Trip report big sky - Montana Owners Club

richfaa · 10-21-2013, 03:28 AM

We are at out winter residence in Davenport Florida 1104 total miles traveled and here is the damage report.

First leg pins worked out of the toilet seat and the assembly wound up on the floor, molding pulled out of the wall in the hallway across from the shower.

Second leg , no issues.

Third leg, the wall panel next to the stove behind the counter pulled out of the wall The right side of the closet wall between the Ardmore and the closet pulled out of the wall. The Ardmore shelf's collapsed and the closet door will not close.

We are having power issues that was have not yet figured out . We first noticed that some of the 12 Volt lights were not working including the porch light. All was Normal at South point KOA in S.C and 338 miles later all of this.

Ownership of the best you can buy, top of the line 2013 Montana 3402 Big Sky, best selling 5th wheel for 11 consecutive years just keeps getting better and better. We spend our first day in sunshine troubleshooting and repairing the camper instead of basking in the sunshine.

Pictures and concerns go to keystone today. But yea....warm weather.

capn chris · 10-21-2013, 03:42 AM

Not a particularly good report on a new unit, Rich. Hmm.

richfaa · 10-21-2013, 04:24 AM

It the little build quality issues that have not IMO improved since 2006. The flimsy staples holding these things together could not stand the stress of travelling down our interstates. We will use screws to hold this stuff together.

steves · 10-21-2013, 04:30 AM

Very unusual problems...maybe yours was Monday build and they all had hang-overs?

bncinwv · 10-21-2013, 04:37 AM

Unacceptable, regardless of the build date. Hope ours does not exhibit any of the same problems. Sorry to hear of your misfortunes.
Bingo

richfaa · 10-21-2013, 04:48 AM

the panel behind the counter on our 06 also pulled apart and I recall similar post. The closet wall issue has been reported also. just a heads up for new owners to watch out for these things. we have the screws on hand.

Tom S. · 10-21-2013, 05:49 AM

That's what happens when you work all the bugs out of your trailer and then trade it in on a new one - you get to start all over again.

richfaa · 10-21-2013, 06:00 AM

we also have a power issue. Works on 30 amp service .No 50 amps .Working on it. We were considering buying a permanent site here at this park.. This puts points on the do it side. We are tired of the constant Rv problems. No brand would be better..

bigred715 · 10-21-2013, 07:29 AM

Rich, does it asppear they used the wrong staples, maybe too short or not enough staples. Sorry to hear of these problems so soon. No excuse for this type of workmanship. Good luck and I know you WILL get them resolved.

richfaa · 10-21-2013, 07:33 AM

They used plenty of staples but they are puny. Go take a look as see what you think. We are pretty sure that the problem is only weak construction and nothing serious.

bigskyjimmy · 10-21-2013, 07:34 AM

This report scares they heck out of me with what might happen to my 2012 3402rl,It has been great so far with just one toilet pedal busting and a GFCI problem,I hope mine does not end up with problems that you are having.....YIKES! sorry to hear

richfaa · 10-21-2013, 07:50 AM

Our toilet pedal broke off last winter here in Florida. The Norcold fridge also failed last winter.. Look around and perhaps you can avoid these problems. That is why I post them. many folks have small problems and never mention them. That helps no one.

Tom S. · 10-21-2013, 08:19 AM

Quote:

quote:Originally posted by bigskyjimmy

This report scares they heck out of me with what might happen to my 2012 3402rl,It has been great so far with just one toilet pedal busting ,I hope mine does not end up with problems that you are having.....YIKES! sorry to hear

I wouldn't be too concerned. When we bought our 06, I read about all the problems people were having (including the Mission tire fiasco). Turned out we only had a couple problems with ours and they were very minor. And yes, we put miles on it, driving to Maine, Alaska and Yellowstone, all separate trips.

bigskyjimmy · 10-21-2013, 09:25 AM

Yep I agree with the Rich thanx for posting them so we can look out for these things, that is why I posted my wires falling out of my GFCI and smoking hopefully it will help somebody else

richfaa · 10-21-2013, 01:44 PM

Power problem corrected. we had no 50 amps. Had a 30 amp cord and a 50 to 30 amp adapter. Went into the 30 amp of the pedestal and we had 30 amp service. At least we had some power. 95 degrees and 70 % humidity was not a day for one A/C working. problem was the 50 amp cord where it plugs into the Rv at a improper angle putting stress on the cord and pulling the wires out of the plug. It should be at a 90 degree angle to reduce stress on the cord. both the red and white wires were pulled out of the plug. Think we had a single phase and a floating ground. It was OK when we arrived here at @ 4PM as we had both a/c's running . Helen noted that the fridge was indicating low DC at @ Midnight and the lights were dim. There we were in darkness looking for our 30 amp cord and proper adapters.. thanks Keystone for the low quality power cord. All is well now after cord repair out side in 95 degree heat and high humidity///thanks again.

This is not a uncommon problem. Watch your power cord for the wiring pulling away from the plug. A 90 degree 50 to 50 adapter can be had at a reasonable price. Got mine via tweety's for 34.00.

timandsusan · 10-21-2013, 02:49 PM

After this years trip to Az, Ut, Co, NM and Tx, I have decided to keep my 2006 with these repairs/additions. New awning material or a new power awning, strip off cracked decals--clean up and decide on custom paint later! Keep everything else running as well as possible. All sounds cheaper than a new Montana! and fewer issues.

bncinwv · 10-21-2013, 02:50 PM

I don't know if my previous dealer or Keystone supplied it, but our 3750 came with a Furrion cord something like this one:

Furrion 50 Amp Shore Cord

Ours does not have the led feature, but it not only has a twist connector, but also has a threaded fitting that completely tightens up to the marinco type receptacle. We have not had a shore cord problem with this type even without the 90 degree adapter. I already decided of the new rig does not have the same shore cord, this one will be transferred to the new rig and the old rig can have whatever type of new shore cord is supplied. I really like the quality and fit of the fitting to the rig.

Bingo

richfaa · 10-21-2013, 02:59 PM

I see those on line bingo and they are high quality and expensive. I would take it with me.

DonandBonnie · 10-21-2013, 03:43 PM

Guess we have been lucky. Today marks one year that we have been full timing in our Big Sky 3700RL. Other than a few minor issues that can be chalked up to normal wear and tear, we have had no problems worth reporting. We are fully satisfied with our rig.

Irlpguy · 10-21-2013, 04:17 PM

As with Bingo we have a 50amp power cord that pushes in and twists to lock it at the trailer, it also has the threaded nut to hold it firmly in place.

The only time our unit is not plugged in is when we are traveling, that now is nearly two years and not a moments problem with the cord we have, it also does not have the LED but our 50 - 30 adapter has them on both ends.

We have fixed or replaced pretty near everything else in two years, so I guess you have to get lucky on something.

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