Front or rear kitchen model questions

[danrn]

So, my wife is liking the front or rear kitchen floor plans. I believe she likes the rear kitchen the most. I have read were people state they have little problems with things bouncing around or breaking, others say it looks like a hurricane came through. Others have said the bouncing has caused their refrigerators to break, or malfunction. I have tried to do as much research into this as I can, but would like to ask those would have these floor plans their comments. Some say you have to have IS in order to control the bouncing, but even with IS wouldn't the 5th wheel still porpoise when going over a bridge? Would a front kitchen model have less bouncing than a rear kitchen? Would you say that IS is a must have in these models?
Thanks for your time with my questions.

 

[XCMARK]

I got our redwood used, we are the 2nd owners and got it fall of 2017. I pulled the camper for about 2000 miles the following summer before I got Morryde IS installed. The difference is very noticeable before and after the install . I will NOT OWN a trailer this heavy without IS or something equal to it. The stock leaf springs and a rubber center trunnion is not a good set up for New England roads. Wet bolts break with leaf springs the lack of shocks causes endless bounce over bridges. We leave the coffee maker on the counter most of the time now with IS , before all the cabinet's would open and dump everything out . Regardless of where you put the kitchen springs are NOT a good option if you plan on towing a lot with a two axle trailer , 3 axles are better of bumps like bridges. We had 7,000 lb brakes and axles and in my opinion at 16,500 lb GVW they are to light for the trailers, I upgraded to 8,000lb running gear when we did the disk brakes and IS. If your looking for cost savings tires, suspension and brakes , dont skimp here! 7000lb drum brakes and stopping at 70mph will scare you!

 

[rjberry]

Rear vs front kitchen

So, my wife is liking the front or rear kitchen floor plans. I believe she likes the rear kitchen the most. I have read were people state they have little problems with things bouncing around or breaking, others say it looks like a hurricane came through. Others have said the bouncing has caused their refrigerators to break, or malfunction. I have tried to do as much research into this as I can, but would like to ask those would have these floor plans their comments. Some say you have to have IS in order to control the bouncing, but even with IS wouldn't the 5th wheel still porpoise when going over a bridge? Would a front kitchen model have less bouncing than a rear kitchen? Would you say that IS is a must have in these models?
Thanks for your time with my questions.

Decisions decisions. I had a debate with myself years ago about a rear kitchen. I thought I wanted it in the rear so people wouldn’t be walking through a center island kitchen. So that’s what I bought and found as many have said that the drawers were shook open. I had to move all of the heavy bottles on the fridge door off while traveling. We actually broke a shelf on the door. We velcored the drawers closed when we travelled.
I bought my Redwood in 2013 with a center island and really like it. Everything stays put, I have a rear window to look out and it separates the bedroom (upstairs) from the living room at the rear. I get up early so the noise to the bedroom is less.
I’ve seen upstairs kitchens on some but when cooking will you be caring the prepared food down the stairs?
Where will you have your view (window) when you are parked? That is something to also think about.
Best of luck on your decisions and your new redwood.

 

[par-REDW]

Hi,
I can't attest for front or rear kitchen since I have an FL36, living room in front, kitchen above the wheels, and bedroom at the back. I can assure you that the back gets a lot of vibrations, in a few of our trips, our closet hangers jumped right off the bar.
With that in mind, if the opportunity ever came up, I would not got with a rear kitchen.
Good luck!

 

[Asimplertime]

I looked at both front and rear kitchen layouts before buying our Redwood 4001 LK. Walking into any RV, I noticed that the taller ceilings create a feeling of larger space. In the front kitchen layout I found less ceiling height. I did not like that. I also liked the natural light feeling in the rear kitchen layout.

Issues or question about suspension and keeping items secured wen traveling down the road, is a more complex decision.

There are no "perfect" solution RVs. Every great feature comes with a cost.

Make sure that your RV fits your wants/needs and your capabilities.

We live full time in our Redwood. It isn't perfect but it satisfied most of our needs and wants.