Deposit placed on a 2011 Sundance XLT 277RL / New to 5th Wheels, have ?'s!

[Reydar]

The wife and I researched several dealers and brands and I have convinced her that a 5th wheel is the way to go! We currently tow a 23' Kodiak Hybrid with our 2010 Chevy 2500hd 6 liter with 3.73 axle ratio. We have found what appears to be a killer deal on leftover 2011 Sundance XLT 277RL with a dealer in our area that has lots of word of mouth advertising! The trade in deal and sale price on the new rig seem well within our budget. My only concern in researching the light weight 5th wheels is some have rated poorly in quality. We looked at the rig today and both the wife and I were impressed with what we saw for the price. As we are limited in weight with our current tow vehicle(and we are not in the market to upgrade at this point) I think this unit will be a good fit for us. Couple of questions for you experienced 5th wheel owners:
1 With a GVWR of 9900 will I be too heavy for my current truck?
2 Which hitch system do you guys recommend?
3 Does anyone own a Sundance XLT and have any comments on it?
4 Any areas of concern I should focus on checking the trailer before I accept delivery of it?
By the way we liked the deal so much we put a down payment to hold the offer.... The owner of the dealership was a no pressure guy and told us to take our time, do our research and he would hold it for us with a refundable down payment.... We liked that....

 

[Bob&Patty]

You say a GVWR.... is that what your TV is rated at?? What is the GWR of the 5er?? You are going to work a 6.0 pretty hard and fuel mileage will suck. Any hitch will do...you dont need a slider. Get one that is rated about 2K higher than that the gross weight of the the trailer. JMHO

 

[ncc1701e]

The wife and I researched several dealers and brands and I have convinced her that a 5th wheel is the way to go! We currently tow a 23' Kodiak Hybrid with our 2010 Chevy 2500hd 6 liter with 3.73 axle ratio. We have found what appears to be a killer deal on leftover 2011 Sundance XLT 277RL with a dealer in our area that has lots of word of mouth advertising! The trade in deal and sale price on the new rig seem well within our budget. My only concern in researching the light weight 5th wheels is some have rated poorly in quality. We looked at the rig today and both the wife and I were impressed with what we saw for the price. As we are limited in weight with our current tow vehicle(and we are not in the market to upgrade at this point) I think this unit will be a good fit for us. Couple of questions for you experienced 5th wheel owners:
1 With a GVWR of 9900 will I be too heavy for my current truck?
2 Which hitch system do you guys recommend?
3 Does anyone own a Sundance XLT and have any comments on it?
4 Any areas of concern I should focus on checking the trailer before I accept delivery of it?
By the way we liked the deal so much we put a down payment to hold the offer.... The owner of the dealership was a no pressure guy and told us to take our time, do our research and he would hold it for us with a refundable down payment.... We liked that....

We have a Sundance 2800RL (2011) and love the unit. We've had a few issuses, but the overall are still very pleased with the unit. I'm attaching a spreadsheet you can use to help you estimate if the tow vehicle and planned trailer are compatable from a weight standpoint. Just fill in the blocks and a the bottom of the spreadsheet it will give you an estimate to help you with your decision. Best of luck on your purchase.

 

[JWalker]

Congrats on your Awesome find. We have a North Trail XLT 29RE. The 2 units are very similar in build. We were told during our Heartland factory tour, that the North Trail XLT 5ers were built on the same line. We love ours. On the scales, ours came in at 8500lbs or so. That was loaded with all of our gear. All tanks were empty. We never travel with anything in our tanks. Pulls really nice. We have a Reese 16k hitch, Nice also. Hope everything works out great for you. Any questions, just ask.

Jamie

 

[wrgrs50s]

Reydar,
I recently purchased a 2012 XLT277RL and I pull it with a 2006 Silverado 2500 w/6.0 but my gears are 4.10. As a 2010 Silverado, I'm betting your truck has the allison 6 speed, which is mated to the 373 axle ratio. I have no problems pulling with my silverado and I had the same concerns as you. I use to pull a 4500 lb ultra light TT before purchasing the Sundance. I have found that my fully loaded Sundance pulls just as easy as the TT. My theory on that, is that the cap design and the way the sundance is tucked in closer to the truck seems to have less wind resistance. It will make more of a difference if you tow in hill or mountain country, then you will appreciate a diesel. I use the draw tight 16K hitch that swivels 4 ways and am very satisfied. It's an easy hookup and unhooking even on unlevel ground. FYI, I got the dealer to throw it in with the install to sweeten the deal to a no brainer decision for me.
As far as areas of concern, I would very carefully check everything on the trailer and ask as many questions as possible on the pre delivery inspection. My experience has been that after the sale you'll get very little attention to any problems you find. If your lucky enough to find any issues in the PDI then they will concentrate on fixing them immediately so you will accept delivery. Dont let your excitement clutter your judgement on that day!!!!
My number one issue has been the tires. After doing much research on this forum and others I have found that the Power King Towmax tires are a nightmare. I have less than 200 miles and already have a tire seperating and am in the process of replacing them all with Maxxis. If your is equipped with those, do some research on this forum and then plan on buying new ones.
Hope my info is helpful,
Walter

 

[Hastey]

I pull our 3200RE Sundance (which we love) with my 3500HD. I also pull a 580K Case Backhoe, a 4020 and 4890 John Deere tractors with it as well. I have no issues what-so-ever. I have added some aftermarket leaf springs but don't need them for the 5er. The 4890 is a load and only pull it to dealer for warranty work. You can handle the XLT with no problems.

 

[westxsrt10]

Don't worry you have way more truck than needed, it will be very safe. The Sundance is 7200lbs, 1280 hitch weight so add 10%-15% more loaded. Didnt you read the XLT's are 1/2 ton towable? (not IMHO but thats the story). Great trailer for the money, we love ours.

 

[Reydar]

Thanks to everyone for their input, its great to see so many helpful people are here! I will gladly except any more advice and have looked more into the weight issue. Yes I did notice the claim of half ton towable, not sure I would try that, but am more confident now that my truck will handle the XLT models.
I have noticed several people mention the tires as an issue. Has there been any recalls on them or this something that Heartland does not believe is a problem? It seems to be common complaint on some of the threads....

 

[Hastey]

Thanks to everyone for their input, its great to see so many helpful people are here! I will gladly except any more advice and have looked more into the weight issue. Yes I did notice the claim of half ton towable, not sure I would try that, but am more confident now that my truck will handle the XLT models.
I have noticed several people mention the tires as an issue. Has there been any recalls on them or this something that Heartland does not believe is a problem? It seems to be common complaint on some of the threads....

Our rig came with Tow Maxx tires and I don't have any complaints (yet). Just inspect them and watch for wear signs early because if your axles are not properly alinement then get it fixed quick while under warranty. Their are several threads on here where members are discussing tire issues that might help. Also, invest in tire covers they are money well spent.

Also, read about surge protectors and/or surge guards.

 

[JWalker]

Our rig came with Tow Maxx tires and I don't have any complaints (yet). Just inspect them and watch for wear signs early because if your axles are not properly alinement then get it fixed quick while under warranty. Their are several threads on here where members are discussing tire issues that might help. Also, invest in tire covers they are money well spent.

Also, read about surge protectors and/or surge guards.

I agree. We have the Tow Maxx tires also. Around 1000 miles with no issues. (yet) There has been a lot of talk on the forum about problems with the Tow Maxx. I would love to know how many Heartland units have been sold with these tires on them. All you here about are the few complaints, are there thousands out there that have had no issues????? I don't know. I agree with Hastey, watch the pressure, check them often and use covers as much as possible.


The XLT 5er would be a great unit for a first fifth wheel (it's our first, 5 travel trailers before). Light weight, tows great. reasonable length, great price, lots of great features and they look great.

Good Luck