New to RVing

[old truck guy]

Hi everyone , My wife and I are switching from boats to an RV . We want to go south for the winter , try full time possibly ( sell house )

We have not bought yet , but are looking at a 2021 3401 RL . I pulled a 30 ft boat , but never a 5 th wheel .

Questions - should I be worried about buying a trailer built in the middle of Covid ? ( quality of build , parts substitutions )



- I have been warned by a few , not to go bigger than 35 ft because of RV resort sites etc . Is 35 ft big enough for comfortable full time ?

-- Truck recommendations ( I sold the diesel that towed my boat )

-- portable Generator with remote start ?
--- solar ? ( popular with boats )
--- stacker washer/dryer ?

--- side view cameras ( never needed them with the boat/trailer )

--- upgrade '' Good Ride '' tires to Sailun ?

--- Roadside assistance membership ? with the boat , I carried a complete spare brake drum /bearings etc . I used one of those curved aluminum deals to run the good wheel up on , to change a tire . Can you use the leveling jacks to do the same ? or to heavy ?



--- Sorry for all the questions , but I don't want to make an costly mistakes . Any advice would be appreciated .

[travelin' texans]

Number 1, Redwoods due to a heavy pin weights will require dually truck, especially if fulltiming & lots of travel.
If a washer/dryer are wanted the stackables are the best option, pass on a combo.
We fulltimed in a 36FB Redwood which was actually right at 39' long towed with a CC dually (IIRC we were 65'+ long total) & plenty of room to live in comfortably. If you're planning staying in state/national parks then even a 25'er can be too long, don't blindy believe when they assure you they have big rig sites, BTDT! Most private rv parks have more than enough room for any length rv.
We fulltimed for 10+ years without a generator, but always stayed with hookups.
DW said if we're doing this I expect all the comforts of home, no more boondocking or camping at Walmart so the generator wasn't a necessity, storage space was! Same goes for solar, no boondocking, no solar necessary. This as well as length all depends on what your camping style will be.
We had 2 fulltime 5th wheels, both came with Goodyear 614s, once replacements were needed it was with Sailuns & would highly recommend them.
All RWs that I'm aware of are equipped with 6 point leveling system, with that if you have a flat just push a couple buttons to raise that wheel. I carried 3 sets of the Lynx Levelers, the big plastic Lego type blocks, to use under each jack to prevent them from extending too far making the rig feel more stable. I did also carry a short stubby 12 ton bottle jack to support under the spring pack when using leveling system to change tires.
IMO there are a couple requirements mandatory for ALL rvs, #1 a surge protector/EMS, be sure it's the EMS & not just surge. #2 an adjustable water pressure regulator, not the little restrictor. Numbers 1 & 2 are an absolute must! #3 extra lengths of sewer/water hose as well as a 50 amp extension cord. #4 30 amp to 50 amp dogbone adapter.
These are what we did! You need to plan out what you want to do then buy the rv & necessary equipment to do it your way!

[old truck guy]

Thanks for the advice . I am gathering as much info as I can find out there .

[XCMARK]

I agree with Danny on all accounts. IF your looking to full time you will want a trailer that has a 16,000 GVW + rating and 8000lb axles. These should be standard in any new Redwood. You will need a duel wheel 1 ton truck at a min for full time living ( your going to have more cargo then someone that weekend trips) . The difference in length from 35' to 40' is a NON factor unless your looking to go to a lost of small state parks that where built in the 60's. Every camper new or used will have a few issues but the dealer can make those issues big or small for the owner. The biggest issues that must be solved right away really define the service dept for the dealer.

Washer drier for my wife is a must have .

we now have a large solar system and a large inverter so we can spend a few days and nights on the road with out hook ups. That is something you need to define how your going to use the RV. Parked or tow it around often?

Generator of some type is often needed even with a large solar system , 3 days of rain and our residential refrigerator will draw down the battery bank. even a little Honda 1000 or 2000 watt generator is plenty unless you need 24hr AC.

camera for backing in is nice but not needed.

Goodride , that is a HARD PASS all set get those off before they blow. Sailun tires are very good , even with the recent recall on defective tires. I have them on two trailers currently.

if your able to change a tire and have a spare with air the trailer has enough lift to pick itself off the ground , you may need a few blocks of wood to gain the needed height.

roadside and aftermarket extended warranty I don't get them . Pay up front for a repair that I will make myself anyways..... why pay more?

[webberwj]

We have a pre-Covid Redwood 4001LK (rear kitchen) built in Jan 2020 and I have to tell you, it has been spectacular! Very few items to correct/fix on our shake-down-cruise and have had very little repairs since and we live/travel full-time covering 32 states and over 16,000 miles now on the RV since we bought it!!

We did install the MORryde Independent Suspension which was one of the best investments we've made on this unit, as the rear kitchen was really bouncing around. But that suspension and disk breaks are not cheap and maybe a bit much for the weekend traveler, but our full time travels made the expense well worth it!

I have heard/seen MANY war stories from new owners and their COVID built models and from what I am seeing in newer Redwoods, am afraid the Keystone influence to consolidate operations and save expense, and the Covid/post-covid workforce, today's Redwoods are no longer the high-end RVs we enjoyed pre-Keystone. While I think they are still to be considered a "high end RV," quality is not totally there any longer.

I recommend you look on the Redwood RV Owners Facebook group as there are many older units for sale, some to include the truck, for some amazing prices!! Most of these are very well maintained and owners are selling for a good deal.

If I ever have to replace mine, I will most likely get another Redwood, as we have been very pleased with ours, but I would either look at a pre-March 2020 build date, or give the industry a few years to recover and look at what 2023/2024 may bring ...

As for length, ours is 43 feet long and we have had zero problems towing or with any campgrounds. Yes, many National parks were built well before RVs ever got this long and will not accommodate rig rigs, but we have had no problems finding a spot outside the park and then driving in for our tours. We use RV Trip Wizard to plan our routes and it will give warnings for bridge height, length, and weight for your rig. I has almost every campground out there listed and we just review to make sure it can accommodate big rigs.

We tow ours with a 1-ton 2020 GMC 3500HD diesel and get about 11-12 mpg. The RV totally loaded is right at 18,000 pounds. While the diesel is heavier and more expensive, it has been totally worth it for the mpg, durability, and towing up/down inclines in the mountains. While the dually is not mandatory, we have been much more pleased with the stability and additional payload capacity as I added a 90 gal fuel tank in the bed and at over 800 pounds full, that would have crushed the SRW truck. This truck has zero squat with the 3,920 pound pin weight, BUT is a rough ride without the RV load. Looking to add an additional airbag or shock to give a better ride when not towing but still maintain the payload capacity too. Note, you can not add an airbag to a lighter weight truck and increase its payload capacity ... and many out there do but this can be dangerous as the original axel/wheels/tires still only support the lighter load ...

We did install a large solar panel on the roof to ensure the batteries stay well charged to run the residential fridge. We did not get the generator and after 2-years of full-time travel have not regretted or needed it. We saved the $8-10K cost and thought if we did discover we needed it we would have it installed later or get a smaller portable model. We hear it eats a LOT of fuel when in use and we don't boondock that often. We did not get the washer/dryer and do not regret that either. Many will tell you the washer/dryer take a long time per load and the loads can be fairly small ... we use the campground laundry or search out a nice local laundromat and have been very pleased to do all our loads at once in machines large enough to hold the blankets too and knock out the entire wash job in under 2-hours ... not all day or several days.

A DEFINITE upgrade on the Sailun tires!! We did after our first year and have been extremely satisfied with the performance and lower cost as compared to similar Goodyears at 2x/3x the price and if you research, the Sailuns, when well maintained have have zero to very few blowout/failures. They have been a great match with our MORryde Independent Suspension and we are VERY happy to see that Redwood has now started to include them as standard!

We did get the Furrion side and rear cameras and have really liked having them, although I have to say, I wish the picture was brighter on the monitor and we have almost never looked at the side views ... our truck has side view cameras when you hit the turn signal, so we never look at the Furrion side cameras and could have saved the expense. The the rear view has been invaluable.

No issues with the Lippert hydraulic leveling system. They will state NOT to use them to change a tire and are being overly cautious so your are not injured if the system were to fail. I will tell you the system is way more than capable to lift the RV and even rotate tires, etc. I also have two very capable bottle jacks but have not use a lift ramp.

I will also tell you the full body paint is well worth the expense! Not only does it look great, it lasts longer and maintenance is much easier with just the occasional wax job. It also adds quite a bit to resale value as well. What we see on the non-full body paint is fading, decal cracking, and issues much sooner than expected regardless of the maintenance performed over time.

Please ask any questions anytime and I will be more than happy to help!!