Ok, so we have decided that it is time to move up to a motorhome from a TT. We have kids so bunkhouse is what we want. We looked at the 3170 last year but with me needing to replace my truck, I couldn't swing two payments so TT it was. Now after a long 2500 mile trip we know we would like to be in a Class C. So looking for some insight from the 3170 owners on why I should go with the Sunseeker over the Greyhawk. My local Forest River dealer is only a half hour from home and they have one in stock with everything we want except the levelers.
cant give you a comparison to the greyhawk but can compare levelers vs no levelers and imo the levelers are a must have. we love our 2011 3170 it fits our needs perfectly. hope this helps
The 3170DS is great but stay away from the levelers. They add a lot of weight and the Cargo capacity of these big units are not as high as one would expect.
My wife and I were pretty much set on the Greyhawk, but at the Hershey show we saw the Sunseeker 3170 and the main thing we liked about the Sunseeker was the bunk was also a sofa. Might seem like a little thing, but it does give more living room with that option. All our travel trailers were Jayco before this. Each has there own minor problems, but we have 9000 miles on ours with very few problems.
I have the Forester 3171 cousin to the Sunseeker 3170. I have a 13 year old son and a 14 year old niece that comes on many of the trips with us and both have done very well with this floorplan. I reviewed a lot of bunkhouse class C units: Thor, Jayco, Chateau, Leprechaun, Winnebago - just to name a few. It was an exhausting experience but I had already been through two tt and knew what I wanted and didn't want. The Forester had just about everything I could want.
The pluses over the other class C's we looked at were the enclosed utility compartment (sewer and electrical), great bathroom design (the most cabinet area by comparison), outside storage compartment (among the best in space utilization), a very comfy bed in the bedroom, as someone mentioned - the bottom bunk that is a sofa with rated seatbelts, and just overall storage space inside the coach. The low built-in step well was a plus too but most class C's are coming with them now.
My soon loves the bunk area - mainly the bottom bunk where as my niece chooses the over-cab bed. It gives her a lot of space up there and her own zone (with the 32" TV all to herself once everyone goes to bed).
The hydraulic levelers is a personal thing - kinda like the extra TV outside; some like it and want it, some don't. I like them. It is something else to maintain but its not that big of a deal. As far as the added weight goes, its less than 150 pounds per leveler and its part of the chassis. I don't get that close to my gross weight capacity that I have to worry about it.
I can't really think of any minuses except I wish we could access more of the kitchen cabinets with the slide in but it's not that big of a deal. We just plan ahead and have some utensils pulled out before retracting the living room slide.
In June we did a 18 day 4700 mile trip in the coach with 4 people and a dog and towing our Equinox, the coach did perfect for us. I would not have done that same trip with my tt and truck.
We also considered levelers but I vetoed them. I didn't like the cost, weight, and potential repair costs. It takes no more than 15 minutes to level the coach with Lynx blocks. Figure the cost for each time you will set it up and you may not think it is worth the cost. So far we have used ours over 400 nights, averaging 3 or 4 nights per setup, so the cost would be about $25 per setup!
In addition, many places require a pad under the jacks so you still have to deal with them. You have to keep some weight on the rear wheels to keep it from rolling, and if the site is badly unlevel you would still have to block up the wheels.
Hint for using leveling blocks: The coach is about 2 inches low in the front. If a site is dead level I have to put 2 inches of blocks under the front wheels to get it level.
All said and done, though, decide for yourself whether to get levelers or not. It's your money and lifestyle.
So if I don't go with the levelers and go with the Lynx blocks, should I install stabilizer jacks like I have on my travel trailer or do these not bounce as much as travel trailers do?
So if I don't go with the levelers and go with the Lynx blocks, should I install stabilizer jacks like I have on my travel trailer or do these not bounce as much as travel trailers do?
The blocks are for leveling on sites that are substantially off grade. The hydraulic levelers are more for leveling the coach within the suspension of the chassis and stabilization. You don't want the hydraulic levelers picking the coach up, just more taking it off the cushion of the suspension system.
Yes they do rock, bounce - the suspension works both ways; spring down (bumps or bounce from above) spring up (bumps from the road).
I've camped both ways - with the levelers up and with them down (on a level site) and there is definitely a difference in how "solid" the coach is with the levelers down.
Just to give you an idea on carry capacity I looked at the yellow tag on the door jamb on my 2011 3170 1643lb of carry capacity dry. This is with hydraulic levelers. If someone without levelers can post their cc it would give the op something to compare.
From the factory I am biased, but I know both products very well and both are built similarly. So if you bought a Jayco I think you'd still have a well built motorhome you'd be happy with. Having said that, nothing really beats Sunseeker when talking bang for the buck, plus I have four kids and a lot of the designs were based around 2 boys (8-13 now)/ (2) girls (17 & 20 now). So here is the summary list...
Sunseeker has...
Fiberglass roof (Jayco is rubber or TPO, they have changed a couple of times)
The 3170 "kids zone" offers additional seating in the back area. Two seat belts in the lower "gamer sofa", let you sit back there during transit and watch a DVD (12V DVD player and 12V TV), while two other kids could sit up front and watch a DVD on the front TV (also 12V). On the other, they only have (2) beds back there...so no seatbelt while traveling and can only watch the little 9" dvd players when laying down. Not great for playing games on a rainy day (if you're into that stuff).
Sunseeker has furnace heated and enclosed tanks. So you can do cold weather camping. 31FS has 12V heated tanks (black and gray only, exposed to the elements). The Sunseeker dumps a heat run into the compartment to heat black/gray tanks and valves along with the water pump and water filter.
Sunseeker has 7,500lbs tow hitch (31FS 5,000)
Sunseeker has 2" thick sidewall with Azdel Superlight composite under the fiberglass. 31FS is 1.5" wall, with plywood under the fiberglass.
2 windows in the cab over bunk for cross ventilation.
Air duct in the cab over bunk. 31FS front is too sloped, so the duct outlet stops short of the bunk. So when the curtain is closed, you depend on it blowing through the mesh curtain.
Sunseeker 80 cubic feet of ext storage, 31FS is 39 last time I checked. (website says 52)
Sunseeker has air spring assist (adjustable), 31FS has helwig helper springs.
31FS puts the back up camera in the same screen as the radio. If you tow something you'e constantly flipping back and forth.
3170 has the back up camera in the rear view mirror, so that frees up the radio screen full time for radio or GPS.
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My son also liked that the cab over area had a raised headrest.
You are looking at a remaining 2014. The newer models have a change on the front cap - aerodynamics, that forced Forest River to do away with the raised "headboard".
Bgilly you beat me to it. I was just about to say, go buy that one quick, head rest is gone. We still have the storage & cover up there, but the windows had to be moved lower which made the storage flat.
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So if I don't go with the levelers and go with the Lynx blocks, should I install stabilizer jacks like I have on my travel trailer or do these not bounce as much as travel trailers do?
They will still bounce some. It's better with the leveling jacks but does not eliminate it entirely.
Just to give you an idea on carry capacity I looked at the yellow tag on the door jamb on my 2011 3170 1643lb of carry capacity dry. This is with hydraulic levelers. If someone without levelers can post their cc it would give the op something to compare.
Same year and model here without levelers, just checked my yellow sticker and my CCC is 1782. Haven't weighed it yet, but would like to one of these days.
We have a 2012 3170ds without levelers. We found a stable mat at a farm and ranch store. The mat is about 4' x 8' and three quarters of an inch thick. While the mat will bend, it will not crush. We cut 8" x 12" pieces of mat and use them for leveling blocks. The dealer gave us a small square leveling bubble. After 30 or 40 nights of camping, I can now pretty well tell from the location of the bubble how many pads I need to put under which wheels. Just stack the pads so that the 8" leading edge of each pad touches the tread of the tire, if you use more than one, so the tire will roll easily up onto the pads. The coach does rock some with people movement, but it doesn't bother us even when in bed. I tried to get along with as few things which can break as I reasonably can. I know that levelers would be nice to have, but I get along without them.
I second everything said above about how the 3170 is better than the Greyhawk. The best features in my opinion include the lower bunk/sofa and TV for kids, the enclosed black and gray water discharge compartment, and the heated tank compartments. I put a Sani-con in the discharge compartment and that makes the tank emptying job about 500% easier and quicker. While it can break, it is worth the risk and the original hose is an option, although perhaps messy, if the Sani- con broke. A Forest River cohort of Mr. Clemens told me where to hook up the power wire for the Sani-con. They are very helpful people. Get the fiberglass front cap if it is not standard.
We are most satisfied with our 3170. In any event, enjoy whichever coach you decide on.
Didn't need the bunk house but loved the floor plan.We both said we would have if we bought this unit when the kids were little
Now it's just the two of us so 2860 for us
As for leveling jacks
We love them!
We never load the unit down so weight isn't an issue
They were included in the deal
I have a Good Sam 7 year warranty if they malfunction
Leveling blocks worked on the old 04 Jamboree but we were never really level
Now a push of the button
It is really nice to be able to level in our sloped driveway for cleaning and packing
Legos were not an option at the house
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'78.....tents
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'04 Fleetwood Jamboree 26q
'14 Sunseeker 2860DS
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