New to RVS: 2600RB VS 2500RL and General RV Questions

[Mike_Z]

Hello,

I am brand new to the RV world and am not yet an owner. I contribute to many vehicle forums and I know it is a give and take. Unfortunately, I have a lot of questions but cannot give back a lot, at least not yet. That said, we have landed on a 2500RL and the 2600RB as our two finalists. Neither one is perfect for us and we realize that everything in similar sized RV is tradeoff; you can’t have it all. My tow vehicle is a 2022 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel, it will tow either one of the TTs (calculated), and I am unwilling to change that right now as I just love this truck. Anyhow, here are my list of questions. I hope it’s not too much to ask.

1. Are there years of manufacture that should be avoided for either vehicle?

2. We are considering both new and used and I’ve read all about the pros and cons of each; what are your opinions as to what to buy (e.g. are the cost savings worth the warranty, new tech, etc.?

3. We live in Florida and will be doing some camping here but more in other states; are two AC units necessary, important, etc.?

4. On units with 30A service, and if I were to install a second AC, can I run both at the same time?

5. What is better to have a 30A or 50A service; or is one “better” than the other? I understand the differences between the two but unsure of the benefits of either in their application to an RV.

6. Is it beneficial to upgrade the suspension on the TT?

7. We’re wrestling with the idea of the bath in the rear (R vs the bath in the middle (RL). I’d appreciate perspective on this from more experienced RVers.

8. I am reading that we should negotiate for 25 to 30% off of their advertised price as an actual OTD price. Is that accurate? Logically, it seems to make sense with the state of the RV industry today (most mfrs are giving revised, and lower, earnings estimates for the year, as are their industry partners in the accessory space).

9. I have no idea what percentage off we should expect to negotiate off a used unit. Can anyone give any advice?

10. With the Ram, I have to use a WDH over 5k towed weight. I’m seriously considering the ProPride 3P WDH. Does anyone dislike theirs or like another WD/AntiSway hitch better?

Lots of questions! I am sorry if it is too much but I really want to get an answer from those who have owned these RVs and have practical experience. Very much appreciate any help we can get.

Mike

 

[Second Chance]

Thread moved to New To RV'ing, Purchase Questions & General Concerns.

Rob

 

[Toy4Rick]

Hello,

We have a 2022 2500RL, bought it new... and we camp quite a bit

#3 & 4 - The 2500RL only has 1 A/C and the way the RV is wired, not sure you can run a second A/C at least not at the same time. Do install an easy start to the A/C so you can at least run it on 110v 15amp outlet when not on a full 30amp shore power or when running on a generator (which we had to do for 7 hours the other night). I installed an air flow insert to help with A/C efficiency, works pretty good, don't recall the brand at the moment

#5 - This is our 3rd RV, Class A (back in the late 80s), Class C and now the 2500RL. If I had to do it again, I'd get a unit with 50amps and dual A/C but the wife really loves this floor plan and it fit our budget at the time

#6 - We have a Blue Ox TrackPro WDH and to me, the pulling/ride is not an issue (2021 Chevy Silverado 2500HD), very stable, no sway and I can't see the benefits from upgrading the suspension however I don't have any experience other than stock setup, love this WDH setup BTW

#7 - Bathroom in the middle, it's fine no issues, however our back is to the back of the RV so when we back into a beautiful site, on the lake/river/mountains, we are not looking out the back window

Hope this helps and good luck with your decision

Enjoy
Rick

 

[Mike_Z]

Hello,

We have a 2022 2500RL, bought it new... and we camp quite a bit

#3 & 4 - The 2500RL only has 1 A/C and the way the RV is wired, not sure you can run a second A/C at least not at the same time. Do install an easy start to the A/C so you can at least run it on 110v 15amp outlet when not on a full 30amp shore power or when running on a generator (which we had to do for 7 hours the other night). I installed an air flow insert to help with A/C efficiency, works pretty good, don't recall the brand at the moment

#5 - This is our 3rd RV, Class A (back in the late 80s), Class C and now the 2500RL. If I had to do it again, I'd get a unit with 50amps and dual A/C but the wife really loves this floor plan and it fit our budget at the time

#6 - We have a Blue Ox TrackPro WDH and to me, the pulling/ride is not an issue (2021 Chevy Silverado 2500HD), very stable, no sway and I can't see the benefits from upgrading the suspension however I don't have any experience other than stock setup, love this WDH setup BTW

#7 - Bathroom in the middle, it's fine no issues, however our back is to the back of the RV so when we back into a beautiful site, on the lake/river/mountains, we are not looking out the back window

Hope this helps and good luck with your decision

Enjoy
Rick

Thank you, Rick! It is absolutely helpful and sincerely appreciated! I’ll do some reading on the upgrades you mentioned. Great advice on the 110V AC hookup and something I would not have even thought of as a new RVer! The 2500RL that we have started talking to the dealer about has 2 ACs from the factory with a 50Amp service. And if I recall correctly, both units have the soft starter installed on both units; if so, it sounds like a really thoughtful design on the units.

 

[goducks14]

Whats the payload of your truck. Diesels trucks in general have low payloads. Both those trailers will be in the 7000 plus pound range when loaded. Optimum TW should around 12%. Thats 840 lbs for TW.
What all are you putting in the truck? Passengers, gear, etc. Add 320 for passengers and that puts you at 1160 lbs added to the truck. The trucks CCC sticker is on the drivers side door jamb.
All speculation of course but you get the jist of it.

The Pro Pride is a great hitch. I have the original in a Hensley Arrow. They weigh a lot more than a regular WDH. That adds to the weight of the truck as well with increased tongue weight.

In the past I've seen 1500 Eco's with CCC's around 998 lbs. Verified by personally looking at trucks while my Ram 3500 was getting the oil changed.

 

[Mike_Z]

Whats the payload of your truck. Diesels trucks in general have low payloads. Both those trailers will be in the 7000 plus pound range when loaded. Optimum TW should around 12%. Thats 840 lbs for TW.
What all are you putting in the truck? Passengers, gear, etc. Add 320 for passengers and that puts you at 1160 lbs added to the truck. The trucks CCC sticker is on the drivers side door jamb.
All speculation of course but you get the jist of it.

The Pro Pride is a great hitch. I have the original in a Hensley Arrow. They weigh a lot more than a regular WDH. That adds to the weight of the truck as well with increased tongue weight.

In the past I've seen 1500 Eco's with CCC's around 998 lbs. Verified by personally looking at trucks while my Ram 3500 was getting the oil changed.

1100. I'm over on payload by about 200 pounds in my calculations, which I am comfortable with. But very good point that i forgot to consider is the weight of the hitch.

 

[kb0zke]

Welcome. We're full-timers, so our needs are different than those of people who only use the RV for short periods. For us, having the bathroom next to the bedroom is a requirement. We hang a curtain at the kitchen end of the hallway when grandkids stay with us, so that they have their bedroom (the living area) and we have ours.

30A vs 50A is always something to generate lots of opinions. With 30A service you can run ONE appliance (air conditioner, microwave, hair dryer, etc.) at a time and still let the refrigerator, television, etc. be on. You are limited to approximately 3600 Watts total draw (120 volts times 30 amps). With 50A service you can run 12,000 Watts total (120 volts times 50 amps times 2) because you have two legs of 50A each. That means that you can run both air conditioners and various other appliances. The downside is that the shore power cord is a LOT heavier.

Can you change 30A service to 50A service? Yes, you can. All it takes is money. It requires changing the wire from the shore power connection to the breaker box and changing the breaker box itself. Generally, if an RV has two (or more) airconditioners it has 50A service. If there is only one a/c it generally has 30A service.

Suspension upgrades are helpful, but not totally necessary. They won't increase your weight capacity, but some upgrades will make your life easier. Actually, some suspension upgrades will actually decrease your real weight capacity because they weigh something.

How much off the "list price" you get will vary from dealer to dealer. If you are buying something that has been on the dealer's lot for several months you may get more of a price break than if you are ordering a specially-built unit. Or, it might go the other way, since all the special order costs the dealer is a bit of time to do the paperwork. Since you don't have a trade-in you won't play the trade-in game. Spend some time with the Grand Design website and built the trailer you want, then print out your specs and ask several dealers for quotes, both for the exact trailer and one that comes close.

I wanted a ProPride hitch when we bought our trailer, but the dealer couldn't do that, so we took a Blue Ox Sway Pro since we'd had good experiences with Blue Ox products on our Foretravel. Get the dealer to weigh the tongue before he gives you weight bars. We were given 1000 pound bars, and when Blue Ox weighed the tongue, we found we needed the 2000 pound bars.

 

[RV2600RB]

We have a 2600RB and don’t have any problem running a/c, water heater, fridge, coffee maker, tv and hairdryer
at the same time on 30a service.
Yes, a 50a cord is much heavier and can be a bear in cooler weather.
I like my small 30a cord ?
Rich

 

[Mike_Z]

Welcome. We're full-timers, so our needs are different than those of people who only use the RV for short periods. For us, having the bathroom next to the bedroom is a requirement. We hang a curtain at the kitchen end of the hallway when grandkids stay with us, so that they have their bedroom (the living area) and we have ours.

30A vs 50A is always something to generate lots of opinions. With 30A service you can run ONE appliance (air conditioner, microwave, hair dryer, etc.) at a time and still let the refrigerator, television, etc. be on. You are limited to approximately 3600 Watts total draw (120 volts times 30 amps). With 50A service you can run 12,000 Watts total (120 volts times 50 amps times 2) because you have two legs of 50A each. That means that you can run both air conditioners and various other appliances. The downside is that the shore power cord is a LOT heavier.

Can you change 30A service to 50A service? Yes, you can. All it takes is money. It requires changing the wire from the shore power connection to the breaker box and changing the breaker box itself. Generally, if an RV has two (or more) airconditioners it has 50A service. If there is only one a/c it generally has 30A service.

Suspension upgrades are helpful, but not totally necessary. They won't increase your weight capacity, but some upgrades will make your life easier. Actually, some suspension upgrades will actually decrease your real weight capacity because they weigh something.

How much off the "list price" you get will vary from dealer to dealer. If you are buying something that has been on the dealer's lot for several months you may get more of a price break than if you are ordering a specially-built unit. Or, it might go the other way, since all the special order costs the dealer is a bit of time to do the paperwork. Since you don't have a trade-in you won't play the trade-in game. Spend some time with the Grand Design website and built the trailer you want, then print out your specs and ask several dealers for quotes, both for the exact trailer and one that comes close.

I wanted a ProPride hitch when we bought our trailer, but the dealer couldn't do that, so we took a Blue Ox Sway Pro since we'd had good experiences with Blue Ox products on our Foretravel. Get the dealer to weigh the tongue before he gives you weight bars. We were given 1000 pound bars, and when Blue Ox weighed the tongue, we found we needed the 2000 pound bars.

This is really great information all the way around! You took a lot of time to think this out an type it up and I sincerely appreciate it! When oyu say the dealer couldn't do the ProPride, was it a limitation of the dealer or a limitation of the trailer?

 

[Mike_Z]

We have a 2600RB and don’t have any problem running a/c, water heater, fridge, coffee maker, tv and hairdryer
at the same time on 30a service.
Yes, a 50a cord is much heavier and can be a bear in cooler weather.
I like my small 30a cord ��
Rich

Thank you very much! How do you find the performance of the single air conditioner? Let say you're where I live in subtropical SW Florida; would the single AC perform well here?

 

[RV2600RB]

Thank you very much! How do you find the performance of the single air conditioner? Let say you're where I live in subtropical SW Florida; would the single AC perform well here?

I can't speak for that type of climate as i've not camped in high humidity areas.
But, it does fine on 100*+ days in the desert southwest.
I had a class c with single heat pump which did well in the desert heat as well. I have camped in the southwest during monsoons when it was hot and humid with no issues. Not sure how that compares with Florida though.
Rich

 

[Wileykid]

One thing to consider also on the 50A vs 30A, like what has been said about converting up, as long as you are not using a lot of electricity, you can run 30A to a 50A trailer. Everyone has an adapter, including WallyWorld. My trailer is a 50A, but I have a 30A adapter I keep in case I am somewhere where they only have a 30A connection. It also allows the use of regular home power if needed (vacuum, run the fridge only...etc).

Do not limit your search to a local dealer, there are deals that may be 600 miles away or greater that make it well worth the drive. My current trailer, I got a great deal from the dealer 3 miles away (although the service department sucks), my last trailer was bought 300 miles away.

 

[kb0zke]

Mike, ProPride only sells through their dealer network, and the nearest ProPride dealer was several hundred miles away. Yes, I can still go there and buy a ProPride hitch, but then I would have the Blue Ox one, too. Don't really need two hitches for one trailer.

Unlike the automotive world, the RV world thinks that you must buy from your local dealer and get your service there. If you buy from someone else you will be last on the list for service work at your local dealer. That, unfortunately, includes warranty work. My experience was probably fairly typical of people who buy Grand Design trailers. GD customer service is great; Holiday World of Las Cruces, not so much. We had a couple of fairly minor issues that were taken care of under warranty. On one, the dealer just plain lied to us, but GD sent the window shade and I installed it myself (the dealer said it was on order - still waiting for the call that it has arrived 18 months later). The propane regulator was bad from day one. The dealer said to bring the trailer back and they would replace it - 200 miles one way. GD said to get one locally, install it myself, and send them the receipt. A week later I got a check.

If you think of the warranty as covering only the really big things, and take care of smaller stuff yourself, you can really save money by going a bit farther away to buy the trailer. If your local dealer has a really good reputation (ask around) and you want them to take care of everything you will be better off buying locally. There are RV dealerships that don't have much in the way of a service department, but can beat everyone else on price. They sell you the RV and don't expect to see you again until you are ready to trade. There are other dealerships that are service centers that happen to also sell some RVs.

 

[Mike_Z]

Mike, ProPride only sells through their dealer network, and the nearest ProPride dealer was several hundred miles away. Yes, I can still go there and buy a ProPride hitch, but then I would have the Blue Ox one, too. Don't really need two hitches for one trailer.

Unlike the automotive world, the RV world thinks that you must buy from your local dealer and get your service there. If you buy from someone else you will be last on the list for service work at your local dealer. That, unfortunately, includes warranty work. My experience was probably fairly typical of people who buy Grand Design trailers. GD customer service is great; Holiday World of Las Cruces, not so much. We had a couple of fairly minor issues that were taken care of under warranty. On one, the dealer just plain lied to us, but GD sent the window shade and I installed it myself (the dealer said it was on order - still waiting for the call that it has arrived 18 months later). The propane regulator was bad from day one. The dealer said to bring the trailer back and they would replace it - 200 miles one way. GD said to get one locally, install it myself, and send them the receipt. A week later I got a check.

If you think of the warranty as covering only the really big things, and take care of smaller stuff yourself, you can really save money by going a bit farther away to buy the trailer. If your local dealer has a really good reputation (ask around) and you want them to take care of everything you will be better off buying locally. There are RV dealerships that don't have much in the way of a service department, but can beat everyone else on price. They sell you the RV and don't expect to see you again until you are ready to trade. There are other dealerships that are service centers that happen to also sell some RVs.

Hi Robert,

I purchased the 2500RL today! We were able to get 35% off retail and we are fine with that. We had to finance to get the discount but no biggie. We will make the first payment, a large principal payment then just carry $1000.00 for 6 months. We know we'll take a bath on it if we sell it in the next couple of years. Who knows? We might just gift it to one of our daughters. The smaller stuff I will take care of on my own for sure.

It does have the 2 air conditioners, 50 Amp, and all of the packages available.

It was very important to my wife to buy locally for a lot of reasons. But they are building a brand new facility here in town just a little farther away from where we purchased it today. On the subject of service, they say the problem with RV service centers is that as soon as the techs get experience they leave and go independent. They said the company is switching compensation strategies to keep techs in the company...which I know translates into higher costs for the consumers. All that said, we are comfortable with the dealer and their reputation.

I am not understanding the point you made on ProPride only selling through their dealer network. It seems that I can purchase one through their website. Apologies if I am missing something.

Thank you very much for responding!

 

[uwskier]

You can buy and install a ProPride yourself if you're handy with tools. I love mine, and consider it a requirement for towing anything over a 2400 with a half ton.

 

[Mike_Z]

Morning. I decided to go with a Hensley Arrow hitch. It is on the way and I'll install it this week. The installation seems very straightforward looking at the manual.

 

[NB Canada]

Morning. I decided to go with a Hensley Arrow hitch. It is on the way and I'll install it this week. The installation seems very straightforward looking at the manual.

Once you get everything done and trailer loaded to camp you should run it through a cat scale and post the results
Hopefully you are not extremely over

 

[Tckhan]

Morning. I decided to go with a Hensley Arrow hitch. It is on the way and I'll install it this week. The installation seems very straightforward looking at the manual.

We had a Hensley for over 20 years and two trailers. We loved it.

 

[Jwalthall]

I am SURE you are going to get some interesting opinions! So, here are a few of mine! We have a 2021 2600RB so that is what I am talking about.
#3 . We live in Texas and we only have one AC which has been enough...even in 105F daytime temps. If we were living in the TT for long periods of time we might want more. So I guess it would depend on how you are using the TT.
#4 . Two AC units would definitely require 50 AMPS to run them at the same time...especially if you used any other appliance such as the microwave or hair dryer.
#7 . We like the rear shower since it seems to provide an uninterrupted living area with lots of storage.
#10 . We use an WDH and I don't even know the brand. My suggestion is to get one that is easy to use!

In summary, we love the unit and have pulled it around 10,000 miles in the last 12-months. I have a collection of accessories that I carry to allow for versatility and comfort such as a 30A to 50A adapter so I can hook up anywhere.

Good luck!

 

[hnsbrighton]

Payload considerations

1100. I'm over on payload by about 200 pounds in my calculations, which I am comfortable with. But very good point that i forgot to consider is the weight of the hitch.

With either trailer you may be more over your truck's payload than you expect. I have a 2600RB and actual tongue weight "ready to camp" is more like 870 pounds with full propane but empty tanks.
I typically leave with a full fresh water tank which adds 75 pounds on the tongue even though 51 gallons of water weighs about 420 pounds. I mention that since the 2600RB water tank is slightly forward of the axles where the 2500RL's water tank is much more forward and would have a significantly bigger effect on tongue weight unless you tow with it empty.

Where you put things in or on the trailer can also have quite the effect on tongue weight. You really need some type of scale to determine your actual tongue weight in towing configuration.

Bottom line on trailer selection, we also originally considered the 2500RL but really like the 2600RB as a couples camper. Having the bathroom just inside the door without having to go through the living area or bedroom is a big plus.