Newbie, some tech questions

ToddD wrote:
Looking to upgrade from a hybrid tow behind. I have an 04 GMC diesel dually TV. Have lots of experience towing 40' enclosed gooseneck race trailer.

Been looking at Forest River products, but have noticed that among different brands there seems to be two standard heights: 12'4" and 13'2". Besides the obvious interior headroom differences, is there any other consideration between these two specs, like chassis strength?

Reese makes a Lippert approved gooseneck conversion. Assuming the chassis I look at is Lippert, any reasons not to convert (besides cost)? I use the bed of my pickup often, and would prefer to use my hide-a-ball.

We have a 9yo kid, so we've been looking at mid-bunk layouts so she can have her own room, while also maintaining spacious living space. Sierra 372LOK and Coachmen Chaparral 392MBL. Any other brands and models to check out (seen the Jayco models)?

On models with bumper mounted grills, the grills are easily removable for storage, right? All the photos I see have them on the bumper with their covers on, which seems like a recipe for theft and damage.

Looking at residential reefers, self leveling systems, king bed upgrades, and 15k AC plus bedroom AC. Any other must have options?

Thanks in advance for the help,

Todd

Without reading ahead...

1. Most mfrs will void any frame warranty if you use a GN adapter. My recommendation, even though I have no direct experience with it, would be an Andersen adapter. It fastens to the ball in your bed, but raises the hitch point almost to the same level as a straight FW hitch point.

2. I'd have to say that close to 90% of all FW frames are made by Lippert, based on what I've read here. Strength isn't always as big an issue as build quality, which Lippert has had in the past, and still seems to have. Not saying that they don't get marginal specs from the mfrs, but the majority of reports that have been reported here seem to have weld failures as a common starting point. (This is why most mfrs won't warrant using a GN adapter.)

3. The grill that came with my Komfort will cook meat...barely. At altitude, you get grey meat that's cooked, but doesn't look real appetizing. My wife simply won't eat meat cooked on it, so we either take a small charcoal grill or "borrow" one of her sibs' grills.

4. If you have =any= plans on boondocking at all, you'll need at least 2 BIG 6v batteries and a generator (or lots of solar) to keep that residential fridge running for more than about 24 hours. If you have zero plans on boondocking, then a residential fridge should work. Caveat is that residential fridges are made to be stationary and there are occasional reports of people having issues with them, especially if they move frequently.

5. Self-leveling is definitely a luxury option and I've not had many problems manually leveling my Komfort, but it's definitely on my "must have" list for my next FW. :-) That being said, it's another system that can fail.

6. Depending on where you live and/or camp, having dual A/C is almost a must. Even my low-profile, 25' Komfort barely gets cool with a 13.5k A/C, but most of my camping is done in the mountains of AZ, where it can get downright cool at night, even in July/August. Again, another "must-have" on my next FW.

Lyle