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Old 04-15-2017, 10:22 AM   #1
ExPatNW
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2017 3790RD Post first trip report (long post)

So if you have a 3790/91RD then you needn’t bother reading this post.

I have received so much useful help and information from this forum I thought I should try and provide some value back.

If you are considering a 2017 3790/91RD then here are some thoughts for you to consider.

Its based off our first trip to the Oregon coast, where we stayed for 8 nights in Lincoln City. Weather was mild, some dry days and lot of rain, hail and wind.

If it matters, our previous rig was a Montana Mountaineer 2010 345DBQ. We switched to the 3790RD because our kids are older now and we felt we did not need the bunk room which was great when the kids were younger.
We are not full-timers, and keep our rig in a storage facility when we are working.

First let me say my wife and I love our new Montana. We really love the layout of this unit, with what we feel are very distinct living areas, the bedroom, the kitchen and dinette and the living room.

Our opinion is the materials used are higher grade than we had in our Mountaineer. It’s also a heavier unit (and higher) for that I guess.

We love the size of the fridge, I love the gas oven with digital temperature display and the sink in the island. There are way more draws than we had before and storage in the kitchen is great (at least for us).

The space above our heads in the bedroom slide is more than we had before and the king-sized bed (an option we selected) is great.

The recliners and sofa’s in the living room are comfortable and I am surprised how much we did use the fireplace.

I love how many windows and the natural light this lets into the rig.

Outside storage is simply great on this unit – I have very little in the main storage area because all my chairs and mats and stuff are in the rear holds.
Its worth calling out that although you go up some steps to get into the living area, the roof is still high enough for me at 6’ 2” to stand straight up.

We have the newer MORryde Step. I do love the strength of this step. Its certainly a more positive step into the unit that the older fold out steps – but it is very large, and we are concerned that depending on how our neighbors in storage park, we may be able to get into the unit as we won’t be able to get the steps down. You also must adjust the feet sometimes depending on the surface where the feet will land, and this is not entirely easy.

Sorry – should have mentioned we had the legacy package. This provides us with the In-Command system, upgraded MORryde Suspension, a bike hitch point on the rear, the rear camera system and day night shades in the living area (not the bedroom). Honestly hard to say if the upgraded suspension is worth it or not – we are clearly never in the unit as we drive along. We like the IN-Command, although I do feel they could and should do more with it. The day/night shades are good. We have not had a rear camera before, and it works well, I think it will prove to be useful.

Warranty issues. 2 ceiling panels in the roof had been cracked around the air conditioning outlets. The cracks are 1-2 inches long, it’s not a major issue, but when you spend this kind of money I expect it to be perfect. Our door to area where the washer dryer would go does not latch, a simple fix, but one they can take care of. The finish of the wood trim annoys me a little, the pressure on the nail guns clearly not enough to embed the heads into the wood so several of those need to be hammered under and filled. Overall though its pretty good.

The 6 points leveling system was not set to proper level, at least according to my spirit level, so I reset that, will check on our next trip if its better now.

Dometic Thermostats. Disappointed Keystone don’t fit a programmable thermostat, given the price of these rigs. I will likely replace their thermostat with a programmable one. Also found it odd that the front A/C unit is unrelated to the rear system. Finally, if we set the living area to 72, the bedroom does not get close (may be 64), and that’s when using the furnace. We will likely use a small electric heater to boost the temperature in the bedroom.

Remote control madness! There is a remote for the TV, the stereo system, the fireplace and the sound bar. So that’s 4 by fault. We added one more as we like to have SiriusXM radio (we listen to music more than watch TV generally). This is way too many remotes, so I will likely replace them all with a Logitech Harmony.

Love the kitchen. The stove is nice, lights very easily, as does the oven. The light on the stove from the Microwave oven is way better than what we had before.

Not sure we will use the built-in vacuum system much (we have a small Dyson from our previous rig anyway). The built-in vacuum is not bag less and it’s a very small bag. I know SOB just comes with a Dyson.
In our previous Montana, we had three speakers sets, bedroom, living area and outside. In our unit, this is not the same. We have bedroom and outside, but in the living area and kitchen the only speaker for the stereo system is the sound bar. Not sure I like this – would have preferred at least a 3rd set of speakers in the kitchen. The TV is wired direct to the sound bar, so you need to use the Sound Bar remote to select the right input if you switch from one to the other. For many this may not sound like a big deal, but I would rather the TV sound went through the Stereo system – then I could leave the sound bar on and not have to bother with it much. I may do something about this – not decided yet. Have been surprised by just how many digital TV stations I can pick up over the air with the roof top antenna.

Towing. So our older Mountaineer was a little lighter and a little shorter (36’). Can’t say I noticed too much the extra length. My F350 2011 6.7PS SRW pulled it fine, but I do think a DRW may be in order.

It’s a beautiful looking 5th wheel, and we are super happy with it. A few niggles, and I think it’s true to say that any RV is a trade-off between different things (our old Mountaineer had 2 toilets which was great for 4 of us). But overall, and keep in mind we have only had one trip so far, so far so good.

Hope this helps someone.
 
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Old 04-15-2017, 06:15 PM   #2
roothoss1282
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thanks for the post. Yeah more than one trip will help get the kinks worked out. Sometimes it really is the little things that make a unit more like home. It is pretty crazy all the remotes. Hope all goes well and happy camping.
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Old 04-15-2017, 06:56 PM   #3
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Great review, thanks
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Old 04-17-2017, 10:21 PM   #4
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Great review. We are looking at getting a new 5th wheel in the next few months and the 3790rd is one that is at the top on our list. Thanks for taking the time to be so thorough.
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Old 04-18-2017, 08:16 AM   #5
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I have a question about the oven/cooktop in this unit. I am wondering what model they installed and is it a two piece unit? I am redoing my countertops soon so I am looking for options if I would replace the range.
Thanks.
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Old 04-18-2017, 05:30 PM   #6
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@Drifty1 - stove and oven are from Furrion. Here are links to the product pages for what we have in our 3790RD:
https://www.furrion.com/store/applia...eel-p-842.html

https://www.furrion.com/store/applia...eel-p-855.html

Hope this helps
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Old 04-18-2017, 07:43 PM   #7
Ragtacker
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We have had our 3790RD for 1 1/2 years and love it. I can`t disagree with any of your post, although we do use the built in vac and its good. We added an addition to the island for a bit nore counter space and another slide out drawer in the pantry. Enjoy your travels we sure are
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Old 04-18-2017, 07:46 PM   #8
speedster100
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we are two years in our 3790Rd, spent almost 10 months in it over the last year or so and still loving ot. Seen nothing at the Tampa show that we would trade it in on....
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Old 04-18-2017, 08:16 PM   #9
warsw
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Is there any room, in the kitchen, where a dish washer can be added?
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Old 04-18-2017, 08:20 PM   #10
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yes likely in the island however you will lose storage space, we keep our garbage bin in that area and all the cleaning supplies but a dishwasher would fit I'm sure.
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Old 04-18-2017, 08:30 PM   #11
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Originally Posted by speedster100 View Post
yes likely in the island however you will lose storage space, we keep our garbage bin in that area and all the cleaning supplies but a dishwasher would fit I'm sure.
Great...Thanks...We are going full time RV in about 3 weeks. We are starting out in the 5th wheel we have now but hope to get something a little bigger sometime this summer. The 3790 looks to be the perfect RV for full timing and a small dish washer is one appliance we are hoping to get.
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Old 04-19-2017, 03:45 AM   #12
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It's a great unit for long term, lots of storage, well laid out and spacious with the 3 areas that seem to feel separated. We use a lot of paper plates & plastic spoons etc as we boon dock quite a bit so a dishwasher (other than the two legged kind) likely isn't in the cards. You can likely get the dealer to install in the purchase price, seen quite a few new units with them in the island when at the Tampa show. Good luck and happy camping.
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Old 04-20-2017, 12:36 AM   #13
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Do they use Hydraulics for the slides on a 3790 or are they electric? It seems like when I read about slide trouble most of the time it has something to do with the hydraulics. Is this something to stay away from or is it just a rare occasion?




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Old 04-20-2017, 04:05 AM   #14
speedster100
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Both hydraulic and electric, the two main slides in the kitchen/eating area are hydraulic, the other 3 slides (Den living area & bedroom) are electric. I wouldn't worry too much about either, we've had no issues with either hydraulic or electric slides in any of our units over the past 15 - 20 yrs. I do like the speed of the hydraulic slides though..
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Old 04-20-2017, 07:08 AM   #15
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Hydraulics are fine no issues with mine.
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Old 04-20-2017, 11:07 AM   #16
Steve Schempp
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Very good review.

We have a 2016 3970RD and have a few minor problems:
1. The door trim has expanded and buckled, not problem to fix.
2. The ceiling vent in the living room was not powered so we had one put in and one in the bedroom.
3. The cabinet doors have had a habit of unlatching while towing- we use bungee cords to fix this.
4. Our door trim is particle board so be careful if you use even blue tape it will pull off the pattern.
5. Ours has carpeted indoor stairs (the newer ones do not) so I put plastic on them and when it is time to re carpet I will install the plastic/rubber stairs.

I think we have had the rig to the dealer once.

You mention all of the great things about this rig and our experience and are very happy with ours and would certainly recommend it.

Steve
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Old 04-20-2017, 11:16 AM   #17
speedster100
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I actually had trouble with cupboard, storage doors opening in other trailers while travelling so as soon as I got this one home I installed magnetic catch's on all of them. Very simple job, small drill (preset depth shallow so you don't drill right through) then screw the magnet to the door framing and the steel plate on the door and you are done, repeat as necessary and on a long door put one at the top and one at the bottom. Cheap insurance, cost around 20 bucks for all the doors.... Ours is the 2015 and has the carpet on the stairs as well, will be changing the treads out shortly to a stained maple stair tread, I'll stain it close to the current stair runner colour and then hit them with about 4 coats of diamond finish latex clear coat, have did home stairs several times and its a simple job that looks great after. Should cost under $100 bucks. I did price the stair treads from Montana last year that are the same as the new models but at almost 600 bucks ..........no thanks !
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Old 05-01-2017, 08:23 PM   #18
Jsrore
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2016 3790rd

We have had ours for about 1 1/2 years we have made 15 trips, last year we did 2 weeks to Utah, our first BIG trip with it.
have had a few minor problems, hydraulic motor went out covered under warranty other then that its been good.i did upgrade the stairs to the torklift best upgrade so far. added solar panel to roof, upgraded tires, new sound bar and bigger TV...i did add a second latch to all the cabinets as we had the one by the fridge pop open while we opened the slide and broke the door off..also added the 80 amp breaker to the hydraulic slide..solved the breaker tripping issues while opening the slide using battery power..and added slide toppers .
really like the space and all of the outside storage.
it is alot of RV to tow..we traded in a class A so a 5th wheel was new to me ours came with stair treads not carpet . so far we have been very happy
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Old 05-01-2017, 08:34 PM   #19
Ragtacker
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We had the doors in the kitchen opening while we were traveling so I made straps with velcro on the ends and we just loop it throught the handles and no more open doors. The pantry door is by itself so had to add a latch to that one. Added a small extension to the island for a bit more storage and another drawer in the upper pantry
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Old 06-04-2017, 09:52 PM   #20
topjustice
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ExPatNW View Post
So if you have a 3790/91RD then you needn’t bother reading this post.

I have received so much useful help and information from this forum I thought I should try and provide some value back.

If you are considering a 2017 3790/91RD then here are some thoughts for you to consider.

Its based off our first trip to the Oregon coast, where we stayed for 8 nights in Lincoln City. Weather was mild, some dry days and lot of rain, hail and wind.

If it matters, our previous rig was a Montana Mountaineer 2010 345DBQ. We switched to the 3790RD because our kids are older now and we felt we did not need the bunk room which was great when the kids were younger.
We are not full-timers, and keep our rig in a storage facility when we are working.

First let me say my wife and I love our new Montana. We really love the layout of this unit, with what we feel are very distinct living areas, the bedroom, the kitchen and dinette and the living room.

Our opinion is the materials used are higher grade than we had in our Mountaineer. It’s also a heavier unit (and higher) for that I guess.

We love the size of the fridge, I love the gas oven with digital temperature display and the sink in the island. There are way more draws than we had before and storage in the kitchen is great (at least for us).

The space above our heads in the bedroom slide is more than we had before and the king-sized bed (an option we selected) is great.

The recliners and sofa’s in the living room are comfortable and I am surprised how much we did use the fireplace.

I love how many windows and the natural light this lets into the rig.

Outside storage is simply great on this unit – I have very little in the main storage area because all my chairs and mats and stuff are in the rear holds.
Its worth calling out that although you go up some steps to get into the living area, the roof is still high enough for me at 6’ 2” to stand straight up.

We have the newer MORryde Step. I do love the strength of this step. Its certainly a more positive step into the unit that the older fold out steps – but it is very large, and we are concerned that depending on how our neighbors in storage park, we may be able to get into the unit as we won’t be able to get the steps down. You also must adjust the feet sometimes depending on the surface where the feet will land, and this is not entirely easy.

Sorry – should have mentioned we had the legacy package. This provides us with the In-Command system, upgraded MORryde Suspension, a bike hitch point on the rear, the rear camera system and day night shades in the living area (not the bedroom). Honestly hard to say if the upgraded suspension is worth it or not – we are clearly never in the unit as we drive along. We like the IN-Command, although I do feel they could and should do more with it. The day/night shades are good. We have not had a rear camera before, and it works well, I think it will prove to be useful.

Warranty issues. 2 ceiling panels in the roof had been cracked around the air conditioning outlets. The cracks are 1-2 inches long, it’s not a major issue, but when you spend this kind of money I expect it to be perfect. Our door to area where the washer dryer would go does not latch, a simple fix, but one they can take care of. The finish of the wood trim annoys me a little, the pressure on the nail guns clearly not enough to embed the heads into the wood so several of those need to be hammered under and filled. Overall though its pretty good.

The 6 points leveling system was not set to proper level, at least according to my spirit level, so I reset that, will check on our next trip if its better now.

Dometic Thermostats. Disappointed Keystone don’t fit a programmable thermostat, given the price of these rigs. I will likely replace their thermostat with a programmable one. Also found it odd that the front A/C unit is unrelated to the rear system. Finally, if we set the living area to 72, the bedroom does not get close (may be 64), and that’s when using the furnace. We will likely use a small electric heater to boost the temperature in the bedroom.

Remote control madness! There is a remote for the TV, the stereo system, the fireplace and the sound bar. So that’s 4 by fault. We added one more as we like to have SiriusXM radio (we listen to music more than watch TV generally). This is way too many remotes, so I will likely replace them all with a Logitech Harmony.

Love the kitchen. The stove is nice, lights very easily, as does the oven. The light on the stove from the Microwave oven is way better than what we had before.

Not sure we will use the built-in vacuum system much (we have a small Dyson from our previous rig anyway). The built-in vacuum is not bag less and it’s a very small bag. I know SOB just comes with a Dyson.
In our previous Montana, we had three speakers sets, bedroom, living area and outside. In our unit, this is not the same. We have bedroom and outside, but in the living area and kitchen the only speaker for the stereo system is the sound bar. Not sure I like this – would have preferred at least a 3rd set of speakers in the kitchen. The TV is wired direct to the sound bar, so you need to use the Sound Bar remote to select the right input if you switch from one to the other. For many this may not sound like a big deal, but I would rather the TV sound went through the Stereo system – then I could leave the sound bar on and not have to bother with it much. I may do something about this – not decided yet. Have been surprised by just how many digital TV stations I can pick up over the air with the roof top antenna.

Towing. So our older Mountaineer was a little lighter and a little shorter (36’). Can’t say I noticed too much the extra length. My F350 2011 6.7PS SRW pulled it fine, but I do think a DRW may be in order.

It’s a beautiful looking 5th wheel, and we are super happy with it. A few niggles, and I think it’s true to say that any RV is a trade-off between different things (our old Mountaineer had 2 toilets which was great for 4 of us). But overall, and keep in mind we have only had one trip so far, so far so good.

Hope this helps someone.
Nice post. Lots of helpful information. I am committed to getting a new 3791RD in the next few months. You mentioned that you towed yours with a 2011 F350 SRW but a DRW may be in order. Can you expand on the reason? I have an F350 SRW crew cab long bed, so I am interested in your experience and why you might go with the DRW. Thank you.
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