RVBusiness, November/December 2018

Edition 385FK that swayed the RVBusiness editorial staff and earned the Vengeance RVBusiness 2019 RV of the Year honors While theres a lot to the new Vengeance easily the biggest change is the Easy Approach hydraulic loading system In a typical trailer suspension arrangement the axles are mounted to the leaf springs the Easy Approach utilizes torsion axles which are mounted directly to the frame and equipped with hydraulic cylinders A switch mounted to the exterior of the rear sidewall activates the system There are two cylinders one on either side of the coach explained Short When that switch is thrown the hydraulic fluid bleeds out of the cylinders and the center of the axles move up into the chassis by 10 inches allowing the exterior to drop The system utilizes the same hydraulic pump that powers the units six point Level Up trailer leveling feature The system he added decreases the ramp angle by as much as 50 The concept added Short is not novel cargo trailers have the ability to be able to drop down to load heavy equipment into them and its done with hydraulics but no one had adopted the idea for the RV industry In engineering and product development meetings I threw the challenge out there and asked Is there any way that this could ever be done Our head engineer Pat OConnor was able to put it all together and we partnered with Lippert to bring this product to market The partnership with LCI he noted also includes a two year exclusive agreement With less wear and tear than a typical leaf spring suspension the torsion system also will carry an 11 year warranty In addition to the dramatic change in ramp door approach angle Easy Approach also increases road handling with the 19500 pound GVWR 44 foot fifth wheel As opposed to a leaf spring suspension torsion axles utilize dense rubber cords placed inside the axle housing the axles channel road shock and vibration to these cords Torsion axles give you the ability to have true independent suspension on both sides of the coach said Short If you have a triple axle unit then all six wheels are TThe unique floorplan in the 44 foot Vengeance Touring Edition 385FK places both the kitchen and lounge in the upper cabin independently suspended on their own The reason torsion axles arent generally used in recreational vehicles is cost they each can run several hundred dollars more than their traditional counterparts However as Quake pointed out This is an option on the Vengeance that were including without an additional charge Easy Approach he added will be standard on all Vengeance and Touring models moving forward Theres more to the 120000 MSRP Vengeance Touring Edition 385KF than the new loading system however Front kitchens have become a popular floorplan among fifth wheel buyers but Forest River is the first manufacturer to offer such a configuration in a toy hauler In fact the Vengeance not only places the well equipped kitchen far forward with its 22 cubic foot residential refrigerator placed against the forward wall but the upper cabin also includes a comfortable lounge with sofas in opposing slideouts and an entertainment center The reason other manufacturers dont put a refrigerator up front is because they dont have the clearance height for it Short said By changing the profile and switching to a full profile front cap we were able to increase clearance height to a full 6 feet 5 inches Nor added Short did the unique floorplan increase weight on the front hitch We werent really concerned with weight issues because thats predicated upon axle placement The front kitchen doesnt increase hitch weight at all With the kitchen and lounge upstairs the ground level of the Vengeance is given over to a sizable bath with walk in shower with seat and a rear bedroom just forward of the garage I think the new technology and floorplan say a lot about the Vengeance team and what theyre doing today to stay ahead of the game noted Quake It was only a matter of time before somebody came up with a front kitchen in a toy hauler or a lowering frame for safety We happened to be first RVB The Easy Approach system lowers the rear end of the Vengeance by up to 10 inches which said Short reduces the ramp angle by as much as 50 N O V E M B E R D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 8 RVBusiness 71