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Mobile Suites - What years for best build quality?


Chad&Jen

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We are beginning our search for a fiver for full-timing. Mobile Suites seems to constantly rank as one of the top brands on the forums. We are trying to balance the desire for a newer model with getting one with the best build quality. All I hear these days when it comes to RV construction is "they don't make 'em like they used to". So what years would be considered the peak of quality for DRV? What are some of the build quality aspects that are now absent in newer models? Thanks.

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I will state I was disappointed with our 2006 Mobile Suites. Poorly sealed. It was drafty. Lacking insulation in places. I drilled access hole for cable. No insulation above window. Resealed one in slide. No insulation below window. Do believe it had dropped into belly. Can't prove. We could see daylight around the kitchen slide. Stuffed foam in there each time we set up. I assume this was corrected in later years.

2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1

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I believe Mobile Suites used foam insulation. Not sure how it would have dropped into the belly.

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Joey - 2016 Bounder 33C Tige - 2006 40' Travel Supreme
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All RVs are built basically the same, they may have different brand names but when you look behind the walls and exterior cover they all have problems.

Rather than select by brand name it would be better to research what your needs and lifestyle will be in the RV.

The Mobile Suites or any DRV product comes with a lot of eye candy and weight, don't be blinded by the eye candy and be sure you have a pull vehicle that will pull the RV. The price of the RV is not indicative of quality or workmanship. All Manufacturers have the same vendors producing most of the building materials and when it comes to RV appliances many are expected to operate on electric and propane so the vendors are pretty much the same. Even RV suspensions have only two vendors and the tires on RVs are usually made outside the U.S. You need to go with the 16" tires or bigger because you have a bigger source supply. Do your home work and attend RV Shows, use the Internet, draft a list of requirements and visit dealerships, you can't see many of the components that make an RV reliable so you can go to the vendor Internet site and look at the type of insulation, suspension, tires, hitch, and construction materials. It would not be a stretch to say that for the first year your RV may be away in the shop more than it is with you.

But if you are like the rest of us, don't have the time to do all this research and the DW likes this living room, kitchen, colors, counters, and cabinets then you purchase that one and deal with the warranties and available repair options, (this is the best answer). Don't forget that if you are going be a full timer that not all RV Dealers will work on your problems if they did not sell you the unit even if they sell your brand name.

Good luck on your adventure.

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We just received our 2017 DRV Mobile Suites, our first. Factory Quality Control definitely needs improvement. So far we have 25 items on our repair list, interior and exterior. We've owned our trailer 6 weeks and have a repair appointment at the factory September, the earliest appointment available. We decided it would be best since there are so many flaws in construction workmanship.

Also, I wouldn't recommend the stock furniture for Tall/240 lb person.

We like the floor plan and the HVAC and other equipment has performed perfectly.

Planning Nanook version 2.0

Nanook "When we made ready to depart, after a few days, Nanook was beside himself with joy. Hudson Stuck

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All RVs are built basically the same, they may have different brand names but when you look behind the walls and exterior cover they all have problems.

Rather than select by brand name it would be better to research what your needs and lifestyle will be in the RV.

The Mobile Suites or any DRV product comes with a lot of eye candy and weight, don't be blinded by the eye candy and be sure you have a pull vehicle that will pull the RV. The price of the RV is not indicative of quality or workmanship. All Manufacturers have the same vendors producing most of the building materials and when it comes to RV appliances many are expected to operate on electric and propane so the vendors are pretty much the same. Even RV suspensions have only two vendors and the tires on RVs are usually made outside the U.S. You need to go with the 16" tires or bigger because you have a bigger source supply. Do your home work and attend RV Shows, use the Internet, draft a list of requirements and visit dealerships, you can't see many of the components that make an RV reliable so you can go to the vendor Internet site and look at the type of insulation, suspension, tires, hitch, and construction materials. It would not be a stretch to say that for the first year your RV may be away in the shop more than it is with you.

But if you are like the rest of us, don't have the time to do all this research and the DW likes this living room, kitchen, colors, counters, and cabinets then you purchase that one and deal with the warranties and available repair options, (this is the best answer). Don't forget that if you are going be a full timer that not all RV Dealers will work on your problems if they did not sell you the unit even if they sell your brand name.

Good luck on your adventure.

This is so not true. Check out New Horizons, Space Craft, Continental Coach by Forks RV. Check out the Chassis on a DRV. While it is true about appliances are basically the same high end have been residential for many years while lately some is being used in current units. Our Teton came with a residential fridge, dish washer, faucets in 2003 and years even before ours. It has oak cabinets, all wood construction and a robust chassis. Teton is not in production now though. Now if your knowledge is strictly the units out of Eckhart Indiana this is basically true. But there are some very well built units on the market.

2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1

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Even though these companies are no longer in business, they are very fulltime liveable with many options. Most items can be added at reputable places like Kansas RV Center as well.

Carriage, Nuwa, HitchHiker, Travel Supreme, Teton, Excel, to name a few.

Our 2009 Carriage Carrilite has had ZERO issues with workmanship. A few parts have had to be replaced but they are all 3rd party items like a water pump, and an air conditioner.

Alie & Jim + 8 paws

2017 DRV Memphis 

BART- 1998 Volvo 610

Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins

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Thank you for the replies so far. Our plan is to pull with a HDT, so weight won't be an issue. it seems like targeting units from some of the out-of-business companies may make sense. We really want our first RV to be our last, as naive as that sounds. We are both meticulous in our attention to detail and how we maintain our vehicles, so keeping our rig ship-shape once we get it shouldn't be a major concern.

 

Insulation seems to be an important area of differentiation among brands. Who uses foam vs. batt?

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Dense foam laminated is best. Some will argue this point but I have had both. Dense foam is much better. Our unit is and it is times better sealed from outside than our DRV. I personally know none from Eckhart that is. Forks RV use batten I undetstand. There quality is so good though. All the custom builders are.

2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1

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Based on our experience, STAY AWAY from any Teton built after 2005. OTOH, we have been happy with the construction of our 07 New Horizons Summit.

2001 Volvo 610 HDT with Smart Car bed and ET Junior hitch

2007 New Horizons Summit 38

2013 Smart for Two

2012 Easy Racer Tour Easy recumbent bicycle

 

"There is no path. Paths are made by walking." – Spanish poet Antonio Machado

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Thank you for the replies so far. Our plan is to pull with a HDT, so weight won't be an issue. it seems like targeting units from some of the out-of-business companies may make sense. We really want our first RV to be our last, as naive as that sounds. We are both meticulous in our attention to detail and how we maintain our vehicles, so keeping our rig ship-shape once we get it shouldn't be a major concern.

 

Insulation seems to be an important area of differentiation among brands. Who uses foam vs. batt?

 

Yep, our 4th RV back was going to be our last one. :lol:

 

Newt

2012 HitchHiker Discover America 345 LKSB

2009 Dodge/Cummins

 

LIVINGSTON TX

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Well, since you actually asked about the Drv's and not anything else, I'll give you my 2 cent opinion. Stay away from the 2012 and early 2013 models. They used that Schwintek track system on the bedroom slides and are just crap. Drv did not stand behind them and owners have had to rebuild them. This is only that channel track system, not the cable system. You could post your question on the Drv owner's site, www.suitesowners.com

Jan & Thomas

2012 Drv Mobile Suite 5'r

2012 Ford F350 Super Duty

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Our friends had a DRV that they bought new. They celebrated the day they traded it. Lots of problems. Water leaks, the fresh water tank was never secured and the kitchen sink fell into the cabinet below. That was just the start. Many more problems after that. I pitty the person that ends up with that 5er. I know how some of the things were fixed and it is only a matter of time before major trouble. I had heard some good things about DRV but I didn't see it.

Randy

2001 Volvo VNL 42 Cummins ISX Autoshift

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They traded for a DP and yes they have had some minor problems but overall they are much happier. Their last problem before trading was the right rear wheel fell off due to a Lippert permanently lubed wheel bearing failure. The damage to the 5er was significant to say the least.

Randy

2001 Volvo VNL 42 Cummins ISX Autoshift

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We bought a new 2007 MS 38RL3. for the most part were very happy with it. Hauled it to Alaska and back in 2010 and had some problems. Had a wheel bearing go out, screws came up through the vinyl floor in the kitchen and had a leaf spring bolt break. Other than that we were very satisfied with it. Big heavy camper we full timed in for 7 years before trading down. From all the postings on the DRV Owners web site, which I no longer frequent, it seems that the quality went down considerably after 2007. I have been to the factory on 2 different occasions and wasn't impressed with the Amish craftsman work. The place was a complete mess. I was also told that somewhere around 2008 the factory agreed to allow the Amish workers to go home with a full days pay when the scheduled work for the day was done. Quality seemed to drop off after that. Seemed like units got slapped together with no regard for quality control.

 

 

Forgot about the windows. The crap dual pane windows had to be replaced 2x and even the second set fogged up.

Gary & Penny

2015 Lance 1172

2005 Chevy 3500

2013 Bass Tracker 190 Pro Team

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Yikes. These are the horror stories that make me want to redouble my homework prior to signing on the dotted line. It seems like DRV might not make the short list after all. New Horizons seems to very few complaints. May switch our focus in that direction.

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New Horizons is far better than a DRV. I'm not downing DRV but they are not in the same class. Costs shows too. They are lots of satisfied owners though of DRVs. One slightly used would have the bugs worked out.

2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1

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This is so not true. Check out New Horizons, Space Craft, Continental Coach by Forks RV. Check out the Chassis on a DRV. While it is true about appliances are basically the same high end have been residential for many years while lately some is being used in current units. Our Teton came with a residential fridge, dish washer, faucets in 2003 and years even before ours. It has oak cabinets, all wood construction and a robust chassis. Teton is not in production now though. Now if your knowledge is strictly the units out of Eckhart Indiana this is basically true. But there are some very well built units on the market.

All Recreational Vehicles have the same construction requirements. The Federal Government Regulations require a 425 SQ FT living space, more than that would mean you’re a Park Model or a Mobile Home. The interior walls have 1/16th to 3/16th thick wall board over 2x2” pine or if you have an aluminum frame you have 2x2 or 2x3” tubing set on 16” centers with rolled batting insulation stapled to the pine and taped to the aluminum struts with very little or no insulation in slides or under or over windows and doors. The frames vary center to center which means there is more frame twisting and most won't warranty a added trailer hitch, on top of this frame they add the sub floor which is 1/16th or 3/16th where they, in most cases, use pressed wood called blandex made from sawdust and glue mixed together and poured into a mold for shape and thickness and cooked until down. The Recreational Manufactures formed their own association called Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) and submitted it to the Government and it was approved so the Manufactures can now use 14 gauge electrical wire instead of 12 gauge, they can also use the stripper type outlets instead of the screw type devices, they can use 1/2” poly flow hose with compression fittings instead of copper tube and solder joints and you hope the builder does not butt together a line in your wall with a compression connector. So as I said all Recreational Vehicles are the built the same. Where the cost escalates rapidly is when the builder adds granite counter tops though out the unit, and hardwood floors, which means they need to add the upgraded axles, suspension, and tires along with the upgraded hydraulic levelers. Then they add the triple paned windows and to pull it all, the upgraded hitch to hook to your MDT, HDT, or Semi-Tractor. They put in all the fancy lighting and mirrors and other eye candy and it’s all ready to pull out of the show room and wait for the first available appointment at the Manufactures Repair Facility.

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All Recreational Vehicles have the same construction requirements. The Federal Government Regulations require a 425 SQ FT living space, more than that would mean you’re a Park Model or a Mobile Home. The interior walls have 1/16th to 3/16th thick wall board over 2x2” pine or if you have an aluminum frame you have 2x2 or 2x3” tubing set on 16” centers with rolled batting insulation stapled to the pine and taped to the aluminum struts with very little or no insulation in slides or under or over windows and doors. The frames vary center to center which means there is more frame twisting and most won't warranty a added trailer hitch, on top of this frame they add the sub floor which is 1/16th or 3/16th where they, in most cases, use pressed wood called blandex made from sawdust and glue mixed together and poured into a mold for shape and thickness and cooked until down. The Recreational Manufactures formed their own association called Recreational Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA) and submitted it to the Government and it was approved so the Manufactures can now use 14 gauge electrical wire instead of 12 gauge, they can also use the stripper type outlets instead of the screw type devices, they can use 1/2” poly flow hose with compression fittings instead of copper tube and solder joints and you hope the builder does not butt together a line in your wall with a compression connector. So as I said all Recreational Vehicles are the built the same. Where the cost escalates rapidly is when the builder adds granite counter tops though out the unit, and hardwood floors, which means they need to add the upgraded axles, suspension, and tires along with the upgraded hydraulic levelers. Then they add the triple paned windows and to pull it all, the upgraded hitch to hook to your MDT, HDT, or Semi-Tractor. They put in all the fancy lighting and mirrors and other eye candy and it’s all ready to pull out of the show room and wait for the first available appointment at the Manufactures Repair Facility.

Your info is way off....

Do some research on the top 3 custom builders, New Horizons, Space Craft, Forks RV / Continental Coach.

Look at the DRV website and watch the video series they have, not much of the above info you mentioned is used in their build. I don't even thing Grand Design is that cheap in their build.

Pex tubing is standard in the plumbing industry nation wide. 14ga wire is fine when used in the right situations. Limited run with limited amp usage, which it is.

And RV's use double pane windows.....

Alie & Jim + 8 paws

2017 DRV Memphis 

BART- 1998 Volvo 610

Lil'ole 6cyl Cummins

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Your info is way off....

Do some research on the top 3 custom builders, New Horizons, Space Craft, Forks RV / Continental Coach.

Look at the DRV website and watch the video series they have, not much of the above info you mentioned is used in their build. I don't even thing Grand Design is that cheap in their build.

Pex tubing is standard in the plumbing industry nation wide. 14ga wire is fine when used in the right situations. Limited run with limited amp usage, which it is.

And RV's use double pane windows.....

You are missing the point.

When only three and a 1/2 of the RV Manufactures you refer too build to a higher quality, the higher end builder at that, it says something about the industry as a whole. DRV: Not much of the info which much are we talking about? Pex, Poly Flow Hose, tubing is only a standard construction material in low pressure applications, hose pressure and connections have a pressure rating. If 14 gauge solid/stranded wire was a suitable wire for 20 amp service then the National Electric Code Book would recognize it as a suitable substitute for 12 gauge wire. How many RV'ers do you think have multi-plugs hooked up to their outlets? with all sorts of appliances plugged into them at the same time drawing major amps when in use, not to mention the quality of circuit breakers used in RVs and every time a circuit breaker trips it pits the internal contacts which causes eventual arcing and failure. We haven't even touched on the fact the best time to buy an RV is one that was built from February to May calendar year, that way we don't have to factor in holiday shut downs and startups, most vacations happen in the summer so each builder is spread thin, and from Thanksgiving to the Christmas/New Year break winding down production and trying to get back on line. I'll give you that though it is double pane glass not triple pane.

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Newmar built 5th wheels - not sure if they do anymore. We had excellent results with our Newmar motorhome for 8 years of full-timing. The fit and workmanship was perfect.

Full-timed for 16 Years
Traveled 8 yr in a 2004 Newmar Dutch Star 40' Motorhome
and 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel

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Hate to tell you but you will rarely find copper plumbing in a home much less a RV. Don't know when you last looked at the plumbing on a house build but cast iron drain pipes and copper supply lines have gone the way of gas lighting and wood cook stoves.

 

14 Gauge wire is correct for a 15 amp circuit and 12 gauge for a 20 amp circuit. How many RV's have you seen with a Nema 5-20 receptacle? I wired my shop with 12 gauge and 20 amp receptacles and had to order them. They are not very common in homes.

 

If you keep popping breakers, add some circuits or unplug something.

 

Like Jim noted you are WAY off on how RV'S are constructed from the ones I have looked at and worked on.

2017 Kenworth T680
2015 DRV 38RSSA Elite Suites
2016 Smart Prime

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