Potential 303RLS Owner

[jbailey]

All,
My wife and I are looking at purchasing a GD Reflection 303RLS. This will be our first Fifth wheel after owning a 1983 kit TT for years and while we have done much research I still have a few questions.

I have a height restriction of 12' (the height of the garage door threshold) and I know that the 303 recently changed to 12'. The dealer told me that I can just let air out of the tires to make sure I clear the threshold and then refill. To me this seems like it might damage the sidewalls of the tire?

I have seen many people comment on batteries, since I will have to purchase batteries which setup is better: two 6 volts in series or two 12 volts in parallel (I think I got the terms correct)? Our old trailer had two 12's but it was inherited.

I will be towing with a '04 Dodge 3500 SRW LB and am not worried about power, but would appreciate any advice from owners who have a similar setup and which hitch they use.

Thank you for your expertise and time, I appreciate any help provided.

Ben

 

[Steve and Cill]

Welcome to the forum Ben! There are a lot of 303 owners on the forum so I'm sure they will be by later to answer all your questions.

What ever you decide, you will love Grand Design.

Steve

 

[WhittleBurner]

Hi Ben, and welcome! I'm not 100 % sure but I believe that height is without any AC units or Vent covers. Addition of those will raise the height some.

 

[Cate&Rob]

Hi Ben,

There are a number of variables that could easily add up to being slightly under or slightly over 12 ft. Not the least of which is your truck and your hitch . . . because the tallest point on the 5th wheel is at the front. You might be able to adjust your hitch down to a trailer overhang to box rail clearance less than you would tow with, but probably OK for easing the 5th wheel into the garage. I think you would want to measure your exact combination of 303/hitch/TV to be sure.

WRT batteries, many will likely advise on two 6V in series for max current storage and battery longevity. Personally, I prefer two 12V, for the simple reason that if one cell in one battery fails, I still have a source of 12V. This is not true with the 6V series set up. The means of comparison is amp hour rating. But, remember that the comparison must be at 12V. Two 250 amp hr 12V batteries = 500 amp hrs. Two 500 amp hr 6V batteries still gives you 500 amp hrs at 12V. The cost per amp hr works out about the same, for similar quality 6V or 12V batteries.

Rob

 

[ttandet]

Ben,

I can't give any advice this is our first 5th wheel also but so far we really like it. I'm just starting to look into a dual battery setup and I'll be watching the responses you get. It seems like airing down would be a pain every time you wanted to take it in or out of the garage. Have you measured it to see exactly what the height is?

Tommy

 

[goducks14]

Not sure if you have the 5th hitch yet but maybe one of the Andersen Ultimate 5th hitches would work. They're easily adjustable for height and depending on your driveway it might be possible to lower the ball height on the Andersen, hitch up and back in. Then reverse to get out. Lower the legs and reset the hitch. A little time consuming but doable. Probably take 5-8 mins. You could easily run with out the normal 6+" of bed clearance to just back in to the garage.

 

[Scott and Jan]

Letting the air out sounds like a salesman trying to make a sale to me. I would have the same concern (other than it being a time consuming pain) that it would hurt the sidewalls on the tires. It's not a great distance in or out of garage, but thats a lot of weight cutting into the sidewall when flat or real low. Hopefully somebody will have an accurate measurement for you if the unit is not available to measure yourself. By the way you will love towing a 5er way better than your TT. Good luck!

 

[Canadianbro]

We have a 303 and love it. Going thru some "teething" issues but no show stoppers so far.

I installed two 6v in series. While you're busy installing those new batteries, check the crimps on your cables....

Paul

 

[Mr Lucky]

We had our 303 built in June of 2014. I added a low profile air conditioner in the bedroom. Also added a Maxxair vent cover in bathroom. My bathroom vent cover is actually higher than my bedroom air conditioner. I am around 12'6"-12'8". Going down the road I use the 12'8" height. I got a brochure from back when I had mine built and it says 11'11". So believe what GD says on height. I ordered mine with the Dual pane windows and glad we did. Quieter,holds cold and heat better, and No condensation on the windows.
Not sure what your payload capacity is on your Dodge. My Hitch weight came in from the factory at 1700lbs. I tow with a 2013 GMC 2500HD Sierra 4X4 6.0 gasser with 4.10 gears. Installed AirLift rear airbags with wireless remote. Had bags installed before I bought the 303. Really don't need them but I will say it rides so smooth with the 303 hooked up. No problems at all towing. I also do not take my truck out during the winter. Trying to keep all of that salt that they use on our roads off of it. This was a bad winter for salt on our automobiles. We also have a 2013 Honda CRV so we get by with that during the winter!

 

[John612]

just bought ours in January, we really love it, coudlnt believe how much they came off the list price.
ours isnt wired for solar but a friend is considering the 303 and they were quoted $37k for model wired for solar and all LED lights.
we were considering a Cougar because we wanted to get under 30' but the kitchen island and other features really sold us on the 303.
i have a F250 diesel short bed with a slide hitch, 90 degree turing radius is a breeze.
been on 3 trips so far and they've all been a blast.
have fun,
john

 

[Kev&Gin]

Not sure if you have the 5th hitch yet but maybe one of the Andersen Ultimate 5th hitches would work. They're easily adjustable for height and depending on your driveway it might be possible to lower the ball height on the Andersen, hitch up and back in. Then reverse to get out. Lower the legs and reset the hitch. A little time consuming but doable. Probably take 5-8 mins. You could easily run with out the normal 6+" of bed clearance to just back in to the garage.

I called Lippert and they told me that the Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection hitch is not an approved hitch for their chassis. I then contacted Anderson and they told me the following:

Thank you for contacting Andersen Hitches. Your question is a good one. As far as warranties goes, I've heard rumors of one or two companies who reportedly have said they will void the warranty on their 5th Wheel if an adapter is used for hooking up. Officially they can only void the warranty if the adapter actually CAUSES damage, not simply if it is used (see Federal Trade Commission's 'Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act', 15 U.S.C. ch. 50, 2301-2312). Also, read attached additional warranty we offer on this item if a problem were to arise.

With our Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection we take the leverage back up to the king pin, just like any 5th Wheel Hitch does, so in that sense our hitch should not void the warranty of any frame and component manufacturer. Since the Ultimate Connection does not change the point of pushing and pulling the RV, we cannot see where it could be the cause of the type of failure a typical adapter might cause. We realize it would be unfair to expect Lippert and the other manufacturers to acquire every towing product that we, or any other manufacturer comes out with, and have their respective engineering departments determine the load our products put on their units. We have not had any problems with flexing, bucking etc. when towing Lippert frames with our Ultimate Connection and we do not see how ours ever could cause a problem.

I can't add the warranty they attached to the email but here is the intro:

If a consumer or Dealer is denied warranty coverage by an RV manufacturer, Trailer Frame manufacturer or King Pin manufacturer, because of failure or damage alleged to have been caused by use of the Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection (gooseneck or rail mount), and it is proven that the damage/failure was caused by use of the Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection, then Andersen Manufacturing (d.b.a. Andersen Hitches) will cover said failure or damage up to
$5,000,000 (five million dollars) and pay the End User an additional $500 (five hundred dollars) for inconvenience.

Not sure if any of this helps or just adds to the confusion but wanted to advise of what I'd learned.

 

[Kev&Gin]

We love our 303RLS so far. Just got it in December and only had it out once in Jan. Waiting for Spring now. We also ordered it with the dual pane windows. They were great when we camped in January in 19 degree temps.

I don't know the overall height but I suggest you contact Micah Staley the General Manager- Reflection at [email protected]. He was a great help during my research.

 

[goducks14]

I think lippert doesn't understand how the Andersen hitch works. Sounds to me like they're thinking it is a typical gooseneck type that has the longer extension on the king pin. I could see that causing problems as it would put the connection point at the bottom of the truck bed. Anyway It was a try at another option.

 

[Andy Brown]

WE have a 2015 303 and it would fit under a building that we store it in that was 12 ft.
That was untill we installed the bedroom air.Now it's to tall. You will love the 303. Good luck

 

[Canyonlight]

Attached thread link from Janice 8/26/14 at GDRV Customer Care stating Anderson Ultimate Fifth Wheel Hitch approved by Lippert. Several folks on this site are using them most recently as I recall, Poppy who loves it for many reasons.

http://www.granddesignowners.com/fo...Ultimate-Fifth-Wheel-Hitch?highlight=Anderson

Dan

 

[cgoodnight]

Received my Anderson Ultimate Fifth Wheel Hitch today. Ordered from HitchesOnline.com; $349, no shipping, no tax. PRICE HAS NOW GONE UP TO $389. Shipped direct from Anderson.

New method of mounting the kingpin coupler assembly. Place it over the kingpin and insert 2 bolts from the side, tighten and torque. Anderson has a video showing this which replace the previous parts and method.

Birthday present to myself.

robert

 

[cgoodnight]

And the hardball that fits into the hitch and then connects to the kingpin coupler now has 3 adjustment holes for easier leveling of the trailer. The first generation had 2 holes.

 

[Paul & Deb]

As toes in the water says, I love my Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Hitch. I have the rail version and it all weighs under 60 lbs; hitch, ball and adapter. It works very well. Towing is flawless and smooth as silk. I have a regular bed, 6.5 ft, bed and have the hitch installed in the normal fashion and no issues with tight turns or backing. With my 337RLS and my OEM suspension 2007 crew cab 4x4 Silverado I use the second (of 3) holes and I'm perfectly level. I do have air bags which are inflated empty to about 10 psi which goes up to about 40 when hooked up.

I find getting the ball positioned to hook up is much easier than I expected. I will admit that it seems a little twitchy unhooking. I frequently have to pull the truck up a bit or jostle (forward and back) to get the ball to release but it's not a huge deal. Also, you do have to lift the trailer fairly high to clear the ball for both hookup and unhooking.

All in all I am very pleased with my decision to change from my standard 5th wheel hitch to the Andersen.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

 

[jbailey]

All,
Thank you for all your feedback and help. We have not purchased anything yet as we are still debating about buying a 303 off the lot and trying to get the price down as much as possible or ordering a trailer with double pain windows and a booth instead of a free standing table. I am seriously considering the Anderson hitch now as well. It looks like a good alternative to traditional 5th wheel hitches.

Ben

 

[JustinThyme]

Don't listen to the dealer. While I cant recommend the GD enough if it doesn't fit it just doesn't fit. Most 5th wheels on the market these days are at or above the 12 ft mark. The only way to be sure is to measure several times both your garage opening and the highest point on the RV. That certainly completely takes out the possibility of adding a second AC to the BR. Don't deflate the tires, note I said don't deflate and not let the air out because there is no air in them. They are all coming with nitrogen filled tires, or at least mine did and deflating the tires will have very little impact if any on the height in the front. Your towing vehicle and hitch height will play a bigger role in that. The nitrogen is dry and aids in the longevity of the life of the tire as compressed air always has moisture no matter how much you filter it. As for the batteries I would go for 2 12V in parallel as already mentioned if you lose just one cell in either of the two batteries in a series configuration you lose the string and are dead in the water.