khensley
Lafayette, OR USA
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Joined: 08/01/2001
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We've narrowed our search down to two very different trailers.... a Wildwood T23 Lite with a slide, and a Prowler Lynx UltraLight 725H. The Wildwood is based on wood construction, the Prowler has aluminum. The siding of the Prowler is smooth fiberglass, the Wildwood is standard aluminum. The floor plans are basically the same, and the weights are in the same neighborhood. The MSRP's are also very similar.
I've always thought that aluminum makes more sense in a lightweight model..actually, in any trailer. I don't like the 13" wheels on the Prowler, not a lot of clearance compared to the Wildwood. Could I put larger tires/wheels on it?? don't know. Both have the NW package....double insulation, awning, AC, etc.
thoughts??
kyle
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bldrbuck
one or the other
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Joined: 02/11/2001
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Actually it is the siding that makes the prowler heavy. We were looking at trailers several years ago and found that the fiberglass model was about 800 pounds heavier than the aluminum version the same trailer. This happened to be Carri-lite. They were identical except for the siding. I would go with the aluminum siding and bigger wheels. They will carry the load much better and ride smoother. You probably get bigger brakes with the bigger wheels. You can usually obtain heavier load rated tires in larger sizes. Changing wheels may cause clearance problems and reduce the effectiveness of the brakes. Good Luck. By the way you may want to read the notices about Fleetwood. Many are good but it seems more are bad.
93 Ford F350 Turbo Diesel, DRW, Crew Cab. PullRite Hitch. 35' King of the Road 5er, 192 Watts Solar, 2800 Watt Yamaha Generator, 1750 Watt Inverter, 2 Trogan T105 Batteries, Me, my wife and 2 maltize furkids.
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JIMMY034
Springville, NY (S. of Buffalo)
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Joined: 04/30/2001
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In my opinion, you can't go wrong with either one! Forest River, who makes the Wildwood, makes a fantastic RV that will last you for a long time. The Prowler, although made by Fleetwood, is an excellent RV too. I prefer aluminum framing myself, and fiberglass sides. The maintenance is so much easier than aluminum siding. Also, if you get a water leak with wood frame, that could lead to not very nice consequences, although with the Wildwood you probably wouldn't have to worry about this anyway. If I had to choose between the two, even as much as I love anything by Forest River, I would go with the Prowler. Smooth sides look better, clean easier, and the aluminum frame makes the RV that much lighter and stronger than wood construction. Ever see what a hail storm does to aluminum sided trailers?
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bluesky
South Jersey
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Joined: 12/11/2000
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You would do well to study both the "RV Rating Book" and "How to Select, Inspect, and Buy an RV" from the RV Consumer Group at http://www.rv.org
There are many marginal trailers that might look great when you first see them. The books will get you past the shine and glitter of the showroom and can help you avoid expensive mistakes.
The books are sometimes available at libraries or through interlibrary loan.
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homepage: Low-Tech Ideas, Tips, Hints and Solutions for RV Trailering
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Slickrick
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Joined: 06/27/2001
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When I as a kid my family had alumium siding on our trailer and guess who got to clean it....me. My wife and I have a hybrid that is aluminum framing with fiberglass siding and it is a dream to clean, I walk around the trailer with some Simple Green, let sit a couple of minutes and then use a brush with a garden hose attachment, easy job. We have some friends that we camp with that have a aluminum sided trailer and it does take a bit longer for the black marks to come off, but it isn't all that bad.
I would be more concerned about warrenty between the two. Unless your going to camp under pines or other sap trees all summer I wouldn't worry to much about cleanning.
IMHO, Rich
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Slickrick
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Joined: 06/27/2001
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When I as a kid my family had alumium siding on our trailer and guess who got to clean it....me. My wife and I have a hybrid that is aluminum framing with fiberglass siding and it is a dream to clean, I walk around the trailer with some Simple Green, let sit a couple of minutes and then use a brush with a garden hose attachment, easy job. We have some friends that we camp with that have a aluminum sided trailer and it does take a bit longer for the black marks to come off, but it isn't all that bad.
I would be more concerned about warrenty between the two. Unless your going to camp under pines or other sap trees all summer I wouldn't worry to much about cleanning.
IMHO, Rich
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