2015 Montana 3850FL

[CalandLinda]

I was at the Greenville, SC RV show yesterday (1-10-15). I looked at and took a lot of pictures of Keystone trailers including this 2015 Montana 3850FL. It shows really nice and is loaded with options.

Here are pictures of the trailer, its show price and its certification label.

http://www.irv2.com/photopost/showfull.php?photo=27418
http://www.irv2.com/photopost/showfull.php?photo=27419
http://www.irv2.com/photopost/showfull.php?photo=27420

This is a very heavy unit to have Power King 16” load range E tires and I talked with a sales person about it. He was not tire savvy and got a factory rep that turned out not to be much more interested in the OE tires and certification label problem.

I looked at the owner’s manual and brochure for this particular trailer and could not find any information justifying the fitment of the LRE tires.

Here is what I see as a problem with the certification label. It shows both axles having GAWR of 7000#. The problem with that is they show the tire size to be ST235/80R16E at 80 PSI. The Power King tire is rated at 3520# at 80 PSI. However, without giving the new owner any warning he/she could use that same identical sized tire from Goodyear or Maxxis and only have 3420# of load capacity at 80 PSI. That is under the minimum standards for GAWR 7000# axles.

The Regulations for manufacturers to follow clearly states that they MUST specify in a document to NHTSA whenever they are using OE tires that have more than one certified (on the tire) load capacity for tires of identical sizes with the same load range. Another regulation defalts all such tires to the lowest load range without documentation.

In the past, Keystone has had to recall entire model line-ups for Certification label errors and I’m sure this will be another time if the dealer doesn’t take action before the unit is sold.

Cal

[DQDick]

Actually I'd be surprised if they didn't get away with it since the other tires you mentioned would be LT tires and not trailer tires. Trailer tires having no requirement for reserve capacity. The exception would be if they put Goodyear Marathons on it and we all know how that comes out, pretty much the same as pushing Power King to the max. As the rigs keep getting heavier they will have to go to a G rated tire at some point, but you can bet that G rated tire will come from the low bidder and have similar issues to the cheap tires they are using now.

[jlb27537]

Cal, I have to agree 100%. For sure it needs a G rated tire. If there is a recall, it will only be for a paper label, not larger tires.

The WHOPPING discount of 17% is great...........

We saw the same type of discount at a Open House this w/e here in the RGV and they actually sold a high end SOB with that pricing.

You do realize you can buy these things for about 40% off sticker.

Jim

[FordMan1966]

Placed an order last night at the Sevierville Tennessee RV Show on a 2015 Montana 3611rl and ordered the G Rated Goodyears G614's

[DarMar]

Add in G rated tires, negotiate, negotiate and negotiate some more. If you can't get that price down, it might actually be lower after the show.

[1retired06]

We have negotiated below show pricing.

[FordMan1966]

G Rated Tire Option list for $1793 with the discount from the dealer the actual cost was probably around $1219 for 5 of them as an option. The dealer took off about 32% on the MSRP.
3611RL with Residential Living Package, Montana 4 seasons package, Legacy package, correct track, 6 point leveling system, slide awnings, G Rated Goodyear Tires, 2nd A/C, King size Bed, and Theatre Seating.
Just waiting patiently now!

[DQDick]

Sounds like you did alright.