Considering upgrade to Gateway and have questions

AndyG

Member
Looking at upgrading our 08 Sundance 2998 RB to a Gateway 3650 BH.

Few questions:
Why are the Hydro slides all on one switch? Big downer for me there.
And since it has the pump easy enough to add the hydro landing gear?

With the Two AC's does the ductwork from the rear connect with the front so you can run one if desired?

We have a few around our town and I dug around for about an hour on one. Looks GREAT! but with 5 slides I would hate to be tied down to one switch.

LED outside clearance lights would be a cheap upgrade as well.

Thanks!
 

Eddhuy

Well-known member
I have the Gateway 3200 BS and can tell you that the ducting is all connected. We have 11 A/C vents in the 3200 and on a day with the temps in the mid 90s put the front A/C 1 degree cooler than the back A/C and it was able to keep the trailer cool mostly by itself during the hottest part of the day with no shade and the awning up due to wind conditions. With the bedroom door closed, I could barely hear the A/C and no noise from the vents in the living room. I was very happy with its performance. With the door side catching the hot afternoon sun directly, I could feel heat coming through the windows and was able to feel a vertical warm spot on the walls at regular intervals, I presume where the aluminum beams are in the walls. The ceiling and remainder of the walls were cool to the touch.
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Hey AndyG,

MHO is that they added luxury to the inside of the Gateway and some unique features that only Gateway has. To do this and keep the price low, other areas are "cut back". ;)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

rick_debbie_gallant

Well-known member
Looking at upgrading our 08 Sundance 2998 RB to a Gateway 3650 BH.

Few questions:
Why are the Hydro slides all on one switch? Big downer for me there.
And since it has the pump easy enough to add the hydro landing gear?
We have a few around our town and I dug around for about an hour on one. Looks GREAT! but with 5 slides I would hate to be tied down to one switch.

LED outside clearance lights would be a cheap upgrade as well.

Thanks!

The slides on our big horn had one electric switch for the all the slides, however at the hydro pump there were valves that you could open or close and just operate

With the Two AC's does the ductwork from the rear connect with the front so you can run one if desired?

We only had one AC.
 

Speedy

Well-known member
I have to agree with Erika, that the Gateway is a luxury step up from the Sundance but when I looked at one compared to a Big Country the BC wins on many levels. The drop frame that BCs, BHs and Landmarks have provide a lot more storage room than the Gateway. Open the front compartments (basements) and see for yourself. With the new upgrades to the BC (Gold Package) they have a number of features you are requesting.
 

Eddhuy

Well-known member
It all depends on your perspective. Darn near every 5th wheel on the road has cut backs to save money and if you take the cheapest 5th wheel made every other that is better is an upgrade to it with cut backs to save money. Not much of a market for 2 million dollar 5th wheels is my guess. I was looking at the BH and BC and ready to close on a BC then we saw the Gateway had to go back a couple of times to make sure that what we thought we saw was what we wanted. No changing our minds after that. If everyone liked the same thing there would only be one trailer made. Now I do like the drop frame, there is more storage under there, not that much more but more and I have electric slides. Hydraulic may be nicer and faster, also faster to crush things in the way, there is that darn perspective thing again, we all have our own. Part of my perspective is that I do not live in my 5er full time and may not ever, then again, can't say with certainty. Anyway, not trying to argue, just giving another point of view.
 

Speedy

Well-known member
If the Gateway has electric slides then I would think it would be easy to add switches to control them separately but the hydraulic slides have to have dedicated lines run to each cylinder in order to control them individually. I have looked into a manifold to provide that feature but after researching it more it can't be done without a lot of rework and money.
 

ParkIt

Well-known member
Call Heart Land sales, I talked to Greg about the Gateway 3200. He can tell you if the slides can be independent and how the AC system works on them plus any other questions you have...and I had quite a few comparing our current BC to the Gateway. It was a huge help to get solid answers from the folks that build them.
 

dewwood

Well-known member
This is just my observation, but I think the Gateway is going for a little lower price point by offering more standard features and fewer options. This would allow for a more streamlined build with fewer options helping to maintain the lower price point.
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
This is just my observation, but I think the Gateway is going for a little lower price point by offering more standard features and fewer options. This would allow for a more streamlined build with fewer options helping to maintain the lower price point.

I agree. For us, it's not a significant upgrade from our ElkRidge in functionality... however, does the Gateway have a more luxurious interior, and some features we'd enjoy, like heated tanks and quiet air? Yes. Heartland did a great job there.
 

AndyG

Member
Thanks for the replies!

Might be picking one up! was debating over dual pane windows or not... thinkin not.

I called and talked to Jeff today at Heartland and he said they may be able to do something for the one switch manually after market but not off production. So I may have to live with it.

It is a BIG step up from our Sundance, which I do really love. It is a very nice build for under 30K and the Gateway looks to be the very nice build for 50K. You can always spend more but that is about my budget so I thinks It is the BAest bang for the buck.

Have Fun!
 

ParkIt

Well-known member
Thanks for the replies!

Might be picking one up! was debating over dual pane windows or not... thinkin not.

I called and talked to Jeff today at Heartland and he said they may be able to do something for the one switch manually after market but not off production. So I may have to live with it.

It is a BIG step up from our Sundance, which I do really love. It is a very nice build for under 30K and the Gateway looks to be the very nice build for 50K. You can always spend more but that is about my budget so I thinks It is the BAest bang for the buck.

Have Fun!
Not sure how much weight they would add but if you are spending more time in the unit then it might be great addition. If you part time the spring/summer season then you are probably good without the extra weight.
Have fun and let us know any differences between the two, its good to get owner comparisons :)
 

miboje

Active Member
I'm glad to hear that the Cir-Q-Lair A/C is performing well for you, especially in intense heat! As far as the transference of hot and cold through the windows, I am going to sew insulated panels to put over our windows during extreme temps. Some company probably already makes them, but I'm a tightwad who is also very handy with a sewing machine. :>)

I have to say that conduction with aluminum studs is something I've considered, and you've confirmed my reason for concern. Most companies are using the aluminum superstructure for added strength and durability, which is a good thing, but I guess it has a big downside with conduction. I do have to give it to Gulf Stream for providing a thermal break in their Canyon Trail and Sedona.

I have the Gateway 3200 BS and can tell you that the ducting is all connected. We have 11 A/C vents in the 3200 and on a day with the temps in the mid 90s put the front A/C 1 degree cooler than the back A/C and it was able to keep the trailer cool mostly by itself during the hottest part of the day with no shade and the awning up due to wind conditions. With the bedroom door closed, I could barely hear the A/C and no noise from the vents in the living room. I was very happy with its performance. With the door side catching the hot afternoon sun directly, I could feel heat coming through the windows and was able to feel a vertical warm spot on the walls at regular intervals, I presume where the aluminum beams are in the walls. The ceiling and remainder of the walls were cool to the touch.
 
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