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Old 05-01-2016, 09:25 AM   #1
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New Owners of a Coachmen Freedom Express Liberty Edition 310BHDS

We are brand new to the world of RV's so we decided to get our feet wet with this big boy:



You can see our tow vehicle out in front. It's a 2015 Toyota Tundra SR5 Double Cab with Tow Package. For our very first camping excursion we went big and hauled it from Massachusetts all the way to Orlando, FL to visit Mickey and the gang. Had a wonderful time.


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Old 05-01-2016, 05:16 PM   #2
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Welcome from Northern Illinois. Very nice unit!
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Old 05-01-2016, 05:35 PM   #3
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Welcome to the forum from Chagrin Falls, Ohio. Congrats on your new Coachman Freedom Express.
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Old 05-01-2016, 05:42 PM   #4
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That is a great looking combo. I think you will be really happy with it. I believe my 312qbud is very similar to your model.

I will be interested to see any modifications you make
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Old 05-01-2016, 05:46 PM   #5
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Congratulations! Nice looking combination. Did it handle as well as you expected it to?
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Old 05-01-2016, 06:11 PM   #6
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The biggest annoyance we found was the frequency with which we needed fuel. My Tundra's gas tank is only 22 gallons and we averaged about 9MPG all the way to Florida which meant stopping for gas every 2 hours. Finding gas stations we could fit into was tough at times so fueling up cost us alot of time. I'm currently investigating carrying a supplemental gas tank in the bed of my truck. My dad has a 40 gallon transfer tank complete with pump that he used to use to gas up his boat before he converted it to diesel. This tank would triple the distance I could travel before needing to find a gas station thus saving a significant chunk of time.


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Old 05-01-2016, 06:24 PM   #7
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Be careful. That is a big TT and adding the weight of 40 additional gals of gas to the bed may exceed your cargo capacity.
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Old 05-01-2016, 06:32 PM   #8
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Be careful. That is a big TT and adding the weight of 40 additional gals of gas to the bed may exceed your cargo capacity.

Yes, which is why I need to think about this carefully. I will not compromise our safety by overloading the truck to save a bit of time.


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Old 05-01-2016, 06:50 PM   #9
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Interesting, looks like they moved the bunkhouse window up to the top bunk instead of down behind the foldable couch.

We have an early build of the 2016 310BHDS MLE (built last April) and still have the colored front cap and just noticed in your picture the bunkhouse window changed.

Wonder what else they changed throughout the year.
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Old 05-01-2016, 07:08 PM   #10
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Interesting, looks like they moved the bunkhouse window up to the top bunk instead of down behind the foldable couch.

We have an early build of the 2016 310BHDS MLE (built last April) and still have the colored front cap and just noticed in your picture the bunkhouse window changed.

Wonder what else they changed throughout the year.

Here are a few interior photos I took when it first arrived from the factory:




































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Old 05-02-2016, 06:41 AM   #11
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Be careful. That is a big TT and adding the weight of 40 additional gals of gas to the bed may exceed your cargo capacity.
My truck's cargo carrying capacity is 1600lbs. There are only 3 of us that ride in the truck for a total passenger weight of 600lbs. 40 gallons of fuel weighs about 350 lbs plus 30lbs for the tank itself. All together that is just shy of 1000lbs. That leaves me 600lbs of capacity for other stuff which I won't even come close to reaching.
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Old 05-02-2016, 09:24 AM   #12
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What, you have a zero tongue weight? The TW goes against that 1600 lbs.


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Old 05-02-2016, 09:35 AM   #13
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You missed a few things. Your hitch weighs about 100 lbs. That leaves you about 500 lbs for the tongue weight of the trailer assuming you take no other stuff in the TV.

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My truck's cargo carrying capacity is 1600lbs. There are only 3 of us that ride in the truck for a total passenger weight of 600lbs. 40 gallons of fuel weighs about 350 lbs plus 30lbs for the tank itself. All together that is just shy of 1000lbs. That leaves me 600lbs of capacity for other stuff which I won't even come close to reaching.
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Old 05-02-2016, 09:40 AM   #14
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Congrats & welcome from sunny Colorado!
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Old 05-02-2016, 09:50 AM   #15
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You missed a few things. Your hitch weighs about 100 lbs. That leaves you about 500 lbs for the tongue weight of the trailer assuming you take no other stuff in the TV.
Fair point. Ok, no extra gas.
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Old 05-02-2016, 11:55 AM   #16
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Agreed



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2021 Transcend Xplor 247BH
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Old 05-15-2016, 06:29 AM   #17
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I have the 310bhds and pull with a1500 Sierra. I switched to the blue ox hitch and felt it towed much smoother (and quieter). I average about 10mpg towing. Ours is not Liberty Edition but we have numerous upgrades including all led lighting. I worry about getting stuck at a tight gas station but have not had a problem yet. Enjoy!
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Old 05-15-2016, 06:45 AM   #18
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I have the 310bhds and pull with a1500 Sierra. I switched to the blue ox hitch and felt it towed much smoother (and quieter). I average about 10mpg towing. Ours is not Liberty Edition but we have numerous upgrades including all led lighting. I worry about getting stuck at a tight gas station but have not had a problem yet. Enjoy!

The key is finding pumps that run parallel to the building. I also carry 10 extra gallons on long trips as an emergency backup.


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Laurie J. Wood 3/22/67 - 8/23/19
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