5 month Western US Road Trip in new 2020 Imagine 22MLE, Thanks OPEC + Pandemic!

[LRHF 1.0]

Howdy!

DW and I live in Houston, Tx and picking up our brand new 2020 Imagine 22MLE in about a week. The combination of Russia/ Saudi Arabia oil price dispute coupled with the pandemic has given us the freedom to explore for a while!

We've had a travel trailer in the past but it's been a while. A bit nervous about picking up a brand new trailer for such an extensive trip without some shorter shakedown trips but no time! Guess we will see about this fantastic customer service if a major problem come about.

The Trip- Part 1
Houston to Chama, New Mexico to stay with a friend who has an RV spot and horses. Plan to learn about our trailer, ride into the backcountry and spend some time fly fishing the Chama river.

Chama, NM to Pagosa Springs CO. Quick trip to see some family. Explore some off the beaten path fly fishing spots.

Pagosa to Durango. Visit old friends, hike, take some bike rides.

Durango to TBD: Want to spend some time in Salida and Crested Butte. Very interested in camping up at Taylor Reservoir for a few days

TBD to Salt Lake City- See some family. Maybe a visit to the Green River/ Dutch John.

Salt Lake City to Idaho- Planned stops in Last Chance and Sun Valley. Now it's time to get serious about fly fishing.

Montana Next- So many places, just have as "Montana" on our itinerary for now!

Spokane, WA- Visit the best man from my wedding and his family.

That's our rough agenda. We look forward to planning our return trip, endless possibilities.

We will towing with a 2003 F-250 diesel. The truck is currently in the shop having the engine pulled and some major upgrades to make sure it survives the journey. New shocks, minor repairs, new fluids, turn brake rotors etc.

We wanted to buy a nice used trailer but that market was destroyed by the pandemic as people bought up the inventory. Wife shopped for floor plans primarily and Grand Design rose to the top quickly. The 22MLE is perfect for two people, can't wait to get moved into this trailer and on the road. This internet forum is really good and has been very useful getting up to speed again and thinking about upgrades etc. Thanks ahead of time to this community for being super helpful!

LRHF

[powerscol]

Howdy!

DW and I live in Houston, Tx and picking up our brand new 2020 Imagine 22MLE in about a week. The combination of Russia/ Saudi Arabia oil price dispute coupled with the pandemic has given us the freedom to explore for a while!

We've had a travel trailer in the past but it's been a while. A bit nervous about picking up a brand new trailer for such an extensive trip without some shorter shakedown trips but no time! Guess we will see about this fantastic customer service if a major problem come about.

The Trip- Part 1
Houston to Chama, New Mexico to stay with a friend who has an RV spot and horses. Plan to learn about our trailer, ride into the backcountry and spend some time fly fishing the Chama river.

Chama, NM to Pagosa Springs CO. Quick trip to see some family. Explore some off the beaten path fly fishing spots.

Pagosa to Durango. Visit old friends, hike, take some bike rides.

Durango to TBD: Want to spend some time in Salida and Crested Butte. Very interested in camping up at Taylor Reservoir for a few days

TBD to Salt Lake City- See some family. Maybe a visit to the Green River/ Dutch John.

Salt Lake City to Idaho- Planned stops in Last Chance and Sun Valley. Now it's time to get serious about fly fishing.

Montana Next- So many places, just have as "Montana" on our itinerary for now!

Spokane, WA- Visit the best man from my wedding and his family.

That's our rough agenda. We look forward to planning our return trip, endless possibilities.

We will towing with a 2003 F-250 diesel. The truck is currently in the shop having the engine pulled and some major upgrades to make sure it survives the journey. New shocks, minor repairs, new fluids, turn brake rotors etc.

We wanted to buy a nice used trailer but that market was destroyed by the pandemic as people bought up the inventory. Wife shopped for floor plans primarily and Grand Design rose to the top quickly. The 22MLE is perfect for two people, can't wait to get moved into this trailer and on the road. This internet forum is really good and has been very useful getting up to speed again and thinking about upgrades etc. Thanks ahead of time to this community for being super helpful!

LRHF

What engine modifications are you having done to you 2003 6.0. I would recommend new ARB head studs and improved Ford head gasket. EGR delete is a must. There is also a spring kit for the fuel injector module. Improves low end pressure. Have the high pressure oil pump check out too and water pump. Everything should be flushed. The reason I say this is my 04 blew the EGR cooler which blew the head gasket on mine and I lemon lawed an 03 6.0 due to numerous leaks and injector problems - which reminds me consider adding matched flow injectors, or have them bench tested so all are good.

With prices where they are consider trading up.
Trying to help

BTW - Durango is open, but face masts are required,

[Tigger1]

Congratulations on the new 22MLE! The DW loved the open floor plan with lots of windows. It’s a perfect size for two. Lots of storage, good size shower, dinette & recliners.

[TravlinGranma]

We are new to this forum and currently looking at possibly purchasing a 22 MLE. We were originally looking for a Hi-Lo but came across the GD 22 MLE and think that is what we want to go with. We used to RV full-time in a 27 foot Carriage Cameo Carry-lite pull behind trailer for 3 years and are thinking about doing the same in the 22 MLE. Anyone had there's for a while with any concerns? Your trip sounds wonderful.

[Tigger1]

TravlinGranma, we got ours in Nov, camped once for a few day shake down and have been back to the dealer a couple times. Had a trip planned in May but was cancelled due to the virus. Trip coming up in June.

So, not a great deal of experience with it yet but we found two issues. First we had a 15amp main breaker instead of 30amp which caused the main breaker to trip several times under load. This is not something that happens a lot and GD apologized and said it was missed during final factory check out. Changed by dealer. Second, one recliner vibrate mode doesn’t work. Waiting to get that fixed.

I’ve made a few changes but these are preference things that fit our needs.

[That 1 Ron]

Congrats on the trailer! Sounds like a great trip planned!

FYI, face masks are required in NM. I find this is more followed in the bigger cities vs smaller towns.

As for the 6.0 PS, I recommend the above suggestions as well as thoroughly inspecting the entire engine wiring harness and maybe start off with a new fan, fan clutch, and radiator. The aftermarket has really stepped up for these engines and I believe they can be made reliable with enough effort and money.

That being said, over the years I’ve had the opportunity ( or is it misfortune?) to work on quite a few 6.0’s and some 6.4’s. Some of those trucks are a part of the reason I drive a gas engine truck now.

[Ynot4me2]

We are new to this forum and currently looking at possibly purchasing a 22 MLE. We were originally looking for a Hi-Lo but came across the GD 22 MLE and think that is what we want to go with. We used to RV full-time in a 27 foot Carriage Cameo Carry-lite pull behind trailer for 3 years and are thinking about doing the same in the 22 MLE. Anyone had there's for a while with any concerns? Your trip sounds wonderful.

If I'm not mistaken I think the 22mle only came out in 2020.

Sent from my SM-T580 using Tapatalk

[GeoffnCheri]

Howdy!

DW and I live in Houston, Tx and picking up our brand new 2020 Imagine 22MLE in about a week. The combination of Russia/ Saudi Arabia oil price dispute coupled with the pandemic has given us the freedom to explore for a while!

We've had a travel trailer in the past but it's been a while. A bit nervous about picking up a brand new trailer for such an extensive trip without some shorter shakedown trips but no time! Guess we will see about this fantastic customer service if a major problem come about.

The Trip- Part 1
Houston to Chama, New Mexico to stay with a friend who has an RV spot and horses. Plan to learn about our trailer, ride into the backcountry and spend some time fly fishing the Chama river.

Chama, NM to Pagosa Springs CO. Quick trip to see some family. Explore some off the beaten path fly fishing spots.

Pagosa to Durango. Visit old friends, hike, take some bike rides.

Durango to TBD: Want to spend some time in Salida and Crested Butte. Very interested in camping up at Taylor Reservoir for a few days

TBD to Salt Lake City- See some family. Maybe a visit to the Green River/ Dutch John.

Salt Lake City to Idaho- Planned stops in Last Chance and Sun Valley. Now it's time to get serious about fly fishing.

Montana Next- So many places, just have as "Montana" on our itinerary for now!

Spokane, WA- Visit the best man from my wedding and his family.

That's our rough agenda. We look forward to planning our return trip, endless possibilities.

We will towing with a 2003 F-250 diesel. The truck is currently in the shop having the engine pulled and some major upgrades to make sure it survives the journey. New shocks, minor repairs, new fluids, turn brake rotors etc.

We wanted to buy a nice used trailer but that market was destroyed by the pandemic as people bought up the inventory. Wife shopped for floor plans primarily and Grand Design rose to the top quickly. The 22MLE is perfect for two people, can't wait to get moved into this trailer and on the road. This internet forum is really good and has been very useful getting up to speed again and thinking about upgrades etc. Thanks ahead of time to this community for being super helpful!

LRHF

Enjoy your 22MLE