Slide Outs / Specs 3400 / - Montana Owners Club

Montana_5701 · 05-20-2006, 11:01 AM

Ok, I didn't realize how much I could get done form half-way around the world but I finally got a deal ironed out on the 3400 and will pick up on 9 Jun after returning on the 7th. Needless to say I am very excited about it.

Couple of questions for some of the 3400 owners..

What is the total width with all slide outs open? I am guessing 14 ft. but due to current width of my RV garage that now exists, I wanted to know for sure.

What is the length of the slide out on the left (door) side?

Finally.... I did not get the fireplace/aluminium wheels nor gel coat/nor 2nd AC but is there anything special I need to look for or check out on pick-up day ??

richfaa · 05-20-2006, 11:57 AM

These are outside measurements..Main slide (doorside) 37 1/4 inch Bedroom slide 21 3/4 inch..Galley slide 23 3/4 inch..
Living room slide 37 1/2 inch. The 06 3400 is in the driveway and just put the tape measure to the slides.

Glenn and Lorraine · 05-20-2006, 01:45 PM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by mp-ray

Finally.... I did not get the fireplace/aluminium wheels nor gel coat/nor 2nd AC but is there anything special I need to look for or check out on pick-up day ??

This is an easy question. Click on the link below and get yourself a copy of a PDI (PreDelivery Inspection) check list. I personally prefer the first one but any of them will do.
PDI check lists
AND give yourself plenty of time to perform this PDI. Do Not cut yourself short and do not finalize the sale until everything is to your satisfaction.

DiananColin · 05-20-2006, 03:03 PM

We are in Tampa at the moment staying in our 3400 so have just measured it. We measured from the computer desk area to the super slide inside and the measurement across was 14ft. You would have to add an extra inch or so for the walls of the coach so perhaps about 14ft 2in. Hope this is of help to you. Diana

Mac · 05-20-2006, 03:23 PM

Glenn gave you a great link to the PDI, make sure you spend the time to go through this list, or the list of your choice. It will save you many issues down the road.

mac

Montana_5701 · 05-20-2006, 05:20 PM

Well I have a 2001 FW Wilderness that is also 13 ft. tall so the height is not the problem but the slide outs on the Wilderness are all on the "left side" (off door) so does not pose a problem. The width of the RV garage is 14 ft so I think I am going to have to make some modifications to the right (door) side as I have electricity, septic and water there for family stayovers.

dsprik · 05-20-2006, 05:53 PM

No problem, mp-ray. Just leave the slides in. That way relatives don't overstay their welcome....

But I'm sure YOU don't have those kind of relatives... Not sure why limiting relative stays was at the top of my mind...

Driftwoodgal · 05-20-2006, 06:01 PM

mp-ray,

We did a post PDI today using some of the suggested posts on the board. We didn't have power to the Fver so we will do another one in about 10days. As suggested you have their undivided attention right now as you haven't signed the check, or papers.

We found several issues today on our inspection on the trim work. We also found damage to some of the decals on the rig. One of the recliners had a tear in the fabric and the window treatments were not the best. We will still buy this Fver as it is the floor plan that we want, but if I was ordering it I would see if I could ditch the recliners and ONLY order the couch and Dinette. The fabric on the dinette will have to be redone at some point, but the chairs seem to be ok to last awhile. I don't know how long the recliners will last. I would also junk the mattress for the king bed and not get charged. We will be adding some type of topper on it so we can sleep on it.

When we get power to the Fver I will post about our PDI. I suggest that you print out the suggested PDI lists as they do help.

Thanks to whom ever took the time to do them.

Driftwoodgal · 05-20-2006, 06:09 PM

Dave,

Yes, I think you will end up with a 2007 with your delay. When I was talking to the dealership in Houston they told me that anything that I ordered would be a 2007 and that the price would be about $1800 to $2300 more. Hopefully you are locked in as Rich was with his contract and don't have price changes. We saw the Venetian Gold again today, and the recliners are made of a better cloth than our Sapphire unit. The same thing applies to the Desert Sunset funiture, better made IMHO.

dsprik · 05-20-2006, 06:16 PM

Thanks, Driftwoodgal! I still dread Cheryl's inspection of the finished upholstery. Maybe a call to the furniture mfr, that is located right near the Montana plant, could possibly head off a potential headache - for me... I'll still stock up on ibuprophen for the trip to the dealer for the PDI, though.

dsprik · 05-20-2006, 06:36 PM

I will say that our dealer, Town & Country RV in Clyde, OH, has been OUTSTANDING. And that term does not do them justice. The owner, Bill Tea has hung in there me through thick and thin, when things did not look very good at all - in fact we ran into a total shutdown last spring that looked impossible to overcome. I am not ashamed to tell all of you that it came to strictly a matter of fervent prayer. We then encountered a "breakthrough" with NO "earthly" explanantion. The blessings started flowing, and they are still flowing. Bill was right there with us - all the way. He has really gone above and beyond what would be required of ANY RV dealer. PERIOD.

This world would be an incredibly improved place (especially in the RV industry) if we had more dealer/owners like Bill Tea. Cheryl and I really can't thank him enough.

Montana_5701 · 05-20-2006, 07:34 PM

I had looked at dealers in "all" the surrounding states around Arkansas and this dealer came up with the best deal. I tried to sell my 32' Wilderness but with no luck so I am trading a little "upside down" here but will not make the same mistake with the 06 Montana. Thanks Glenn for the list as I will definitely use it.

CountryGuy · 05-21-2006, 02:08 AM

Dave, you mostly likely will receive a 2007. We took delivery on June 20 (unit manufacturered, close to the Memorial Day time frame) and it was a 2004 (took Delivery 6/20/03)

Even tho they do the "infamous" running changes, all year long, we believe that the year changes about June 1st. Course, with running changes, they could change that too! HA HA

OK, I almost fell off my chair laughing at the local bookie comment. At least your sense of humor is intact!

dsprik · 05-21-2006, 04:54 AM

Thanks for the 2007 info, Carol! Cheryl says it's just a "laugh a minute" living with me. I think that might be a slight sarcastic comment though?

richfaa · 05-21-2006, 06:40 AM

Driftwoodgal..The mattress is of low quality..we were offered a 50.00 credit for it but we decided to take the mattress and order a new one (we did) and donate the Camper mattress to the local community care. Our dealer had our pre-PDI list and PDI list .We were unable to get over to look at it for a couple of weeks after delivery but when we did it was powered up and we found no major or even minor problems.They had a chance to go over it and knew what to look for.Between the pre- pdi and the actual PDI they were able to correct any issues we had indicated..like insulating all the holes in the floor to the compartments. If you have the time to do the Pre-PDI you wil get a better camper on delivery. This is camper upholstery and carpeting..remember these are recreational vehicles not intended for long term use. The upholestery and carpeting in our 10 year old Terry looked like new with good care over the years but I doubt if in those 10 years we were in the camper 1 year of total use. A great deal of how well your camper comes off the dealers lot is up to the consumer, it takes time, it takes effort.. We said on this forum some time ago that we expected a perfect camper (or at least near perfect) and we got one..zero defects off the dealers lot. That took a lot of time and effort on our part to make that happen..I repeat one of our favorite quotes..."if you want something to happen bad enough, you will find a way to make it happen"

Montana_5701 · 05-21-2006, 08:26 AM

I am hearing a lot about the pre-inspections and I can remember my first and only one (2001 FW Wilderness)that I bought. Like a typical newbie I trusted everything the dealer told me. Fortunately there were no problems but now since I am graduating to the Montana and having to spend a little more bucks I will be more careful how I inspect before signing on the dotted line. I read and listen about the quality of the Montana and even have heard some not so good stories. I might would expect this from the FW that I am getting rid of but not the Montana's. At any rate fron the walk thru's that we made at different dealers I am definitely excited about this purchase..

I can see from the posts that a lot of members are/did order and maybe fortunately I was lucky to get what I wanted right off the lot. I did do a lot of searching from about 6 dealers in a 4 state area and found what I wanted along with the price within 150 miles from home.

FulltimeFollies · 05-21-2006, 08:50 AM

I suppose we are in the same boat. We looked and found just what we wanted, the 3500rl , and then called 4 dealers around our area and all 4 had the same units on the lot. We actually made our deal on the phone. The selling (lucky dealer) , gave me a day to pick it up , told me to take 4 hours to do so, and what time to arrive. Naturally we got there early, watched em get it ready, including the washing part. We spent 7 hours at the dealership, they hooked it up to their elec/water etc, spent some time going over the things we were not familar with and hooked up to the truck and drove home. I just cant imagine some of the horror stories we have read about on other forums. We were handled professionally, friendly, courteous, promptly and are extremely pleased with our purchase, especially since we didnt have to wait 3 months for ours to be delivered.

Driftwoodgal · 05-21-2006, 09:39 AM

I expect to be at the dealership at least once more before I ask for the final PDI. The day I sign the papers and write the check I want to have everything corrected. I do not want hubby to have to worry with any problems while he is out on the road so believe me I will go over things with a magnifying glass. I found the PDI lists that were suggested very helpful. Unfortunately, since we didn't have power I will have to go back again.

As for the furniture, I realize that we are talking about RV items, but the two recliners were really poor. The one had a two inch tear in the back of it. I think the couch will last if taken care of. The recliners are a different ball game. We went over to another Montana and looked at the Desert Sunset and the recliners in that unit were much better constructed. Who knows we might have just gotten a bad batch ( or poor batch) just like the flashlights that don't work. We will replace the recliner when the time comes and still be happy in the 3400RL. I agree that the bed is not the best, and we will be doing something about that as well.

We have looked for over five years so we have been in and out of so many different brands of FVers and different floor plans. We are both glad that we are making this purchase and will happier when we have it on the concrete pad near the house.

Montana_5701 · 05-21-2006, 11:06 AM

I work a schedule of 28 day on and 28 off where I work in the middle east oilfields and now in the Persian Gulf. With the time I have off this time and so many other things in the fire I hope I do not rush through this and miss something that I should have inspected as I am scheduled to pick up the 3400 only 2 days after I return in early June. We made a trip last month from Arkansas, Houston, North Carolina and back to Arkansas and it was at this time we fell in love with the Montanas and it was ultimately the floor plan of the 3400 that caused us to go in this direction.

So for the other owners, do you leave your units plugged in then it is parked ?? As for the FW that I am getting rid of I do leave mine plugged in but disconnect the battery when doing so.

richfaa · 05-21-2006, 03:26 PM

We have always left our camper plugged in when parked here at the house, never had a problem..In fact the only time they are not on shore power is when we are towing and we have never dis connected the battery. There is nothing wrong with ordering off the dealers lot if the dealer has what you want at the price you are willing to pay.Would have ordered off the lot if we could have found the camper we wanted. I can not put into words how valuable this forum has been to Helen and I in the purchase and delivery of our 3400.Yes we talk a lot about problems and at times we nit pick..I know I do..but we learned something from every problem or concern that was posted and the end result was a 3400 that we are completely satisfied with and more important we think we know what to expect. As Disprik observed on his tour of the Keystone sprinter factory and as we learned on a earlier tour that these workers are given incentives to meet their quota, to get the unit out the door, there is no incentive for quality and that is across the rv industry board. The best quality control that we can get is the pre-pdi and the pdi..it worked for us...

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