New to the site

[Grandadcast]

Been following a few topics and after a year decided it was time to join.

Gotten a 2022 2600RB back in May of 2021. Looked and looked for the tow truck however, there was only used with prices higher than new. Ordered a F250 Lariat with the 7.3L gas and waited for seven months. Meanwhile put a new mattress in the first week, started adding solar and lithium systems and other stuff for the RV. Once the new mattress was installed, that night the wife and I finally slept in the RV after having it for three weeks. Our son and his wife, then a month later my daughter and her husband sleep way more than our single night, they slept in the RV for almost two weeks apiece. After nine months the RV still has not moved. Finally, the F250 is in.

At the end of March 2022, took off on our maiden trip. High winds made the eight-hour trip slow, gust to 50mph will do that till the tall pine trees in east Texas. Though the F250 was not as good as I hope, 30-40 mph winds will do that. However, it was all the wind and now I forget its back there. Six days into the trip, after a six-hour drive from my dad, setup took an hour at my sister home. Went into the house to clean up for supper and when I got out the bathroom, I had to call the ambulance. My wife thought there was two steps but there was three and the indoor patio was dimly lighted: triple ankle break. So much for the trip. The surgeon could not pin the bones so external rod were used to hold her ankle in place. These 1/2" diameter rod where long, one 12" through the heel and two 14" screwed to the shine bone. Her orthopedic surgeon back in Austin recommended a trauma surgeon. Took two days to find a surgeon that would take the case. Seem this is like the worst ankle break there is. Now the 10-hour drive back home, did I mention that I had three back surgeries, yeah not good.

So, three surgeries later and my wife was ready to go again. Meanwhile, our 2600RB now has 1150 watts of solar, 3k inverters, DC-DC truck charging, 7.5k or 600-amp hours of lithium, auto switch by the maker of the fuse panel installed so the inverter can power everything, couple of sliding shelves added to the pantry, side camera, backup camera and a long trip ahead.

Two months on the road seeing family. We logged 4053 miles to and from Savannah, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana. Only issue was backup camera front RF transmitter relay box leak moisture and one red marker light up on the back next to the camera was out. Replace the RF transmitter and back in 2021 Grand Design sent me four red maker lights, I asked for two lens cover as our 2600RB had two lens cover slightly cracks on the back and on the side. Our waste tote leaked, a bit of sealant and tape helped for now.

Things that worked very well: Inverter, no need to run propane going down the road, DC-DC plus solar so never had to turn the charger/converter on in the 2600RB to keep the lights on sort of speak, the Dyson V10 (every day and kept the floor very clean - our Sheltie tried his best to hair the trailer up), those two sliding shelfs in the pantry are a must have (have another sliding shelf coming tomorrow), backup camera, the 30 pint dehumidifier (I had a small one but not enough) so picked one up in Savannah. When in the 20s, the inside windows had too much water for me, the dehumidifier kept it dry so worth having and the 2600RB was awesome.

Anyway, hi to y'all.

[Soundsailor]

Hey @Grandadcast, welcome to the forum, glad to have you aboard. And thanks for the story, a lot of us can identify. I liked where you said:

Meanwhile, our 2600RB now has 1150 watts of solar, 3k inverters, DC-DC truck charging, 7.5k or 600-amp hours of lithium, auto switch by the maker of the fuse panel installed so the inverter can power everything, couple of sliding shelves added to the pantry, side camera, backup camera

Somehow these things just appear?

Anyway, let us know if we can help and keep on truckin'.

[xrated]

Welcome to the forum....glad you could join us. All I can say is WOW....what an adventure(s) so far. With all the stuff you've already done, it sounds like you are already a seasoned member here. Feel free to add a signature about your truck/trailer/equipment and enjoy the experience here. We do have a large group here with many, many years of camping experience and most everyone here is anxious to help a fellow member if wanted or needed. Congrats and hopefully your wife is completely healed up and ready for making some memories with you and the camper.

[traveldawg]

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for sharing your stories. For us, every campground holds a story waiting to be told; as does every mod. But, so far, no bodily harm has come to us. Be safe. Travel well.

[Ynot4me2]

Welcome to the group. That's a nice setup