Universal Docking station

[Scout27]

Not to be ignorant, but what is the docking station you are talking about and could you explain the heating system for the underbelly? We're in the process of looking at the 2600RB or the 2500RL to the point of purchase. Just trying to figure out how they heat the underbelly. We will be boondocking more than anything and I'm trying to decide if this is the wisest choice for us.

There is no such thing as a stupid question when you are researching your RV. Many on this forum will help with questions. The docking station is just inside the drivers side front storage access door. It includes the fresh water hook-up, outside shower hook-up, battery disconnect, cable/satellite TV hook-up, and so on. It is a rarity in travel trailers as most of them have those individual hook-ups on the outside wall of the trailer. It's more like a motor home where all your outside hook-ups are inside a compartment with a door.

I have a 2500RL and there is a 4" duct from the furnace to the underbelly. It simply goes into the underbelly and dumps into it, leaving the heated air to circulate through the enclosed tank system. I assume the 2600RB would be similar. It might be good enough to handle mild freezing, but not nearly efficient enough for extremely cold conditions. Grand Design, and many other manufacturers use the term "4-seasons" a bit loosely. If you are going to boondock in extremely cold conditions you might want to consider an Arctic Fox type trailer.

I enjoy my Grand Design 2500RL. Best of luck in your rersearch.

[Tebpac]

Thanks Scout27. That is what I thought the station was but unsure. What's the plus and minus' of having it "indoors"? Also good to know about the underbelly heating. We have been looking a lot at TT's and have narrowed it down to Lance and the Imagine series. We will be boondocking for sure but I'm not sure how far into the winter we would be doing that. If we do, it sounds like some modding might have to be done to the Imagine. We like both the 2500RL and 2600 RB. My biggest issue is making sure my TV can do the work it needs to do. We have a 2012 Toyota Tundra DC 4x4 4.6L V8 with Tow pkg. Rated for 7900lbs towing. 1255lbs cargo wt in the truck. After looking at all of the RV sites that give you equations to figure out what you can pull, it narrowed down to 7100lbs towing weight. Trying to stay within those parameters or less. The 2500RL is a bit heavier than the 2600RB which I found odd but something I need to factor in. I am prepared for crappy gas mileage and higher revs on the truck. Getting a new TV is out of the question right now and if we have to put off getting the TT for awhile, then we'll do so. Most of the Lance TT's are below 7000lbs. Factoring in reliability etc and how the company's treat their customers (warranty work or fixes that need done not found early with the PDI)also is something we're looking at. Lots to think about. Thanks again for the info. This forum has been great.

Todd

[Steven@147]

Todd, you'll find a lot of boating terminology used in the RV world. Docking station & shore power for example. I think having the docking station inside an easily accessed compartment and all together(except power connection) in one place adds to the simplicity of set up at a campsite as well as the protection against some adverse weather conditions and security.

Will you be fine in the winter months? I dont know, unless your thinking about camping in sustained 30 degree or less cold. I hate to put a degree number to it but if your water pump or lines start freezing at 30 degrees, then its too cold. I dont know, we just got ours in May so have not tried it out in cold weather.
The docking station itself which is where your fresh water connection and pump are at, is not in a heated part of the RV. In that kind of cold weather and since as you say you maybe doing a lot of boondocking you would probably be using your fresh water holding tank instead of a fresh water hose stretched across the ground. Some have taken the added precaution against freezing by channeling heated air into the front storage compartment where the docking station and fresh water pump are located.

I think you're going about making your decision in the correct manor. Look at all the various options. Calculating your TV specifications and matching it to a potential RV purchase. Realistic about fuel mileage and engine performance. RV reliability and quality. You want to get the best return and enjoyment out of your purchase with minimal problems.
I dont know about your Toyota Tundra TV but a 4.6L V8 seems to me to be one of your important factors. Great for general pickup use but maybe a little power challenged towing such weight as you are contemplating on longer distances encountering various geographies. Large hills and mountainous areas for example.

Boy I know what you mean about getting another TV. Mine is paid off and I want to keep it as long as I can. Towing our 2950RL is a lot for it to handle. I just let it do the work and not push it to its limits all the time. ie floor boarding it constantly climbing hills. I keep it well maintained because I ask a lot of it.

Just my .02

[Tebpac]

Thanks Steve. I was kind of overwhelmed when I started my research but over time, it's become more of a "mission" for me to learn all I can. I have spoken to another gentleman on the Lance forum who has our exact TV. His weight is well under the max for his trailer (7000lb) and he states that he does very well on 6% grades etc. Unfortunately, the Lance comes with a higher price tag. Something we're not keen on but if the quality is there......I came back to the Imagine series because I just like the looks of it to start. Heard good things about customer service from the company and there "seems" to be less negative notes on the forum? After looking at the Imagine series online, my wife is now leaning toward the 2500/2600.

We're planning on heading down to Hershey, PA for the RV Show soon to check out the models we're considering. We'll be hitting the GD site first and I'm hoping they will have one of the models we are looking at.

As far as boondocking, we've never really done any late season camping with our Popup camper. (I did once in Dec here in PA and although it was an ok experience, I never did it again) I like to hunt and fish and being able to have the TT as my base in the middle of nowhere is what I would "like" to do but not sure if that's feasible. Just another one of my "that would be cool if we could......ideas". That's how we used our Popup. National Forest Campgrounds or just pick a spot in the forest and park it. To be honest, the whole RV campground deal will be new to me. We stayed at a KOA once when we first bought our Popup (22 years ago!) We're used to rustic. No running water, vaulted toilets (plus a Thetford in the camper) No electric unless I took my genny.

The docking station area not being heated is a concern obviously for colder weather. Since the docking station has an outlet on it, has anyone put an electric space heater in the compartment and lived to tell about it? Fire hazzard? Just wondering how much heat gets down there from the bedroom louvers that are modded in. Obviously, I'd have to run it off my little generator (more stuff to bring) since there won't be any shore power but I've also thought about staying at an RV Campground to plug in as well. And......now I'm rambling. Thanks for your input!

[Steven@147]

Hershey, PA What a great time we had there with our kids when they were little. We lived around Dayton Ohio at the time and had a popup. That was the same vacation when we went to Gettysburg.
When we lived in Jasper Indiana we use to camp at Lincoln State Park near Santa Claus Indiana in the winter. Had a truck camper at the time. The kids loved the amusement park in Santa Claus. Snow on the ground but warm in the camper. Had to take bottled water with us, water system in the park shut down in the winter, but power still available. great fun in the winter!

We went to many an RV show at convention centers when we were first looking. Got tired going through all the different makes and models. Felt overwhelmed too. Afraid of making a mistake and buying the wrong unit. Sat and talked with various people at rest tables attending the shows, got their input.

Did a lot of research before we bought ours. The GD products have very good reviews and owner feedback. So far we are extremely glad of our purchase. No problems to date. We were concerned about the GD product line not having an easy manual way of moving the slides in or out in case something happened to the motorized system. Other units have manual cranking systems to move the slides. But like i told my wife, if the gears are the problem, what good is a manual crank. It still wont move.
You can reset the system if there is a problem or worst case disconnect the motors on the GD system and push the slide in by hand, if you have enough helpers to push it in. Then you have to block it to keep it from sliding out until you get it in to have it fixed. We haven't heard to many people have a problem with it.

Yes I was a little disappointed in the 4 seasons cold weather package for our unit. We thought it was more of a robust system than turns out. See, we are going to be spending a lot of time up in Indiana and Ohio with the kids and grand kids, then after xmas holidays coming back down to Texas for the winter months on Galveston Island. It can get really cold up there at that time. We may have to make some modifications to heat the area around the docking station. But then again we may time our departure from that area around Thanksgiving to give us more of a cushion.

Don't know about using a space heater in the compartment. I'm sure somebody has tried it. I'm not comfortable about the concept, out of site, fire danger sort of thing. I would rather channel warm air from the front bedroom down into the compartment.

Whatever decision you make, I'm sure you'll love it. Good luck and great RVing!

[WhittleBurner]

Don't know much about Lance travel trailers other than I believe that they are ultra lights. The thing to keep in mind about ultra lights is that to keep the weight down that much they have to skimp some wheres to do it.

[Tebpac]

Thanks again for all the input. GD uses the Lippert Schwintek System for their slides?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xojUdPDWNS0

[Scout27]

Yes, GD uses the Schwintek system on the 2500 and 2600 that you are looking at. Just look for the grooved rack portion of the rack and pinion system that is visible near the top and bottom of the side out ends (four total racks). Then you can identify it as a Schwitek no matter what brand of RV you are looking at.

[cmurray]

How I added a door to my Imagine 2054 RL.
1. Remove 8 screws to take off front panel.
2. Cut out door. (photo 1142)
3. Attach 3/4" x 1 1/2" x 14" horizontal brace at the top and bottom of the docking frame. (photo 1146)
4. Attach door cut out to panel frame with a 12" piano hinge. Use two supports under piano hinge. One 3/4" x 1 1/2" c 18" and the other 3/4" x 1 1/2" x 12". (photo 1143 and 1144)
5. Reattach panel frame with door to docking station, replacing 8 black screws and black metal corner supports.
6. Use Two small wood slats to keep door closed. (photo1147 )ATTACH=CONFIG]24185[/ATTACH]

[Flip94ta]

Thanks for the update!