First 1000 miles towing on 30C - Observations

[6.7powerstroke]

I just picked up my new 30C Road Warrior a week ago and immediately hit the road for a week of camping. I figured I would post some of my observations after towing for a week and camping for a week.

1. The fit and finish is outstanding. Much better quality than the 2010 Keystone Cougar we just traded in. Everything was functional and so far we have had no warranty issues.

2. This thing is HEAVY. I was surprised at how much more this weighed than my Cougar which was roughly the same size. It has roughly twice the pin weight due to the Titanium nose cap.

3. We love the Titanium nose cap. Gives the bedroom a very large feel and the revised version that we got has a full size closet, not the half size one we saw at the show.

4. Has a fair amount of sway to the back which was a bit of a surprise. We ran about 200 miles with severe side gusts and the back was moving pretty good. We only run mountain bikes in the back, so maybe some more weight would help. Later in the week we ran it with full tanks and it seemed to be a lot more stable.

5. I think the landing jacks in the front are too short. There are only 12 pin holes to adjust and the don't go down nearly as far as the Cougar ones did. It is always maxed out to hook up so I always have to have something under them for extra height. I am not crazy about this.

6. The front storage compartment is small, but better than nothing. It has a strange shape to it, so fitting bins in there is a bit tough as it angled. The tiny door on the driver's side for the basement is really useless, it is only about 12" wide. Still, it gives me enough room to keep my basic stuff.

7. There is no rear bumper on this so there was no where to put the sewer hose. I went to Home Depot and bought a length of PVC and screwed it to the frame for about $30.

8. The huge couch is fantastic. Tons of room, can easily sit 8-10 around it and the removeable tables are great. We hated the couch/dinette in our Cougar and this suits our needs much better.

9. There was no ladder included for the back bunks which I think is pretty cheap.

10. Cabinet storage overall was a bit light, I think we are going to add some to the back ourselves.

11. I loved the way it towed. Felt much better than the Cougar, probably because of the hitch weight on the truck and the better suspension. The nose cone seemed to really help the aerodynamics of the camper. I did lose about 1 mpg because of the weight I believe.

We couldn't be happier with this toy hauler. Just a fantastic product and a really great floorplan. If you have any specific questions, please post and I will try to help out. I hope this was helpful to people considering this or the Cyclone 300C.

 

[jdkinzenbaw]

Dave and Laura:

When I ordered my 2011 Powerstroke, I made the mistake of opting to purchase an F250 instead of an F350. Otherwise, our trucks are nearly the same configuration... 6.7PSD, SRW, CC, etc. I use my truck extensively on the farm as well, so I added Firestone Air Springs to the front and the rear of the truck.

I had originally been looking at a longer, used Cyclone 3795, and my dealer urged me to go smaller, down to the Road Warrior 30C, to keep the weight under better control, and the length down, too.

I'm thinking as far as control, the air springs should help me catch up to the extra suspension you've got. I also run much higher-rated tires and wheels than the factory ones... my tires and wheels are rated to carry 3700lbs/piece, so I'm not worried about blowing a tire, but I guess I'm just nervous now... you say this is heavy, and you're running a 1-ton versus my 3/4-ton. I also opted to go with a tire pressure monitor system from TST Truck just because of the pressure concerns in the mountains.

Should I be nervous? The Cyclone 3795 actually had a lighter hitch pin weight (2500lbs), but overall was longer and heavier for driving through the mountains. Just curious what your thoughts are.

I'm a cautious driver, with a great deal of experience, but experience doesn't mean I go against good judgment, either. Just curious what you think. This 30C is rated at 2900lbs pin weight.

 

[6.7powerstroke]

Well, you are going to be overloaded with a 250 for sure with probably either one. I personally think the 30C will tow better because it has a shorter actual tow length. It sags my one ton a pretty good amount. I would bet the pin weight is 3000 at least, I am not sure that the 2900 posted on the website included the generator. Also, I wouldn't trust the specs on the heartland site, most are wrong for this camper because it is so new. I think air bags are a must with a 3/4 ton. The truck is going to pull it fine, you are going to be light on suspension without air bags. I think you will be fine with air bags. For me, a no brainer on which one to go with, I really like the way the new nose cone tows.

 

[jdkinzenbaw]

Well, that helps ease my fears a little anyway. I appreciate it. Yeah, the air bags make a huge difference, and I've heard guys say that the Titanium nose cone does help with the wind deflection. I had also looked at the XLR with the V-nose by Forest River, but I really hated the configuration in the bedroom on that one. The Titanium nose is so much better.

I think I made the right choice. I pulled into a truck stop this weekend and saw some delivery guys that work with Heartland who were pulling a 30C to a dealer in Utah. They were pulling it with a dually, and I know they pull all shapes and sizes, but this guy seemed to think he'd really rather have the dually under that thing than my SRW.

Maybe in a couple of years I can upgrade to a dually, but as with a lot of guys, I can't justify trading a brand new truck off now that I've got a lot invested into the suspension, tires/wheels, engine, etc.

Thanks again... I'll keep you posted. I'm hoping the dealer will call later this week or early next with the delivery notice!

 

[Ramjet15x]

Well one of the reasons we agreed to buy the 30c was because of the listed 14000 GVW, but then we bought he longer updated unit which is 16000 GVW and did not think to look at the VIN prior to pick up.
I pull it with a 2010 Durmax 2500 and I agree with the above post that air abgs are a must, the 2500 is too light to handle the nose weight without, it pulls like a dream compared to our previous 2005, but it is FAT. I run my firestone bags at about 60 PSI and it seems to take the bounce out and keeps the truck level..

We have owned the trailer for about 5 weeks and have been in it for all but 5 nights. Best Rv investment made!

 

[boatto5er]

The airbags will lift the suspension, but don't add any extra carrying capacity. We added a set of Supersprings (the brand name) to Our F-250 which adds 1500 lbs of payload capacity, making it functionally equivalent to an F-350. That helped tremendously. It doesn't change your "legal" GVWR (only the manufacturer can do that), but does increase the capacity. We are still looking at a 350 dually for the added stability and additional payload we would get from that.