New Montana Purchase - Montana Owners Club

kbr278 · 03-06-2005, 03:08 AM

After 2 years of going to rv shows and in and out of hundreds of travel trailers and fifth wheels we have finally made a discion on our purchase. We have decided to go with the 3685 front lounge Montana.Looking for any pros or cons about this model. We have two boys 10&12 and do not want to get bunks do to the fact that what do we do after the kids stop going. The front lounge gives us the option of letting them sleep in the living room and giving us acess to the rest of the unit without bothering them. Any sugggestions on vehicle type? options on unit ect. would be helpful.

jackw87 · 03-06-2005, 03:35 AM

I also have a 2005 3685Fl I foun that the labels on the dump valves for gray and black water were reversed and that the W/D prep did not dump into a holding tank the arms on the couch are not suported and the screws that hold them on are weak otyher than that we love our trailer I tow with a 2005 F350 DRW 6.0 power stroke with the tow boss package and crew cab long bed It has a builtin brake controler and is rated to tow 18400lb GVW 5th wheel and a GCWR of 26000 lb you can also get in a SRW F350

sreigle · 03-06-2005, 04:00 AM

Welcome aboard, Kevin and Denise! You have made an excellent choice in buying a Montana, in my opinion. The 3685FL is a very popular, beautiful model. I'm sure you will love your adventures in it. No Montana is perfect but most of us here have found it's the best bang for the buck and the mfr stands behind the product.

As for tow vehicles, we all have our preferences. Mine is in my signature. What it comes down to is any of the big three diesels will do a great job. If you prefer to go with a gas tow vehicle, the V10 from Ford and Dodge and the 8.1L V8 from GM all do a really good job. I don't think Dodge is currently offering the V10 in the new models but they are still available in used trucks. All of this is my opinion, for whatever that's worth.

Good luck and welcome to MOC.

padredw · 03-06-2005, 06:46 AM

kbr278, Your idea about the front living room with the boys is a good one, I think. Our first RV was a Prowler Regal which we bought used. I liked it because it had the front living room and a completely separate bedroom in the rear. We did not go with the 3685 because with just the two of us we did not need or want to get a unit that large. We went to the other extreme: the 2955RL. We still feel we made the right choice for our situation, but I am still partial to that front living room. Main point: I think you are on the right track and that will be much better than the bunks.

campbud · 03-06-2005, 07:31 AM

Congratulations! We seen this model and it was so nice! That is a great idea instead of opting for a bunk bed model. We purchased a 2955RL last month, we haven't been able to camp yet but so far everything seems good.

Montana_3299 · 03-06-2005, 07:47 AM

kbr278
You'll LOVE the 3685FL. We got out 2004 model last year and still marvel about how well designed it is. The 2 fold out sofa's are wonderful (comfortable too). Unfortunately, however, a job change is going to necessitate us selling the Montana and the tow vehicle. We will be out of RV'ing for a few years. We love the Montana so much we thought about holding it until later, but with storage, etc, we decided it wouldn't be a logical alternative. But I'm sure in the future when we can get back to RV'ing, we'll again look at the Montana. Hopefully they'll still be making the 3685FL floorplan because we LOVE it. So if anyone is interested in a 2004 model 3685FL, hardly used (200 miles on it -- was in a campground lot -- contact us.
Janette and Fred

joe2speed · 03-06-2005, 12:27 PM

I have a 2004 3655fl, which is predicesser of the 3685fl. It has three slides. One living room slide and no door in the bedroom. Other than that they are similar, except the dinning room slide was moved to the street side. I guess the people at the factory still don't have it right yet because my dump valves were miss labeled also. Lucky I use a clear elbow and the first time I flushed the system out I saw the mistake. Lucky to find out early on that one or I would have been draining the black tank last and leaving a lot of shall I say stuff in the drain pipe and drain hose.

stiles watson · 03-06-2005, 04:35 PM

Welcome to the MOC Forum. I see you have already gotten feedback on the model you have chosen. It looks as if you are well on your way to really great adventures. Let us know how it goes. Happy RVing....

Joyce H · 03-07-2005, 01:58 AM

Kevin & Denise, First of all WELCOME to the MOC. Congrats on your new Montana. AS you can see from your response here most of us are very happy with our Montanas. May you enjoy many happy miles in your new wheel estate. Looking forward to hearing about all your adventures.

Montana_3032 · 03-07-2005, 08:40 AM

Congrats on the Montanna.

I thought I was the only one with the world with a kid that didn't opt for a bunkhouse model.

We're outside 90% of the time when the weather is good and so he only really 'sleeps' in the RV. I tell him the whole living room is his bunkhouse.

Native Tex · 03-09-2005, 02:01 PM

Congratulations on your new rig! I have seen these many times at the show and almost bought the same model, but the woman of the house changed my mind....if you know what I mean. Happy Trails!

Wordsmith · 03-09-2005, 03:09 PM

I saw my first live, in person 3685FL yesterday, and must confess that the front lounge is a dynamic space. I was impressed by its openness as well as approach, making it a very atypical 5er. We have a son, but have never given any serious consideration to bunkhouses for him; it has always seemed to me to be a waste of space. The beds in the front would make a good option. My son has slept on the sofa in our Prowler since he was old enough to do so safely, and I did it throughout my pre and teen camping years.

As a curiousity, I noticed that there are no Montana models with bunkhouses on the website or the two newest versions of the literature, but have there ever been?

BillyRay · 03-09-2005, 11:00 PM

welcome and congrats. on your decision. we have a 2004 3685...previously had the 3655. we tow it with a 2002 chevy 4x4 crew cab dually diesel.very pleased with all the above. the front livingroom option will work well for you! no more hearing he's touching me! I prefer either chevy or ford for tow vehicles. both are very nice.it's all just a preferance. every year they change along with their tow ratings. I was always a ford man, but in 2002 chevy had the better set up (for me anyway) this year it sounds like it is probably ford with the increased towing ability! test drive them and see what YOU prefer. ford traditionally will ride alittle rougher than chevy, but I believe it's more of a truck....just one mans opinion...but with either choice you'll be fine.

Just148 · 03-10-2005, 12:53 AM

Welcome and Congratulations on your new purchase. I do be leave the boys will enjoy the new rig.

Bowie · 03-10-2005, 02:09 AM

A beautiful rig--congratulations! Think you chose wisely--when you're done with bunks you're done with bunks. Hope the entire family has a great time.

kbr278 · 03-12-2005, 03:11 PM

ANOTHER QUESTION: IN THE 3685 WE LOOKED AT THE A/C WAS LOCATD IN THE BEDROOM. DOES ANYONE KNOW IF THIS IS THE STANDARD OR WOULD WE HAVE A CHOICE? JUST THIUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER IN THE KITCHEN.iS THE SECOND A/C OPTION REALLY NEEDED OR IS ONE SUFFICIENT IN THIS SIZE UNIT?

THANKS
KEVIN AND DENISE. SOON TO BE MONTANA OWNERS.

fulltimedreamer · 03-12-2005, 03:32 PM

Congratulations and enjoy that new Monty. I'm sure it will be worth the wait.

Montana Sky · 03-13-2005, 08:34 PM

Kevin and Denise,
The 3685FL has the a/c standard in the bedroom. The reason they put it there if to keep the overall height as low as possible. The kitchen vent is the highest point on that coach and having a 15,000btu a/c up there could really do some damage. I am having the second a/c put on my 3400RL this spring as I found my main a/c runs almost non stop on the days it gets much above 90 degrees. The second reason I am having the second a/c installed is I do not like having the tv or radio loud to over come the a/c, now I can run the bedroom a/c all afternoon to keep things cool and only use the main if the temps get too warm in the living area. Just my two cents worth.

Montana_3299 · 03-13-2005, 11:28 PM

We have the 2004 model of the 3685FL (unfortunately currently for sale because of a change in job responsibilities) with the A/C in the bedroom. It does a good job of keeping the coach comfortable (we've stayed in it extensively last summer and fall). The ceiling fan in the kitchen is very useful at keeping that cooler air moving around the coach. We've also found that when it's really, really hot outside by keeping the shades pulled helps too. You'll LOVE the 3685FL, we do!!!

Montana_820 · 03-14-2005, 01:09 AM

Welcome to MOC..we also have a 3685 and have had no problems other than what has been said about the valves being reversed (I fixed that)..we tow ours with a Ford F450 (4x4, 4.30 gears and a 6 speed) and I have an AeroTow Hauler bed with a B&W turnover ball hitch to attach the rig to. I had a F350 before, it "pulled" it just fine but the braking was my concern, and the F450 handles that quite well.

Travel safe and enjoy!

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