2019 Gateway 3230CK

[Wintermute]

Hello, all.

We have narrowed down our search for a fiver to a couple of models, one of which being a 2019 Gateway 3230CK.

But I have some questions and I'm hoping I can get some answers here.

First, Heartland's site doesn't seem to have any current floorplan or specs for Gateways, even though there are 2020's being sold. Is the line discontinued?

Second, I managed to get a brochure for Gateway, and the 3230CK is listed as 12,685 lbs. dry with a 2,295 lb. pin weight. I'm hoping it would be no more than 14K and 2,700-2,800 ready to go, but I am going to try to weigh it to make sure I'm not buying too much RV.

Here's the odd thing. The 3230CK has 16K GVWR, but I checked the yellow door sticker for the unit I'm looking at, and dry weight is listed as 10,887 lbs. (That seems a bit light.) Payload sticker (sorta) backs the yellow door sticker up by saying there is 5,065 lbs. of payload capacity. All the VINs on the stickers are correct. I sort of figured they went to 16K GVWR on this because a 14K rating wouldn't leave much for CCC.

I have a Sherline fifth wheel pin scale that I took over to the dealer and had the pin weight checked. It read around 2,100-2,200 lbs. once we got the scale flush with the kingpin. The batteries were in there, but the propane bottles were empty. (And there's no generator.)

My TV is a 2020 Chevy 3500HD Duramax SRW 4x4 - with full Diesel and DEF, a bed cover, me and the missus, and miscellaneous stuff loaded, I've got a little over 3,200 lbs. of payload capacity remaining, per the CAT scale. (That is making sure I stay under GVWR and RGAWR.)

I'm planning on going with a Reese Goosebox for towing to eliminate some of the weight of a fiver hitch.

Does anybody have one of these units? Have you weighed it? Do these units tend to stay around 18-20% on pin weight? (Assuming you aren't loading up a bunch of batteries and a generator up front.) Anyone know if the fresh tank is behind the axles?

And please, I don't want to start an SRW vs. DRW thread. If I could get a dually in my garage, I probably would have bought one.

Also, I'm not going to run my SRW truck at 99% payload capacity, nor am I going to run it at all with ANY of the weights over the rating limits.

As much as I really like this unit, if it's just too much RV, I'll set my sights on another lighter model.

Last question: any ideas on getting this thing actually weighed before purchasing, other than offering to pay a tech to weigh their TV at the CAT scale (conveniently located across the street from the dealership) and then hookup and reweigh?

I know that's a lot of questions. I would appreciate any and all advice.

Thanks,

-Rob

 

[danemayer]

Hi Wintermute,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

The yellow sticker inside the door frame should reflect the actual measured weight as the unit was about to roll out of the factory door. Yes, 10,887 vs a brochure spec of 12,685 does seem like there's room for some doubt. 12,685 is more consistent with a 16,000 GVWR. But the yellow sticker is probably correct.

When Heartland stops showing a brand (or a floor plan) on its website, yes, that would indicate they've stop production and sales are based on dealer inventory. Heartland is constantly revising the lineup (as all RV companies do) to be as responsive to the consumer as possible.

Our first truck was a 2011 GMC 3500 longbed 4x4 SRW Diesel. We pulled a fully loaded 16,000 lb. Landmark, with a full basement, Onan generator up front, and Washer/Dryer in the bedroom closet. Our pin weight was measured at 3,500 lbs. RVSEF weighed us at the 2011 National Rally and we were right at the load limit for the truck, with some excess towing capacity. The truck was level, the trailer was level and handling was very good (although I think our current RAM dually handles better). If the Gateway's measured pin weight is 2,200 lbs., you probably have quite a bit of payload margin unless you're toting bricks.

If you want a lightweight hitch, another choice would be the Anderson Hitch.

If there's a truck stop near the dealer, you could ask them to take it there to get actual weight confirmed. Worst they can do is say no. But to make the sale they might say yes.

 

[Wintermute]

danemayer, thank you for the info!

I stopped by the dealership and looked under the trailer. The fresh tank drain appears to come out well behind the axles and the line is pointing forward as if the tank is further behind it. It would make sense for the tank to be back there as it would help keep the pin weight down when carrying a full load of fresh water.

The dealer agreed to get it hooked up and weighed at the CAT scale across the street (and then weigh the TV empty) so I'll be able to tell exactly how much headroom I'll have on payload.

Fingers crossed...

-Rob

 

[Wintermute]

2019 Gateway 3230CK - Purchased!

Hello, again.

I thought I might follow up with all of this, now that the dust has started to settle.

Our dealer was great. They installed the goose box, attached it to my truck, and one of the techs drove it across the street to the CAT scales to weigh it - this was all before we signed the paperwork so we weren't stuck with a trailer we couldn't legally tow. The pin weight was a little heavier than what Heartland advertised, but not by much, and the weight of the trailer was fairly close to the brochure weight. I'm not sure where the yellow sticker weight of 10,887 lbs. came from, but it was closer to 12,800 lbs. with some water in the fresh tank, full propane tanks, etc.

After we finished the paperwork, my wife and I took it home, and loaded all of our stuff in it, drained the fresh tank (which we confirmed is behind the axles), and then took it back to the scales to get a "ready to go" weight. Then we took it to storage and weighed the truck by itself.

Here are the results:

Truck with full diesel and DEF tanks, Truxedo Sentry CT bed cover, miscellaneous stuff (some tools, boxes of HD tow straps, etc.), plus my wife and I:
Steer Axle: 5,100 lbs.
Drive Axle: 3,700 lbs.
Total: 8,800 lbs.

The truck's ratings, for reference:
GVWR: 12,100 lbs.
GCWR: 29,700 lbs.
FGAWR: 5,600 lbs.
RGAWR: 7,250 lbs.
Max Gooseneck Rating: 21,200 lbs.
Max Gooseneck Tongue Weight: 3,180 lbs.

Truck with full tanks, plus the Gateway with our stuff loaded, full propane tanks, two batteries, and empty water tanks:
Steer Axle: 5,020 lbs.
Drive Axle: 6,400 lbs.
Total of Truck Axles: 11,420 lbs.
Trailer Axle: 10,720 lbs.
Total of All Axles: 22,140 lbs.

So, doing the math:
Trailer Weight: 13,340 lbs.
Pin Weight: 2,620 lbs.

So, pin weight is about 19.6%, which is great, and that leaves us about 560 lbs. of headroom to put anything extra in the front storage, which should be plenty.

And the total trailer weight is only about 63% of max tow, which is also great.

The truck tows the rig *very* comfortably. The airbag in the goose box helps dampen out the bumps nicely. I'm sure a dually would be even more stable, but I don't feel unsafe in this setup at all, and the numbers prove that I'm well within the limits of the truck.

We can't wait to take it out on its maiden voyage!

I'm going to attempt to attach a few pics of the setup and the goose box.

Thanks again for the help.