Looking at 2014 Aerolites

[Phathead19]

Hi can anyone tell me if they've had or heard of any issues with these trailers. Looking at 250kbs and 282 dbhs models. Thanks

[Canuckistani]

We have a 2014 282DBHS and the only problem we've had so far have been fit&finish issues that are typical of just about any RV. The small window shades/frames in the slideout were not properly screwed in when we received our unit, and it didn't ship with a bunk ladder.

Other than that, we've been very happy with the unit so far.

[Adair1965]

The wife and I went through that model at the last RV show in Toronto. A very nice floor plan, but we went with the Kodiak 291 resl as it suited our lifestyle better. Welcome to the forum.

[paulymoose]

We just bought the 282DBHS.

It looks great sitting in the driveway! Haven't had a chance to get out yet.

Only issue we had was the trim above the slide is off a little.

[Canuckistani]

We took our Aerolite 282DBHS out over Memorial Day weekend, and ran into some more issues.

• Our rear valance/blinds on the slideout (the window looking towards the rear of the camper) weren't screwed into the wall adequately, and fell off completely. The front is still loose & floppy at the top where it should be anchored to the slideout wall.
• Our WFCO Cheng water pump also began leaking pretty badly at the impeller assembly gasket. Dutchmen won't replace it with a quality Shur-Flo or other common pump, only the same chinese garbage.
• We found out that our a/c system is no where near balanced - everything pumps out into the bathroom, nothing at all at the vent in the living area or bedroom.
• I should have checked before I purchased it, but this model doesn't come with a converter, so we have no power out of the 120v plugs while on battery power. That'll be a $500+ upgrade I'll have to do.

We took it back to the dealer to be repaired under warranty, but I haven't had a chance to see if all the repairs were performed properly or not.

None of these are issues specific to our Aerolite 282DBHS, unfortunately. Every single RV I stepped into while shopping for ours had absolutely horrible quality control and were built like general crap. You just get to pick one whose crap quality is in a floorplan & configuration you like. It's amazing to me that an entire industry can charge high prices for poor quality, and customers are apparently okay with it.

[prm99v6]

We picked up our 282DBHS last August. We love the trailer and have had a few minor issues:

Water-pump not mounted. It was just laying on the floor. I secured it myself when I added a Shurflo accumulator tank. (Dutchman's fault)

Brain for slide was on floor next to water pump. This is is a design flaw so I moved it to the wall. (Dutchman's fault)

The seam on the awning closest to the trailer was not sealed. Water would drip through it. I sealed it myself. (Carefree of Colorado's fault)

The ignitor on the water heater had a crack in it. This was probably like this from the factory but only showed itself the first time it rained. I swapped it out. (Atwoods fault)

The biggest issue is that one of the ceiling boards is starting to sag. I am not keen on having the entire interior of the trailer disassembled to replace the panel so I will figure out some way to fix it myself.

I saw numerous quality issues when looking at other trailers as well so it didn't really matter what was purchased.

I don't think I have an issue with the AC. The bathroom is super cold but that is to be expected with such a small area with its own duct. I know I have air coming out in the front bedroom and the main living area.

[sreuss]

We bought a 2014 315BHSS in April. We have had some of the fit and finish issues as above, and the low air flow with the way the ac is ducted. The dealership repaired/improved the airflow greatly by reducing the amount of air to the bathroom which increased the flow to the rest of the coach.
We are very happy with our new Aerolite plus this one has much more room than our last one.


2014 Aerolite 315BHSS
2012 Ram 1500 Express CC Hemi.

[Palm_GA]

Hello,

I am looking at buying a New 2014 250KBHS, and dealership is giving a good price because they want it off their lot being a 2014. Did you end up getting that one?


What are your thoughts on Aerolites?

[ewarnerusa]

• ....
• I should have checked before I purchased it, but this model doesn't come with a converter, so we have no power out of the 120v plugs while on battery power. That'll be a $500+ upgrade I'll have to do.

...

I know this is an old post, but the item described above as missing is called an inverter, not a converter. An inverter is not usually a factory installed item in travel trailer, so it sounds perfectly normal. A converter changes 120V shore power into 12V power for the TT's 12V systems and battery charging and is a standard factory-installed item.

An inverter takes 12V DC battery power and changes it to 120V AC power. $500 will buy a pretty dang big inverter, big enough to require a big battery system upgrade/expansion to make worthwhile. Inverters are very convenient for getting some 120V AC power while off grid and not wanting to fire up a generator, but they use battery power so you'll need a way to recharge batteries if you use them a lot.

[JillTx]

Those that have the 282DBHS, can you answer a question. We were checking out/buying in Houston (hotter than the hubs of h*ll) this camper yesterday. I had concerns about the AC and asked them to plug in and cool it down for me mid day. Bath room and interior cooled. Master bedroom didn't get much air and I want to be cold when I sleep. They offered to ass a 110 AC to master. This would work, via the air vent and was an additional $1200 which we would negotiate. My concerns are the AC and if it really OK pulling with a 1/2 ton truck or SUV? Any advice. The floor plan is great and compact and I LOVE the king size bed and bunks that lift for bikes and kayaks. Thank you!

[EricNSTL]

Originally Posted by JillTx

Those that have the 282DBHS, can you answer a question. We were checking out/buying in Houston (hotter than the hubs of h*ll) this camper yesterday. I had concerns about the AC and asked them to plug in and cool it down for me mid day. Bath room and interior cooled. Master bedroom didn't get much air and I want to be cold when I sleep. They offered to ass a 110 AC to master. This would work, via the air vent and was an additional $1200 which we would negotiate. My concerns are the AC and if it really OK pulling with a 1/2 ton truck or SUV? Any advice. The floor plan is great and compact and I LOVE the king size bed and bunks that lift for bikes and kayaks. Thank you!

First, you should be ok towing with a 1/2 as long as it's rating exceeds the weight. I just pulled up the weights at Dutchman and it listed as 6210 empty with a 869 tongue weight. If you vehicle has a tow package, it sounds like you would be good. If it doesn't, you may be over weight. So first thing is to check you vehicles capacity. There is kind a unwritten standard, that you want to try to stay under 80% of you tow vehicle max rating. If its listed for 9500LBS, and your trailer is 7600, you be more then good. I missed the 80% with mine, its more like 90% but all my weights are under max ratings.
Looking at your floor plan, not sure why you would need a A/C in the bedroom, its appears to be pretty open. Maybe a fan to blow a little more air up to the bedroom. If its a 90+ degree day and its sitting in direct sunlight, most trailers A/C will run continuously to try to keep it cool. Then come evening time, the trailer can turn to a refrigerator if you want it to. The only thing I would say for sure, is has a 13500BTU A/C then maybe you should try to find one that has a 15000BTU.