Imperial Outdoors Xplore XR22

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

Words of wisdom for sure. One glaring problem is that IO has chosen many dealers that sell mostly RVs and do not have expertise to repair off road trailers. So the benefits you mention only apply to folks that live with in driving distance to the two decent IO dealers in the US. From what I have heard it's not all on the dealers IO needs to provide more training to all thier RV dealers especially back east. Also consistently on who gets taken care of. These x22 are what less then 3 years in production but they are still using the wrong size and type of screws. Folks don't even know what all the switches are for.

 

[KJB]

Considering a used XR-22 to tow with my Ram 3500 but hearing that the warranty is not transferrable? Any model years to avoid or specific known issues to look out for? Love the extreme temperature capability of the XR line but would like to know what the trade-offs might be e.g. sway, water penetration, de-lamination? Pretty handy DIYer so not sweating the smaller upgrades to improve functionality.

 

[Raspy]

Considering a used XR-22 to tow with my Ram 3500 but hearing that the warranty is not transferrable? Any model years to avoid or specific known issues to look out for? Love the extreme temperature capability of the XR line but would like to know what the trade-offs might be e.g. sway, water penetration, de-lamination? Pretty handy DIYer so not sweating the smaller upgrades to improve functionality.

There has been some sway issues. Mostly it seems, from light duty tow vehicles and having the rooftop tent, and on the XR22, positioning the bike too far back inside. A Ram 3500 is an excellent tow vehicle. I'm towing my X22 with a Tremor and have no sway issues at all. There have been a few roofs with some bubbles, but the top layer of fiberglass on the roof is just a UV protector, not the membrane. And the roofs are arched, so no puddling can happen. Mine has been flawless. Also, there is no wood in the roof unless you count the interior cedar ceiling that is only there to dress up the interior. As far as I know, there have been no changes in the build over time. Many of us have had water pump failures but that usually happens right away. One other issue has been a few of them have blown the refrigerator fuse that is located behind the fridge. Once fixed by putting a better automotive style in, and moving it to where it can be easily reached, that issue is resolved. You can go to the Facebook page Xplore 22 trailer community and get a lot of good information. Or go to the RVs of America site and find the "50 upgrades" video about my X22 and the follow up one about "Instant hot water". Overall the X22 is a great trailer. One shortcoming of the XR22 is that there are only two batteries and they are mounted outside in the storage box where they cannot be protected from the cold. And on both models, the solar is not what it should be. The performance is pretty low. So I removed it and installed 660 watts of better collectors. I am now pretty much, off grid completely.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

If your a DYIer and really need the insulation factor I would see how an Xr22 would be appealing. I would look for a good deal as folks may be trading in for the x145 and x195.

Read through the two FB groups on xplores.

Other issues:

Ramp doors don't seal well. So folks can see air through them.

Entry doors have had delaminating issues and IO takes for ever to warranty.

No warranty on a trailer with so many known issues is why I say look for a discounted price.

Don't buy one that has had a hot tub on top or dragged over jeep trails for product testing.

Happy Jack bed instalation on some units was really bad.

Lots of off gassing from all that adhesive but if used probably not an issue

Wirering and electrical especially for solar lithium is not good.

Hydraulic suspention system leaking oil that leaks put between side walls and flooring.

 

[Treefarmer]

If your a DYIer and really need the insulation factor I would see how an Xr22 would be appealing. I would look for a good deal as folks may be trading in for the x145 and x195.

Read through the two FB groups on xplores.

Other issues:

Ramp doors don't seal well. So folks can see air through them.

Entry doors have had delaminating issues and IO takes for ever to warranty.

No warranty on a trailer with so many known issues is why I say look for a discounted price.

Don't buy one that has had a hot tub on top or dragged over jeep trails for product testing.

Happy Jack bed instalation on some units was really bad.

Lots of off gassing from all that adhesive but if used probably not an issue

Wirering and electrical especially for solar lithium is not good.

Hydraulic suspention system leaking oil that leaks put between side walls and flooring.

It's nice that people share their problems and solutions on a FB page like the X22 group, but after reading all the comments on that FB page, I am so thankful that we didn't end up buying an X22. I really hope IO has figured things out with the X145/X195 and that all those quality issues will disappear with the new units.

 

[Alloy]

It's nice that people share their problems and solutions on a FB page like the X22 group, but after reading all the comments on that FB page, I am so thankful that we didn't end up buying an X22. I really hope IO has figured things out with the X145/X195 and that all those quality issues will disappear with the new units.

I wouldn't hold your breath. I called Imperial and it it took less than a minute shovel though the marketing BS.

Edit: Here's one of many issues. At 52:45 he says they've only had 1 inverter fail because it overheated. This is while we are being shown inside an unvented box that has ALL the electrical equipment in it. To add pudding on the cake we are then shown the mattress (insulation) being dropped over it.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

I also hope they weeded out the workers who don't know what size and type of screws to use on moldings and Happy jack bed. Hopefully if they continue to produce x22 and xr22 they use the improved appliances that are installed in the x145 and x195. Assuming there are getting inundated with orders on the new units I hope they don't crank them out to fast like the x22 and xr22

 

[Treefarmer]

I wouldn't hold your breath. I called Imperial and it it took less than a minute shovel though the marketing BS.

Edit: Here's one of many issues. At 52:45 he says they've only had 1 inverter fail because it overheated. This is while we are being shown inside an unvented box that has ALL the electrical equipment in it. To add pudding on the cake we are then shown the mattress (insulation) being dropped over it.

Yes, that is terrible spot for an inverter placement. Even worse! They show the water pump and cheap accumulator tank located in the same place as the solar components. I know it's a small trailer, but that's never a good idea.

 

[Treefarmer]

I also hope they weeded out the workers who don't know what size and type of screws to use on moldings and Happy jack bed. Hopefully if they continue to produce x22 and xr22 they use the improved appliances that are installed in the x145 and x195. Assuming there are getting inundated with orders on the new units I hope they don't crank them out to fast like the x22 and xr22

I read on the X22 FB page that the last X22s have rolled off the line and that all future production will be the X series. Some guy was talking about how he got one of the last X22s to be built (lucky guy?).

 

[Raspy]

I also hope they weeded out the workers who don't know what size and type of screws to use on moldings and Happy jack bed. Hopefully if they continue to produce x22 and xr22 they use the improved appliances that are installed in the x145 and x195. Assuming there are getting inundated with orders on the new units I hope they don't crank them out to fast like the x22 and xr22

The X and XR 22s are out of production. Also, it's not the workers that make decisions on things like screw sizes. Isaac makes those decisions and the workers just do what he says and use what he provides. But the workers tend to strip them out or leave other fasteners out.

 

[Raspy]

I wouldn't hold your breath. I called Imperial and it it took less than a minute shovel though the marketing BS.

Edit: Here's one of many issues. At 52:45 he says they've only had 1 inverter fail because it overheated. This is while we are being shown inside an unvented box that has ALL the electrical equipment in it. To add pudding on the cake we are then shown the mattress (insulation) being dropped over it.

Imperial doesn't seem to understand electronics or solar very well at all. Too many compromises made where not necessary. Unvented inverter compartments and shaded solar panels are part of it. I was disgusted when I saw the solar panel installation work they were doing and did on mine. They are a combination of innovative design and poor material choice, along with being in a hurry and not understanding some stuff. It seems like a probelm with their company structure where one guy controls everything and doesn't want to be shown the problems of his design or work. He's at his limit and there is no room to improve. There is a lot of room for improvement, but to give them some credit, the stories we all see on Facebook probably only represent a small fraction of the trailers. Certainly not the majority of them. And many of the problems being pointed out are due to a lack of understanding of how things work, where people don't understand that the inverter is not tied to the solar, or that lithiums don't charge below 32 degrees, or towing with an undersized light duty tow vehicle can lead to an unstable trailer, or that a manufacturing problem with appliances is not do to Imperial's poor workmanship, etc. Some of these problems and lack of understanding falls back on the dealer. That's why I keep harping on the notion that people need to deal only with competent dealers. Don't just shop price and get mad when something does not get fixed instantly, or you don't understand how the battery monitor works, etc. I'll be giving the X145 and X195 a very close inspection on about the 28th. I'm hoping they are all that they are being advertised as. We'll see. Knowing Imperial's inability to do solar, I'll be looking closely at that, given the new trailer's dependency on solar for cooking, the fridge and the AC.

 

[Obsessed2findARuggedHybid]

One thing that has always gave me concern is how IO markets the Xplores to be capable to -40 without truly testing them to handle that temperature. Add in high winds like what's happening now accoss the country it can be a scary situation. I mean if they changed there marketing statagy to say good to -10 below it would be more realistic and still colder then most other brands. I mean if you going to grab a number out of thin air why not be more conservative. The new Xplores are still using the Go Pro electronics which don't seem up to the snuff for these kinds of temperatures. I also think it's kind of silly to try and convert a Southern Hemisphere designed Chinese made Conqueror into a below zero capable rig. I guess if your determination to get it over 100k then that's why.

 

[Treefarmer]

The Xplores do have better insulation than most trailers and they have eliminated the black tank. However, no trailer can seriously claim -40 degree performance if they have a hot water heater and lithium batteries that aren't being climate protected as well as they need to be to operate at low temperatures. I'm shocked at all the cold weather issues being reported by owners on the FB pages. The Conquerors and I think the Xplore also run the plumbing for the showers through an exterior wall. That's a poor design if you want to be cold weather hardy. That plumbing should come up from the floor in an interior wall so it's climate protected and the insulation of the exterior wall isn't lacking because there's plumbing in it rather than continuous insulation.

 

[Raspy]

The Xplores do have better insulation than most trailers and they have eliminated the black tank. However, no trailer can seriously claim -40 degree performance if they have a hot water heater and lithium batteries that aren't being climate protected as well as they need to be to operate at low temperatures. I'm shocked at all the cold weather issues being reported by owners on the FB pages. The Conquerors and I think the Xplore also run the plumbing for the showers through an exterior wall. That's a poor design if you want to be cold weather hardy. That plumbing should come up from the floor in an interior wall so it's climate protected and the insulation of the exterior wall isn't lacking because there's plumbing in it rather than continuous insulation.

-40 is a bit of an exaggeration, but the Xplore's don't have pipes "in" the walls. The shore water and the exterior shower pipes pass through the walls, but don't travel along inside the walls. The shower pipes travel along under the shower pan, above the floor, and then up between the shower surround and nose of the trailer. The exterior shower fixture is vulnerable, but exposed to room heat on the back side. The water heater seems to be the first thing to freeze, and the fresh water at the bottom of the tank freezes at the drain.

 

[Raspy]

One thing that has always gave me concern is how IO markets the Xplores to be capable to -40 without truly testing them to handle that temperature. Add in high winds like what's happening now accoss the country it can be a scary situation. I mean if they changed there marketing statagy to say good to -10 below it would be more realistic and still colder then most other brands. I mean if you going to grab a number out of thin air why not be more conservative. The new Xplores are still using the Go Pro electronics which don't seem up to the snuff for these kinds of temperatures. I also think it's kind of silly to try and convert a Southern Hemisphere designed Chinese made Conqueror into a below zero capable rig. I guess if your determination to get it over 100k then that's why.

Do you mean Go Power electronics? What is is wrong with Go Power?