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fortkentdad
Junior Member
Canada
66 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 21 2009 : 6:32:58 PM
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We bought our Rockwood 09 8319SS last August and have had it almost a year. We've taken it on a few trips and overall we are very pleased with the trailer. As for the luxury and amenities on board, it has everything we wanted.
The floor plan suits our needs as a couple very well. We have not had more than two people sleep in the trailer and am not sure I would recommend it for a family. The sofa does come with a built in inflatable bed, my wife has tried it out and says it is very comfortable. We consider it our luxury trailer for two.
"HALF TON TOWABLE
It was sold to us as "half ton towable" and I guess that depends one your definition of "towable". This is a 33 foot/ 10 metre, pull trailer with a GVWR of 7890# or 3579 kilos. Loaded (with all water tanks empty) and LPG full, it is pushing the limits of my 08 Dodge half ton. We had leased the truck before we bought the trailer - when the lease is up we will be buying a 3/4 ton truck, maybe diesel.
At Westcove campsite near St Paul AB we were assigned to a lovely, secluded campsite, but the approach into the campsite was a steep incline, it was all my truck could do to push that trailer back up into place. At that time of course it was full of water (site only came with power). That effort to push it up a steep, but short incline demonstrated the need for a heavier truck.
At 33 feet it does have a tendancy to sway, the 3/4 ton will have a full crew cab and 8 foot box, it will have a longer wheel base which I hope will help. I will also add anti-sway to my weight distribution hitch.
BATHROOM
The HUGE bathroom with two sinks, and room around the john to "get the paper work done" impresses everyone who sees it. I'm a big fella (150kg) and many of the johns I sat upon while shopping for a trailer would have required a can of spam to spray the walls to let me squeese in, and no way to do the paper work. The shower also is ample size for a big guy.
TANK CAPACITY
I was not impressed by the water capacity. The on board tanks are good for a weekend, a three day weekend if you are really careful and I use the outside john. But we have exhausted the water supply and/or filled the black/grey water tank on two different long weekends. If camping at the same site for a week I'll be looking for full hookup PWS, which in these parts are not that common. Or we'll have to be very conservative about our water use. The tank capicities are: Fresh 136 litre (36 gal) grey 227 litre (60 gal) and black 113 lt, (30 gal). I also learned that the gauges that tell you how full your tanks are (or are not) is at best a rough estimate. When your tap starts sputtering air/water mix you are out of water. I don't want to know the real sign of a full black tank but I can imagine.
I suppose the trade off would be a heavier trailer with bigger tanks, can't have it "ultra light" with big water tanks I guess.
BEDROOM
The Bedroom is great. Love the slide out "queen" bed" (queen wide but not long). The heated mattress is a real treat on a cool camping night and since we pay for the propane but electric is included with the site cost it is cost efficient. Buy the same token a small ceramic space heater on the bedroom vanity heats the bedroom nicely, saving more propane. What we really like about the bedroom is the space to change. Many a trailer I looked at had a foot or so around the bed (often only one side of the bed) and I just cannot change in that tight space.
The bedroom wardrobes are not exactly as shown in the floor plan, I guess some of the trailers were built with a sit down vanity, and some with three wardrobes. We have three wardrobes. Not sure someone who would need a vanity would enjoy camping? How much make-up does one need for a nature hike?
DOORS
The second door in the bedroom is a nice touch. My wife has been an OH&S Safety officier and she likes the safety of easy exit in an emergency. My complaint about the doors is the *$#@!*# locks. I don't know if my door locks are unique or a common complaint but they are a royal pain to get to lock and unlock. I painted one of the keys white. At least now I know "black for back". Not sure why they could not have used the same lock for both doors. The steps are fine, just be sure to watch where you put fingers.
KITCHEN/LIVING AREA
The kitchen/living area is well designed. In theory we can seat up to ten people, not that we plan on seating that many at one time. Two in the rocker-swivel chairs (my choice for comfortable sitting), two on the sofa (more of a love seat in length) My wife can stretch out nicely on this one, and still have room for her dogs. Two more perched upon the wooden stools, nice, but we really have not used them as seats at all, and four in the dinette (four smaller people). I think we'll stick to us plus a couple of guests at the most.
The table is not anchored so it can be moved easily - something I needed if I had any hope of sitting at the table for dinner. It could be used out of doors but I expect we would not do that.
My wife approved of the decor, sure beat the orange and red decor we saw in one trailer.
We enjoy the TV & sound system. I read in the forums about the problems with the stereo - so far so good. Have not figured out how to get any TV reception so our viewing has been limited to DVD movies. Maybe if I camp near a city with strong TV signals the roof top antenna will get some reception. It has speakers outside and in the bedroom that can be turned off or on independantly.
STORAGE
Throughout there is ample inside storage, more than we need really. (Now in time this may change as we keep thinking of more and more stuff we should bring). There is a nice (narrow but deep) pantry, large enough fridge (for two for about 3-4 days), cabinets over the sink and stove area, over head at the front end over the chairs, and overhead on both slide outs. Cupboards in the bathroom are ample for towels and other such things, and the bedroom has 3 wardrobes and a total of eight drawers (three under bed & 5 in wardrobe)
There is however only one exterior storage space, and it is under the bed, not under the dinette as shown in the floor plan. There is also thoes three bedroom drawers under the bed that you access from the inside, so the exterior storage is not the full length of the bed.
It is already a little tight under there for the stuff that needs to be outside. Eg the hoses, power chord, tool box, BBQ, tarps, lawn chairs etc. In time I may need more storage for such things if we get a dinning tent or other such thing, or bring toys with us besides our Catrikes which we load into the truck. Maybe my bigger truck with eight foot box will leave room for more stuff.
SWITCHES
While I did get a good review of all the features when we bought the trailer (Outlaw RV in Vegreville AB) I wish I had taken better notes because the trailer manual is way too generic to be much use. I had to call the dealer to find the fuse box (brown metal cover under the fridge). I posted a picture of a red light switch in this forum to find out what it was (heater for water tanks) and I could not recall what the switch on the over head cabinet between the front chairs was for (it turns the backside outside light on). Labels on the light switches would have been nice. I'm going to make my own label and stick it onto the inside of the door over the light switches. Mounting them up under the top cabnets over the sink would not have been my first choice for a light switch.
Of special note, there is no wall light switch in the bedroom. The one switch opens the awning which you cannot see from the switch so you need another person outside to make sure all is clear, if the front door is tied open it will colide with the awning. The other bedroom switch extends the bed slide out.
LIGHTS
The lights must be turned on by switches directly on the lights. But there are lots of other lights. The reading lights over the bed and the chairs are a nice touch. I do find the stove to be poorly lit. There is a light in the fan, too dim to do much good, and a nice under counter light over the sink but too far from the stove. But don't worry if you can't see if the bacon is burnt yet, the fire alarm will sound with the least whiff of smoke. Bacon frying, even with the fan on and kitchen window open, sets off the fire alarm. Even the outside BBQ will set it off if the kitchen window was left open. Very sensitive fire alarm. Resist the temptation to disable it until you replace it.
There are three roof vents, one with a "Create-A-Breese" fan. And boy does it ever create a breese. Very nice when the campground's amp service does not provide enough juice for the air conditioner. Try to get at least a 30 amp if you want to use the A/C. And it is a very nice A/C. Both the A/C and microwave require power hook up to operate, all else can be done on battery or propane. And what is camping if you can't relax back in your rocking chair and watch a movie on a nice LCD screen in air conditioned comfort?
OUTSIDE AMMENITIES
One of our reasons for RVing is my wife's three little white dogs. We bought a 20" x 40" plastic pan to allow my wife to wash the dogs outside at the outdoor shower at the back of the trailer. The pan also is nice for soaking your sore feet from your nature hikes.
In that picture you will also see the awning (why blue when everything else is brown and earth tones?) and the BBQ which attaches to the side of the trailer. It is smallish, fine for two, but not great for hosting a party. I'm toying with the option of bringing another small BBQ we have that is free standing, or sticking with the one that attaches to the wall.
The exterior lights are good, at least on the front side, there is a little light for the steps, an amber light that does not attract bugs but gives a nice light to the campsite, a big white light to light the area up nicely, and another bright white light on the backside. The one at the back is in front of the dining/sofa slide, rendering the area with the exterior storage and hook ups, and outside shower - in dark shadows. Not the best place for the backside light.
HITCH
I'm glad it came with power at the hitch, can't imagine the joy of a hand cranked hitch.
We learned the hard way to turn off the propane when the trailer is not in use and to use electric heat when you can, and to heat up the water as needed, no need to keep it hot all the time. Went through our first two tanks of propane way too fast. It was $47 to fill both large tanks. Comes with an auto-switch to use up both tanks.
It is a true test of a marriage when lining up the ball with the trailer hitch, "just a little more to the left - - No no my left, - - - too far nope, go back two inches - - - no I meant forward two inches - - -  . We are getting better at it. Maybe my next truck will have a back up camera.
FIRST REPAIR
The strip of metal which holds the BBQ & a small side table that sits beside the BBQ was not attached to the trailer very well. First time I put the table on, it pulled away from the wall. I pulled out the screw they had used and picked up one the same length but a little thicker at the Co-Op. A little automotive "Goop" applied to the screw for extra measure and I re-attached the strip.
Also had to buy a new "O" ring for the sewer hook up, kinda messy without that ring.
WARRANTIES
Speaking of repairs , . . . I was taken back by the amount of work needed to register and in some cases pay for each appliance or component to get their own separate warranty. A couple can be done on line, others required sending in the warranty card.
I did buy the second year of Forest River warranty - hope I never have to find out if it is worth it, I had to ask the dealer for special form to get the second year, he said no one had ever bought it, it was about $150. I can't recall exact amount - but on a $30,000 trailer i thought it worth the cost, note you only get a set number of days from purchase of trailer to buy that second year of warranty.
Reading all of the paperwork that came with the trailer is easily a full evening project. Some is almost amusing in how they set up an easy exit from warranty. For example the Dexter Frame warranty allows the company to void the warranty if the frame is altered (fair enough) but they consider the following modifications sufficient to void the frame warranty: "Hose or cable storage bins, bicycle racks, load distribution hitchs, . . . etc etc" Since my trailer came with a load distribution hitch, my frame warranty is already void. The roof warranty is void if you do not complete quarterly inspections, which must be documented in writing. It is in the fine print under Item 4 "Purchasers Obligations". I also like the "ten year" warranty, which decreases by 10% per year, meaning after five years costs are split 50-50 and by year nine, they offer 10% of the cost of the repair. It is a "ten year warranty" of sorts.
I had thought that a travel trailer warranty was like a car warranty. But no, each component is warrantied by the maker of the component and not the "assember" which is Forest River. How would you like that for your car? Hope I never need warranty work.
Overall we are happy so far and have enjoyed our new trailer. I'd recommend it to an couple without children.
I would love to hear how other 88319SS owners find their trailer.
FKD
09 Rockwood 8319SS
08 Dodge Laramie QC 4X4, 3.92 with the 5.7 Hemi
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Edited by - fortkentdad on Jul 21 2009 7:00:03 PM |
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Brush
Junior Member
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 01:18:13 AM
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David,
We bought the second year warranty and recently took it to the dealer for warranty work after having the trailer for 13 months. We generally have to take it to the service department after each campout to get some sort of warranty work done. More than once we have taken it to the dealer to fix window leaks, brakes and wheel bearings leaking grease on the rim. Hopefully the window leaks are all fixed now. We have already had both sets of brakes on the left side replaced but only one wheel was covered under the warranty.
Be careful using the couch drawer for storage. Our drawer has fallen apart and the dealer has had to reinforce it using L brackets. We usually store clothes in the drawer but will probably refrain from using it any longer. We have sent the air mattress back to Flair twice for air leaks and hopefully the third mattress will hold air.
We have never used the outside grill. I wouldn't trust the bracket to hold the grill let alone have that heat next to the trailer wall. I put the grill in my garage and will put it back in the trailer when we decide to trade it in. We bring along a coleman grill for cooking and that works fine.
We occasionally have problems with cable tv reception but the outside antenna works fine.
We were told by the dealer not to trust the outside plastic door latchets to keep the door propped open. It would be nice to use the screen door. I noticed a new door bracket on the 2010 model that is located on top of the door. I may order two and install them on our doors.
On the positive side we are pleased with the overall layout/storage. We like the power awning, the roomy bedroom with ample storage and the dual sinks in the bathroom. My Tundra does a good job pulling the trailer though I only get 8-10 mpg when towing.
Bill and Darlene
2008 Tundra 5.7, 8' Bed, 4WD
Super Springs
Reese dual cam weight distr hitch, Prodigy Brake control
2009 Rockwood 8319SS
Nights camped in 2009 = 19
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fortkentdad
Junior Member
Canada
66 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 12:20:43 PM
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Oh my, that is a lot of warranty work. Our dealer is about 200 km away (120 miles) and we have not been back there since we bought the trailer.
I'll have to check the brakes for leaking grease, not sure how I would know if the trailer brakes are really working properly? The rig seems to stop OK when I apply the brakes. As for leaks, knock on wood so far so good, and we've had a few heavy rains.
How is it only one of the wheels was covered under warranty?
Your remark about the BBQ does get me to thinking, that is a lot of heat up against the trailer, the other BBQ I have is a better BBQ (Weber) and probably would not take up any more space than the one they supplied. Might be time to change.
As for the door latches, they work OK as long as there is no wind. My problem is forgetting the door is hooked open and force it to close snaping it off.
I've put the counter extension and those poles to brace the slide-outs into the sofa bed. I have not noticed any problem but will have to look carefully. If the solution is reinforcing the drawer with L braces I might just do that myself at home.
Maybe we should set up the airbed and see if it holds air, only inflated it once to see how it works.
Cable TV? I wondered about that hook up, I've never been at a campsite with a cable TV hook up. I'd be more inclined to get a satellite here in Canada, suspect it would come into the trailer through the same connector.
My Dodge Ram 1500 gets about 10-11 mpg towing. I find that the wind making a big difference, a strong headwind drops my mpg down to 7-8, while a good tail wind can push it up to 12-13 mpg.
FKD
09 Rockwood 8319SS
08 Dodge Laramie QC 4X4, 3.92 with the 5.7 Hemi
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Brush
Junior Member
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - Jul 22 2009 : 2:29:26 PM
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Last fall the trailer brakes made a strange noise while applied at slow speeds and the dealer replaced the brakes on the left rear wheel. This past spring I had the bearings repacked and the mechanic told me one of the brakes (left front wheel) was defective and needed to be replaced. My dealer informed me the brakes were only covered for 90 days and I would have to pay for the brake job (RV was nearly one year old).
Most of our trips are to Myrtle Beach SC and it is very windy there so I won't prop the door open using that plastic latch. I cut a large pool "noodle" and placed it on the awning arm to protect it should the door get blown open while entering/exiting the camper. You can see them in the picture below. They go on easy enough and I keep them in the storage compartment.
You need to inflate your air bed and sleep on it to make sure it is ok. Our first air bed didn't leak until after sleeping on it for about two weeks. The second air bed would not stay inflated. We have the third air bed set up at home testing it.
I don't notice any trailer sway with the Reese system. The WD hitch does make alot of noise when turning corners.
We store our trailer in a storage lot owned by the dealer. Would you believe it never leaks when it is in the storage lot? We checked it for leaks all winter while in storage but as soon as we took it to the beach it started to leak again.
Bill and Darlene
2008 Tundra 5.7, 8' Bed, 4WD
Super Springs
Reese dual cam weight distr hitch, Prodigy Brake control
2009 Rockwood 8319SS
Nights camped in 2009 = 19
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Edited by - Brush on Jul 22 2009 8:11:06 PM |
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Rockwood 2009 8319SS Travel Trailer
