We were original looking at the Open Range Residential. It looked and felt perfect for going full time in. Starting looking into the company and came up with mixed reviews. Just wondering if anyone has one? had one? wants one? getting rid of one? loves one? hates one?

Thanks. Jerry

Hi Jerry,

In January 2010 my wife and I saw several Open Range models at the annual rv show in Greensboro, NC. We were initially impressed and visited the closest dealer and later spent several hours in a couple's residential model at a nearby campground. After much online research we took to heart an often voiced suggestion and drove to the Elkhart, Indiana area and made it a week of factory tours at five of the most prominent 5th wheel manufacturers, as well as Open Range. We paid close attention to the frames the units were build on, insulation, and what was happening "on the line" as the units were being built. We paid attention to how components were attached and what was behind or in the walls. To say the least, it was an "eye-opening" experience. We quickly ruled out several of our possible choices and in the process exceeded our original budget by 100%.

The above being said, I would only consider an Open Range for local/part-time/non-winter use in areas where it frequently freezes. Two winters ago I spent seven weeks in Ohio, Minnesota, Illinois and Missouri in another popular company's toy hauler that was similarly constructed and nearly froze. Everything that could freeze - did freeze. Our furnace ran full-time. Few units are suitable for full-time four season living.

If you can, spend time (hours, not minutes) in the units you are attracted to. Look for attention to detail and quality of construction and materials. Go to campgrounds and talk to people that live in them more than a weekend or two a year. Pay to close attention to the condition of units that have been lived in full-time for more than a few years.

We found that most sales people and factory reps had little or no real experience living in the products they were selling or representing. Many have pulled them empty on the interstate to shows but have never been in a state park, boon docked, set one up or dumped a black tank. Many owners only use their units on a  recreational and limited basis under ideal conditions. Ask anyone you talk to how many nights in the past year they have slept in their rv or the product they are representting. Ask when and where.

In conclusion, if you intend to rv full-time, continue to talk to and read what the full-timers have to say. If you plan to stay in one place or one part of the country, then talk to people using their rvs the same way. I trust you are already reading the blogs of the full-timers that are traveling all over the country.

There are some Open Range owners rving full time. I hope they respond to your request.

I wish you well on your search and journey.

Steve   

"We found that most sales people and factory reps had little or no real experience living in the products they were selling or representing." I'm not sure how true that statement is, but it is certainly worth finding out how much real-life experience a sales person has. The man we bought from obviously knows his stuff, not just from factory training, but also from actually using an rv. We had almost completely written off another, larger, dealership because the people we had talked to there really didn't know anything about what they were selling. Then we met a salesman there who has lived full-time in his Airstream for more than 10 years. He is the only person there we will talk to.

Jerry,

Although our first choice when looking at fifth-wheels for full-timing was a Montana by Keystone RV, we happened upon an Open Range Residential in 2010, really (really!) liked it and were seriously considering purchasing it. 

However!  On more research . . .

*  The dealer indicated that full-timing was covered under the warranty (hence the name "Residential") but an email in response to my inquiry to OR stated full-timing would negate the warranty.

*  Closer comparison of the OR and the Montana showed us various differences we were not comfortable with for full-timing use:  Frame welds, cable slides on the OR versus hydraulic on the Montana, much of the OR interior is plastic versus wood in the Montana, the lack of track record of the OR versus the proven track record of Montana/Keystone, folks with Montanas were happy - folks with OR were few and far between at the time and were reporting slide issues, etc. to a degree where we just were not comfortable.

Of course, one has issues with a new rig no matter what the model or make; we had major issues with our 2009 Montana and now have a 2010 of the same model with no glitches whatsoever.

The Open Range Residential is beautiful and has many practical features that I love - both as a woman and as one who does the towing and has been RVing since a baby - but this is our home and we chose to go with a time-tested product and manufacturer.

On that note, you might check out the Keystone Montana fifth-wheel.  There are various floorplans and weights and I can tell you from experience that Keystone RV does care about their reputation.

Feel free to send me a PM if you wish.  Good luck with whatever unit you decide!  Looking is exciting!

Cheers,

Betty

Thanks Steve.

We happened upon the OR Residential and liked it. But through our research we saw that there are a lot of really good choices out there. We started to have a "gut" feeling that there might be somethings about the OR that might not be right for us but wasn't quite sure what they were. We are signed up for the Rally in PA and plan on getting as much info and talk to people as we can. 

Thanks for your response. Jerry

kb0zke and Mallo,

Thanks. We have the belief that you will get a story from a sales person because their priority is to make the sale at whatever cost. This is not to say that there is no honest sales people out there or one that has or does live the rv lifestyle. We will choose to put our faith in the people that are out there living it now. 

Mallo, something about the OR has us asking more questions. Thanks about the drafty feeling.

Jerry

Thank you Betty.

Interesting about the warranty being void if you full timed in the Residential!!! Yes there is a lot of "neat" features about the OR that made sense to us originally but we plan on living in our 5th wheel so we really want it to stand the test of time.

Nice to hear that you really like your Montana. We will look at the Montana again.

Thanks again. Jerry

Mallo,

Thank you for your comments and support. I know my statement to be true because I said "we", meaning my wife's opinion/experience and my opinion/experience. I have made it a habit to always ask dealership owners, sales managers, sales personnel and factory reps about their personal RVing experience. I have met in person on more than one occasion with factory reps with the three companies that make the products we are considering for our next purchase. We have been to two of the three factories. The reason we have not been to the third factory is because it is in Oregon (we are in North Carolina).

When we went to Elkhart we also toured Heartland, KZ, Keystone, Carriage and DRV. Our DRV factory rep has a RV. Several of the Carriage factory reps had just spent a winter weekend in the product they represented because many of them had no previous RVing experience. In the past month I spent several hours in two of the products we are considering with the respective factory reps. I have all three reps personal cell phone numbers. As I do research and learn of possible issues and concerns and/or new product features and improvements I call and talk with them.

My wife and I went to Indiana with our minds and eyes open. We liked products that all six companies made. We systematically ruled out various companies for reasons we considered to be important after seeing their products being made and discussing owners' issues we found reading particular product owner's blogs and websites with the factory reps. We were concerned about how we would be treated after the sale. One company's then CEO called product owners that complained "crybabies". What been our potential first choice became a "no way" choice. This time around I discussed similar issues in person with the factory rep and in less than an hour the company owner called to assure me the old CEO and his attitude were long gone from his company. We also discussed blog reported Lemon Law issues concerning a disgruntled owner. Ceiling height in the bedroom is the reason we are not choosing his brand this time.

Whether or not a particular product is rated "full-time use" or "four seasons use" is also an issue. Last night after reading other post topics, I read about the CrossRoads Rushmore that several RV-Dreams Forum members own. I went to the CrossRoads website and under the FAQ section I was impressed to find that the company admits that their product is intended for use in three seasons, not four.

KbOzke, if you have not been to the Heartland factory while the line is in production, I would encourage you to go as we did. Again, our week in the Elkhart area was an "eye-opening" experience and my opinion is based on personal, not hearsay or supposition, experience. Some, not all, of the RV dealership owners we have dealt with have been to some of their products' factories. Few, if any, of their salespersonnel had ever been to the respective factories of the products they sell. Most RV owners have not seen the product they bought being built from the naked frame up. They have not seen the "insides" of what they bought. We have.

My wife and I bought and lived in a DRV Mobile Suite full-time in 8 states in temperatures ranging from the high teens to the high 90's. We have camped in 70 mph winds where it rained sideways. In the past 18 months we have been to the DRV factory three times. At the most recent RV-Dreams Rally we spent considerable time (hours and days) with the owners of the local DRV dealership and several hours sitting and talking with full-time DRV and other product owners. We all shared our good and bad stories and experiences about the products we currently own and the ones we owned and lived in before.

Because we thought of buying a motor home this time instead of another 5th wheel, just this past weekend we went to a state and a private campground and talked with the camp-hosts and other full-timers questioning why they bought what they bought and would they do the same next time. In the past several weeks we have visited in person and talked with or emailed several "RV-Dreamers" that have full-timed in both.

Trying not to be too defensive, just wanted to respond to the comment and let kbOzke know where I was coming from and what "my" opinion is based upon. Again, Jerry, I wish you the best on your journey. RVing is a wonderful lifestyle and choice.

Steve

Steve, we will be touring three factories next month, and Heartland is one of them (Airstream and DRV are the other two). I'd like to get another one or two in while we're up there, but time may not permit that. We've got quite a bit of learning to do before we even decide on the class of RV we will buy for full-timing. We have a list of manufacturers that we are considering, and over the next couple of years we'll visit as many as possible. As we visit campgrounds we talk to people about why they chose the type of RV they did, and try to get hints of things to watch for and ask about. My wife had been impressed with one particular brand, but last year we started hearing that their quality was not what it used to be. Recently someone on one of the forums we're on mentioned that they had toured that factory and saw two men carrying a sidewall for a FW and that it was flopping around as they carried it. When my wife saw that she decided that we don't need to consider that company any more.

kbOzke,

When we or our salesperson called to make a factory tour appointment we found that some companies want you to come after 2 PM when the line is not in production. IMHO going a tour when the line is closed down is a waste of time. Have done it both ways with the same company. We told the salesperson or company official that we would not consider buying their product if we did not see it being built as opposed to just seeing where it is built. In one case we had to have the East Coast regional factory rep arrange our personal tour in place of a group (after 2 PM) tour. We quickly saw with our own eyes why this company wanted prospective buyers coming when the line was not in operation.

If you are taking the time and expense to go there I hope you and others thinking about doing the same will get your monies worth. Good luck!!

Also, you might want to go by the area company that builds alternative RV furniture and if you like it make arrangements to delete the standard furniture from your order. Also look at MCD shades as opposed to the standard 5th wheel shades. I know that DRV now offers it as an option as does Carriage. We had to have three shades replaced in the first couple of months and will do MCDs this time around. 

Please send me a personal message after your tours. Would be interested to see if your experiences were similar to ours. If you have any questions I can help you with before your trip send me a PM and I will give you my phone number.

Again, good luck on your tour trip.

Steve

Jerry,

I will also add that we were in Indiana at the Keystone factory service center, got stuck in a blizzard in Illinois on our way South and were essentially in snow all winter.

We were quite comfortable in our Montana temperature-wise.  We tried to be judicious with propane/furnace usage and utilized our fireplace and two other heaters.  The fireplace is a "must" for us; not only does it look cheery but is a real saver on the propane in winter.

Cheers,

Betty

Betty,

Evin and I really enjoyed our fireplace as well. We found that on mornings when it was in the low 20's in the Michigan U P that ofter all we needed was the fireplace.

A RV-Dreams friend whose opinion I have a lot of respect for pointed out to me when I made similar comments that a couple of much cheaper quartz heaters will keep you warm just as well and you can use the cabinet space. For me, like you, I enjoyed sitting in my recliner and looking at the almost real flames of the fireplace. Plan to have one in our new unit.

Steve

Having spent two years searching 5th wheels to full-time in, and having owned every type of RV possible over 43 yrs,I purchased an Open Range 345 RLS, a few months ago. We are living in it in Las Vegas, NV, and will go cross country and back this summer.We will return in Aug.and stay till 6/12,when we will travel full time. We will not be going to cold climates, although we will stay in places in NV & UT, where it freezes. So far, its been fine. Minor adjustments were needed and fixed by the dealer.We bought from this dealer before. For me,(us), we sought to find the combination of best features and design,for the dollar.For the $'s, we saw good value. Are there better built, sure.Can you pay a lot more,you sure can. There is an Open Road Owner's forum of some 400 members. Most are happy with theirs. Again, we wanted a combination of reasonable weight,features,room,etc. We found the fit and finish to be reasonable, for the price. The two year warranty was a factor.The auto-level was a factor. People on the site are mostly pleased with the factory track record on authorizing repair.After buying a new diesel truck, I wanted my total investment to be within certain bounds, and the OR fit that bill for me. As they say, results may vary.Before eliminating OR, any brand for that matter, I'd go to a non- factory supported owners forum.Even then, the task is almost overwhelming,as to choice.

Richard

Betty and Steve,

I couldn't agree more with the two of you in regards to a fireplace. We feel the same way, functional and aesthetically pleasing. That is a must for us :)

Jerry

Richard,

Yes that is what attracted us at first was the price of the OR. Thanks and I will look into the owners forum for OR and see what people are saying. Glad to hear that you have a good outcome with your OR.

Jerry

Jerry, the owner's forum is http://openrangervowners.com/ . Although we've sold our home and are moving in  to the O.R.,as I write this, we have stayed in in for weeks at a time, in March, in rural Nevada.It got below freezing. The gas furnace, literally sweated us out, the electric/heat pump setting worked well in the 45-50 degree range, and this morning, when it was 60 inside the rig, the "fireplace", took  the chill off nicely.

Like everyone else (at least me), I'm sure you are trying to avoid costly mistakes. At my age, I'm not likely to get a long time to recover,so I looked for "bang for the buck", and tried to be prudent. The newness of the company didn't bother me, as the people @ O.R., have 35+ years in the industry. The cable slide system was ok too, as we most recently had a late model Eclipse TT, using the same system,with no problems, at all. I was eager to save the weight of the hydraulics. If anything, I've learned that any RV is a product of manufactured componants. Of course, how they are put together, is important. I just was never able to "see" the price difference, in terms of value, nor am I skilled enough to assign such as value. I followed the posts of someone who thankfully was made whole by the builder of the RV they paid good money for, but it was "iffy" for a while. Did the fact that the coach had so many problems in the first place mean that the builder is bad? I don't know, and can't tell, so I decided to buy what filled as many needs as possible. Also, the dealer is key. they all talk a good game, but after the sale, you can find them lacking. Ask  the dealer to provide you with a few people who are satisfied with them, and contact those people. I've been contacted by a few people, and have given honest feedback. Our dealer has been good, but overpriced on aftermarket things, like installing the combo washer dryer.(Camping World provided the machine and install, for $400.00 less.) I told the people who e-mailed me just that.

Again,a daunting task. Enjoyable at the same time, but I just hope I did what is best for me. I'm sure you will come to a good decision for you.

Richard

Jerry,

Please keep in mind that three models of Heartland trailers, the Landmark, Bighorn and Big Country are all warranted for full time use. We have a Bighorn that we have been living in for over two years in temperatures from the teens to over 100 degrees and have been very comfortable in it.

Heartland Customer Service has an outstanding record of taking care of their customers if and when problem arise. We have been very happy with ours.

Thanks. We will look into the Heartland brand. Sounds like you have had  good luck with yours. I always like to hear that customer service is on the side of the customer, that is always a big selling point for us. It shows faith in their products. Thanks again Jay and Stella.

Hi, To update my post on this topic, we are now two years and 15,000 towing miles into our Open Range, we remain very satisfied. Two substantial fixes under wnt'y were done to our satisfaction. BTW, OR knew we full-time and that was not an issue. They even offered to authorize a non-dealer repair if we wanted, some 2500 miles from home.The two year wnt'y was a deciding factor for us. The auto-level is very welcome, as is the extra width (100"). It never gets much lower than 20 where we go, but at those temps, we're comfortable. With two A/C's we've been comfortable in 115 degree summer temps. As I said in previous posts, I thought and still think OR is a great price/value consideration. This unit allowed me to stay in my combined budget for new DSL truck and new 5th wheel, and has been very comfortable to live in for the past two years. If you are not already aware, there is an Open Range Owners Forum, which is not factory sponsored, and so you can go there and read the good,bad and the ugly, but we remain pleased with ours.

Richard

Hello All, a new member here. Background: Almost full time in a 2008 Heartland Bighorn 3670RL. Love love love our 5th wheel. However, time to trade and finding ourselves with the same questions as many searching for the "best" company to go with. Our Bighorn has met our needs in every way including 2 months of 14 degree winter nights in PA 4 years ago. We travel extensively and need an rv that with stand the test of miles and time as well as at least 3+ seasonal temps. We are currently in Southern FL. We have 2 ACs and their having a hard time keeping up with the (winter) heat here. As I write this, it is 75 degrees inside the coach and 85 degrees and sunny outside. So we are currently looking into the Open Range 386FLR or the CrossRoads Rushmore Lincoln (also a front living room Model).

We have been very happy with the Bighorn and have had little to no trouble with it. The 3670RL floor plan is their most popular and for good reason. You have access while traveling to the refrigerator, bathroom and bedroom, very handy when traveling. It has a big beautiful kitchen, tons of counter space and storage, a great bathroom setup as well as a huge basement. As I said, we have been very happy with this 5th wheel.

Now our needs have changed. We find ourselves searching for the next perfect fit for us. We are looking for power leveling, better insulation R factors, easier winterizing, battery shutoff, construction quality, four step entrance, etc... Both the OR and the CR Rushmore offer these. Now, making the decision of which one.

Sorry so long of a post, just noticed the reference to Heartland products and wanted to share our thoughts, but also would appreciate any feedback others have for us!  

I bought an Open Range in November of 2012. I live in it full time and have been in the same location since purchase. While it has sat on its lot, I have had to have a propane line repaired.....it broke in half when leveling the vehicle. No matter how bad you are at leveling, propane lines should not be 'in the way'. That took a small act of God to get the dealer to come out and fix it.  They wanted me to drive it to them. Didn't seem like a smart idea to me.

A couple of weeks later, the black tank started leaking underneath the unit. I called the dealer to come fix it, and again they told me that I had to drive the unit to them. It was eventually fixed. Ended up to be a faulty valve or some such thing.

The outside kitchen door broke off the struts, 2 and 1/2 months ago, and OR are just now saying....'Oh, yeah, we have had some problems with that and will send you a new door soon with longer struts'.  (2 1/2 months later)

The awning arm peeled off the side of the camper, and they are saying that it is because they were not in the 'correct' position. It was the dealer that put them in the 'incorrect' position, but nonetheless, they are not covered under the warranty because of the 'positioning incorrectly' issue.

No one can figure out way water leaks into the bunkhouse.

Other than that, I really want to love my open range.

Carol

I wouldn't suggest buying an Open Range. My husband and I bought an Open Range Residential earlier this year. We stay in our fifth wheel most of the time because we work out of town. We previously owned a 2002 Jayco Designer, which we purchased in 2008. Never had an issue with it, even though it was used. Since buying the Open Range in February we've had several problems. Relatively small issues, such as water lines that were loose..screws falling out of the seating and ceiling fan..missing molding from the cabinets..all 3 burners on the stove don't work (which stopped working due to ignitor wires being in half)..one of the blinds didn't even have a rod in it, so it wouldn't open..when they sent a replacement blind it was a completely different blind, it was wood, and the ones that came in the trailer are vinyl..so we still haven't received the correct blind after 7 months..the air conditioner leaks in the bedroom, which leaked all in the closet on one occasion, then on another occasion leaked all over the bed and made a huge puddle..the refrigerator runs on the same gfi as the bathroom, so when i plugged in an electric razor to charge it, it tripped the refrigerator..the a/c's don't keep the trailer anywhere near cool enough in extreme heat (90-100 degrees)..the lovely dyson vacuum that hangs on the charger in the closet doesn't hang on the wall, because the whole thing fell off the wall..the drawer that holds the trash can (which we use to recycle soda cans, not trash) came completely out because the screws (which were close to 2" long) came completely out..so, relatively small issues, but a lot off issues. And to make things worse, the customer service at Open Range is awful. They don't want to honor their warranty, we were told to fix the things ourselves, the Service Tech Manager just argues with us..wish I'd read all the reviews before I'd bought it. We were originally looking at Heartland, and now wish I'd went with that. Also, when we bought the trailer it had an expensive Air Ryde Hitch on it, and they swapped it out to a regular hitch. Walking around the trailer a few weeks later I just happened to notice, so it took us around 3 or 4 months to get them to pay us the difference for the hitch they'd swapped without asking us. Needless to say..I wouldn't buy one.

Not saying they are good or bad 5ers, but remember that some of those "reviews" you are referring to are at least 3 years old. Open Range could well have made some improvements in their designs to address those issues. Perhaps Lee and Trace will weigh in on that brand as they have a more recent model. 

Just sayin'... don't rush to judgement based on old info.

FWIW, Brian

I agree with Brian.  Do more research on the Open Range.  This thread dates as far back as 2011 with the latest being 2013.  A lot can change in 3 to 5 years.

At one time, basically when we were researching for our RV, Open Range was a secondary choice, and we might have gone that way because of truck prices for a new F450.  But, we found a used F450 for roughly half-price, thus we were able to go with the DRV Suites.  We've got friends here at the RV park in Colorado that have an Open Range, and I don't recall them ever saying anything bad about theirs.  However, some folks don't like to talk about mistakes they "might" have made.  I guess I need to ask them outright what they think of theirs.

Terry

I also visited with one of the owners of the Open Range here at Mountaindale.  They have also owned their trailer for about a year, but haven't really had any issues.  However, keep in mind that they ordered theirs and had it delivered right here to the RV park because they don't even own a truck.  Thus, they don't move theirs at all, so no issues with running gear or anything like that.  He said that they were pleased with how little their utilities for gas and electric was.  That said, he didn't say anything about what how much those were.

Terry

OR is very lightweight. 10" chassis is heaviest I have seen. Never seen quality without weight unless exotic metals and that is cost prohibitive. We loved the floor plans. hated the infrastructure.