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Post by jetzen on Jan 30, 2017 10:50:00 GMT -5
Any fans out there for the 384rlt. Pros/cons. The DW and I just purchased one at the Tampa RV show, I was very impressed with KZ build quality, The DW with the floor plan. A good indicator for me is how the units fair at the shows with all the traffic that goes through the units, people opening and closing cabinet doors, going in and out. The KZ products seem to have held up pretty well compared to other brands that cost a lot more. Loose cabinet door hinges, trim falling off, stuff like that. Some brands were pretty sad.
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Itully
Newbie RV’er
Howdy from Central Texas
Posts: 27 
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Post by Itully on Feb 1, 2017 16:52:09 GMT -5
Hi Jetzen, I'm new to the forum, bought a 2017 384RTS about 3 weeks ago, love it! Bought at San Antonio RV, in Seguin Texas. My wife fell in love with the floorplan and would not buy anything else. The Living room is huge, love the stadium seats and TV. Too bad football season is almost over.... dinner table is a little small. I had researched many 5th wheel brands and KZ looked like a good one with a solid reputation. Sales guy has toured the factory and he said it was impressive, clean as a whistle. The construction does seem first rate, wood or plywood instead of particle board. Good quality pulls, hardware, appliances and TV's. We used it last week, got down to the 40's overnight and the fireplace kept the main area warm, needed a little help from the furnace in the bedroom. We'll see how things fare during our hot summers, glad it has the 2 AC's. Storage is awesome, both down below and in the trailer. Steps in the slide-out are very nice, but when we push them back up into the door dirt drops inside from the legs, hinge also looks like a potential flex/wear point. Will have to keep an eye on it. The auto-level is magical, and I like that I can load the app onto my phone and stand out side to run the slide outs in/out. We are still figuring out all the features.
We traded in a 30 foot travel trailer. Talk about an adjustment to a big ole 5th wheel! (had to also buy a diesel!) We have used it once and plan to go out 4-5 days a month. We hauled it to Lake medina, about an hour NW of San Antonio, hilly and remote. We'll explore central Texas and maybe New Mexico.
Regards,
Larkin Dripping Springs, Texas
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Post by jetzen on Feb 2, 2017 9:39:56 GMT -5
Hi ltilly,
Thanks for the info. The DW and I purchased our 384 at the Tampa RV show, expected delivery is going to be somewhere around the end of February. We really liked the floor plan and the perceived build quality. We are hoping that our unit is built with the same care and attention. We are longtimers spending 5-6 months/ear in the 5ver. Our current unit is 12 years and while nothing is wrong with it we felt that we needed an upgrade. We are also considering a stackable washer and dryer. About the only thing we are somewhat disappointed in is the lack of a ceiling fan. The factory rep at the show said it was because of the height of the door side slide. He also claimed that the dealer could rectify that by installing an aftermarket fan....we will see. Also would like to know your impression of the tires. Can't wait to take delivery. |
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Post by Chuck on Feb 9, 2017 17:27:20 GMT -5
Howdy Jetzen I'm new to the forum as well, we bought a 2017 384RTS also about 3 weeks ago, The wife and I as well love it! Our G384RTS was the floor model at the RV show and bought it on the spot after we sat in it we were sold on how well it was holding up with all the people walking thought it .... Not saying a thing standing in the trailer listening to how well people like the trailer and all the positive comments without a salesman standing around, this trailer just spoke to us in a very positive note  ) The sale people were never pushy and answered all the questions I and the wife ask at the show before we even suggested that we were even interested in the trailer .... Once we made the commitment to buy they helped us all the way thought the buying process and gave us a far trade on our 2006 5th wheel ..... Like everything else you read about the good and the bad in every manufacturer, it sometime makes you wonder if all of it is true or not after spending a ton of money ...... I still need to get use to the leveling system and how the water system valves work but as with others I wonder about the tires since they are Provider ST235/80R16 an no nothing of this tire brand ... I wonder if I shouldn't go buy 5 new tires .... The last 5er we had, had tires from Les Schwab which were also made in China but lasted well over 5 years without any problems ....Sure makes one think Ugh |
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Post by Chuck on Feb 10, 2017 2:33:42 GMT -5
One thing I forgot to add that I would hope the people at Kz would address is the awning placement on the main door slide, there is no room to add a slide topper do to the placement of the awning which is to close to the top of the slide Ugh ...... Looking at the awning I believe they could have lowered the awning about maybe 8 or 10 inches to giving room so you could attach the hardware for a slide topper and still have room for the door to open. With bad legs and shot knee's I am not one to want to climb up on the roof an sweep the top of the slide off before closing such. My only hope is that I do not back up thought a bunch of tree limbs  ...... |
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Post by jetzen on Feb 10, 2017 9:51:14 GMT -5
Hi Chuck,
The DW and can't wait to take delivery. It ha taken a lot to pry our 2005 Montana out of our hands. I like you saw how well the KZ's held up at the show with all the traffic through them. We had to order ours because the DW didn't like the interior color of the show units (dark brown) she wanted the white (cream). I only have 1 bad knee and I really don't have any trouble getting on the roof, I just don't like to. You would have thought they could have done something with lowering the door slide awning but it may be a structural thing having the door in the slide. I did get slide toppers on the other 2 slides. My big gripe was the lack of a ceiling fan and the tires. The factory told me it was because of the height of the door slide. I measured it I don't see a problem with putting one in the selling dealer said they will look into it, we will see what happens. The tires on the other hand while they offer Goodyear G614's as an option, they want more money for them than if you were to purchase them right from a Goodyear store. The tires that come with the trailer while I can't find any negative reviews are KZ just plain being cheap. JMHO |
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Post by jetzen on Feb 10, 2017 10:49:40 GMT -5
Here is a part I left out of our buying experience. The DW and I were in and out of a lot of different units (manufacturers) at the Tampa RV show we spent 2 days looking and taking notes. We looked at ARV, Space Craft, DRV, Redwood, Montana, VanLeigh and Landmark. In the over $120,000. dollar bracket and if money were no concern I would have purchased a Space Craft hands down no questions asked then the DRV, these two manufacturers have their stuff together. The ARV namely the Luxe in the over $120,000. to me the materials and construction seemed cheap. The Redwoods and the Landmarks in the $90,000.-$120,000. were not holding up well to the show traffic like trim falling off or cabinet doors misaligned not impressed at all. This bring me to VanLeigh. These units seemed to use quality components/construction, unfortunately they build them (read floor plan layout) the way they build their class a motorhomes (Tiffin) and it just doesn't work in a fifth wheel. Everything seemed claustrophobic and you needed to be a Ringling Bros Trapeze artist to get into bed they were so high . This brings us to the Montana's and Durango Gold. These units were show priced in the upper $50's to mid $70's. We currently own a Montana have had it for 12 years, we wanted to upgrade to a new unit. We looked hard at the Montana's and there was just nothing that excited us that would have made us actually want to part with our money. Then we stepped into the KZ's, specifically the Durango Gold G384rlt and the G380flf. We were wowed. It was a hard choice between the two, we choose the G384rlt. We also looked at the Cedar Creeks and Big Horns, show priced mid $60's to mid $80's, there were just too many down sides to there floor plans, like what I consider stupid flaws like the way the bathroom door swings or how tight the bedrooms feel (see VanLeigh).. This is JMHO but for average folks like my self who have a budget, and while I didn't have a chance to look at all the manufacturers fare, right now it seems to me KZ has it all over the others.
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Post by Chuck on Feb 10, 2017 16:43:15 GMT -5
Jetzen
like you we like the white (cream)which the show unit we bought had, believe me it is
bright inside, we were not interested in the ceiling fans at all. But as I remarked in
another post I am sort of worried about the nitrogen filled tires as well, I like you
looked for review in the brand of tires on the trailer but found nothing .... I will say
on the Good Sam reflector they really push replacing the China bombs as they call them.
But as I said in another post the tire from the local tire store which is all over the west
has their tire made in China as well and lasted on our other trailer for 5 years with only
one problem which was replaced at no coast to us...
We looked at Montana's as well, there was a couple that I and the wife sort of liked but
once we walked into the G384RLT it spoke to us that this was the trailer for us...
We had a King Bed in our other 5er and would not even look at another trailer without one.
the bathroom layout was really nice as well with lots of room and like you said the
doors in some other other trailer were just not right ....
We are on a fixed income like you and value our money, but doing some reading I will say
that there is allot of native comments regarding Kz after Thor took them over. I sort of
take this as a grain of salt, if you look at the number of units sold by Kz to the number
of complaints it seem pretty low. Even thought I could not tell you or I imagine that
possibly no one could tell you the number of units that are sold only what dealer have on
hand it would be a nice to know.....It would be a good sales point LOL .....
However it would be a nice to know over the upcoming years how our units far, what went
wrong, who had trouble getting things fixed and how well Kz interfaced with the end buyer
when needed. We have a really great dealer and they made a point to tell us that if we
had any problems let them know ASAP...If it was something small they would order the parts
and when we had time make an appointment for repair, if it was major it might be a
different story, I told them that I would not stand for any repair to take one or even
two months and they agreed, we will see but hoping we never need such.....
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Post by Chuck on Feb 12, 2017 3:25:55 GMT -5
ltully
Been out camping any more with your new mobile digs, the wife and I set ours up in the
driveway starting to pack everything into it that we had in the other 5th wheel we
traded in .... Took 3 day to unpack and now it's been 2 1/2 days to reload everything
back into the new one and not done yet ugh .....
Still have not figured out how to switch the TV from Cable to the standard antenna for TV
reception on the roof ......
As well playing with the leveling system, thought I had it figured out but Wednesday I had
a heck of a time getting the back stabilizer jacks to retracted without getting the front
not to retract Ugh... finally put them in manual mode an accomplished getting them up Ugh
.... been raining and windy here the last few days and had to go to kids house today when
the sun was shining so will go out in the morning (Sunday) and play again till I feel
confident on their use .....
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Post by johnr on Feb 13, 2017 7:53:34 GMT -5
Chuck, on your leveling system as you either arrow up or down, there should be a couple different options. The one you're looking for is Retract Rear or similar. It should be near the Retract All option that you would use once hooked up.
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Post by Chuck on Feb 13, 2017 14:13:53 GMT -5
Thanks Johnr, Yesterday i went out and played a little more  I was a little afraid of bending the stabilizer jacks so was playing it safe and using the manual mode Since I had limited success with them going up I would try getting them down again  So at 1st when the front jacks started going down I was scared that the trailer would go down on it's nose....I found out that was just the beginning of the leveling and the jacks only went down part way and then backup, once back up the other came down and leveled the trailer ....... I will go out today and play again after seeing your post, I'll look on my menu for the "Retract All" options which I believe I saw....I do not have my truck, (in for preventive maintenance) other wise I would have backed it up under the trailer and tried the "Retract All" function but thinking in my pee brain retract all really meant "all" LOL So not only the back jacks would come up but the landing jacks would come up as well and thus really bad things would happen Ugh  This is the 1st 5er that we have had with automatic stabilizer jacks, we have been in the dark age's with manual stabilizer jack that I lowered and raised with a battery operated drill and front landing jacks that I lowered by hand and then put a pin in them Ugh |
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Post by Chuck on Feb 14, 2017 1:53:50 GMT -5
Ok Johnr, Update, Tested the automatic stabilizer jacks today using the "retract All" worked like a charm Now all I have to is do it again fifty or sixty more times to feel comfortable with them LOL Thank you again ! ! |
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Post by johnr on Feb 14, 2017 7:17:37 GMT -5
Did you find a Retract Rear option?
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Post by Chuck on Feb 14, 2017 19:23:20 GMT -5
Did you find a Retract Rear option? Yep Found the retract, test drove it now five and six times and feel a whole lot better about it Have the truck in the Ford Dealer having it bullet proofed since we are going to keep it  |
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Post by Chuck on Feb 27, 2017 16:34:16 GMT -5
 Hi Jetzen It's the end of Feb...Got the new 5er yet
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Post by jetzen on Feb 27, 2017 19:04:57 GMT -5
 no chuck not yet
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Post by Chuck on Feb 27, 2017 20:23:57 GMT -5
Ugh ! 
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Post by Chuck on Mar 10, 2017 2:10:07 GMT -5
Hi Jetzen, I'm new to the forum, bought a 2017 384RTS about 3 weeks ago, love it! Bought at San Antonio RV, in Seguin Texas. My wife fell in love with the floorplan and would not buy anything else. The Living room is huge, love the stadium seats and TV. Too bad football season is almost over.... dinner table is a little small. I had researched many 5th wheel brands and KZ looked like a good one with a solid reputation. Sales guy has toured the factory and he said it was impressive, clean as a whistle. The construction does seem first rate, wood or plywood instead of particle board. Good quality pulls, hardware, appliances and TV's. We used it last week, got down to the 40's overnight and the fireplace kept the main area warm, needed a little help from the furnace in the bedroom. We'll see how things fare during our hot summers, glad it has the 2 AC's. Storage is awesome, both down below and in the trailer. Steps in the slide-out are very nice, but when we push them back up into the door dirt drops inside from the legs, hinge also looks like a potential flex/wear point. Will have to keep an eye on it. The auto-level is magical, and I like that I can load the app onto my phone and stand out side to run the slide outs in/out. We are still figuring out all the features.
We traded in a 30 foot travel trailer. Talk about an adjustment to a big ole 5th wheel! (had to also buy a diesel!) We have used it once and plan to go out 4-5 days a month. We hauled it to Lake medina, about an hour NW of San Antonio, hilly and remote. We'll explore central Texas and maybe New Mexico.
Regards,
Larkin Dripping Springs, Texas
ltully Have you notice the step side on the right side pushing on the wheel skirt/fender, it's not much but I'm wondering if others have seen this or is just my G384RLT Regards Chuck |
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Post by jetzen on Mar 19, 2017 8:55:53 GMT -5
Finally the new 5ver has arrived. We purchased at the Tampa show in January 18th and it arrived at the dealer March 16. It is a 2018 model year (good for me I guess). There have been some changes made in the manufacturing, most I like one I don't. You can now get full body paint it is a silver gray with beige/cream accents very nice on the eyes. The rear couch/sofa is now a sleeper sofa with a memory foam mattress instead of a tri-fold, for me that part of it is not important this sofa however is so much more comfortable to sit on than the trifold. Slide toppers are now available if you order the second main awning, mine where installed at the factory all color matched.
What they changed that I don't like. they moved the light switch for the dining room overhead light/awning light from the side wall of the slide to the ceiling of the slide STUPID!!!!!!
What they didn't change still no ceiling fan available and now there is no useable 110v in the ceiling like there was before. Now to get 110v you have to tap off the A/C which is not recommended.
Went through the PDI in about 4 1/2 hours no major problems a few cosmetic things mainly glue/tape residue and housekeeping issues. One slide fascia molding was crooked, one cabinet door not inline. Everything seemed to be functioning properly. Roof vent covers, washer and dryer to be installed and the PDI issues to be fixed this week, should be able to pick up the trailer by next Saturday.
Dealership scheduled 2days in a nearby campground about 1/2 mile from dealership for a shake down at N/C.
Will keep you all posted. |
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Post by Edd505 on Mar 19, 2017 17:06:00 GMT -5
So did the TV's both work? Mines in for repairs and they said it might be a staple in the coax.
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)
...... 
I was a little afraid of bending
Hi Jetzen
no chuck not yet
