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Old 02-06-2020, 07:39 AM   #1
Bob R
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Did I stumble on a Unicorn?

Unicorn as in "I haven't found much wrong with my new Raptor?"

I have been looking for a specific trailer for about 3-4 years. I was looking at the Raptor 355TS and had settled on it but then they quit making it. I then settled on a 356 and started looking. I found one (a 2019) about 300 miles from home. I went over and did a two day inspection, pickup, etc. I found a few minor items that were fixed on site, I found a few other minor things on day 2 that were either fixed, removed for replacement (shades) that will be sent to me and one thing that does not effect anything (some digits on fireplace display do not work properly) that will be fixed locally under warranty. I was on the roof, I had them bring me a creeper and using several different PDI inspection checklists I feel I covered this thing top to bottom, front to back fairly well.

I was surprised at how well it is put together considering the horror stories I have read from other new TH owners. One minor hiccup was the suspension system. It has a new air bag suspension on it produced by MORryde and AKTV8. Since being home I have contacted AKTV8 and have received nothing but great help from them. It seems I have inadvertently bought Raptor Prototype 1 and they were wondering where it went. I guess I will be a Beta Tester . The tow back over the mountains home was uneventful and very smooth. The air bag suspension seemed to make the ride much smoother.

Since being home I have had it at the house as we load up things to stay in it and continue to go through it. I am very happy with the build quality of this unit and so far have been very impressed with the folks at AKTV8 in helping with the suspension.

If things continue this way I will have no choice but to be happy with my TH, unicorn or not.



bob
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Old 02-06-2020, 07:58 AM   #2
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Truth be known, I'd suspect that the vast majority of new owners have this same type of "buying experience". It's not typical for happy, satisfied people to take time to post, but unhappy, unsatisfied people... Well that's a different story all together.

It's good to hear the good side of customer satisfaction. Thanks for posting your experience.

As for that "lost prototype"... WOW, great story
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Old 02-06-2020, 08:00 AM   #3
rjrelander
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Another unicorn owner here but we're little so there's not much to go wrong in the first place. :-)
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Old 02-06-2020, 08:04 AM   #4
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Congrats on the new purchase and good quality report. Let's hope it stays that way...our experience has been similar.

Also, kudos on the air bag suspension. That's a cool turn of events. Keep us informed. I've been curious about that system since I first saw videos and wondered if it would eventually make it into their mainstream lines.
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Old 02-06-2020, 08:52 AM   #5
Bob R
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The air suspension has a few really neat features. It levels low, it will sit all the way down and then level as it comes up, that makes the trailer sit much lower once it is leveled, essentially one step lower. It also has adjustable height for towing, it will raise or lower 1" on command for towing with a touch of a button or you can adjust as needed. It will kneel at the rear, lower the rear so the ramp has less of an angle on it for loading which can be of help when loading lowered or custom motorcycles. It will also lean to the road side so you can completely empty your tanks. All of that and a smoother ride, what a deal!

It also has what they call an off-board air system, essentially a fitting from the system accumulator tank to an air fitting so you can utilize the air to blow up tires, blow out the water lines or anything else you may need compressed air for. Mine does not have that little feature but it is being taken care of as we speak, thanks to AKTV8, MORryde and Keystone.

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Old 02-06-2020, 09:20 AM   #6
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We own a 2010 Outback 286FK. It is still hard for me to believe but the only issue that I have ever had was self inflected. I left a drawer out and the slide-out didn't care. Everything works like the day I got it.
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Old 02-06-2020, 10:26 AM   #7
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My 2016 Keystone Laredo 265SRL was pretty trouble free for me considering I picked it up new in Tucson and headed to Alaska a month later. Just had to tighten a few screws along the way but all appliances and the heating/cooling and water/sewer systems were trouble free.
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Old 02-06-2020, 12:31 PM   #8
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Another unicorn owner here with our Outback 272UFL and a unicorn also in the sense that they don't make them anymore (extinct?).
We had minor issues with ours too, but nothing I couldn't handle with the simple tools I have on board.
Happy unicorning!
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Old 02-06-2020, 05:08 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bob R View Post
Unicorn as in "I haven't found much wrong with my new Raptor?"

I have been looking for a specific trailer for about 3-4 years. I was looking at the Raptor 355TS and had settled on it but then they quit making it. I then settled on a 356 and started looking. I found one (a 2019) about 300 miles from home. I went over and did a two day inspection, pickup, etc. I found a few minor items that were fixed on site, I found a few other minor things on day 2 that were either fixed, removed for replacement (shades) that will be sent to me and one thing that does not effect anything (some digits on fireplace display do not work properly) that will be fixed locally under warranty. I was on the roof, I had them bring me a creeper and using several different PDI inspection checklists I feel I covered this thing top to bottom, front to back fairly well.

I was surprised at how well it is put together considering the horror stories I have read from other new TH owners. One minor hiccup was the suspension system. It has a new air bag suspension on it produced by MORryde and AKTV8. Since being home I have contacted AKTV8 and have received nothing but great help from them. It seems I have inadvertently bought Raptor Prototype 1 and they were wondering where it went. I guess I will be a Beta Tester . The tow back over the mountains home was uneventful and very smooth. The air bag suspension seemed to make the ride much smoother.

Since being home I have had it at the house as we load up things to stay in it and continue to go through it. I am very happy with the build quality of this unit and so far have been very impressed with the folks at AKTV8 in helping with the suspension.

If things continue this way I will have no choice but to be happy with my TH, unicorn or not.



bob
I tried to look it up and other than basically sales brochure quality info, not much. Since you have one do you have any links to where it's offered and on what?
How does that work with the 6 point leveling system that I assume is on the trailer also?
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Old 02-06-2020, 06:07 PM   #10
Bob R
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chunker View Post
I tried to look it up and other than basically sales brochure quality info, not much. Since you have one do you have any links to where it's offered and on what?
How does that work with the 6 point leveling system that I assume is on the trailer also?
It does not have the 6 point hydraulic leveling system. It uses the airbags on the front landing gear, bags on each axle (4), and rear stabilizers at the very back end of the trailer.

As far as offerings, it is pretty limited at this point as it is still being developed from what I can gather, plus it will probably be a pretty spendy option when it does show up for a while.

All of the hydraulics are removed from the trailer and replaced with air rams for the front and bags on the axles. There is an air tank on the frame for the air along with the compressors.

I am still learning it but so far I am very happy with it. Like I said I believe it is still being developed and only a few have been sent out into the world, as far as I can figure out.

I think it will be a game changer for large trailer and 5th wheel suspensions.

bob

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Old 02-06-2020, 06:58 PM   #11
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Wow, interesting. Thanks for sharing.
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Old 02-06-2020, 08:03 PM   #12
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We only had three outings since we bought out's last October so maybe not everything has shown up yet but we have been relatively trouble free as well.
The only main issue is on our first long trip a portion of the siding was not attached and would billow out. Surprised it didn't rip off as we were driving into a 30 mph headwind so there was an effective wind speed of 90 mph. While there I had them do a few other minor things I found. Anything else I have fixed myself. They were so minor it wouldn't be worth the effort to hook up and drag it in.

I also used the PDI checklist from here when I picked it up. The Service manager said that in his 30 plus years he had never seen anyone do more than the walk-thru they provide. He fell all over himself helping me out. Pulled over his personal toolbox and told me to help myself, brought a ladder so I could check the roof, etc. When I pulled in with the siding issue he gave me a hard time saying he figured he would never see me again.
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Old 02-07-2020, 07:17 AM   #13
Bob R
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Another video produced by the companies involved. The App for phones is still under build so it is not quite available yet.




bob

you may have to copy and paste the address or click on the address bar in the video, I am having random success with a direct link.
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Old 02-16-2020, 05:05 PM   #14
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Wow - thanks for the videos regarding the new air-ride suspension. Very interesting! I'm still adjusting to the hydraulic Level-Up system which is new to me and which I LOVE! On our last trip, I used the hydraulics to raise the trailer up to change a tire - wouldn't be possible with the air ride. If the air ride breaks, you could be stranded on the road. If the hydraulic system breaks, you might have to sleep without being level or stabile, but you could still continue on to a dealer if necessary. I guess the evaluation of these systems will all come out in the wash.

We purchased a new 2018 Raptor 353TS in 2019 - got a great deal. We have had very few problems:
  • Hydraulic Level-Up control circuit was problematic at first - unplugging/replugging all the connectors on the main control board seems to have fixed that issue.
  • Added bed support for the King bed mattress installed on a queen base - easy to do but should have been a factory fix.
  • Lost power to the heat/massage features on the couch - haven't tried to fix that yet. There are no blown fuses; it acts like it just came unplugged - not a real high priority for us.
  • Worked with the Dealer to get the dealer installed inverter installed and located where we wanted and to power the desired circuits - not a factory issue.
  • Changed the left/right orientation of the sliding glass door into the garage (personal preference, not a factory issue)
So, in all, we have been very pleasantly surprised and pleased with both Keystone factory and our dealer. We LOVE this trailer and would highly recommend to others!
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