We just returned from our two week 2500 mile inaugural trip in our new 8280WS. Austin - Moab, UT - Monument Valley, UT - Sumner Lake, NM. The trip had been planned for over 6 months. RV Wholesalers did a great job getting the new trailer delivered to us in the nick of time before we had to leave (4 days prior!), after the old trailer was totaled by hail.
Everything worked well, no issues with the trailer.
I discovered I need new shocks on the truck. We felt every bump. With the old Jayco TT the Equalizer Hitch smoothed out some of those. I also discovered I don't like sidewinds with the 5th wheel. I especially don't like sidewinds with bad shocks on crummy highways in New Mexico. We had 25MPH sidewinds at times out and back through NM. We stayed in place at our overnight spot in Santa Rosa on the way out, as 40-60 MPH gusts were predicted around Albuquerque.
I was a little anxious with the 5th wheel hitch, after 14 years of bumper-pulls. The first day I winced at every jar in the road and wind-induced wiggle. I kept watching the Revolution expecting it to snap off.
Anyone know (Bob? Coot?) how frequently you need to service the Revolution?
I had a bone-headed moment in Moab when it was time to pull out. I forgot to open the latching bar and had five failed docking attempts before I hit myself in the forehead and opened the gate. Duhhhh. I'll never forget that again.
Speaking of hitting yourself in the head...fifth wheels are much closer to the cab than travel trailers. First fuel stop, I was moving to check my tire pressures, and as I stepped over the fueling hose, my foot caught it. I tripped, and slammed my head into the bow of the trailer. OUCH.
Tire pressures were consistent, and the torque of the bolts were fine throughout.
Used a full 30 lb tank of propane the first week. I suspect the propane dealership didn't fill it full. With the old TT, two 30 lb tanks would last a year. Either that, or the furnace on the 5er sucks it down like there's no tomorrow. I find that a little hard to believe, given it's the same BTU as the TT, and the 8280WS is much better insulated, and it wasn't THAT cold. (shrug)
For some strange reason, FR/Rockwood decided to put the power outlet behind the couch. Very inconvenient. I'm going to relocate it to the dining area.
Need to re-wire the TV system as well, and add an HDMI jack port. All FR/Rockwood provides is old-school RCA jacks for connecting AV equipment. I'm going to rip that out, as I'll never use it. All of my gear is HDMI.
DW isn't too happy with the microwave, I may look at upgrading that. The 8280WS has a lot more storage space than the old Jayco, and given the rush we were in to load up and pull out, the places we put things were sub-optimal.
It's going to be a few trips before we find the right home for everything. I do enjoy the huge basement and storage areas in front.
So - trailer was great! Fuel economy was about the same or slightly better than with the old TT...10.7 MPG on average (even with the nasty winds). I ranged between 9 and 11.5. Truck had no problem pulling on level/hilly ground, but strained a little going up 8-10% grades. Engine warmed, but was within save ranges. I'm going to look into loading in a more aggressive performance module into the Quadzilla chipset.
Things we did:
- Hot air balloon ride in Moab
- Re-visited Canyonlands NP, UT
- Re-visited Dead Horse Point SP. UT
- Hiked Moon Blossom and Negro Bill trails in Moab
- Drove through Monument Valley
- Stopped at Goosenecks SP, UT
- Visited Natural Bridges NM, UT
- Enjoyed the huge sites and relative quiet at Sumner Lake SP, NM
Park reviews:
- Gouldings RV park, Monument Valley (tight spaces, but good facilities and better than the other offerings in the valley)
- Sumner Lake SP, NM (huge spaces, very quiet and peaceful)
- Archview RV "Resort", Moab. (Skip, unless you like a tight spaces and a lot of noisy ATV's all over the place. Friendly staff and high speed wifi, though)
Pics if you're interested - I have a lot more to put up, now that I'm home and can see them better on my large screen instead of the laptop.
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