Category: RV Living

The Top Three 5th Wheel Manufacturers Of New RVs

This article is about the top three 5th wheel manufacturers to buy from if you want a quality RV.

Right now fifth wheels seem to be a lot easier to find than motorhomes. And that’s apparently because of some of the supply chain issues from Covid.

So the good news is that you do have quite a few more fifth wheels to draw from now.

There’s a lot of brands to choose from out there. And there’s a lot of models made by those brands or manufacturers. So the question is, which ones are the best quality brands and models to buy?

Watch my video on the Top 3 Fifth Wheel Brands

A Guidebook On All Of The Top 5th Wheel Brands And Models

Well, the good news is that I just released a guidebook on this subject. It has a complete list of the top quality 5th wheel brands and models that I recommend as an RV inspector.

My guidebook to the top fifth wheel and toy hauler brands
Click here to view my guidebook

Now in this guidebook I list 12 quality brands or manufacturers of fifth wheels. And there’s 60 fifth wheel models to choose from.

It also covers all price ranges. So there’s a lot of RVs to choose from. It’s not just a couple here and a couple there.

So be sure to download the guidebook. And get a full listing of quality fifth wheel manufacturers and models that are what I consider to be a cut above their competition.

Now I can’t cover all those brands and all those models here in an article. But what I can do is give you the top three brands and models to start with.

And I won’t really focus on the total high end fifth wheels either. It would be easy to just choose 3 of the most expensive 5th wheel manufacturers.

But that would not be fair to those who can’t afford to buy an RV in that price range.

Instead, I’m going to list the best of three different price ranges. The higher end, the mid-range and the lower end.

So let’s get started on the list of my top three 5th wheel manufacturers that I can recommend for you.

The Top 5th Wheel Manufacturers – #1

Now for number one, we’ll start on the higher end. Although this manufacturer also makes some very affordable 5th wheels too.

And that’s Grand Design. Now Grand Design has only been in business for about 10 years. So they’re kind of considered a newcomer to the RV industry.

But actually they have made so much progress in that period! They started out with one fifth wheel. And now they have several models and floor plans to choose from.

Their reputation for quality is very well known. And their customer service is outstanding too.

Quite frankly, that’s exactly what the company had as their main goal. To try to establish a reputation for really good customer service. And stay in contact with their customers.

The Top 5th Wheel Manufacturers – #2

Now let’s move along to the second brand that I can recommend. It’s more of a mid-range cost of fifth wheel, and that’s Northwood.

Now you may not have heard of Northwood quite as much. Of course, almost everybody’s heard about Grand Design. But Northwood is a smaller manufacturer in the Northwest.

Their fifth wheels are made especially for full-time or all season RVers. Now that’s really kind of important.

Because when you build a fifth wheel with the idea of being able to sustain all the weather that you can throw at it, then automatically you’re going to be making a quality RV.

Now they’re not a large quantity builder. But the quality is apparent in their products. And they have lots of loyal customers and fans. So I can recommend Northwood very highly.

The Top 5th Wheel Manufacturers – #3

Now let’s move on to our third brand for fifth wheels, and that’s Jayco. Jayco is actually one of the largest fifth wheel makers and brands in the world. In fact, a lot of people don’t realize how big their facilities are.

They’ve had almost 55 years of RV building experience too. So they know what they’re doing. And they make a lot of affordable fifth wheels too.

So I wanted to put them in this article. Because suppose you can’t afford the higher cost fifth wheels. Well, Jayco probably has something for you that you can afford.

Something about Jayco that I really like is they seem to have struck a unique balance.

And that’s the balance between being a high production builder that also manages to use quality materials and building methods.

There’s not a lot of the high production RV builders out there, quite frankly, that are able to do both. It’s usually one or the other.

But Jayco strikes a very nice balance between the two. So I recommend that you consider them.

Do These Brands Make Perfect RVs?

So these are three quality 5th wheel manufacturers and brands that I can recommend for you. Now are these brands perfect? Are you going to buy a fifth wheel from them and have no problems whatsoever?

No, there’s no brand quite like that. The RV industry is still, in general, making their products by hand.

So there’s a lot of personal involvement in it. And because of that there can be mistakes that are made.

It all depends on the skill level and the focus of the people who work on an RV as it’s built.

But this is what I can say about these manufacturers. They are generally a cut above their competition when it comes to quality building methods. And customer service after the sale as well.

That’s so important because a lot of manufacturers might do well in one area. But they don’t do well in both.

So what I recommend is this. Before you buy any 5th wheel out there, choose it from a quality builder first. Like the ones I have listed in this article.

One More Thing To Do When You Buy An RV

Then make sure you get an RV inspection on any RV that you buy. Even if it’s brand new, or within the last few years of having been made.

Get an RV inspection. And that way you can make sure that all the little hidden issues and problems are taken care of before you take delivery of that RV.

That puts all of the odds on your side that when you get that RV, it’s going to be the RV you paid for from the very first day of ownership.

The Top 5th Wheel Manufacturers – The Full List

Now finally, let me encourage you again to get my fifth wheel buying guide. Because the guide is not going to just cover the three brands and manufacturers mentioned here.

No, it’s actually going to cover several more. And give you the full list to choose from.

That way you have a lot of RV brands and models on the list that you can begin to explore. And I highly recommend that you do that.

And in the guidebook, I’m going to give you all the information you need to be able to compare one model against the other. Including doing it by price range too.

That way you’ll know what models of different manufacturers are all in the same price range. So there’s a lot to benefit from by getting my guidebook.

Well that’s it for now. Have safe and happy travels my friends.

How To Keep An RV Cool In Summer – Tips That Work

This article is all about how to keep an RV cool in summer. Because nobody wants to be camping in their RV and be miserable while they’re doing it.

So here are some of my very best tips that I’ve learned about how to stay cool in your RV. And they are tips that we have learned during our full-time RVing adventures.

Watch my video on how to keep an RV cool in summer

Disclosure: Please note this post may contain affiliate links. This means โ€“ at no additional cost to you โ€“ I earn a commission if you make a purchase using our affiliate links. I only link to products and companies I use and feel comfortable recommending. The income goes toward supporting the free content on this website

How To Keep An RV Cool In Summer – Air Conditioners

The number one tip is make sure that you get your air conditioners serviced regularly. And keep the filters clean too.

Your RV air conditioners may seem like they can just run forever without any attention. But once a year you need to have them serviced.

Now you could have someone do it for you. In fact it’s not usually very expensive to do that.

Or you could actually do it yourself. There’s several videos on YouTube about how to perform the annual maintenance on your air conditioners.

That way you can keep them running at maximum efficiency. But you also need to keep your A/C filters clean too.

That’s because RVs are not airtight. So they pull in a lot of dust. And that dust gets caught in the A/C filters.

My recommendation is to clean them about once a month. Or sometimes even more than that if you’re in a really dusty and dirty area.

You need to pull those filters down and vacuum them. That gets all the dust and dirt out out of them.

Now if the filters are really dirty, then you may need to wash them instead. And then dry them out and vacuum them afterward. Or even replace them all together.

Just make sure that you keep your filters clean. When they clog up, the efficiency of your air conditioners is going to drop dramatically. So be sure to service your air conditioners and keep the filters clean.

How To Keep An RV Cool In Summer – Using Shade Wisely

My next tip is all about shade. And you’re going to hear about that a lot in this article.

Shade helps a lot in the summertime. So when you come to a campground ask them if you can have a campsite in the shade. Or even when you’re making your reservations you can ask for a shaded campsite.

If they do have a shaded spot available, make good use of that. Because shade is going to keep the temperature down inside your RV. So use every bit of shade that you can when you are camping.

Now my next tip is don’t wait to turn on your air conditioner until the RV has already heated up a lot.

Unfortunately, a lot of people do this. But they really shouldn’t. In fact, when you notice that it’s starting to heat up a little bit in the RV, get those air conditioners on.

Because if you wait until it gets hot in there, you put that air conditioner in a hole. And it’s got to climb out of that hole to cool the RV.

It’s really not going to function at its best efficiency that way either. But if you start off when it’s still relatively cool, it should be able to maintain that as it goes.

And it runs at a much more efficient rate that way. So don’t wait until it’s really hot inside the RV to turn your air conditioners on.

Using Awnings To Keep An RV Cool In Summer

My next tip is to use your RV awning as much as possible to shade that side of your RV. Especially if that’s the side that’s always in the sun.

Really, the awning is a built-in shade for your RV. And it’s a great way to have your own shade and bring it with you.

But a word of caution here too. If you use your awning for shade, you have to watch it carefully. That’s because awnings can’t be out when the wind is up.

So if it gets very windy, you’ve got to take the awning in. And that’s just the way it is.

But if it’s not windy out, then put the awning out and shade that side of your RV. You’ll notice a huge difference if you do.

The next tip is to use window awnings on your RV if you have them. Now a lot of towables don’t have that. But many motorhomes do.

So use your window awnings. They are those little shades that come out over your window. We have them on our RV. And it always makes a huge difference in the room where we deploy them.

How To Keep An RV Cool In Summer – Using Sun Shades

Now the next tip that I want to give you is about using a sun shade for your awning area. Of course, the awning is great. But you can take that one step further and use a sun shade like you see here.

How to keep an RV cool in summer using an awning sun shade
Awning sun shade

Click here to view RV awning sun shades

And that’s going to extend the shade even further in that area. Also, you’ll notice that the shade will really drop the temperature under the awning considerably.

You can get sun shades for the front of the awning. And you can also get them for the sides of the awning as well.

Click here to view awning side sun shades

A lot of folks don’t know you can do that. But yes, there are side awning shades as well. And that can lower the temperature under the awning even further.

So you can enjoy the outside even longer by having it really nice and cool under your awning.

Now my next tip is to use a sun shade for your motorhome windshield. And this is super important because windshields on motorhomes are huge heat conductors.

And they conduct the heat right into your RV. So you need to find a way to take that heat and reflect it out of the RV instead.

And having a good windshield sun shade is a great way to do that. Also, you can get ones that are relatively inexpensive like you see right here.

Class A windshield sun shade
Inexpensive RV windshield sun shade

Click here to view Class A RV windshield shades

Click here to view Class C RV windshield shades

Or you can get the ones that are more permanent. They often snap on or are put on with magnets. But they’re quite a bit more expensive.

Class A windshield sun shade set
Better RV windshield sun shade

Click here to view higher quality Class A RV windshield sun shades

These kind of RV windshield sun shades look great. And they do a really good job. Also, they’ll last for years and years.

So make sure that you keep that motorhome windshield shaded. It will make a big difference inside your RV!

How To Keep An RV Cool In Summer When Cooking Meals

The next tip is to cook your meals outside your RV. Or just use cool meals instead when it’s really hot.

When you put a stove or oven on inside your RV, it’s fighting against the effects of your air conditioner. And if it’s a really hot day, the air conditioner is probably going to lose.

So a great way to avoid that is to just do your cooking right outside under the awning. That way you can enjoy the awning too.

And you can set a table up out there and use things like a Blackstone griddle. There’s a lot of RVers that use those to cook their meals on.

Blackstone griddle
Blackstone griddle – click the image to learn more

Or you can use a an electric griddle if you want too. You could also use a grill or a smoker to cook your meals outside.

RV gas stove
Gas camping stove – click the image to learn more
Coleman portable grill
Coleman portable grill – click the image to learn more

There’s all kinds of things that can be used to cook food outside the RV And when you do, all that heat is not trapped inside your RV instead. So use the suggestion of cooking outside as much as you can on hot days.

The other way to do it is to just choose cool meals inside on the really hot days. It’s your choice, and both of those suggestions work well to keep your RV cool.

Insulate Those Windows And Vents To Keep Your RV Cool

My next suggestion is if you’re in a really high heat area, use Reflectix on your RV. It’s a material that’s insulated and has reflective covers on both sides.

Click here to view Reflectix material

We use it a lot on our RV on really hot days, like you might find in Arizona in the summertime. We cut it to the size of our windows and then we’ll tape it in place over the window area.

And you know what? It works great! Because it reflects that heat back out of the RV instead of allowing it in through our windows.

My next suggestion is to install roof vent insulators and skylight insulators in your RV. That’s because RV skylights are one of the biggest sources of heat that you can imagine.

So we put foam insulation up into our skylight. And then we use tension bars to keep it in place as you see here. And it has worked extremely well for us.

How to keep an RV cool in summer - our RV skylight insulator
Our skylight insulator installed

Also, heat can easily come in through your roof vent fans. So you can get insulated pillows or cushions that go up in there to keep that area cool.

Click here to view RV fan vent insulators

And when you do that for your vents and skylight, you’re keeping that cool air inside your RV. And keeping the hot air out.

How About Portable Air Conditioners?

But what if your air conditioner can’t keep up with the heat outside? My next suggestion is to get a portable air conditioner to help out. Especially on the really hot days.

Click here to view a portable A/C unit like we use

Some folks ask, how do you run a portable air conditioner in an RV? Well, if you’ve got a 50 amp service, it probably is not going to be an issue.

You can just plug it into a outlet inside your RV and run it. But if you have a 30 amp service like a travel trailer, you may have to do it differently.

If you look out on the electric pole where you plug in, you’ll often find a 120 volt plug-in or outlet. And you could run an extension cord to it through a window or a slide.

You could then hook it up to your portable air conditioner. And then you have two air conditioners running, instead of just one.

Conclusion

My next suggestion is make use of campground pools to cool off and lower your body temperature. Because when your body temperature rises, you’re probably not going to get cool very quickly.

So it’s a good idea to go use that pool to cool yourself down. And it’ll make everything more comfortable for you on really hot days.

Finally, if the heat is too much where you’re at, there’s wheels on your RV. So use them to go to a cooler area for a while.

Well, those are my best tips for maintaining your cool in really hot weather.

There’s a lot of fun things to do in the summertime when you’re camping in your RV. And there is no need to be uncomfortable and miserable.

Especially while you’re trying to enjoy your RV adventures. But if you follow the tips I gave you here, you can stay cool in your RV. Even in the hottest days of summer.

Have safe and happy travels my friends!

RV Warranties – Do You Really Need Them Or Not?

RV Warranties. There’s a lot of opinions about them out there. Both pro and con. But this article is going to cover whether they are needed or not.

First of all, lets ask, what is an RV extended warranty anyway? Well, it’s a name that’s been given to something that doesn’t apply the way it should.

Watch my video on RV Extended Warranties

RV Warranties And Insurance

Think of it this way though. RV warranties are really RV repair insurance.

Now let me ask you this. Do you have auto insurance? Or do you have health insurance?

Do you have insurance on your RV so that if you got into an accident or collision it would be covered?

Well why do you have those kinds of insurance? And why do you pay those premiums? Nobody likes paying premiums, do they?

Well, when you have any form of insurance, your monthly premium is a monetary loss that you are accepting. And you’re accepting that small loss every single month.

Why? To protect you from a catastrophic loss. Such as a really big expense. One that could really put a dent in your finances. Or even wipe you out all together.

What Is Insurance For?

So let me ask this. If at the end of the year you have not gotten into an accident in your passenger vehicle that cost more than your premiums that you paid for the insurance, did that insurance fail you?

Or at the end of the year, if you didn’t go into the hospital and have a major surgery that cost many thousands of dollars more than what you pay for premiums for your health insurance, did your health insurance fail you at that point?

Well, no we don’t look at it that way, do we? Why? Because what insurance is designed to do is give us peace of mind in case such an event does happen.

It provides us with less anxiety and worry financially speaking. And I think you’d agree with me that we’ve got enough things to be anxious about and worried about in today’s world.

So it’s really good to have some things that lower the level of anxiety and worry. And insurance is what can often do that.

Are RV Warranties Worth The Cost?

Now insurance, and this is really important, is not an investment. We must understand that. That’s what your monetary investments are for.

Insurance is actually a hedge or a protection, like a fence or wall, around your investments. And around the money that you have saved. Because it’s protecting you from big losses that could really wipe you out financially.

So is RV warranty coverage or extended warranty coverage worth it then? Well almost everybody has insurance for their RV. Usually collision insurance for traveling down the road.

And if you don’t have that, then you’re really asking for some problems and trouble.

Well here’s the truth. You are much more likely to have a large RV repair bill in the thousands of dollars, than you are to have a collision in your RV.

And it’s not if, it’s when, you’re going to have a major RV repair bill. RV’s are expensive! They’re not cheap!

They are much more expensive than a passenger vehicle. Or almost anything else that you’re going to drive. So it makes sense to have protection from those very large repair bills.

What Do RV Warranties Cover?

Now let’s talk a little bit more about some other practical aspects of RV warranties. And answer some questions about it.

First of all, what do RV extended warranties cover? Well, they can cover pretty much what you want them to cover.

So if you want to have almost everything covered, there are comprehensive policies for that.

However, suppose you have a higher risk level. And there’s certain things that you’re okay with accepting not having coverage for.

Well, there are warranties and programs that can allow you to save some money. And they exclude some things out of the warranty coverage.

Do RV Warranties Cover Everything?

The next question is, does it cover maintenance items like tires and brake pads and things like that? No, it doesn’t. Because that is your responsibility.

But what RV extended warranty coverage is for, is for breakdowns or repairs. Things that fail, something along that line. That’s what they are there to care for.

Will they pay for labor as well as parts? That’s a good question. A lot of people think they just pay for the parts. But no, they’ll pay for both labor and parts. Although there’s usually a deductible.

Again we’re talking insurance here. And we’re all familiar with what deductibles in insurance are. So there’s a deductible that you cover first. And after that the warranty takes care of both parts and labor for you.

Where Can You Use An RV Extended Warranty?

Where can you use these RV warranties? Well the good news is that in most cases you can use them at almost any licensed RV repair facility across the U.S.

Now let me say this. I have an extended warranty on my RV, on my 2004 Newmar diesel pusher. Yes siree!

I have an extended warranty on it, even though it’s really almost 20 years old. In fact, especially because of that. Why? Well, once again my friends, it gives me peace of mind.

Now I have used the warranty several times already. But you know what? Even if I didn’t, it would give me peace of mind.

Because when you have a diesel engine in an RV, especially diesel pushers, if anything goes wrong with that engine, like a catastrophic failure, well then you better get your wallet out.

RV warranties can help with expensive diesel engine repairs
RV diesel engine

It’s going to be tens of thousands of dollars for you to repair that. So I feel much better having shifted that risk to the insurance company instead.

Now I’m hoping that my engine never has any problem like that. I’m hoping that there’s nothing major on my RV that’s going to break down. Something that’s going to require thousands and thousands of dollars.

But I have the peace of mind if that happens. Then I don’t have to come up with a huge expense out of my pocket. And that is a good feeling to have.

Where Can You Buy RV Warranties?

Now the final question is, where can you get an RV extended warranty? You’re going to see a lot of extended warranty companies advertising. But let me make a recommendation.

I personally support Wholesale Warranties. They have a great reputation, a stellar reputation, among RVers and the RVing community.

And so I feel that they are a company that’s going to deal with you right. And help you find what’s good for you. What’s going to make you pleased with their service.

Now Wholesale Warranties doesn’t just sell one warranty, their warranty. Actually what they do is they shop for you.

They have several companies that they choose from. Companies that they feel are the ones they can trust for their customers. And all of these companies that they use are rated “A” by A.M. Best.

Now what does that mean? Well, A.M. Best is a ratings service for the financial strength of insurance companies.

So if a company that provides insurance is rated “A”, it has the very best financial stability. And that’s the only kind of company that Wholesale Warranties will do business with.

They’re not doing business with fly-by-night companies. Or shysters. Because they have several companies to choose from.

And they can find a warranty that meets your needs. That meets the criteria that you’re looking for.

Conclusion

So my personal recommendation is to talk to Wholesale Warranties. See what they have to offer. You can’t lose anything by just talking to them.

See what the cost is that’s involved. Is it something you can afford? Is it something that you feel is worth peace of mind?

For me, an RV extended warranty is definitely worth peace of mind. And especially in motorhomes I feel that’s the case. But you can make your own decision.

Have safe and happy travels!

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