In 2010 I did a review of my then new Rockwood trailer. I thought I would give a brief follow up after 5 great years of camping. I'll paste my original post at the end.
1. I traded the Chevrolet 5.3 liter gasoline for a Chevrolet Duramax. Like a lot of fellow campers, I learned that pushing your towing limits to the max is very hard on your truck. The Duramax hardly struggles towing my Rockwood (7000 pounds) in the Rocky Mountains.
2. All of the original accessories (stove, heater, AC, microwave, water heater, converter) are working perfectly. I have only done normal yearly maintenance and winterizing.
3. There are no frame or body issues to date.
4. I have only had to perform minor interior repairs. They make these things cheap and light, so fasteners and other things are likely to come apart. Not a big deal so far.
5. The electric brakes had a short. I found that they did a poor job insulating the electric wire from the frame. It was an easy fix after an hour looking for the short. I insulated all areas that the factory should have to prevent future problems.
6. There have been no problems with the wheels or bearings, they have been repacked once.
7. The electric assist lift system was sticking until I realized that there are grease points on the underside.
8. I have learned that you have to be very careful when setting up and taking down. If you try to push in a bed hard or do something in the wrong order, it can catch on the canvas and pull to the point of tearing. I have stopped before anything has torn so.
Overall, I have had almost no problems with the camper. We use it a lot. I am in the national forest about one month out of every calendar year. When I purchased the trailer I was not overly impressed with how flimsy the construction felt. After seeing other campers, I think that they are all that way.
ORIGINAL 2010 post:
I bought a Rockwood HW316TH (high wall 316 toy hauler) this year. I decided to give my first year opinion of the unit since when I was buying mine I found few actual owner reviews. We have camped 15 nights in the unit this year with another trip next weekend. We rarely camp in designated campgrounds, prefering the National Forest camping.
Towing:
The unit is at 3800 empty and I estimate I am at 6000-6500 loaded and with one ATV. I estimate the hitch weight at 600+ with one ATV (loaded as close to the trailer axle as possible). The trailer has a tandem axle. I use a Reese load dist. hitch on a 2000 Chevrolet 1500 Silverado 4x4 5300. Yes, the truck is going on 11 years old but it is rarely driven and just broke 100,000 miles. The power train is still fresh.
On the flats the Chevrolet pulls the trailer like a champ. I tow it under the speed limit, usually 60-65 mph. There is plenty of power left for accel. or passing.
I live in Colorado and I almost always camp in the Rocky Mountains. My Chevrolet struggles on only the steepest grades. Those that are familiar with the eastbound I-70 pull up to the Eisenhower tunnel will see me going 40 mph in the right lane. This is the steepest hill that I have driven to date.
In summary, if my truck was older and in poor condition I would trade it for a Chevrolet 2500HD with the 6.0 liter V-8. The 2500 would pull the steep grades better and I could carry a second ATV when I buy one (I don't think I could carry a second ATV with the current set-up, too heavy and too much hitch weight).
Set-up: The trailer sets up easily and one person can get it done in about 15 minutes. We have not had any issues in setting the unit up.
Quality:
I know they have to build the thing lightweight but I sometimes think the issue was more about CHEAP than LIGHT. I have already replaced several brackets and other small fasteners that I knew where not going to last just because they felt so cheaply made. In Rockwoods defense, nothing has broken (other than in my previous post before I even got it home). Everything in the Rockwood trailer has performed as it was designed to perform. A few things that I felt were cheaply made are the screen door, toilet, shower, and the dinner table supports.
I am happy with the quality if the tent material. It seems to be of high quality and it cleans up easily with just water. The screens and zippers seem to also be of high quality. We have not had any issues in this area.
The exterior material and frame are quality material and we have not had any issues (other than in my previous post before I even got it home).
The lifting mechanism works easily and without any problems. I do wish that the up/down switch had a cover on it to keep curious kids from seeing it (and playing with it). I may rig something up to cover the switch.
Design:
We are completely happy witht he overall design of the Rockwood.
Appliances:
The 4.0 refer works great on either gas or electric. The 6 gallon water heater and the furnace has worked perfectly. The A/C has not been turned on since we camp so high in elevation feet and don' really need it. The electrical system and the water system has worked normally.
When I bought this trailer I was torn between it and the E3. So far I am happy with my choice. I picked the Rockwood becasue of the double ATV hauler and I got a great deal on a 2009 (new) model.
Ask if there are any questions, I was just trying to help out anyone looking to buy a pop-up camper.
