Coleman Sun Ridge Design problems
EdJ
on the Coleman Sun Ridge popup. The article points out two
serious design faults with one of them being safety. The article
is at...
http://www.rv.org/issue/98_2_pg4.htm
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Ed J e...@ibm.net
On my retirement adventure from the rolling hills of
the Southern Tier in New York State.....
BRIAN GOODSON
EdJ wrote in message <3676DC...@ibm.net>...
Another great design by coleman as a service tech. told me when I asked him
about a problem on my 91 chesapeak. It looks like coleman will try to sell
you a fix rather than recall the product and fix it. If it is so bad they
will finally stand behind their warrenty and try to fix it.
Brian
bo...@compuserve.com
distribution design of the SR, not to mention Coleman's poor customer
service which ignored my complaint. Still, I couldn't help but notice
how well-written and laid out this site was. I wonder which competitor
published it?
-bob in rochester ny
mjstraw+...@grove.iup.edu
> Still, I couldn't help but notice
> how well-written and laid out this site was. I wonder which competitor
> published it?
It's the RV Consumer's Group, an independent non-profit group. I was
considering joining before I bought my camper, but back then my
perception was that their emphases was on motor homes and travel
trailers.
Mark Strawcutter
Indiana PA
'97 Coleman Key West
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EdJ
http://www.rv.org for more info on the group. They test RV's for
safety and durability. They publish a Buying Guide every year that
rates all the different brands and models. It is primarily for full
size trailers and motorhomes, but many popups are also covered.
I think they publish the volume for '99 models in January.
It costs $100 to join for the first year. That gets you the RV
Rating guide and a couple other books as well as access to the
on-line info. It is a $100 well spent if buying a new RV. Just
think how much it would be worth to you if you were steered clear
of the Sun Ridge bad design before you bought it.....
Alternatively, many libraries have the Rating Guide located in the
reference section. Maybe not the latest version, but enough to get
an idea of good and bad designs.
bo...@compuserve.com wrote:
>
> As a 98 Sun Ridge owner I also have serious issues with the weight
> distribution design of the SR, not to mention Coleman's poor customer
> service which ignored my complaint. Still, I couldn't help but notice
> how well-written and laid out this site was. I wonder which competitor
> published it?
>
Zach4596
What evidence is/ was presented by RV Org regarding the Coleman Sun Ridge
(97/98)? The article in RV Org. was given by a private party - (sounds like
dealer miscommunication/warranty fixes required). Are you saying the buyers
guide has specific design flaw information on the Sun Ridge (97/98) in it? I'd
love to hear a portion if not the entire review.
I hope you aren't Monday morning quaterbacking or a RV Org sales person?
Show evidence - that is the purpose of this site - I hope.
Zach...@aol.com
98 Sun Ridge (No I don't work for Coleman)
EdJ
I am not even a member, just an admirer or their goals. I am
retired and am a devoted beachcomber.......
What you read on the site is all I know about the design problems.
However, a popup that is properly designed should not need a special
hitch that Coleman says is required to keep the Sun Ridge under
control. I have a Jayco Cardinal popup that is heavier and bigger
than the Sun Ridge and I have never had a problem with sway. On
second thought, I had a problem once, and that was my fault. I had
stored some heavy stuff at the rear of the popup. I had a little
problem with sway. The extra weight at the rear of the trailer
reduced hitch weight enough to cause the problem. It was fixed
after I moved the stored items from the rear to the front of the
interior. Now, if I have to store some heavy stuff at the back
of the trailer, I balance the weight by filling the water tank
in the front with 20 gallons of water.
I have seen a copy of the RV Guide and it does not have 'specific'
items listed. It instead assigns a numerical rating to such things
as safety and durability. The higher the ratings, the better
the trailer will be. I don't know how the Sun Ridge rated. Perhaps
you could visit a library to see if they have a copy of the guide.
--
JJSabol1
I have a 97 Coleman Sun Ridge that we bought new. When i was at the dealer ,
my salesman told us about the sway problem and that they HIGHLY recommended a
sway control device. In fact, the Dealer had a paper from Coleman that we had
to sign stating that they had explained the sway problem to us and we
understood the circumstances. We went ahead and got the friction type sway bar
- we did not use the Reese hitch because the dealer said it wouldn't work
because of the location of the front jack.
I havn't had any problems with sway until on our last trip I hadn't tighten the
friction bar enough (my fault). Once I tightened it, the sway was gone. I've
towed this camper for thousands of miles and have not had any problems. I tow
with a 95 Ford Windstar or a 96 Ford Explorer.
In my opion, I don't fault Coleman for trying to hide the problem because they
didn't, in my case. It all depends on the dealer you get. My dealer was
Beckley's RV, in Frederick Maryland.
Now the roof sag is another issue.............
My two cents worth.
Jeff Sabol
97 Coleman SunRidge
No I do not work for Coleman!!!
DennisM
about roof problems with the coleman tent trailers.
We own a 1998 mesa that the roof has sagged about 1 inch in the center which
doesn't seem to be causing any big problems right now , but I have a couple
of questions.
Will this problem only get worse ?
If I don't get it fixed before its a year old will it be harder to get
Coleman to replace the roof for free?
Thanks for your answers in advance
Dennis Mitchell
Douglas E. Hunter
Dennis:
Check your warranty. I believe you have a lifetime warranty on the one
piece ABS roof. I just got the roof replaced on my 1996 Bayport (free).
The biggest problem we had was the rubber seal getting overly mashed at
the saggiest part of the roof. It was getting forced outward and
beginning to pull loose from the roof.
Regards,
Doug.
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mjstraw+...@grove.iup.edu
> Iv just subscribed to this group and noticed that there was some talk
> about roof problems with the coleman tent trailers.
> We own a 1998 mesa that the roof has sagged about 1 inch in the center which
> doesn't seem to be causing any big problems right now , but I have a couple
> of questions.
>
> Will this problem only get worse ?
In my experience, yes it will only get worse.
Do a dejanews search for lots of postings on the subject.
> If I don't get it fixed before its a year old will it be harder to get
> Coleman to replace the roof for free?
The primary drawback to waiting longer than one year is that you will then
be responsible for the cost of shipping a new roof from the factory to your
dealer.
I'm only a couple of hours away from the factory. I suspect you're a bit
farther :-)
mjstraw+...@grove.iup.edu
> What evidence is/ was presented by RV Org regarding the Coleman Sun Ridge
> (97/98)? The article in RV Org. was given by a private party - (sounds like
> dealer miscommunication/warranty fixes required). Are you saying the buyers
> guide has specific design flaw information on the Sun Ridge (97/98) in it?
The article seemed to be pretty specific about what they considered to
be a design flaw - positioning of axle etc.
While the water pump problem could be taken care of with a "warranty fix",
it's the sort of report that says a lot about Coleman quality control.
I believe the "private party" who wrote the article is the president of
the RV Consumer's group.
What problems described do you attribute to "dealer miscommunication"?