390RK Owners Opinion please

[KirbyRVA]

Thank you Jerry and Kelly for all the wonderful information, it really helps us in our research. We love the 310Gk but it just does not have enough storage for us. We have replaced our mattress with a Sleep Number and love it!! We have two 1500 watt electric heaters that we will use in colder weather instead of ordering the heat pumps. We do plan on getting the double pane windows more for the sound reduction rather than the thermal qualities but that will be a plus as well.
Thanks for the pin weight info, 3549lbs is more than I expected but we should be fine with that.
I do have a few more questions if you don't mind.
1. Does the W/D shake the 390 much when it is running?
2. Is there ample room behind the entertainment area for 6 lithium batteries and two 3K inverters? I could put the inverters in the basement area under the bath/bedroom.
3. We are thinking about adding the 3rd A/C, how hard is it to cool that larger rig with only 2 A/Cs?

Thanks again for all the information, this has been invaluable information!!

Happy Travels

Brian, if you plan to ever be in hot places/weather, I would strongly encourage you to either get the third AC or have them prewire for it. Our 40+ foot Solitude does not cool to our satisfaction with two 15K AC units and regret buying this rig with no option for adding a third AC unit.

[orbsah]

My wife and I really liked the layout of the 390RK. The increased storage is for sure enticing but be aware the cargo carrying capacity of that 390 is actually less than your 310 (by 662 lb using the standard numbers from the GD site). One thing that's not clear to me is if you opt in the 8K axles, what is the GVWR (if it changes)?

[moenoodle]

Brian, if you plan to ever be in hot places/weather, I would strongly encourage you to either get the third AC or have them prewire for it. Our 40+ foot Solitude does not cool to our satisfaction with two 15K AC units and regret buying this rig with no option for adding a third AC unit.

Thank you for the update, I suspect the third A/C will be added regardless of which Solitude we decide upon. I appreciate the feedback, our 310 does ok in hot places with two A/Cs. We stayed at Palo Duro Canyon last June and the temp was at 100 and it did really well with the two but the space is much smaller than your rig.

[moenoodle]

My wife and I really liked the layout of the 390RK. The increased storage is for sure enticing but be aware the cargo carrying capacity of that 390 is actually less than your 310 (by 662 lb using the standard numbers from the GD site). One thing that's not clear to me is if you opt in the 8K axles, what is the GVWR (if it changes)?

This is my worry as well!! We have been in the 310 for about 18 months now and we have added about 930lbs of cargo, blackstone, chairs, cloths, dishes and small appliances. We would like to add a washer and dryer, some BattleBorn batteries and inverters and our electric bikes so we are looking at an addition 800 to 1000 lbs. That will put us close to the weight limit of the 390 without any water in the tanks. I am going to speak with Morryde about the 8K axles adding any additional CCC but I seriously doubt they will, the frame still has the same carrying capacity regardless of the axles. We are now looking at the 373 or 372 as they both have about the some CCC as the 310. We are even considering the 2020 Riverstone but none of them have the nice storage area like the 390 does. What good is nice storage if you cannot use if safely. Thank you for your feedback.

[orbsah]

You should ask GD what the GVWR is with the 8K axle option; I wish they would clarify that on their website

[ThePowells]

This is my worry as well!! We have been in the 310 for about 18 months now and we have added about 930lbs of cargo, blackstone, chairs, cloths, dishes and small appliances. We would like to add a washer and dryer, some BattleBorn batteries and inverters and our electric bikes so we are looking at an addition 800 to 1000 lbs. That will put us close to the weight limit of the 390 without any water in the tanks. I am going to speak with Morryde about the 8K axles adding any additional CCC but I seriously doubt they will, the frame still has the same carrying capacity regardless of the axles. We are now looking at the 373 or 372 as they both have about the some CCC as the 310. We are even considering the 2020 Riverstone but none of them have the nice storage area like the 390 does. What good is nice storage if you cannot use if safely. Thank you for your feedback.

You have to remember that your GVW limit is actually determined by your weak point. Knowing that our axles are 70# over on each with a light load (empty waste and 25% fresh water) tells me that axle upgrades are in order. I know that there are cushions factored in as many want to push the envelope and tempt failure, but no part manufacturer wants a part that will fail right at the max, but wants a cushion to put it more into a "gross overloading" scenario by the owner in order to limit liability.

[Luckyenough]

Small world. We sold our 310 to get the 390. The floor plan is too good to be true. We made the change because we "winter" in Florida and wanted more living space. Having been here since early November has been a pure delight. On the hot days the AC's due struggle somewhat but keep up but are okay. (we are in full sun all day) On the cold evenings we need to use the fireplace to keep the LR warm enough. The heat pump is very unbalanced and I have not yet figured out what vents to modify. I certainly would get double pane windows if I were to order it again. The drum brakes do stop okay, but will upgrade to disc as soon as we get home. Not sure if I will upgrade the axles. The ride home to SC will determine what I do. The only regret is my DW tries to put me in time out in the rear basement. JK Actually, there is more storage there than we should ever use. We are totally loving our 390!
We love our 390, the Grand Design quality continues to be excellent.

[moenoodle]

You have to remember that your GVW limit is actually determined by your weak point. Knowing that our axles are 70# over on each with a light load (empty waste and 25% fresh water) tells me that axle upgrades are in order. I know that there are cushions factored in as many want to push the envelope and tempt failure, but no part manufacturer wants a part that will fail right at the max, but wants a cushion to put it more into a "gross overloading" scenario by the owner in order to limit liability.

Yes I agree there is some wiggle room in the specs but I do not like to challenge fate and push the limits. I think I am starting to understand now why the slides are not as deep as other trailers, GD designed an AWESOME floor plan but they have weight issues to overcome if they want to keep using the same frame and axles as they do with the other Solitudes. It would be fine if we were weekend warriors and not considering full time living. I guess we could become minimalists Thank you for your input Jerry, I really appreciate the thoughts of others when trying to make these decisions!!

[moenoodle]

Small world. We sold our 310 to get the 390. The floor plan is too good to be true. We made the change because we "winter" in Florida and wanted more living space. Having been here since early November has been a pure delight. On the hot days the AC's due struggle somewhat but keep up but are okay. (we are in full sun all day) On the cold evenings we need to use the fireplace to keep the LR warm enough. The heat pump is very unbalanced and I have not yet figured out what vents to modify. I certainly would get double pane windows if I were to order it again. The drum brakes do stop okay, but will upgrade to disc as soon as we get home. Not sure if I will upgrade the axles. The ride home to SC will determine what I do. The only regret is my DW tries to put me in time out in the rear basement. JK Actually, there is more storage there than we should ever use. We are totally loving our 390!
We love our 390, the Grand Design quality continues to be excellent.

Thank you Bob for the information, this is very helpful. We will get the third A/C for sure and the double pane windows. We most likely will not get the heat pump, I hear they do not work well when the temp goes below 40 degrees outside. We have a little 1500w electric heater we picked up at Sam's Club to take the chill off on cold evenings or mornings. We are hoping that along with the fireplace will help keep the furnace off. The cargo slide in the rear is a double edged sword, it is awesome because it is so big which means someone could sleep there if forced to do so I love your signature, we are so lucking and fortunate to be in a position to have discussions like this!! Just curious, did you sell your 310 yourself or trade it for the 390? Thanks again for all you input Bob!!

[Luckyenough]

We sold our 310 on RV trader. We gained 11K over the dealer allowed for trade in.