Montana to a Mobile Suites - Is it worth it?

[nomadgirl]

Hi,
My husband and I own a 2007 Montana 3400RL and have been living full-time in it the entire 4 years.
There are a couple of thing that we would like to have in a fifth wheel that we don't now. A separate bathroom, a little more storage, and better insulation.

We have recently come across a 2009 Mobile Suites RSSB3 for sale and are thinking about trading ours in for a unit like this.

Does anyone have experience, advise that they can share that might help us in our decision?

Would this be considered a good upgrade to a better fifth wheel?

Also, we own a Dodge Ram 3500 long bed truck. We have looked at the numbers and it seems to be enough truck to haul a unit like that. Any thoughts on this ?

Thank you,

Susan and Steve
http://www.rvtravelpros.com

[tajmahaulers]

My wife and I recently traded into a 2006 Mobile Suites 36TK3 and we're real happy with it. We traded a McKenzie Medallion 34RLT which is a nice coeach and we were real happy with it but we're liking the MS better. The hydraulic leveling is one of the things we like best... much easier than the electric front and hand-crank rear that we had. It also is much more stable (my wife used to complain that she was on the verge of seasickness when I walked around...) I've never owned a Montana but, judging from price, I think the MS would be a step up. We're thrilled with ours.

[BlueSkyRanch]

Last year we traded a 38' Discovery Diesel motor home for our 38' MS and we love it. The MS is extremely quiet and well insulated. Our 38' weighs around 18,000# with almost 4,000 pin weight. We also bought an F350 dually and it does a great job of towing the MS. I think you will enjoy the MS.

[terry and jo]

Susan and Steve,

According to some information that I had from the 2009 model year, the 36RSSB3 in the Mobile Suites has a GVWR of 17,500 lbs. IF it has the Magnum Suspension System with 17.5" tires, it is rated at 18,500 lbs. Keep that in mind when looking at the weights for your truck.

The Mobile Suites would be a better unit than the Montana. They have the thicker walls and insulation, so they would be a better unit should you be caught "further north" than normal during the winter. Precautions still have to be taken, but they are good units. I know a number of DRV owners have gone back to buy other DRV products.

Good luck with your looking. If you are considering the used ones, also check out this website to a used dealer in Elk City, OK that buys the DRV units at auction (usually after a repossession), checks them out and cleans them, and then resells them. They have sold a number of used Mobile Suite in the last year and a half.

http://www.rollingretreats.com/

They may not have what you are interested in right now (both units look too heavy for the Dodge), but keep checking back. Or, you can contact them via their website to see what they might be getting in.

Terry

[Gemstone]

That is a lot of trailer for a LDT. Many folks start out with a 1 ton, me included.....I quickly learned my '05 Dodge wasn't enough truck to suit me.

Regards
Gemstone

[Motor31]

Compared to a Montana, yes the MS would be a step up. Insulation might be better if the MS has double pane windows and upgrades.

As far as your truck is concerned it is very doubtful you have enough truck. Dodge has the lowest tow ratings historically of the big 3. It is impossible to tell you what your capabilities are since you posted no info about the truck. You need to examine the documentation from the truck and make sure you have all the options on it identified before you can tell what the unit is rated for. Do not forget the rating was made with a 150 lb driver and half fuel only so options and load in the truck subtract from it's capacity.

The MS tends to be VERY nose heavy averaging about 4000 plus lbs depending on model. The trailers themselves are also heavy and not geared towards light duty trucks like yours.

[hitchup]

For 2009 models, DRV did some insulation upgrades and changes in interior. The R-values for insulation are better in our 09 than what was in our 06 Elite Suite was. The carpet should be the mini-shag and the windows should be the frameless. All improvements as far as I'm concerned.

For us the RSSB is one of the best FT living floorplans. We love the sidebath and prefer working in an Island kitchen. We had our 38TKSB3 changed into a 38RSSB3, because in 2009, the Island did not exist in a 38'.

We began FTing in a middle range 2005 Pilgrim Open Road which was comparable to the Montana's at the time. But moved up to a Suite within 10 mos because the areas we were in the OR couldn't keep us (me) comfortable.

If you plan on continuing to FullTime and if the price on the 2009 is right, I'd would say you won't be sorry to make a trade UP.

Vickie

[GlennWest]

Just for consideration on weight. My 32 TK3, as I tow it, empty black, gray, half full fresh, comes in at nearly 17,000 lbs. We are full time also. Ours is also the smallest MS made. I am over my truck's ratings 900lbs. Came across scales at 24,400. 23,500 is GMC rating. jfyi. God bless.

[missourijan]

Really not trying to be a smarta** but you're asking DRV owners if the MS is worth an upgrade from a Montana?? We think it is. My suggestion would be to look at any resale site for 5th wheels and see how few used DRV's are for sale compared to Montana. We are a pretty loyal bunch because we like our units, good floor plans, good factory support and many owners buying new ones. Sorry, gotta say it, you don't have enough truck. We have a 2005 Dodge 3500 long bed and it is just enough for our Select Suite that has a GVWR of 15,200. Our Dodge's gross tow rating is 23,000. An MS can weigh 18 or 19k loaded. Good luck & safe travels.

[terry and jo]

Susan and Steve,

Since the weight issue came up. please allow me to direct you to another Fifth Wheel Forum thread where Stacey (Stripit) posted the results of weighing DRV models in the past several years. He is one that will be at a number of rallies and weigh different folks' trucks and trailers.

The administrator of the Fifth Wheel Forums posted the thread and included a link to a pdf file showing those weights. There is one 2009 36RSSB3 among those Stacey has weighed. It is down towards the bottom of the pdf document. Also, pay attention to Stacey's last comments in that 100% of SRW trucks (single rear wheels) were overweight and 60% of DRW trucks were as well.

A lot of times people talk about how their "insert brand here" does just fine pulling half of California. What many don't consider is the stopping power. This is my opinion only, but I would not feel safe with anything smaller than a Ford F450. With ours (a 2008 with 4:88 rear axle ratio and 19.5" wheels), I feel comfortable.

For what it is worth, Jo and I researched RV's (both motorhomes and fifth wheels) for more than two years before ordering our Mobile Suites. I think it is worth it because it will be our home for many years.

The thread to Stacy's information:

http://www.5thwheelforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3153

Terry

EDIT: OK, I got Stacey's name spelled wrong and I listed the wrong username. He is Stripit on Fifth Wheel Forums and Weigh-it on SOITC. Sorry.

[rotaxman]

Susan and Steve,

I may get castigated for saying what I'm going to say but I feel that this is to large of an investment to not be informed.

Joyce and I ordered a new 2006 36TK3 and it turned out to be a pretty good trailer I made a lot of changes to it that should have been done at the factory but in the end it was a fairly good trailer.

We got wantitis so ended trading it in on a new 2009 38TKSB3 which turned out to be a huge mistake. This trailer has a defective frame there are others 3 others that I know of there are some 09's and 10's that have defective frames. This trailer had and still has many many problems but the worst being the frame issue.

The pin number of my 09 is #4750 so you might want to check the pin number on the unit you are thinking about if it is close to mine you might want to be careful. I won't dwell any longer on this part of the post.

As for the truck DRV products are among the most heavy in the RV industry for me a one ton just wouldn't work. I didn't have a power issue it was a weight issue. You will see a lot of debate over the trucks it is a sensitive subject. No insult intended and I hope you take it as such but the Dodge's have always been the lowest rated of the big 3 I don't feel that you have enough truck for that trailer.

I moved up to my 450 right after I got my 06 Mobile Suite I would like to have had a 650 but they are diesel and diesel is not for me. My 06 weighed 15190 right of the dealers lot and 18500 when I went on the road with it in 07. This 09 weighs 17920 and that is when I'm going to use it local. If I were to go on the road it would easily come in at over 18500. The pin weight on my 06 was in excess of 4200 lbs as is this 09.

I do apologize if I have offended any one but as I said I feel this to large an investment to not be informed

With all of this info and a $1.00 you can get a cup of coffee anywhere.

As always good camping
Joyce and Jerry

[Gemstone]

"I do apologize if I have offended any one but as I said I feel this to large an investment to not be informed"...

IMO, input like yours is what makes this site head and shoulders above the "other" site. New/potential buyers need to be able to read of our painful lessons learned...before they plunk down a huge check and become just another statistic for DRV.

Regards
Gemstone

[Lights]

Rotaxman

It would be nice to know what is defective in your frame (#4750). Do you know the other three ID #'s? Have you had your frame repaired or are you still traveling down the roads with a defective frame? I believe you need to tell everyone the whole story about your frame. How did you come to know your frame was defective you or a service personal of a dealer?
Have you talked to anyone at DRV about your defective Frame?

As more people are upgrading to new units and people are buying used units it would be nice to let the new buyer know which unit have had problems or are having problems.

[anijet]

When reading other sites I find similar issues with them all. For every negative post here there are many who don't post that have not had major issues, like myself. Not saying they shouldn't be posted, but one needs to keep in mind the negative gets posted and the satisfied typically just read. This is true for the other sites as well.

[bstark]

Those of us who have been relatively satisfied with our trailers need to remember that posts such as Rotaxman's are just as valuable to potential owners and provide usefull information by which people can perform their own research.

Requesting substantiating facts to support a post that mentions a problem one is having with their trailer is a little demeaning of the person as if they are fudging the truth somehow.

The thing to remember, in my opinion only, is speaking derogatorily of a trailer is far more acceptable than inferring dishonesty or obfuscation by a human being.

Rotaxman is no more required to "substantiate" his problems with his trailer than you would be in speaking poorly of your mother-in-law! He simply is not required to fulfill your standards of proof.

I would think those other three owners would object if Rotaxman posted their serial numbers and "outed" them so-to-speak, they might not want their frame problem to be made public should they ever want to sell their unit regardless of it's successful repair.

Asking folks like Paul Cross how many trailers he's had to repair for things such as "lost camber" would be far more fruitfull (than bringing Rotaxman to task) for owners who genuinely want the knowledge.

[Gemstone]

Lights...

Using the search feature within this forum will take you to just about any piece of information about DRV rigs you'd care to know, both positive and negative, from "wheels" to "roof".

As your question is a matter of public record on this forum, this link - click here (http://www.5thwheelforums.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3066&highlight=lost+camber) will take you to your answer.

Regards
Gemstone

[rotaxman]

Bruce,

Thanks for the post, it's always great to hear from you. I've been setting here ever since I saw the post by lights contemplating how I would respond.

As you stated one time back in the old days on this forum you were castigated, sent pm hate mails and called a liar if you posted a negative about a then Doubletree product. I stopped posting on this forum for several years because I got tired of defending my name every time I posted in a negative manner about Doubletree.

After the formation of the SOITC most all of the cheerleaders went over to that forum known as the most dead forum on the internet. Which in turn made this forum a much better forum with a lot friendlier exchange of information.

It's not up to me like you said to identify all or any of the pin numbers that I know of I don't keep track of other pin numbers it about all I can do to remember my own. I don't think I want to intrude on others privacy like you said they might not want the information posted all over the web.

I'm just an everyday working man (well used to be retired now) there are two things I can't stand a Liar and a Thief I'm not either. I just post what I know. It would be of no profit to me to fabricate stories about my trailer or any other owners trailer.

Gemstone,
Thanks for your post too the kind words are appreciated from both you and Bruce


Lights

Go to the search section of this forum and punch camber in the search box then go to the left and down a little and select the select, mobile, and elete form and then click on search. You will see one page with several entries about camber and frame problems. Read those and you will see what I have done and what others have done.


As always good camping

Jerry and Joyce

[rotaxman]

Gemstone,

Your quick you beat me to it. I just saw your post right after I posted my last post. Although your link won't take him to the same one I spoke of in my post. There should be enough information between the two to answer all or most of lights questions.

Thanks again

As always good camping

Joyce and Jerry

[Gemstone]

"Which in turn made this forum a much better forum with a lot friendlier exchange of information".....

So true...look at the number of posts in the DRV forum, vs every other category on the main page of 5thwheelforums...and if I remember correctly, the counter was reset to zero a couple of years ago...there is a ton of combined knowledge/information of the DRV product line on this forum. Best part is....it is still free !

Regards
Gemstone

[rotaxman]

Gemstone

You are correct there was a reset a few years back this is a great source of information about DRV product good or bad.

As always good camping

Joyce and Jerry

[Pat L.]

Well back to the original question: The Montana's are great units for what they are. Probably the best buy on the market for the money. I had a '05 3475 that we bought new and never had any problems. I stayed up on maintenance and pulled it some 35 to 40k before we traded it in on a new '10 36TKSB4. We took delivery in January and have not been able to use as the snowbirds have all of the CG's filled up here in SW Fl. until April 1st. I have had some bad issues with it and have not been able to get them resolved as of yet.
After reading many different Forums I am starting to feel like we made a bad mistake. We were lied to by the dealer on a half a dozen issues that will come back to bite them in the butt. All I see on the Forums is about bad engineering, bad brake issues, bad frame issues, bad insulated window issues and on and on. Most of the working components in most RV's are the same. ie: water heaters, AC's, refrigerators and etc.
The good part I have found with the Drv is it is a pleasure to pull and the added insulation is a big plus. My wife complained in Montana that she felt cold and in the Mobil Suites she gets hot. A very big plus. The side bath is nice but we had more storage in the Montana in the kitchen. The large closet just inside the door was great for storage as we did not have the washer and dryer.
I was needing to replace the check valve for the city water inlet and the black tank flush quit working. But all in all the Montana was a great unit.
I hope that the factory will get my issues resolved in a timely manner and I won't have to take it to Indiana.
The Mobil Suites are heaver so plan on beefing up your truck for the added weight. I will be adding Air Life kit to my '05 F350 CC KR as well as a 20K hitch. I hope that once we start using our unit we will love as much as we did the Montana. You have the coach that we were looking at to replace our other one.
If you want to direct e-mail me: plaurendine@yahoo.com.
Good luck and hope to hear from you.

[Lights]

Rotaxman
I was only asking questions after you posting information. Thank you for the link and the information helps to explain the defective frame problems.

[rotaxman]

Dan and Darlene,

No problem glad that we got it cleared up always happy to help when I can.

As always good camping
Joyce and Jerry

[CherriandBob]

"After the formation of the SOITC most all of the cheerleaders went over to that forum known as the most dead forum on the internet. Which in turn made this forum a much better forum with a lot friendlier exchange of information. "

Just and FYI---I would guess that a lot of the so called "cheerleaders" still frequent this forum as well as that "dead" one referred to.
I think part of the problem is the attitude of people when they read a post and their need to interpret the mood of the writer. Sorry to get off topic.

To respond to the orginal post...Do your homework and go with your gut. We really like our suite, not to say there have not been problems. You have to look at the big picture. Generally you will see a small percentage of owners respond on any forum and most of those are members of multiple forums so if it seems you get an overwhelming response, some of those may be coming from the same source. Good luck with your decision and if you end up with a "suite" hope to meet you at a rally.

[hitchup]

I was under the impression that some of the Suite cheerleaders got off the road or bought MH's. LOL

Personally, even with problems, the Suite is a giant step above any Fleetwood or Pilgrim RV we've owned.

[dalehandsome]

Hi Susan and Steve,
We looked at 5th wheels for a good two years before we purchased our 2010 Mobile Suites 38 TKSB3 #5334. Montana was one of our favorites until we came across the DRV line. Two major turning points for us that the Montana only had room for the combo washer and dryer and not the stackable or side by side (Important to my DW), and it did not have the leveling system (important to me). Our son has a Cardinal and I have watched him literally spend 45 minutes leveling it. At my age, I was not interested in doing that. Once we were able to put the two units side by side there just wasn’t a comparison. The build quality of the DRV, in our opinion, was far superior. We love the extra insulation in the 3 ½ inch walls, the double pane windows and the heavier frame. Right now we are doing 18 months of service for our church in Macon, Georgia and we are parked in a mobile home park ($200.00 per month) just off the freeway. We have neighbors, with other trailers, who complain about the freeway noise. We barely, if ever, hear it! We have been in our unit for almost a year now and have really enjoyed it and have had few problems. It is as comfortable as our former SB and it is really fun staying in our own place and not an apartment. We actually purchased this as a second home as we generally spend our winters in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where we have a condo. We also felt that our DRV would have a higher % resale than the Montana since there are fewer of them around.

We met Jerry and Joyce (rotaxman) just before we purchased our unit. They live just a short distance from our son’s home in Kansas City where our unit will be based once we finish our mission. They are a delightful couple and Jerry has done some remarkable and beautiful customizing on his 2009 TKSB3. It is really unfortunate what happened with the camber problem. I remember back in 1980 we purchased an Audi 5000. It was the car of my dreams and turned out to be the car of nightmares. I still cringe whenever I see anyone drive an Audi, and yet I know they are a great car.

We finally settled in on two manufacturers. DRV and Cameo. Both were quality built and both offered space for the Wash Dryer units and both had automatic levelers. We made appointments for a tour of each plant. When we arrived at the DRV plant we were greeted by a TV monitor that said “Welcome Hansen’s”. We were treated to an extensive tour of the plant by Dan Tauer, who unbeknownst to us was vice president. We spent a little over three hours with him that day and a couple more the next day. When we arrived for our tour of the Cameo plant, they had forgotten that we were coming and quickly arranged for a tour with a salesperson from the local Cameo dealer. Needles to say the DRV factory tour experience was the turning point in our decision. I highly recommend a tour of the factory if at all possible.

Our unit was towed to its present location (1000 Miles) with our sons 2003 Dodge 3500 Diesel. I am not going to get into the weight issue here, I only want to mention that there were no problems and his comment was that it towed much nicer than his Cardinal. He also tows a 26 foot Chaparral boat and sometimes both his trailer and his boat.

The bottom line is the DRV line of 5th wheels are great units. Not perfect, but very nice. Good luck in your research. Below are a couple of links. One is our photography link in Puerto Vallarta and the other is our Blog for our mission. On the blog there is a tab that says “Our Mobile Suites 5th wheel”. Here you will see a few pictures of the inside of our unit. We did make a few changes, one of which was to move the fire place from side of the desk to the end of the island so we could put in filing cabinets by the desk. This also directs the heat from the fire place directly onto my wife which she loves. This fire place is a little smaller than the one that goes to the side of the desk but puts out the same heat. We have really enjoyed the extra storage created by the filing cabinets.

www.apvallarta.com
grumpagladma.wordpress.com

Take Care: Dale and Marian Hansen

[hitchup]

We finally settled in on two manufacturers. DRV and Cameo. Both were quality built and both offered space for the Wash Dryer units and both had automatic levelers. We made appointments for a tour of each plant.....When we arrived for our tour of the Cameo plant, they had forgotten that we were coming and quickly arranged for a tour with a salesperson from the local Cameo dealer. Needless to say the DRV factory tour experience was the turning point in our decision. I highly recommend a tour of the factory if at all possible.

A Factory Tour is definitely an eye opener. We also went to Carriage and then DRV back in July of 2008. We wanted to compare their high end Royal's to our Elite. The Carriage Tour was taken with a Cameo owner who was in for warranty work. He had been on the DRV tour the previous week. While David asked questions to the Carriage employee, the Cameo owner kept telling me how DRV compared. He couldn't stop raving about DRV's differences.

The next day on DRV's tour, we saw the changes on the 2009 Suites. We couldn't wait to get to our next project and order a new Suite. Also on the tour was the Cameo owner's friends who owned a Montana.

PS: Dale, Thanks for the link to your Suite. It's always fun seeing the custom changes. It gives potential owners fantastic ideas.

[terry and jo]

I'll second Vickie and David's comment about your 38TKSB3. Y'all must be very short people, based on the size of those stockings.

Seriously, though they are good pictures and it's a good modification. The 46" TV might be a bit overwhelming, but hey, everybody has preferences.

Terry

[dalehandsome]

Terry,
We love the 46" 3D TV. At first we thought it might be a bit over whelming, however, it is just perfect. We just lay back in our Lazy Boy love seat, turn on the fire and we are right there in the plushest theatre. We have been waiting for our old TV, in or condo, to go out so we could upgrade to a flat screen. It just keeps on running and running and running. So when we purchased the MS, we decided it was time to go for the gusto.
Take Care: Dale

[soos]

Hi,
my husband and I are also in the process of researching prior to buying a new 5th wheel. Our top 3 are Carriage Carri-lite, Hitchhiker, and Mobile Suites. Up until now, the MS was "the one to beat" but after reading this and other threads I am getting cold feet. one of the main reasons we want to upgrade, is a frame flexing issue we have had in our Everest.
We do plan on heading to all the factories before deciding, but I am not sure my husband would even consider a MS if there are frame issues out there.
Is there any evidence that they have fixed this issue, or are people still having frame issues with the newer models?

Sue
(sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread)

[BlueSkyRanch]

Sue you shouldn't feel that you hijacked the forum. This is what it is designed to do, share valuable information to assist each other.

I have owned 2 custom camper vans, 2 towables, a class C and class A diesel motor home before purchasing our Mobile Suites. With each purchase, the quality has declined while the prices continued to rise. I sincerely believe in buying made in America but the quality of today's goods and services has declined over the years. (in my opinion) From what I have heard, DRV products have followed the same path. I had 3 pages of things to be fixed and it took 2.5 weeks in Indiana to get everything fixed. Having said that, I still believe that DRV products are the best on the market. Yes, I had problems but they were all fixed.

It also helps to have a good dealer. I shopped several dealers before picking International RV World. Dave Titus has been excellent to work with and extremely knowledgeable of the unit. I'm sure there are other great dealers as well along with some terrible ones.

Finding good repair centers can be a challenge as well. Paul & Kay Cross at Indiana Interstate in Lagrange, IN does great work. Don & Brandy at Land Yachts in Jupiter, Fl is another great repair shop.

Flexing frames - From my experience, flexing frames typically come from overloading the unit.

Lastly, ask repair shops that do not sell RV's to rate manufacturers. I did this for motor homes and Newmar and Tiffin were number one, hands down.

http://www.internationalrvworldfl.com/map_hours.asp
http://www.crossrv.com/
http://www.landyachtsinc.com/

[hitchup]

Sue, we're in our 2nd Suite. No Flexing in either frame and lived in both 2 1/2 yrs. Only minor problems in each one. Far fewer in our 2009 than the 2006.

Keep in mind, this forum is really only a very small portion of Suite owners.

Vickie

[Carny Bill]

We have owned an 04,06,09. Getting ready to order another one this summer. Only minor problems with any.

[soos]

thanks all, for helping me calm down, a little. Some frame flexing may be from overloading, but not all. keystone has weighed our trailer several times; we're always about 800-1000 lbs under. they have tried, and failed, to fix the flexing several times. we're out of warranty but they are "owning" the problem. sue

[bucky49]

Any trailer you buy you should have alignment checked. It may be the best $100+ dollars you spend. Axles can be bent from manufacture to road problems. Spring hangers can be misaligned from manufacture to bent on the road. Check tires for wear or mis alignment. also weight rating. Suites should have H rated tires, and they now are standard for 36 and up. We love our new home but with all rvs there are sometimes issues when new just like cars or stick built homes. Remember we run these things down the road, and they are built compareativly light. Hope you have great travels.

[matsonelite69]

Nomadgirl, I owned a traded my 03 Montana for my 06 36tk3 Elite, I was very happy with the service my Montana provided very very limited issues. I traveled all thru North East in extremely cold weather.The DRV is warmer in cold weather most definetly. We too took the factory tour, it was great.It sold us on the DRV Product, BUT, We have had many many issues with our DRV, not any frame issues but plenty of others, We could not afford a New unit so we bought ours used,at first our salesman told us not to purchase the warranty but changed his mind. We were Thankful for that, with that being said it has been used numorous times. We Love the DRV and still have it but are looking to possibly sell, Not because of the issues but I am no longer traveling for work.I WOULD buy another DRV but I would go over it with a fine toothed comb before my purchase, I live in Alabama so its not conveinent to travel to Indiana to Pauls shop, I have talked to them before and although I was not able to make the trip to Indiana have heard wonderful things about his work, If you purchase a DRV I would get to know him personally, Good Luck[/b]