It can be overwhelming reading review after review claiming that after even just months of use, their RV is falling apart. We spend hard-earned money on our RVs, and to have them not hold up can be devastating. Frustrations can grow, especially for those of us who use our RVs as a primary home. Is there an RV out there that can withstand the rigors of full-time travel? Some say New Horizons RV fits the bill.
Let’s dive into the company to see if they genuinely are the best-built fifth wheel.
Table of contents
Who Is New Horizons RV?
New Horizons RV has been building RVs for over 25 years. This family-owned and operated business sits two hours west of Kansas City, near Milford Lakes, Kansas.
New Horizons RV boasts a 40,000sq-ft facility where they build their custom RVs. They’re a factory-direct organization, which means eliminating the dealership as the middleman.
What Types of RVs Does New Horizons RV Make?
New Horizons RV makes custom-made luxury 5th wheels, each made by skilled craftsmen using only high-end materials. These units are designed with full-time living in mind. In addition to standard layout 5th wheels, the company also manufactures toy hauler 5th wheels.
The smallest of the New Horizons units comes in at 32 feet, while the longest of the bunch is an impressive (and massive) 48 feet long.
Is New Horizons RV the Best-Built 5th Wheel on the Market?
New Horizons is a full-timer’s dream. Craftspeople build these 5th wheels from the ground up so they can be your home for years to come. Building these units on-site, including the chassis, eases communication and logistics between the various departments. They custom-make the chassis for your specific layout, giving it extra strength where needed, ensuring a long-lasting product that will withstand the rigors of full-time travel.
New Horizons RV believes that while a nice interior is essential, the high-quality design of the finished interior is useless without a well-made structure. With that said, interior design is important, and New Horizons delivers in that aspect as well.
There are no cookie-cutter RVs here. Owners love to share how the company sat down with them to discuss their needs. Questions such as where they like to travel and how often were all topics of discussion.
New Horizons RV enjoys getting to know its customers and their travel style to help construct the perfect fit. One owner even shared how New Horizons RV incorporated a custom-made wine rack into their design due to mentioning their love of wineries.
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New Horizons RV 5th Wheel Models
While New Horizons provides great custom RV units, there are plenty of predesigned options available. Take a look at your options after you’ve decided to make a New Horizons RV your next traveling home.
Summit
New Horizons RV Summit line is a great first step into the New Horizons world. With a Summit 5th wheel, you get the same quality that New Horizons is known for, yet simpler. They state that when you choose a Summit, you’re getting one of our well-thought-out floor plans, and rest assured that you’re buying a New Horizons quality fifth wheel without having to spend extra on “the fluff.”
There are 15 floorplan options (including a toy hauler) with New Horizons Summit. The line floor plans range from 32 to 44 ft in length. Most units are rear living layouts, though there’s a rear kitchen in two of the options. There are no bunk models in the Summit line.
There are many options with each floor plan, and you can customize these predesigned models to a certain degree. Owners can choose items such as interior colors and RV washer and dryer hookups.
Majestic
The Majestic line will entice those who want a step above the standard. This lineup from New Horizons RV, of course, provides the essential high quality needed for continuous use, but also all the comforts you could need. If luxury is what you’re after, you’ll find it here. Whether you’re camping in a fancy RV park or boondocking away from it all, you’ll be comfortable at home. Some floorplans even offer a full bathtub.
There are 35 floor plans in the Majestic line, including toy haulers that range from 32 to 48 ft long. These RVs are great for both couples and families. There are multiple bunkhouse models, which is a must-have for some families. If a home office is vital to you, New Horizons Majestic also has you covered.
Toy Haulers
There are six toy hauler floorplans in the Majestic line up and one in the Summit. These toy haulers have the same excellent quality as you’ve come to expect from New Horizons RV. These versatile RVs start 44 feet and can be up to a massive 48 feet in length. These toy haulers are great for taking items like motorcycles with you on your journey without needing to tow them behind you.
Toy haulers are great for transforming the space into an additional bedroom or office space. A bonus is the potential for a back patio. A patio allows you to have extra outside space while still being in your rig and up off the ground.
Custom RVs
Many times when purchasing an RV, you get what you get. Whatever’s on the lot at the time is what you can take home. If it has options you didn’t want, you’re still stuck paying for them. Likewise, if there are options left off, you’ll need to add them on your own or shell out for the dealer to install them–if it’s possible to do so.
With New Horizons RV, you’re part of the build process. You’ll select a starting point floor plan and from there have an abundance of options during the build process. If you know what you want, the team will make it happen. If you need help with your decisions, they help guide you through the process.
For example, we have seen a couple of custom New Horizons travel trailers in our travels as well. You’ll have to talk to the company to learn more about these custom rigs!
How Are New Horizons RV 5th Wheels Made?
New Horizons 5th wheels are made on-site with high-quality materials. They begin with a custom-made chassis built specifically for your floor plan and travel needs.
These units also include a high-quality flooring process, which prevents the annoying squeak that often happens in RVs. The “wall sandwich” gives owners a safe and comfortable exterior. They top it off with a radiused roofing system made of XTRM PLY material.
Now that you have an exterior built to last, they shift their focus to the inside aesthetics. All wood cabinets, great flooring, and luxury fixtures make your home on wheels feel residential.
Additionally, New Horizons RV wants you to be comfortable, so they know the importance of excellent furniture. Their RVs come with full-sized residential furniture. You won’t find any cheap RV couches in these rigs.
How Much Is a New Horizons 5th Wheel?
The pricing on a New Horizons 5th wheel can be challenging to pinpoint. Due to the vast amount of customizations done on each unit, no two RVs are the same. This uniqueness means no two people will walk out paying the same amount. New Horizons does provide starting prices that can help you get a feel for a price range, however.
The starting price of any New Horizons RV is $162,000. This price is before any customizations or upgrades. When considering their 48-foot toy haulers, you’ll be looking at a base price of $266,745.
And don’t forget to factor in the cost of your tow vehicle. With the customization and high-quality materials, these fifth wheels often need to be pulled with something bigger than a one-ton truck. Many New Horizons owners have mid-duty, heavy-duty, or semi-trucks to haul their RV.
→Suggested Post: Think Your One-Ton Truck Is Big Enough? You May Be Wrong
Is a New Horizons RV 5th Wheel Worth the Money?
An excellent way to decide if a purchase is worth the money is to look at its value several years down the road. An overwhelming amount of RVs depreciates rapidly. In fact, within five years, most RVs are reduced to only a fraction of the original purchase cost.
When you look at used New Horizons RVs, you’ll be surprised at how much value they’ve retained. Because they hold up exceptionally well, they don’t have the same depreciation rate as other RVs, even with full-time use, and often sell for over $100,000, even after ten years.
With that said, if you’re a casual weekend warrior, you may feel you can’t justify a New Horizons RV price. The quality and price point certainly lends itself to full-time RVers, but the choice is ultimately yours!
Are you impressed by the quality of New Horizons RVs? Do you think they’re a top-tier option for full-time travelers? Let us know in the comments below!
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Marty Main
Tuesday 15th of February 2022
After loads of research, we decided a New Horizons was the best choice for full timing. They are very well built and hold up under full time use. We purchased and renovated a 2006 New Horizons 5th wheel trailer. See the video that Watts On Wheels did on our trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diYMsdVZIk0 After almost two years in this trailer, we sold it in order to get a newer Toy Hauler; again from New Horizons. Their customer service is great and the NH family is super. See the Facebook groups: https://www.facebook.com/groups/444783119674721 and https://www.facebook.com/groups/870756606458475
Connie Saunders
Sunday 18th of July 2021
We were researching 12 volt refrigerators saw the link for New Horizons and clicked. Ha, that's our Majestic travel trailer my wife said! Are they worth it? We think so. The largest misconception about NH is the weight. The Travel Trailer pictured is over 20,000 pounds empty and we are 37 feet long. There are many differences you can't see. Keep an open mind and do your research. You should also review Spacecraft Mfg RV's as well.
Mortons on the Move
Thursday 22nd of July 2021
Glad to hear you like your New Horizons RV! We also mentioned SpaceCraft RVs in our recent Custom RVs article, which you can read here: https://www.mortonsonthemove.com/custom-rvs/
Phil Spence
Saturday 17th of July 2021
We bought a used custom New Horizons Majestic 43' long with 4 slideouts almost two years ago. The coach was 8 years old, well cared for and we love it. The report shown above of the evaluation of the best 5th wheel trailer was spot on as far as ruggedness, quality, comfort and value, especially for full-timers and those that travel for several months each year. We are full-time and wanted a 5th wheel that truly felt like it was our home (which it is) and are not disappointed. Although it came with an F450 King Ranch dually, we soon discovered it was underpowered going up mountains and way underpowered in the braking system causing a few "White nuckle" rides down mountains. The 26,000lb weight of the trailer was just too much for the one ton truck in our opinion. Many New Horizons owners tow with the Ram 5500 which has a Jake or engine brake and are happy with them, although many of their trailers tend to be in the 40' and under range. Several of our New Horizons friends tow with the medium duty trucks such as the Freightliner M2 Series and some prefer the larger engines than the standard 300 - 350hp Mercedes. After careful and thorough research, we elected to move up to the heavy duty Class 8 HDT) Volvo truck for the power of 465hp and 1,650lbs of torque, air brakes and jake/engine brakes, longevity of a million mile truck/engine/transmission, the comfort of the all air ride (axles, cab,, seats and hitch) and the overall safety. We find the Volvo to have similar prices to the other tow vehicle options whether brand new or especially used and driving the big truck is pretty much the same as driving a motor home, an M2 or even a 1 ton dually. In most states, no CDL is required to drive an HDT when you register it as an RV, which is common practice. We are in the process of having the bed of the truck transformed to allow us to load a smart car across the back of the cab for sightseeing and travelling when we are stationary at a campground for a few days. For those who may be concerned about the cost of a brand new coach, there are always a few used New Horizons to consider. For example, our all in cost so far is in the $150,000 range for the big truck and the 5th wheel trailer. The ruggedness, beauty and quality of a New Horizons RV, along with the tremendous employees and customer service are second to none and I encourage any full-time interested in a luxury true home on wheels, to consider the New Horizons brand. Their motto is "if you can dream it, we can build it" and they can. Because they have no dealerships they select interested New Horizons owners to become Ambassadors. As New Horizons Ambassadors, we meet at the factory each year to receive updates on everything going on at the factory and with the New Horizons brand. We maintain contact with the company, letting them know where our travels take us. Then, if a prospective interested customer is not ready to travel to the factory, but wants to touch and feel a New Horizons coach, they notify the New Horizons Ambassador who is closest to the prospective customers home and they connect to show their coach and answer any questions they may have. Also, ambassadors can show their coach to interested fellow RVers they meet in their travels. You will find that many New Horizons owners are more than willing to show off their luxurious and rugged home on wheels.
Eric Nagell
Tuesday 21st of September 2021
Thank you for the great report. My wife and I have been researching becoming full-time rvers in the next couple of years. We are attending the national HDT RALLY in Kansas next month. The thought that you spent $150,000 for everything is awesome. We were hoping to stay around $200,000. Thanks again for helping us realize our dreams may be attainable!