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Old 01-16-2007, 05:04 PM   #1
ArkieBug
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Rear Kitchen

Hello everyone. We were excited when we found this site. So much info for new comers. we have decided on the 3650RK. however we have been told it is not a good idea to purchase a rear kitchen, because things get bounced really bad. Could anyone who does this for a living give us their thoughts before we order our dream home. Also what would be a good tow vehicle.

thanks,
Dan & June
 
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Old 01-16-2007, 05:19 PM   #2
Crossthread
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Welcome Dan, You'll get a lot of information on this site, I know that I have in the 3 months or so that I've been a member.I had a 1995 jayco, wirh a rk, I seldom had any problems loosing things, I kept the rubber non skid stuff under things on the counter,table, and things rode really well. Only hard braking,or unusually rough roads disturbed things.I think the weight of the rv has something to to do with the ride too. Again, Welcome Bill
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Old 01-16-2007, 05:27 PM   #3
Montana Sky
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Dan & June,
Welcome to the club! I do not have any experience with a rear kitchen floor plan so I cannot answer that question. On the tow vehicle; well you are sure going to get a lot of opinion there. I love my Duramax, and will probably buy a 3rd when the time comes. I suggest looking at the 1 ton trucks, having the extra pay load capacity will come in handy down the road. Amazing how quickly the weight adds up. Best of luck and happy shopping...
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Old 01-16-2007, 07:16 PM   #4
Parrothead
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Dan and June
Our previous 5er was a rear kitchen. We had made numerous trips with no problem, then one day all of our Corelware flew all over the rig. Yes, it does break. It was in the very back cupboard with no additional catch. We moved the dishes to a side cupboard and then velcro closed all the cupboard (strip of velcro through the handles) and a dowel rod down through the drawer handles and never had another problem in over 7 years. Buy the Montana that appeals to you and then follow a lot of the hints on this forum to keep things in place.
Happy trails.........................
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Old 01-16-2007, 08:17 PM   #5
DONnANNIE
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Dan & June Welcome to the BEST forum that you will ever belong to. We have a 3650RK and just love it. As for falling dishes, that's what you'll have if you drive too fast and bounce all over the place. We are rookies too and have only 3 trips on our Monty. Two short trips(maiden voyages)and 7 day trip along the Oregon coast about 1500 miles. All freeway driving except west of Portland to the coast(hilly & curvy roads). We had no problem with things falling out of the rear kitchen cupboards. As Sue suggested you can velcro tie door handles and/or use drawer/shelf rubber lining to minimize items sliding around. The main thing is to get the unit you want, we did.

As for Tow Vehicle, I have a 2006 Chevy Silverado 3500(1 Ton) Duramax 6.1 Diesel. A lot of forum members say that you can "pull any Montana" with a 2500HD (3/4 Ton). Friends of mine told me to get the biggest TV you can get - like F450 or F550. After a lot of research, I felt comfortable getting my Chevy 3500. It handles very well and has more than adequate power for the Monty. Another thing to consider, is the ability to stop and control your Monty.
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Old 01-16-2007, 11:38 PM   #6
Glenn and Lorraine
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Like a few others that have already replied I have an RL and my new rig is going to be an RL. I only have the words of others as to the problems or lack of associated with the RK models and in most cases problems are few and far between. I purchased the RL for the rear window. Quite often we will get a site with no neighbors behind us and sometimes the view can be beautiful.
Case in point...


For the tow vehicle. You just have to look at the MOC members signatures to find their recommendation. If they own a GM they'll recommend a GM, a Ford owner recommends a Ford and a Dodge owner a Dodge. Quite simple. I own an 05 GMC 2500HD with the Duramax so I'll suggest to you the GMC is the way to go BUT not necessarily a 2500HD. Instead, maybe move up to the 3500HD for the slightly greater load capacity but not necessarily the dual wheels.
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Old 01-17-2007, 12:29 AM   #7
H. John Kohl
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We have had a RK since 2003 and have not had any trouble with things breaking. Again how you pack them makes a difference and of course your driving and road conditions.
Welcome to the CLUB and enjoy the new Montana.
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Old 01-17-2007, 01:31 AM   #8
LonnieB
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We have the rear kitchen, and as of yet, haven't had any problems with things falling. Sue's method of securing the doors should work great, if your worried about the doors opening. Mine latch pretty good but I am eventually going to get some straps. Preventive measures are always better than repairs. As far as liking the rear kitchen.....we wouldn't have it any other way. It fits us and our lifestyle.

Tow vehicle? As Glenn said, look below.
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Old 01-17-2007, 02:18 AM   #9
Joyce H
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Our first Montana was a 3295RK and we had no problems. However we did take a few precautions with the cabinets just as we do in our current 3475RL. For delicate wine glasses we picked up a divided padded case at Linens and Things. With all other items we just used the rubbed skid mats. We use small ball bungies on our cabinet doors when we are traveling. You can pick these up at a flea market.
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Old 01-17-2007, 04:28 AM   #10
rlrich
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We have the 3650 and absolutely love the floorplan. Our previous home was a rear kitchen Cougar. We've never had any problems breaking things in either one. We have non skid stuff in all our cabinets and we try to keep all the heavier items in the lower cupboards.

We tow with the F-250/V10. I've run our rig across a scale and I am a bit overweight. I have added Firestone air bags for stability and also bought what I feel is the best tire I could purchase (Michelin LTX M/S). I also replaced the trailer tires with Michelin XPS ribs due to the problems I encountered with the Missions on the Cougar we owned. Some would say I'm crazy for towing this much trailer with this truck. I've made my living driving trucks for over 30 years and I fully understand that things such as weight, road conditions, visibility, speed, traffic, brake adjustment and following distances all need to be considered when towing. Always assess the surrounding conditions and drive accordingly.

This Montana pulls like a dream. It actually "feels" better behind me than our old Cougar did and the Cougar was 2 tons lighter. I think the Mor-Ryde suspension has alot to do with that but the overall balance and aerodynamics of the Montana are superior. We've lived in our Montana for nearly a year and have had very little trouble. Nothing major as of yet and a few minor things that I have taken care of myself. The reliability of the components seems to be good, it's just the haste in which they assemble these trailers that have caused my small problems. It was the same in our Cougar which is also a Keystone product.
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Old 01-17-2007, 05:26 AM   #11
PowellsMonty
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We have a RK and no problems at all. My wife wouldn't have any other model. The only problem with it is it is not full timing!
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Old 01-17-2007, 07:21 AM   #12
Cat320
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I don't think you'll have any problems with an RK. We opted for the RL because, as Glenn said, it has a huge rear window and a big side window. Since we'll be spending more time in the LR than the kitchen, we wanted the best view where we'd be spending the most time.
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Old 01-17-2007, 08:46 AM   #13
genecurp
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We have had the 3295RK for the last year. We have only towed 3500 miles. No big problems. Broke one water glass. The cabinets have never flew open to spread dishes...but the pantry did once.

Right now we use a bungy cords to hold closed the desk drawers and the drawer above the water heater (mine is on the rear wall). This is so when we slide out after towing, the slide facing won't catch on an open drawer that shook loose in route. We also use spring loaded rods (like curtain rods, but from Camping World) to keep cabnet contents from sliding forward against the cabinet drawer.

We don't seem to have a problem. Select the floorplan you like the best, and you won't go wrong.

Happy travels

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Old 01-17-2007, 10:57 AM   #14
bsmeaton
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Glenn -
that's just not fair postin a picture like that with all us freezin buns here in CO - and Texas, and California.

Sue -
You're right, that Corelle not only breaks, it explodes into tiny shrapnel. I did the curb with the wheel thing and shot the whole set out of the cupboard. There were tiny shards all over. I told the DW we better get them out of the sink or they will ruin the Garbage Disposal. It didn't register with her for almost a year that we didn't have a garbage disposal. Out of nowhere she just punched me when she figured it out.

We didn't have the rear kitchen, but the stuff in the overheads back there seemed to ride just fine. I had more problems from sudden stopping, which didn't matter if it was front or back. Wonder how it is with the new shockless more-ryde systems?
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Old 01-17-2007, 11:16 AM   #15
Hemlockusa
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Christa and I have a 2005 3650RK pull it with a 3500 Dodge Cummins auto 3.73 geared running 70 and hand calculated I can get 11.8 to 12.4 under normal conditions, The Duramax is more powerful and the Ford is PRETTIER I WILL SAY, as I have a lot of MOC FRIENDS THAT HAVE THOSE TRUCKS.... WERE HAPPY. No broken anything, I believe that tale about broken things started with a salesman that only had RL's left on the lot. ha ha. Christa just make's sure things are secure when packed, but we don't do anything really special doing that. Christa loves to cook and the 3650RK gives her pleanty of counter space and storage to do just that, were happy with our choice. I think everyone before me said it best. Pick the MONTANA you like... doesn't really matter what floor plan, as long as its a MONTANA you will be all right. Besides, WE THE MOC FAMILY COME with what ever choice you make... We stick togeather!!!!! You might also want to start out heading for our BRANSON MO GET TOGEATHER IN MAY 2007 really good way to break your new unit in. Safe Travels John
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Old 01-17-2007, 11:38 AM   #16
gkbutler
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We have the RK and have not had any problem with breakage. The only time we broke a plate was when I dropped it putting it away. We use the rubber strips between the plates and bowls and have had no problems.
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Old 01-17-2007, 11:46 AM   #17
sreigle
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We put about 50,000 miles on a 2003 Montana 3295RK rear kitchen model and broke one dish. After that we learned to put a small piece of non-skid shelf liner between breakables, like measuring cups and mixing bowls. No problems with them. Our glasses are mostly acrylic except for four glass drinking glasses. Just use common sense and you should have no problem.

This is the rear cupboard over the peninsula. The light switch and shade are on the rear wall. There's a stack of three mixing bowls and three measuring cups on that lower shelf. So far they've survived almost four years of fulltiming, 3 1/2 of those in the rear kitchen.


Brad, I don't think the mor-ryde affects movement of contents when stopping. I feel for you with the broken corelle. We never broke one on the road but had one fall out of the cupboard when we opened the door once. It hit the edge of the counter and shattered into those millions of tiny bits. The vacuum went crazy sucking them up.
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Old 01-17-2007, 02:56 PM   #18
ArkieBug
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We have never felt more welcomed the way you great folks have made us feel here at MOC. We want to thank everyone for the GREAT input on our questions. We may get to look at one in March, but will have to go to OK in order to look at it. Do not know yet when we will order one. We are trying to sell our farm here in Ark. We are taking notes from all over this GREAT web site. Wonderful stuff for a first timer.

thanks,

Dan & June
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Old 01-17-2007, 04:55 PM   #19
Okie Guy
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Welcome Dan and June! If you get close to Oklahoma City Leisuretime RV has plenty of Montana's to choose from. Tom over there can hook you up. He bent over backwards to help us at the show a couple weeks ago. their web site leisuretimervok.com

I have the rear kitchen. I have never had any cabinet doors come open or anything break while traveling down the road(knock on wood).

Thanks for the warning about corelle dishes. I thought I remembered someone saying they were like splinters when they break. I was shopping for new camper dishes last week and my buddy told me I should get corelle. I am glad I went with my instinct and got the plastic stuff again.

Adios
Phil
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Old 01-17-2007, 05:25 PM   #20
Parrothead
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Brad
You are right about the Corelle, it does shred into tiny little pieces. We had that unit for 7 or 8 years and this was the first year when we lost half the dishes. Until the day we traded it, we were still finding little pieces. It was a very old set, however, and maybe that has something to do with it. We purchased another set when we bought the Monty and have had no problems. Plates flying across a rig is not exactly "normal" use!
Happy trails....................
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