RE: THOR bringing back Carriage Fifth Wheels
When the new Carriage comes out I'll be glade to look at it. I've had several different campers in the last 35 years of camping and I've camped all over the United States in all types of weather. Needless to say I'm not new to this but I'm surprised at how the quality of the RV person has changes over the years.
In the years past, a fellow camper could be counted on for help or friendly conversation in regards to new designs or ideas in the RVs and when someone was fortunate enough to buy a new unit we all were happy for them. Now when something new comes out....it has to be proven faulty in order to justify not having it. For the record let me state simply that there are a lot of nice RVs out there today being produced. Some are for weekend use and others for full time use but all are good for somebody. Unfortunately they all use the same suppliers which I'd like to see change but it's not a perfect world.
As for all the talk about Redwood let me say...I have a 2012 Redwood RL with full body paint that I dearly love and I have nothing to gain by not being truthful about it. Last year I pulled my RL well over 8000 miles in a period of 5 months and will use it extensively this year. I don't like where they put the fresh water tank but since it follows better than any trailer I've ever had I guess the engineers know more than I do. Yes there has been a few issues, but the company has stood behind the product better than I had ever thought possible. Their customer service is the best I've ever experienced. For example when a water pump went out, they returned my call at 9pm and within 48 hours a new one had arrived at my door. They had offered for me to take it to a shop for immediate service but since I was home I didn't need to, I just fixed it myself.
As always there's disgruntled buyers but they are few and far between with the Redwoods. Look at their forum and ask questions. You'll see I'm on it a lot and we've all built some amazing friendships with the fellow owners. We're all campers and we help each other, just like the old days.
I read some comments about Tom (the manager)on this thread. I did meet Tom at the Redwood rally last fall and we had a few drinks together around the campfire ( about 20 of us) and I'll have to say I think he's one heck of a guy. He didn't hide from any concerns, even walked through our trailers. A few trailers that were having problems he arranged to have fixed at the factory that day, what more could you ask of a man?
I guess it's human nature to complain but it sure gets old especially when there's so much untrue or half truths being pounded out on the keyboards. Yes they do use Lippert frames but in 3 years of production and a couple of thousand trailers, not a single frame issue and that's a pretty good test. For the record, I don't like their jacks and I think the a/c units should be moved but all in all I'm thrilled with my Redwood and I'm looking forward to seeing the Carriage.
Now that group has some of the top minds from Carriage, Mobile Suites and Newmar. All of three of these companies produced great products and hopefully they can bring some great ideas to the new Carriage brand
Happy Trails
dave&ginny
RE: Buffing Or Hand
If you're going to buy a buffer, buy a high speed buffer not an orbital. The orbital buffer won't get the scratches out, they only save on the arm power.
IMO, if a person is not familiar with a high speeed buffer he/she can burn the finish or decals. That is why many of us recommend a random orbital buffer as it is easier on the finish and won't leave swirl marks. I have used an orbital buffer for many years on my vehicles without issues.
+1 to what Ras said.
All these years I've been using my Porter Cable I thought the various pads and polishes were what took care of the scratches, not the buffer itself. Hmmm.
If that were the case why wouldn't body shops use orbital buffers?
RE: Between a Redwood and a Brookstone fifth wheel.....
The slide-in-slide simply gives you extra bedroom space. I have 40 inches of space between the end of my bed and the dresser. It's really surprising how much that little extra space opens up the bedroom. We really like it although we really weren't sure if we would. It only works with a queen size bed and we had to give up the night stands. You don't have to use the extra slide if you choose not to and when you make the bed you simply pull that slide back in.
Now the thing we didn't like about the bedroom was the "Euro-bed" We removed that and went back to our sleep number bed.
I've heard all kinds of comments about the "Lippert Frames" and I agree Lippert has put out some junk frames for different RV companies. But these are also the frames under the DRV and most other brands as well. The frames are built to the specs of the trailer manufactures. My last trailer was made by Forrest River and it also had a Lippert frame that I wouldn't give a nickle for because it was real junk. But again it was built to Forrest River's specs.
The Redwoods have been out now for 2 years and not a single frame issue to date. You couldn't say that about the Montana or Heartland as well as many others.
RE: Between a Redwood and a Brookstone fifth wheel.....
Well if you want to talk to someone with a Redwood I'm your man and I LOVE IT! I'm amazed at all of the B.S. and misinformation that gets spread on these forums from folks who think they know what they're talking about.
Yes the Redwood has had a few problems but I've been in RV's for over 40 years and I can assure you the issues I've had with the Redwood in minor. I have a RL with full body paint and all the goodies including G rated tires, disk brakes, Slide-in--Slide, heat pumps, washer/dryer, generator,ice maker, second awning and the list goes on and on. The sticker should have been around $126,000 and we ended up paying $79,000.
Because of the Slide-in-Slide, generator and the washer and dryer we have a pretty heavy pin weight of about 3400 lbs and the total empty weight of 13900. The GVW is set at 16500. I can carry 90 grey, 45 black and 104 fresh.
There are a lot of nice trailers out there but the Redwood company is really standing behind these units. I've been called 7pm from customer service after sending out an email about a problem. The the person calling was the top person in the department, not someone who was being paid minimum wage.
I'll be happy to answer any questions you have about the Redwood as truthfully as I can. You can look on photobucket and see the pictures of the factory tour I went on as well. Our trailer is not a paper weight, we've already pulled our trailer several thousand miles and will be taking off again next week for another trip.
my email is dave@molleck.com
RE: How long to make you HAPPY??
It's all about money! I argued in my mind this same question for a long time. Then we bought a 40ft 5er and really love it but we had to buy a bigger truck. No regrets! Remember the longer they are the easier they are to pull and back up. The newer large units level themselves and have all the comforts of home.
Enjoy life and get what you want
RE: Buffing Or Hand
The name of the wax I was referring to is called "Fast Wax". It's very easy to put on and can be used in direct sunlight. I hope this helps
RE: Buffing Or Hand
If you have a new trailer with paint...be very careful what type of wax you put on it for the first 6 months. The paint will be omitting fumes though the clear coat while it hardens. If a wax is applied it will stop the clear coat from breathing and the fumes will not be able to go through the clear coat causing it to get a milky look to it.
They do make a polish that body shops use just for this purpose and you can buy it on the web or at your local auto body supply store. If you're going to buy a buffer, buy a high speed buffer not an orbital. The orbital buffer won't get the scratches out, they only save on the arm power.
