Open Range for pre-FT living? - RV-Dreams Community Forum

TXScubaBugs · RV-Dreams Community Member

Open Range for pre-FT living?

DenJen12 · RV-Dreams Family Member

Well I may be a little biased writing this...but we chose OR for our full timing unit

I researched the company a lot and found it was small enough to stand by it's owners....but big enough to have the experience to work out any bugs. Very innovative when it comes to keeping things new and improving design and capabilities. We bought new but since the company isn't too old, I wouldn't think there would be a huge difference between the old and new as far as construction. Check out the owners forum www.openrangeowners.com . Lots of great help that is brand specific.
As far as the truck choice, we have the F350. We actually just traded our '08 F350 in on a '14 F350. Not a huge difference except a little in the tow capacity. All the other "parts" are the same.
Good luck in your search...and you have come to the right place to ask questions. Lots of great advice on here. I don't post a ton but I do read a lot and have learned TONS!!!

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

I just looked at their website, and did not find anything about the frame, other than "I-beam frame" on one diagram. The pictures look nice, but seeing the fit and finish, as well as the quality of construction, says far more. My suggestion is that you go look at a DRV, New Horizons, or some other top-of-the-line coach and use that as your standard when comparing other brands.

Your plan of buying a slightly used OR for now and then moving up to a full-time coach may well work. You may also want to consider a used DRV now, on the possibility that you may actually get your full-time coach now. The only caveat is that a DRV is pretty heavy, so you will probably be looking at an F-450 as the tow vehicle.

Just some ideas for you to consider.

Terry and Jo · RV-Dreams Family Member

Whether you go with a used Open Range or not, I highly suggest getting the F350/3500 series of truck at the very least, and I also suggest going with a dually. If you were to buy an F250/2500 series truck, when you went to trade coaches for a full time rig, what you find for full time might be way too heavy for a 3/4 ton truck, thus you'd need to also trade trucks as well as RV's. The dually is a much more stable truck for towing fifth wheels. Also, while an F450 would be better for longer trailers than 38 foot long, I know of a number of DRV owners towing Mobile Suites with an F359/3500 series truck. If you would want to do a lot of mountain hauling, then an F450 might be a better choice.

If you follow along with David's (kb0zke) comment about a used DRV, check out Rolling Retreats in Elk City, Oklahoma. Right now they are low in inventory with regards to used units, but they are always trading for others. I know the folks there and they are very knowledgeable, helpful, and honest dealers. The Mobile Suites and Elite Suites made by DRV have 3 1/4" walls. We've been in our Mobile Suites full time now for three years and it is very comfortable in temps from around 6 degrees up to 115 degrees.

Terry

Camper Chronicles · RV-Dreams Family Member

We are planning to FT in ours. We did buy brand new so we could custom order double panes windows and some other features we wanted. So far we love love our unit...now we will see better how it holds up over time, but I feel really good about what we got for the money we spent. We may upgrade the suspension down the road but for now we think it will be perfect for our needs

kb0zke · RV-Dreams Family Member

To add to my comment about buying quality:

A few years ago some friends of ours bought a new DP for full-time use. They were new to RVs, and bought a popular brand based on popularity, not quality. Less than a year into their full-time life they realized that the coach they bought wouldn't stand up to full-time use. They ended up trading even-up for a ten-year-old Foretravel. Kind of an expensive lesson for them, but they aren't the only ones.

One small tidbit we gleaned when we were researching was to find the MSRP for the coaches you are considering. We were quite surprised to find that our Foretravel had an MSRP of $350,000 in 1993, while the Newmars of that time were about $225,000. That explained the apparent difference in quality that we were seeing. $125,000 can make a BIG difference.

Camper Chronicles · RV-Dreams Family Member

I don't want to get off track here ...in a perfect world we would all buy high quality units designed for FT use...but that isn't really a budget option for many of us...so our choice is delay the dream or work we something less expensive. We choice the latter. Keep I. ,ind Linda and Howard have been successfully FTing for 9 years with a "standard" RV

Sushidog · RV-Dreams Family Member

If you are considering FTing in the future in a 5er, any quality 5er, I would second the recommendation of no less than a F-350 dually. Look at the loaded weights (including the weight of all your earthly possessions you plan to take with you) of any FT 5er you might decide on in the future and you will see that an F-450 is a better choice. I recently purchased an F-250 for FT use, but I'm planning on towing a relatively light (less than 11,000lbs loaded - in the 7k-8k lb dry range) TT, not a FT quality 5er that typically weighs nearly twice as much when burdened with all your worldly goods. I do like the OR JT337RLS patio model TT, though even it slightly exceeds the F-250's 12.5k lb towing capacity at 12.8k lbs GVWR!

Chip

DEWhit · RV-Dreams Family Member

I cannot give any advice at this time about which RV is a better fit than another, but , I will say that in my seeking out good
used Class A units and 5th wheel units, I have looked at a few very popular used units that were very expensive when new and still command a high price on paper. I use the term "on paper" because I have encountered some owners that keep referring to the initial price of these units and their supposed reputation.

I am interested in the engines, transmissions, rear ends, , brake systems, suspensions, electrical and water systems and don't have that much of an opinion as far as color, cabinets, fabrics or interior layout. I am seeking something mechanically sound for the age and being a good setup for the size and our needs. The price is not a complete secondary issue, but it does need to be a good maintained unit before any consideration for price comes into play.

That being said, I have grown pretty tired of some of the owners or sellers that keep referring to the past reputation and price of the units they are selling. There is a point in the cost curve and mechanical life of any piece of equipment that the better living appointments and fancier cabins are still riding on a older drivetrain with older systems. Bearings, seals, hoses, tubing, pumps, compressors, fittings and other components still age the same as anything else , no matter what the brand or price point.
Cheap in is cheap out, but some of the owners still want to rate the entire unit based on their initial price and quality perception before any inspections. I have seen a couple units that have not been maintained that well and are being marketed strictly on their nameplates. One person even went so far as to say that his Detroit Diesel was a special limited edition motor only installed in his particular brand of coach and added to the premium price.

My point to the poster is that a current price must reflect the past known and documented maintenance and visual inspection along with your own probing the crooks and cranies and testing. A 10- 15-20 year old Prevost or Foretravel or any other brand has to pass mustard on itself before the reputation cost can be factored in.