Chalet ts116fb

[pa_traveler]

I have a lance 1191 on a f-350 dually 6.7. My question is the chalet be used on this truck? Anybody running this combination,what would be some ways to beef truck up ,now we have air bags,what kind of new or extra springs could be added? Are owners happy with there chalets?

[Fish_mojo]

Roundtowner wrote:

K Mac wrote:
Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I know each and every unit can have their problems but I'd say you got more than your share. What kind of warranty do the Chalets come with? Also, did Chalet offer to help you out at all, sounds like some serious design flaws. That's a lot of damage for a unit that's only two years old. My six year structural warranty was a big factor in our decision. Good luck movin forward.

Chalet does have a one year warranty on the structure. I found the company very hard to work with. The site manager did agree that they could fix it at my expense and after they reopened their new facility. I had many difficulties getting them to return my phone calls and emails. The owner of the company never returned my calls. After I decided to get it fixed locally, they did agree to sell me a new water tank. I'm not very happy with the Chalet company.

No better advertising than actual customer feedback. Chalet- no thanks. You are forever crossed off my list as a potential truck camper purchase.

[Fastbrit]

Thanks for the update Roundtowner. You now have clearly described to me the problem that leed to all this. When my unit comes out of winter storage I will open the reservoir service access and inspect everything.

There is no doubt in my mind that your father was right. At the end you will have a better camper for you to enjoy for many years.

[Roundtowner]

K Mac wrote:
Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I know each and every unit can have their problems but I'd say you got more than your share. What kind of warranty do the Chalets come with? Also, did Chalet offer to help you out at all, sounds like some serious design flaws. That's a lot of damage for a unit that's only two years old. My six year structural warranty was a big factor in our decision. Good luck movin forward.

Chalet does have a one year warranty on the structure. I found the company very hard to work with. The site manager did agree that they could fix it at my expense and after they reopened their new facility. I had many difficulties getting them to return my phone calls and emails. The owner of the company never returned my calls. After I decided to get it fixed locally, they did agree to sell me a new water tank. I'm not very happy with the Chalet company.

[K_Mac]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I know each and every unit can have their problems but I'd say you got more than your share. What kind of warranty do the Chalets come with? Also, did Chalet offer to help you out at all, sounds like some serious design flaws. That's a lot of damage for a unit that's only two years old. My six year structural warranty was a big factor in our decision. Good luck movin forward.

[Gary3]

Larry think about it for awhile no matter what people say its taller and heavier than any Lance and big $$

[kerry4951]

Roundtowner wrote:
I've had a ts116fb for a couple years, a 2012 model, and love the overall design and layout, great space, and overall usability. It is heavy, and I've added lots of stuff. So I now haul it on an F550. This year, I've driven over 17K miles and spent over a hundred nights in it and enjoyed it immensely.
But, I've had some serious issues also. I'm sure all brands do and perhaps some models are are worse than others.
I'm in the process of replacing the bottom of my unit. I noticed a few months ago that the bottom was falling and when I tore into it, I found that a water leak had caused the rotting of the plywood that is the bottom of the basement floor. A poorly designed and cheap support(wrong material for the job) for the black and grey water tanks had broken. (Also, the main support under the fresh water tank had broken.) This allowed the tanks to sag severely and the black tank to press against the fresh water fill line. This caused the fill line to move(because the hose clamp was loose) and caused misalignment on the tank inlet spout. This allowed water to leak from the fill hose each time I filled the tank. I replaced the supports, put the tanks back into place, and repaired the fill line connection. I wanted to check for any other leaks before I put the new floor back into place, so I put water into the fresh water tank. BIG MISTAKE! I had neglected to reinstall the screws that held the bottom frame. I had removed some of them to repair/replace that broken frame support for the fresh water tank. Anyway, with the added weight of the water, the entire frame under the fresh water tank broke and dropped out the bottom. This allowed the fresh water tank and the batteries to drop over four feet to the floor, ripping the fill line, two vent lines, the supply line, the level probes wiring, the solar charging wires, and the battery wires to pull out. What big mess.
I've gotten things cleaned up and am starting to rebuild everything from the bottom up. I now have a new angle iron frame, a new water tank on order, and am gathering the other pieces needed to restore this TC to a great unit that I will enjoy using for many years. My dad told me a long time ago that there wasn't anything ever built that couldn't be rebuilt and be better than the original unit was. That's what I'm working toward. It's too bad that the manufacture couldn't provide a better design, better materials, and certainly better, or least some, quality control. These units are not cheap. For the money we pay for them, it would be nice to get your moneys worth and be able use them worry free for a long time. Just wishing I guess. Later, Larry.

I had a dealer try to sell me one of these back in 2010 when they first came out. After reading this Im glad I didn't. Good luck with your project and Im sure you will be making it much better and much improved. If I had a 116 I would be watching very closely.

[trailgranny50]

Chalet had floor issues in many of their units, not just TCs, in years past. After seeing several in for floor replacements we went with our oldie but goodie Shadow Cruiser with no rot problems to date and it's 24 years old. Think they've made some changes/improvements in last couple of years on the flooring.

[Roundtowner]

I've had a ts116fb for a couple years, a 2012 model, and love the overall design and layout, great space, and overall usability. It is heavy, and I've added lots of stuff. So I now haul it on an F550. This year, I've driven over 17K miles and spent over a hundred nights in it and enjoyed it immensely.
But, I've had some serious issues also. I'm sure all brands do and perhaps some models are are worse than others.
I'm in the process of replacing the bottom of my unit. I noticed a few months ago that the bottom was falling and when I tore into it, I found that a water leak had caused the rotting of the plywood that is the bottom of the basement floor. A poorly designed and cheap support(wrong material for the job) for the black and grey water tanks had broken. (Also, the main support under the fresh water tank had broken.) This allowed the tanks to sag severely and the black tank to press against the fresh water fill line. This caused the fill line to move(because the hose clamp was loose) and caused misalignment on the tank inlet spout. This allowed water to leak from the fill hose each time I filled the tank. I replaced the supports, put the tanks back into place, and repaired the fill line connection. I wanted to check for any other leaks before I put the new floor back into place, so I put water into the fresh water tank. BIG MISTAKE! I had neglected to reinstall the screws that held the bottom frame. I had removed some of them to repair/replace that broken frame support for the fresh water tank. Anyway, with the added weight of the water, the entire frame under the fresh water tank broke and dropped out the bottom. This allowed the fresh water tank and the batteries to drop over four feet to the floor, ripping the fill line, two vent lines, the supply line, the level probes wiring, the solar charging wires, and the battery wires to pull out. What big mess.
I've gotten things cleaned up and am starting to rebuild everything from the bottom up. I now have a new angle iron frame, a new water tank on order, and am gathering the other pieces needed to restore this TC to a great unit that I will enjoy using for many years. My dad told me a long time ago that there wasn't anything ever built that couldn't be rebuilt and be better than the original unit was. That's what I'm working toward. It's too bad that the manufacture couldn't provide a better design, better materials, and certainly better, or least some, quality control. These units are not cheap. For the money we pay for them, it would be nice to get your moneys worth and be able use them worry free for a long time. Just wishing I guess. Later, Larry.

[Fastbrit]

pa traveler wrote:
Thanks for reports,do you use cabover struts? Or with the center of gravity more towards the front you don't need them? Is there a chalet owners website?

Unfortunately no owner's website:(

[Butch50]

pa traveler wrote:
Thanks for reports,do you use cabover struts? Or with the center of gravity more towards the front you don't need them? Is there a chalet owners website?

Cabover struts are only a Lance thing as I don't believe other campers brace their campers to fasten them on.

[pa_traveler]

Thanks for reports,do you use cabover struts? Or with the center of gravity more towards the front you don't need them? Is there a chalet owners website?

[97psdhost]

I have a 2013 TS116 with every option including both fold away bunks except for satellite dish. I carry it on a 2013 Ford F350 CC Dually 4x4 6.7 diesel 14K GVWR. I have upper and lower stable loads and it sits a little low in the rear. We like everything about it. We used to have a 2009 Host and when we went to replace it with a new one, we felt the build quality of the Host wasn't as good as our 2009 any more. So after seeing the Chalet we decided to go with it. Much more room than the Host Mammoth, but really heavy. To me I don't take it off road or drive over 65, maybe 70 down hill. The weight police will have me.
The truck hauls and stops with it just fine. I can't really tell any difference between the Host and it. I will be adding better sway bars though.

[pa_traveler]

Will search thanks

[kerry4951]

pa traveler wrote:
Are owners happy with there chalets?

I remember seeing this thread awhile back. Search: "Chalet with a rotted basement floor"
Not sure if OP ever came back with a full explanation or remedy about this problem.