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RE: Gen Y vs. Reese Goose Box
We have a Goose Box on our new Pinnacle. I already knew it was approved by Lippert when we bought it last spring but the dealer insisted on calling Jayco before he would install it. No problem. The Goose Box has been available since 2012 if I remember right and you will find very few complaints. I've had all kinds of hitches thru our rv career and the Goose Box is by far the easiest to hook up and leaves my bed clear when I remove the 5 pound ball. Our last hitch was a Hensley Trailer Saver BD3, an absolutely great hitch, but I could no longer remove it without help. The ride we get with the Pinnacle, our truck and the Goose Box is the best we have had and this is fifth wheel number 6 for us.
I think you will find the Gen-Y is not approved and Lippert/GD will tell you it will void your warranty. I'm betting this is because Lippert has a financial stake in the Goose Box. We do use safety chains with ours but no big deal with the puck system in our truck.
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JTrac
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01/02/21 07:47am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Dualie vs SRW benefits?
My 2020 Ford F350 long bed has the 12,400 GVWR. The yellow sticker payload is 4562. Our Pinnacle has a 15,500 GVWR and total weight is 14,700 fully loaded for a month long trip to the Rockies. Pin weight is 3120 and total weight on the truck is 3700. Best towing combination I have ever owned and that includes a couple of duallies in my past, the last being a 17 Ford F350 pulling a heavier Excel fifth wheel. Driving it is a little easier than the dually because of not having to account for the wide hips but it still won't fit length wise in most parking spots.
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JTrac
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10/19/20 07:46pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Best Built 5er?
We shopped them when we searching for a new fifth wheel earlier this year. I wouldn't call them totally new as I think they have been in business for at least a year and maybe two. The have a pretty complete line up of fifth wheels, not just one. We now have a dealer within an hour of us who carries them but when we were shopping there were not any models that interested us close enough to make it worth the effort.
Just based on my research I did not find them to be that much different than other manufacturers. Most use aluminum framing and have basically the same components. Instead of ducted air they use 3 non ducted a/c's on all their models. I'm not sure if that is good or bad but the ducted ac/heat pumps on my Pinnacle are really quiet. They did have some nifty ideas like putting shut off valves at all the faucets and toilet. Time will tell how it works out for them. Competition is good and I hope they are successful.
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JTrac
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10/15/20 05:42am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: 5th wheel adapter for goose neck
I bought a Reese Goose Box in February to use with our previous fifth wheel. When we bought the Pinnacle a few months ago I asked the dealer to transfer it over. He was reluctant and said he would check with his Jayco rep to make sure it was okay. Of course, the rep said get after it. Best thing since sliced bread as far as I'm concerned. Great riding and easy hook up with my camera system. I bought a Pullrite ball and use the chain hook ups that came with a previous Ford for the puck system. The positive hook up is probably the best feature. I don't have that nagging doubt about did I do everything correctly like I did with my previous conventional hitches.
Reese and Lippert may have a combined financial interest but I doubt Lippert would approve it if it was causing them to lose money.
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JTrac
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10/07/20 08:34am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Heartland Big Horn Fifth Wheel Trailers
We full timed in our 2017 Bighorn 3575el(bought in May of 2016) for almost 2 years and now it is our summer home.
Wow. That is a unique set up and looks great. Keeping it under cover will add years to its longevity. Just curious, how is the roof supported? I can't see any side supports and it appears it is resting on the Big Horn's roof.
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JTrac
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09/28/20 08:08am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Heartland Big Horn Fifth Wheel Trailers
I am not a my brand is best type guy as it depends on what works for you plus how you spend your money is none of my business. All I can do is relate what we found. We looked at Big Horns, GD Solitudes, Redwoods, Villanos, and Jayco Pinnacle's for over 6 months earlier this year, off and on, before deciding on the Pinnacle. I would have looked an Alliance Paradigm if I could have found one within a reasonable distance. We were able to compare several models at an rv/boat show in January and actually liked the Redwood best but we were never able to find the model we wanted as none were available, anywhere.
We finally boiled it down to the Solitude and the Pinnacle. We liked both but the Pinnacle had a few more features and most of all had a 2 year full warranty plus a 3 year structural. All the others were one year. We've got about 40 nights in it and so far the only issue was a locked compressor on the bedroom ac from day 1, which was immediately replaced. It was easy to cool on a 97 degree day and heated nicely on a 20 degree night just a couple of weeks ago. The wife really likes the Insignia residential style range/oven. I really haven't found anything I would consider shoddy workmanship but I also understand that it is not a high end fifth wheel so my expectations are made accordingly.
There was a model of the Big Horn we particularly liked but I can't remember which one it was.
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JTrac
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09/27/20 03:39pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Question on Jayco cargo carrying capacity
My Pinnacle model has a brochure listed unloaded vehicle weight of 12,725. Loaded for a month long trip with a full fridge and freezer, full pantry, 1/3 full fresh water tank, a closet full of clothes, etc. it weighs 14,740, which breaks down to 11,620 on the axles and 3120 on the pin. The GVWR for my Pinnacle is 15,500 and it has the Dexter 7K axles. We don't have a generator but did have a Splendide washer/dryer installed on the nose which I think adds about 165 pounds. In addition, we have a 220 pound Reese Goose Box which replaced the MORryde pin. That added some weight as I'm sure the Box weighs more than the MORryde.
The point I'm trying to make is without taking it to a scales it's hard to say where it would light weight wise. Since you evidently don't own it yet weighing it loaded for a trip might not be possible. After accounting for the washer and the Goose Box I'm figuring we added about 1600 pounds, part of which is stuff I always carry like tools, sewer and water hoses, a couple of Dish portable satellites, extension cords, etc. It adds up quick and you would have to be judicious with what you add to stay within the CCC of 1492 pounds.
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JTrac
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09/22/20 08:45am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Cold-ish weather camping
We are supposed to be in Estes Park, Co next Tuesday. The Weather Channel says a high of 31 and a low of 23 with 70% chance of snow. I may push it back a day.
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JTrac
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09/03/20 10:47pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: 2020 Ford F-250 Question
I posted this on another forum but will recap in case you missed it. A good compromise is a 2020 F350, 4X4, long bed, crew cab, diesel with 18 or 20 inch wheels and all terrain tires. That combination will get you a 12,400 GVWR. My payload capacity is 4562 pounds, plenty for many medium to lighter weight fifth wheels. It's a perfect match for our new Pinnacle, which after loaded for a trip still gives us around 1K pounds capacity to spare. The long bed gives a better ride, empty and towing, in my opinion plus you get a 48 gallon fuel tank vs 34 in the short bed. A biggie in my books. I'm really pleased with how it tows the Pinnacle and it drives smaller than the dually I had before this truck. May be all in my head but I think it is because I'm not having to account for the extra 2 wheels in the back.
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JTrac
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08/28/20 09:18pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Just about dropped it!
That's among a number of reasons I like my Reese Goose Box I got earlier this year. Once its on the ball there is no chance of it going anywhere. There is a latch but it sets itself when its lowered on the ball.
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JTrac
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08/02/20 01:30pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: The Way “All” 5th Wheels Frames Should Be Built
A heavy, quality built fifth wheel is great for those who need them but that market is limited. I have nothing to back it up other than what I see in rv parks and on the road, but it appears most folks want something they can tow with a 3/4 or maybe a one ton single rear wheel truck. My guess is that's why Montana bragged for years about being the best selling fifth wheel and why manufacturers like Excel and Nuwa are gone. I think quality is possible with lighter weight units but it will cost more to do which makes them less competitive with those who don't.
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JTrac
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08/02/20 08:01am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Service Unavailable
It's only been going on for 15 years, so it will probably be fixed any day now.
I only started having an issue with it in past few months. Now that I use the GS portal it hasn't happened again.
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JTrac
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06/13/20 06:13pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: 2020 Pinnacle 36SSWS - Fresh drinking water system
We picked up our Pinnacle 32RLTS Friday. A very thorough 3 hour walk PDI and that system was explained. I just wish I had paid closer attention. My problem is I'm not sure about the system as a whole. It is something extra to mess with but I do like the idea of have fresh drinking water and ice available. We generally don't drink water straight from the tap and have used a Britta for a number of years while traveling. My concern is once you have used the 5 gallons unless you have access to a refill it's back to the Britta.
I found a couple of Jayco owners forums that you may want to consider joining. You may be more likely to get Jayco specific info.
Congratulations on your new 32RTLS! We are fortunate enough to have a reverse osmosis system at the house so we can fill it at home. It should be okay for our weekend trips. Once retirement and longer trips come, we will probably use a Brita after the 5 gallons runs out.
Not sure if you saw my post but I found the pump and switch late last night while putting things away. On the floor of the island...UNDER THE BOTTOM DRAWER!!! Who designed this?? Our 5 gallon bottle was not attached at this point but I did turn on the motor. Seems very loud but maybe because no water running thru it!!
It is loud and on our PDI the tech said it re-pressurizes every so often. He said it can be a bit noisy in the middle of the night. We have a dual filter system at home we will use to fill it.
We have been looking for 6 months and just liked the features and maybe a little better construction, we'll see. We spent almost all day at a show in January going in and out of a bunch but kept going back to the Pinnacle. We visited a bunch of dealers, slowed down for a while due to the virus and then picked it back up a few weeks ago. We finally narrowed it down to a Grand Design Solitude and the Pinnacle. Either would have probably worked but the wife did like the Insignia range/ovens Jayco is using. We wanted something in the 34 to 36 foot range which the 32RLTS fits nicely. I have crawled all over and under it the past 2 days and haven't seen anything that gives me concern. This is fifth wheel number 8 for us in our 49 years of marriage and probably our last. We hope we got it right.
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JTrac
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06/07/20 08:45pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Service Unavailable
Thanks, the Good Sam portal seems to work.
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JTrac
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06/07/20 11:21am |
Fifth-Wheels
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Service Unavailable
About half the time when using this site I get a message that the service is temporarily unavailable. If I try again I may or may not get it. I would say I get that message about 50% of the time. This is something new that has been happening over the last month or so. I used to not have any problems and it is the only site that does it. I use Google Chrome. Anyone have any idea what I'm doing wrong?
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JTrac
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06/07/20 06:43am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: 2020 Pinnacle 36SSWS - Fresh drinking water system
We picked up our Pinnacle 32RLTS Friday. A very thorough 3 hour walk PDI and that system was explained. I just wish I had paid closer attention. My problem is I'm not sure about the system as a whole. It is something extra to mess with but I do like the idea of have fresh drinking water and ice available. We generally don't drink water straight from the tap and have used a Britta for a number of years while traveling. My concern is once you have used the 5 gallons unless you have access to a refill it's back to the Britta.
I found a couple of Jayco owners forums that you may want to consider joining. You may be more likely to get Jayco specific info.
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JTrac
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06/07/20 06:29am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Anyone order a new Ford 7.3 gas?
Go to Ford-trucks.com and look for 2017 + Super Duty Forum and scroll thru many pages of posts about Super Duty's. It's a very active site. There are several reports on the 7.3, towing and not towing. Sorry, I'm not sure how to post a link or I would have done that.
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JTrac
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05/20/20 07:56am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Fifth-Wheel Movie night
God forbid, but we have discussed using ours as a quarantine place if anyone in our family gets the virus. Also, since it has a residential fridge we've discussed using it as extra fridge space. Since it's just us two so far it has not been needed. I did replace the tv with a new one just last month so maybe we do need to give it a try but with it stored in doors I don't think the Winegard Trav'ler would like it when it hit one of the trusses.
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JTrac
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04/08/20 07:08am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Anyone seen a Van Leigh???
MNRon Wrote:"We did add MorRyde IS suspension and Kodiak disc brakes (original suspension had several issues on-line, and we were very happy with IS we had on HH)"
You hit the nail on the head once you upgrade the suspension and brakes the Vilano
becomes a decent upscale unit.
Owners need to demand these items and not buy units with inadequate brakes and questionable suspensions.
I don't fault you for upgrading I just think its a shame to have to replace the suspension and brakes on a brand new unit.
Maybe progress is being made. There was a time when one needed to replace the tires on brand new units to avoid blowouts caused by the poor quality OEM tires.
Experienced owners have come to realize that you need to be more concerned about the structural integrity vs. the latest brochure features.
Who needs whole house internet,surround cameras, and a 3rd A/C if the axles are marginally sized and the spring mounts are inadequate.
Give me factory disc brakes not insufficient electro magnetic truck pushers.
Don't tell me it's a top of the line unit because it has soft close cabinets
but yet the frame is weak and improperly welded.
If Vilano really want to raise the bar. They will build a brand new unit that does not need to go to the suspension shop to have adequate running gear and brakes installed.
Again MNRon I don't fault you for upgrading, I fault Vilano for building an alleged top of the line unit that needs upgrading.
Amen, brother.
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JTrac
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04/02/20 07:20pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Larger replacement fuel tanks for gas trucks
Ford is 34 gallon on their short beds and 48 on the long's.
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JTrac
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03/15/20 06:27am |
Tow Vehicles
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