Ideal 36' and Ford F-550

Alfa Leisure uses an island kitchen in an innovative floorplan, and Fontaine's Classic Traveler conversion adds function and character to the Super Duty truck

TL TEST Just when you begin to think there can't be anything new in fifth-wheel trailer floorplans, a manufacturer shows up with something truly exciting and innovative. Such is the case with the new Alfa Leisure Ideal with the island kitchen and galley-slide floorplan. Quite beyond the "new design" aspects of this rig's floorplan is the fact that it also works very well in a number of categories.

Notably, the functional island kitchen is augmented by a user-friendly computer desk surrounded by an entertainment center and a great expanse of headroom. Add extralarge windows, a long list of standard equipment and comfortable seating, and the Alfa is one of the most livable plans to hit the pike in some time-all in a 36-foot package.

The test coach, an Ideal model 34RLIK (rear living room, island kitchen) is fitted with a 14-foot 9-inch slideout streetside and a 12-foot 2-inch slider curbside, along with a smaller bed-size slideout in the gooseneck area. A curbside slideout galley is positioned adjacent to the midtrailer entry door. The front section of this slideout houses the three-burner range with oven, counterspace and a number of storage cabinets. Opposite the stove is a huge, fixedposition kitchen island fitted with the sink and a microwave oven; the aforementioned desk and entertainment unit are in the hind end of the slider. A lounge is set up in far back end. A sofa/bed and residential-style dinette, along with a hutch and second television (so the cook standing at the island counter can watch also), occupy the streetside slideout. Up front, the master bedroom and bath include a streetside corner shower and sink opposing the curbside toilet enclosure. The forward bedroom wall is filled with a wall-to-wall wardrobe; a small vanity and additional closets are curbside and accessible when the queen bed moves out in the slideout room.

This may not be the floorplan of choice for those who enjoy a lot of interior access while traveling, since the refrigerator and most kitchen cabinets, plus half of the dinette, are all inaccessible with the slideout rooms in the travel position. Practically speaking, it really doesn't take long to pop the curbside slide out far enough to make a snack, for example, but some people may consider the process somewhat inconvenient.

In addition, the trailer features a level roof front to back, which creates a very tall 7-foot 11-inch ceiling height throughout the rig's aft end. A lowered floor height up front also results in a tall 6-foot 9-inch walkaround ceiling in the bath and bedroom. The extra high ceiling creates the impression that the fifth-wheel is actually larger than 36 feet.

The sole option in the test fifth-wheel was the corner shower unit, and it's included in the manufacturer's suggested retail price. The trailer even comes equipped with a satellite dish and receiver. The test trailer has a sticker price of $56,945, and there are a few additional available options including a washer/dryer, day-and-night shades, storm windows, AC generator prep and a 5.5- or 7.0-kw Onan AC generator.

All this equipment comes with a certain tradeoff in weight and towing requirement, as usual for a large fifth-wheel trailer The test trailer weighed 13,860 pounds wet, but empty. After accounting for the 16,340-pound gross vehicle weight rating (gvwr), the payload was 2,480 pounds.

We matched the Ideal to a new Classic Traveler tow rig from Fontaine Modification Company (see sidebar). The Classic Traveler is the latest release in the medium-duty towing market that's growing around the Ford Super Duty F-450 and F-550 trucks. With a 16,680-pound tow rating (after subtracting the 9,320-pound curb weight of the truck from its 26,000pound gross combination weight rating), the truck and fifthwheel proved to be a superb towing package.

ON THE ROAD

Despite its seemingly high profile, the trailer towed with little weather-induced trauma. As usual, strong gusts tend to push it a little, but the Fontaine held it securely and never gave us a moment's concern. This truck and trailer felt like they were made to be together.

Optional air suspension in the Fontaine's aft end helps smooth the ride, both for the passengers and the front of the fifth-wheel. The Ford Super Duty has a fairly civilized ride for a high-gvwr vehicle with leaf springs in stock trim, but the air bags ease the ride even more and are definitely worth the investment.

Adequate braking is an important issue that the larger tow vehicles address. When standard pickups are used to tow large trailers, they may have enough power, but the rig's emergency braking ability may be questionable. With the F-550-based Fontaine, the truck's disc brakes all around are designed specifically for extra-large loads, and combined with the trailer brakes, the combination enjoys smooth, secure stopping capability.

Acceleration and hill climbing are relatively good with the diesel-powered Fontaine. We took on 6-percent grades at 45 mph in third (direct) gear.

Heading downhill, we were reminded that these vehicles can use some sort of compression or exhaust braking device. Starting in third gear at 3,000 rpm on a 6percent grade, the truck and trailer combination continued to accelerate and required occasional use of the service brakes to keep its ears pinned back. Dropped way back to second gear, using the brakes to initially slow the rig, our speed started at 30 mph and 2,250 rpm, then gradually increased while continuing down the hill. Without an exhaust or compression brake, plan on using the service brakes a lot in the mountains with a Power Stroke-equipped Ford Super Duty truck. Fuel economy averaged 8.5 mpg towing the Alfa.

LIVABIITY

Parked and set up for use, this floorplan comes into its own.

Those with a lot of cargo to store should enjoy the huge compartment below the bathroom. Accessible via a giant-size, swing-up curbside door, we used the space to loosely store three large Rubbermaid storage totes, plus a variety of extra hardware, such as a hose, extension cord and the like. With a little more planning, the space could handle a respectable amount of gear.

Interior storage spaces abound in this high-roofline rig. Out back, for example, there's a bank of overhead cabinets on the rear wall. And midpoint "attic" space is provided by 24-inch-deep by 11-inchtall cabinets that extend the length of the galley against the ceiling. The manufacturer thoughtfully includes a small stepstool to help with accessing those highlevel cabinets, but a short stepladder might be a better idea.

Predominant in the center of the fifthwheel is the island kitchen. The island, which has a 34-inch aisle between it and the extended curbside slideout, contains a dual-bowl sink, a large countertop and numerous drawers and cabinets.

I can picture my counterpart roping off the space between the island and the slideout portion of the galley, then standing guard with spatula in hand, saying, "Now stay out of my area, grrrr." as she cruises about the kitchen. She can be very protective of her kitchen-with good reason. I cook meals for sustenance and survival, and hers lean toward the ornate and decorative.

The kitchen is superbly designed and laid out, with reams of close-by storage space and enough clear countertops to handle a whole turkey dinner's fixins with ease. From the 23 x 77-inch island to the 26 x 69-inch curbside counter with the stove, there's literally more space here than in some apartments. A handy lip along the back edge of the island countertop keeps things from bailing off the backside, and well-planned silverware drawers and cabinets give the user plenty of equipment storage choices.

One nice touch is the way the overhead cabinets above the stove area are angled back, which helps open up the space and avoid a closed-in feeling near the stove. It's these little items that add up to important comfort features in an often-used interior space like the galley.

Streetside from the galley is the residential-style dinette with its four nicely shaped and padded chairs. The slideout's tall ceiling height means the traditional overhead lamp isn't hanging down over the table, which is nice, and there's a huge picture window adjacent to the table that provides a great view.

Wraparound windows also frame the desk area that's tucked into the slideout just aft of the galley. Included therein are a 27 x SO-inch desktop with a slide-out keyboard tray, a single large lower cabinet to the left of the chair position and overhead are the television, stereo and DSS satellite receiver.

We enjoyed being able to sit at the desk while banging away on our Macintosh laptop computer, but the chair is in a funny position. The lip of the slideout floor forces the chair to be either well back from the desktop, to rest on the flat section of floor, or, when partly slid in, the front legs are up on the slideout floor and the back legs are lower. We just kept the chair back, and sat forward on the seat to reach the keyboard. While the specific layout of the desk area may not be optimum for many computer users, a few modifications to personalize the system will still make this set-up light years ahead of units without such accommodations.

A good-sized 83-inch-long sofa/bed and a pair of swivel recliners make up the essential living room-area furniture. There's a lot of stretch-out room in the lounge, and there's space aplenty to bring in extra chairs should the visiting crowd swell beyond the preinstalled seating capacity. The tall ceiling further enhances the impression of space in this area, and if so desired, the swivel chairs can be turned around to look out the large picture window.

Up front, the bedroom/bathroom suite is functional and enjoyable. There's loads of wardrobe space, the curbside vanity seemed popular with the distaff test crew persons, and the extra headroom helps avoid that closed-in feeling. Alfa's engineers came up with a reasonable height compromise between keeping the bed low and providing space for underbed storage, such that when sitting on the edge of the bed one's legs don't dangle too badly, yet kneeling for underbed access doesn't require a great deal of stretching. Mirrored closet and cabinet doors can alternately keep you entertained or simply provide a reflected image for makeup, shaving functions or the like. The aisle space between the forward edge of the bed and the closet is really tight, which could make access difficult for large individuals. Otherwise, the area offers free and easy access to the bathing and dressing facilities.

CONSTRUCTION

Alfa starts each Ideal trailer with the company's patented Spacemaster chassis, which features a frame with two riser areas rather than the usual one riser in the gooseneck. In essence, the main frame rails make their first rise just ahead of the side entry door, such that the bathroom floor literally sits directly on the main frame rails. This places the primary frame element above the forward underbath storage area, for more useable storage space. All holding tanks are enclosed and heated within the frame structure.

The aluminum-framed, polystyrene-insulated walls feature vacuum-laminated construction with lauan-backed Filon fiberglass exterior skin and decorative paneling inside. The roof is EPDM rubber over a 3/8-inch oriented-strandboard deck that sheathes a system of 2 x 3-inch wood joists with fore-and-aft stringers to support the deck; fiberglass batt insulation fills the cavity Down below, the floor starts with carpet or vinyl over 3/4-inch tongue-andgroove fir plywood decking supported by longitudinal 2 x 4-inch wood framing over steel chassis members. Fiberglass batt insulation is installed to insulate both the floor and the subframe spaces.

A single feature like a unique island kitchen floorplan can make or break an RV and in the case of the Ideal 34RLIK, it's the showpiece of the trailer. Combined with a practical computer desk and the rest of the well-done floorplan, the kitchen helps make the Alfa Ideal a terrific new option for serious travelers or fulltime RVers. Matched to a hard-core new tow rig like the Fontaine Classic Traveler, the combination makes a marriage that should be good for many miles. TL

Copyright T L Enterprises, Inc. Apr 1999
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