“Pathetic quality”: RV dealers are fed up with what manufacturers are producing

[UnregistredHypercam2]

Sometimes that's the best way to do it Jon. You can customize it to your liking and have fun building it. I saw a few like that in some of the parks we passed while we were traveling last month so many have done this and I'm sure they're built much better than a factory TT.

I like the idea of doing it anyways. Cargo trailers tend to be built well because of their intended use. I've seen some pretty luxurious builds with them.

To me, cargo trailer conversations sit in the same realm as skoolies. More of a blank canvas for someone who would rather DIY.

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[AzScorpion]

The reason is all the factories are there so there's no transportation costs from factory to dealers. Most dealer there have 5 star ratings too compared to the ones here that are 1-2 stars. Labor, materials and build quality have nothing to do with the dealers that's on the factory. Most are and have been sub par for years especially since 2020.

 

[Buckethead]

I've got a NuCamp T@G XL teardrop, which is a great step up from tent camping. We've had it for 4 years, and it's been great. But, with a growing family it's now a little small, and I've ordered an Opus OP4 popup which should be here soon.

 

[dtech]

I've got a NuCamp T@G XL teardrop, which is a great step up from tent camping. We've had it for 4 years, and it's been great. But, with a growing family it's now a little small, and I've ordered an Opus OP4 popup which should be here soon.

Thanks - r u making tires at Sumitomo ? 1st job out of college was at Dunlop Tire, way back in the 70s. Amazing that plant is still going strong, IIRC it was built in the early part of the 20 the century, was still using 25 cycle mill motors when I was there.

 

[Buckethead]

Thanks - r u making tires at Sumitomo ? 1st job out of college was at Dunlop Tire, way back in the 70s. Amazing that plant is still going strong, IIRC it was built in the early part of the 20 the century, was still using 25 cycle mill motors when I was there.

I am. We are currently undergoing an expansion to double our output. And it wouldn't surprise me if some of the equipment you worked on is till limping along!

 

[dtech]

I am. We are currently undergoing an expansion to double our output. And it wouldn't surprise me if some of the equipment you worked on is till limping along!

yeah bandburys, nrm tire machines, bladders, etc. I was in WNY in may and drove on the 290 ? where I used to see the big smokestack from the boilerhouse but that's likely gone now. I was in the tire design and test lab - rubber compounds, test machines etc. Didn't think that plant was going to last so packed up and moved to CO in 1979, but they were making mostly motorcycle and truck tires back then, passenger tires were out of Huntsville, AL. Wasn't an easy job being a tire maker as they were measured by ability to make quota daily, the URW wasn't any fun to deal with back then, very contentious would be an understatement.

 

[Peragrin]

Lot's of good advice, but start with a list of what you want.

Queen bed or king, is it just you and your wife 99% of the time? or grandkids on the weekends too?
shower? toilet? do you want a slide out to expand interior space on those rainy days?

Once you get those ideas, look at floor plans in person, get a feel for the shapes that you want. Limit to your weight range, probably 5500 - 6000 empty max.

Then find a 2015-2019 model version of what you want. fairly recent, used lower price, and better build quality.

 

[AzScorpion]

Here's a new video today that shows the Top TT under 5,000 lbs. Josh has a lot of good info on his channel and is worth subbing to it. I've learned a lot from watching them over the past year or so.

 

[AdamHarris]

this no amazes me, but see so many different makes and models on the road, guess it will take some time to thoroughly evaluate :

How many manufacturers of RVs are there?


It is hard to put an exact number to this question due to the constantly expanding RV Market. As of 2022, there are currently 114 Manufacturers in the United States. Many of these manufacturers are based out of Indiana, too ( a pretty cool fun fact to know!).

Only like two actual manufacturers for roughly 18,760 different brands..

 

[halligan1201]

From this article :

https://www.rvtravel.com/pathetic-quality-rv-dealers-fed-manufacturers-producing-1017b/

Wife and I have made a number of camping trips this year - staying in our tent, but I'd estimate in campgrounds 2/3 or maybe more "campers" have RVs. And according to articles purchases have accelerated greatly since 2019, f'cst was for 600k units in 2022. And I've been to some fairly remote dispersed camping areas where there are good sized RVs -areas accessed by narrow rough mtn roads.

As we sat in our tent during a lengthy downpour we had a conversation about maybe it's time to buy a small or midsize camper to tow with the ranger. Recommendations are appreciated. The keyword is smaller as we have numerous friends with large RVs or motor homes and not planning on going that route. And don't see a roof top tent as a solution for us, I am 70 yrs old and despite sleeping on a cot with an air mattress my arthritic back has been causing me grief.

thanks

I think you'll find that the smaller (but not backyard) teardrop/squaredrop builders probably have the best quality controls in place. Companies like Hiker, Vestibule, Runaway, Escapod (there are others) aren't mass producing - they build per order. They're smaller but depending on which brand, you can get some real creature comforts. I've spent a lot of time tracking down owners of these campers and they are all very happy after several years of ownership. Once I'm finally ready to ditch tent camping, I'll either be looking for a Vestibule or a Runaway - it just depends on how soft I'm feeling lol because they really aren't comparable in their finish and options.

 

[halligan1201]

Coming home from Wyoming, the camper dealers had thousands and thousands of the mass produced campers sitting on the lots. I think the COVID bubble has burst. I also read where the RV makers are running up against a lack of places for buyers to take their rigs - which is causing a downturn in purchases.

 

[AzScorpion]

Coming home from Wyoming, the camper dealers had thousands of theass produced campers sitting on the lots. I think the COVID bubble has burst. I also read where the RV makers are running up against a lack of places for buyers to take their rigs - which is causing a downturn in purchases.

Yeah we also saw full lots across all the state we went through too. Even here there's a few I can see from the highway and last year their lots were practically bare, now they're full from front to back. Wait another 6-12 months especially if there's a recession and you'll find some really great deals.

I think the used market will soften a lot too. I haven't looked at them recently but I can see people starting to dump them for what they owe on their loans just to get out from underneath them. Between the higher gas prices and inflation eating away at their daily budget there's not much extra money left to tow these around. Also many are paying for storage which eats away the money pretty quick too.

 

[dtech]

Coming home from Wyoming, the camper dealers had thousands and thousands of the mass produced campers sitting on the lots. I think the COVID bubble has burst. I also read where the RV makers are running up against a lack of places for buyers to take their rigs - which is causing a downturn in purchases.

agree and when you are traveling RVs are seemingly everywhere now, I've been by a place called fun valley outside of S Fork CO many times and there are hundreds of them parked side by side in neat rows, many are Texans.

 

[dtech]

Yeah we also saw full lots across all the state we went through too. Even here there's a few I can see from the highway and last year their lots were practically bare, now they're full from front to back. Wait another 6-12 months especially if there's a recession and you'll find some really great deals.

I think the used market will soften a lot too. I haven't looked at them recently but I can see people starting to dump them for what they owe on their loans just to get out from underneath them. Between the higher gas prices and inflation eating away at their daily budget there's not much extra money left to tow these around. Also many are paying for storage which eats away the money pretty quick too.

and like cars RVs can be repo'd when payments are in arrears - which is on the rise.

 

[halligan1201]

Yeah we also saw full lots across all the state we went through too. Even here there's a few I can see from the highway and last year their lots were practically bare, now they're full from front to back. Wait another 6-12 months especially if there's a recession and you'll find some really great deals.

I think the used market will soften a lot too. I haven't looked at them recently but I can see people starting to dump them for what they owe on their loans just to get out from underneath them. Between the higher gas prices and inflation eating away at their daily budget there's not much extra money left to tow these around. Also many are paying for storage which eats away the money pretty quick too.

Yep. I've seen the prices on used tear/squaredrop come down quite a bit in the past two months; trailers that have one season (or really one or two outings) of use. I even seen people trying to sell their ordered trailers at break-even because they're already over the idea or because gas prices have gone up.

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