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Gemstone · 04-01-2009, 08:15 AM

This month marks three years of fulltiming, and the unit has held up very well. Like others have mentioned, it seemed like the '06's were plagued with problems....mostly from poor workmanship. My belief is at the time our rig was manufactured, Doubletree was operating without a QC program, or QC Manager. We have suffered through the pocket door falling down due to ineffective screws, leaks in the plumbing due to lack of proper torquing of the hose clamps, no heat in the bedroom, due to some installer omitting using screws to hold the duct system together, a front cap that came loose because "the factory got a batch of bad screws" from a supplier (or more likely, the installer had his finger on the air gun too long), an entertainment system that took one day of sorting cables before we had any entertainment. Like I said, mostly QC problems that I have heard no one mention here in a long time....so maybe they finally put their corporate foot down and fired the poor performers.
Factory support has been there when we needed them....even authorizing mobile repair service when we could not pull up and drive hundreds of miles to a dealer repair facility.
As for weight, there was too much trailer for our 3500 series truck....it pulled just fine, but was not adequate for stopping. Regardless of what sales people will tell you, a 1 ton truck is not designed for extended service pulling and stopping 18K+ pounds. After a white knuckle experience on a 6% grade with switchbacks, and zero brakes, we upgraded to a HDT. This was my fault for picking the wrong route...had I consulted the Highway Grade Book, Western edition, we would have chosen a different way to get from A to B, but regardless, having no brakes was not something I ever wanted to experience again. We can now safely pull any grade with ease, descend any grade with little use of the service brakes, the larger wheels have more ground contact as well as huge brakes. Cost of the HDT was less than the 3500, and it will outlive me.
We will consider buying another DRV product when the time comes, unless someone else builds a better one.
Keep asking questions and reading, the information will make you a better shopper.

Regards
Gemstone

04-01-2009, 08:15 AM	#17
Gemstone Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Boydton, VA Posts: 443	This month marks three years of fulltiming, and the unit has held up very well. Like others have mentioned, it seemed like the '06's were plagued with problems....mostly from poor workmanship. My belief is at the time our rig was manufactured, Doubletree was operating without a QC program, or QC Manager. We have suffered through the pocket door falling down due to ineffective screws, leaks in the plumbing due to lack of proper torquing of the hose clamps, no heat in the bedroom, due to some installer omitting using screws to hold the duct system together, a front cap that came loose because "the factory got a batch of bad screws" from a supplier (or more likely, the installer had his finger on the air gun too long), an entertainment system that took one day of sorting cables before we had any entertainment. Like I said, mostly QC problems that I have heard no one mention here in a long time....so maybe they finally put their corporate foot down and fired the poor performers. Factory support has been there when we needed them....even authorizing mobile repair service when we could not pull up and drive hundreds of miles to a dealer repair facility. As for weight, there was too much trailer for our 3500 series truck....it pulled just fine, but was not adequate for stopping. Regardless of what sales people will tell you, a 1 ton truck is not designed for extended service pulling and stopping 18K+ pounds. After a white knuckle experience on a 6% grade with switchbacks, and zero brakes, we upgraded to a HDT. This was my fault for picking the wrong route...had I consulted the Highway Grade Book, Western edition, we would have chosen a different way to get from A to B, but regardless, having no brakes was not something I ever wanted to experience again. We can now safely pull any grade with ease, descend any grade with little use of the service brakes, the larger wheels have more ground contact as well as huge brakes. Cost of the HDT was less than the 3500, and it will outlive me. We will consider buying another DRV product when the time comes, unless someone else builds a better one. Keep asking questions and reading, the information will make you a better shopper. Regards Gemstone __________________ No longer on the road.