New to RV'ing, looking to make the transition - input from Solitude owners?

[TravelingTrekker]

Hi All, first post here. I stumbled in to the forums and figured I would join up. I am doing a lot of research so any input you can offer would be appreciated.

First off - I am considering making a 5th wheel a primary residence. More so from the standpoint of getting a patch of land somewhere and having full hook ups, then traveling on occasion. My job right now is pretty well fixed at the same office (though there are some changes going on that leave a lot of options open - that would be cool to transition to a field support role if those spots open).

Grand Design so far is at the top of my list. I have been through a 384GK, though I prefer the floor plan of the 377MB with the loft and room/office/guest room. I like the hydraulic slides and leveling systems that Grand Design put in the one I looked at. The structure seems more robust in general as well.

What can you offer from your experience with your Solitude? What are the problems you have experienced?

From what I have heard so far Grand Design stands behind their products very well. If I have read correctly, they have some kind of support agreement with their dealers for traveling RV'ers to get priority service. Have any of you had to work with out-of-state service departments while on the road? What was your experience?

Do you have any thoughts, comments, suggestions you think are valuable bits to know for a newbie? Things you wish someone reinforced with you before you went full time?

What do you do to add extra insulation in the winter time if you set up in the cold at all? Where I am in the midwest sometimes we get weeks where the temp never gets above 0 in late January through February. I realize no manufacturer is going to rate an off-the-assembly-line RV as being capable to handle this, though extra insulation and very close attention to seals (around the slides specifically) will help.

I'm looking forward to more discussion.

Thanks!

[dloase]

Steve,
First of all welcome
Secondly, although I/we do not full time in our Solitude, there are many here who do, so they can provide more insight that I can on several of you questions. I did full time in a bumper pull OTM that I had for a while. For the most part the trailer itself stayed okay with normal things. However, water supply freezing was an issue. I also skirted the underbelly area to reduce the amount of cold air surrounding my unit. That seemed to help a lot. Also, RV furnaces are not the most fuel efficient heating devices. Have a second source of heat, or a lot of propane on hand.
Thirdly, we have an earlier build Solitude, and what problems we did have, GD has stepped up every time to offer help, be it in the form of advice, service or otherwise.

[TravelingTrekker]

Thanks for the info David. Good stuff.

On a tangent - that looks like a 4 or 500 series Taylor with a venetian cut away. The pick guard gave it away. I special ordered a 314CE back in February and we were debating on the pickguard. The guy at the shop didn't think the tortoise pattern matched, black was more common. So it came in bare and we looked at the options off the guitar. Tortoise won and is a spectacular match. Body wood is solid Sapele, Sitka Spruce top. The stain they used has a dark fluorescent orange "flame" to it when light hits it just right.

[dloase]

Thanks for the info David. Good stuff.

On a tangent - that looks like a 4 or 500 series Taylor with a venetian cut away. The pick guard gave it away. I special ordered a 314CE back in February and we were debating on the pickguard. The guy at the shop didn't think the tortoise pattern matched, black was more common. So it came in bare and we looked at the options off the guitar. Tortoise won and is a spectacular match. Body wood is solid Sapele, Sitka Spruce top. The stain they used has a dark fluorescent orange "flame" to it when light hits it just right.

Actually that is my 714CE. LTD Koa. From '08. Cedar top and Koa back and sides. I have a few others but that was my first Taylor and is still my finger picking guitar v


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[LCBoyer]

We've had our 379 almost two years. It's been down to 20F. We never had a problem keeping it warm. Filled fresh water tank and disconnected hoses until it warmed up

[TravelingTrekker]

Thanks for the info LCBoyer.

I hope I am not opening a can of worms, and maybe this could be it's own thread entirely, but I see GD uses Lippert for frames. I have also run in to a lot of threads debating the quality and failure points of Lippert's frames. This is not specific to GD, and I haven't yet come across (haven't been looking to this point, either) a thread that involves a GD model with frame failures. Most of the replies to Lippert being an issue are something to the affect of Lippert taking the RV manufacturer's specs of a certain frame rough dimension and GVRW rating, the frames are manufactured to that, delivered, then the RV manufacturer finishes the fabrication to form the mounts etc that a particular model will require. A lot of the failure points seem to end up in those adaptations to the specific models = what the RV manufacturer is doing, not the frame manufacturer.

What are everyone's thoughts?

In looking at RV's, and PDI's the dealer does (I hope), it is near impossible to inspect the welds because they are covered with paint or, in the case of the front frame and pin box attachment, difficult to access (have to remove pin box, etc, to gain access - not impossible, but requires a lot of work/time).

[LCBoyer]

Steve, I think most fifth wheel manufactures use Lippert frames. A few high dollar units build their own

[campingfool99]

We love our 384GK! The layout is great and makes extended stays so much more enjoyable. We do not FT. However we do keep our camper in a seasonal site year round and camp in the winter months in SE Indiana. It gets cold and stays cold for weeks at a time. We've never been uncomfortable in cold weather. This will be our first winter with our GD. Can't wait to try it out.


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[TravelingTrekker]

However we do keep our camper in a seasonal site year round and camp in the winter months in SE Indiana.

Thanks for the info. Irrelevant comment, but an observation as I have been researching. You mention the use of your RV as "camping". I always get a good laugh with the salesmen I have worked with in my quest here - my idea of "camping" is having a backpack full of what I need for 4 days, a 5-15 mile hike to where I am setting up, if not moving the next day (which is one of my biggest passions in life). An RV is a house on wheels. There is absolutely no "roughing it", in my book, in an RV. Perhaps less space, but fully functional and comfortable (I hope) as a house is.

[Deb from Cali]

Thanks for the info. Irrelevant comment, but an observation as I have been researching. You mention the use of your RV as "camping". I always get a good laugh with the salesmen I have worked with in my quest here - my idea of "camping" is having a backpack full of what I need for 4 days, a 5-15 mile hike to where I am setting up, if not moving the next day (which is one of my biggest passions in life). An RV is a house on wheels. There is absolutely no "roughing it", in my book, in an RV. Perhaps less space, but fully functional and comfortable (I hope) as a house is.

These units are so spacious and high end I call them palaces. So I prefer to call it glam-ping.