For a manufacturer with the most experience with what you want a 5er for, I would investigate a Teton Homes coach. Their claim to fame is that they originally built their units for the oil field, especially the Alaska pipeline folks. That is why I decided to go with them. I am on my second rig - had to update for all the latest gimmicks you know. JMO, too.
F350 Diesel; Teton 5er;
Native Texan - Transplanted Tar Heel
Retired USMC
Semper Fi !
if your dragging it off to the oil fields why go new or near new, theres a lot of good older rvs out there you wouldnt take a big hit on,holiday rambler is welded all aluminum construction from way back and built very well pick up a high end older one in good shape and go that way there made better then the ones there making today .
1985 Class A Holiday Rambler Imperial 33 +1979 Class C Holiday Rambler Statesman 1000 = 24 ft
From a construction point of view, welded aluminium frames and wooden frames attack the problem from different points of view - the problem being not falling apart... Wooden frames (and to a degree riveted aluminium frames) have a degree of springiness in the material and a degree of flex in the joint. If the joint is stressed too far, it gets loose and floppy before it actually fails. So you can see older models with this construction that creak and flex all over the place but are still usable. Welded aluminium frames still have the springiness inherent in the aluminium but are a lot more rigid at the joints - they don't move at all until their strength is exceeded - all at once or over time - and then they crack. Unlike a loose wood frame joint once a welded joint is cracked it has about no strength at all. So what you end up with is a choice between a flexible frame that will fail sooner but fail somewhat gracefully, or a stiffer frame that will take a lot more punishment before it fails in the least but then the failure is more profound.
I would personally choose the welded aluminium frame, and not drop it off a cliff or otherwise radically abuse it, if weight was an issue. There are probably structural advantages/disadvantages from an insulation four season comfort perspective as well.
Brian
2003 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab, Hemi, 5 speed manual, 3.73 gears, Tow Beast hitch with 24" extension.
28 ft race car hauler, Lola T440 Formula Ford, NTM MK4 Sports Racer
2004 Travel Hawk 8' Truck Camper - Roll at 16K combined weight
I just checked the information from the KZ Durango web site. It states 12,000 axles...forced option on the 325sb. I'll have to do more digging. Surely KZ wouldn't try to pull the wool over our eyes...lol
Still looking for a 5er. 2008 Dodge 2500 6.7L Quad 4x4
Having lived in mine for a winter in Colorado I would seriously consider wood.
Aluminum is a huge heat sink and very few manufacturers recognize this and take steps to insulate the aluminum from the wall board. A properly constructed wood wall where the wood, insulation board(preferable to fiberglass batt) and interior and exterior wall board are glued and vacuum bonded together would as strong if not stronger than aluminum construction. It will also be heavier. Hence the huge weight of the Teton rigs
2001 Sea Breeze fiver. National Built one Heavy Pig! Heavy is good, right?
1999 F250 4X4 PSD CC LB HandshakerFalcon Weather
I just checked the information from the KZ Durango web site. It states 12,000 axles...forced option on the 325sb. I'll have to do more digging. Surely KZ wouldn't try to pull the wool over our eyes...lol
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You are mis-reading the specifications. 12K is the GVWR of the trailer.
Dry pin is 1,773 and dry axle wt is 7,654 so dry trailer wt is the total of that= 9,427. The specs show the UVW (unloaded wt) is indeed 9,427.
The pin wt percent when dry is 1,773/9,427 =19% so when trailer is loaded to its GVWR of 12K, the pin would be about 2,300lbs and the axle wt about 9,700lbs. Look for it to have two axles rated at least 4,850 each so the next size up is Dexter 5,200s. Don't know if they use Dexter so could be another size axle in the 5K rating or more.
The four tires will have to carry 2,425lbs each at GVWR so look for tires to be on it with a load rating somewhat more than that.
Your tow vehicle door sticker for wt limit of occupants and cargo should say at least (2,300 -pinwt , 200- hitch wt, 200 junk in truck, 400- two people)=3,100
Most 3/4 ton Diesels are around 2,400 on that, so would be 700lbs overweight with that trailer at its GVWR. Lots of other choices for trucks that have that capacity though.
I will take a six-sided alum. cage anyday. I also like companies that have "hung wall" construction and 2 layers of staggered luan under the fiberflass which gives a nice sturdy backbone for the sheets' of glass.
I think you will find many methods but most are going to "full alum. cage" construction due to weight savings, strength and durability.
Michael 2 DD's and my DW 6 Acre's of Maine 2009 Crossroads Cruiser CF31SB 2008 Chevy 2500HD Ext. Cab LT 4X4 Camping Pictures
trailer manufactors are required by NHTSA/FMVSS 49 CFR regs to match the tire capacity to the trailer manufactors GAWRs. GAWR are matched to the trailer manufactors GVWR. If the GVWR is 12k then two 6k axles fit nicely. Sometimes I wonder what size axles some of our heavier 5th wheel/TT RV manufactors actually use.
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Wooley brings up a good point on winter living in a aluminum frame trailer. We lived in a 27' aluminum frame 5er with a super slide for one winter with temps down to zero a couple of nites. The wife and I both agreed if we prefer wood frame in the cold.
Jim
'03 2500 Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs
'97 Park Avanue 28' with two slides
trailer manufactors are required by NHTSA/FMVSS 49 CFR regs to match the tire capacity to the trailer manufactors GAWRs.
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On ours that is easy because the GAWR *IS* the tires' capacity. Same as the RGAWR of our truck is the tires' max capacity
GAWR are matched to the trailer manufactors GVWR. If the GVWR is 12k then two 6k axles fit nicely. Sometimes I wonder what size axles some of our heavier 5th wheel/TT RV manufactors actually use.
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Our 2003 Komfort 5er has a GVWR of 10K. It has two Dexter 5,200 axles and GAWR is 4,300 each. Tire capacity is 2,150. (15" Cs). At GVWR axle wt is about 8K and pin wt about 2K. So the four tires at 2,150 each totalling 8,600 can hold the 8k axle wt.
Trailer gets close to GVWR when loaded for camping. No problems with tires at all (Marathons)
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