377FL and 376FL owners thread

[214skier]

Originally Posted by 4Callahans

I am simply wondering if all of us with 377FL's face this issue or if it is a problem with mine specifically.

On hot days despite the front and rear AC units set to AC high at 73 degrees, We are lucky if the RV stays under 83 degrees inside after 1pm. Starts out fine (obviously because of lower nighttime temps outside/no sun beating down on the camper). But as the morning goes on it quickly heats up. In the kitchen area you don't feel a whole lot of cooling (the ceiling AC ducts are HIGH above your head there). In the living room (with its relatively low ceiling) if you stand not far from where the ducts are you feel the cool air. If you go to the loft it is FREEZING. And in the back bedroom it never feels very cool. The 2 ceiling ducts are woefully inadequate.

Is this the experience of others with this model?

Thanks for your input.

Yes, we frequently camp in 104’ temperatures and have this precise experience. We might get indoor temperatures to 80’ if we keep all of the block out shades closed. The rig needs to rework the venting for the loft / master…and likely needs a third AC for the kitchen area.

We also struggled keeping the refrigerator below 40’ with lack of roof top venting. I had to add two supplemental fans to push hot air out in order to get the refrigerator in the 38’ range on hot days.

[Camp CA]

Wow did not image these models would not be level when hitched. Are you guys with low tails towing with a 4x4? Is the bed hitch mounted at the lowest position?

[NixonFamilyRV]

We have camped in 100+ degree weather and were able to stay pretty comfortable, but it was very dry heat in Colorado. When we took the camper to Corpus Christi this summer, it was extremely hot and extremely humid, and the A/C was only able to keep us in the low 80's inside the coach. The front room was pretty warm, the kitchen/dining room was around 80-83 or so, and the loft was cold. As soon as the sun went down, it really wasn't hard to stay cool indoors.

I think this floorplan might be a perfect candidate for the RV Airflow Systems solution. It's a device you install inside the A/C cover and it forces more air into the duct work in the camper. It disables the air dumps on the A/C cover, and improves the efficiency of the air being pushed into the rest of the coach. I haven't tried it yet, but from my experience with this unit, I think it probably makes good sense. I would encourage you to research this solution.

I also can agree with an earlier comment about the fridge in the extreme Texas heat not keeping up very well. I have the 376FL, so I have the RV fridge, not a residential-style fridge. The fans seem to be insuffencient on the rear of the fridge, and while the freezer did reasonably well, the fridge could only maintain upper 40's and lower 50's. We put a small fan inside the fridge, which helped a little. But a future project will be to improve the air circulation on the back of the fridge.

Back to the interior cooling issue, I found that fans make a big difference in keeping comfortable. RVs, in general, just don't circulate air all that well without a little help. I keep the air dumps open in the loft and put a powerful fan right at the top of the rail to blow it down into the hallway area, and that makes a huge difference for us. We also put fans up front on the half-wall to blow air up into the front room.

For me, camping in dry heat isn't a problem. Extra circulation with fans is really all that was needed to keep us in the 70's inside. But in humid heat, it was tough to keep comfortable, especially in the front room. I think the RV Airflow device will help a bit in the future. I plan to order one soon.

As for the tail dragging issue, yes unfortunately I am towing with a 4x4 short bed (Ram Mega Cab) and the truck is a little too tall. I have everything adjusted as low as it can go, and I still can't quite get it level. After lifting the trailer a couple of inches, it's a lot closer to level than it was before. When the unit was delivered, the driver was in a 1-ton Chevy dually, and it was very level with his setup. If you have a long bed and don't need an auto-sliding hitch, that will help level it out too. My hitch is a little high because of all the moving parts in the auto slider.

I am now chasing a small leak in the rear driver-side corner of the unit. When we were in Texas, the condensation from the A/C started to come into the loft through a ceiling outlet. After some investigation, it looks like it might be coming in behind the gutter. Sometimes I really wish we didn't love this floorplan so much because it has been a pretty huge pain in many ways. I blame the fact that I ordered it just as COVID hit the factories, and I'm sure it caused a lot of disruptions. Our unit was due in May that year, but we didn't get it until September due to supply chain disruptions. That's forgivable, but the abundance of problems we've had with ours sure doesn't make me eager to buy another Montana. My wife says I'm not being fair about it, and while it's true that it's not unusual to be in a somewhat pursuit of projects and repairs on these things, I've never had to go to the lengths I've gone on this one.

I think my next fifth wheel is going to have 3 A/C units so we're not hot, and it won't have the drop frame at the rear so I'm not afraid to take it anywhere. Even after the 2" lift, I've whacked the tail on the ground a couple of times. It's WAY better than it was at the stock height, but still a little tricky when you come across that steep dip at an intersection. To me, it's just not practical for a coach this long to be that low at the rear.

After saying all this, it is still one heck of a cool floorplan.

[Camp CA]

Nice reviews as we will be interested in this model on our next fifth wheel purchase. I see the 2021 376FL model added a 3rd axle https://www.rvusa.com/rv-guide/2021-...-376fl-tr48687 while keeping GVWR under 16,500 lbs. Does this result in a level trailer?

[NixonFamilyRV]

I see that third axle in the picture on that dealer’s web site, but that’s a different model. My 376FL is a 2021 model, and it’s just tandem axle.

It’s a fantastic floor plan, just be sure you’re as level as you can get with your tow rig. And get some fans for summer.

[214skier]

Originally Posted by 4Callahans

I am simply wondering if all of us with 377FL's face this issue or if it is a problem with mine specifically.

On hot days despite the front and rear AC units set to AC high at 73 degrees, We are lucky if the RV stays under 83 degrees inside after 1pm. Starts out fine (obviously because of lower nighttime temps outside/no sun beating down on the camper). But as the morning goes on it quickly heats up. In the kitchen area you don't feel a whole lot of cooling (the ceiling AC ducts are HIGH above your head there). In the living room (with its relatively low ceiling) if you stand not far from where the ducts are you feel the cool air. If you go to the loft it is FREEZING. And in the back bedroom it never feels very cool. The 2 ceiling ducts are woefully inadequate.

Is this the experience of others with this model?

Thanks for your input.

I installed a freestanding AC in the master--heading out to Eastern Washington and temperatures in the low 100's. I will report back how this worked.

[214skier]

Installed this yesterday. Heading out today to camp for a week with temperatures forecast up to 104'.

[214skier]

Originally Posted by 214skier

Installed this yesterday. Heading out today to camp for a week with temperatures forecast up to 104'.

Adding the extra AC made enormous impact to the RV daytime temperatures. During camping this week outdoor temperatures reached 104'. For the first time I was able to maintain 70' inside the RV with all three ACs in action--masterbedroom was perfect temperature. Problem solved!

[julielm75]

We also added a 3rd, freestanding a/c. That has helped! The master bedroom and loft set up just does not work well.

I am wondering if anyone has any tips or hacks for the bedroom closet. I hate that the doors only open half way, so when you have something in the back of the closet it is super hard to get to. We use the stay put hangers so they are a bit larger than regular hangers. Our first few times out with regular hangers everything was on the ground. I have tried several different ways to organize the closet but nothing so far has worked well. Any tips appreciated.

[firestation12]

Originally Posted by NixonFamilyRV

214skier,

Thank you for your reply. Your comments were very helpful indeed:

1) The dealer is helping with the warranty claim on the LED strip. I asked that they just send me the LED strip for me to install myself. Super minor issue, but super annoying that it arrived that way. But, ok. Stuff happens. We'll fix it.

2) It's really quite reassuring to hear you say that your coach is comfortable in hot weather, because that was definitely not our experience a couple of weeks ago. I wasn't being too analytical of the A/C performance at the time because we were just parked on a family member's property on plain old 15A residential service, so I was only trying to run one A/C at a time anyway. But when I got it to an RV park later in the week on 50A service, I was expecting a nice cool down from having both A/C units running at full power. That's when I discovered that the rear unit isn't chilling the air coming in at all, it was just blowing warm ambient air in from outdoors. Bummer. I don't have a dealer local to me, so I'll find a way to handle that issue eventually.

3) I also run airbags on my truck for stability. I also started to learn that dumping air out of the bags when coming into town limits made it a little bit less stressy getting in and out of gas stations and parking lots. However, even when I let the truck squat as much as it's going to, I'm still nose-high, and tail-low. I'll attach a photo of the rig that was taken at a rest stop on the first trip out about two weeks ago.

Regarding lifting the suspension on the trailer to help level it with the truck, does that make the trailer actually ride taller on the road? That's actually a concern of mine, I don't want to make the trailer any higher than it already is. I'm at about 13' 6" at the top of the front A/C when hitched to my truck with the airbags pressurized.

Thank you!
Russ

Russ, this summer I helped a friend look into his bedroom ac not cooling. Upon removing the rooftop AC cover, I discovered the molded foam shell that covers the blower wheel was missing. The 5th wheel camper was purchased new and had always been garage kept. My guess was the AC was a parts donor while on the dealer lot. There only a few ways that an AC can be blowing ambient air from outside.

[firestation12]

Originally Posted by 214skier

Installed this yesterday. Heading out today to camp for a week with temperatures forecast up to 104'.

Does your new AC add on have a through wall exhaust vent installed to the outside?

[NixonFamilyRV]

Originally Posted by firestation12

Does your new AC add on have a through wall exhaust vent installed to the outside?

I have the same question - really good to know this helped, but I have to think it needs to exhaust somehow. Perhaps there's a way to rig it up to the window in the bedroom, although my unit was built with the incorrect sized screen in that window. That's on my list for this season.

I'm hoping to take the first trip of the 2023 season in a couple of weeks. Toward the end of last season, I got caught in a situation where I had to cross a dip and dragged the tail pretty good. It's just a matter of time before the fresh water tank drain gets ripped off. The suspension lift has helped tremendously, but I still occasionally get put in situations where there's just no way to get the right angle on a driveway or dip.

I see this floorplan on the road and at campgrounds surprisingly frequently. I often see rollers welded to the tail. I guess that's probably what I'll eventually have to do. This season, I'm (again) eyeing the possibility of replacing my 3/4 ton with a 1-ton, probably dually. I think if I could lower the nose of the trailer just a bit more, I'll be a little happier.

I'm thankful for all the discussion in this thread. This unit poses some unique challenges, but when I shop for something different I never find anything I like anywhere near as much.

Here's to a happy and successful 2023 season!

[jimcol]

I had rear rollers on our older travel trailer. I elected to bolt mine on opposed to welding. Main reason I had a drill bit but didn't have a welder.

[Akuhn]

Hello my favorite 376/377FL group. I am looking to replace my AC filters, but I am having trouble figuring out which ones to get.. you guys have any idea? 2021 376FL

[Foldbak]

Originally Posted by Akuhn

Hello my favorite 376/377FL group. I am looking to replace my AC filters, but I am having trouble figuring out which ones to get.. you guys have any idea? 2021 376FL

What AC unit do you have? Colman?

https://rvair.com/coleman-rv-air-conditioner-filter/
https://www.amazon.com/Simply-MervFi...0552917&sr=8-5

[Akuhn]

Originally Posted by Foldbak

What AC unit do you have? Colman?

https://rvair.com/coleman-rv-air-conditioner-filter/
https://www.amazon.com/Simply-MervFi...0552917&sr=8-5

No, I have Dometic AC units. The front unit has 2 filters, no dump. The rear has 1 filter and has dump.

[Foldbak]

Originally Posted by Akuhn

No, I have Dometic AC units. The front unit has 2 filters, no dump. The rear has 1 filter and has dump.

RV air should have them.

https://rvair.com/product/ac-160g/

[Akuhn]

RV air was an awesome tool to find them. Thank you!

[Akuhn]

Question all, my 2021 mhc 376fl is going to need a new floor in the living room. It is very soft under the recliners. Does anyone know how to get Montana to cover this? Or have any experience with such a new unit? Just seems to me.. this unit was less than 2 years old when the dealer inspected the soft floor. (May 2023) purchased July 29th 2021.. that Montana should do SOMETHING

[Foldbak]

Originally Posted by Akuhn

Question all, my 2021 mhc 376fl is going to need a new floor in the living room. It is very soft under the recliners. Does anyone know how to get Montana to cover this? Or have any experience with such a new unit? Just seems to me.. this unit was less than 2 years old when the dealer inspected the soft floor. (May 2023) purchased July 29th 2021.. that Montana should do SOMETHING

You should have a 3 year structural warranty. I think a floor would be covered unless you have a water leak. That's the only thing that would cause a soft floor. A water leak wouldn't be covered under warranty past 1 year.