL model.
10. Plastic water fittings (low water line drain) kept leaking. Each year I made sure they were all tightened up as they work themselves loose over the years.
11. We replaced the D load tires after 3 years and replaced with E load.
12. Standard Brake Job and Bearing pack every other year for the first 3 years, then bi-annual the last 3 years. It probably could have used new linings this fall had I kept it.
13. Most of the decals were gone. Completely from the front, and pealing on the sides. Wasnt an issue with me, just normal wear and tear.
Again, it was a great unit. Just routine breakage of some parts, common to all RV's after years of use.
Marty
2000 F-250 SD,SC,2WD,auto,LB,V-10,3.73
2002 Forest River Wildcat 27RL
1-wife
2-girls (ages 17-13)
1-Dark Red toy poddle (2 1/2 yrs old.....our baby)
Is your head spinning yet?
You will get half telling you the 5er is great and half that tells you the unit is junk.
Just like anything, they ALL have their issues, and if this trailer fits you well and you like it, then that is all that matters.
Look at my sig.
I am just another Overjoyed Forest River owner. FR made some nice units back then. We looked at and almost bought that same model. Poor salesmanship made our decision easy. We bought used and never looked back.
Good luck with your choice.
Jim & Rhonda Titus
Cash, The Brindled Boxer
Bruno, The Flashy Fawn Boxer
2004 Cedar Creek Silverback 28LRLFS 5er
2006 Ford F-350 Lariat FX4 CC 6.0 PSD
Reese 16K Kwik Slide
CCRVC # 655
NH State Director, Cedar Creek RV Club
Betsy II wrote: ... However, the 27RL does have very good grey water capacity. If you are going to dry camp, which we do, we wanted at least a 50 gal grey tank. The 27RL has a 100 gal tank. So it has lots of capacity.... Roy
When we looked at the 2007 Wildcat, the holding tanks were smaller. I think the first year they upped the size recently was the 2008's. Don't quote me, check into it if the size of the holding tanks are an issue.
TH, TW, Son & Daughter
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 HD QC 5.9L Turbo Diesel
2009 Forest River Wildcat 29RLBS
RacenutSB:
The General Coach product we have, Corsair Excella 26RKS, has 8 lug 16" aluminum wheels. The wheels are rated at 3,200#, tires at 3,000#. The axles are 3,000# Dexters with the coach manufacturer rating them at 5,200#. Actual dry weight is 8,900#, GVWR 11,000#. Loaded weight on trip last summer was; 1,700# pin and 8,300# axles. It's just something we were looking for in a new 5er. We tend to keep them for a long time, 15+ years, and camp in all kinds of conditions and weather.
WannaBcamping:
You are correct, I was looking at the '08 spec of the 27RL. I don't recall the '07 spec. That being said, 100 gal is good for the grey tank.
I think the Wildcat is probably a good unit for the cost. Based on some of the posts there have been some very good deals made by you folks. I was not as good as you in that regard.
Betsy II wrote: .....
WannaBcamping:
You are correct, I was looking at the '08 spec of the 27RL. I don't recall the '07 spec. That being said, 100 gal is good for the grey tank.
I think the Wildcat is probably a good unit for the cost. Based on some of the posts there have been some very good deals made by you folks. I was not as good as you in that regard.
...safe RV'g...
Roy
Unless the '08 is different, it will likely have 2 grey tanks with a total of 100 gal capacity. Mine has 74 gallons comprised of two 37 gal tanks (one for the shower/vanity sink and the other for the kitchen sink.
Eric
2009 Holiday Rambler Admiral 33SFS
Good Sam's - FQCC/Camping Quebec My Photos
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