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Old 05-18-2010, 04:42 PM   #1
MPI_Mallard
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Your Opinions

The wiff and i retired this year and we plan to go full time,she got a look at the 2010 MONTANA 3750FL and fell in love with it. We have several friends who f/t but none of them have had any experience with Keystone/Montana's so i'm hoping you all can help me out.

1- I'll be towing with a 2011 sierra 3500HD dually four-door,do i need either the short,med or long box?
2- Should i buy the 5 year extended warranty?
3- Will it hold up well over say ten years,will the maintenence become an issue?
4- I Keystone good with their warranty work?
5- Iv'e been warned that Keystone uses "China Bomb"tires on their new rigs,is that true?
6- I will be hauling a 5x10' cargo trailer hehind it on occasion,will the Montana handle that?

I'm sure it'll be perfect for us but,,,,,geeze thats a lot of money and this is our first fiver! I'll thank everyone in advance!
 
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Old 05-18-2010, 05:02 PM   #2
melnjoy
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Welcome to the MOC
We have a 2004 3575 since it was new and have been very happy with it, not saying that we have not had any problems with it we have and in most cases Keystone has stepped up and taken care of the problems, some out of warranty. We did buy an extended warranty and it has paid for its self a couple times over. Just make sure that you buy one that covers everything and can be used anywhere. Also extended warranty are very negotiable there are big profits and commission on warranties.
Good luck
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Old 05-18-2010, 05:51 PM   #3
rames14
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Nice choice of truck. I believe it only comes long bed unless it has changed. Yes on the warranty. The years will depend on you partly. We had our 3400 five years and it was still fine. Keystone has stood behind issues well out of warranty. Keystone is no different than anyone else on tires. Our last Montana we wore the tires out. The new one had two flats the first three months. And lastly, tow at your own risk. Lippert makes most RV frames and they do not recommend or approve of it. You may be fine and you may not. But it is your choice. You will find many people here on the forum on their second and third Montana. That says a lot to me. Good luck.
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Old 05-19-2010, 01:12 AM   #4
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You will also find that there are several of us who are still on our first Montana. That says something too about the company that makes them. Though we don't find it economically sound for us to rid ourselves of our 10-year old Montana, the quality must be pretty good for it to take the beating ours has for 10 years of travel on a lot of very bad highways.

Orv
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Old 05-19-2010, 01:39 AM   #5
kdeiss
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7 years for our 2002 2955 no problems
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Old 05-19-2010, 03:00 AM   #6
trlrboy
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We replaced all four of our Goodyear Marathon tires within 4 months of buying our 3400RL due to bubbles in the sidewalls of two of them. Goodyear stood behind the tires for full replacement cost. We upgraded to the G614's at that time and have seen no problems at all.
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Old 05-19-2010, 04:34 AM   #7
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Keeystone says fulltiming voids warranty, or did you do not do fulltiming!!
1. I have lb,qc and was best investment, little hard in some parking lots!! but extra storage!!
2. I did get extended on my 04, but had the 70000 and six,was not good investment
3. depends on your driving and loading
4. yes,but note first line, you do not adveertize fulltiming
5. I think most OEM tires are issue but I have 5 years on my missions and will be replacing them this year. Five years isnormal life
6. You will be awful long, I am 53' on my 3000RK and having a cargo trailer behind could bea real issue. IMHO
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Old 05-19-2010, 05:12 AM   #8
ols1932
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I had never heard that Keystone voided any warranty for full timers. I had a lot of work done after the unit was out of warranty and Keystone stood behind their product even with us telling them face-to-face that we full timed. What they may tell you is that RVs are not normally designed for full time living. Tell that to the thousands of us who are living full time in RVs--and living quite well, thank you.

Orv
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Old 05-19-2010, 06:29 AM   #9
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My experience is the same as ols1932, albeit, not as long. My unit is 4 years old and, except for the carpet, which we could have taken care of better, is like new. I have also had "out of warranty" work done by Keystone, them, knowing I was a fulltimer also. I beleive there are some things you must do to increase longevity, IF you are "on the road", fulltime and not just living in a park somewhere and not towing. Suspension is critical, take care of it and upgrade when you can. A good quality floating hitch is a necessity also, such as an air hitch or the Fifth Airborne, Tires are probably the most important when you are travelling. Watch your clearances really close, this include the top clearance also, many trees and obstacle hang down in parks. A good coat of wax or protectorant is a must also. Keep up on the maintenance and don't get lax about fixing things. I, personally, would not haul a trailer of any kind although many do. Some say the frame is not strong enough, perhaps extra support welded on by a competent welder will help. Warranty could be an issue with an extra trailer, at least for the first year. I bought an extended warranty and have yet to use it, but it is there if I need it.

All in all, I see no reason these rigs won't last ten years, IF, and that's a BIF IF, you take care of them as you would your stick home. Of course, IF you travel a LOT of back roads and unimproved highways, this may decrease your longevity. I am one that usually sticks to the major highways while travelling. Some folks may say I miss alot along the way, but we have seen plenty also. We are very content in our home on wheels.....I wish you the best of luck AND Happy Motoring!!!!!
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Old 05-19-2010, 06:59 AM   #10
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We have a 04 and we dont full time but our monty is a ok for us we had no serous problems, and the ones we had were fixed. other than the cosmetics of decal shrinkage, which I dont realy care about now, it will eventually all fall off and it will be a all white montana.
they are a good investment for fun and travel, and far better than Motel 6.
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Old 05-19-2010, 07:56 AM   #11
TLightning
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1. All GM one tons are long bed only.
5. Yes, Chinese tires, unless they've changed recently. I got three years of heavy driving out of mine...then a tread separated. Replaced them with LTs.
6. Just MHO, but I would tow NOTHING behind a Montana with a Lippert frame. Towing voids the warranty...obviously a weak frame.
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Old 05-19-2010, 08:57 AM   #12
cmawendy
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That is the next floor plan that we are going to get...I love it, congrats and I'm sure you won't be unhappy with your Montana. We love ours also...
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Old 05-19-2010, 06:00 PM   #13
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[quote
1- I'll be towing with a 2011 sierra 3500HD dually four-door,do i need either the short,med or long box?
2- Should i buy the 5 year extended warranty?
3- Will it hold up well over say ten years,will the maintenence become an issue?
4- I Keystone good with their warranty work?
5- Iv'e been warned that Keystone uses "China Bomb"tires on their new rigs,is that true?
6- I will be hauling a 5x10' cargo trailer hehind it on occasion,will the Montana handle that?

Number 1: Great choice. I have a 2008 3500 GMC Sierra SINGLE rear tires and love it. One thing you will get on the 2011 that I don't have, is an exhaust brake. I'm harrassing GM about retrofitting the older rigs.
Number 2: Your choice, it IS expensive, but then so is replacement of say, a refrigerator. Haven't used our warranty.....yet!
Number 3: Should be no problem....IF you take care of it.
Number 4: They've been good to us so far.
Number 5: Don't know what the new rigs have. Dang near everything is made in China now. I know the Big Sky's were running Carlisles.
Number 6: Bad idea. I don't think Montana will warranty the trailer if they find out, and that's a LONG rig you will be pulling. Some states won't allow it. And, as others have said, the frame could be an issue.
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Old 05-22-2010, 11:04 AM   #14
Tom S.
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by MPI_Mallard

The wiff and i retired this year and we plan to go full time,she got a look at the 2010 MONTANA 3750FL and fell in love with it. We have several friends who f/t but none of them have had any experience with Keystone/Montana's so i'm hoping you all can help me out.

1- I'll be towing with a 2011 sierra 3500HD dually four-door,do i need either the short,med or long box?

As others have stated, the 3500 only comes with the long bed.

2- Should i buy the 5 year extended warranty?

If you are asking about it for the truck, no. The truck comes with a 5 year 100,000 mile warranty on the power train and 3 year 36,000 warranty that covers it bumper to bumper. So the extended warranty is, in my humble opinion, not worth it. In fact, as a former employee, I am eligible for a substantial discount and I still don't buy extended warranties. Now if you are asking about the trailer, that's slightly different since the warranty on it is far shorter. But before buying one, search this site for the pros and cons on them.

3- Will it hold up well over say ten years,will the maintenance become an issue?

I am hoping you are planning on buying the Diesel/Allison combo. Not only will they hold up for ten years, they should easily go far beyond that. Diesel maintenance is not the same as gas, but not dramatically so. Diesels have a fuel filter that must be changed more often that one found on gas trucks, and the oil pan holds a lot more oil. The Allison trans has it's own little spin on filter which must also be changed. But you'll never have to worry about spark plugs again!

4- I Keystone good with their warranty work?

Keystone is great with their warranty work, but not all of their dealers are. There is a section here rating dealers, you might want to look and see if the dealer you plan on buying from is listed.

5- Iv'e been warned that Keystone uses "China Bomb"tires on their new rigs,is that true?

Nearly every trailer manufacture uses tires made in China. For a while, there was no one in the US making them. Goodyear has started making here again, but who knows for how long?

6- I will be hauling a 5x10' cargo trailer hehind it on occasion,will the Montana handle that?

No. The Montana is NOT set up for towing a trailer behind it. The factory available hitch is for a bicycle rack only. There have been some enterprising people out there who have made hitches for their trailers and do pull small trailers behind them, but this will void your warranty. Plus doing so may get you trouble with the law, as some states have length limits as well as bans against trailers towing trailers.

I'm sure it'll be perfect for us but,,,,,geeze thats a lot of money and this is our first fiver! I'll thank everyone in advance!
If you search other sites for other brands (as well as this one), you will note that many problems carry over from brand to brand. This is because many manufactures use the same suppliers. Having said that, Keystone offers an excellent product for the money.
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Old 05-24-2010, 02:29 AM   #15
Allen in MT
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I have been towing an ATV trailer behind my 05 3400 with no problems. But there are some states that don't allow it. Here is the site for towing that I found helpful
Allen
http://www.towingworld.com/articles/TowingLaws.htm
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Old 07-12-2011, 03:07 PM   #16
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Here is a link to the paperwork to install the unit Ozz has.

http://www.intermatic.com/~/media/fi...20english.ashx

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Old 07-12-2011, 03:25 PM   #17
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I can tell you from personal experience that Keystone does stand behind their product.

Re: towing something behind the Monty - no way.
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Old 07-12-2011, 03:58 PM   #18
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Just to clarify GM. You can get the 3500HD Crew Cab in a short box with SRW, all DRW are long box.
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Old 07-12-2011, 04:43 PM   #19
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I researched 5ers for two years. Looked at numerous brands and models. Decided that Montana was the most for the money. Yes we had china tires fail but GY gave us full credit, 5for5, and all expenses allowance toward G614s with which we are pleased. We have an 06 Chev. 3500 Duramax / Allison DRW. It has 75000 flawless miles. Plenty of power and Trans. is bullet proof. On another forum they interviewed a retired Allison engineer. He said that with "TranSynd fluid and changing filter every 75000 that it would go 300000 miles easily". We did buy extended warranty on 5er but not on truck. We are very happy with both. Our Monty is 2010 3455sa. We have had few warranty issues, all handled well by selling dealer and Keystone. I don't think you will do any better, IMHO. Larry If I had known that Big Sky Package was going to be offered I would have waited and purchased it. Expensive but worth it.
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