Rockwood Camper
Rochester, NY
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Joined: 05/29/2007
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Glenn Adams wrote:That's all I'm going to say.
Then why bother saying anything? Your post added nothing to the discussion.
2008 Ford F350 FX4 CC SB PSD
2006 Rockwood 8281SS 5th wheel
Can't wait to get back to the Adirondacks!
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jetjane
Saskatchewan
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Joined: 03/13/2006
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Does the Open Range have a vinyl or rubber roof?
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SlickWillie
East Texas
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Joined: 12/01/2006
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HA! Really surprised he didn't mention Keystone. Some folks are blinded by brand loyalty. Nuff said.
Will
2004 GMC EXT/C D/A 2500HD 4X4
2006 Montana Mountaineer 303RLD
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Logger1
Canada
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Joined: 03/31/2008
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Roof of Open Range is rubber.
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wittmeba
Roanoke, Va
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Joined: 02/02/2001
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We have a dealer Snyder's in Salem, Va that carries Open Range. We visited last weekend and I want to share with you what we feel.
Picture references are at the bottom of this view - just mouse over the number:
http://www.openrangerv.com/Flash/gallery.aspx
The salesman we talked with was John Crocker and feel he had nothing to hide and was very honest about what he said.
They have very attractive graphics on a subtle gray exterior. Lots of outside storage in the basement. Common service center for water, electric and sewer which is a feature I like and most seem to be using.
The latches for the storage didnt seem to be installed or tightened completely. Some seem to partially turn before the hasp would turn feeling a little flimsy. Im sure this is fixable.
First thing I noticed was the slides use a totally different mechanism of operation. The 2 types Im familiar with is the mechanical (electric motor with rack an gear wheels) and hydraulic (hydraulic pump with rack and gear to keep in sync).
Open Range use a BAL system. This consists of cables, pulleys and a motor. I didnt go into details other than there are visible steel cables on the exterior when slides are extended - not unattractive, but visible. The salesman claims this saved about 200# per slide with this system.
They have a 'constant tension' cable which means there is equal pressure at top and bottom whether the slide is extended or not. He demonstrated by pushing against a Montana (next to the OR) and the top would move inward approx 1" while the bottom stayed fully extended. With the Open Range the entire trailer moved, but the slide remained fully sealed top to bottom. He claimed this is much easier to service than the mechanical or hydraulic type. The salesman stated the 400 model was brought into their facility by an F250 Ford diesel truck emphasizing the light weight of their line.
The floorplan model number structure is focused on square footage rather than length. So with more slides, you can get a shorter rig with more living space.
They have a king pin support stabalizer that attaches to the pinbox and folds up and attaches to the underside of the overhang. See pic 2. This might be a concern for those with a slightly lifted truck as it would reduce the clearance by 1 - 1 1/2" or so.
In the Kitchen, they have used very light wood with dark recessed accents. We didnt particularly like this choice. The rest was ok using typical medium stained wood grain. See pic 6. He did state that you can special order and get the medium grain throughout the rig but not the other way around.
Bathroom sink was different. It was a large glass bowl and seems functional with drain stopper that uses a push/pull to set and release method. See pic 9.
They use a combination of hinged, sliding and accordian doors for area separation. The hinged doors appear to be good quality and well installed. We didnt open the others.
I went thru and open/closed almost all the cabiinets. They seemed reasonably stout. The doors seem more solid than those of the adjacent Montana. However, I did pull a drawer in the kitchen and pulled the face off of one side. Not good. I told the salesman and he indicated a kid had come thru and managed to get the drawer stuck (also not good) and pulled the front off prior to my action.
If what we have seen is reflective of the quality, we were a little disappointed. They mfg a nice rig and seem to use quality components and materials, but the assembly seemed lacking. I think better adjustments and lubrication would fix many of the problems we sensed and experienced.
Aesthetically, it is very attractive except for the two-tone kitchen. It just didnt work for us. Perhaps it would grow on you and with the lighter might make the interior seem brighter as many rigs on cloudy days seem like a cave.
We are not ruling them out, but Open Range will have to improve their quality before we are ready to make our purchase.
Bruce & Carolyn Wittmeier
Viet Nam Vet 1968-69
I was born in Great Falls, Mt. My parents moved when I was 5.
I found them when I was 10 - they were in California.
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mighty aphrodite
San Diego
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Joined: 04/12/2008
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Glenn - Thank you for adding absolutely nothing to the topic. As my mama used to say, if you don't have anything nice to say, DON'T. That coy, "That's all I'll say," reminds me of the town gossip under the hairdryer.
I do not have an Open Range, but friends who liked our Titanium (but didn't want to spend as much) asked DH and me to look at their website and give our opinion. We did. Told them what we liked (design and feature wise)and what we were glad our Titanium had that the Open Range did not. I thought they looked like a good value for the dollar.
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randy&shereen
Jackson, MI
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Joined: 01/26/2005
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Excellent post "Wittmeba". This forum needs more writing like yours that presents what the person seen and their opinion. Constructive critatizem about what you don't like. (Not bashing, just your opinion) I was at a camping rally in Ohio last weekend and I toured a Open Range proudly owned by "Dandy Dan" who has posted earlier in this thread with a open offer for anyone to PM him with questions. I don't know anything about pricing so really can't comment on value but I did think that they had some good new ideas that they had built into the unit. I also seen some of the things that Wittmeba had listed but that is not a bad thing if your really shopping and look at all the details of whatever brand. I'm sure that many other units in the same price point will have about the same issues, just some less and some more. The challange to any buyer is to find the right price and the right quality that they are willing to pay for. Randy
2004 GMC Sierra 2500HD SLT CREW CAB LONG BOX (7380#)
8.1 Big block Gas/Allison 4:10 4x4
2004 Newmar Kountry Star 34 BLWB 3 Slides (15620#)
Pin Wt 2560# (16.3%) Total combination Wt=23,000#
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Red SuperDuty
Southcoast Mass
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Joined: 12/15/2004
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Some of the things that I liked.
1. Actual sheet metal ductwork going the the master bedroom / bathroom instead
of flex pipe found in most fivers'.
2. Roof vent's like stick built homes. What a great idea!
3. 3-4 20 lb tanks on sliding racks. (3 if you get the SS grill) much easier
than lugging 30 lbs tanks. (nice feature for us older folk)
4. 10 year warranty on the cabinet doors
5. 2 year factory warranty.
6. Gray exterior is nice new idea.
7. Two tone cabinets are neat. DW and I both like them.
* This post was
edited 10/02/08 05:20pm by Red SuperDuty *
Marc KA1WBF
Lynn (DW of 25 years 05/07)
Hunter (the wingnut chocolate lab, 05/06)
2006 Ford F350 Lariat 4X4 CC 6.0L 3.73 "Silver"
2003 Ford F350 XLT 4X4 SC SB 5.4L 3.73 Red "SOLD"
2005 Cougar 245EFS
2005 Ford Escape (Red of course!)
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wittmeba
Roanoke, Va
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Joined: 02/02/2001
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Thank you, randy&shereen.
Open Range provides a 2 year bumper-to-bumper on the rig and 10 year warranty on cabinets.
They also provide R28 insulation in the ceiling, R21 in the floor and R9 in the sidewalls.
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3 dog nights
Central, Virginia USA
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Joined: 09/25/2003
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I also looked at Snyder's in Salem VA. Didn't have a lot of time but they looked so good, I had to stop and run thru..... I liked what I saw. Just to add to previous comments, the basement heated area had BOTH a vent and an intake. That will circulate the warm are through out the area rather than creating a hot spot infront of the vent. They have made it onto my short list of "the next one"
On the way there, to do that and buy the tee shirt!
Bob & Lynn
Two Chihuahuas & a Chow
02' Prowler 31G w/ 2 Honda EU2000i
99' 3/4 Suburban w/454
oh yeah..... 2 kids (teens, therefore I'm an idiot)
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