Probable Patriot Buyer

[Tom_Holsinger]

I expect to take up RV'ing in the spring of 2012, and right now the Cruiser CF32CKP looks like my most likely first RV. Hopefully Crossroads will offer a Patriot version of the CF31RK by then. I'd rather have a rear kitchen.









The Cruiser Patriot models seem to be in the sweet spot for price vs. value for vacation use, and that is what my wife and I intend. We're limited to 2-3 weeks of vacation at one time before we retire, and so don't need a washer-drier, lots of clothes storage or a big refrigerator. The limit on vacation duration also limits their geographicrange to about a thousand miles from central California where we live. Draw a line from Sacramento to Fresno and we're halfway.



We'll tradeour Cruiserin for something bigger when we reitre, and shift to part-timing. We intend then to RV to eastern Canada, go down the Appalachian Trail, etc.



We'lll probably towour Cruiiserwith a 2005 or newer Ford F-250 with a gasoline V-10 engine as we might have to use the TV for daily commute use if one of our existing vehicles has to be replaced. We wouldn't put enough hauling miles on a TV used for commuting, relative to non-hauling milages, to keep the EPA gremlins in a diesel TV's emissons control system happy.



I do have some questions about Cruisers. I expect to get a generator. Are the Patriot editions pre-wired for generators? If so, where wouldthe generator be located? If Patriots aren't pre-wired for generators,how difficult is it do install and wire them, and where are good spots in the under belly storage areas to put a generator?

 

[cwit]

Hi and welcome to the forum. We don't boondock so I would not know were a generator would go.

 

[rock1424]

http://www.crossroadsrv.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=1782&KW=Generator&PID=16983#16983









Check out this post from oldman on his generator install. Very nice job. I think he has a Seville so he may have a bigger basement storage area than the Cruiser.

 

[Tom_Holsinger]

rock, thanks for the tip. I gather that his 2006 Seville was not generator-ready. That's a point in favor of Keystone's Montana. I was hoping not to have to spend that much money.

 

[mwebber78]

It's difficult to compare a Cruiser to the Montana. If you are looking for full timing options look to the Kingston or Seville which may have a factory wired option for 2011

 

[Tom_Holsinger]

I have sleep apnea and must have a generator in my 5th wheel.

 

[Lloyd S]

Couple years ago I seen a fella with twin Honda 2000 hooked in parallel, in the back of his truck. He also had sleep apnea. I'm sure he probably used them for running the big Seville also.
If you only need power for the cpapp machine, that Honda 1000 would do the trick for you.
Or you could order it with two 6v golf cart batteries and put in a small inverter.

 

[mwebber78]

A high quality Yamaha or Honda used in this application would work fine. I'm not sure u really need one built in?

 

[gossamar]

During the factory tour, I asked this question about generator prep on the 5th wheels and if I remember correctly this will be an option that you can order soon. They were going to release some new packages and offer some options as ala carte' if you will. I currently use one honda eu2000 companion generator with a VM sales dual fuel tank. These tanks can extend your run time to a few days if you are frugal with the juice. I plan to invest in another honda 2000 generator and run them in parallel so I can run the AC if needed. Your best bet would be to call Crossroads and talk with Rudy...he could probably give you the run-down on what is around the corner as far as options.

 

[Tom_Holsinger]

Old Farmer, thank you very much.



The battery idea had not occurred to me - I only need secure backup power for one night in case camp power dies for some reason. Dry camping is optional. The cpap is mandatory. I thought 5th wheels came with batteries of some sort. Would the pairof 6v golf batteries be in addition to normal RV batteries?



And I'm not buying until early 2012 in any event, as the 2011 vacation season is devoted to taking my mother-in-law on as many cruises as possible. What are the chances that Crossroads can be persuaded to offer generator-ready 50 amp Cruisers in its 2012 lineup?

If you only need power for the cpapp machine, that Honda 1000 would do the trick for you.
Or you could order it with two 6v golf cart batteries and put in a small inverter.

Mike,I must have secure backup power which seamlessly kicks in when camp power fails in the middle of the night. Old Farmer's battery suggestion sounds pretty good.

 

[Tom_Holsinger]

gossamar, your post went up as I was responding to Old Farmer and Mike. It would be wonderful if Crossroads offers generator-ready Cruisers. IMO they need those more in the Kingston and Seville lines, where Keystone is eating their lunch. Crossroads also needs to offer 12 cubic foot refrigerators in Kingstons. How could I get through to Rudy on the phone, or by email? You can PM me.

 

[SWAILES]

Dependant on the power consumption of your cpap machine you may be able to use a UPS similar to ones used for power backup for computers. That would provide you with a truly uninterrupted power supply, the draw is low and you could install the UPS under the bed.

 

[gossamar]

Go to the main website and there is a "contact us" tab at the bottom. It has the phone number and email information. Might start with an email and title it Cruiser questions....

 

[Tom_Holsinger]

swailes, I was thinking of something like that. I don't use a heated humidifier. Between a big UPS and 6v batteries I should be able to rig something which can power my Bi-Pap all night if camp power fails.



I still hope to do some dry-camping though, and want a generator for that. My wife is a California teacher with furlough days in her contract which willl give us extra non-holiday three-day weekends which we hope to use visiting state parks which have no-services RV spaces. The UPS & batteries would get me through the night in those too.