2020 Pinnacle 32RLTS

[Hobo Huddy]

Hi everyone!
We are new to this forum and welcome any advice and information.
We are in the process of ordering a 2020 Pinnacle 32RLTS 5er after months of research and we feel it has the best fit/ finish in it's class.
My research tells me that one can expect issues with all new RV's, regardless of class and cost, and I am reaching out to other owners of Pinnacles as to what their experience has been and what I should watch for?
We are planning on full time use and escaping B.C. winters.
The rig we will be ordering will be fully loaded with full body paint and we plan on adding Solar and lithium batteries with a 3000 inverter.
Look forward to any comments.

[Lake Huron]

Owning a Northpoint, I'm not up in those first class seats like you guys are. I'm a little more like 3/4 class. Lol! Mine is a 17 and we love it. We've had a few issues, to be expected, but the few we've had are all minor. I cant comment on the 2020's but hopefully the quality is still up there. I can say we've had WAY less issues with a luxury class trailer than we had with our previous "affordable" one, but it was a different manufacturer. I can say people with the jayco brand tend to have fewer issues than some of the others out there.
I've made a few mods on ours and doing one right now of converting it over from drum brakes to electric over hydraulic disc brakes. Everyone that's done it swears by it and wished they'd have done it sooner. That may be one thing you may want to seriously consider when you order yours. A Pinnacle is a BIG HEAVY trailer and it needs to stop.
Either way, congrats on your new purchase, when you get it, and dont hesitate to reach out for any issues. This is a great forum with great and knowledgeable people here.

[Hobo Huddy]

Thanks Lake Huron!
Your comments inspire confidence. I also feel that we have a good, honest sales person so that helps as well.
I believe the 2020 has disk brakes.

[Lake Huron]

If it's got disc brakes, consider yourself blessed. You'll like them.
Having a good dealer is a HUGE plus. Theres a lot of dealers that are "difficult" to deal with. I'm fortunate to also have a good dealer.

[20 Penny]

Originally Posted by Hobo Huddy

I believe the 2020 has disk brakes.

Welcome to the forum from Texas!

We bought a 2020 36KPTS but the 32RLTS is what we had our sights set on for probably 6 months before we changed our minds at the last minute. It's a beautiful rig, I'm sure you're going to enjoy it. The full body paint option is going to look awesome.

I'm not aware of the Pinnacle line having disc brakes available as an option. I could be wrong, we didn't order ours, but according to all the paperwork I have the Pinnacle comes standard with a 5 star handling package that includes Dexter Axles with Nev-R-Adjust brakes.

There are lots of posts on RV forums from owners that have installed disc brakes and swear by them but they're spendy. Maybe something we'll consider down the road.

In any event, post some pics when you get your new rig.

[Textman]

Originally Posted by Hobo Huddy

Hi everyone!
We are new to this forum and welcome any advice and information.
We are in the process of ordering a 2020 Pinnacle 32RLTS 5er after months of research and we feel it has the best fit/ finish in it's class.
My research tells me that one can expect issues with all new RV's, regardless of class and cost, and I am reaching out to other owners of Pinnacles as to what their experience has been and what I should watch for?
We are planning on full time use and escaping B.C. winters.
The rig we will be ordering will be fully loaded with full body paint and we plan on adding Solar and lithium batteries with a 3000 inverter.
Look forward to any comments.

Congratulations!

We just brought our 36FBTS home yesterday. Love it so far, but have not had it out to test it out completely. Which full body paint scheme are you going with?

[Big1]

I look at the 32RLTS and I do love the floor plan.

[Hobo Huddy]

Thanks for all the input!
I was mistaken on the disc brakes, they are the Dexter Nev-R-Adjust. I've been looking at so many different rigs that I was fogged up. I think we will explore upgrading to disc brakes down the road at some point. My new Ram HO has 1000 ft. lbs. torque and the exhaust brake is very substantial so I am comforted by that.
The full paint colour (CDN spelling) that we chose is Carbon Steel which should look sharp with our Red Pearl truck.
I have a confession though, I am having 2nd thoughts on the 32RLTS and thinking our original choice, the 36SSWS, may be better for us. If we switch to the 36SSWS, we would opt for the front wardrobe closet IPO the daybed for added storage.
My concern that guided us to the 32RLTS was greater access to parks. However, the 36SSWS is only 3'7" longer and I think the added features/ space are worth it. Any thoughts on this?

[Hobo Huddy]

You're correct on the brakes, I was mistaken. I understand that manufacturers have hidden options so I have to see if Jayco has a disc brake hidden option. It would be nice to have the disc brakes added at the factory.

[Lake Huron]

My Northpoint 375 is 44'. Our previous 5th wheel ( it was one of the other brands that I cant say because it could get me swearing I hated it so much. Lol!) was a 40' and the one before that was a 34'. The 34 was nice because I could park that thing in a tent only site if I had to. The 40' we were just starting to get limited on the sites we could get it on. But it did have a lot more space inside. The Northpoint, yeah,... it's like fitting 10# of sand into a 5# bag. We are pretty limited on sites we can fit it in, not to mention just driving it thru the parks. The turns get pretty tight and you're going to have the same issue I have at just about every park is a height issue. The parks just dont trim trees high enough, so you really need to wat h that unless you want a skylight where your A/C was.

Ultimately, it's YOUR decision on what fits YOUR needs and likes. My personal opinion, I like the layout of the 32. The bathroom is more accessible with the slides closed if you need to use it on the road and it's more accessible even when its parked because it's right at the entry door. You dont have to walk all the way thru the trailer to the other side just to get to it.

Now, I've made things clear as mud for you...

Decisions, decisions... lol!

[Hobo Huddy]

Thanks Lake Huron,
The one thing I have learned in the rv 5er world is that the model designation numbers mean nothing. In class A's the first two numbers denote the length and even then there is an add on, example; a 43XX will be 43' 10". In 5th wheels, there doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason, the 32RLTS is 35' bumper to pin box, so where does the 32 come in? The 36SSWS is 38' 7" bumper to pin box and I'm hopeful access will not be dramatically reduced as compared to the 32RLTS, there's compromise in everything.
As for height, I hear you but, from what I have seen, most 5er's in the higher end class are 13'+ high regardless of length so one has to be watchful for low clearances and branches. Low overpasses concern me more, you can't take a chain saw to an overpass

[Lake Huron]

So, heres what I've gathered, my Northpoint is a 375BHFS. The 375 is its 37.5' from the back to the front where it makes the tansition to go up by the landing gear. Which is about right for my trailer. Spec sheet says mine is 43'-3" in exterior length. I had to measure it for a winter cover and ran a plumb bob off the back of the rear bumper and taped one to the front cap and came up with just under an inch short of 45' The BHFS, I know the BH stands for BunkHouse, the FS... I haven't figured that one out yet. Best guess is Front Suite, I dont know. Lol!
As far as the height, mine is supposed to be 13'-3" according the the specs sheet. I had to make some hitch adjustments and when I did that I measured the height using a second person, of course, a measuring tape and a 6' level. I put the level on the top of the highest point of the front A/C, made sure the level was reading level and .measured from the bottom of the level to the ground. Mine came in at 13'-4".
Driving thru cities with overpasses, they have overpass height signs posted on them. Thise are measured from the white line on the far right lane to the bottom of the overpass. Now, if the road got re surfaced did someone from DOT actually go out and re measure and re post it?? Prolly not. It's my $85k that purchased my trailer, not DOT. So I really dont care what they say, what signs say or what people on the road say, I stay in the far left lane. There is more clearance there than in the right or middle lane. I haven't really travelled too far with ours but when I've had to travel thru Detroit, the armpit capitol of the world, I keep in the left lane. Theres some pretty low overpasses there that I'd clear by literally inches in the right lane, IF the posted sign is correct.

[20 Penny]

Originally Posted by Hobo Huddy

I have a confession though, I am having 2nd thoughts on the 32RLTS and thinking our original choice, the 36SSWS, may be better for us. If we switch to the 36SSWS, we would opt for the front wardrobe closet IPO the daybed for added storage.
My concern that guided us to the 32RLTS was greater access to parks. However, the 36SSWS is only 3'7" longer and I think the added features/ space are worth it. Any thoughts on this?

That is the exact position my wife and I were in when we were trying to decide on which floor plan to go with. We were leaning very heavily towards the 32RLTS for the exact reason you mentioned....greater access to parks. Our previous 5th wheel was 35' with a very similar floor plan and we felt that was a pretty good size for us. Fortunately, our dealer had all three Pinnacle floor plans in stock that we were interested in at the time we were trying to make our final decision. We spent about 3 hours one afternoon comparing the 3 floorplans. Out of one, into the other, then on to the next. Rinse and repeat.

Like you, we thought if we went with the 36SSWS we would order it with the front wardrobe instead of the sofa. With the front wardrobe option, there is TONS of storage in the 36SSWS. So much so, we felt we were giving up some living space for the storage space. A better option if we were full timers but that's not us. In addition, we didn't like the fact that you have no access to the bedroom or bathroom without the slide extended.

If you haven't checked out the 36KPTS I would recommend doing so. While it is 41' compared to 35' for the 32RLTS, you can really see and feel the extra space in the living area. For us, we decided we are ok with not being able to get into some sites due to the extra length of the rig, the extra living room space closed the deal for us.

Good luck in your decision. Been there, done that. It was a tough call. Both units you are looking at are beautiful and you will probably be very happy either way you go. Good luck!

[Hobo Huddy]

Thanks Kevin!
I'm glad that I'm not the only one numbing my brain on research.
We will be full timers and we will be on the move, especially in the first couple of years, so a happy medium is desired.
The no access to bathroom on the 36SSWS is a drag but not a deal breaker and if I need a nap, I guess we would have to find a rest stop or suitable place to pull over.
Originally, I had looked at the 37 mid den but my salesperson pointed out a Provincial regulation that restricts the length of 5er to 41' or less and a combined length of 65' so I looked for shorter rigs. The regulation is loosely enforced but, in the event of an accident and insurance claim, I don't want to risk any denial of claim issues.

[Hobo Huddy]

Congratulations on your new purchase!
Our new truck is a 2019 Ram 3500 Longhorn HO DRW and is Red Pearl so we decided on the Carbon Steel, same as yours. Our interior will be the cashmere scheme.