We are looking to upgrade to a fifth wheel for fulltiming. We have decided on Montana,Bighorn,or Cedar Creek. None of the dealers in our area carry any of these. How far do you go and then work with the dealer? Can you order direct from the manufacturer? I also need to use CPAP at night and will need to have electric and room for the machine in the bedroom.
No you cannot order direct. As for the CPAP machine room? That really depends on the floor plan you choose. You need to go look at and pretend you are living in each model you like to see which ones you would be most comfortable in. Since you are looking at Cedar Creek, don't forget Cardinal too. The Cardinal is similar to the CC and offers maybe a better dealer network than CC. While I do like my Creek, there is no dealers within 150 miles of me. No big deal, as I generally do 99% of my own work myself. Remember, warranty is only for one year, so how important is close proximity to a dealer really?
Donn,Lorri,Max (The Rescued Lab)
Resident Know It All
I've been fulltiming in a Bighorn 3600RL since '06. Took it back to the purchasing dealer once before hitting the road. Had a few more warranty issues after I left the state and Heartland was very good about finding dealers (if I didn't already have one picked out) and authorizing warranty work. Warranty on some items may be longer than 1 year. I think I had a slide issue that was covered for more than 1 year by the component manufacturer.
I downsized from king to queen bed in the BR and there's plenty of room around the bed, even a small nightstand. 110v outlets on both sides of the bed frame and on the side of the sink cabinet.
Joe and Dakota, the wacko cat
2006 Dodge 3500 QC CTD SRW Jacobs Exhaust brake
2006 Heartland Bighorn 3600RL, MorRyde suspension, TrailAir pinbox http://happykayakers.com/blogger/
Because we live way out in the boonies we bought our Montana from a dealer over 140 miles away. Keystone has been great about finding someone along the way if we needed something and had a wonderful customer service facility at their plant. We took it in there for what we thought was a minor problem when we were at the Montana Rally and they fixed the minor problem and found some others we wouldn't have spotted and fixed those also.
Dick and Joyce
2010 Montana 3665RE
Dodge 2500HD Maxi Cab Laramie Edition
Diego, Norm, & Bitsy
We are in a similar position. As long as you have a night table and a power outlet near the head of the bed the cpap will be no problem. DW uses one,we will be having the dealer install an inverter tied to that outlet so we are not dependent on shore power. Many of our provincial campsites don't have it.
We have limited experience with rv dealers so can't help you there.
Wolf3gang, have you looked at NUWA they do sell direct or through their dealers. http://www.nuwa.com/
9-11 WE WILL NEVER FORGET!
04 HitchHiker DA LS 33.5 RLTG
09 F350 CC DRW 4X4
John
“A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” Lao Tzu
Hi there Wolf,
You will get a lot of opinions here to sort thru. I'll give you mine.
Your choice I think is great. I have a Montana 3150 which is not huge or extra heavy. Yes, you can get the top end unit however the weight is something to consider. This also requires a bigger, heavier pickup.Don't know your experience level. This is my second Montana; first one went to Alaska. Not even a drawer came out. The unit I have you could put a machine in the closet right next to where you sleep.
Have fun looking and enjoy your new purchase! Mark
2010 Montana 3150. Chevrolet 2006 Duramax 2500 long bed 4x4 Michelin. B & W Companion. Goodyear Marathon Chinese Bombs gone, New B.F. Goodrich Commercial LT. Mark Allen
..the OP didn't say what his budget is - so maybe those higher end units are out of his price range...and for what its worth, for the $$ we paid for our CC, we are still very happy with it....our dealer threw in the 2-yr warranty.
2008 GMC Sierra C/C 2500HD D/A - w/Titan 52Gal tank
Ride Rite Airbags, Trail Air Pin Box, Garmin Nuvi 1450LMT,
Blue Ox Bed Saver, TST Tire Monitor, Yamaha EF2000is,
2009 Cedar Creek Silverback, GII, 32 WRL w/ XPS RIBS
As some have mentioned there are some fine units to look at and you will have to do your due dillegence. Take your time and get to see and feel the units on your list.
With that I add the Dutchmen Infinity to the mix. Quality and on my final two in my search for this Spring.
stickdog wrote: Wolf3gang, have you looked at NUWA they do sell direct or through their dealers. http://www.nuwa.com/
X2 on that suggestion.
Look. I am not trying to run down your choice of units, but I have looked closely at Montana's and Cedar Creeks, and frankly, they do not compare to Nuwa's.
Mind you, it has been several years since I last looked, but at that time, the fit, finish, heft of construction, and over-all build quality of Montana/Cedar Creek was just not there.
I was comparing these units versus the Hitchhiker /Nuwa I owned, a Discover America series. Now Discover America is not the top of the line for Nuwa, but a mid-grade unit that is lighter in weight than their top of the line Champagne series.
On the Montana's/Cedar Creeks I found drawer construction lacking in build quality, sawdust all over inside cabinets, outside baggage doors thinner, poorly designed floor plan (the Montana for this example had front living room - nice, but then I noticed one could not get to the bathroom unless the slides were extended). Plastic water fixtures versus metal, home style on the Nuwa.
If you want to full time in a unit, do not go by the wow factor, looks alone. You absolutely need to look and look closely at build quality and heft of build. That also means a heavier fifth wheel, which may force you to use a larger tow vehicle.
Nuwa is very good, but it is not alone. Jayco Pinnacle is also a very good, well built unit. There used to be others I would add, but it seems some are out of business now (Carriage).
The Mad Norsky, Doll, Logan, Korey & Rocky
2011 Ford F350 Power Stroke dually
RV'ing since 1991
We never know where we're going till we get there!
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