Pioneer F-550 & Santa Fe 33'

A revised tow rating makes the Fontainebuilt Ford Super Duty truck an even better match for Teton's new walkin-height bedroom fifth-wheel

TL TEST

When it comes to innovation, it seems that the large fifth-wheel gets most of the attention. Given long platforms and a variety of large slideouts, designers seem to keep creating new excitement for the venerable fifth-wheel. The latest new big fifthwheel feature from the idea-prolific people at Teton Homes is a flat floor in the up-front master suite, graced with a full 6 feet 7 inches of headroom. The extra stand-up space in the Santa Fe XT3 Prestige 33footer starts at the bathroom and extends to the forward wall, eliminating the step up to reach the front of the bedroom area.

This convenient, tall, user-friendly design was facilitated by two features. First, the Teton designers developed a frame with new a dropped-height gooseneck that allowed for the lower floor up front. Second, and a vital part of the project, is Teton's Pioneer Ford F-550 tow vehicle sporting a low-profile bed produced by Fontaine Modification Company, in cooperation with Teton. The fifth-wheel's weight precludes being towed by a three-quarter- or one-ton pickup, therefore, the use of a lower-profile bed like the one on the F-550 chassis, is required, providing added insurance against towvehicle overloading. Although the special, Fontaine-modified truck contributes to a handsome combination, the weight of the trailer is on the heavy side for the current-model F-550, as long as the owner is to abide by Ford's initial tow and gross combination weight ratings (gcwr). The Teton weighed in at 17,620 pounds without being loaded for a trip-too much for the Ford's 17,020-pound tow rating (based on an 8,980-pound curb weight of the truck). In a move that will surely add new excitement to a truck that already is a smashing hit, Ford has announced that the 2000 model F-550 will have a 30,000-pound gcwr, which adds 4,000 pounds to the initial rating. This should provide the extra capacity needed for towing fifth-wheels in the Santa Fe's catagory (see sidebar).

The additional headroom in the Teton allows for another residential enhancement, a flat roofline that creates a full 7 feet 11 inches of headroom all the way back through the kitchen and living-room areas. This floorplan includes the freestanding dinette and sofa/bed in the 13-foot 2-inch (inside wall-to-wall) curbside slideout, a pair of swivel rockers abutting the aft wall, and an entertainment center and galley in the 13-foot 5-inch streetside slideout. A 5-foot 3-inch streetside slideout moves the queen-size bed out for clearance to access the front-wall wardrobe and curbside vanity and closets. Included in the bathroom are an enclosed toilet, cornerstyle garden tub/shower and curbside washbowl.

This is definitely a lashup for the wellheeled RVer. The Santa Fe trailer is stickered at $83,782 (suggested retail price), and the Pioneer series truck is $51,190 as tested.

For that investment, Teton equips the Santa Fe with all the best hardware, such as the oak-plank floor and oak cabinets, Corian countertops, plush upholstery with a quality feel about it and topnotch appliances and equipment. Teton's assembly quality and attention to detail at the factory is evident throughout the trailer.

BY THE NuMBERs

Although Ford is re-rating some of the F-550 trucks, the test truck is and will be technically overloaded by the Teton because it has the manual six-speed transmission, and the automatic transmission is required to effect the re-rating.

Ford was specific in pointing out that there's no strength problem with the sixspeed manual transmission. The gcwr issue relates more to clutch durability because with a larger trailer, an inexperienced driver may cause excess clutch wear and tear. Thus, the company opted to rerate just the automatic.

The Santa Fe 33-footer, at 17,620 pounds wet but empty, has a comfortable 4,380-pound payload capacity before exceeding the trailer's 22,000pound gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr). That being the case, the potential owners should be able to pack to within 1,000 pounds of the fifth-wheel's gvwr and tow with the upgraded F-550 without overloading.

PIONEER-SERIES FEATURES

Fontaine makes relatively few modifications to the stock Ford cab and chassis, which in itself is very well equipped. The test truck included all the usual powered accessory bells and whistles, such as power windows and door locks, the Ford premium AM/FM/cassette/CD stereo, remote keyless entry and other goodies.

The truck's well-padded and shaped seats are comfortable for long drives, and the fold-down center armrest includes a storage compartment within. Subtle gray tones keep the interior understated, yet it's not like riding in a commercial truck. The F-550 is as civilized as a driver could want a heavy-duty RV hauler to be.

Speaking of comfort, the F-550 front and rear leaf-spring suspension is definitely truck-like, yet it's not as harsh as could be expected. To improve the ride, Fontaine has available an optional airride rear suspension, which at $3,500 is a pricey piece, but it's well worth the money. The suspension is auto leveling, so when the truck is driven solo, the air springs are deflated for a smoother ride and then pump up to support a load. Sure, it's no Lexus, but as a compromise rig that can tote the load in style and then haul you to the store and back, it's a fine piece.

Fontaine's bed is mostly fiberglass with a steel inner bed and a steel subframe for mounting the fifth-wheel hitch. Fontaine also included the optional 34gallon auxiliary fuel tank system ($1,250), which supplements the stock 36-gallon tank to extend driving range.

ON THE ROAD

There were no surprises when towing the Teton. The Fontaine-modified Super Duty F-550 handled the load with relative ease, which of course is the whole point of making a suitable tow rig and trailer matchup.

The smooth-shifting, six-speed manual transmission made it easy to choose the right gear for the job. Starting up was a no brainer-we used granny low, labeled "L' on the shift knob. That gear even made it easy to get the lashup rolling on a grade, although that took some fancy brake-and-clutch action to avoid staving in the front of the car behind us. The next four gears, labeled one through four on the knob (actually two through five in the transmission), seem well-matched to keeping the engine in a suitable rpm range for maximum effective torque. Sixth gear, both labeled and functionally overdrive, helped keep engine rpm at a reasonable level when we hit freeway speeds.

At worst, we slowed to 26 mph at 2,850 rpm in third gear on a grade approaching 7 to 8 percent. A moderate 6 percent freeway hill slowed us to about 38 mph at 2,600 rpm in fourth gear. Those are more than acceptable figures for towing a 17,620-pound trailer. Downhill is another matter. Although the manual transmission creates a direct lockup from engine to drivetrain, we still required some braking to slow and maintain 41 mph at 2,800 rpm in fourth gear on a 6-percent grade. Such is the nature of a diesel engine, and this rig could definitely use an exhaust brake to enhance its compressionbraking ability.

Fuel economy figures came in at 4.9 mpg towing and 13.9 mpg solo, but we're suspicious of the results. The truck's front tank filler had a vent-line blockage or some such that caused the fuel to foam up severely and burp out onto the ground under most fueling situations. We had to trickle fuel in agonizingly slowly to avoid a second diesel fuel shower, so we're not confident in our fuel economy numbers due to inconsistent fill-ups. A recent test with a similar F-550 and large fifth-wheel (November '98) netted 7.6 and 10.9 mpg, respectively.

LIVABILITY

RV manufacturers are refining slideout-room technology for improved use of the design possibilities. For one thing, not all slideouts are a full 3 feet deep as they were at first. The Santa Fe's streetside slider moves just 16 inches out, but that's enough to create a welcome sense of extra space. Curbside, the slideout moves approximately 2 feet 6 inches, and likewise, that makes a big difference inside.

Vertical space is another area of improvement. It took numerous trips into the bedroom area before I stopped instinctively ducking my head. With the aforementioned 6 feet 7 inches of headroom, not counting a couple of minor low-hanging lights, there's plenty of room to move around up front without bashing into any obstructions. Since I am 6 feet 6 inches tall, I found that freedom a refreshing change.

There is a generous 20 inches of walkway space between the foot of the bed and the vanity counter, but up front the aisle squeezes down to 10 inches wide, so getting to the mirrored-door wardrobe may be tricky for some.

Adequate counterspace is a plus for the bathroom wash bowl. For serious war-paint application, the vanity counter at the foot of the bed has an 18 x 41-inch table top with a slide-away mirror and a makeup storage drawer below. The toilet's enclosure does its job, and the corner shower is wide and tall enough for even large users.

We had no problems keeping the trailer warm on some frosty winter mornings because of its dual furnaces. In addition, the hot air vents are well placed and well balanced to deliver sufficient warm air throughout the unit.

The streetside entertainment center and galley have just one small window in the kitchen, but a large 2-foot 4-inch by 3-foot 9-inch skylight over the living room brings a whole lot of light into the area. That skylight makes the living room a wonderfully warm and cozy place to sit during the day, with brilliant light adding a happy glow. A collapsible, accordion-fold shade can be drawn across to keep out the hot summer sun. When after-dark lighting is needed, the user has a wide choice of fluorescent and/or 120-volt AC shorepower lamps and fixtures.

Raised-panel doors conceal the television and stereo equipment when desired, or they open and slide back into the cabinet for an unobstructed view of the screen. An extendible swivel TV stand allows users to aim the screen for the best viewing from the sofa, swivel chairs or dining table area.

This is a good fifth-wheel to back into a scenic spot. Panoramic rear windows and a pair of swivel rockers out back create a nifty place to sit and enjoy the view when the weather or hungry insects drive you inside, and a small movable table (positioned at your whim) supports drinks and snacks. A stepstool will be in order for short RVers trying to gain access to items stored in the overhead cabinets above the rockers against the aft wall, and alternately, a short stepladder might be an even better idea.

Although the glass-topped dining table is good looking and sturdy, I would personally opt for something with a less fragile surface such as Corian or laminate. This is just a personal observation, and several visitors to the Santa Fe commented on how nice the table looked, so it must be going over well with other RVers.

A fold-up 16 x 20-inch counter extension adds to the L-shaped kitchen's clear working space. It functions well, with enough counterspace, drawer and cabinet storage and easy refrigerator and dinette access, so the cook enjoys flexible, comfortable meal preparation. The area also has a nice classy ambiance, and that's a decent touch.

CONSTRUCTION

Wood-framed construction is used throughout the fifth-wheel. The vacuumlaminated walls have a skin of smooth gel-coated fiberglass on a lauan backer, 2 x 2-inch wood framing with polystyrene insulation and decorative lauan interior paneling. Up top, the EPDM rubher roof is laid over a 3/8-inch Structurwood underlayment that's supported on built-up tapered wood trusses. Fiberglass batt insulation is used in the roof, and the air-conditioning ducts are routed through the spaces in the trusses.

Carpeting and areas of hardwood plank flooring cover a 7/8-inch Structurwood deck that is laid directly on steel frame members. Fiberglass batt insulation is augmented with 1/4-inch polystyrene insulation that's sheathed below with plastic belly skin. Most of the storage compartments are vacuummolded ABS plastic, and the big, heated-and-insulated, below-gooseneck compartment uses 1/2 -inch plywood deck framed with steel, fiberglass insulation and a Filon fiberglass skin as an underbelly.

Full-timers and others looking for luxury fifth-wheel living may find the Teton Santa Fe 33-footer a fine selection as a place to call home. Its wide-open floorplan and interesting interior layout make it an easy place to enjoy And with the right equipment, the Ford F-550-based Pioneer can provide the kind of towing muscle mixed with driving elegance that makes for a sensible, safe and cost-effective dual-use vehicle.

Teton Homes, PO. Box 2349, Mills, Wyoming 82644; (307) 235-1525.

Copyright T L Enterprises, Inc. May 1999
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