32RL, 34RLSA, or 36CKTS ? ? ?

[joesmainship]

Originally Posted by rvgwen

We were sent a flyer that showed the 34rl (replaces the 34rlsa). The fridge was moved toward the bedroom so the fridge could be reached with the slides in. Have not seen even a picture of this yet just the floor plan.
Mike and Gwen

Sure would like a look at this 34RL floorplan. Any way of posting it on here? Wonder if it is going to come out mid-2015 as a 2016 model? Now that we are aware of the fridge access issue, we are going back and looking at all our favorite floorplans and will definitely look at it on any used units we look at.

[SilverbackMel]

We have 2015 33rl. Just completed a factory tour in past month. 2 major mid year production changes now in effect:
Refer can be reached with all slides closed. Also new production has whisper quiet fully ducted ac in ceiling. Not visible. Only vents show. VERY QUIET.
Always something new. Wife does not care for new refer position, but, it's all about what YOU like. We just open the refer slide 18 inches or so and all is good.

[SilverbackMel]

Mine is a Silverback 33rl. 36 ft 8 inches rear living.

[ESVA Travelers]

We just picked up a 2015 36CKTS in July. Had no intentions of trading our 2011 34SB until we saw the 36CKTS and some of the new features that would make our winters in FL more comfortable. Adding to a couple points made above, we consider the side entertainment center a plus since, if you leave your TV raised most of the time, you still have the view out the back window. I like the additional counter space and the additional drawers in the larger kitchen. We went with the propane/elec. French door refrigerator/freezer. With just the 2 of us we didn't need the extra space and, more importantly, we didn't want the extra maintenance and replacement expense of the additional batteries required for the all electric refrigerator. The 2nd AC in the 36CKTS is ducted and the thermostat is zoned to control it - a big plus for efficiency and quietness.
The only negative we found so far is whoever decided to use the standard Fantastic Fan in the bathroom must think that everyone is at least 6' tall. My husband at 6' has to stretch to reach the knob to crank the vent open. We replaced it with a remote controlled Fantastic Fan before we left the dealer's lot - at our expense.

[vinmaker]

Bigger is better.

[WeRCreekers]

We have the 34RLSA (2013). We both loved the 36CKTS and still do. But the 34 suits us and our requirements just fine. The 34 is 36'8" long, pin to rear bumper. With the optional 7K axles and Goodyear tires the GVWR is 15,500. The 36 is 39'8", but I don't think you will find the extra 3 feet outside length to be a problem. It will be heavier though. By the way, I don't think the extra 3 feet on the outside translates directly to the inside floor space. I've stepped off both models and it seems to me to be a gain of around 2 1/2 feet on the inside.

Our fridge is not accessible with the slides in, but we have learned to work around it. On the subject of weights, especially pin weight, the CCs are pretty heavy compared to some other models. Our 34 fully loaded, has an actual pin weight of 3750#. With our truck, that is not a problem. I have no idea what the loaded actual pin weight of the 36 is, but I would expect it to be near the same or somewhat heavier. I'm no expert, but I would say the minimum truck would be a 3500/F350 SRW for a 36. I have the dually and it pulls like a dream. My wife drives it quite a bit and is pretty comfortable doing so. We love our Creek!

Skip

[david-o]

Originally Posted by WeRCreekers

We have the 34RLSA (2013). Our 34 fully loaded, has an actual pin weight of 3750#.

Skip,
I'm curious about your pin weight (and concerned because I ordered a new CC 34RL at Hershey). The CC brochure lists the dry pin for your model as 2,085 lbs. I realize actual pin weights are always much higher after adding batteries, propane, options (like 2nd airco in bedroom, etc), cargo in basement, personal items in bedroom (clothing, etc). I was thinking maybe 800 lbs over the brochure pin weight - but 1,600 lbs? What items are you carrying that contribute that much to your pin weight?

To the extended membership,
What is your experience with actual vs brochure pin weights after loading your 5th wheel?

Dave

[jwedell]

Add in the weight of the hitch.


Started Out With Nothing,
Still Have Most Of It Left!

[sidney]

Originally Posted by david-o

Skip,
I'm curious about your pin weight (and concerned because I ordered a new CC 34RL at Hershey). The CC brochure lists the dry pin for your model as 2,085 lbs. I realize actual pin weights are always much higher after adding batteries, propane, options (like 2nd airco in bedroom, etc), cargo in basement, personal items in bedroom (clothing, etc). I was thinking maybe 800 lbs over the brochure pin weight - but 1,600 lbs? What items are you carrying that contribute that much to your pin weight?

To the extended membership,
What is your experience with actual vs brochure pin weights after loading your 5th wheel?

Dave

Our 34RLSA pin wt is ~ 3000 lbs. fully loaded for 2 people.

We do not have the BR AC, WASHER/DRYER or ON BOARD GENERATOR.

[WeRCreekers]

Howdy Dave,

The brochure pin weight of 2,085 is, as you probably know, without anything included. We have a heavy pin box (Trail Aire/Tri-Glide), but not sure of its actual weight. We have the BR AC and because we don't have a washer/dryer, we do carry lots of clothes. DW does NOT like doing clothes in a laundromat. We also carry our (ahem) bar supplies and a vacuum cleaner in the front closet. In the front basement we carry 3 or 4 folding chairs, a couple of small folding tables, and a larger folding table. In the main basement we have a pretty good set of tools, a 12 volt air compressor, a 110 volt air compressor, extra dog food (surprisingly heavy - big dog), our water hoses, electrical cables, and other stuff I can't even remember. I've never weighed without this stuff so I have no idea what it all weighs. Our normal shorter trips run about 3-4 weeks. Longer ones 5-6 weeks. As a result we are pretty well loaded up when we hit the road.

I was a little surprised at the actual pin weight too. But at 25% of GVWR we are still lighter than the computed 3875. I suspect that when we get the washer/dryer combo and compensate some by not having to pack in so many clothes, we will still be under the 3875, but we will see. Our truck can handle a payload of about 5000# (maybe more?) but I would not want to push that limit, whatever it is.

Hope this helps.

[WeRCreekers]

BTW, the brochure pin weights are almost always lighter than what you will experience, once your camper if fully tricked out and fully loaded for a trip of a couple of weeks.

[david-o]

Thank you Skip and Sidney for your details. Very helpful. The door sticker in my Ram 3500 Diesel SRW says it has 3,614 lbs payload capacity. Subtracting for passengers and a PullRite hitch leaves approx 3,000 lbs available for pin weight. CC says the base dry pin for the new 34RL is 2,173 lbs so I thought I would be ok with ordering the optional 2nd AC, washer/dryer and Trailair Air Ride pin box. But based on your numbers, I'm clearly wrong! So it looks like the Ram will be towing a bit over its 11,700 GVWR. Ugh!

[WeRCreekers]

Wow. I realize your Ram is an SRW but I'm surprised at your conclusions. Maybe someone who has more experience with Ram weight limitations than I (zero) will be along to give you more knowledgeable advice. I'm having trouble believing that you will be overweight. I have a friend who pulls a CKTS that has all those extras and does it with a Chevy 3500 SRW. That unit is a heavier trailer and his truck handles it just fine. Also keep in mind that just because those "extras" are forward of the trailer axles does not mean that all the extra weight will go on the pin. I believe the axles take up some of it. I'm not smart enough to compute the numbers though. Good luck!