1st time 5er

[navypoppop]

Good morning everyone.
I have a few questions to ask any of you seasoned 5er's. We have decided on a Greystone 33QS and have added dual pane windows for better efficiency with slideout awnings, fireplace and 2nd A/C. With the trailer dry weight at approx. 11,300 w/gross weight approx.14,000 we are undecided on our tow vehicle. We have looked at Chevrolet 2500 & 3500 S/A and dually, extended cab, 2WD, both 6.0 gas and diesel and Dodge Quad Cab 2500 & 3500 S/A and dually, 2WD, both gas and diesel.
We are moving to live in the Crestview, Fl. area and set up the coach for permanent living and will not be pulling it around the country[we don't think]. We are buying the truck first and then going to factory for tour and then to dealer to order, pick it up when ready and pull to Florida. We probably won't need an "overkill" truck but want opinions on which would be better value and to do the job. We also do not plan to upgrade to a larger 5th wheel.
Also a question on DSI water heaters. Can they be run on strictly electric? How does that work? We have owned a travel trailer and always ran on propane so don't know much about DSI or tankless heaters. I will thank you all in advance for any information on this as I truly am not ashamed to ask when I don't know something. I look forward to your responses.
Navypoppop

 

[boatto5er]

We run our water heater almost entirely on electricity. It's designed to run on both that and propane. Just make sure if you drain the tank (which you should do at least once a year to check the anode rod) that you let it refill with water before turning on the electricity. A dry tank will burn out your heating element in just seconds.

You can probably get by with the 2500 IF you are not going to be pulling the trailer around. The dry weight is 14,000, but with dual pane windows, fireplace, etc, you are adding a lot of weight, not to mention any water in the tanks, supplies, food, etc. If it's not a significant cost difference, I'd go with the 3500 for the extra peace of mind if you do need to tow the trailer for any reason.

 

[2psnapod1]

Your plans must have changed? I thought you were moving to Ozark, AL?

 

[navypoppop]

Hey good morning! My daughter just called this morning from Germany. It seems like my son-in-law might be switching from Army to AirForce. Something changed in his program about the Blackhawk so he might be going into Osprey program. It will put them in Elgin AFB area. Life is such right? Just trying to keep my information and options as current as possible. navypoppop

 

[Porkchop]

I was going through the same thought process when we were looking at our Cyclone 3010. The price difference between the GMC 2500 and 3500 was negligible. ACTUALLY, I found a place where I was able to buy the 3500 for LESS. They were super easy to deal with and brought the truck to our house and picked up our trade. They gave us more money for the trade etc.

Its in PA, but it might give you an idea of cost for a 2500 or 3500. We looked in the local area first (there were none in stock) and then we found it about 2 -3 hours away. The local price was around 2k more than the place in PA.

Irene.

PS I'm glad that we got the 3500, because it felt GREAT towing the Cyclone. I wasn't worried about the weight at all.

 

[navypoppop]

Porkchop, Did you get gas or diesel? The Chevy 3500 can be had as S/A or dually. The S/A isn't much difference so the dually is the way to go. Thanks for your input. It helps alot. navypoppop

 

[Porkchop]

I got the diesel and few other little options. Both or vehicles are now diesel. I don't know the +/- for gas or diesel. Hubby made that decision.

Anyway, its a crew cab, standard box, single rear wheel. SLE with the perferred options (bluetooth, rear view camera). No rear sliding window or moon roof etc. It's pretty standard but still has some nice things on it to make it comfortable. I also really like the bench seats up front so we can have 3 people across. I love the storage in the middle seat too! Call me crazy, but I'm not s big bucket seat fan that we had in our old GMC 1500 Denali. No leather either. I wanted to keep it less expensive.

I only got the Single rear wheel since I live in a urban area and parking (as well as trying to go through the street where EVERYONE double parks) would be insane. There are a few of them out there and I think insurance is less for single rear wheel vs dually. If you aren't getting a HUGE 5th wheeler, the SRW should be fine (from my extremely limited knowledge of TVs).

Here is link to the place we bought it from. I did a quick comparison of the 2500 vs the 3500 and the 3500 is $500 less. The advertised price can be negotiated.

They have a few 3500s in stock, not the one we ordered, but it depends if you want a long box or not. I see one that's a long box and crew cab...

http://www.blaisealexandergm.com/

Good luck and if you want my contact (not sure if that will help), send me a message.

Porkchop.scd@gmail.com

Irene

 

[Kbvols]

Hey navypoppop what type truck did you end up with? I just bought 33QS and pull with 2500 dura max...pulled to TN from Ohio seemed to pull just fine.