Dutchmen Voltage V3900 Review – Part 1

Preface

I took delivery of Dutchmen’s brand new 2011 Voltage V3900 Toy Hauler the week before Christmas. My plan here is to give a detailed  2-part review with the goal of informing potential new buyers and to possibly help the manufacturer learn from someone who uses their toy hauler like it was intended; off-road and without hook ups. This first part will be devoted to the delivery experience and the interior.

The Delivery

First off, I’d like to give a thumbs up to my dealer Richardson’s RV for assisting me in this review and coping with my “pickiness”. During the PDI they had a technician that shadowed the salesrep making on the spot repairs that were found, most of which had already been noted and some of which, requiring parts; had already been ordered.

Most issues found were purely cosmetic like scratches in the bathroom pocket door and closet door. Also, the wooden furnace intake vent below the stairs had been kicked in. This is partially due to the step being too short for a guy who has big feet like me. Voltage would do well to replace this with a brass vent or better yet increase the tread width a few inches. We also noted a kitchen drawer that was out of alignment that wasn’t shutting all the way and one of the bar stools was crooked. On the outside we found a crack in the air conditioner cover near one of the mounting screws.

Other than these minor items all major systems and appliances worked flawlessly as expected and the PDI went far smoother than I thought it would for a first year model trailer.

Interior

The Voltage is not at all like most toy haulers in that it has a high-end motorhome quality interior Dutchmen Voltage V3900throughout. The centerpiece of which is the full walk-around island in the kitchen. The solid surface countertop and bar by LG is very spacious and the two sided stainless steel sink gives it a residential feel. All doors use hidden hinges and pulls are brushed nickel. All drawers use solid maple fronts, laminated hard wood sides, full extension ball bearing glides and all are deep. Although deep cabinets are nice, I would’ve liked to have seen a shallower top drawer in the island to use as the utensil drawer.

Storage space in the kitchen is pretty good thanks to the huge full door pantry. Expect to lose some space if you opt for the 12 cubic foot refrigerator, but trust me; it’s worth it! Although 8 cubic foot is adequate, the extra 4 cubic feet makes it a whole lot easier to find that hidden item and the double freezer holds quite a lot of ice; a huge plus for us boondockers.

Lighting is extensive with 17 puck lights throughout the living room and kitchen and 3 pendant lights above the bar. The control panel which contains no fewer than 19 switches sits behind a glass door that also houses the Samsung home theater system. Although each switch is labeled as to its function they are impossible to read when it’s dark. A suggestion would be to backlight the panel to illuminate the labels. Another nice touch would be to put a light switch on the wall just inside the door to make it easier to turn on the lights upon entry.
Voltage Toy Hauler V3900
The main entertainment system includes a Samsung 40” HD LCD and a 1000 watt 5.1 channel Samsung surround system with an Ipod dock. I found the HD image of the Samsung to be top notch and my favorite surround sound test: the D-Day invasion scene from Saving Private Ryan; to be as good a my home system. The bedroom and garage also have 19” Haier TV’s but at this time I’ve yet to use them.

The couch measures 10’ long and with the extension seats six adults. A standard inflatable air mattress hide-a-bed integrates with the couch if needed. Also included are two reclining rocker chairs and two bar stools. All windows have day and night privacy shades. The central vacuum system is an option that works really well; especially the dust pan slot on the floor. This makes it really easy to dispense with all that sand which tends to build up during the day.Voltage V3900 Toy Hauler

The heater is ducted through the floor and works surprisingly well considering the high ceilings. The Air conditioner is a Dometic 15,000 btu Quiet-Zone model which is almost impossible to hear from the inside. It is also ducted but through the ceiling. We also opted for the Bedroom A/C which is also ducted. The garage is ducted for both heat and air as well and works good. The thermostat is digital and multi-zone. The optional Fantastic fans, of which I’m a huge fan of, are thermostatically controlled and have sensors that automatically close the vent in case of rain.

The bathroom is the best I’ve seen in any toy hauler or motorhome and one which the women will love. It has a very large one piece fiberglass shower enclosure with glass door, skylight roof, and a top-notch adjustable showerhead. The porcelain toilet is likewise of high residential style quality. The same solid surface countertop from the kitchen is also used in the bathroom and counter space is maximized by the really cool “fish bowl” style sink. The only thing Voltage forgot was putting a latch or some other way to lock the bathroom pocket doors from the inside.

The bedroom has a separate hallway entrance on the left side as well as the one from the bathroom so you can still have access to the bedroom while someone is using the bathroom. It also has plenty of storage space with the highlight probably being the huge walk-in closet that has a fixed hanger system and plenty of shelves. The shelves are really nice to store large coats and riding gear. The queen bed is topped with a quality Evergreen pillow top mattress that in this model is contained within the slide out. The V3905 model swaps the bed with the closet in the slide out but you lose some closet space.

Well that’s about it for the interior. In summary, its got a “WOW”  factor that I haven’t seen in any other toy hauler with a fit and finish that is well above average. As you can tell it’s probably the Voltage’s main selling point which is ok for me because being comfortable is important especially with the other half. And if she’s happy we tend to go on more trips, don’t we?

What I likeVoltage V3900 Toy Hauler

  • Luxurious Interior
  • Solid Surface Countertops
  • Huge Pantry
  • Full walk around island
  • 12 cubic foot refrigerator
  • Bathroom layout, shower, toilet, and sink
  • Bedroom Closet

What I don’t like

  • Steps to bathroom too short
  • No light switch near entry door
  • No backlight to control panel
  • No shallow drawer in kitchen
  • Can’t latch or lock bathroom pocket doors from inside

In the next installment I will review the exterior and the garage. If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them here or on Toy Hauler Adventures Facebook page.

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100 comments

Troy T says:

Dave M,

Read the post again that you are referring to; it looks like the folks purchased the unit without a walk through (which would have probably avoided the situation). Any purchase of this kind should be totally gone through before driving off the lot, and when this is not done it is buyer beware! Doing the “shakedown cruise” is a great idea especially if you are a new RVer. Sorry to disagree

TT

I appreciate Marc continuing to reply to the posts when he feels that the “other side of the story” needs to be told… I am here to follow-up… We learned a lot “the hard way” about purchasing a RV out of state and from Windish RV in Colorado. You may save a good amount of money buying out of state, but the headaches of trying to deal with a dealership once the RV has been delivered is a nightmare. Of all of the issues that we sent to Windish RV, the only one they responded to was a $65 pigtail that connects the trailer to the tow vehicle (which I had to rewire myself). All of the other items that were missing from the RV or broken when it was delivered are still “being worked on or on order”. Even the remote that controls the RV functions, which we would love to have, is “on order”. I called the company the manufacturers the remote for Dutchmen and they could have one delivered in three days if the dealership ordered it. But in the end, we are happy with our Voltage 3950. We believe that we have a top of the line toy hauler that will serve our family for years to come. Along with the realization that we will have to pay for repairs from time to time, we are building a good relationship with a local repair facility (Richardson’s RV) and they have performed some great work (both warranty and paid for) and have some fantastic staff (Steven and Enrique are top notch). I will give credit to Marc Hauser for being responsive to our calls, for recommending a great repair facility and for trying to get Windish RV to step up and do the right thing for customers that paid what they said they would and when they said they would. In closing; research the dealer on-line before you spend your hard earned money, buy from a local dealer if you can, talk to current owners or post on a forum frequented by current owners and expect like any vehicle or house, you are going to have some issues, but they can be resolved by partnering with a responsive manufacturer representative and a good authorized repair facility. I will visit this site from time to time to provide updates (if anyone is interested) and to reply to the posts when I feel that the “other side of the story” needs to be told. Thank you and safe travels!

Rene B says:

My husband and I are first-time RVers. We’ve been researching toy haulers for almost 2 years in anticipation and becoming full-timers. After spending a great deal of time in due diligence, we thought we had found the best RV for our needs. After reading this board, I find I am grateful that consumers post their experience. As appealing as the Voltage is, we will have to pass on this manufacturer. It’s so disappointing to find that a product made in America suffers from unimaginable shoddy craftsmanship and that it appears to go unresolved for the consumer.

I would not recommend the Voltage toyhauler. Have been using it since April 2102 and it has already been back to the dealership 4 times. This was a new unit that we picked up in February.

Not Happy says:

I purchased a 2013 Voltage 3600 with Epic pkg last June. The first five months it was at the dealership for more than 60 percent of the time. I have owned over ten motorhomes and campers in the past 20 years and I must say this is by far the worst camper I ever owned!!! First time out with it the landing gear snapped the pin and it crashed to the ground. Second time out all power went out and they stated it was a power surge when nobody else in the campground had a problem. Didn’t even pop the breakers as it should have. Front slide had to be replaced. Doors wouldn’t shut. Generator issues. I called Dutchmen and they first told me they would send a driver up to bring it back to the factory. Then he called me back and wanted me to bring it to different dealer hours away. They basically built a pile of crap and we are stuck with it!! I wouldn’t purchase another dutchmen product if it was the last camper on earth. If anyone wants one hell of a deal on it let me know because its going bye bye. I honestly feel as if I have a legal lemon law issue here. DON’T BUY A VOLTAGE!!!!

george says:

We have experienced numerous problems with our 36v voltage please let us know if you are planning any kind of action

Jeremy lane says:

Owner of 3900 voltage price of shit I would love to get in on a suit

John French says:

We purchased a 2013 Voltage V3950 with the Epic package in Feb. When we brought it home we hooked it up to the Super Glide hitch, it latched in place pulled it 250 ft when it unlatched & took out the tailgate on our new 1 ton Silverado pickup. of course they say it was operator error & we had to turn it into our insurance.
We have had it in the shop for the past 3 weeks with a power problem they are saying is caused by a power surge when no one else in the campground had a problem with either.
The decals are bubbling and we are told that the company refused to replace the decals, even though we paid $1600 for paint protectant!
We’ll get in on the lawsuit as well.

Ivy Walter says:

Oh my goodness John! The same thing happened to me back in 2011! I had just gotten my Voltage 3950 and something happened with the power and caused me major problems even though it never happened to anyone else in the park and Dutchman would not cover any of my appliances. Apparently it was my fault even though I’d only had it for 2 months and we are experienced RVers. Too many problems to list. We do not recommend any Dutchman products to even our worst enemies!

Rollin Sorge says:

I have a 2012 Voltage 3900 with a pedestal table in front of the lounge. The pedestal bases have broken twice already and not yet a year old, so far Dutchman has not come up with a better idea to prevent them from cracking, I did find the holes in the floor are larger diameter than the base cup that sits into it and that allows the cup to flex on the mounting flange and therefore it cracks where the cup meets the flange. Need ideas as to what I can fill the gap with to prevent recurrence.

Any other ideas will be welcome.

Larry says:

We just got 2014 3950 love it .Under testing the hydraulic line blew and we are waiting for a new one should be able to get one from a hydraulic shop.Other than that things are great. We would purchase again.

Jason Graham says:

We just got a 2014 3990 two weeks ago. The build quality must have really improved over the last couple of years. Dry camped for four days right after we picked it up, a few very minor issues like LED lights, but overall very pleased.

Heather says:

we also have the 3990 series, question for you have you tried to take a bath? Tried this weekend and would run out of hot water, so just trying to see if something is wrong with our hot water heater. Love the trailer have had just a few minor issues also

Darlene Emery says:

Purchased our Voltage Dutchman one year ago, the electric fire place is malfunctioning have to turn it off at the breaker, the Norcold refrigerator has total quit working. The first good rain we had I woke up in a puddle of water after inspecting the roof found the caulking as so poor they had missed the seam several times. The RV dealership said we are out of warranty they only cover for one year. We have had older RV and have never come close to this kind of trouble. I forgot the shower also leaks and the valves for the tank drainages are sticking……
Voltage you Suck big time

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