Grand Design 2150

[jfkmk]

Hello all,

We're in the market for a new TT to replace our current 17 footer. The current camper is fine except for two things...there is no place to sit except for the dinette, and it's tight squeezing by each other by the kitchen sink. We really prefer smaller trailers, but want something slightly bigger than what we have.

We've been considering the Grand Design 2150, and took a look at one at the Allentown PA RV show. This is nicely laid out, and I think will completely fit our needs. It is always just the two of us camping, so we don't need anything bigger.

Anyone have this particular camper? How about Grand Design in general? They are a bit pricier than other campers, are they worth it? Why? Any issues from folks who own a Grand a Design?

Thanks in advance!

[jfkmk]

Thanks, everyone, for your input. Bailer6334, your input was especially helpful regarding the slide.

Where I park my trailer at the house I'm pretty close to a row of arborvites. I would definitely not be able to extend the slide fully there. Not accessing the bedroom with the slide in may very well be an issue.

Ill keep looking and not rule it out, but you guys have made some points I have to seriously consider.

Thanks!

[mbopp]

I've heard GD ditched the Lippert Schwintek slide mechanism for another design, though our Scheintek's have been trouble-free. And they have gone to Dexter axles instead of Lippert. Having the fridge in the slide means power vent fans are required, a consideration if you dry camp.

[SoundGuy]

Gator Mike wrote:
We have a 2150RB and are pretty happy with it.

One big factor for us was the relatively low tongue weight for the size of trailer.

Sounds to me like you're referring to this trailer's published hitch weight, not it's actual gross tongue weight once the trailer is loaded & ready to camp. As other 2150 owners have pointed out this is an entirely different matter as you should be aiming for a gross tongue weight of 13% - 14% of the trailer's gross weight as it sits there ready to go camping - could easily be 800 lbs for a trailer of this size. :E If you've not actually measured yours then you should so you know what you're dealing with. 😉

[bobndot]

bailer6334, nice job providing this info. It's rare to see the 'con' side that people are reluctant to admit to.

I'm glad to see that your tongue weight, like mine, is almost 2X the posted dry weight. Sometimes, some people have a difficult time believing that.

As with any RV, there is good and bad. As I always stress to potential buyers, find a dealer willing to stand behind you to remedy those 'con' issues which exists in all RV's.

[bailer6334]

So here is my experience with my 2017 2150, used now for a year traveled over 9,000 miles.

Pros:
Great floorplan.
Sofa is comfortable, layout nice for 2 people.
Tanks adequate.
Bathroom large and great.
Storage good.
Easy access to bathroom/Refer.
Tight unit, no drafts.
Tows great with weight distrubion hitch.
GD Customer Service better than most.

Cons:
Lippert frame and axles/shackles/springs.
Schwintek (Lippert) Slide mechanism.
Published tongue weight (on mine was 413lbs) Thats empty. With batteries, propane, loaded trailer with "stuff" tongue weight was 770lbs.
Slide has the Refer in it. Makes it heavy.
2 independent slide motors that need to be kept "IN SYNC". This means you need to fully extend and retract every time you open/close the slide or it will get out of adjustment.
No bedroom access when slide in.

As a side note, I have RVed for more than 30 years, and NEVER had as many problems with a slide as I have with this unit. It may be a Schwintek(Lippert) component problem or could be a GD design issue. I've had 2 motors replaced and the full slide assembly (both sides) replaced. Schwintek says because of the slide weight & depth a roller should have been designed in by GD. GD says not needed, I'm not a desige engineer so I don't know.

Good Luck in your decision

[mountainkowboy]

Saw them at the RIVA show in Pomona last year, seemed to be a nice unit. Don't know who makes the frame though.

[Gator_Mike]

We have a 2150RB and are pretty happy with it. Quality seems as good or better than most other brands we looked at of similar size. Large bathroom is great and has plenty of counter. One big factor for us was the relatively low tongue weight for the size of trailer. We tow with a Toyota Sequoia and have had no problems so far. We do pay attention to all of the weight limits and use a Blue Ox Sway Pro weight distributing hitch. Understand that no trailer will be free of maintenance, but our research before buying convinced us that GD was well made compared to most of the competition. And if you read the forums, GD is typically well regarded for their customer service. Good luck!

[mbopp]

I believe all the GD's have full queen beds. Many owners opt for a mattress topper or mattress replacement though, the factory mattress is really thin.
As far as the hookup center, I can take it or leave it. There is a "mouse hole" to feed the water and cable connections in but with the water hookup so far forward I find I need an extra length of hose. And the hookup center cuts into the pass-through storage space (minor nit pick.)
Overall we really like ours though.

[TurnThePage]

I would prefer the full length queen, but I'm (fortunately in this case) vertically challenged at 5' 7". 🙂

[SoundGuy]

TurnThePage wrote:
Right now my favorite small floor plan is the Outdoors Creekside 20FQ.

Very nice but unfortunately has a short queen bed ... hate my feet hanging over the end of the bed. 😞 :W Fortunately, more and more manufacturers are now fitting full length queen beds in more models. 🙂

[TurnThePage]

I also like that floorplan a lot. Those Imagines also have their electrical and water outside hookups centrally located and entering from the bottom. Nice and clean. They are on my list.

Right now my favorite small floor plan is the Outdoors Creekside 20FQ. Just a dinette, but a large one that I think would function well for lounging.

[mbopp]

And check out / sign up for the GD and GD Imagine Facebook pages and see what owners think of their trailers. BTW - we love our Imagine.

[Second_Chance]

Join the Grand Design Owners Forum:

GD Owners Forum

Lots of helpful folks over there with plenty of experience. The forum is not connected to Grand Design - it is operated by a private citizen who lives and works elsewhere.

We've been quite happy full-timing in our Grand Design Reflection fifth wheel. GD is known for outstanding customer support and we've experienced that first-hand. Just use caution selection your next RV - no matter the brand. Make sure you have enough tow vehicle (especially payload for loaded tongue weight) to handle whatever you buy.

Rob

[TrueBlueKC]

We are looking to upgrade from a pop up. This one has been at the top of our list for a while now. We went to an rv show yesterday and made the mistake of sitting in the theater seats in the 2600. Now we can't decide between the 2150 and the 2600. The 2600 has a dinette and a tri-fold sofa with theater seating as an option. It is only 3 feet longer and the MSRP is only slightly higher. But the 2150 is a nice floor plan as well. The huge bathroom is nice on both.

As far as GD I think what sets them apart is the great customer service. Go to the GD owners forum and look around. Every make can have issues but people say that GD takes care of their customers. There is a guy on YouTube that had problems and the dealer screwed him so GD came out and picked up his trailer, took it to their factory, corrected everything, and brought it back to him. That speaks volumes to me. They have merged with Winnebago but no changes have been made so I would expect the same customer service.