Looking at 5th Wheels

[Fredtp]

I currently have an Outback TT and this time next year the wife and I plan on having a 5th wheel. We have been looking and reading alot and we have narrowed our search to either a Big Horn or Landmark or a Montana or the new Alpine.
I really like these forums, they are very informative.

[tim43]

Welcome to the forum from a retired ground pounder.

[exav8tr]

Fredtp, Welcome to "The Best Darned Forum on the WWW!" I'm sure a lot of these 5th wheels are very similar in construction and quality. I can say, from my experience, Keystone Customer Service has been very generous to me and I am almost completely happy with our Montana. I think you will have some problems with any brand but the customer service at Keystone, and the availability of upper management, is a very good reason to choose a Keystone product. I feel they are very innovative also, with constant upgrades. We say With a Montana, you get the best bang for your buck....

Whatever choice you make, Happy Trails to you and yours......

[ols1932]

We've had our Montana for nine years and seven months. Would I buy it again? You bet! Why don't I buy another one? This one's perfect and it's paid for!

Orv

[Bill-N-Donna]

I can’t add anything to what has already been said so
“Happy Camping” and “Merry Christmas.”

[mail2us]

Thanks for your Naval service Fred. I too retired as an RM1 from USNR. When you decide on make and model of 5th wheel, just know from our own experience that Keystone, Montana model or Big Sky are great to work with and the support of this forum is outstanding for anything related to the Montana/Mountaineer/Big Sky models. I am not sure there is any other forum that could measure up. Good luck on your journey to find what suits you best. As an aside, make sure the tow vehicle fits your choice of 5th wheel. Safe journeys.

Fred: sorry for not noticing but you obviously have a great tow vehicle!!!

[richfaa]

Take in some RV shows in your area. This is the time of year for RV shows. Purchase what fits your needs regardless of brand. Keystone has a outstanding customer service network and that is a big plus.. The term bank for the buck...for sure applies... Take your time..

[Illini Trekker]

Took us a year and a half to choose our fifth wheel moved up from a HI LO trailer. Dicker with local dealers and internet dealer on price if price is close go with local dealer. Bought our 3 hours from our house and got the best deal and I did some of the some fixes at home. To-date replaced refeg. because of low voltage at a camp ground, under warrant. Other than that 0 problems. I work camp last job 14 months saw -8 and now different job site 8 months will end in June 2010. The Montana has worked well. If I buy a new camper I'll look at others brands but will lean towards a Montana

[Emmel]

We also did a lot of shopping around looking at different 5ers before we decided on the Montana.
When we purchased our first Montana in 2001 there was still a lot of other makes using wood for the walls and ceiling, so the aluminum structure of the Montana was the easy choice.
However, after the first Montana we found the MOC family and the excellent factory service and backing provided by Keystone. Our second Montana was an even easier choice then, bang for the buck plus the best service available from any factory.
We didn't "need" the third Montana, but this new floor plan really suited our long time needs and gave us the original WOW factor we had when we saw our first Montana at the shows. No 5er is perfect, we've had some problems too. But, Keystone came thru for us and have made us very happy with their service.
AS we sit here in the snow we are planning on our next 4 months in our home away from home in the warm climate of Fla and can't wait to be in our Montana!
The winter shows are a great place to look at the different units and can compare them to each other. Good luck on your choice and enjoy whatever brand you decide on, but here on the MOC, we hope it will be a Montana or Big Sky!

[NCFischers]

We looked for 3 years and chose the Montana for quality of construction and reading this forum. We can't say enough about customer service. Keystone is great. Good luck on your choice and we hope to see you down the road.

[Fredtp]

You guys are great!!!!! I have been leaning more toward Keystone and the Montana because I have not had any trouble with my Outback TT so far. Has anybody heard anything about the new Alpine?

[Emmel]

Sorry we don't know enough about the Alpine. What you've read about it is what we know too.
But, however, with Keystone behind it, you can rest assured of the quality and support from them!
We are glad we don't have to make that decision anymore.

[Mudchief]

We are on our second Montana and we have enjoyed both. Keystone has great customer service but what keeps me with a Montana is this forum. If you have a problem most of the time someone else has had it also and knows what the fix is. Lot of nice people on here.

[Wayne and Carolyn Mathews]

We truly did research RVs for several years before buying our Montana, and even then, we waited until my brother bought one to see how he liked it. We had prior experience with a Cardinal 5th-wheeler, which we liked very much, but we couldn't find a floor plan we liked in their models when we were ready to buy, and we still felt like the Montana was a better quality and more bang for our buck when we bought. My brother loves his Monty, bought in 2006; he's put quite a few miles on it, too, with no problems at all. We bought our 3585SA in late 2007 and love it, too--best decision we ever made.

I am willing to bet that the MOC forum is the most well-organized, friendly, helpful forum you'll find on the web!
Carolyn

[mcgiver2]

Well the Alpine is new so not to sure about it but this is my second montana and my wife and i love so what ever you pick iam sure you will enjoy it.......and Welcome to the forum

[Art-n-Marge]

The Alpine reminds me of the old Everest with the nice accents. The Alpines also seem to feature walkin closets (I prefer using the space for living areas) and bus style exterior doors (a little stronger and secure, maybe?). Maybe other makes have these features, too but since I've only been checking on the new Keystone product lines, that's what little I can say. I have only seen the information on the website. I have not seen any on the road yet or heard from anyone, but I'm looking forward to it.

If your 2010 Ford F350 DRW is a diesel, it should be fine with any of the makes/models you mentioned. If you have the gasoline engine you'll need to recheck the user guide for the ratings, especially RAWR, GVWR, and fifth wheel tow rating - I think the ratings are a little less with the gas engine.

[wingerphil]

Welcome Fredtp. We too shopped a lot before our purchase and narrowed it down between the Big Horn and the Montana. We went with the tana and our best friends went with a Big Horn. They both have great customer service and we have not been dissapointed in the quality of our 5th wheel. Heartland also has a forum similier to this one where you can do some research on their brands as well. Good luck on your decision but I guess you know which way we are all rooting you'll go.

[jackel1959]

Welcome to the forum Fredtp. We bought a Mountaineer TT in 2004 and liked it so much that when we decided to upgrade to a 5th wheel, a Montana was the obvious choice for us. We really love the 5th wheel and are happy with our choice. We did look at some others in the Keystone lineup, but the Montana seemed to give us the most for dollars spent. This forum, the great people here and the information exchange is awesome too.
Jack

[KathyandDave]

We looked at the first three as well. We chose Montana and have not looked back! We've been to several rv shows since buying our Monty and still will choose the Monty over the others!!! Good luck!

[tonycamacho]

Fredtd:

Welcome to this great web page. I agree with all that has been said about Keystone, especially the Montana. After the motorhome then a large Artic Fox slidein camper I finally move up to a Montana 5th Wheel. It was pre-owned with no usage, basically in new shape and was already equipped with all the bells and whistles I had planned to install. Finally the price was right. Before the purchase I visited many dealers and RV shows comparing models of all the manufactures. I crawled under some models just to compare frames and look at the under construction. By far the Keystone products were the best. I picked up my pre-owned 2955RL in May we put over 10K miles on it (NW and SW USA)before turning south and crossing the border to return to our winter home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. I never had a problem with my Monty, but I did call Keystone several times just to get acquainted and to check if a Dometic recall had been corrected on my trailer. Each time Keystone was very helpful and provided lots of information on my trailer that even the dealer did not know. I don’t want to sound like a Keystone sales person, but I like my Montana.

Tony