2018 Mallard M26 Question

[tbmaciii]

Hey everyone,

We are very close to pulling the trigger on a 2018 Mallard M26 in near perfect condition. Everything with the camper checks out and looks great, I just have a few questions since we are new to camping.

How are the Mallard campers in terms of quality? It looks nice but we do not know much about camper quality

How will my GMC Sierra 1500 do towing it? I have calculated the payload, all weights, and the length and have been doing some reading and it is up in the air. I have read that it will do fine since my truck is rated at 9,100 lbs and the camper is 6,400lbs, then I have read that because it is almost 32' long total that I could have a huge issue with wind and such. It will be 4 of us(2 adults 2 kids) Any info would be helpful

Thank you

 

[spruce1.]

We have an M26 Mallard and love it! We have had a few issues since we purchased it but nothing serious. We have traveled over 8,000 miles in it since 2017. We tow it with a GMC Sierra 1500 and have no problem - go over the mountains at 10,000 foot elevation in Colorado with ease. But we have an equalizer hitch and a sway bar which we would not be without. This helps to control the sway when the winds are high or you get passed by an 18 wheeler doing 70 miles an hour.

When the winds are high you just have to slow down and be careful. If the winds are really strong - like 50 miles and hour or so, we get off the road and stay at a CG for the night - like in Amarillo TX, which is a wind tunnel!

This was the floor plan and price range for us and we have only good things to say about it - best of luck with your decision.

 

[jbeletti]

For the most part, the Mallard is a clone of the Heartland North Trail. North Trail is Heartland's top of the line travel trailer. Mallard is a private label brand Heartland makes for Camping World. Mallard is a great platform and Camping World moves a lot of them at their stores all over the country.

As you are buying used, you'll want to give it a very good PDI (link to a good one) before making a commitment you can't back out of.

Wishing you all the best and hope to meet you at a Heartland rally down the road.

 

[NP_Chief]

Welcome to the forum! I agree with the above statement on the PDI... No matter how good it looks, check everything.

 

[T3XX]

We love ours as well. I tow within 3-4 hours with my GMC 1500 and if further I will borrow an F-250 from my folks. Agree as well on the checklist linked.

We have had very minimal items to work on so far, but none are perfect so don't forget to come back to the forum for research, advice, and then to share your experiences. =)

Good luck and safe travels.


-Colin

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[GK2018]

We currently have a 2018 Mallard M33 that we've lived in full time since we bought it two years ago and we have had hardly any problem out of ours (there was a shipment of bad circuit boards for the hot water heater and they replaced it for free) and we've had a couple interior trim pieces wiggle loose but heck after close to 25,000 miles traveled in two years if that's all we can complain about I think we're doing pretty good! I would definitely do a very thorough pre delivery inspection and take your time cause that will save a bunch of headaches if there are any issues and I would recommend sway bars, I pulled ours for the first year thinking no way they could make much of a difference and then I put them on and I can tell you that now I swear by them! Overall our Mallard has been an awesome camper and has seen a bunch of different states in two years!

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[Oldbadcompany]

I just pulled the trigger on a used 2018 Mallard M26. Super excited. Went to look at in storage and found what i believe to be evidence of mice in the ceiling duct work. Any one had storage issues like this? If so how do I clean the system? Any help would be appreciated. Need the weather to turn so i can roll it out and run thru everything.
Thanks Oldbadco

 

[SinisterDuck]

We tow it with a GMC Sierra 1500 and have no problem - go over the mountains at 10,000 foot elevation in Colorado with ease. But we have an equalizer hitch and a sway bar which we would not be without. This helps to control the sway when the winds are high or you get passed by an 18 wheeler doing 70 miles an hour.

When the winds are high you just have to slow down and be careful. If the winds are really strong - like 50 miles and hour or so, we get off the road and stay at a CG for the night - like in Amarillo TX, which is a wind tunnel!
.

Same setup for us! 2021 M26 pulled by a '15 GMC Sierra 1500.

- - - Updated - - -

Hey everyone,

We are very close to pulling the trigger on a 2018 Mallard M26 in near perfect condition. Everything with the camper checks out and looks great, I just have a few questions since we are new to camping.

How are the Mallard campers in terms of quality? It looks nice but we do not know much about camper quality

How will my GMC Sierra 1500 do towing it? I have calculated the payload, all weights, and the length and have been doing some reading and it is up in the air. I have read that it will do fine since my truck is rated at 9,100 lbs and the camper is 6,400lbs, then I have read that because it is almost 32' long total that I could have a huge issue with wind and such. It will be 4 of us(2 adults 2 kids) Any info would be helpful

Thank you

We just bought a '21 M26 and pull it with a '15 GMC Sierra 1500 5.3L with 3.42 gearing rated for 9,300 lbs. We have been on 3 trips so far in the south (MS, AL, FL) area. The truck pulls it fairly well, with a load distribution hitch it handles really well even in slightly windy conditions. The 5.3 does lack on power when having to go up on some steeper grade highway hills and stays around 4-5k RPM's until the top. Not struggling, but definintely working hard to maintain 60-65mph in a 70 zone.

It does do a great job for everything else and I think you will be happy. I will mostly like look to get a 1/2 diesel sometime later this year because we want to head farther north with the trailer into the mountains and I think the Sierra will struggle a bit.

 

[Oldelevatorman]

I just pulled the trigger on a used 2018 Mallard M26. Super excited. Went to look at in storage and found what i believe to be evidence of mice in the ceiling duct work. Any one had storage issues like this? If so how do I clean the system? Any help would be appreciated. Need the weather to turn so i can roll it out and run thru everything.
Thanks Oldbadco

Just be careful when cleaning where mice have been because they can carry hantavirus. Make sure to wear a mask and wipe things down with bleach and then put traps etc out!


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