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Old 09-03-2020, 05:53 PM   #21
richfaa
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We have never been in a extremely hot and humid environment for a long period of time. Both A/C running at full blast have managed to keep us comfortable the few times we were in such conditions. If we lived in certain parts of the county we would have three A/Cs for sure.
 
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Old 09-03-2020, 06:31 PM   #22
mlh
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I am looking at adding a third roof A/C but then I saw a post about New Horizons following Spacecraft and starting to install mini split A/C units. Then I joined an enclosed trailer conversion group and wow about 1/2 those folks are opting for mini-splits.

Looks like for sure mini-splits are the wave of the future. For certain they work far more efficiently and seem to be much more rugged than roof air units from what I am hearing. I am about to install a couple here at our sticks and bricks since our ducted central unit just bit the dust $$$$.


We have two mini splits both Fititsu. A 12000 btu on the sun room 200 SF and a 36000 for the main house. We only heat and cool about 1000 SF with it. The one on the sunroom will heat to zero with a SEER of 26. The 3 ton unit will heat down to -15. Which is a plenty here in western Va. it’s SEER is 20. We have 3 indoor units on this unit. A 12,000 BTU in the living room a 7,000 in the kitchen and a 9,000 BTU in our bedroom. We are more than pleased with both units. They both have heated and cooled our home better than the geothermal unit we had before and are cheaper to operate. The nice thing about them is you can keep each room at a different temperature.
What type are you looking at? What size?
If your home isn’t broke up in too many rooms that will make it hard to move air from room to room you will love them. If it is you might look at a Bosch Bova. Almost the same efficiency with duct work.
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Old 09-03-2020, 07:05 PM   #23
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We have two mini splits both Fititsu. A 12000 btu on the sun room 200 SF and a 36000 for the main house. We only heat and cool about 1000 SF with it. The one on the sunroom will heat to zero with a SEER of 26. The 3 ton unit will heat down to -15. Which is a plenty here in western Va. it’s SEER is 20. We have 3 indoor units on this unit. A 12,000 BTU in the living room a 7,000 in the kitchen and a 9,000 BTU in our bedroom. We are more than pleased with both units. They both have heated and cooled our home better than the geothermal unit we had before and are cheaper to operate. The nice thing about them is you can keep each room at a different temperature.
What type are you looking at? What size?
If your home isn’t broke up in too many rooms that will make it hard to move air from room to room you will love them. If it is you might look at a Bosch Bova. Almost the same efficiency with duct work.
Lynwood
Thinking about multiple units I can install myself (I am fairly handy). Our house is a split level. Upstairs is 3 BR/2bath with living/kitchen open, large sun room off of that (designed to look at our 14' waterfall and pond). Downstairs is second kitchen/game room 4th bedroom, bath and safe room plus a second utility room and future sauna/hot tub room. To be honest we don't use the downstairs or sunroom unless we are entertaining. As such the idea of being able to have different zones really appeals to us. We mostly only use our upstairs living/kitchen and the master suite.

We are in the process of remodeling as we just moved back from New Mexico. So ideal time to install the new A/C.
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Old 09-05-2020, 06:52 PM   #24
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The September issue of Family RVing, FMCA's new monthly magazine, has a five page review of the Alliance Paradigm 370FB, their new 40' 5th wheel. It's a very detailed article, this is one really well built and thoughtfully built RV. A few numbers, GVWR 16,500, cargo capacity 2,775, three 13,500 BTU ACs, 60 gallons of propane, 12 gallon water heater, 98 gallons fresh water, 106 gallons gray water, 53 gallons black water and much more. The article explains every thing about how it is built. I'm not in the market, but if I was I'd sure check this one out....almost forgot, MSRP $75,504.
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Old 09-06-2020, 07:23 AM   #25
artfuldodger
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My brother has a 2015 Mobile Suites and is always getting something fixed under extended warranty, including slide cables, tires wearing out, shocks needing replacement, water system leaking issues, slide floor rotting issue after roof leak, and so on. They all seem to disappoint regardless of price or how "pretty" they are. Someone along my way said that when towing in a rainstorm the trailer is enduring the equivalent of an earthquake and a hurricane at the same time.
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Old 09-06-2020, 09:38 AM   #26
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I took a look at the Alliance. The guy who started that company has started several others. Sounds like to me he has made his fortune starting companies then selling them off to the big 3. While there are some improvements on the rigs he is currently building, there is NOTHING new about the floor plans. If he follows the typical game plan, they will build up a reputation by offering slightly better quality of build and as soon as he has the brand established with a good rep he will sell out.


Nothing new about this just look at Grand Design. Former employee of Thor strikes out on their own and builds up a brand then sells it off to Winnebago.


Need to be suspect to any "new" brands started by folks like this up in Indiana.


At present the only three truly independent brands I know of are Spacecraft, New Horizon and a custom brand out in California. None are owned by former employees of the major 3 and none are located in Indiana.
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Old 09-06-2020, 09:41 AM   #27
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Keystone had their act together in early 2000's. They made solid Montana trailers but since then quality construction has not been the priority it once was. Perhaps a notch up from some other brands but not up to the standards of back when. Solid competition will be the only thing that changes that.
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Old 09-06-2020, 11:09 AM   #28
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The September issue of Family RVing, FMCA's new monthly magazine, has a five page review of the Alliance Paradigm 370FB, their new 40' 5th wheel. It's a very detailed article, this is one really well built and thoughtfully built RV. A few numbers, GVWR 16,500, cargo capacity 2,775, three 13,500 BTU ACs, 60 gallons of propane, 12 gallon water heater, 98 gallons fresh water, 106 gallons gray water, 53 gallons black water and much more. The article explains every thing about how it is built. I'm not in the market, but if I was I'd sure check this one out....almost forgot, MSRP $75,504.
The prices on rv trader for that model in 2021 are all around $95,000.
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Old 09-06-2020, 12:22 PM   #29
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I started this thread to just to say that the Alliance has thought hard and long on the way the interior and exterior functions.
As for the quality; I would assume it will turn out to be the same quality as the other 5th wheels out there.
It is the 'thoughtfulness' of how they designed it that I wanted to pass on to Montana people.
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Old 09-06-2020, 03:58 PM   #30
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The prices on rv trader for that model in 2021 are all around $95,000.
All I can say is the information and price were verbatim from the article in the magazine. After reading the article, I thought the price was low....that RV has lots of extras built in and others come with it.
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Old 09-06-2020, 07:52 PM   #31
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I like our 3813MS. Is it perfect. No. We've already modded ours to better fit for what we want. What I saw on the Alliance website tells me they have some improvements but other things did not impress me all that much and some were a step down. Net net, there is nothing to make me switch if I was in a position to do so. As said before... competition is a good thing. And a bit of DIY can make any rig better. There is always the aftermarket for the rest. JMHO.
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Old 09-09-2020, 02:19 PM   #32
Dave In Chattaroy
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I took the 7 minutes and watched the video on their website. The thing that struck me/stood out was their approach and philosophy to service after the fact. As I read so many of the threads on this forum, it becomes apparent to me that one of Keystone's greatest shortcomings is their service and warranty after the fact. At the end of the day, 90% of these coaches are very similar in quality and defects, to me what sets the manufacturers apart is the long term commitment to customer satisfaction. As others have stated already, time will tell! - Dave
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Old 09-09-2020, 02:34 PM   #33
Alain L.
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I prefer my new 2021 3781RL Montana Legacy which I purchase 3 weeks after looking at 2 Alliance on July 2nd. The 2 Alliance I saw had a long list of issues and my wife and I couldn't get past some of the choices of decor.
Alliance plus;
Azdel laminated walls, flush slide out floors, shut off water valves and slightly better frame.
Fast response on their Facebook group.
Cons;
Many assembly issues, cocking heavily spreaded around the sinks and the slide out panels on the outside, only one large kitchen sink, no day shades, nite shades black on both sides, small dining table that doesn't extend, gold cabinet hardware, wrapped cabinet structure, cabinet colour limited to one choice, CRE-3000 equalizer, no Sailun tires, pour looking graphic on the outside, huge framed windows that will let lots of heat or cold in, fake tile shower walls, very little frame in the walls of the bathroom noticed by touching the thermostat and light switch and the whole panel moves and I prefer ducted AC for better air circulation and being quiet.

Montana plus, much more trailer for the money, I got a Legacy with dual pane windows and full body paint for about $10k less then their bath and a half.
Better tires and suspension, better cabinets and colours, 70/30 dual kitchen sink, better dining table and frameless windows.
No problem with my new Montana that needs the dealer intervention.
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Old 09-09-2020, 02:43 PM   #34
Jritz
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Friends of ours bought one. I’ll wait and see how they do. I’m not that impressed. I can’t say enough good things about my Montana. We love it! 3855br.
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Old 09-09-2020, 02:59 PM   #35
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I have been recently looking at Alliance as well as Grand design. I know they all are built the same but for me this is a pride issue. When I was in the first 12 months of ownership of my 2016 Montana 3160rl legacy, keystone flat out refused to fix issues that clearly should have been warrantied. One of the issues was a defective stripe on the side of the unit. So I asked keystone customer service if they really wanted to loose a repeat customer over a $300 decal and guess what, they left me out to dry and now it’s my time to hold up my promise to them. While I do like the look of most Montana’s and you guys are very helpful, if I can find the floor plan that I like by any other manufacturer, I will lean that way.
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Old 09-09-2020, 03:23 PM   #36
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Our first RV was our 2017 Montana 3820FK full body paint legacy edition, and we went to 40 states and two provinces in Canada, and we really liked it. Of course along the way things needed repairing, since the highways are pretty torn up in places. The frame started to flex, so they had to take off my front cap, and re-weld the frame in a bunch of places, but Montana did warranty it. The thing i want to point out, is everyone we talk to after going to over 150 RV parks, has issues with their RV's. Heck one guy touting how great his Tiffen motorhome was and how good their service was, said he was heading back their again, and I asked him what he was going to have done, and he said he had a list of about 60 things to be worked on!!! We kept seeing These beautiful 5th wheels with a big cursive D on the front, and we started checking them out, and we bought a 2019 DRV Elite Suites 39DBRS3, and we totally love it. I still like some things our Monty had, but this thing is great, and we have had nothing but great luck after 20k miles on it so far. The thing you have to remember about a company like DRV, is they probably sell 1/20th the 5th wheels that Montana does, and they only have a FB page, so everyone that posts something about an issue goes out to every owner. So though it may seem like there are a lot of problems, imagine if the Montana forum operated the same way, and every issue of something breaking went out to "EVERY" owner? How many notices per day would you be getting? So it really boils down to what you like about a lay out and looks, and what your pocket book can afford. Heck, I would like to have a Newmar King Aire, but can't see myself dropping the 1M for it, and the 60k per year maintenance upkeep on it! So yes competition is good, but go for what you like, period! We will all have to fix things ourselves on our RV's
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Old 09-09-2020, 04:16 PM   #37
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I totally agree with what you say, that’s why I will travel for my next one if I have to since the dealer and keystone dropped the ball on this one. This is my fourth RV and second Montana fifth wheel. The first one was a trouble free 2004 Montana 2955rl. Some of my issues on my 2016 were noted at my pdi but since they were just cosmetic, I opted to take the unit and bring it back at the end of the season And have them repaired along with anything else I discovered. After bringing it back to dealership 4 months after initial delivery, I get a call from the dealer stating that keystone is denying my claim and asked me to call keystone myself. That’s when they refused all claims stating that they were either not warranty issues or “environmental” issues.
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Old 09-09-2020, 04:18 PM   #38
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The things I like about the Alliance RV are Azdel side wall, non vented ac and three of them to boot. One thing I didn’t like is it doesn’t look like they offer full body paint. I really was paint after dealing with keystones crappy decal stripes.
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Old 09-11-2020, 01:00 PM   #39
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Alliance 5th

I agree with much of what Alain L had to say. We looked at the Alliance at the Tampa RV show last Jan. There were a lot of well thought out features, however; the rear cap was not molded, they had non-insulated windows, there was a tear in the linoleum from the slide out, and felt the island was not well supported. Not having a molded rear cap is a big issue with us as molded backs have less drag and better aerodynamics, plus they just look so much better. Someone else stated that Alliance does not offer full body paint, another negative in our view. Fit and finish seemed adequate, but the pantry did not have pull out drawers and the clothes storage in the bedroom was insufficient, even with the bathroom closet. Pluses included the transition from the slide outs, i.e., no carpeting. The residential oven/range and the shower were very nice features, but were exactly like those in the 2020 Redwoods, who also happen to have walk-in closets, plus the Redwood's also has the new kitchen bib sink. The sink strainer idea is also creative. We left with some good impressions, but told the their sales staff of our disappointments. Questions remain on how well funded this company is. When COVID19 hit, the RV industry came to a screeching halt, we thought, there goes the Alliance company, yet several weeks later, the RV industry could not keep up with the demand, thanks to the fact that many new people see RV'ing as an escape from crowded conditions, evade the threat of this virus and a way to recreate during the pandemic. When we head south later this fall, we'll stop by Alliance and take another look and maybe see some upgrades, if not; it's likely we won't entertain buying. For now, this fledgling company is just that, and warranties and customer service will have no meaning if the company is sold or goes through a chapter 11. It's a crowded competitive field and price points do matter, so they'll have to make inroads with dealerships and set up a fluid purchasing network.
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Old 09-11-2020, 11:02 PM   #40
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Looked at their website. Looks like you can get most everything that you get in a Montana. More in some aspects like the Widebody and less with no rear molded cap. Suspension seemed basically the same unless you pay more if Montana offers the independent suspension now. I always enjoy looking at all of them, unfortunately I really believe that no matter what brand you buy there will still be some lemons. I still am partial to the DRV’s but am a lot more leery once Keystone bought them only because the Montana was such a solid unit until it was bought out. I am a fan of the wide body and I really like independent suspension, might as well throw in thicker walls. Oops now I am back to the DRV and not the Aire model they make now so 3/4 ton trucks can tow it.

Happy dreams to all of us.

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