We have been looking at new 5th wheel rigs in the 35-38ft length for a while now and have not been able to find exactly what we are looking for. For one, many of the new rigs in our price range, feel cheaply made and most have seem to have initial quality issues.
This got us into looking for a higher quality used unit. I saw a new posting from a local private party for a 2013 31SL. I was not a big fan of the rear wall entertainment system setup but after looking at this one I think that it would work for us. I'm going to look at the unit soon, and would like advice of what I should pay attention too. Obviously, I'll look at the roof, although I am thinking of having the roof Armour system installed eventually. We plan on doing some boon docking in the future and this rig has 2 solar panels and 4 agm battery's installed. It has new G rated tires, and the morryde sre 4000 suspension installed. It does have the smaller RV fridge and only one a/c unit, but it does have the heat pump option. The owner didn't think that it was wired for a second a/c unit but couldn't be sure. Did Redwoods come standard with wiring for 2nd a/c or was that an option?
Anyway, I'm looking for any advice on common things to look for.
My TV is a 2014 F-350 SRW longbed Diesel with 3800lb payload.
Here is the link to the RV that I'm looking at.
Thanks in advance for any comments/advice.
https://www.rvt.com/Redwood-RV-Redwood-31SL-2013-Anacortes-WA-ID8495601-UX221182?utm_source=Email+Lead&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Email+Lead+Ad+Link

Welcome !, I think you're going the right route. We have a 2013 36RL that we've had since new. There are a lot of us that feel units built in the 2012-2014 range are more desirable.

The one you're looking at has a number of upgrades that are desirable. Biggest thing that would detract for me would be not having full paint (that's a biggie on a Redwood) and also, and if the owner is on here I apologize, it is way overpriced. As an example, my RL has MorRyde IS suspension, Kodiak disc brakes, H rated tires., full paint and a bunch of other upgrades an if I really wanted to sell it I would consider myself fortunate to get $48k for it.

Thanks for the reply Piper,
Unfortunately, with my SRW tow vehicle, I think I'm limited to this model if I want to stay with Redwood. There are only 2 31SL's on all of RVT.Com Or RV trader, and both of them are up here in my neck of the woods and are priced similar.

I am concerned about the single a/c unit though and how well it will do in warmer weather. If I could add a 2nd a/c, it's something that I would do, but only if the rig is pre-wired for it, and I'm not sure how to tell if it is.

And how would you one know if it is full body painted? Is it the fancier colored units that are?

https://www.rvt.com/Redwood-RV-Redwood-36-FB-2013-Denton-TX-ID8116465-UX270095
I guess mine's over priced as well!!!
According to NADA I thought it was an average price range.
I need to check my weight slips tomorrow, but I think mine was under the 3800 pin weight fully loaded for fulltiming, I don't have the generator.

As the owner of a 2013 36FL that is now 6 yrs old, we agree with Vaughan regarding the quality of the earlier coaches.

For the bigger units, we and many others did pull them with SRW 350's before moving up to duallies. The FL was within the towing capabilities of my 2012 F-350 SRW, but it was completely maxed out. Therefore, I agree with staying with a 31SL unless also upgrading the truck.

The extras are excellent choices. I would also check which pinbox is included - as a number of the early Trailair's are failing. With respect to the 2nd A/C, with the VIN number you may be able to contact Redwood and ask if the coach was pre-wired for the 2nd A/C. I believe many of them were pre-wired.

SOLAR panels work well, we only have 1 panel. However, with the older coaches, most interior lights were halogens, which burn through the batteries quickly. Might want to check if the original lights have been swapped for LED's, or make this a priority, if you purchase. You will find many threads on here about LED lights.

Since you are probably Pacific NW, might also want to check around Metro Vancouver, as your dollar currently has a 35% premium.

Good luck finding a coach and welcome to the ROG.

A couple of comments. We have a 2013 36RL which has performed well for us, it has good bones, and most of the issues we've had with it are related to non-Redwood stuff like the Furnace and water heater.

The non-painted Redwoods are mostly white with decals compared to the body painted ones. You should be aware that in the 2013 non-painted models Redwood had a problem with the brown gelcoated fiberglass front and rear caps, they faded badly. Our front cap was painted under warranty but Redwood wouldn't paint the rear one, it's now a negative ad for Redwood. The halogen bulbs in the light fixtures can be replaced by LED's very easily.

Our neighbour here at the RV park has a 31SL and is happy with it, he installed a swamp cooler which would probably work well if you are in a drier climate. Consensus is that the older RW's were better built than the newer ones.

The GVWR for the 31's and 36"s is the same.

From the online pictures, it appears as if the front cap on this unit was painted or someone did and excellent job of polishing it. The wiring for the second AC should be located where the vent is in the bedroom, it may even have the thermostat on the wall in the bedroom, many of the early models came that way.

Actually, the 2nd AC goes between a second pair of return ducts. Redwood told me my 2014 was preped for a second AC, but when the service manager and I sent an endoscope through the ducts, not only was there no wiring, but there were no support brackets installed. I'm glad my dealer looked into it carefully as we would have had to spend a lot of money had he just cut into the roof where Redwood indicated we should.

In a picture of a different 31sl it actually appeared that the 2nd a/c was located in the fwd area of the kitchen. It didn't appear to be in the bedroom. Could of been an optical illusion.

The second AC in the 36s of that vintage are in the front of the kitchen, so it very well may be there. As I stated above, look for the return air ducts and it will be between and slightly behind them.

I don't think Redwood ever put AC over the bedroom area until they went to the flat roof - 3 AC design in 2018 or so. The 2nd AC is about over the forward part of the island.

Don't ask me why, but I just happen to have a roof framing plan for a 31SL (attached). How's that for pulling a rabbit out of my hat!!
🙂

The one you show is a later version 2013, as it has the upgraded furniture and roller shades versus the day night - that is a good thing. There were some other things that were upgrades mid 2013 too that were good.

If you were just looking for a weekender, its a nice camper. We had the 2014 Redwood 36RL and loved it. What would hurt me bad on this one would be the small fridge, the 1 AC, and the non-paint. There are many out there that you wouldn't have to compromise on within that price range. Adding the AC is not going to be fun because they are ducted. It's not like the older style you just installed in the 14" vent. In fact they didn't get the bedroom vent option either, so a stand alone couldn't easily be installed there as a last ditch effort. It looks like the return air vents are there (one shown over the fridge), so possibly the wiring is too. The only way to tell is to pull the panel cover and see if its there. I would hope they didn't put a breaker on it.

NOTE: You can see from the drawings not even Redwood could decide where to put the standard AC vs the optional. The first drawing shows the standard AC in the back, the second shows it forward.

I agree with Brad, no paint, small fridge, only 1 ac plus small pantry & having to turn 90 degrees from every seat in the house to watch tv would all be deal breakers for us.