Towing ~8k with dx3 or XL

[Gsykora]

Originally Posted by FOURWHL

I regularly tow that exact setup on I70 Denver to glenwood springs (plenty of steep grades). The RV is totally acceptable in my opinion. Would another extra 100 horses be nice? Sure. Necessary? Absolutely not. I cant pull the long 7% grades at 40-45mph and am passing semis. Not going to maintain 65mph but it’s reasonable imo.

Man, that is a nice looking rig. Love the blue color.

[wfo9]

So far I've narrowed it down to 3 choices that I'm going to look at. In order of price low to high..

- Dynamax Force HD (advertised 210k)
- Dynamax Dx3 (advertised 240k)
- Renegade Verona LE (advertised 265k)

If anyone has advice for things to look out for that are not obvious.. I'm all ears.

Also, how much room is there usually on negotiating. These are all well below MSRP, but I figure there is still some room. How much... I have no idea.

I'm going to have to create a checklist of all the features so I can really compare the value of each. I'm going to need a spreadsheet and plenty of research.

[FOURWHL]

You won’t go wrong with any of those. I’d bet there’s another 20k or so to negotiate on those prices but I’ve been out of the market for a couple years so maybe be off. Seems demand may have increased a bit because I don’t see quite as many sitting on lots.

25% off MSRP is a good starting point. I was around 33% but i think it was near the end of MY switchover so there may have been some incentives.

[mikew968]

$240k on a DX3 is what i am finding. If you can better that please let me know!!!!

[RV Randy]

Originally Posted by mikew968

$240k on a DX3 is what i am finding. If you can better that please let me know!!!!

Depends on how you option it too. We got most of the options offered on the 2018 DX3 except the over cab bunk and the 3 LNB Satellite system. Internet price from Lazy Days RV in Colorado was 229K. We ordered it in Sept 2017 and received it in February 2018.

[rskeans]

We also paid $230K in Aug '17 for an '18 DX3 37TS with opt fireplace, all electric, solar package, theater seats. Don't remember what is opt or what is standard.

[BBC Cobra]

We just completed a four week 5k mile trip from Tennessee to Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Moab, Bryce and Zion and back to Tennessee in our 2018 DX3 which we purchased in December.

The rig is comfortable to drive with the exception of the wallowing on rough roads and bridge transitions as already mentioned. I have been considering adding a rear sway bar to see if that helps.

As far as dragging the hitch, I have done it a couple of times. Talked to another owner last week and she had 2" spacers added above and below the airbags for a total of 4" lift. This will throw some more weight on the front axle and may affect handling and tire wear, I am going to talk to my Freightliner dealer about maybe adding just 2".

We pull a 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trail Hawk (about 5k lbs) with a tow bar and don't even know it is back there. On level road it will easily run 75-80 MPH but I use the cruise and run the speed limit up to 70 MPH and only run over that if passing. It does slow down on long steep grades but don't think I ever dropped below 45 MPH. Mileage was between 7.25 and 7.6 MPG. I am going to also ask the Freightliner dealer about changing the tune for more power / torque.

We traded a 38' fifth wheel toy hauler for the DX3 and overall have been happy with it, but have several bugs (things not working or not working correctly - awning, TV lift, pocket door, inductive cook top etc) which we are going to be taking the unit back to have fixed.

[murraym]

Originally Posted by wfo9

First off. I'm totally new to RVing.. I've never actually owned one, however I have owned just about every other money pit you can think of (race cars, off-road trucks, boats...)

I sort of know what I'm getting into from that perspective and I'm pretty self sufficient and and a quick learner when it comes to fixing things with a motor and wheels on it. But I admittedly know nothing about RVs and I'm a total newb who is more or less clueless, so I apologize in advance for possibly asking common knowledge questions. The thought of spending this much money on something I may not be 100% satisfied with is concerning....

I know I should probably start with a cheaper starter RV.. but my entire use case involves towing a 7500k trailer around with my rock crawler or on of my other vehicles on it.

I've got a million questions, but my top priority is towing and I ran across the Dynamax DX3 and it looks like it might meet our needs. What I'm questioning first, is what it will be like in terms of towing power. Is the 350hp 1K tq of the m2 106 enough or is the 112 a much better choice. I plan to spend some time in the mountains, but I will mainly be on moderate grades. I may eventually pickup up a lighter vehicle I can flat tow (jeep...) but I will still need to pull a trailer for many trips to events....

Another basic question I have is about dealers. I live in central Texas and the closest Dynamax dealer is either MHSRV near ft worth or holiday world near Houston. Anyone have experience with these two. I'm about 150mi from both.

Thanks for your time.

Trust me when I say, go big now or go home. You won’t be happy with anything less and then you will eventually upgrade anyway losing out on any equity spent on the lesser vehicle. If you can afford the 112. By all means. But. I have a 2015 DX3 bunk house 102 and I tow a 26’ custom aluminum enclosed trailer with it full front to back while traveling to my trade shows, or on trips with my wife’s 2015 Ford Fusion and a dirt bike in it. The third use is a RZR XP4-1000 and two KTM 500EXCs and all the associated gear for riding in the Rocky’s. I don’t have an issue with towing any of it especially if you get a running start from about 70-75mph. If you just stay in the right lane or you are forced to start out up that hill at 55 then you are going to be stuck at 55 or slower. But again. It’s not a big deal. The transmission will chug you right up but a little slower. It’s not a Freightliner Cascadia chassis. It’s an M2.
Now I will say this. Stay away from the Jayco Senecas or any similar lesser equivalent versions that has the weaker M2 106 chassis on them only rated to tow 10,000 pounds with the weaksauce transmission and not beefier 20,000 pounds capacity such as the DX3. Not to mention the Jayco versions have less water storage and waste tanks- 75/35/35 as apposed to the DX3 100/50/50. It is all around a better buy.
Just make sure especially if you buy used that you inspect for water intrusion damage. If you send me a private message I can give you my contact info to get more specific. I just finished tearing out the entire back bedroom floor due to water intrusion due to an improperly installed slide seal from the factory. That was a peach let me tell you.


So go for it. The big red shiny button is calling you!
PUSH IT!

[murraym]

Oh. And.

STAY

AWAY

FROM

CAMPING

WORLD

Just search Camping world reviews. They are sketchy, they lie, they are worthless from my in depth experience with them.

[jkierl]

I bought my 1st MH at MHSRV. Haven't been back because service dept was very slow in responding to voicemail I left when traveling. I ended up at LAZYDAYS in Tuscon and had AC fixed before they called back 2 weeks later.

[wfo9]

Originally Posted by murraym

Trust me when I say, go big now or go home. You won’t be happy with anything less and then you will eventually upgrade anyway losing out on any equity spent on the lesser vehicle.

So go for it. The big red shiny button is calling you!
PUSH IT!

I'm struggling with this big time. Part of me says just go BIG and get a XL Renegade with the Cascadia chassis and Detroit.. Buy once cry once.... but the other part of me says I surely don't need that and a Dynamax ForceHD is 100% adequate and a much less stressful investment.

Being a first time buyer is pushing me towards the lower end.

I owned a sailboat at one time. It was an old beat up 16k boat that I fixed up ( I always wanted a nicer one... but I remember how happy I was that it was not a 150k boat at times because even though I had decent amount of experience going into it.. there were many near disasters made in those first few years of ownership... ON the other hand, the wife never really liked the boat because it was cramped and pretty bare bones. I eventually lost interest as most of my sailing was SOLO.

200k is still a lot of money. but 400k is obviously twice as much and I'm not sure that would be twice the functionality or enjoyment. Maybe just more stress.

Either way. I'm going to at least look at them all and let the wife have plenty of input.

[FOURWHL]

Yeah I don’t think that’s quite a fair comparison. You’d be hard pressed with any of these units to not be able to enjoy them.

[wfo9]

Originally Posted by FOURWHL

Yeah I don’t think that’s quite a fair comparison. You’d be hard pressed with any of these units to not be able to enjoy them.

I agree they all seem plenty nice enough... I just wish they offered a bit more power without all the added luxury that comes with it. I like power ;-)

[bclemens]

As others have said in here before...you have to be careful as there is no perfect wheel base. Long is great for towing, short for turning radius...balance is the key. If you are going to tow all the time and not make any turns...then a long wheel base is great.

Rule of thumb has always been anything over 50% was acceptable. All of ours are in the 55%+ range so that we are long enough for towing and yet balance a turning radius for when you unhook that trailer or are carrying just a jeep wrangler (as it seems 99% do). Turning radius isn't important until you try to park that thing or back it into a camp site.

The other thing that no one here really thinks to much about about is "balance". The longer the wheel base, the more weight gets carried on the front axle. So you really want to balance the weight on the front and rear, leaving some room on both for cargo.

[Orangecrush]

I paid 224K for my ‘18 DX3. I had to finance more because I was 20K upside down but the best part was is I called the dealership in Kentucky (after I had negotiated with MHRVS, Lazy days and a local dealership. I called them up, told them what I could buy it for and they had 15 minutes to call me back. If they could do the deal, great, if not, let’s not waste each other’s time.

Got a call 10 minutes later... done deal.

[ablarson]

I bought my FORCE HD 37TS for 180K and couldn’t be happier with it. I’ve looked extensively at other rigs and I just don’t see the added value except for maybe the DX3 because of the aqua hot, upgraded cabinets, and AGS, but it would have to have the cab over for me.

All the floorplans on all the rigs look pretty much the same and they’re all optioned pretty much the same. The one rig I found that I really liked was the Hallmark on a Volvo chassis. Mainly because of the anti-roll over feature and gobs of power. I think Volvo is a much nicer rig but at three times the cost I couldn’t justify it.

Dynamax has had outstanding support and stood behind their product for me. Pretty sure I’m a lifer.

[Orangecrush]

Originally Posted by ablarson

I bought my FORCE HD 37TS for 180K and couldn’t be happier with it. I’ve looked extensively at other rigs and I just don’t see the added value except for maybe the DX3 because of the aqua hot, upgraded cabinets, and AGS, but it would have to have the cab over for me.

All the floorplans on all the rigs look pretty much the same and they’re all optioned pretty much the same. The one rig I found that I really liked was the Hallmark on a Volvo chassis. Mainly because of the anti-roll over feature and gobs of power. I think Volvo is a much nicer rig but at three times the cost I couldn’t justify it.

Dynamax has had outstanding support and stood behind their product for me. Pretty sure I’m a lifer.

AGS and all electric were deal breakers for me.

[Jammer151]

With my Force HD I tow a ~13K enclosed trailer (build out JKU, 6 dirt bikes, 1 quad, two dogs, 20 gal gas, and all our gear) across the Rockies, Sierras, and Cascades several times a year with no problem.

[Orangecrush]

We’re on our way back from VA and coming through the mountains, we’re running anywhere from 35-45 depending on how bad the grade is pulling approx. 4500-5000 lbs.

If it’s a gradual slope and you’re maintaining speed, you can keep 55 but for the most part, 45 seems more realistic going up some of these grades.

Mark

[LTZ470]

Keep in mind there's about 3% HP loss for each 1000ft of elevation, some say 4%/1000ft...

And always: HP is how fast you hit the wall, TQ is far you take it with you, after you hit it...AKA "grunt"...