did i get a good deal - Montana Owners Club

pep1977 · 01-23-2006, 07:48 AM

i just finished all the paperwork on the purchase of a 2005 3400. i believe i got a good deal. the unit is fully loaded, has all the bells and whistles, including generator. i was able to pick up the unit with tax, liscence, pullrite superglide hitch for 43000. the trailer was not used but maybe once. the couple traded truck and trailer in for a class A DP. i am here in southern california so everything is a little bit more expensive here. is there anything i need to look for in this trailer, any glitches common to this coach.

dsprik · 01-23-2006, 08:07 AM

Congrats on the new 3400! I think you'll love it. We are ordering a 2006 3400 in a month or two.

There were a couple of issues, and some others following me would be able to be specific on any important revelations you would need to watch for. I would tell you to do a search, but that would several months of reading, without someone advising you on a specific topic. Brake wires wearing, remote thrmostat, breaking wiring supports under slideouts, a possible hole, causing road water to make it to the inside carpeting, are on the top of my head. As I said, others to follow will do a better job than me to help you with this 2005 3400. I would advise to stick tight to the MOC forum - it is and INVALUABLE education.

And welcome to the forum. You're going to love it!

jrgwdenner · 01-23-2006, 08:51 AM

It sounds like you did well. Even the problems that Dave has listed are not common and happen only to a few, as a general rule. That's why they write about them on the forum, because they're the exception rather than the rule. But solutions and helpful suggestions are bountiful on the forum. It's a great source of information so if you have any questions along your journey, join in and present them to the group. Happy camping.

Parrothead · 01-23-2006, 12:20 PM

Steven
Welcome to the MOC. We have traveled through Boron several hundreds of times, maybe a thousand. We have a 2005 3400 and other than the remote thermostat have had none of the problems Dave mentions. In fact except for the RT and the DVD player, both outside manufacturers, our unit has been trouble free. We lived in it for 9 months when we first bought it so we would have found any problems. We replaced the remote with the Comfort Control Center from Dometic and bought a Sony DVD surround system to replace the Quest. We are Sony fans and wanted to go this route instead of the hassle with dealers and Keystone and Quest. Enjoy your new 3400 and think about coming to the Rally in May at Mt. Shasta so you can meet a great group of people and see what others have done with their units.
Happy trails.............................

Montana_4221 · 01-23-2006, 12:27 PM

Congratulations on the new coach it sounds like you did well. When we are able to go fulltime we will add a generator. Nothing wrong with starting out with one. Also from what I here The Superglide hitch is one of the best out there.

Welcome to the forum.

Montana Sky · 01-23-2006, 12:47 PM

Welcome!
Congrats on your 3400RL, I hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine. Sounds like you got a really good deal. You are just going to love the Superglide hitch, nothing out there can even come close to it in my opinion. The only problem I have had with my 3400RL is the Quest dvd player, going to have it replaced again for the 3rd time this spring. If that does not fix it I am going to upgrade the unit to a better quality dvd/surround sound system. I am also installing the second a/c in the bedroom in April as well, I tend to stay in the warmer climates and a second a/c is going to help keep things cool. Again, Enjoy your new coach and welcome to the MOC.

stiles watson · 01-23-2006, 04:04 PM

Steven,

You sound like me and every other engineer type I have known. I call it analysis paralysis. We can spend so much time wonderin' if we made the perfect choice at the perfect price that we can fail to enjoy what we have.

Your 27 and I am 65, so let me admit that the problem is hard to shake. I have finally learned not to worry about whether I got the best rig or the best deal, but am I goin' to enjoy the deal I made and the coach I bought.

Gee, I guess that dumb counseling thing popped up in me again (that was my day job after I quit engineering). You got a really good thing going, so enjoy the heck out of it. It is sort of like playing a card game. Some folks play the last hand over and over with all the shouldas and couldas. Me? I just bidum and playum and never look back. Happy RVing.....

Garin1 · 01-23-2006, 04:28 PM

Welcome to the family Pep.Congrats on the deal.I know you will be happy

Northstar · 01-23-2006, 06:04 PM

pep, welcome to the forum. Sounds like a neat deal to me--enjoy and keep us posted.

richfaa · 01-24-2006, 02:19 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by jrgwdenner

It sounds like you did well. Even the problems that Dave has listed are not common and happen only to a few, as a general rule. That's why they write about them on the forum, because they're the exception rather than the rule. But solutions and helpful suggestions are bountiful on the forum. It's a great source of information so if you have any questions along your journey, join in and present them to the group. Happy camping.

Would like to insert a reminder here.The Montana is a conglomeration of vendor supplied parts.I don't think Keystone/Montana manufacturers a single part They just assemble the vendor supplied parts.Example the infamous remote thermostat.True it is vendor supplied..However Keystone/ Montana provides the vendors with the required specs. keystone /Montana knowingly buys and installs the part.To assume that Keystone blindly buys these parts without any knowledge of the quality/reliability would not be saying much for Keystone/Montana.We may assign blame to the vendor for the low quality part but at the end of the day it is the manufactures responsibility for the quality/ reliability of the vendor supplied part and the product Montana manufacturers.When I was doing logistics in my previous life.It was MY responsibility that the vendor supplied part met provided specs. Was of the proper quality/ Reliability ..If it failed to do so the users came to me not the vendor.Now I may have some issue with the vendor..But it's to late.I did not do my job properly.

Parrothead · 01-24-2006, 04:59 AM

Rich
You have a good point and I would agree with you on maybe the Quest DVD since none of us had ever heard of this manufacturer. But Dometic has been making RV equipment for many years and so I could see where Keystone would trust their products.
Happy trails......................

pep1977 · 01-24-2006, 09:59 AM

now i have another question. tow vehicle. i see this unit being towed by 3/4 ton TV and am wondering how it does as that is what i have, i have towed travel trailers before, but never a fifth wheel, and i am a little nervous about overloading the truck. i keep hearing you cant go over these certain weights, and keep hearing that with a 3/4 ton the max trailer is about 31 ft. so any help would be appreciated

richfaa · 01-24-2006, 12:12 PM

Sue you are correct, there are several vendors that are of proven reliability..However my point is that Keystone selects the vendors and the final responsibility is Keystones.It is not entirely fair to say..well my fan was noisy, the DVD did not work,The thermostat is defective, my black tank leaks, my shower leaks and then say..well that is not keystones fault it is the vendors fault.If a item is defective in our new Montana it is going back to the dealer/Montana for repair/replacement..not the vendor. Trust is a great and good thing..however..You are buying a used Montana and the salesperson. says... " Just sign here.Not to worry, it is in perfect condition...trust me///"

Montana Sky · 01-24-2006, 12:24 PM

Pepe1977,
I tow my 3400RL with a 2500HD Chevy and have not had any trouble. The only thing I added to my truck was the Pyrometer and turbo boost gauge, and a Custom Flow tailgate to make hooking up and unhooking easier. The thing you want to watch out on any tow vehicle is the CGVWR, Kingpin weight on the rear axle, and the GVWR of the coach itself. I will try to give you my weights by memory for my 3400RL and truck.

Truck 7,400 lbs with hitch, fuel and all people/gear
Kingpin 2,100 lbs
Coach axles 11,250 lbs
Coach GVWR 13,350 lbs
Total CGVWR 20,750 lbs

Not sure which truck you are using as a tow vehicle. Take a look at the specs to double check, also head over to any of your local truck stops and use the scales to weight your truck and coach.

richfaa · 01-24-2006, 12:35 PM

By the way pep1977 I would say you did real good on your purchase. We will be ordering a 06 3400 next month..good luck..have fun..

sreigle · 01-24-2006, 02:26 PM

The biggest potential problem with using a 3/4 ton truck is exceeding the payload. If you are within the payload rating then everything else likely is fine. In your favor is that the 3400 has one of the lowest pinweights of any Montana, so you may not have a problem.

Many of us are using 3/4 ton trucks very successfully to tow Montanas with considerably higher pinweights than the 3400. In our case, a lot more. I had to add airbags to the truck to level it out because I did not get the extra leaf on the springs for this truck. But if you want to make sure you are within ratings, payload is probably the key figure to look at in my opinion.

stiles watson · 01-25-2006, 04:48 AM

Many of us pull with 3/4 ton TV's and are completely satisfied. You may find you need to beef it up in some spots. But only if you have an identied problem.

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