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Old 06-30-2010, 10:22 AM   #1
dsniper22
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Keystone Alpine

I recently ordered an Alpine 3500re. After researching for many months it seemed to be the "best bang for the buck". Does anybody on this forum have any experience with the Alpine line? Recently I have heard some cons against Keystone and am wondering if I should have went with a Bighorn instead. I am still quite excited about my new RV but am just looking for some reassurance from keystone owners that they make a decent product that will last for years to come. The Alpine appeared to have the best insulation values out of the standard RV lineup(exluding teton/horizon). I am going to be using it in some extremely cold temps and plan to skirt in the RV and heat underneath as well. I will be getting a large propane tank for winter(500gal approx) and putting a heating blanket on it to prevent the -40c freeze up. Any suggestions for winterizing are appreciated. Oh yeah, I'll probably throw down a couple cans of rat poison underneath the skirting to prevent some unwanted guests taking refuge from the cold.
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Old 07-06-2010, 07:17 PM   #2
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No comments???
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Old 07-07-2010, 12:52 PM   #3
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I don't have an Alpine but I have been pleased with my Keystone product so far. I'm finding it hard to think of -40°C when it's 103°F here in New Jersey today. What you are planing to do sounds good. The only other thing I can think of is to get some heat in the storage areas and cabinets that water pipes run through. I insulated the ceilings of my storage areas (floor of bedroom) with 1" foil-faced foam board. It cuts to fit with a knife and Liquid Nails holds it up neatly. Brrrrr! Thanks, I got a chill just thinking about it.
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Old 07-12-2010, 11:04 AM   #4
LI Happy amper
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Alpine 3500 RE

Congratulations on your Alpine 3500RE. We picked up our Alpine 3500RE from Tom Schaeffers in PA back in March. We have been out on numerous trips so far and absolutely love it. Like many other 5th wheels that we have owned the first couple of times out you will notice some things need to be repaired. When I first connected to water, a fitting under the sink was loose and leaking. We found a small 1 1/2 crack in the fibergalass that we will get fixed at the end of the season. My 2nd A/C in the bedroom was leaking on the first trip to Myrtle Beach but Dometic authorized a ful replacement right on my RV site. The 2 concerns I have with the unit are first the tires. They put these powerking towmax tires on the RV that everyone is complaining about blowouts. The max load for the 3500RE is 15,500 and the tires are only made to handle 15,400 not much breathing room as far as the weight. We immediately switched out the tires on our first trip to Myrtle Beach to the Goodyear G614's. Much better tire and can hadle the weight. Your rims are rated for 110 psi so you don't have to worry about getting new rims. The 2nd issue I have is the landing gear. Keystone used a small electric motor for the front landing gear instead of a larger motor or even hydrolic. My driveway at my house is very sloped and to get the RV level the motor gets real hot. The first couple of times I kept popping the 30 amp in line fuse until I changed the fuse to a 40 amp. I will be putting on a 2nd motor when I have the other small warranty issues done at te end of the season. As far as build we love it. The floor plan is exactly what we wanted and about $10,000 less than the Montana or Cedar Creek with the similiar floor plan. We had looked at the Big Horn but the closest authorized dealer to my house was over 150 miles away and they would not authorize a closer RV repair center to do any warranty work if we needed it. We just had a week where the temp was over 100 degrees everyday and with the 2 A/C's we didnt even feel the heat. It was very chilly inside he RV. Good luck again and if you have any questions feel free to ask.
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Old 07-15-2010, 09:15 PM   #5
dsniper22
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Thanks for the heads up on the tire issue. I can't wait for delivery of the unit (approx Aug. 10th). Almost feels like I'm 10 years old waiting for Xmas morning to come. I believe the Alpine has heat running around the tanks and the water works area in the basement. Do you think I need to get heat in the storage compartment as well, or is there already ducted heat in there? Does the front landing gear do decent on smaller lifts, or is it underpowered right from the start? Thanks for the great info and keep it coming.
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Old 07-16-2010, 03:27 AM   #6
LI Happy amper
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Alpine

I think for smaller lifts the landing gear should be ok. The tanks are definately heated and ducted. When you take delivery make sure to get under the trailer and make sure everything is closed in. When I was inspecting my Alpine at the dealer I noticed the fully enclosed under belly was not fully enclosed and they had to take it town and reset the underbelly. I also had wires from the rear entertainment hanging out the bottom. You will be very happy when you get your Alpine. From what I see on dealers web sites they have not changed anything fom the 2010 model compared to the 2011,
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Old 07-16-2010, 07:06 AM   #7
Sharon Bos
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Alpine Fifth Wheel

Does the Alpine 3640RL come with 2 AC units?
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Old 07-16-2010, 07:50 AM   #8
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If you visit the Keystone website (www.keystonerv.com) you will find the Alpine together with all of the specs,floorplans, etc. and other information about the 3640RL. It seems that the Chateau version uses a heat pump which cools and heats the unit. It talks about only one but a bedroom A/C is available as an option according to the Alpine Keystone website.
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Old 07-19-2010, 09:34 AM   #9
LI Happy amper
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Alpine

My Alpine only came from the factory with 1 A/C and I had the dealership put the 2nd A/C on. Worked great 2 weeks ago in the 100 degree heat wave we had in the northeast area.
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Old 07-19-2010, 09:47 AM   #10
Sharon Bos
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Question 2nd AC

Why did you install a 2nd AC in the bedroom; did you or have you experienced a problem with the new Whisper Air Return System ( low profile) that was installed at the factory on your Alpine 3500RE?
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Old 07-19-2010, 08:49 PM   #11
dsniper22
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I ordered mine from the factory with 2 units. Apparently with the dual zone thermostat you can have the bedroom and living area cooling at seperate temperatures. If I decide to have a nap at 65-70 degrees, the wife can still have the rest of the unit at 70-80ish.
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Old 07-20-2010, 03:06 PM   #12
LI Happy amper
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Alpine

I had the 2nd A/C done at the dealership from prior knowledge that a single 15,000 A/C unit is not going to cool down a 39 foot 5th wheel no matter how good the new whisper air system is. When I ran 1 A/C in the 100 degree heat we had a couple of weeks ago it did not cool down the 5er especially in the bedroom area seeing heat rises up there as much as I would have liked it so I turned on the 2nd A/C. Made the whole unit very cool. Like the previous person said you can set the different rooms at seperate temperatures. Me and my wife like it it very cold and when my mother comes and sleeps on the sofa she likes it warmer.
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Old 08-25-2010, 08:49 AM   #13
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Alpine

We took delivery on our 3640RL on July 31 finally after it was delivered in early July. We ordered it in early May as Keystone was giving some incentives at the time. The dealer we used (180 miles away) had some Bank of America issues, so our fiver acceptance was delayed. We ordered the second air conditioner, dual pane windows, etc. The second air conditioner is great - shoves the cool air out to combat the 100+ degree north Texas heat! So far, we really love the Alpine. One of the purchase decisions was the insulation.

Admittedly, we are new in the fiver world. We have only gone on one weekend local trip. More for shakedown and learning than anything else. I can definitely say that the heat pump/ac and the second a/c can hold their own against 103 temps in north Texas with very little shade! Wonder if they would still keep the inside cool at 72 at Burning Man?

+++++++++
Problems:
Evidently, the self-siphon Winterize valve was plumbed "backwards". The tech at the dealer didn't like the valve handle not pointing to the "Off/On". So he moved the handle - moved it 90 degrees! So that means that "Off" is now "On", and vice-versa. Took me a while to figure that out when we tried to sanitize the fresh water system and got no flow. One pump diaphram down, but stick-on labels with the correct Off/On positions have been applied!

There is a kink in the fresh water tank fill or vent. I believe I have narrowed it down to the spot next to the kitchen slide where the ribbed hose decends into the tank area. There's an inspection panel held by two screws next to the stairs. I'm going to attempt to fix this on 8/27 by cutting the strap retainer and installing a looser retainer. I might add a couple of feet of ribbed hose to make the turn a little looser. Ever try to sanitize a fresh water system and can only feed about a quart a minute into the input hose?

There's a separate filtered drinking spigot at the sink. Looking underneath, it's easy to see (there's arrows, duh!) that the filter was installed backwards and the isolation valve is downstream from the filter! They must have installed that the day before Keystone shuts down for two weeks for vacation in late June!

Typical - two of the drawer catches are installed off center - the triangular pin doesn't even come close to the spring rollers! Also, the lower gasket on the couch/dining slider has come loose. Plan to glue that back on 8/27.

(Yes, the above are Warranty issues, but if I can fix it, it saves the 360 mile trip to a dealer I'm only "so-so" about.)
++++++++++

Self-inflicted wound - While pulling it down to get Texas Safety Inspection and VIN Inspection, got a little close to some Bradford pear trees. Poked on small hole on the "roof bend" above the WaterWorks area. Easily patched with some EPDM approved caulk.

Ron
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Old 08-25-2010, 06:51 PM   #14
dsniper22
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Well I finally got my unit Aug.12. There were a couple small issues that the dealership took care of for me before I even arrived to pick it up. The keyless entry wasn't working properly and the fridge wasn't cooling in elec mode. I've been using it for just over a week now and everything has been great so far except for a couple of small leaks around the shower due to poor installation. A $5 tube of silicone later and everything is back to being great. Holman RV in Ohio was great to deal with and I highly recommend them. My only problem with Keystone so far was that they forgot to put on my 2nd AC unit that was ordered from the factory. I didn't have time to wait for the dealership to order one in and install it so I will have to look into it next season.
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