twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted January 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 FWiW, I've had two bunkhouse campers in the past - first one was a Jayco Qwest (99'?) and second was a 2005 Fleetwood Prowler FW - the problem with bunkhouses that can be closed off is the ductwork. Often being at the back end of the camper they will get the least air or heat depending on position and setup of AC, etc. We had to put a fan on each boys bunk to keep them cool and almost never closed the door because of this. Defeated the purpose of them having their own space. I would have them turn the heat and air on in the Keystone or any bunkhouse with enclosed space so you can gauge if it's livable. The Jayco was great - never a problem, the Fleetwood was a steaming pile of bear poo. The Fleetwood was the "prettiest" I've ever owned…just everything in the walls was crap. Aluminum siding is a bit harder to keep clean, but it's lighter and will dent instead of crack and is much easier to repair. We just sold a 07 Desert Fox that had aluminum siding that did well for most of those 7 years! Can't go wrong with Jayco quality - Keystone has good units and some not so good that I've seen. Coachman used to be a top notch unit - I'm just not as familiar with them now. As for size - 3' won't make a bit of difference. I've gone from a 27 foot, to a 32 foot, to a 24 foot (kids wouldn't get OUT of the 32 footer), to the beast we have now. (42') Enjoy which ever one you pick - just realize those munchkins grow out of bunkhouse beds WAAAAY too quickly! LOL! Thank you!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 A friend of mine has a large 5th wheel bunkhouse, and yes, she did install a 2nd A/C back there. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cortezcapt (Derek) 156 Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 Yes, I know this may get hijacked So... two trailers. Both have a dry weight of 6000 lbs: one is 33' and the other is 36'. Do you think the length makes a difference in towing? If we buy a newer TT, we will buy a new hitch (leaning towards the Hensley).I looked onto the Hensley Arrow and Pro Pride 3p hitches, the 3p supposedly being the "new and improved" model to of the original Hensley. We have decided on the Pro Pride 3p and I spoke with Sean at Pro pride yesterday and he said the are several weeks out on shipping.just wanted to give you a heads up incase you have been looking at the 3p. Good luck with narrowing it down, we are headed up today to look at one of our top 2 and hopefully make a deal on it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ependydad...Doug 176 Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 A friend of mine has a large 5th wheel bunkhouse, and yes, she did install a 2nd A/C back there. We have a 42' fifth wheel with an A/C in the living room and one in the front bedroom. I honestly wouldn't mind a third back in the bunkhouse for some of the super hot of summer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Humphrey Bear…Rob 42 Posted January 31, 2015 Report Share Posted January 31, 2015 I looked onto the Hensley Arrow and Pro Pride 3p hitches, the 3p supposedly being the "new and improved" model to of the original Hensley. We have decided on the Pro Pride 3p and I spoke with Sean at Pro pride yesterday and he said the are several weeks out on shipping.just wanted to give you a heads up incase you have been looking at the 3p. Good luck with narrowing it down, we are headed up today to look at one of our top 2 and hopefully make a deal on it. We had an equalizer hitch on our last bumper pull - loved that hitch! Cost is much less that these, but can't argue the hensley is NICE! Both of my camping buddies now have equalizers…. hehe! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted February 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Aluminum siding is a bit harder to keep clean, but it's lighter and will dent instead of crack and is much easier to repair. We just sold a 07 Desert Fox that had aluminum siding that did well for most of those 7 years! Was at (dare I say it... Camping World today) and this is the first time I realized this truth. The Jayco I like is a whitish color and the bumpy (I call it :) ) aluminum and I noticed that it looked dirty than the others. I looked onto the Hensley Arrow and Pro Pride 3p hitches, the 3p supposedly being the "new and improved" model to of the original Hensley. We have decided on the Pro Pride 3p and I spoke with Sean at Pro pride yesterday and he said the are several weeks out on shipping.just wanted to give you a heads up incase you have been looking at the 3p. Good luck with narrowing it down, we are headed up today to look at one of our top 2 and hopefully make a deal on it. Thanks for the heads up! Why did you choose the Pro Pride? We are still torn... all the dealerships push the Equalizer, but we're wondering if that's because they can sell them (Pro Pride and Hensley I believe are both only direct to the consumer). But the price on the Equalizer is a lot less.... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GaDawgFan.....Kelly 799 Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 For the record, we loved everything about our Keystone Cougar trailer (what we last owned) except that it started leaking in the front closet. Yeah, that wasn't good. We did trade it to a dealer for more than we paid for it though. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cortezcapt (Derek) 156 Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Was at (dare I say it... Camping World today) and this is the first time I realized this truth. The Jayco I like is a whitish color and the bumpy (I call it :) ) aluminum and I noticed that it looked dirty than the others.Thanks for the heads up! Why did you choose the Pro Pride? We are still torn... all the dealerships push the Equalizer, but we're wondering if that's because they can sell them (Pro Pride and Hensley I believe are both only direct to the consumer). But the price on the Equalizer is a lot less....I chose the Pro Pride because its supposedly the improved model of the original Hensley. Both were designed by the Jim Hensley with the Pro Pride being the latest he's designed. The pro pride doesnt have to be bolted through the frame of the trailer and seems very easy to instal and agjust as well. I aslo likedwhen I called I got to speak to sean who gave me his cell number incase I have anymore qquestions down the line. I have read good things on both hitches and like everything else it seems like who ever ones a certain hitch thinks theirs is the best. To be honest Im a little worried about going to a bigger trailer ( I know I'll get used to it ) and would rather have the best I can afford as far as hitches go. The one we have now came with the trailer and is an E2 I still feel some sway nothing like without it but Id rather be safer than sorry with a bigger trailer. Edit to add, the Pro Prides weight distribution bars can also be lifted/adjusted with a drill and the same attachment used for the jacks instead of haveing to pry or crank them. Since I prefer to stick with the manual stabilizer jacks its something we will be carrying anyway. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tim5055 120 Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Thanks for the heads up! Why did you choose the Pro Pride? We are still torn... all the dealerships push the Equalizer, but we're wondering if that's because they can sell them (Pro Pride and Hensley I believe are both only direct to the consumer). But the price on the Equalizer is a lot less....I think you are correct in that the dealerships want to sell what them make a commission on. In my case Peco was willing to install the Pro Pride (I did pay a fee) and I had it shipped direct to them. When I was doing my research I found that the group with the most knowledge about these hitches was owners of Airstream trailers. I spent quite a bit of time on the Airstream Forums and there is a lot of great information over there. Here are some more research resources: etrailer.com Common Weight Distribution and Sway Control Questions Travel Trailer Hitch Comparison Chart Why do you need anything more than a simple bumper hitch anyway? Obviously all of these pages as well as anything you read here is going to be biased by the authors opinions. In my case I did a lot of research and there was no single thing I could point to to say "this is the best"! I guess when it comes down to it I believe in overkill when it comes to our safety. For years we camped in a pop up that I towed with a diesel pick-up. I'm still using the same pick up, but wanted what I feel is the additional advantage of the Hensley designed hitch. In my case it was about a $1,500 difference between the equalizer that Peco wanted to sell and what I felt was an upgrade to the Pro Pride. Now, time to go outside to hook up the camper, While not to FW, I'm off to Florida this afternoon. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
twiceblessed....nacole 433 Posted February 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 I chose the Pro Pride because its supposedly the improved model of the original Hensley. Both were designed by the Jim Hensley with the Pro Pride being the latest he's designed. The pro pride doesnt have to be bolted through the frame of the trailer and seems very easy to instal and agjust as well. I aslo likedwhen I called I got to speak to sean who gave me his cell number incase I have anymore qquestions down the line.I have read good things on both hitches and like everything else it seems like who ever ones a certain hitch thinks theirs is the best.To be honest Im a little worried about going to a bigger trailer ( I know I'll get used to it ) and would rather have the best I can afford as far as hitches go. Thanks. Your line of thought, is very similar to my husband's... Obviously all of these pages as well as anything you read here is going to be biased by the authors opinions. In my case I did a lot of research and there was no single thing I could point to to say "this is the best"! I guess when it comes down to it I believe in overkill when it comes to our safety. For years we camped in a pop up that I towed with a diesel pick-up. I'm still using the same pick up, but wanted what I feel is the additional advantage of the Hensley designed hitch. In my case it was about a $1,500 difference between the equalizer that Peco wanted to sell and what I felt was an upgrade to the Pro Pride. Now, time to go outside to hook up the camper, While not to FW, I'm off to Florida this afternoon. Our thoughts exactly. Thanks for the links; have a great trip!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Avatab.... Steve 124 Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 If you still haven't found the right floorplan yet, don't forget about Starcraft, they are owned and made by Jayco and have the same level of quality / reputation. Also, Winnebago started making trailers again a couple of years ago and seem to be well made too. I agree with the ability to have a seperate bunkroom. We have been looking for a gas motorhome with one, but no luck so far. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TN22.....Brady 22 Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Enjoy which ever one you pick - just realize those munchkins grow out of bunkhouse beds WAAAAY too quickly! LOL!Yep, just traded a Jayco Bunkhouse edition due to kiddos outgrowing the bunks! Loved our Jayco, no problems, and at trade in, was very pleasantly surprised at the amount the dealer was willing to apply for the trade in value. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Helmsey......Todd 134 Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 We have a 42' fifth wheel with an A/C in the living room and one in the front bedroom. I honestly wouldn't mind a third back in the bunkhouse for some of the super hot of summer. Funny you mention that, I have a list of everything I need to put an AC in our bunkhouse.If we do it I will basically do a 30 amp install just for the bunkhouse. That would give us additional power options in the winter for running heaters as well. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ependydad...Doug 176 Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 We have a 42' fifth wheel with an A/C in the living room and one in the front bedroom. I honestly wouldn't mind a third back in the bunkhouse for some of the super hot of summer. Funny you mention that, I have a list of everything I need to put an AC in our bunkhouse. If we do it I will basically do a 30 amp install just for the bunkhouse. That would give us additional power options in the winter for running heaters as well. You have the 365SAQ, right? Please document your install. I was reading about a toy hauler and it had something about a power management / balancing system for the 3 factory A/Cs. Not sure what that is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Helmsey......Todd 134 Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 You have the 365SAQ, right? Please document your install. I was reading about a toy hauler and it had something about a power management / balancing system for the 3 factory A/Cs. Not sure what that is. Yep.If we do it I'm just going to install a completely separate 30 amp system for the bunkhouse. I will have to plug into the 50 amp & the 30 amp plugs at the parks.I think I saw someone over on FRF do the install on theirs and it looked pretty good. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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