I'm looking to buy a fifth wheel. 1. I'm looking at a Grand Design Reflection 337. Any Feed back on Grand Design? 2. This trailer has an extended pin box. I have a Duramax HD2500 with the 6'5" bed. Do you think I will need a slide hitch, for turning tight? Anyone with this truck what kind of hitch do you have? I've looked on line at Reese and Pullrite. Also anyone deal with General RV, Huntly Illinois? or General RV anywhere, how are they as far as a dealer goes?

Get a B&w hitch and around here grand design is keeping me busy with all their poor quality control

I have a 2014 Grand Design 337RLS. This is the third FW we've owned, and it's our favorite. When we purchased ours, Grand Design was still a very new company, and we encountered some bugs. I contacted Grand Design, and they sent a driver to Arizona, picked it up, took it back to Indiana and resolved our issues. I had it back from them in less than three weeks, and it's been nearly flawless since then.I have a F350 short bed. I'd highly recommend a slider hitch (manual will work fine). 99% of the time, you won't need it. But one time, I was backing up in a tight spot, and put a small dent in the cab of the truck. If I'd taken the time to deploy my slider, that wouldn't have happened.I've put over 20,000 miles on ours now, and we stay in it 2-3 months out of the year. It is a very comfortable RV, and we don't anticipate trading it for many years to come. If I did trade it, I'd stick with the Grand Design product line.If you get a chance, check out the Grand Design owner's forum. It is run by a private party who owns one of the rigs, so there is no manufacturer bias on the site. However, Grand design does follow one of the sections on the forum and will answer questions when they are asked.Grand Design Owner's ForumThere is also a Grand Design Owner's Facebook page where you can get questions answered.Jim

TucsonJim wrote:I have a 2014 Grand Design 337RLS. This is the third FW we've owned, and it's our favorite. When we purchased ours, Grand Design was still a very new company, and we encountered some bugs. I contacted Grand Design, and they sent a driver to Arizona, picked it up, took it back to Indiana and resolved our issues. I had it back from them in less than three weeks, and it's been nearly flawless since then.I have a F350 short bed. I'd highly recommend a slider hitch (manual will work fine). 99% of the time, you won't need it. But one time, I was backing up in a tight spot, and put a small dent in the cab of the truck. If I'd taken the time to deploy my slider, that wouldn't have happened.I've put over 20,000 miles on ours now, and we stay in it 2-3 months out of the year. It is a very comfortable RV, and we don't anticipate trading it for many years to come. If I did trade it, I'd stick with the Grand Design product line.If you get a chance, check out the Grand Design owner's forum. It is run by a private party who owns one of the rigs, so there is no manufacturer bias on the site. However, Grand design does follow one of the sections on the forum and will answer questions when they are asked.Grand Design Owner's ForumThere is also a Grand Design Owner's Facebook page where you can get questions answered.JimYou have an F350Would you tow that 337 with a 250/2500 like OPs truck?OP what year is that Duramax 2500?

Old-Biscuit wrote:TucsonJim wrote:I have a 2014 Grand Design 337RLS. This is the third FW we've owned, and it's our favorite. When we purchased ours, Grand Design was still a very new company, and we encountered some bugs. I contacted Grand Design, and they sent a driver to Arizona, picked it up, took it back to Indiana and resolved our issues. I had it back from them in less than three weeks, and it's been nearly flawless since then.I have a F350 short bed. I'd highly recommend a slider hitch (manual will work fine). 99% of the time, you won't need it. But one time, I was backing up in a tight spot, and put a small dent in the cab of the truck. If I'd taken the time to deploy my slider, that wouldn't have happened.I've put over 20,000 miles on ours now, and we stay in it 2-3 months out of the year. It is a very comfortable RV, and we don't anticipate trading it for many years to come. If I did trade it, I'd stick with the Grand Design product line.If you get a chance, check out the Grand Design owner's forum. It is run by a private party who owns one of the rigs, so there is no manufacturer bias on the site. However, Grand design does follow one of the sections on the forum and will answer questions when they are asked.Grand Design Owner's ForumThere is also a Grand Design Owner's Facebook page where you can get questions answered.JimYou have an F350Would you tow that 337 with a 250/2500 like OPs truck?OP what year is that Duramax 2500?Personally, I wouldn't. But I'm officially a "weight police" advocate! :-) The Reflection product line by Grand Design was designed for the F250/2500 rigs. The Solitude and Momentum products are designed for heavier trucks, and I'd switch to a dually if I was going to drag one of those. Of course, it's up to the buyer to do the research to make sure their truck will meet or beat all the requirements of towing capacity, payload, GCWR, and axle ratings before they purchase a new towable product.

Grand Design is a great company! We own a solitude, one yaer old, fit, finish, and workmanship all get high marks. Recently had a minor problem, dealer wanted weeks before they could look at it, I emailed Grand Design with a question about my problem. Within hours they called me back, with a simple fix, and walked me thru step by step, gave me a direct line back to them, and a promised THEY would assist me in getting the problem resolved! When researching what fifth wheel to buy, Grand Design hit top marks, primarly on Customer Service. Check into who founded the company and why, three guys who have been in the RV industry and wanted to make the experiance a good one for people buying their products!

Fifth Wheel ?? | Good Sam Community

Allworth
Explorer II
Oct 23, 2015
justafordguy,

That may be the MOST misinformed statement ever posted on this forum!

The engineering involved does not even start from the same platform, Been there; done that; have the T-shirt.
RustyJC
Explorer
Oct 23, 2015
justafordguy wrote:
NC Hauler wrote:
A newer 2500 ( last couple of years), would work better than an older one would., but think a 350/3500 SRW truck would offer a better towing experience.

A like equipped 250/2500 and a 350/3500 SRW is the same truck mechanically/physically so the towing experience would be the same. The ratings are only different for registration cost reasons.

Not so in the case of the 2013 and up Ram (for one example). Differences include:

1. The 2013 2500 keeps the old 30 KSI frame and the old 5 link front suspension. The 2013 3500 now has a new 50 KSI frame, 3 link radius arm front suspension, updated rear leaf springs, larger wheels, and a Aisin transmission option.

2. Both trucks now have a 370/800 Cummins option when the 68RFE trans is picked. The 3500 gets a 385/850 HO Cummins when the Aisin tranny is selected (N/A on the 2500).

Rusty
Bird_Freak
Explorer II
Oct 23, 2015
My buddy transports new trailers to dealers all over. He says they have very few write up's on delivery. other brands seem to have stuff falling apart riding down the road.
justafordguy
Explorer
Oct 23, 2015
NC Hauler wrote:
A newer 2500 ( last couple of years), would work better than an older one would., but think a 350/3500 SRW truck would offer a better towing experience.

A like equipped 250/2500 and a 350/3500 SRW is the same truck mechanically/physically so the towing experience would be the same. The ratings are only different for registration cost reasons.
spud1957
Explorer
Oct 23, 2015
tbiker99 wrote:
I searched tirelessly to find out if I needed a sliding hitch on my 6.5' bed Chevy. Turns out I didn't (obvious pun) I had about 1" between my back window and the camper. If you're going to turn sharper than this, you'll need a slider. This is Heartland's "88degree max turn" design.

You may find, as I did, 1" clearance disappears real quick the moment the trailer wheels raise 1" from a bump in the site or the front of the truck raises 1".

Just be warned. It's only 1" if truck and trailer are on level surfaces!!
N8GS
Explorer
Oct 23, 2015
FYI My 337 pin wt currently is 2700 and I am planning to add batteries for dry camping which will bring the pin wt up to 2900. If I were to add a washer/dryer I could see the pin wt going as high as 3400.
I am in the process of changing out my tires and wheels to 245/70 R19.5 G.
joe_puma
Explorer
Oct 20, 2015
I'm thinking I'll go with the B&W companion slider. Sounds like I most likely won't need it, but would be nice to have that option. Also like that I could take out and have a clear bed.
tbiker99
Explorer
Oct 20, 2015
I searched tirelessly to find out if I needed a sliding hitch on my 6.5' bed Chevy. Turns out I didn't (obvious pun) I had about 1" between my back window and the camper. If you're going to turn sharper than this, you'll need a slider. This is Heartland's "88degree max turn" design.
joe_puma
Explorer
Oct 18, 2015
Thanks for the input everyone.
Poppy_s_5th_Whe
Explorer
Oct 17, 2015
joe puma wrote:
I'm looking to buy a fifth wheel. 1. I'm looking at a Grand Design Reflection 337. Any Feed back on Grand Design? 2. This trailer has an extended pin box. I have a Duramax HD2500 with the 6'5" bed. Do you think I will need a slide hitch, for turning tight? Anyone with this truck what kind of hitch do you have? I've looked on line at Reese and Pullrite. Also anyone deal with General RV, Huntly Illinois? or General RV anywhere, how are they as far as a dealer goes?

We've had our 2015 337 since New Years Eve and pulled it over 15,000 miles without issue with our 2007 Chevrolet Classic HD2500 with the 6'5" box. I do not have a slider but I do use an Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Hitch. I did have some contact between the "down plate" on the trailer and the bed rail when I was making a tight turn and the truck was severely tilted in a culvert but, on normal roads, I can make pretty tight turns without troubles. I previously towed using a slider and never in 6 years used it except to test it but that's just my experience.

We had a few very minor issues with the trailer when new which were quickly and easily resolved but they were component issues. This is our 6th RV and 3rd 5th wheel and by far our best. Far superior in every way to our last bought new 2011 Keystone product.

Good luck in your decision.

Forum Discussion

Fifth Wheel ??

About Fifth Wheel Group

Related Content

Wheels

Dual rear wheel or single rear wheel?

Wheel Bearings

Wheel Bearings

4 wheel drive