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  1. #11
    Seasoned Camper
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    Nice Luxe rig.. have fun
    2021 Solitude S Class 3540GK
    F-350 DRW Diesel

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Overtaxed View Post
    So long as it doesn't run afoul of forum rules....

    We bought a Luxe 44FB.

    I'll attach two pictures, one the "pretty paint" and the other, one of the big reasons we went with Luxe, a dinette booth. My wife and I travel alone, and often work from the road. We really needed two spaces to work, the garage is great, but it's a single area, two people can't work in there at the same time. I despise chairs. Absolutely hate them; and, unfortunately, while they are super common in Class C's most 5th wheels do either super sofas and tables and chairs. I wanted a dinette, which basically got us to almost nobody in mainstream brands. We had a Class C for awhile and my wife and I just fell in love with a little dinette. Here's a hint, don't. I'll cost you dearly to get one in a 5th wheel!!

    We looked at DRV (anyone who's seen my posts know how I feel about DRV, I wouldn't have traded our 351M even up for a DRV, WAY too many compromises and things done better in the GD to even consider it at the same price, let alone double!), Luxe, New Horizons and Spacecraft. Spacecraft is really meant for a semi, so that was quickly ruled out. Luxe and NH, our general feeling was that NH is better, but the price difference, to us, wasn't worth it. NH has started to put mini-splits into their units (instead of roof ACs), which is a FANTASTIC idea. It really changed the whole feel of the coach to have a more residential style AC. But not enough to justify another 100K. We also cross shopped a 410TH, and really liked that too (honestly, the space in that model is unmatched, it's amazing how roomy it is).

    So, what swayed us one way vs the other. The things we really liked about the Luxe:

    1) Dinette booth (no, I'm not kidding)
    2) Soft touch walls (these are really nice and way upscale the interior. I have no idea why more brands don't offer it, it's a 4K option on a Luxe, which tells me it costs them about 2K to do it, and it's really a big upgrade)
    3) Factory IS. I know you can work with GD and Morryde to do it, but it's a process. I did hear a rumor at the GD factory that it may be coming back as an option though....
    4) Woodwork might be a moderate level up from GD. Their cabinets/drawers are nice and probably "better", but the GD ones worked great for 3 years
    5) Floorplan. Again, subjective, but we liked the layout of the Luxe, it seems to be more designed for 2 people than a big family.
    6) Power cord reel (again, a nit, but I was getting tired of wrestling the snake).
    7) Heat pumps on all the ACs. We do most of our camping fall/winter/spring, so more cheap heat is better

    I was impressed when I went in the basement of the Luxe. I would call it "well designed", wires are loomed well, things are labeled. Now, to be fair, I never had a single problem with the wiring/plumbing in our GD, but it always gave me a case of shivers when I went behind the wall. The Luxe wiring is, at least to my eyes, impressive compared to everything other than NH, which is also very good.

    The gap between GD and Luxe, is, IMHO, not huge. GD could easily move up into their price range, and, again, IMHO, could probably do as well for less than they do because of their boutique build status.

    We're in our 40's, I know this won't be our last RV. We'll see how the Luxe treats us, but, good or bad, when we are ready to change, GD will always be on the short list. We had problems, they all have problems, but nothing that I'd consider really shoddy workmanship, just wear/tear and a poor dealer who couldn't change a lightbulb with a full belt of tools.

    Attachment 45536
    Attachment 45537

    World's most expensive dinette? Perhaps!
    Attachment 45538
    That’s a beauty!
    We’re going to look at a 35GRS next week at their Elkhart showroom.
    Larry and JoAnna
    ‘23 Chevy 3500HD CCLB DRW High Country 6.6L Diesel, ‘22 Solitude 310GK-R, Hensley BD5
    MORRyde 8k IS, QD8000 Genny, Dual 5kVA Quattros
    Dual SOK 48V 100ah Server Rack Batts (10kWHr)

  3. #13
    Big Traveler
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    Quote Originally Posted by LMagelitz View Post
    That’s a beauty!
    We’re going to look at a 35GRS next week at their Elkhart showroom.
    Stay away from the trucks! Their showroom is nice and the RVs are nice, but their nothing totally "unique"; mostly the same components you're used to with some nicer touches. The trucks though, if you've never seen the interior of a converted semi hauler, here's a piece of advice. Don't! Man are they spectacular, comfortable and appear well built and ready to roll 100K miles a year with a RV in tow without blinking an eye. "Big Cheddar" will probably be there; you won't miss it, that much I can promise you (it's a bright yellow/cheese colored semi!). My wife loves stuff like soft touch walls and solid countertops; I like trucks that can haul 40K+ without batting an eye.

  4. #14
    Paid my dues 😁 FT4NOW's Avatar
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    Looks like a nice setup from the pictures. Is there much of a weight difference, do you have to upgrade your truck too? Feel free to stay and post more pictures, and of course, continue to participate here.
    2023 Momentum 398M-R
    2023 Ford F-450

    SOLD - 2021 Reflection 311BHS
    SOLD - 2017 Momentum 399TH

  5. #15
    Big Traveler
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    Quote Originally Posted by FT4NOW View Post
    Looks like a nice setup from the pictures. Is there much of a weight difference, do you have to upgrade your truck too? Feel free to stay and post more pictures, and of course, continue to participate here.
    Pretty significant weight difference. The GD was a 16,800 max, this is a 24K max. These things are known to be pin heavy, so I'm expecting 4K+ on the hitch. The only real upgrade left for us as far as trucks go is into a semi. While I'd love that for hauling, our F450 is just more practical for what we do; I can just picture trying to park a semi at a trailhead 10 miles back on a gravel road. Not exactly going to work!

    I have a 26K tandem dual dump trailer I haul with the F450. No idea the pin weight on it other than "a lot"; it varies, of course, based on how it's loaded. Sometimes the gravel guys dump up front (I swear, it must be fun for them to watch the trucks squat). With a full 26K behind the truck loaded pin heavy, the F450 will hit the overloads. I have bags on the truck, so when the gravel guys get crazy, I'll often add enough air to give myself around 1" of air on the overloads. Tows that well; and I have to believe the Luxe will be a LOT better than my dump trailer. IS suspension and, most importantly, disc brakes.

    We'll see how it does. I realize you can get more stated payload in something like a chassis cab, but I don't see a ton of additional "beef" there for the increased rating. A F450 PU is a "class queen" similar to a F250; they are not rated by what they can do, they are rated to max out the class (14K lbs in the case of the 450). My truck has a payload of almost 5K, so I suspect, depending on loading, we'll hover right around "at capacity" loaded up and ready to camp.

    I'll weigh it, of course; both because I'm curious but also to get a sense for the load on the tires so I can figure how how much pressure should be in the rears. We typically keep our rears at 70PSI, the minimum for the tire; which gets us a tire capacity of 10,880 on the rears. Taking them up to 80 gets us 12,000 on the rear tires. Up to 110 gets an absolutely ridiculous 15,000 lb rear tire capacity.

    While this hopefully won't start us into everyone's favorite (including mine) enough truck or not discussion; the basic way I look at "can I tow it safely" comes down to this:

    1) What can the tires handle
    2) What can the axle handle
    3) What can the hitch attachment point handle
    4) Can I slow it down effectively

    In this case, I'm comfortable with the to all of those with the 450; tires are good, axle is good, hitch attachment is good, and slowing should be, if anything, better than my GD because of the disc brakes. Suspension is an easy fix if it's not up to task; truck already has bags that are rated for 5K (with 7.5's available).

    Long way of saying, "we'll see". I'm also moving to a Hensley hitch, which is going to add another ~200 lbs to the bed, so that's not going to help with payload, but hopefully will help actually keep some of the forces off the moving components of the truck.

  6. #16
    Seasoned Camper
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    Quote Originally Posted by Overtaxed View Post
    I'm also moving to a Hensley hitch, which is going to add another ~200 lbs to the bed, so that's not going to help with payload, but hopefully will help actually keep some of the forces off the moving components of the truck.
    It most definitely will. It removes the abrupt shock load between the two. I have a BD5 and love it. It moves quite a bit while towing, and the first hard bridge approach you hit, you will be glad you have it for the sake of the trailer. That hitch links two expensive toys.
    Larry and JoAnna
    ‘23 Chevy 3500HD CCLB DRW High Country 6.6L Diesel, ‘22 Solitude 310GK-R, Hensley BD5
    MORRyde 8k IS, QD8000 Genny, Dual 5kVA Quattros
    Dual SOK 48V 100ah Server Rack Batts (10kWHr)

  7. #17
    Paid my dues 😁 FT4NOW's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Overtaxed View Post
    Pretty significant weight difference. The GD was a 16,800 max, this is a 24K max. These things are known to be pin heavy, so I'm expecting 4K+ on the hitch. The only real upgrade left for us as far as trucks go is into a semi. While I'd love that for hauling, our F450 is just more practical for what we do; I can just picture trying to park a semi at a trailhead 10 miles back on a gravel road. Not exactly going to work!

    I have a 26K tandem dual dump trailer I haul with the F450. No idea the pin weight on it other than "a lot"; it varies, of course, based on how it's loaded. Sometimes the gravel guys dump up front (I swear, it must be fun for them to watch the trucks squat). With a full 26K behind the truck loaded pin heavy, the F450 will hit the overloads. I have bags on the truck, so when the gravel guys get crazy, I'll often add enough air to give myself around 1" of air on the overloads. Tows that well; and I have to believe the Luxe will be a LOT better than my dump trailer. IS suspension and, most importantly, disc brakes.

    We'll see how it does. I realize you can get more stated payload in something like a chassis cab, but I don't see a ton of additional "beef" there for the increased rating. A F450 PU is a "class queen" similar to a F250; they are not rated by what they can do, they are rated to max out the class (14K lbs in the case of the 450). My truck has a payload of almost 5K, so I suspect, depending on loading, we'll hover right around "at capacity" loaded up and ready to camp.

    I'll weigh it, of course; both because I'm curious but also to get a sense for the load on the tires so I can figure how how much pressure should be in the rears. We typically keep our rears at 70PSI, the minimum for the tire; which gets us a tire capacity of 10,880 on the rears. Taking them up to 80 gets us 12,000 on the rear tires. Up to 110 gets an absolutely ridiculous 15,000 lb rear tire capacity.

    While this hopefully won't start us into everyone's favorite (including mine) enough truck or not discussion; the basic way I look at "can I tow it safely" comes down to this:

    1) What can the tires handle
    2) What can the axle handle
    3) What can the hitch attachment point handle
    4) Can I slow it down effectively

    In this case, I'm comfortable with the to all of those with the 450; tires are good, axle is good, hitch attachment is good, and slowing should be, if anything, better than my GD because of the disc brakes. Suspension is an easy fix if it's not up to task; truck already has bags that are rated for 5K (with 7.5's available).

    Long way of saying, "we'll see". I'm also moving to a Hensley hitch, which is going to add another ~200 lbs to the bed, so that's not going to help with payload, but hopefully will help actually keep some of the forces off the moving components of the truck.
    I don't want this to be a weight based thread either, was more curious. Glad to hear the 450 handles so well, I have a 23 on order which is currently scheduled to be built week of 4/3 (only been rescheduled once so far [emoji1696] ) and I'm looking forward to towing with it. My Silverado DRW handles the 398 great, so shouldnt be any issue with the 450.

    I agree with you on the semi, probably would be great for your trailer, but it isn't always practical where you go.

    We also considered something like a converted hauler or an older M2, but we are a family of 6 and I have yet to see an M2 with a front bench seat. I know some of the semis can fit a 4 seat bench in the back, but we decided the traditional truck was the best option overall.
    2023 Momentum 398M-R
    2023 Ford F-450

    SOLD - 2021 Reflection 311BHS
    SOLD - 2017 Momentum 399TH

  8. #18
    Commercial Member huntr70's Avatar
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    It's all good.

    You are just a SOB member now.....Some Other Brand.
    Steve- Inventory Manager at Tom Schaeffer's RV, Shoemakersville, PA www.tomschaeffers.com
    [email protected]
    2011 RAM 3500 SRW Outdoorsman Edition 4X4, 6.7 Cummins--TWEAKED!
    2021 Reflection 310RLS

  9. #19
    Big Traveler
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    Glad to hear the 450 handles so well, I have a 23 on order which is currently scheduled to be built week of 4/3 (only been rescheduled once so far )
    I love the 450. I'd buy another in a heartbeat if I could get my hands on one. I'm not willing to beg someone to build it for me, nor pay the ridiculous prices, so, for now, I'm keeping what I have, but when the market finally gets a little more normal, I'll be interested in upgrading. The new one has a much better screen in it, higher capacity (although, I do wonder if that's just paper, did they change anything that matters?), and, biggest for me, the 10 speed transmission. One of the only things I don't like about my 450 is that it's >2K RPMs at about 62 MPH. Just would like it to spin a little slower, there's MORE than enough power, it's really over geared for everything we've ever hauled with it, and given that we're at the limits of what it's rated to do with the dump trailer, I think it's safe to say it's just flat out overgeared with 4.88s in it. With the 10 speed, that becomes less of an issue.

    I wish Ford would come out with something more capable in the pickup line with air ride suspension (like Kelderman offers aftermarket, and like all semis have from the factory). That would be a really nice truck for towing the bigger RVs without moving to a semi. And it's obviously possible because you can get it from aftermarket suppliers. Sadly, very few of them can "resticker" the truck for a higher rating even after extensive suspension work to make the truck more capable. Ford wouldn't have that problem.

  10. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by LMagelitz View Post
    It most definitely will. It removes the abrupt shock load between the two. I have a BD5 and love it. It moves quite a bit while towing, and the first hard bridge approach you hit, you will be glad you have it for the sake of the trailer. That hitch links two expensive toys.
    My goodness, with your setup, you might actually "not know it's back there". Dually, IS, BD5, with a trailer that's not terribly heavy, that must tow like a dream!

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