New Horizons Tour

The day started with us knowing only that we needed to do laundry and pick up a few grocery items.  And either today or tomorrow, I wanted to play golf.

But before any of that I got online to find this email:

Hi Howard,

I was just thinking about the advice you gave us awhile back and thought I'd give you an update. We asked for you to give us your opinion about how to use the money from the sale of our land in (state omitted). We were thinking about buying a motorhome right away and moving to (state omitted). Well, we did what you said. In May we paid off the credit cards, packed up a tiny uhaul trailer and drove almost 3000 miles to (state omitted). When we got here we paid cash for everything except for some of our furniture, had plenty of money to live on until we found jobs and began our house hunt.

After three months I finally started my job in collections for (company omitted). We have looked at several houses, went to several open houses and finally found the perfect one. We found a new construction 3bdrm 2ba with attached garage in the perfect neighborhood. We had saved back enough money to pay 10% down and secured the loan through (company omitted) (employee perks!) and are set to close November 1st.

We are still planning on purchasing an RV in the future and we are still going to all the RV shows, but we will take our time to decide what fits our needs the best. I wanted to tell you once again, Thank You for all the advice you gave us. I never thought I would be able to say that I owned my own home at 33 but now I can. BTW, if you are ever in the (area omitted) please let us know. We would love to treat you and Linda to a great dinner!

That email made my day!  That's why we do what we do.  The advice mentioned was provided months ago to someone really struggling with some decisions - someone that simply found our website and trusted that we would provide some objective information.  We hadn't heard how it all turned out until this morning.

I don't mind telling you that I had tears in my eyes when I read the above.  I replied with a request to publish the email without indentifying information.  They responded with a "yes" and photos of their new house.  Cool.  :)

People often say that we have created a j-o-b with the websites and all the time we put into them.  I guess we have, but this is why we do it.  It's the best job I've ever had with the most personal satisfaction.  You people out there make all the effort worthwhile.  Thank you for that.  :)

On with the day.   I called Colbert Hills Golf Course.  They had an outing today, so it would be after 4:00 before I could play.  The regular weekend rate is $79 but I could use my Golf Card to play for $55.  Ah, but the twilight rate starting at 2:30 is $39 - so 2:30 on Saturday it is.  :)

Linda wanted to do laundry, explore Manhattan, and hit the Wal-mart Supercenter before coming home.  But since we are only about 25 - 30 miles to Junction City and the home of New Horizons RV, we decided to spend the afternoon at the plant.

I looked up a laundry online and found "Suds Y'r Duds" on the south edge of the Kansas State Univ. campus.  I filed that in my memory bank.  I found two other coin laundries in "Karen's" database that were closer, so we let her lead.

We found the first one.  Closed down.  The second one didn't exist at all anymore.  With memory and a map, we found Suds Y'r Duds.  I'm leaning more and more toward returning the GPS - or maybe I can sell it at the HDT rally.  :)

With laundry finished, we drove to Junction City to the New Horizons factory.  New Horizons builds custom travel trailers, fifth wheels, and toy haulers (they call them MotoMovers).

Now we have never been to an RV factory, but we have both worked at and toured several large factories.  We expected a large, beautifully landscaped sign in front of the large, impressive entrance.

Then we would join a group of others for a factory tour.  We might have to wear goggles or a hardhat with warnings to "Please stay behind the yellow lines." as we walked through the immaculate areas of high tech machinery. :)

It was nothing like that at all.  The New Horizons factory is unpretentious.  You can barely see their sign on the little awning out front.  It's just a small operation with a plain entrance and a couple of large metal buildings.

Here is how it went.  "Do you have a tour appointment?"  "No."  "Okay.  Just sign in and I'll find someone to help you."

Ray introduced himself and we volunteered why we were there before he had time to ask.  He said we could take any photos we wanted, and he took us on a personal tour.

We went outside where he talked about the frame and chassis of their units.

The above photo is one of their smaller fifth wheels.  He explained the strong tubular steel construction and various other construction components that were beyond me.  :)

However, I did catch that the slideouts mechanisms are mechanical screw chain driven and run by a 12 volt motor.  They choose that over hydraulic for long-term consistency - they don't want their slides to rely on fluid pressure.

He showed us the MOR/ryde IE suspension that comes standard on all their trailers.

We determined that we have the MOR/ryde RE suspension (which we love) as ours looks nothing like the IE.  The IE allows for independent wheel action whereas the RE absorbs road shock, but not at each wheel independently.

We asked why they do not use the MOR/ryde pin box, and Ray told us that the pin box and the IE suspension fight each other.

New Horizons uses the largest brakes available as standard equipment.  Disc brakes are available as an option upgrade.

The Nev-R-Lube sealed cartridge bearing package is also standard equipment and comes with 100,000 mile warranty and no maintenance.

Electric front jacks and manual stabilizer jacks are standard equipment.  However, Ray says almost all their customers are having the optional Quadra BigFoot hydraulic leveling system installed for the $3,850 upgrade price.  Each jack has it's own pump and reservoir, so each leg is self contained - even I know that's a good thing.  :)

Our questions led to the following information.

For trailers of 36 feet and longer, they automatically add a third axle.  Axles are placed based on the overall custom design to maximize carrying capacity and safety.

Ninety percent of their customers are full-timers.  Lead time is 10 - 12 weeks.

All their products are factory direct - no dealers.  They do service at the factory, but do have options for dealers to direct bill upon authorization.

We then went inside.  First we visited the woodworking area where cabinets and doors are constructed.  Oak is standard, but maple and cherry upgrades are available.  Ray says he will put his cabinetry up against anything on the road, including million dollar motorhomes.

Next, we ventured to the area where base flooring is added.

This is also where we discussed holding tanks.  A 73 gallon fresh water tank is standard and is mounted over the axles.  They can add more capacity for fresh water, but prefer to add a second tank rather than a larger tank.

Standard black and grey water tanks are each 70 gallons.  The ACU-GAGE exterior tank level monitoring system is standard.  Everything I've read says this is a much better system than the internal probes.  Of course, if you are not level, neither system will be very accurate.  Also, Ray says that the exterior system needs to be calibrated and lots of people don't do that.

He went on to say that they have their tanks modified so that the drain is flush with the bottom.  Most tanks have a "lip" that prevents 100 % drainage.

Valves are electric.  And a Shurflow macerator pump is standard equipment as is a black tank flush.

After being told all wiring harnesses are done internally, we moved on. 

We talked about wall and roof construction and continued into the area where a few rigs were in various stages of completion.

There is no "assembly line" of cookie cutter processes here.  :)  We were allowed to get right in the middle of all of the construction and watch it happen.

More info.  Whole unit surge protection is built in and standard - that's the way it should be.

Two 30 pound propane tanks with auto-changeover and guages are standard with an upgrade to 40 pound tanks available.  A 30 amp power cord with 20 amp adapter is standard with an upgrade to a 50 amp cord available.  Two deep cycle batteries are standard.  A 6-gallon water heater is standard with upgrades to a 10 or 16 gallon available.  An 8 cu. ft. refrigerator is standard, but upgrades to a 10, 12, or 14 cu. ft is available.

Ray said about 35% of their customers get washer/dryers ($1,789 stacked, $1,650 combo) and maybe 40% get their rigs washer/dryer ready ($525).

This unit had a bay window option.  It just folds in for travel.

It was a nice little feature, but it can only be a single pane window.  Single pane windows are standard on all units.  Double pane upgrade is $60 per window and tinting is $37 per window.

This is the rear of a 45-foot toy hauler where the garage has been converted to a pair of bunk beds and a bedroom.

These banners are posted in various places.

We went outside and looked at a couple show models that just came back from the Hershey, PA show.

I have to say we were very impressed with this little operation.  And, apparently, RV Consumer Group is impressed as well since New Horizons makes the only fifth wheel that they give a 5-star rating.

In addition to custom fifth wheels, they have a "Five Star Series" which includes 6 popular fifth wheel floor plans and 1 MotoMover floor plan.  You can add options and choose colors, but the floor plans cannot be altered.

If and when we are in the market for our next fifth wheel, we will certainly be considering New Horizons.  The issue with these well-constructed custom fifth wheels is simply price.  They are not cheap and they don't negotiate since they are factory direct.

Base prices range from $37,832 for a no-slide 22' model to $97,335 for a triple-slide 45 footer.  By the time you add options, you can get quite expensive.

I'll try to illustrate by using our rig and converting it to a New Horizons.

• $86,003  Base price 38' Triple Slide
•    3,000   Additional slide
•    7,500   Summit Package (exterior & interior appearance features)
•    1,562   Upgrade to 12 cu. ft. fridge
•    1,085   Upgrade to power awning (exact same one we have)
•       600   Upgrade to double pane windows
•       370   Tint windows
•       785   Soft Touch ceiling
•       290   King Bed upgrade
•       215   T.V Antenna with power booster
•       119   10-gallon water heater
•       792   G-rated Tires on aluminum wheels upgrade
•    1,133  Slide awnings
•       795   Heated holding tanks
•         74   40 lb. propane tanks upgrade
•       492   Power rear jack stabilizers
•       295   Skylight in shower
•       189   Welded in safe
•       580   Upholstered dinette chairs
•       785   Dinette
•       180   Ceiling fan
•       465   Central vac
•    1,475   Entertainment package (2 TVs, surround sound, DVD player)
•       790   2 Fantastic fans with wall control
•       380   4 Maxxair vent covers
•    4,650   Onan 5500 LP generator (exact same one we have)
•       175   50 amp cord upgrade
•         65   Satellite exterior connection
•         65   Exterior 12 volt outlet
•        130  2 additional exterior 110 volt outlets
•          65  Additional phone jack
•        128  Outside shower
•        525  Washer/dryer ready
•        172  Water filter purifier
•     3,850  Maple raised panel doors on cabinets
•        600  2 coffee tables
•        190  2 full lenght mirrors
•        240  TV pull-out with swivel (2)
•        185  Additional file size drawers
•     1,176  Electric fireplace (not on their option list, so took from our invoice)
• $122,170  TOTAL

Our total cost with custom after market cabinet modifications was $71,859.

I truly believe that New Horizons builds their rigs with much more quality than ours.  I have no doubt about that.  But $50,000 more?  I guess the only way we will know is if ours falls apart much sooner than expected.  :)

This is actually pretty funny.  Here is a photo of the price of the show rig we toured - $121,848.

Trying to convert our Cambridge to a New Horizons, I was within $400 of the price of this 38-foot show rig.  :)

By the way, the average GVWR of rigs our size put out by New Horizons is 22,500 pounds with around 5,000 - 6,000 pounds of cargo carrying capacity.  Great quality and great capacity for full-timers.  But you'll need a BIG truck.  :)

Bottom line.  If you can afford a high end unit, keep New Horizons in your top five.  Call our buddy Ray Case at 1-800-235-3140 or email him at rayc@horizonsrv.com if you have any questions.

They even have a travel reimbursement plan up to $1,000 if you come to the factory and order.  They can make whatever you want.  If it is out there in the industry, they can do it.

We really enjoyed our time there and it made us think about a lot of things.  But I'm glad we had a year under our belt before going.  We certainly knew much more about what to look for.

As I told Linda, we have not visited any other RV manufacturing plants, so we have no frame of reference.  But we sure like the way they do things here in Junction City, Kansas.  :)

After we left the plant, we headed a few miles up the road to Milford Lake.  We stopped at the Milford Nature Center but arrived at closing time.  We got to see a few of the animals outside - birds of prey and a bobcat - but didn't get to go inside.  I spared you more pictures of animals.  :)

Then we drove to Milford Lake State Park and toured their 5 campgrounds.  Here is a view from one of the sites at the Cedar Point Campground.

Very nice, but some strange layouts in places.  It is much more rural and it is peaceful.  But we didn't see any sites that we like better than the one we have at Tuttle Creek.  :)

After a long day, we made our way back to Wal-mart and back home.  Very, very educational.  Hope the New Horizons review was helpful.  :)

Comments

[Mark]

Junction City, not Grand Junction (that's in western Colorado). Don't forget to pick up your cheap chocolates at Russell Stovers in Abilene!

[Linda]

Thanks Mark! I made the corrections for Howard because he is out playing golf right now. I hope I found all of the references to Grand Junction/Junction City. :)

[Bev & Dale]

Thanks guys. We saw the 38' fifth wheel at the PA RV Show. We never had them on our list until we saw it there. It will be a few years before we get to order one, but they are at the top now. Hopefully we will have the money to buy it!!

[Judy Schmader]

We enjoyed our tour that we did of the New Horizons and we were also expecting an assembly line of workers but not the case. I truly believe thay have one of the best RV's made today as I said before if money isnt an option. Thanks for the tour over again Howard.
southwestjudy & Bob & 2blackdogs

[Sue Calhoun]

My husband and I have had several rv's from motor homes to travel trailers we now have a 2005 Medalion fifth Wheel 37ft.We toured several factories in Elkhart Ind.the last one we toured was the Monaco factory they make the Medalion .We were so impreesed that we came home and bought ours the next week. It has everything on it except the power back jacks. We are so pleased. We have only had very little service done on it and it was minor.We finally bought one that was worth the money .If any of them are really worth what we pay for them.

[Guy Ethier]

Howard (if you're back from golfing yet..;-)

Yeah, I liked the factory tour...any chance of doing Motorhome Plant Tours as you travel along? Nice to know they don't mind you taking pictures...nothing to hide, I imagine!

Keep up the good work!.

Guy

[Janet]

Howard & Linda-
If you have a chance - stop at Vista Drive-in for a Vista Burger Basket! Back 30 some years ago when my husband and I were students at K-State, that was our favorite place to eat. We still try to stop there when we pass through to our hometowns - about 150 miles to the west of your location. Fall and spring are the prettiest seasons in Kansas. You might check out the Konza Tallgrass Prairie south of Manhattan. I bet you would enjoy.
Welcome to the Sunflower State! Janet

[Bill]

Hi Howard & Linda,

Enjoyed reading about your New Horizons plant tour as they are one of our 5th wheel candidates in our search. Since you're in Kansas how about taking a tour of the NuWa (HitchHiker) plant in Chanute, KS? They are also on our short list and it would be a good comparison for us and you as well.
Thanks again for publishing the best blog on the planet!
Bill

[Steve]

Thanks for the info on the New Horizons factory tour. We got the chance to examine the same show rig (at the Hershey, Pa show) that you addressed in your daily blog. We were very impressed by both the unit and the open responses to our questions from both Ray Case, and from the owner of New Horizons (who was also at the PA show.) We definitely have New Horizons on our short list for fulltiming rigs and hope to do our own factory tour in the near future. The suggestion by Bill to do a comparison at the Nu-Wa factory would be very insightful for folks in our stage of "looking".

[Howard]

Glad everyone liked the tour even if I did screw up the town name originally. :)

I wish we could do factory tours for all the rigs everyone is considering. :)

We only did this one because I wanted to gain more information on this highly rated company that builds custom fifth wheels and sells factory direct. If we are nearby and have time, we might check out other factories, but it's not high on my list of fun things to do. :)

[Peter Schneider]

What tow vehicles are suggested for the various New Horizon units. I know there are many variables. Just some ideas so I can get an idea of what my cost will be. Thanks.

Pete Schneider