Hello from San Diego!

Joined
Jun 27, 2016
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10
Greetings! My husband and I live in San Diego, are retired, have done lots of RV research and finally decided to purchase a Grand Design for some family visits and travel! Our first choice is the Reflection 226 RK and we hope to find a gently used one this fall. Thank you so much for letting us be part of your group, we look forward to contributing and helping others on the journey soon! Deborah and Wayne Doyle
:)
 
Thank you! We have a 2023 Ram Bighorn 1500 with tow package and 3.92 axle ratio.

We know we’ll need to keep it light, slow and avoid the Rockies … admitting that we’re newbies and have never towed before �� do you have any advice?
 
Thank you! We have a 2023 Ram Bighorn 1500 with tow package and 3.92 axle ratio.

We know we’ll need to keep it light, slow and avoid the Rockies … admitting that we’re newbies and have never towed before do you have any advice?

What does the payload sticker on your door say?
 
Greetings! My husband and I live in San Diego, are retired, have done lots of RV research and finally decided to purchase a Grand Design for some family visits and travel! Our first choice is the Reflection 226 RK and we hope to find a gently used one this fall. Thank you so much for letting us be part of your group, we look forward to contributing and helping others on the journey soon! Deborah and Wayne Doyle
:)
Welcome to the forum, let us know how we can help. There are many knowledgeable folks on the forum who are willing to share their experience.
 
I'm going to try to attach door stickers to make sure I give you the correct numbers .. IMG_3714.jpg

Not that familiar with this interface yet so I hope they upload correctly.
thank you for your feedback!
 

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FWIW, you'll almost certainly be exceeding the payload of your truck with that 5th wheel. Whether that's an issue depends on how you view it. Many people don't seem to be bothered by it, just depends.
 
Have you ever towed a trailer before?

Like has been mentioned there is no question once loaded to camp you will have exceeded the ratings on your truck

If you have never towed before perhaps the first experience at max capacity of your tow vehicle should be taken into consideration
For me I have been towing for decades all kinds of trailers and if I had to would do it but it wouldn’t be comfortable

Maybe a different trailer should be considered

Good luck
 
Thank you for the good insight. No, we haven’t towed before, this is our first endeavor. The more we learn, the more we realize we weren’t given the best advice by several dealers over the past 12-24 months. We bought the truck with the advice that it would be adequate and ended up not immediately purchasing the small 5th wheel so here we are … we may opt for an Imagine XLS… As an older couple, with no tow experience we thought a small 5th would be easier and more pleasant to pull.

If dealers would give ‘test drives’ we may have been able to avoid some of this. If I was younger, I’d start my own ‘trailer test drive’ side hustle. ����
 
Thank you for the good insight. No, we haven’t towed before, this is our first endeavor. The more we learn, the more we realize we weren’t given the best advice by several dealers over the past 12-24 months. We bought the truck with the advice that it would be adequate and ended up not immediately purchasing the small 5th wheel so here we are … we may opt for an Imagine XLS… As an older couple, with no tow experience we thought a small 5th would be easier and more pleasant to pull.

If dealers would give ‘test drives’ we may have been able to avoid some of this. If I was younger, I’d start my own ‘trailer test drive’ side hustle. ����

Yeah, unfortunately, dealers only want to sell you something. With that truck, I think you would be happier with an Imagine. The 22MLE is very popular here on the forum.

BTW: If you "Reply With Quote", everyone will know who you're replying to.
 
Yeah, unfortunately, dealers only want to sell you something. With that truck, I think you would be happier with an Imagine. The 22MLE is very popular here on the forum.

BTW: If you "Reply With Quote", everyone will know who you're replying to.
Oops, sorry for not knowing proper list etiquette! �� Thank you, yes, the 22MLE is a nice model, we’re also thinking of the Imagine 23 LDE but the Reflection will be tough to say goodbye to. ��������
 
Oops, sorry for not knowing proper list etiquette! �� Thank you, yes, the 22MLE is a nice model, we’re also thinking of the Imagine 23 LDE but the Reflection will be tough to say goodbye to. ��������

Yes, we have a Reflection and really enjoy it, just got back from a week-long trip. Is trading in the truck for a 3/4 ton an option? We tow our 260RD with a Chevy 2500 HD and it tows well, couldn't imagine towing it with our old 1500.
 
Yes, we have a Reflection and really enjoy it, just got back from a week-long trip. Is trading in the truck for a 3/4 ton an option? We tow our 260RD with a Chevy 2500 HD and it tows well, couldn't imagine towing it with our old 1500.
We love the 260RD! That would be our first choice if we were more confident towers. �� I doubt we’ll be able to upgrade our truck. �� We’re kind of at the top end of our budget for our first truck/trailer at this point, having paid California sales tax etc on the new truck… We’ve read GD 5th wheels are so much more comfortable to tow (for old people ��) … I’m hoping we can find someone to give us a test drive, if we love the Reflection 1,000 x more than the Imagine, maybe that will ‘tip the scale’ so to speak �� on a truck upgrade �� … thank you for your input, greatly appreciate it.
 
We love the 260RD! That would be our first choice if we were more confident towers. I doubt we’ll be able to upgrade our truck. We’re kind of at the top end of our budget for our first truck/trailer at this point, having paid California sales tax etc on the new truck… We’ve read GD 5th wheels are so much more comfortable to tow (for old people ) … I’m hoping we can find someone to give us a test drive, if we love the Reflection 1,000 x more than the Imagine, maybe that will ‘tip the scale’ so to speak on a truck upgrade … thank you for your input, greatly appreciate it.

I don’t think “GD fifth wheels” tow any differently than any other manufacturer
They don’t do anything different
I can almost guarantee they won’t let you ”test drive” a trailer besides you likely don’t have a hitch in your truck so it would be impossible
 
[MENTION=56567]Wayne and Deborah Doyle[/MENTION] -

With fifth wheels, it's all about payload - not towing capacity. A fifth wheel like the one you're considering will put 18 - 22% of its GVWR (in this case, 9,999 lbs) on the pin. That would put your truck over payload even before adding passengers, a hitch, etc. Unfortunately, 1/2-ton trucks are just not intended to handle fifth wheels. The advice about considering an appropriate travel trailer is good advice.

Rob
 
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Thank you for the good insight. No, we haven’t towed before, this is our first endeavor. The more we learn, the more we realize we weren’t given the best advice by several dealers over the past 12-24 months. We bought the truck with the advice that it would be adequate and ended up not immediately purchasing the small 5th wheel so here we are … we may opt for an Imagine XLS… As an older couple, with no tow experience we thought a small 5th would be easier and more pleasant to pull.

If dealers would give ‘test drives’ we may have been able to avoid some of this. If I was younger, I’d start my own ‘trailer test drive’ side hustle.

Welcome to the forum Wayne and Deborah!
I am relatively local and willing to help.
PM sent.

Bill
 
We love the 260RD! That would be our first choice if we were more confident towers. �� I doubt we’ll be able to upgrade our truck. �� We’re kind of at the top end of our budget for our first truck/trailer at this point, having paid California sales tax etc on the new truck… We’ve read GD 5th wheels are so much more comfortable to tow (for old people ��) … I’m hoping we can find someone to give us a test drive, if we love the Reflection 1,000 x more than the Imagine, maybe that will ‘tip the scale’ so to speak �� on a truck upgrade �� … thank you for your input, greatly appreciate it.

For me the 260RD is quite easy to tow forwards, I'm still mastering the backing up. We have the Anderson hitch which if you go for a fifth wheel I'd highly recommend. It is by far the easiest hitch I've ever done. Our old bumper pull TT had a weight-distributing hitch on it, hitching that was about twice the effort as the Anderson and our 260RD. With a suitable tow vehicle (TV), you'll hardly know your towing. I'm predicting you're going to love RVing, sleeping in your own bed when visiting relatives, and going on adventures to new places. Yes, the RV lifestyle is expensive, but for us, it delivers great experiences. Since I'm spending your money, I'd invest in a bigger truck and go with the trailer that is calling you, the 260RD. This is your retirement and you've earned it. BTW, we bought our 2500 HD used, there are some good deals on older trucks that still have a lot of life left in them.
 
For me the 260RD is quite easy to tow forwards, I'm still mastering the backing up. We have the Anderson hitch which if you go for a fifth wheel I'd highly recommend. It is by far the easiest hitch I've ever done. Our old bumper pull TT had a weight-distributing hitch on it, hitching that was about twice the effort as the Anderson and our 260RD. With a suitable tow vehicle (TV), you'll hardly know your towing. I'm predicting you're going to love RVing, sleeping in your own bed when visiting relatives, and going on adventures to new places. Yes, the RV lifestyle is expensive, but for us, it delivers great experiences. Since I'm spending your money, I'd invest in a bigger truck and go with the trailer that is calling you, the 260RD. This is your retirement and you've earned it. BTW, we bought our 2500 HD used, there are some good deals on older trucks that still have a lot of life left in them.

Thank you, Stephen and Judy, that’s very thoughtful and good advice. We need to consider all that you said. Thank you
 
For me the 260RD is quite easy to tow forwards, I'm still mastering the backing up. We have the Anderson hitch which if you go for a fifth wheel I'd highly recommend. It is by far the easiest hitch I've ever done. Our old bumper pull TT had a weight-distributing hitch on it, hitching that was about twice the effort as the Anderson and our 260RD. With a suitable tow vehicle (TV), you'll hardly know your towing. I'm predicting you're going to love RVing, sleeping in your own bed when visiting relatives, and going on adventures to new places. Yes, the RV lifestyle is expensive, but for us, it delivers great experiences. Since I'm spending your money, I'd invest in a bigger truck and go with the trailer that is calling you, the 260RD. This is your retirement and you've earned it. BTW, we bought our 2500 HD used, there are some good deals on older trucks that still have a lot of life left in them.

I towed a travel trailer for 13 years and a 5th wheel the past 4 years. No way would I ever go back to a travel trailer if they are equal in size and weight (8,000-10,000 pounds). I also use the Andersen Ultimate hitch to tow my 31MB and have been very pleased with it. Wayne and Deborah should try the 5th wheel for a few short camping trips and see how it goes. They will figure out if the towing experience is comfortable or not. It only took me a few camping trips with a 1/2 ton pulling my first travel trailer to figure out it wasn't working and traded for a 3/4 ton diesel. But, I have a good friend that pulls a heavy travel trailer with his F150 and is OK with it because he never tows in hills or interstate speeds.
 
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