27RR Grey Wolf

[comfun1]

I have the Andersen and I have had the Reese. The Andersen works great for the truck/trailer combo I have and I am so satisfied that I have no intention of considering any others. As I have said in other posts it pulls just as well as a fifth wheel that I used to have. Having said this I will say the weight transfer capability of the Reese can be easily observed. When I was setting it up I played with it a few times and found that I could almost lift the back wheels of the truck off the ground. You definitely don't want to drive with it like that as there is no traction and it would be dangerous. When you remove the bars or decrease the tension the rear of the truck will drop so you can clearly see the weight transfer. I don't really have a fair comparison because my Andersen is on a 3/4 ton and the Reese was on a 1/2 ton and I pulled my fifth wheel with a 1/2 ton. Before I bought the Andersen I read all the reviews I could find and then called the company with my questions. I found them to be easy to get ahold of and helpful and honest. If you have questions you might try contacting them. Many dealers don't know much about them. Three years ago, when I bought my first toyhauler, I had to order my Andersen Hitch on line and take it to my camper dealer to have it installed. The service department said they had heard of them but never seen one. Today they are selling them. I have never had any issues. They are clean and quiet and you can make all the tight manuevers you want without having to adjust or disconnect anything. I am not sure how much of the difference I am seeing is due to the hitch or the 3/4 vs. 1/2 ton truck. Best of luck to you and keep us posted.

[Rhoadzie]

Originally Posted by comfun1

I would like to start a Grey Wolf 27RR thread and hope others will join in with their comments, experiences and mods. My wife and I purchased a 21rr new back in the spring of 2012. We were satisfied with everything except the placement of the entrance door. The door was located towards the back of the trailer so that when we were traveling and wanted to stop and access the refrigerator or bathroom or bed we had to squeeze between our Polaris rzr and the kitchen counter. When I saw the floor plan of the new 27rr and the price I thought this might work better for us and so we purchased one back in April. I pulled it home (about 70 miles) from the dealer with my 2005 GMC 2500 4x4 6.0 using an Andersen hitch. On the way home I had a small tailwind and it pulled just fine, perhaps even better than the 21rr which I pulled with a f150 5.4l also using an Andersen hitch. At 33’-6” long, I did have to make even wider turns at intersections and turning into my driveway. Also pulling into my drive I did hear it scrape slightly. I have since dropped the tongue an inch to an inch and a half and have not had any more problems with scraping.


For those who are not familiar with this floor plan there is a separate garage, which has two, opposing sofas with a dining table between them. This can also be configured to a large bed to accommodate additional people. One problem when loading the rzr in the garage is where to store the sofa cushions and the table. An easy solution is to place them in the front living quarters and on the queen bed. The problem here is that they are in your way when over nighting on a long trip. To solve this problem and keep everything in the garage where it belongs I put a cleat on the floor and a couple of barrel locks on the wall in the garage and stand the table on end and lock it in place for travel. It just happens that both of the large seat cushions fit perfectly behind the table legs and don’t require any additional straps to hold them in place. One of the back cushions now fits on the other side of the table and is secured by the table legs. The one remaining back cushion fits in the corner where the garage television bracket is located. For this cushion I use a bungee cord from the tv bracket to the garage vent.

Next was how to fasten the rzr to the floor using the provided D-rings. In my 21rr I tried using six ratchet straps and while it kept my rzr from moving it was time consuming and involved spending a lot of time crawling around under the rzr. Next I devised a method using my front and rear winches, which was a big improvement over the six ratchet straps. Now in my 27rr I have come up with a system of chains and only one ratchet strap. So far it has worked very well. I drive in connect one of the chains to the front of the rzr, the ratchet strap to the rear of the rzr and tighten the ratchet. With the chains fastened the only way the rzr can move forward and hit the wall is if the D-rings should come loose from the floor. In 3,000 miles this system has worked great for me. On my first trip I fastened the rzr towards the back of the garage so I could open the door from the bathroom to the garage and check on it. On my next trip I moved the rzr as far forward in the garage as possible and I believe the handling improved. Now onto the problems I have encountered.

My keypad did not work during the PDI and they are going to replace it. Problem one solved. On the 27rr the doorstops have to hold the doors at 90 degrees to the side of the trailer because of the awning arms. The small plastic brackets that are supposed to hold the doors are next to worthless. One was broken at the time of PDI and was replaced. The first trip out the wind broke it again. I am still looking for a solution. I bought some metal brackets to replace them but they are too small. I plan to do some cutting and welding on them and I think they may work. The next problem occurred with the refrigerator when running on propane. I have a couple of things to say about the refrigerator. The first time we reached an elevation of 5,000 ft. the refrigerator quit while on propane. In doing a little research I found that the Norcold refrigerator was not designed to operate above 5,500 ft. of elevation. In looking through various forums I found that some people had Norcolds that quit at 5,000 ft. while one man reported no problems at 13,000 ft. The refrigerator is mounted far enough to the right of the access door that it is impossible to look into the inspection hole or to stick a lighter into the burner area. There is a small metal box that surrounds the burner and is held in place by one screw. I was able to remove this screw and gain access to the burner. I used butane lighter and was able to get the propane burner of the refrigerator to burn continuously. Next I blew the little bit of dust out of the burner area and increased the igniter gap to about 3/16-inch. The refrigerator ignited on it’s own and we drove over a 12,000 ft. pass and it was still going when we got back down to about 7,000 ft., so I am hoping we will be luck and our refrigerator will be one that continues working above the 5,500 ft. range.

There is another problem that appears more serious but one that can wait until the camping season ends. The problem is with the top strip of metal siding above the slide. It is showing a number of distortions instead of laying flat. I’m not sure what the problem is. On my 21rr, I had to return it for a similar siding problem. During manufacture it seems they left out some of the staples that held the siding in place.

I have a TPMS and in the beginning I had a number of tire problems but none of them that I would blame Forest River or my dealer for. I asked my dealer to put aluminum wheels on for me and the 27rr came with 14” steel wheels. They installed 15” aluminum wheels. My first issue was one or two of the tires rubbing the wheel well on tight turns on pavement. I solved this by adding 5/16” spacers. I have not had any problems with these in 2,000 miles and I carry a torque wrench and check the torque every few gas stops. Two or three of the nuts have needed a slight amount of additional tightening but I think this will come to an end as everything becomes “seated”. Valve stems caused my other tire problem. When I asked the dealer to switch wheels I asked them to have the tire shop install metal valve stems. All of the metal valve stems I was familiar with had locking nuts to secure them to the wheel. Well, the stems the tire shop put on had brass stems but they had the traditional rubber base. When I installed the sending units on the ends of the valve stem the centrifugal force caused two of the stems to leak air which set off my TPMS. I took the tires off and took them to another tire shop and had the stems replaced with the type that has nut that are tightened. So we are all set for our trip to Moab, UT and as a last minute check I check the tire pressures. One has dropped from 65psi to 40psi. So I jack up the trailer, take the tire back to the tire shop and they find they forgot to tighten the nuts on the stem. After all this we traveled over 2,000 miles without a tire problem.

In conclusion my wife and I have used the camper a couple of times now and towed it about 3,000 miles. Towing on the open roads is no problem but the length of it (33’-6”) makes it difficult in certain situations such as campsites, gas stations, intersections and residential neighborhoods. The length and the slide do give us lots of space inside and we really like the way the garage is finished off inside. While in Moab we were sitting outside with four of our friends when a sudden rain and windstorm came up. We all moved into the garage and the table and sofas accommodated all of us with room to spare. Our friends were impressed with the space and the way the garage is decorated. I think the only give away that you are in the garage is the rear cargo door and the D-rings in the floor. We like to refer to it as our “Party Room”, and are planning on stringing some lights around the room where the walls meet the ceiling. All in all and barring any catastrophic problems in the future we are happy with this camper and it seems to serve our purposes well.

I hope this thread may be of some help to anyone interested in a Grey Wolf 27rr. When we were looking to purchase I couldn’t find any comments by anyone that owned one.

I am receiving my 27rr in a week or so. Is this a 30amp TT? I assumed it was but am looking to stock it and looking at extension cords for long hookups. I am also curious where the grey water, black water, and water tanks are located. I didn't see where they were. I assume they are under the floor near the restroom or are they forward under the kitchen area? I will be loading a Victory Cross Country Tour model in the garage. Will it scrape going up the ramp? How do you unload your motorcycle at the campsite? Do you unload, then back in, or is there enough room in most campgrounds to unload after you get set up?

[comfun1]

It is a 30 amp. So far the cord that came with it has been plenty long enough everywhere we have been. As I recall, (trailer is still at dealers for warranty work) the tanks are above the axles. On mine I have a separate drain for each tank, the gray and the black. Someone else said their's were routed together into one which would be nice. From what I have read, motorcycles with low ground clearance scrape or hit on most toyhaulers. People seem to have worked out different solutions. Some jack up the tongue to change the ramp angle and others build a ramp extension. Maybe someone on here can describe their solution for you. I don't have that problem, I load a Polaris RZR in mine. It has it's own unique loading problems. Every campground I have been at so far I have been able to unload after set up. They have all been pull through sites. I made a couple of stands that go under my cargo door so that we can use the door as a deck. One evening we set our lawn chairs and a small table on it and had dinner and drinks. Looking forward to your thoughts and experiences with your new trailer.

[Toby]

If you can get yourself a pull through site then you should be able to unload. Sadly, if you get a back in site, chances are you'll have to unload sometime before backing in. On some occasions though I've been able to back my bike out at the camp spot. This is really handy if there is a hill going up behind the spot which has the door more leveled. I have been in some camp sites (like in Branson) where you back up to a 500 foot drop off so that'll never work. It all comes down to the specific day you pick a camp spot. Be prepared to unload at the club house each time though or scope out the sites before you purchase or arrive.

[Rhoadzie]

Originally Posted by Toby

If you can get yourself a pull through site then you should be able to unload. Sadly, if you get a back in site, chances are you'll have to unload sometime before backing in. On some occasions though I've been able to back my bike out at the camp spot. This is really handy if there is a hill going up behind the spot which has the door more leveled. I have been in some camp sites (like in Branson) where you back up to a 500 foot drop off so that'll never work. It all comes down to the specific day you pick a camp spot. Be prepared to unload at the club house each time though or scope out the sites before you purchase or arrive.

I get delivery next week. I'm pumped! The wife and I will be making the maiden voyage to St Louis.

[bigoil7]

Hello folks. Picked up my 27RR just a couple weeks ago. Picked it up in Ohio and pulled it 900+ miles home to SD. It pulled just fine with my F150, averaged 70MPH. I bought an Equalizer hitch off eBay and it really pulled true with very little sway.
It's still dropping below freezing most nights here in SD, so I haven't de-winterized yet but looking to do so maybe after Easter. Have spots for 3 weekends reserved already with other RV friends so really getting excited. Also have a spot reserved for Sturgis (with "the toy") at the beginning of August. Should be fun.
Happy trails!

[Toby]

Go easy on those tires! They are likely rated for no more than 65 MPH. You already have 1K on them now. Keep an eye on those wheel bearings too. There is likely only the bare minimum amount of grease in them. There are lots of threads here on both subjects.

Oh yea! Congratulations. Where is SD are you? It's about time I head up that way again.

[bigoil7]

Originally Posted by Toby

Go easy on those tires! They are likely rated for no more than 65 MPH. You already have 1K on them now. Keep an eye on those wheel bearings too. There is likely only the bare minimum amount of grease in them. There are lots of threads here on both subjects.

Thanks for the advice. Will grease her up good when I de-winterize.

Oh yea! Congratulations. Where is SD are you? It's about time I head up that way again.

Thanks! East side of South Dakota, west side of Sioux Falls. It should be warming up soon, visitors welcome!
BTW, I often ride (the Harley) down through Sioux City and the Loess Hills and the Soldier IA area. I'm sure you're familiar with those roads. Fun riding!

[Rhoadzie]

What was your gas mileage at 70 mph?

[bigoil7]

Originally Posted by Rhoadzie

What was your gas mileage at 70 mph?

Ha, I'm getting a little crap about the 70MPH, but actually if one has driven west across the 3 "I" states (Indiana, Illinois, Iowa), she's a pretty flat trail, thus very easy to cruise at 70. I got about 9.5 MPG there, but when I hit western Iowa, and some hills, plus a little headwind heading north on I-29, I was lucky to get 8 to 8 1/2.

[Rhoadzie]

Yes you have gotten a little grief. I won't do more than 65 and am hoping to get 8. That's why I was curious. Thanks for the info. Keep in touch. I pick mine up on Monday.

[Toby]

Originally Posted by bigoil7

Thanks for the advice. Will grease her up good when I de-winterize.



Thanks! East side of South Dakota, west side of Sioux Falls. It should be warming up soon, visitors welcome!
BTW, I often ride (the Harley) down through Sioux City and the Loess Hills and the Soldier IA area. I'm sure you're familiar with those roads. Fun riding!

Yes very familiar. I live in Loess Hills. You're right down the road from me. I posted a video of some of my rides yesterday to youtube. I've been experimenting with an XTC camera that I got a few years ago.

[Toby]

Not dishing crap (or intending to)...When I first started with my trailer I did the same thing. I had no idea that the tires were only rated for 65MPH. After browsing this forum for a year or so I learned about it...which you'll do too in time I'm sure.

[bigoil7]

Originally Posted by Toby

Not dishing crap (or intending to)...When I first started with my trailer I did the same thing. I had no idea that the tires were only rated for 65MPH. After browsing this forum for a year or so I learned about it...which you'll do too in time I'm sure.

All is good. And seriously, thanks for the advice.

[bigoil7]

Originally Posted by Toby

I had no idea that the tires were only rated for 65MPH.

FYI, I did a little research and found the Greenball Transmaster tires (205/74R14) are "L" speed rated, or 75mph, have you heard anything (good or bad) about these tires, Sam's Club sells that line? Hopefully it's a long time before I need to shop but like to be prepared (to a fault sometimes).
Greenball Transmaster - ST205/75R14 - Sam's Club

[Toby]

I personally have no experience with them. It seems like almost all trailer tires are made in China except for one or two brands. It makes no sense to me. There are tons of threads about it in this forum (and others).

I did purchase two spare tires and rims that I store under the bed in the trailer. I have never needed them but they are there. I figure if I'm out on the road and one does go, then the other one has already been over loaded...might as well make him a spare.

On my 19RR I replaced all four of my tires on the third year because of sidewall cracking. It made me nervous. I put a new set of Carlisles on. They're made in China but from what I could read up on, improved somewhat in recent years. They held up all the way home. Then the big hail storm came and off the went with the rest of the trailer to salvage. It seemed like a waste of money.

No matter what tire you look at, someone, somewhere, has blown one up on the road. They may have been under inflated or the axles may be out of alignment or just a bad tire but they've all been destroyed at some point. Ask anyone on this forum and you'll get 100 different responses for 3 weeks or more.

[Rhoadzie]

I just picked up my 27rr yesterday and spent the day loading it, weighing it, and setting up the equalizer weight distribution hitch. It was a crazy busy day but got everything set up. I ended up with 1100 pound of hitch weight which puts me right on my pay load capacity weighed at the scale. But, I was not carrying my Vic motorcycle in the garage which will lighten the tongue considerably. I am thinking about adding some weight to the garage when I am not hauling the motorcycle. Other than the weight issue it pulled like a dream with my 2012 Silverado 1500. I have the 6.2 motor and it had no problems EVEN WITH A 25 MPH cross wind when I left home. I could definitely feel the TT but was more than manageable and I did not feel stressed at all from the driving. I know a 3/4 or 1 ton would pull it better, but I loved the power and maneuverability throughout the trip with what I have.vWe traveled to St. Louis, (about 400 miles) and it was a great experience. We stopped overnight at a Walmart and the Furnace kept us plenty warm with a low right around 40.

I have watched videos, read blogs, researched, and read this forum for months before getting my TT. It all paid off in setting up the WD hitch and setting up at the campsite. I got everything level and had no major issues. I really did a close inspection on every single system and found everything working great. I had a little difficulty with the Hot Water Heater. It is working but not sure how to get it to work on Propane, if I need it. There is supposed to be some switch somewhere that I need to find.

I am very happy with everything and thank Forest River for such a great product. I think my dealer could have been more "Customer Service" oriented. I won't mention the dealer. My walk through was rushed and the unit was terribly dirty throughout. We are slowly getting it cleaned up, but it was not what it should have been. I am also a little disappointed with the manuals and operation guides for everything. They are not very thorough. But, that also is a minor detail.

Other than these comments, I will keep posting as i run across new issues or things I am not sure of. I know many of you here are experts and love to hear your wisdom.

[Toby]

The hot water heater switch should be on the control panel inside the camper. It is likely lighted too. The only time I turn mine on is right before a shower (heats faster) or when I'm not plugged in. BTW 5 gallons of hot water runs out fast! Take sprinkles!

Also adding the bike won't take off as much as you might think but it will take some off. The bike sits over and slightly behind the axles so the trailer takes a lot of the weight. My trailer is slightly smaller than yours so it might be different with yours. When I pull my trailer I can't tell any difference when the bike is loaded or not loaded. I also pack the bed full of firewood on many occasions.

[Rhoadzie]

OK, Here is a dumb question. What does that Water Heater Switch do? Mine is not on, I'm hooked up to electric and have hot water. Does it switch it to Propane? Do I need to light a pilot light when I am not hooked up to electric? I am slightly confused. Outside the switch is on at the water heater. One of you wise RVers fill me in, PLEASE!

[Toby]

The switch on the water heater itself (on the outside of the camper) turns on the electric element. It is a little slower than the gas switch (on the inside of the camper). Be careful to never turn on the electrical switch unless you have a full tank. Otherwise you'll be replacing the electrical element (even for a second). If you have both switches turned on then it'll heat both ways at the same time (sometimes handy to extend that shower for 34 seconds). I always use the electric except when I'm about to take a shower or I'm not hooked up to electrical service. I hope that helps.