We keep hearing that we are patient..we have definitely had our moments and have had to regroup and take a breath. Issues or not, we gotta keep going. We want "this" to work so badly. Hoping for less issues and more of us getting to see the country! Thanks for your words and for watching 😊
Shortly after my husband and I bought our 2022 Beacon 5th wheel, we started watching your channel and have gleaned so much helpful information. We are RV rookies. It is very impressive to see how well you handle all the issues you’ve experienced. If your rig is a lemon, you have a gift of turning lemons into lemonade. I often wonder if your background is related to filmmaking, because your videos are exceptionally well done. The sound and editing are amazing and you are a fantastic storyteller. I understand the labor that goes into producing quality content and want to say how much we enjoy your channel. Thank you!
We are so glad we have been helpful to you! We have remained pretty positive but have had our moments where we needed to pull ourselves back up. We actually film weddings so you are right about our background! I think you just made Ryan's night by your comment about the sound/ editing/ storytelling. Those are all things he strives for and I ALSO think he is pretty talented. It is something he enjoys. So glad you enjoy our channel and thank you for taking the time to give us a comment that made our night! Thank you for watching! 😊👍
Well guys, we are amazed by the amount of patience you have while dealing with all the issues on your rig and our hearts go out to you. Your videos are an inspiration to those of us who are dealing with issues too but nothing like what you have dealt with and still manage to be positive about it. We are sure that many would have simply lost their cool or just walked away or got a lawyer involved. We are now avidly following your story and hopefully this series of videos will have an HAPPLY EVER AFTER ENDING as you drive off into the sunset.
Hopefully it will all work out. We still love this lifestyle and will continue it, regardless of our rig 🙂 WE LOVE the thought of driving off into the sunset! (With or without the RV! Haha). Thank so much for your comment! 🙂👍🏼
One thing I loved about living in Idaho when I was in the military was that I could make plans in January for July knowing I wasn't going to get rained out. Unlike my home state in the Upper Midwest where you can't plan more than 2 days ahead for weather. I see you guys are from Ada County. I lived in Canyon County. Love Idaho.
Vanleigh... Hmmmm. From an engineering standpoint, I never expected much and was not surprised to see them quickly fold in the downturn. The RV industry in general just does not provide rigorous durable goods for all seasons but are priced as if they do. The money is instead spent on aesthetics. It will never change unless prospective buyers simply refuse to keep supporting this. Sorry you're having to endure the results.
Congratulations on a grandchild in the future. Nice to know with all the bumps in the road y’all still were able to make the best of it. 2023 is y’all’s year!!!
Since this video, we now have our first grandson! We are so thrilled and excited for this part of our life! 🙂 2023 IS going to be our year! Thank you!! 😎👍🏼
We RV'd towing a 36' Triple Slide Cedar Creek for a few years followed by a 38' Mobile Suites using a custom built International semi for close to 12 years of combined travel. Gotta say that the very constant maintenance/repair issues, even with the bulk of them being fixed by myself with a background of 45 years of maintaining and repairing high speed production equipment, got old real fast. It got so I was carrying a full machine shop in my Harley barn on the back of the truck. I'd show up at an rv resort with old friends waiting for my arrival so they could get me to repair stuff like hydraulic slideouts, suspendsion issues etc., I was even carrying two 20 ton air operated hydraulic jacks - got fed up with the whole exerices and bought a place in Florida. Never looked at another RV.
Your patience is unbelievable! We are binge watching... and are just keeping our fingers crossed that y ourou don't give up. We have so enjoyed your adventures and have learned so much from trials. Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Be safe.
So glad you found us! We are definitely not giving up! We love this lifestyle too much and are determined to live it. We are so glad you can learn from our experiences! Thanks for watchin! 😎👍🏼
As you know we also stared in the frame welds cracking and breaking on our 5th wheel. Not only were there repaired at the Dealership in Pasco, Washington, the rig has been back to Indiana 3 times for repairs, the last one being a year ago. So far so good. Interesting that the did not go ahead and put gussets in. We sure do love the lifestyle, but the repairs can get pretty frustrating. As you know Angie and I are big fans of the channel!! Keep on keeping on!!! 🍻 Sean & Angie
We definitely love this lifestyle and the repairs and issues are definitely not going to hamper our love and desire to keep traveling! Been some tuff days but then we pick ourselves back up and “keep on keepin on” 😉 Thanks for your continued advice and encouragement! We appreciate you both! 😎
Thanks for thanks for give me head up on the product issues. I'm a full-time rver was looking to buy at Beacon RV. Now I'm going to avoid it at all costs and select another manufacturer. I'm seriously considering the Brinkley 5th wheel. There is no wood used in the manufacturing. So no rotten floors, walls, ceilings or slide out. Slide outs are also floor flush.
We stopped and looked at the Brinkley 5th wheel multiple times and spoke to the folks from Brinkley while at the Tampa show. Very well thought out with some excellent design features. Impressive unit!
You both have taught me so much about VL and full-time living. thank you for taking the time to explain the aluminum frame break. As you know, my Beacon is in Red Bay being repaired with the same issue as yours. Being I’m not in red Bay, I have asked them to take a picture of the brake and the repair once done. They have not given me an answer yet and unfortunately they do not seem at all interested in doing that.
We are so glad that by sharing our story it helps other people! It really makes IT for us! t would be nice if they would give you some pics so you you can understand your repair. We hope that your Beacon gets taken care of quickly…🤞🏻
Thank you for this comment! Yes, we are still loving this life and definitely being together through it all. We are looking forward to this year and all that we will learn, accomplish and grow through! That’s what life is about. Thanks for watchin! 🙂
It was definitely so good to be back! Is so crazy how much our small space just feels like home...even with all the issues. Hope for less of that and MORE seeing the country! Thanks for watching! Hope our paths cross one of these days! 😎👍
I enjoy your channel and your outlook on life, including the challenges. Best of luck for the issues to get resolved so you can enjoy your journey. Take care.
The elephant in the room is the construction techniques used in RV's. Just compare a normal gooseneck trailer and look at the steel and the gussets used to give the trailer frame rigidity to haul stuff around. Then look at any fifth wheel RV trailer and the frame is not as robust or suitable to carry the weight or to withstand the road shock from poor roads under extreme conditions. If the foundation is flimsy then any stress will be reflected throughout structure. Next aluminum is a good lightweight material but under flexing the welds will always break just ask Grumman busses years ago where the aluminum welds would not hold up. It is just a shame that so many users end up with so many bad stories regardless of the brand.
Had a Fleetwood Terry 5th wheel, total garbage never again. Lance camper more garbage. Loved RVing over many years but constantly repairing something. Would love to have a class A but no wanting more garbage. You guys have patience for days. Best of luck to you both.
Thank you so much! We really "get" what you are talking about and have seen the quality go down so much, especially the last few years. We don't want garbage either...tough decisions! Thanks fore your comment and for watching!
Wow, that was quite the story and the elevator experience...unsure when we will ride an elevator again now as well. Glad as always to see you all persevering with great content/info! Here is too minimal route changes in the future.
My wife and I purchased a new RV about 2 years ago. Everything has been falling apart from the first day. If we took it in for warranty repairs every time, we would likely never go anywhere. I have been fixing it myself continously and a won't travel without a substantial tool kit and a lot of supplies. Quality seems to be dismal across most of the industry. Our next one will be one of the higher build quality brands even if it is double or triple the initial cost. Repairs keep it from being fun for me.
You are right - there is a lot of opportunity in the industry. We have only taken our rig in for the major issues that became travel impactful; roof replacement & frame issues but while there had them address the other major outstanding issues. We are still fixing it daily ourselves to avoid service centers but will have to go back at some point to have the frame gussets welded in.
Thank you. It definitely is a choice. Being negative seems like such a waste. We will remain positive and hopeful that this will all work out how it’s supposed to. Thank you for watching and for your comment! 🙂
Own a RV and your nightmares begin!!! Why can't they just build a good one to start with???? You are amoung many others who are going thru this !! Your patience is OUTSTANDING---I don't think I could do it!! Fix it and trade it in---can't be any worse than what you have now. I truly feel your pain and hope to see you both smiling again. I'm sure you are getting reimbursed from Tiffin!!!
Thank you for showing and educating us on what we would be getting into. Also, sorry your manufacturer is going out of business. I think many of us at this stage of life (midlife) want the same thing. But as I watch so many of these videos I'm learning that this might not be the way to achieve the freedom, adventure, lifestyle that we are looking for at this point in our life. But I certainly don't have the answer! Anyway thanks for your videos!
At first we contemplated showing our many issues (and we have many more that we haven’t even talked about) but it was / is reality and such a big part of our story as much as the good times are. We are glad that showing them has helped you / others to see the other side of full-timing. It is not all glamorous BUT we would STILL choose this lifestyle over again. There are so many good aspects and our favorite part is the many good people that we have met along this journey. It makes it all so worth it 🙂 Thanks so much for your comment and for watchin! 👍🏼
My family had a Transport Taho that had broken axels, bowing floor...it was a lemon spent more time at the manufacture than we used it on trips typically.
Hey guys, we just found your channel and we're your newest subscriber. You are correct about the tornados in Alabama and Mississippi. We live in Mississippi and definitely deal with our share of bad weather. Hopefully, the repairs will fix all your issues. Safe travels!
Hey! Thanks for subscribing! 😎 I can’t believe the severe weather! Nothing like that in Idaho! We are looking forward to less repairs and more travel! 👍🏻😉
Great video!! Sorry for the troubles, but there isn’t an RV brand that doesn’t have issues eventually. By the way, you sir, have an awesome narrator voice. Makes the video well worth listening to and viewing.
Thank you! Absolutely there isn’t a brand without issues! For sure. We know people who are very happy with their VanLeigh. Wish that was us! 🙂 I think Ryan is pretty flattered with your comment about his narrator voice…that’s a first! Thanks for watchin! 🙂
I’ve owned 7 different RV’s in my lifetime. I made the mistake of buying a Vanleigh 5th wheel in 2019. Worst experience of my RV life. Had so many problems and little to no customer service from them. So frustrated I sold the POS and took a 30 k loss. I’ve heard their closing the plant and no longer making them. I hope that’s true. Very bad quality control.
Our brand new camper has the same broken frame issue also. I can’t believe it honestly and how they thought that was a good idea. We have been out of our home since Oct 8th and counting. Along with a host of other issues. Ugh
Where are you getting the frame fixed? So sorry you are out of your home! That is a very long time!! Unacceptable. So sorry you are dealing with this! 😕 thank you for sharing!
@@MidlifeDetour So our home is in Albuquerque NM at a LaMesa drake for VL. We are waiting on the darn closet door they forgot to ship to us but they got everything else fixed so we will see. 😩
Just found your channel. What if any repairs are under warranty? We have had 7 RV's since 1986. All motorhomes with the last being 45' Teton 5th wheel. All were purchased new. We have been through just about every issue you can imagine while working through each rigs factory defects to achieve satisfactory levels to permit full use of the rigs. Rigs included class C's, class A's diesel pushers, and the 5th wheel. One of the pushers was returned as a lemon. "Been there, done that," as the saying goes. Wish you well in getting your rig road worthy!
Hey Rick! All of the issues we have shown have been warranty items thus far. We are now out of our year warranty for the majority of items but still have the some time left on the 3 year structural. We are doing are best to get the rest of the items squared away without impacting our ability to enjoy RV life. I have repaired some at this current stop we are at but unfortunately we will have to go to the factory for some larger repairs. Unless I become skilled in fiberglass repair and obtained a welder! Thanks for hanging out with us.
Wow, you guys have been through a lot of major problems with your Vanleigh Beacon in such a short time. Issues with our 2022 two month old 41LKB Beacon seem not as bad. Two weeks ago we had a major rear axle failure going through the Houston area, which caused a fire as the tire jamb up against the rear leveling jack rupturing the hydraulic lines. We were suck on the side of the highway for 11+ hours before getting a wrecker company with a lowboy/bus trailer to move the Beacon to a near by dealership for repair. It looks like Lippert will provide a new 8K axle assembly and repair associated damages. No body told us RV'ing would be so stressful...lol. Hope your Vanleigh has no more surprises to throw at you all.
Wow, you have had your own set of issues! 11 hours on the side of the road 😳 So glad you got your damages covered! Definitely knew that things wouldn't be perfect but we never imagined we would spend so much of our time in service centers with such major issues...but here we are! We hope you guys have better luck with your Beacon! (Us too!) Thanks for watching!
Great information Thanks for sharing. I was debating on going RVing or Park Model as a base camp? But as you mentioned lots of issues can happen and huge expenses Thus I purchased a new Park Model in AZ as a base camp and be able to go and return here But don’t know if that is the answer either… I like to travel see things in the US Am single 65 and have lots of time etc Keep second guessing myself Congratulations on becoming grandparents! I now have 6 and last 2 came into the world last month and have not been able to meet them yet Due to me in what A’s supposed to be sunny and warm AZ… But that has not worked out either I just want to be warm Thanks for your videos
Never buying a new travel trailer. Especially not the highly flawed fifth wheels. They just aren't built to last more than a couple of trips per year anymore. They used to be built to live in regularly.
Yep, this does it! I think I am going to pass on anymore thoughts about 5th wheel ownership. From friends to all of the TH-camrs I have watched with soooo many issues with their 5th wheels, now matter how fancy or expensive, they all suck in one way or the other when it comes to problems, repair and all the nightmares. You folks are beyond patient and good for you, but not me as we all need to know our limits. The fact that they would not add the gussets and provided you with some garbage excuse just means that AFTER the warranty is over, this will crack again and YOU will pay for it. No thanks. Anyway, I will chill on the ranting now and I guess it just comes from my disappointment, but you all have saved me by sharing your experiences and I cannot thank you enough!
Well, we are glad our experience can help you. We contemplated sharing at first because we don’t want to be a channel that just has issues but we decided that it was the life we were living and part of our journey and just maybe others could learn a thing or two…even at our expense 😬 There is a great deal of disappointment for us as we didn’t expect / envision or want our story to go this way. Thanks so much for your comment and your insight! 🙂
I have to give you both kuddos. I'm sorry to say that I would be beside myself right now. This company for a top notch manufacturer really should be ashamed. These is beyond normal shake down problems. Having technician not checking their work, etc. Poor quality control especially after all the problems it's a shame. They should be bending backwards to make this right. Hang in there. Beautiful 5th wheel!! Just Not what anyone would expect to be going through. Take care..
Thank you so much for your feedback. Definitely not something you imagine for a start to full time life. We are trying to make the best of all of it and continue to have the adventure we planned. We look forward to more of that! Thanks for watchin and for your comment! 🙂👍🏼
As someone who works on RV's for a living, I can say that they are NOT meant to be lived in! They are absolutely crap! Mainly because the people at the factory do NOT care!
I am sure you’ve seen it all! Living in one is… very challenging at times! I think a lot get into this lifestyle expecting it to be similar to living in a built home and it definitely is anything BUT that!
Hello we just found your channel and we live in Idaho. We have been playing with the idea of full time. Tiffin Has been on our short list either Class A or the 5th wheel like yours! However, after following several others that have the Tiffin 5 th wheel I think we have changed our mind! Covid has changed so much! Are you retired?
Hello fellow Idahoan! We completely agree with you that things in the industry have changed! I would not want to purchase another 5th wheel at this moment in time! We had excellent luck with out Momentum and sure wish we would’ve stuck with that! The current owners said it is a perfect rig! Still! 😬 thanks for your comments and for watchin!
And even after all that and I really hate y’all had to experience these issues and hope it gets fixed quickly I would still buy a fifth wheel and enjoy life for once
Damn I just sold my house and most of everything. I’m in the process of buying a Motorhome and not looking forward to dealing with this. I keep going back and forth on if I should buy a Tiffin.
Congrats on selling your house! We know people who are happy with their purchases with both Tiffin and VanLeigh...unfortunately for us, ours is an outlier. We trust you will have a much smoother adventure! 😎
Well, I have never liked them but this just took that to a whole new level! Ryan continued to take the elevator and I got A LOT of exercise! I say you are NOT crazy! 😎👍
I thought it was going to be a quick fix - apparently those vacuums are known for going out on those hubs. The tech told me to “exercise” it more often since we rarely use 4WD. Thanks for hanging out with us!
This is literally a nightmare! Sorry you guys are experiencing all of these issues. How bad do things need to get for the manufacture to refund your purchase? With all the water issues in a wood based product things are just going to get worse over time and warranty only lasts for so long. I hope you are looked after one way or another 🇨🇦
Sorry to say but TH-cam has a lot of vanleigh products with lots of issues hope things get better personally I think once you get most of the items fixed I would quickly get rid of it
Welcome to the RV life I have heard dozens of these stories. There is no quality control during the builds. The inspections and very incomplete. The owners then have to spend their time and money driving around the country to get the unit fixed. It happens many times every day.
To keep the weight down, lighter frames are ordered and used by the manufacturers of fifth wheels and all towables. To my knowledge there's only one manufacturer with a seriously engineered frame to support the weight and it's out of the Kansas area producing low numbers per year
You must be referring to New Horizons. I have been attempting a stop in Kansas for a year but always find ourselves just outside of their area. I have met folks on the road that love theirs. Hopefully we can see one at the Tampa show this year. Thanks for hanging out with us!
@@MidlifeDetour Yes, I couldn't recall the name But that is it. We have a Winnebago Navion motorhome and love it. We've had towables in the past. But as seniors with health issues, the motorhome style allows freedom we need to travel. I wish you well and resolving The problems with your tiffin fifth wheel. As a side note, when tiffin entered the Class C market their engineers did not understand the weight issues and only had occupant cargo carrying capacity of 750 lb. The solid wood and solid countertops are great for Class A's but not for C's
@@earlhunt2815 Wow 750 pounds is unbelievable. That weight would add up and be gone quickly. Adds the bling but takes away all functionality. We spent some time looking at Winnebago Views at one time but being full time with the two large dogs we decided it wasn’t the best fit. Would be great to get around it however.
My wife and I enjoy your channel. You both have incredible patience. Last year when were RV shopping, we saw a VL Vilano at a campground, and the owners gave us a tour. My wife loved it. I was a bit concerned about the weight and height of 5ers, and we could not find a unit locally to view (we were interested in the Beacon). We ended up with a 33 ft Airstream, and so far so good. I hope VL treats you well and your problems come to an end. I am also concerned about the spare tire mount coming loose, as we have a new F350. Good luck!
We are SO glad you enjoy our channel! We LOVE Airstreams! Glad you went with that! We know our rig is an outlier and not all VanLeighs have the extent of issues that we have. We hope to get it all resolved and get busy seeing more of this country! It is all part of the adventure 😊
Well, some days we do too but really had to refocus and get our perspective lined back up with what it was before we hit the road. Thanks for watching! 😎
My question is, if you guys bought this brand new, even watched it being built, how in the heck has everything broken down so fast??!!! Watching these repairs, they’re basically building brand new- AGAIN!! How does a brand new RV, custom built, become a lemon? And why in hell have they not better accommodated you with a rental rv, paying for hotel stays etc. Has insurance been involved? What about an attorney? I think y’all need one in this case.
this thing built on a friday at 4:30pm? jesus. these guys have been building rvs for how long? unacceptable. they had to open it all up to weld the frame like they couldnt add some gussets...
Junk. Properly done welds are STRONGER than the surrounding material. You TIG weld the aluminum struts to the horizontal beams, a proper weld penetrates completely through the wall and deposits material. If you go too fast, you do NOT get a proper "puddle" and do NOT penetrate through into the cavity. When you grind the outside to smooth it, you should NOT remove material from inside the cavity, but it sounds like they were lazy ( or going too fast ) and over-ground INTO the cavity and removed too much material. THAT is the only way that the seam will be weaker than the surrounding material. The manufacturer, clearly, does NOT have good welders doing this.
Hey Mike - I believe they cited economic costs including fuel, shipping and materials. Your statement is likely closer to accurate based off of my experience.
I've been following for a bit now. The amount of issues you've experienced, when do you say enough is enough? Now I just watched a recent blog where the Vanleigh shut their doors. You read from the letter that they would still support current owners. However; I just have to wonder when is enough enough. On top, it does not seem very promising with other manufacturers. Really makes me wonder if I should invest a ton of money into something that will need a ton of repairs. I hope they are paying for you hotel room.
Thanks for following along with us! We had hit a low point and almost gave up with the Beacon and travels last year due to its issues - enough was almost enough. We enjoy travel and RV life and have continued to move forward and made the decision that it would not stand in our way. Our rig has been a troublemaker and we keep thinking we will get past that bump. I just paid for additional hotel stays this week as we checked out and picked the rig up at the shop this afternoon. As I am sure you either know from experience or are learning in research - RVs are a lot of maintenance especially some of those made in the past couple of years. Our unit is extreme - our last unit had minimal issues.
Our truck is outside of warranty. The spring in that hoist had completely sprung and given up. The price we included in this video didn’t include the cost to replace the hoist. If I recall we were able to chase it down for around $140.
Seen others have quite a few problems with their Vanleigh fith wheels. Very sad for a Tiffin built units. Maybe that is why they shut down that part of the company.
Yes! We paused our content as after leaving the last service center we found our unit had additional significant issues needing correction likely requiring us to go back to service in Mississippi. Dampened the spirits a bit but we are getting back on schedule. Thanks for hanging out with us and checking in! Much appreciated.
Man, you are so patient.
I would be wild about all of these issues.
10K miles just for repairs, rental cars, hotel.
God bless you.
We keep hearing that we are patient..we have definitely had our moments and have had to regroup and take a breath. Issues or not, we gotta keep going. We want "this" to work so badly. Hoping for less issues and more of us getting to see the country! Thanks for your words and for watching 😊
I built my own camper trailer to stay away from as many issues as possible. It’s not high tech but it’s comfortable and built to last.
Shortly after my husband and I bought our 2022 Beacon 5th wheel, we started watching your channel and have gleaned so much helpful information. We are RV rookies. It is very impressive to see how well you handle all the issues you’ve experienced. If your rig is a lemon, you have a gift of turning lemons into lemonade. I often wonder if your background is related to filmmaking, because your videos are exceptionally well done. The sound and editing are amazing and you are a fantastic storyteller. I understand the labor that goes into producing quality content and want to say how much we enjoy your channel. Thank you!
We are so glad we have been helpful to you! We have remained pretty positive but have had our moments where we needed to pull ourselves back up. We actually film weddings so you are right about our background! I think you just made Ryan's night by your comment about the sound/ editing/ storytelling. Those are all things he strives for and I ALSO think he is pretty talented. It is something he enjoys. So glad you enjoy our channel and thank you for taking the time to give us a comment that made our night! Thank you for watching! 😊👍
.....WOW! ...CAMPING LOOKS LIKE FUN! ...CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY VERY OWN TWENTY-YEAR MONEY-PITT!
Doesn't have to be expensive. There's a lot of corners you can cut as a DIY'er
Well guys, we are amazed by the amount of patience you have while dealing with all the issues on your rig and our hearts go out to you. Your videos are an inspiration to those of us who are dealing with issues too but nothing like what you have dealt with and still manage to be positive about it. We are sure that many would have simply lost their cool or just walked away or got a lawyer involved.
We are now avidly following your story and hopefully this series of videos will have an HAPPLY EVER AFTER ENDING as you drive off into the sunset.
Hopefully it will all work out. We still love this lifestyle and will continue it, regardless of our rig 🙂 WE LOVE the thought of driving off into the sunset! (With or without the RV! Haha). Thank so much for your comment! 🙂👍🏼
One thing I loved about living in Idaho when I was in the military was that I could make plans in January for July knowing I wasn't going to get rained out.
Unlike my home state in the Upper Midwest where you can't plan more than 2 days ahead for weather.
I see you guys are from Ada County.
I lived in Canyon County.
Love Idaho.
Vanleigh... Hmmmm. From an engineering standpoint, I never expected much and was not surprised to see them quickly fold in the downturn. The RV industry in general just does not provide rigorous durable goods for all seasons but are priced as if they do. The money is instead spent on aesthetics. It will never change unless prospective buyers simply refuse to keep supporting this. Sorry you're having to endure the results.
Your editing and production is fantastic! We really enjoy your story and your videos! Thank you!
Wow, thank you!! That means a lot to us! We are so glad you enjoy hanging out with us! ☺️👍🏻
That's a long time to be stuck at the shop, but it's nice they're so accommodating.
They have been and we are thankful! 🙂👍🏼
I’m always impressed with your positive attitude as you guys have had so many issues. Safe travels!
Thanks so much! We are seeing less issues and more travel in our near future! 👍
Congratulations on a grandchild in the future. Nice to know with all the bumps in the road y’all still were able to make the best of it. 2023 is y’all’s year!!!
Since this video, we now have our first grandson! We are so thrilled and excited for this part of our life! 🙂 2023 IS going to be our year! Thank you!! 😎👍🏼
We RV'd towing a 36' Triple Slide Cedar Creek for a few years followed by a 38' Mobile Suites using a custom built International semi for close to 12 years of combined travel. Gotta say that the very constant maintenance/repair issues, even with the bulk of them being fixed by myself with a background of 45 years of maintaining and repairing high speed production equipment, got old real fast. It got so I was carrying a full machine shop in my Harley barn on the back of the truck. I'd show up at an rv resort with old friends waiting for my arrival so they could get me to repair stuff like hydraulic slideouts, suspendsion issues etc., I was even carrying two 20 ton air operated hydraulic jacks - got fed up with the whole exerices and bought a place in Florida. Never looked at another RV.
Time lapse of all the rigs pulling in was great!!! 😂 love it!
Way to keep flowing lemonade ya’ll!
Thank you! Lots of lemonade over here! :) We are determined to keep on traveling! Thanks for watching! :)
You guys are an inspiration... dealing with all the turmoil. I can see why Tiffin is discontinuing the VanLeigh product line... what a piece of JUNK!
Thanks for your comment! We just keep moving forward and we definitely acknowledge our rv is…well, a lemon. 🥴
I love seeing your adventures and watching your story unfold! 👏😊
Thank you for watching! ❤
Wow! Just wow!😞 God bless you both and hoping He brings you good times going forward.😎👍🏼
Thank you SO much! We are looking forward to the future and more travel / less fixes 👍🏻
Your patience is unbelievable! We are binge watching... and are just keeping our fingers crossed that y ourou don't give up. We have so enjoyed your adventures and have learned so much from trials.
Our thoughts and prayers are with you. Be safe.
So glad you found us! We are definitely not giving up! We love this lifestyle too much and are determined to live it. We are so glad you can learn from our experiences! Thanks for watchin! 😎👍🏼
Mileage and terrain will be the deciding factor always
Great to hear Tiffin is taking care of y’all! They are a good company. Hope all is smooth sailing now on out!
🤞🏻hoping for less problems and more travel! 😎 thanks for watching!
I will look forward to your videos again when you are ready. Thank you
Dude you are a Saint , I would have owned the dealership you bought this from.
As you know we also stared in the frame welds cracking and breaking on our 5th wheel. Not only were there repaired at the Dealership in Pasco, Washington, the rig has been back to Indiana 3 times for repairs, the last one being a year ago. So far so good. Interesting that the did not go ahead and put gussets in. We sure do love the lifestyle, but the repairs can get pretty frustrating. As you know Angie and I are big fans of the channel!! Keep on keeping on!!! 🍻 Sean & Angie
We definitely love this lifestyle and the repairs and issues are definitely not going to hamper our love and desire to keep traveling! Been some tuff days but then we pick ourselves back up and “keep on keepin on” 😉 Thanks for your continued advice and encouragement! We appreciate you both! 😎
Thanks for thanks for give me head up on the product issues. I'm a full-time rver was looking to buy at Beacon RV. Now I'm going to avoid it at all costs and select another manufacturer. I'm seriously considering the Brinkley 5th wheel. There is no wood used in the manufacturing. So no rotten floors, walls, ceilings or slide out. Slide outs are also floor flush.
We stopped and looked at the Brinkley 5th wheel multiple times and spoke to the folks from Brinkley while at the Tampa show. Very well thought out with some excellent design features. Impressive unit!
I hope you have made it out of the hotel and are back doing adventures. Fantastic editing!
We made it out of the hotel…😉 We are adventuring! 😎👍🏻
@@MidlifeDetour Yay!!
You both have taught me so much about VL and full-time living. thank you for taking the time to explain the aluminum frame break. As you know, my Beacon is in Red Bay being repaired with the same issue as yours. Being I’m not in red Bay, I have asked them to take a picture of the brake and the repair once done. They have not given me an answer yet and unfortunately they do not seem at all interested in doing that.
We are so glad that by sharing our story it helps other people! It really makes IT for us! t would be nice if they would give you some pics so you you can understand your repair. We hope that your Beacon gets taken care of quickly…🤞🏻
Man all the problems but y’all still living loving and enjoying each other having fun and journeying, beautiful
Thank you for this comment! Yes, we are still loving this life and definitely being together through it all. We are looking forward to this year and all that we will learn, accomplish and grow through! That’s what life is about. Thanks for watchin! 🙂
Wow, glad you could get it all (well almost all) taken care of! It's hard to leave your rig for a hotel but oh so wonderful when you back to it.
It was definitely so good to be back! Is so crazy how much our small space just feels like home...even with all the issues. Hope for less of that and MORE seeing the country! Thanks for watching! Hope our paths cross one of these days! 😎👍
Stay the course guys! We are getting ready to become full timers in July and are loving your videos!
Thank so much!! Good luck to you guys! Despite our issues we LOVE FULL TIME!! 😎👍🏻 you will too!
This Guys Daughter is Beautiful! Good luck on your repairs!
I enjoy your channel and your outlook on life, including the challenges. Best of luck for the issues to get resolved so you can enjoy your journey. Take care.
We are glad you enjoy our channel and hope to have a lot of good stuff “content” in the future! Thanks for watching! 😎👍🏻
Prime example of why Vanleigh is closing!
Sadly 😕
When you produce junk, word gets around. Obviously word has gotten around about Vanleigh.
Must be garbage
The elephant in the room is the construction techniques used in RV's. Just compare a normal gooseneck trailer and look at the steel and the gussets used to give the trailer frame rigidity to haul stuff around. Then look at any fifth wheel RV trailer and the frame is not as robust or suitable to carry the weight or to withstand the road shock from poor roads under extreme conditions. If the foundation is flimsy then any stress will be reflected throughout structure. Next aluminum is a good lightweight material but under flexing the welds will always break just ask Grumman busses years ago where the aluminum welds would not hold up. It is just a shame that so many users end up with so many bad stories regardless of the brand.
Had a Fleetwood Terry 5th wheel, total garbage never again. Lance camper more garbage. Loved RVing over many years but constantly repairing something. Would love to have a class A but no wanting more garbage. You guys have patience for days. Best of luck to you both.
Thank you so much! We really "get" what you are talking about and have seen the quality go down so much, especially the last few years. We don't want garbage either...tough decisions! Thanks fore your comment and for watching!
Wow, that was quite the story and the elevator experience...unsure when we will ride an elevator again now as well. Glad as always to see you all persevering with great content/info! Here is too minimal route changes in the future.
Not sure when I will take an elevator again either. Haven’t taken one since…😉Thank you so much for your kind words! We will keep on keeping on! 👍🏻
My wife and I purchased a new RV about 2 years ago. Everything has been falling apart from the first day.
If we took it in for warranty repairs every time, we would likely never go anywhere.
I have been fixing it myself continously and a won't travel without a substantial tool kit and a lot of supplies.
Quality seems to be dismal across most of the industry. Our next one will be one of the higher build quality brands even if it is double or triple the initial cost. Repairs keep it from being fun for me.
You are right - there is a lot of opportunity in the industry. We have only taken our rig in for the major issues that became travel impactful; roof replacement & frame issues but while there had them address the other major outstanding issues. We are still fixing it daily ourselves to avoid service centers but will have to go back at some point to have the frame gussets welded in.
Y’all are so positive.
Thank you. It definitely is a choice. Being negative seems like such a waste. We will remain positive and hopeful that this will all work out how it’s supposed to. Thank you for watching and for your comment! 🙂
Great video. Loved the music.
Hey, thanks for watchin! 😎👍🏻
Own a RV and your nightmares begin!!! Why can't they just build a good one to start with???? You are amoung many others who are going thru this !! Your patience is OUTSTANDING---I don't think I could do it!! Fix it and trade it in---can't be any worse than what you have now. I truly feel your pain and hope to see you both smiling again. I'm sure you are getting reimbursed from Tiffin!!!
Thank you for showing and educating us on what we would be getting into. Also, sorry your manufacturer is going out of business. I think many of us at this stage of life (midlife) want the same thing. But as I watch so many of these videos I'm learning that this might not be the way to achieve the freedom, adventure, lifestyle that we are looking for at this point in our life. But I certainly don't have the answer! Anyway thanks for your videos!
At first we contemplated showing our many issues (and we have many more that we haven’t even talked about) but it was / is reality and such a big part of our story as much as the good times are. We are glad that showing them has helped you / others to see the other side of full-timing. It is not all glamorous BUT we would STILL choose this lifestyle over again. There are so many good aspects and our favorite part is the many good people that we have met along this journey. It makes it all so worth it 🙂 Thanks so much for your comment and for watchin! 👍🏼
🤦♂Ouch on multiple levels. Keep smiling guys and hang in there.
We are definitely keeping our chins up! Looking forward to more travel and less fixes 😎👍🏻 thanks for watching!
My family had a Transport Taho that had broken axels, bowing floor...it was a lemon spent more time at the manufacture than we used it on trips typically.
All these warranty repairs is what sunk VanLeigh.
There are a lot of things, I am sure! It’s very unfortunate! 😕🍋
Oh man my wife and I were stuck in an elevator twice in one year. We understand your fear.
Oh that’s awful! Once is bad enough! Twice? Would most likely take that a sign I shouldn’t be in one…ever again. Haha. 😬
Hey guys, we just found your channel and we're your newest subscriber. You are correct about the tornados in Alabama and Mississippi. We live in Mississippi and definitely deal with our share of bad weather. Hopefully, the repairs will fix all your issues. Safe travels!
Hey! Thanks for subscribing! 😎 I can’t believe the severe weather! Nothing like that in Idaho! We are looking forward to less repairs and more travel! 👍🏻😉
Great video!! Sorry for the troubles, but there isn’t an RV brand that doesn’t have issues eventually.
By the way, you sir, have an awesome narrator voice. Makes the video well worth listening to and viewing.
Thank you! Absolutely there isn’t a brand without issues! For sure. We know people who are very happy with their VanLeigh. Wish that was us! 🙂 I think Ryan is pretty flattered with your comment about his narrator voice…that’s a first! Thanks for watchin! 🙂
I’ve owned 7 different RV’s in my lifetime. I made the mistake of buying a Vanleigh 5th wheel in 2019. Worst experience of my RV life. Had so many problems and little to no customer service from them. So frustrated I sold the POS and took a 30 k loss. I’ve heard their closing the plant and no longer making them. I hope that’s true. Very bad quality control.
Our brand new camper has the same broken frame issue also. I can’t believe it honestly and how they thought that was a good idea. We have been out of our home since Oct 8th and counting. Along with a host of other issues. Ugh
Where are you getting the frame fixed? So sorry you are out of your home! That is a very long time!! Unacceptable. So sorry you are dealing with this! 😕 thank you for sharing!
@@MidlifeDetour So our home is in Albuquerque NM at a LaMesa drake for VL. We are waiting on the darn closet door they forgot to ship to us but they got everything else fixed so we will see. 😩
Just found your channel. What if any repairs are under warranty? We have had 7 RV's since 1986. All motorhomes with the last being 45' Teton 5th wheel. All were purchased new. We have been through just about every issue you can imagine while working through each rigs factory defects to achieve satisfactory levels to permit full use of the rigs. Rigs included class C's, class A's diesel pushers, and the 5th wheel. One of the pushers was returned as a lemon. "Been there, done that," as the saying goes. Wish you well in getting your rig road worthy!
Hey Rick! All of the issues we have shown have been warranty items thus far. We are now out of our year warranty for the majority of items but still have the some time left on the 3 year structural. We are doing are best to get the rest of the items squared away without impacting our ability to enjoy RV life. I have repaired some at this current stop we are at but unfortunately we will have to go to the factory for some larger repairs. Unless I become skilled in fiberglass repair and obtained a welder! Thanks for hanging out with us.
Wow, you guys have been through a lot of major problems with your Vanleigh Beacon in such a short time. Issues with our 2022 two month old 41LKB Beacon seem not as bad. Two weeks ago we had a major rear axle failure going through the Houston area, which caused a fire as the tire jamb up against the rear leveling jack rupturing the hydraulic lines. We were suck on the side of the highway for 11+ hours before getting a wrecker company with a lowboy/bus trailer to move the Beacon to a near by dealership for repair. It looks like Lippert will provide a new 8K axle assembly and repair associated damages. No body told us RV'ing would be so stressful...lol. Hope your Vanleigh has no more surprises to throw at you all.
Wow, you have had your own set of issues! 11 hours on the side of the road 😳 So glad you got your damages covered! Definitely knew that things wouldn't be perfect but we never imagined we would spend so much of our time in service centers with such major issues...but here we are! We hope you guys have better luck with your Beacon! (Us too!) Thanks for watching!
Great information Thanks for sharing. I was debating on going RVing or Park Model as a base camp?
But as you mentioned lots of issues can happen and huge expenses
Thus I purchased a new Park Model in AZ as a base camp and be able to go and return here
But don’t know if that is the answer either…
I like to travel see things in the US
Am single 65 and have lots of time etc
Keep second guessing myself
Congratulations on becoming grandparents!
I now have 6 and last 2 came into the world
last month and have not been able to meet them yet
Due to me in what A’s supposed to be sunny and warm AZ…
But that has not worked out either
I just want to be warm
Thanks for your videos
Never buying a new travel trailer. Especially not the highly flawed fifth wheels. They just aren't built to last more than a couple of trips per year anymore. They used to be built to live in regularly.
Wow that is unfortunate. Switch it up recommended your channel. I look forward to seeing your journey.
Thanks so much for checking us out! Todd and Shelia are pretty awesome! We look forward to having you come along this journey with us! 🙂👍🏼
Hmmm- I thought w/my new motorhome, is a lemon, w/ no recoarse. . I am heading back to boating.
So sorry for you.
Well, we will keep moving forward! 👍🏼
Another awesome video- I’m so sorry for all the issues with your rig!
Thank you! We are keepin on! 😎👍🏻
I know now what type of Fifth Wheel not to purchase. Vanleigh that is. I’m also a Chevy guy . Yea haw!
Yep, this does it! I think I am going to pass on anymore thoughts about 5th wheel ownership. From friends to all of the TH-camrs I have watched with soooo many issues with their 5th wheels, now matter how fancy or expensive, they all suck in one way or the other when it comes to problems, repair and all the nightmares. You folks are beyond patient and good for you, but not me as we all need to know our limits. The fact that they would not add the gussets and provided you with some garbage excuse just means that AFTER the warranty is over, this will crack again and YOU will pay for it. No thanks. Anyway, I will chill on the ranting now and I guess it just comes from my disappointment, but you all have saved me by sharing your experiences and I cannot thank you enough!
Well, we are glad our experience can help you. We contemplated sharing at first because we don’t want to be a channel that just has issues but we decided that it was the life we were living and part of our journey and just maybe others could learn a thing or two…even at our expense 😬 There is a great deal of disappointment for us as we didn’t expect / envision or want our story to go this way. Thanks so much for your comment and your insight! 🙂
I have to give you both kuddos.
I'm sorry to say that I would be beside myself right now. This company for a top notch manufacturer really should be ashamed. These is beyond normal shake down problems.
Having technician not checking their work, etc. Poor quality control especially after all the problems it's a shame. They should be bending backwards to make this right. Hang in there. Beautiful 5th wheel!! Just
Not what anyone would expect to be going through. Take care..
Thank you so much for your feedback. Definitely not something you imagine for a start to full time life. We are trying to make the best of all of it and continue to have the adventure we planned. We look forward to more of that! Thanks for watchin and for your comment! 🙂👍🏼
As someone who works on RV's for a living, I can say that they are NOT meant to be lived in! They are absolutely crap! Mainly because the people at the factory do NOT care!
I am sure you’ve seen it all! Living in one is… very challenging at times! I think a lot get into this lifestyle expecting it to be similar to living in a built home and it definitely is anything BUT that!
This is a perfect example of why their operation is being closed down, as recently announced.
Hello we just found your channel and we live in Idaho. We have been playing with the idea of full time. Tiffin Has been on our short list either Class A or the 5th wheel like yours! However, after following several others that have the Tiffin 5 th wheel I think we have changed our mind! Covid has changed so much! Are you retired?
Hello fellow Idahoan! We completely agree with you that things in the industry have changed! I would not want to purchase another 5th wheel at this moment in time! We had excellent luck with out Momentum and sure wish we would’ve stuck with that! The current owners said it is a perfect rig! Still! 😬 thanks for your comments and for watchin!
And even after all that and I really hate y’all had to experience these issues and hope it gets fixed quickly I would still buy a fifth wheel and enjoy life for once
We hope it does as well. We would still choose this lifestyle and we are definitely finding every opportunity to enjoy this life. 👍🏼🙂
Damn I just sold my house and most of everything. I’m in the process of buying a Motorhome and not looking forward to dealing with this. I keep going back and forth on if I should buy a Tiffin.
Congrats on selling your house! We know people who are happy with their purchases with both Tiffin and VanLeigh...unfortunately for us, ours is an outlier. We trust you will have a much smoother adventure! 😎
I hate elevators, never use if I can help it. My husband thinks I'm crazy.
Well, I have never liked them but this just took that to a whole new level! Ryan continued to take the elevator and I got A LOT of exercise! I say you are NOT crazy! 😎👍
Funny the coaches unhook the junk jeeps and go to the Mopar dealer to drop them off!
The clunking thank you for mentioning that my 21 f250 had a similar issue we’re it would not release the 4wd
I thought it was going to be a quick fix - apparently those vacuums are known for going out on those hubs. The tech told me to “exercise” it more often since we rarely use 4WD. Thanks for hanging out with us!
This is literally a nightmare! Sorry you guys are experiencing all of these issues. How bad do things need to get for the manufacture to refund your purchase? With all the water issues in a wood based product things are just going to get worse over time and warranty only lasts for so long. I hope you are looked after one way or another 🇨🇦
We DO worry about the water. We have had a lot of leaking! 🥴
Sorry to say but TH-cam has a lot of vanleigh products with lots of issues hope things get better personally I think once you get most of the items fixed I would quickly get rid of it
We are hoping things get better too and we can focus more on our travel..its all part of the adventure...:)
Welcome to the RV life
I have heard dozens of these stories. There is no quality control during the builds.
The inspections and very incomplete. The owners then have to spend their time and money driving around the country to get the unit fixed. It happens many times every day.
I’m pretty sure God is trying to tell these folks to stay in their home, lay on the couch and watch other people live the camper life. 😂
That sure sounds boring 😬
Looks like a low end brand parading as high end
To keep the weight down, lighter frames are ordered and used by the manufacturers of fifth wheels and all towables. To my knowledge there's only one manufacturer with a seriously engineered frame to support the weight and it's out of the Kansas area producing low numbers per year
You must be referring to New Horizons. I have been attempting a stop in Kansas for a year but always find ourselves just outside of their area. I have met folks on the road that love theirs. Hopefully we can see one at the Tampa show this year. Thanks for hanging out with us!
@@MidlifeDetour Yes, I couldn't recall the name But that is it. We have a Winnebago Navion motorhome and love it. We've had towables in the past. But as seniors with health issues, the motorhome style allows freedom we need to travel. I wish you well and resolving The problems with your tiffin fifth wheel. As a side note, when tiffin entered the Class C market their engineers did not understand the weight issues and only had occupant cargo carrying capacity of 750 lb. The solid wood and solid countertops are great for Class A's but not for C's
@@earlhunt2815 Wow 750 pounds is unbelievable. That weight would add up and be gone quickly. Adds the bling but takes away all functionality. We spent some time looking at Winnebago Views at one time but being full time with the two large dogs we decided it wasn’t the best fit. Would be great to get around it however.
My wife and I enjoy your channel. You both have incredible patience. Last year when were RV shopping, we saw a VL Vilano at a campground, and the owners gave us a tour. My wife loved it. I was a bit concerned about the weight and height of 5ers, and we could not find a unit locally to view (we were interested in the Beacon). We ended up with a 33 ft Airstream, and so far so good. I hope VL treats you well and your problems come to an end. I am also concerned about the spare tire mount coming loose, as we have a new F350. Good luck!
We are SO glad you enjoy our channel! We LOVE Airstreams! Glad you went with that! We know our rig is an outlier and not all VanLeighs have the extent of issues that we have. We hope to get it all resolved and get busy seeing more of this country! It is all part of the adventure 😊
It is a shame that you need so many things done to a new trailer, but unfortunately it seems all trailers have many problems .
Definitely a shame but we are hoping to get things resolved and have less issues moving forward. Thanks for watching! 😎
For the money you paid for that 5th wheel and the issues you have had, if it was me I’d be going to a different brand!
Definitely not as easy as it sounds but we totally get it! 👍🏼
Holy cow, I feel bad for you guys.
Well, some days we do too but really had to refocus and get our perspective lined back up with what it was before we hit the road. Thanks for watching! 😎
Whether you pay $5 or $500,000 the problems are the same or worse in the more expensive model.
Absolutely! (Unfortunately 😕)
My question is, if you guys bought this brand new, even watched it being built, how in the heck has everything broken down so fast??!!! Watching these repairs, they’re basically building brand new- AGAIN!! How does a brand new RV, custom built, become a lemon? And why in hell have they not better accommodated you with a rental rv, paying for hotel stays etc. Has insurance been involved? What about an attorney? I think y’all need one in this case.
this thing built on a friday at 4:30pm? jesus. these guys have been building rvs for how long? unacceptable. they had to open it all up to weld the frame like they couldnt add some gussets...
Junk. Properly done welds are STRONGER than the surrounding material. You TIG weld the aluminum struts to the horizontal beams, a proper weld penetrates completely through the wall and deposits material. If you go too fast, you do NOT get a proper "puddle" and do NOT penetrate through into the cavity. When you grind the outside to smooth it, you should NOT remove material from inside the cavity, but it sounds like they were lazy ( or going too fast ) and over-ground INTO the cavity and removed too much material. THAT is the only way that the seam will be weaker than the surrounding material. The manufacturer, clearly, does NOT have good welders doing this.
90% of 5th wheels have Crappy construction... maybe Luxe or DRV
Id lose my mind
Congrats1000,
lol... RV Life is always and adventure..... I guess we will see your next video in maybe a month or 2 for an update... bahahahahaha
Well, this is our third one so I think we are on a roll. Rough couple of months for us, as you guys know ;O
Now tell us why they ended the brand again? They obviously don’t do good job at building 5th wheels and called it quits before it costs too much.
Hey Mike - I believe they cited economic costs including fuel, shipping and materials. Your statement is likely closer to accurate based off of my experience.
Feel sorry for u both!!!! Horrible!!!!!
We hope it’s going to be smoother going forward! Thanks for watching!
LUXE RV
I've been following for a bit now. The amount of issues you've experienced, when do you say enough is enough? Now I just watched a recent blog where the Vanleigh shut their doors. You read from the letter that they would still support current owners. However; I just have to wonder when is enough enough. On top, it does not seem very promising with other manufacturers. Really makes me wonder if I should invest a ton of money into something that will need a ton of repairs. I hope they are paying for you hotel room.
Thanks for following along with us! We had hit a low point and almost gave up with the Beacon and travels last year due to its issues - enough was almost enough. We enjoy travel and RV life and have continued to move forward and made the decision that it would not stand in our way. Our rig has been a troublemaker and we keep thinking we will get past that bump. I just paid for additional hotel stays this week as we checked out and picked the rig up at the shop this afternoon.
As I am sure you either know from experience or are learning in research - RVs are a lot of maintenance especially some of those made in the past couple of years. Our unit is extreme - our last unit had minimal issues.
Sure am glad I bought a LUXE.
We have been to the RV Factory looking a Luxe a couple of times. You made a good choice.
Wow! What terrible quality control and construction! No wonder Vanleigh went out of business!!
You need to switch to manual hubs.
Time for a Renegade RV, then pull a small trailer with a car in it.
Wow I would have shit caned that as fast I could
when did frankie mcdowell quit doing the weather?
Why would it cost you anything for the spare tire? That should 100% been covered under warranty since the hoist failed and dropped the tire.
Our truck is outside of warranty. The spring in that hoist had completely sprung and given up. The price we included in this video didn’t include the cost to replace the hoist. If I recall we were able to chase it down for around $140.
There is no excuse for those kind of manufacturing defects!
FYI...RV's are not intended for full time living and traveling.
Seen others have quite a few problems with their Vanleigh fith wheels. Very sad for a Tiffin built units. Maybe that is why they shut down that part of the company.
Dump the 5th wheel but a class A and avoid all these quality issues.
Are you not doing videos anymore?
Yes! We paused our content as after leaving the last service center we found our unit had additional significant issues needing correction likely requiring us to go back to service in Mississippi. Dampened the spirits a bit but we are getting back on schedule. Thanks for hanging out with us and checking in! Much appreciated.