PM me if you want to see one with a long winded explanation of the mods I've done, and the little problems (central Florida September).
Just added about 8,000 more miles to it, and the only thing that came up is that the overhead bunk would creep down a little every 500 miles or so....just hit the switch and bring it up. Seems to be a Schwintek (spelling?) problem. I would like to put a positive mechanical uplock but can't see where to do that without getting into the hidden mechanicals.
Thing seems to go great and has plenty of power, easy to maneuver. We drove in the winds that were causing sandstorms, and it handled well, although I did add the blue ox track bar to the back axle when I first got it. We were also able to run just the dash AC in some very hot weather, although I did set up a fan for the kids further back, using the inverter. I did also add a vent cover over the fantastic fan on that trip, due to some long rain days stopping use of the bathroom fan because the rain can come right in, as well as wind more easily whipping the stock lifting cap. It was windy!
I was able to scratch it trying to get into a dude ranch that didn't want to trim the limbs. Guy finally agreed to cut a few branches, then watched the side and directed me ahead, where I promptly got the cut limb wedged against the side. Pilot error, of course, to trust a stranger to keep you out of trouble. I love the finish of the sides, since most of the scratches buffed out and look nice.
Motorcycle on the back the whole time, very handy to have, and no problems with that at all. Cheap aluminum receiver carrier, too. But the bike was very well balanced on it, and I did add some rubber straps to the ladder. In motion sat tv worked well, stayed on while driving, no problems. Solar did too, but it was so hot, we went for RV hookups. No problems with hydraulic jacks, they are so simple and fast to set up. Hardest thing about setting up is always trying to get the internet to work at the rv parks.
I agree with the people that have posted to 'get the floor plan that you like', because that's the bottom line, what you're comfortable with. The driving is the minority of the time for most, I guess. For me, I've enjoyed driving it. It seems like a lot more for the money than the other stuff, because the price point was low enough. I used to drive a full size bus, (used) and this seems way easier to keep up, mechanically, since everything is new. Once I get more miles pulling my 24' trailer, then I'll have a better idea of whether I really need a diesel, but so far, it handles it well in the moderate hills.
I've learned a few tricks to keep the thing from downshifting so drastically going up hills. First thing is to change the speed +1 mph before the hill, and it will want to stay in the taller gear longer. Makes no sense, but it works. Easier still, to just disengage the cruise at the point it starts to go out of direct drive, then find a sweet spot. You may lose a mph or two, but you won't get that noisy huge double downshift. But there's a ton of HP up in that high RPM if you need it.
