Brinkley Toy Hauler

[Canyonlight]

Thanks Dan, I watched the 3100 Z video with Brenden and a couple others and took a look at the pictures, I'll take back my pessimistic thoughts, I like it! From what I've seen from video's now, they seemed to have done it right. I liked what Brenden said while showing the pass through storage and the basement wall doors, We're not afraid to show you what's back there! I love the electric leveling, it's only 4 way but the coach is only 35 foot so that's why its not 6 way. I don't want hydraulic leveling.
From a video I saw it looks like, at least from the basement to the bathroom it is all pex lines with brass 90s, not the flex lines that's in our coach. Flex maybe elsewhere though. At 35 feet its the same footprint as the Solitude 2930.
The Brinkley at 14495 GVWR and @ 2500 ft CCC, I could give up our extra 2 foot length and settle for the 35 feet but I'm not sure we could give up our extra 2000# of CCC since we fulltime.

Steve - he seems to be an informed young man and did a nice job in the video. Like many long time RVrs/campers (and justifiably so) we too are skeptical about what we see and hear in the RV industry relative to claims and ultimately real world results especially longer term. However knowing Micah personally (and know of Nate and Bill and Ron Fenech for some time but none personally) there is reason to be even more optimistic with Brinkley than many of were/are with GDRV.

I also share the concerns with many relative to high usage of LCI components/frames/etc. being used Many of us know of the challenges and some poor product experiences with some inferior products but LCI seems to have really upped their game in the direct customer (RV owner) service approach. I think GDRV (Don Clark and the team) really pushed them in this direction consistent with the GDRV strategy. I hope Jason Lippert as CEO of LCI decided this as a good business strategy but I still think GDRV had some strong influence.

I think that with one of the Fenechs on the LCI board and Micah and Nate being good friends with Jason Lippert......maybe the Brinkley LCI products and service experience can and will be even better. These young Brinkley guys (and older Fenechs lol) along with Jason Lippert really want this venture to do very well but I guess who in these new ventures does not other than some competitors lol !

Relative to this thread being about the Brinkley toy hauler (G series) I just read and article in RV Business where the G series will get sumo springs from the factory too. Maybe this is old news but new to me unless I forgot !

Many really like and swear by them. This article has some real world testing results that appear quite impressive as many who swear by using Sumos have shared over the years. This would be the only towable RV with sumos. Pretty common in the motorized arena on many models as the article shared.

Dan

[WhittleBurner]

. At 35 feet its the same footprint as the Solitude 2930.
The Brinkley at 14495 GVWR and @ 2500 ft CCC, I could give up our extra 2 foot length and settle for the 35 feet but I'm not sure we could give up our extra 2000# of CCC since we fulltime.

Make that barely 2300, less than our 303! But it's a numbers game. I did point that out as we got the walk around from Bill Fenech. With 7000lb axles and 17.5 inch tires it's posted low on the sticker. It would be nice to hear or even see a real world number on that sticker.

[Fsalmy]

Make that barely 2300, less than our 303! But it's a numbers game. I did point that out as we got the walk around from Bill Fenech. With 7000lb axles and 17.5 inch tires it's posted low on the sticker. It would be nice to hear or even see a real world number on that sticker.

I've now watched several videos on the G and thought I heard that production models were going to triple axle with an 8K option.

I also read in the comments section of one of the videos that a fireplace under the living room tv will be standard on production models.

[WhittleBurner]

I've now watched several videos on the G and thought I heard that production models were going to triple axle with an 8K option.

I also read in the comments section of one of the videos that a fireplace under the living room tv will be standard on production models.

That's the sticker off the regular trailer Steve was talking about, not the toy hauler.
We ran out of time to and wanted get back b4 rush hour traffic started and I ran out energy (just got over being sick) Befoore seeing the toy hauler

[Canyonlight]

I've now watched several videos on the G and thought I heard that production models were going to triple axle with an 8K option.

I also read in the comments section of one of the videos that a fireplace under the living room tv will be standard on production models.

Correct on the triples....don't recall if 8Kor 7K but 8K would be great.

Yes, fireplace will be std. For the life of me cannot believe no fireplace in the prototype. I understand they were rushed to get Nate on his road trip to FL so maybe that was it or did not have the one they wanted to install. Curiosity may cause me to ask some questions to learn more !

Dan

[Canyonlight]

Make that barely 2300, less than our 303! But it's a numbers game. I did point that out as we got the walk around from Bill Fenech. With 7000lb axles and 17.5 inch tires it's posted low on the sticker. It would be nice to hear or even see a real world number on that sticker.

Agree 110%. I shared my concern with Micah about the low CCC sometime ago. He talked about the 8K springs, heavy duty Coopers, already 7K axles being more than enough to carry more than 14K gross.

He shared that they loaded a trailer up to 16K and pulled it around a very rough outdoor course too evaluate the coach top to bottom and front to rear. He laughed and said there were more issues with the new truck lol !....and very few with the RV.

Well, in any event to be the "legal beagle" which is important I shared increasing the CCC needs serious consideration as the current CCC is too low particularly given all the storage. Most of us do not want to be exceeding CCC even though the RV is built quite abit in excess to handle it. Legal and safe numbers matter with some reasonable small real world fudge factor, of course.....but not many hundreds of lbs. If enough folks share feedback, I suspect change will come.

Heck GDRV did it will several Solitudes in recent years.....no reason it can't be done. I understand that there is some reason for the 14K max gross with some state licensing and/or along with truck GCWR numbers (and thus limiting some sales I suspect) but the raising of the CCC needs to be done.

I will talk with him about this again too. Marcy, you and others need to share feedback too.

Dan

[WhittleBurner]

Agree 110%. I shared my concern with Micah about the low CCC sometime ago. He talked about the 8K springs, heavy duty Coopers, already 7K axles being more than enough to carry more than 14K gross.

He shared that they loaded a trailer up to 16K and pulled it around a very rough outdoor course too evaluate the coach top to bottom and front to rear. He laughed and said there were more issues with the new truck lol !....and very few with the RV.

Well, in any event to be the "legal beagle" which is important I shared increasing the CCC needs serious consideration as the current CCC is too low particularly given all the storage. Most of us do not want to be exceeding CCC even though the RV is built quite abit in excess to handle it. Legal and safe numbers matter with some reasonable small real world fudge factor, of course.....but not many hundreds of lbs. If enough folks share feedback, I suspect change will come.

Heck GDRV did it will several Solitudes in recent years.....no reason it can't be done. I understand that there is some reason for the 14K max gross with some state licensing and/or along with truck GCWR numbers (and thus limiting some sales I suspect) but the raising of the CCC needs to be done.

I will talk with him about this again too. Marcy, you and others need to share feedback too.

Dan

What we were told at the Tampa show by Bill Fenech was that they derated the trailer so as to make it half ton towable.

[NB Canada]

I stopped watching when they showed the West Lake spare tire. If they don't care enough to put good tires on it, what else are they skimping on?

What happened to your west lakes?

[Second Chance]

What we were told at the Tampa show by Bill Fenech was that they derated the trailer so as to make it half ton towable.

I don't buy that for a minute. Even at 14K it's not suitable for 1/2 trucks... by a long shot.

Rob

[WhittleBurner]

I stopped watching when they showed the West Lake spare tire. If they don't care enough to put good tires on it, what else are they skimping on?

I don't know where that Westlake came from. Brinkley's come with commercial grade H rated 16 ply Cooper tires. Maybe they did that on the spare just to get the trailer to the show.