New and looking at Tab MAX S vs 320s...or buy new? recommendations

kkonopaski

Hi! Going to look at a used 2014 Tab Max S. It has never been camped in but used as a mobile photo office. What things should I look for in particular that may not be managing the cold winters of New England?  I believe its only been stored in a garage tent. Please advise.  And anything else that I may need to be aware of that might be worth getting a New one instead for some feature that you just think is worth going the brand new route.  THanks much tabbers!

ScottG

They are basically the same camper, just renamed after Pleasant Valley/nuCamp discontinued their relationship with Little Guy in 2017.

That said, there were many incremental changes/improvements/additions between 2014 and today. Most of these a not connected to a particular model year as the factory regularly incorporated things on an ongoing basis. As such, you really have to look closely at the specific units you are comparing.

Sharon_is_SAM

This will help.  I think they even mention a 2014. 

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/4983/model-years-explained-help

Regarding what you should look for:

1.  Soft floor indicating water intrustion as there may have been wood in the floors of the 2014.

2.  Alde vs forced hot air furnace  (does the Alde have glycol or does it have or leak or not maintained?

3.  Alde vs hot water tank (were they drained and protected from freeze?)

4.  If you can see it at night with the lights off, point a flash light from the outside and check seams for light intrusion from the inside.  Possible areas of leaks.

5.  Do the gray and black tank gate valves work or did they freeze and break?

6.  If you can actually hook it up to water, watch for plumbing leaks, check to see if the toilet flushes or maybe the valve broke.  If you can't fill the fresh tank, does the drain valve at least move?  Can you power the pump (although these are easy to replace).

7.  Your tanks will be smaller than the newer versions and you may not have the SeeLevel monitor.  

8.  May not have a battery cut-off switch.

9.  If it was never traveled on the road, how are the tires?  Flat, inflated, 5 years is the limit, so you would need to consider replacing.  Check the spare, too.

10.  Check the fuse/circuit box, does the frig work on 110, 12v, propane?

11.  Does the stove light?

12.  How have the cushions held up?  I think the cushions were upgraded in 2016 or 2017.

ScottG

Good info. Definitely won't have battery cutoff (essential, but easily retrofitted) or SeeLevel monitors (not that important, IMHO). I'm pretty sure the Alde and larger tanks appeared in the 2014-2015 range. My 2015 has them both.

To answer your specific question--if I understand it correctly--my 2015 has been stored outdoors in northeast winters under only a cover. The only cold-related damage suffered thus far was a small crack in the Fantastic Fan trim (easily fixed with epoxy). Of course, I winterize thoroughly. If that is not the case with the camper you are looking at then all bets are off and you should carefully check those things Sharon_is_Sam mentioned above.

I think frequent contributor @ChanW has a 2014 that winters outside. Maybe he can offer a little more info and insight.

kkonopaski

Thank you ScottG and Sharon_is_SAM! i appreciate your time educating me.

ChanW

@Sharon_is_SAM's list is pretty good, covering. most of the 'winter' problems that we've encountered! 

Re: the gate valves, if they've cracked due to freezing, it might be hairline, so a close inspection for leakage would be needed (ours actually only seeped).

Until this winter, we stored our Tab uncovered. We had a slight problem one year when we were out of town and there was a heavy snow and freeze-thaw cycle at home. It caused a slight leak at the roof edge seam. A bit of a leak ran down the inside wall and stained it. Not terrible, but taught me the value of a cover.

Another lesson was an incomplete winterizing/blowout of the toilet valve, which left water in the valve and I ended up needing to replace the valve on the back of the toilet. Thankfully a relatively easy job and inexpensive valve.

I'm not sure if the floors are wood or not, but I thought I read that they had changed that in production, much earlier than 2014.

We added a 2" foam mattress topper which is a nice luxury. Makes it lots easier to 'tuck in' the blankets, and play like it's a real bed!

If the wheel bearings weren't maintained, you'll want to check those, minimally by jacking it up and spinning the wheels.

I think if the tires were protected from sun, then their treadwear would be the only consideration you'd need to worry about. 

One ''mod" I added, that was a bit of a PITA, but doable, was adding the sliding screen door. The factory only had a zippered, Velcro'd on screen, which was really poor design. (Like a tent, it required two hands to open, and required you to crouch a bit to enter and exit. Tough to do when going down a step at the same time). I got the kit from Little Guy, but it required quite a bit of custom fitting to get it right. I think @jkjenn did the same with much less difficulty, so maybe they changed the doorway design in the later model.

I also did quite a bit of work installing insulation, baffling, and a fan on top of the three way fridge, to stop the heat build up on the countertop. The three way fridge has been criticized by some, but we like having the option of gas or electric, and it's worked well for us, now that it's been 'fixed'.

If the price is right, most of the improvements that the factory has made since then can be added.

Sharon_is_SAM

Trying to figure out when they completely stopped using wood in the floors.

2011 models still had wood per Cyclonic.

Cyclonic Posts: 1,245Member

 August 2016 73.31.74.82

Just a note, on the 2011 the floor does not have the composite material, it was made of wood.

There is a lot of give in the same spot on my 2012 as well.  It is a very common problem in both the DM T@B's and the earlier LG T@B's.  LG did install an extra angle iron under the T@B to try and brace it better, but I found it was still very soft.



I then installed laminate flooring in the T@B, which, while not solving the problem, does give the floor some added strength and distribute the weight a bit better, so it is not nearly as noticeable.



Good news is, this is a common problem and is not usually a result of water penetration.  Bad news, there are no easy fixes to it.


Cyclonic Posts: 1,245Member

 September 2016 edited September 2016 73.31.74.82

“The floor is not solid plywood, it is made with a foam that is sandwiched between two thin layers of wood.  That wood has these days been replaced with a composite material, but for our T@B's (2011 and 2012) it is still wood.”

This is a quote from a thread from 2015

Sandra said:

From Scott Hubble - about the floor construction:

"they used to be (vapor barrier, plywood, linoleum) when Dutchmen made them...

when we (Little Guy) took over, we made the sidewalls and floors with aluminum frames & shot block insulation

So the (floor) layers are (from the bottom up):  vapor barrier, 1/4" miranti or azdel, 1" aluminum framed floor with insulation/styro, 1/8" miranti or azdel and then linoleum.  

we are very close to moving to a new 100% composite floor"