Looking for other Roadtrek Ranger RT owners

[booster]

"There seems to be some question as to the length of the Ranger RT. When I purchased it the documentation stated the length to be 19 ft. I have measured it from Bumper yo Bumper. It is 19 ft. The continental kit makes it longer, but that is not in consideration when the vehicle is registered."

That length is a mystery. I just looked at pix of a Ranger on ebay, and it is definitely an extended Chevy, not a regular like a 170 is.

Roadtrek lists the Ranger and 190 both at 20' 5" without the tire in back

Chevy lists an extended Express van at 20' 4" which matches Roadtrek.

Very odd that you could be getting nearly 1.5 feet shorter.

The 170 is listed as 18' 9" by Roadtrek, and 18' 8" by Chevy, which is much closer, but it is on a standard length van.

I do know that the "190" and "170" designation was originally used to designate 19 and 17 foot lengths of the vans used then, but the newer ones are longer. Many folks still refer to a 190 as a 19 foot class B, however.

 

[bobojay]

Don't have a Ranger, but did own a '07 Chevy PleasureWay Lexor on a 3500, '07 chassis. Having owned that vehicle for about 2 years, and having all the service except oil changes done at a Chevy dealer that I am very familiar with, (bought 8 cars & trucks from them over the years), the first thing I was told when I drove in the service dept. was to have an alignment done somewhere between 3 & 5k miles because of spring settling issues running so heavy all the time. They suggested when I bring it in to bring it at the weight I normally run at. So I took it in with a full tank of gas, and half tank of fresh water, along with our usual clothing allowance and prepackaged foods.
The alignment was off a bit, mostly the castor/camber adjustment, and it drove perfect both before and after the alignment. So no issues there.

I wonder if the poster that is having the handling issues, might have a broken rear leaf spring somewhere that's causing the lean. Worth checking for sure before aligning.

Also, on the trucks, GM puts a sticker, usually inside the glovebox that has all the option codes for that particular vehicle, so one can tell for sure what was installed at the factory in St. Louis, Mo. (actually Wentzville)

Just an opinion here, but I think all the class B makers that use the vans, be they Chevy, Ford or the Ram ProMaster should be using the 3500 chassis as there's not that much difference in initial price, at least in GM's case

 

[2wiresDave]

6000 miles into our Ranger RT ownership. Currently in the Florida Keys. We added Timbrens to te front end and an extra leaf to the rear after a reputable alignment and spring shop said they could give me some extra clearance. We have the 3500 chassis running 55 psi front and 80 rear. Pretty loaded up 2 people to 70 pound dogs on the road for 2-3 months. Van handles great even on the wide open and blustery bridges down here. It is a probably close to 9300-9500 lb rig. It doesn't handle like a compact car, but it drives pretty darn good for a small house.

We are happier with our choice after 55 nights in it than when we bought it.

Now if we could get a propane regulator that won't spring a leak it would almost be a fairy tale!

 

[fldonna]

I stumbled across this forum and I have a Ranger. I bought a leftover 2013 on dec 31st of 2013. I wanted to mention that the FB group is very active and I got a lot of answers to my questions. The Ranger is a different animal and even the winterizing is not the same as the 190. I was very confused. The group is ''Roadtrek'' and its a ''secret'' ...not sure why...and you have to be invited by a member. I asked Robert to invite me he has a blog ''Meryl and me hit the road''. I find ppl are using forums less and FB more. That is all good until FB starts charging $$. I can probably invite anyone who wants to join the FB group. (408 members). My Ranger drives fine but I went form a sports car to a Ranger and I have no experience driving larger vehicles except for U-Haul trucks.

 

[markopolo-ClassB]

Welcome fldonna :wave:

Everyone will find a forum or group out there that best suits them. That's the nice thing about having so many options. That Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/72563760632/ - was accidentally and irretrievably switched to private. Another private Roadtrek group is on Yahoo - https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/roadtrek/conversations/messages

I like publicly visible groups myself. Everyone gets to learn that way. Reading through open forum posts help me make the decision to buy a Roadtrek back in 2005. I read about the fun, the problems and the solutions and didn't have to join anything to learn a bit about what I was getting into.

You've probably already downloaded the recently released Ranger owner manual. If not, here's the link: http://www.roadtrek.com/manuals.aspx

Thanks for joining. I see you've mastered posting a photo already :clap:

 

[eric1514]

Good looking rig! I've always liked the look of the Chevys and the short Ranger in particular, but I just can't figure out how to get along with an electric only water heater. They're becoming more common; the new Winnebago Travato has one. If the Ranger had a gas fired one, a small engined version would be in my top 3 list for when I get rid of my Class C.

 

[gerrym51]

to anyone who owns a ranger-which i'm looking at. How long is the built in sewage hose. I was looking at it's manual and was surprised to find a built in hose that can be stretched to dump site. it looks like every other roadtrek has a mceraator except this one.


thanks

 

[Zane-ClassB]

Hi, I'm a new member and I saw the posts on here about getting the alignment checked if the RT is wandering. I just got a used 2013 and it did wander a bit, I took it in and it was out of line, now drives great. I also told them to put 50 pounds in the front and 80 in the back like one suggestion, they said they would, but according to the onboard indicators they didn't do it. Anyway, it drove OK.

 

[Zane-ClassB]

I have pulled mine about 5 feet, not sure how much more it has.

 

[Zane-ClassB]

Hi Fidonna, I am interested in the Facebook forum. I am Zane Wilson on FB.

 

[Zane-ClassB]

2wiresdave, do you have any good tips on dumping the tanks? This is my fifth Class B, and never have I seen anything so difficult. I got a 2013 used and have only dumped it three times. The first time I had to get somebody to help me, he said it works better if you get the pin in first then you can wiggle the pipe around to get the hose cap in. I am a small female and just could not hold the pipe up and work with those fittings at the same time. I got the idea to get a step-saver that is adjustable to hold the pipe up while I try to fasten the fittings. It helped the second time, though it will still very difficult for me. I have to lie on the ground at some point to get it done (in the places people have dumped sewage....) The third time I worked on it for over an hour with no luck, could get one on but not the next. Finally just connected the pin and left the pipe smushed behind the panel. I am not sure I can go through this every time, I definitely object to lying on the ground, sitting is bad enough. You say you are happy with yours, how have you made the sewage dump bearable? Anybody else on here have any ideas for modifications that could help?

 

[Sensfan-ClassB]

Good day from Ottawa. I read your post way back in Oct 2014 about winterizing you emax 2.5. We also have done this on our 2012 RT, however we always have trouble reconnecting the hot and cold fittings in that they leak. Any comment on this? Thanks

 

[hbn7hj]

Dump problems: Not sure if yours are the same as mine. I found that a 2X4X2ft. Piece of wood helped me align the tube with the holding bracket. Use it as a lever.

I also found that the difficulty was caused by a slot in the outside tube did not align with a frame structure. Opening up the slot with a Dremel made things a lot easier. Check it out in your driveway with blocks under the left side wheels and see if there is an obstruction to lifting the storage tube.
Just a guess. Harry 2003 C190P