Tour OUTSIDE Our RV Grand Design Solitude 310GK Detailed Review 4K (RV Living Full Time)
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- Опубліковано 30 чер 2024
- Here is part 2 (the OUTSIDE) of our RV tour and review of the 2017 Grand Design Solitude 310 GK fifth wheel. We have owned it about a year and have lived full time in it for over 6 months. A lot has broken, which means Larry has learned a lot about the mechanics of this RV.
This video will show you all the outside details, like storage; slides; lithium and solar; tanks; propane; heating, air conditioners; as well as underneath the RV- which many tours skip. After our Lippert leaf spring broke, Larry has spent a lot of time researching suspensions- the good and the bad. See why this rig is great for full timers, and what should be upgraded for full time living. We also show you some of the newbie necessities, whether you are full time, part time, or weekenders.
Links to Videos we mention in this Video:
Snapped Leaf Spring Video • Broken Suspension on 5...
Magma Ladder Mounted Grill • Magma Grill for RV, Bo...
DIY Sewer Hose from Vinyl fence post • Large RV Storage Tube ...
Solid Step Stair Rubber Tread Install • Rubber Stair Mats for ...
Broken Bedroom Shwintec Slide • Broken Schwintek Slide...
Head Injury on Lippert King Pin DIY foamie protection • Bad Head Injury? ER or...
DIY Slide Corner protection Foamies • DIY Pool Noodle RV Sli...
Hitching Checklist Using Level up Auto Leveling • Hitching Fifth Wheel C...
DIY Awning Repair Video • DIY How to Fix Your RV...
Awning VS Tree how we tore off our Awning • Awning Damage Grand De...
Products we show or mention in the Video (Amazon Links)
Camping is always a good idea t-shirt amzn.to/2Jiw4zo
Mopeka Tank Check, Propane tank monitor iphone android amzn.to/3jO3GBY
WeBoost RV 65 Cell phone booster with 25 foot antenna mast amzn.to/3oJr5Il
Surge Guard 50 amp hardwired surge suppressor model 35550 amzn.to/3jNjrZQ
Victron Solar Controller 150/100 amzn.to/35VpE0O
Victron Color Control GX Monitor amzn.to/35XgKzQ
Victron Multiplus Inverter / Charger 12 V 3000w amzn.to/3edOsFd
Victron BVM-712 Battery monitor amzn.to/3kO76G9
NewPowa 200 watt solar panels (24V) ours amzn.to/35Wokuu
NewPowa 200 watt solar panels (12v) amzn.to/2TKXwYJ
Steadyfast Stabilizers for 5th Wheel and Travel trailers amzn.to/2TF5gvn
Camco Blue water filter amzn.to/37ZQ1p3
Renotor m11 water pressure regulator amzn.to/2TF5FxQ
D & W sewer storage tube super tube amzn.to/3kOrKWG
Xtend & Climb telescoping Ladder amzn.to/382mfjI
B & W companion Hitch for Ram OEM puck system amzn.to/2GizCAL
Watch Dog Water Alarm for water pump and heater amzn.to/2TIFs1g
New Hitch that welds to bumper (etrailer) www.etrailer.com/RV-and-Campe...
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We are a married couple in our mid 50s who downsized and sold our house so we can see the sights and enjoy every day to live deliberately as full time RVers - traveling with our dogs, Scrappy & Chewie, in our Grand Design Solitude 310 GK fifth wheel.
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You guys are great!!!
Maria, thanks. We always hope there is something in a video with hat can help.
Alice
I like both videos they are very informative!
Great video again guys! Have fun on the road and be safe!
Dave, thank you. Taking it slow and safe,
Alice
Nice details, great mods, and lots of common sense info, plus y'all seem great, so I subscribed!
David, awesome. Glad you found us. Larry is all about the details. And we hope we can help someone in some small way in every video.
Alice
Both of you did an awesome job.
Thank you. But I think my inside tour is better 😉
Alice
Very nice detailed outside walkaround. Nice mods. Thanks for sharing. We subscribed!
Hey. Awesome. Thanks. Then we will be “seeing” more of you. PS my inside tour is more fun 😂
Take care.
Alice.
Loved this video on the outside of the Grand Design. I liked both videos inside and the outside it gave me a feel how the fifth wheel looks on the inside and the outside from the grey tank to black tank. Very good videos thank you for the video. This all very good to know. See you soon Stay safe.
Sherri, this is really our first RV Tour so I’m glad we did a good job. There’s so much more we wanted to show but it would be too long a video 😂.
Take care.
Alice
I love all the information is need to know. Alice you were great.
Charlene, thanks. There was so much to show but we didn’t want the videos to be too long.
Happy Holidays
Alice
Got here 10 mo late so hope you get this. Really appreciate the tour, but really really needed Larry’s as a man looking at a Solitude. Very thorough! Thanks !
That’s exactly why we split it up. Larry is great with all the electrical and mechanical issues.
Glad you liked the tour. Did you buy a Solitude?
Alice
OMG! Almost five years with my Solitude and, now is when I find out how to lower the spare!!! Excellent video! Thank you.
😂🤣 I wondered what the hole was for. Funny, huh. Not as bad as not knowing how small our tanks were 😅.
Alice
That was a great tour thank you. When I get a fifth wheel I want to get the 310. I love that one. I just subscribed👍🇺🇲
Awesome. Thanks. If you like state and national parks, don’t get bigger than 35’
I actually want to downsize 😉
Well done presentation! Outside gets my vote
Alan, I won’t hold your vote against you 😂. But Larry is really good at the details.
Alice
Awesome that the water heater has an alarm system to alert you about water on the floor.Glad you figured out the tool to lower the spare tire. Bet lots of people didn't know that. I remember when you made the orange pool noodle head protectors for the slides. Funny that Larry blamed Alice for taking long showers and draining the fresh water tank. Haha. Great tour of the exterior of your rig, Larry and Alice. ~Bob & Sue
Bob & Sue, the water heater alarm was funny. We heard a noise and it took awhile to figure out where it was coming from 😂 The hole to put the tool to lower the tire was another mystery 😅. Lots of pool noodle usage for sure. I take Navy showers when we aren’t on full hookups so I couldn’t figure how we ran out of water. Well, just more honesty from us. Larry is so good at all the details. Thanks.
Alice
Loved it...! I love them both... but have to give this one an extra star because I LOVED ALICE'S COMMENTARY... LOL! I literally LAUGHED OUT LOUD. I will be solo about 50 percent of my time... I thought.. I need to hang out w/ them because when Larry needs something to do.. he can work on my trailer
Jeanette, Larry and I both have sisters with your name. Funny. I wanted to say more but we knew this video was going to be long so I didn’t want to add length. Larry would definitely help anyone that needed it. I’m glad I made you laugh. We all need a good laugh. Maybe we will see you on the road one day.
Alice
Awesome job,I’ve been following y’all since day 2 of house clean out,your Solitude is truly nice out of my price range ,Avalanche 333mk is what we selected and we’re loving it .
Gregory, thanks for hanging in there with us. We were lucky and bought our rig used. A friend of Larry’s almost bought a used one like yours. It’s a great unit, too. Glad you are happy with it. We love ours, too. But there’s always room for improvement.
Alice
Great episode and thanks for the show notes!! We just found your super informative channel this morning. We're part timers - we replaced our 10 year old travel trailer with a new 5th wheel this past spring. Our base is in NH, but my husband is Canadian. Once the border was opened to spouses we filled the rig with food and away we went to Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia We quarantined at my brother in laws - plugged into his house. Once the 14 days was over, we went to our seasonal spot, which is right above the beach. We didn't come back until 10/9! We're trying to decide what to do with our house now, so your perspective is especially helpful. Glad you found you!
We have a lot of similarities. This is our first fifth wheel. Larry is Canadian and we moochdocked at a friends for the two weeks quarantine in Ontario. We wanted to go to Halifax to see his nephew but couldn’t get through their bubble. Plus another two week quarantine? I’m glad you found us. We try to be very honest and give lots of details. Good luck on your house decision. We drove away from ours for the last time the day the virus was named 😂. But we are loving it.
Alice
Great video.
Dave, I’m glad you liked it.
Thanks for coming by.
Alice
Awesome video, spot on in the description of the RV, we have a 2019 310GK also. I have been doing gloves free for 40 years and would not turn back. Remember the last water thru your hose and connections should be soapy grey water, if they are leaking and the bad stuff is coming out, get it fixed.
Also making the front compartment door bigger would hinder accessibility when hitched
Keep up the good work
Sorry, for some reason I just saw your comments.. All great points. Thank you. We love our 310 but would love a 29' version haha
Take care,
Alice
Great video. Might want to consider the Roadmaster Shocks for the Solitude. Eases out ride for the RV.
Again, great video.
I'm a team Alice and Larry fan. The inside video was great also.
Paul, I’m glad you aren’t picking sides 😅.
We just had axle service and replaced the other three leaf springs. I’m not sure how much more money we want to put into this rig. We might downsize in a year or two.
Alice
You have a ton of storage, and that water alarm is a good idea with all that equipment. 3D printed accessories, talk about custom. You really have tweaked it out nicely. Thanks for both tours, really nice RV. Debbie - BluWave Odyssey
Debbie, thanks. We do have a lot of storage. It’s needed for full time and to continue to modify the rig. I’m lucky Larry is so handy.
Alice
Good job going over the outside stuff, not voting on who had the best video may run into you both someday .
Buddy, very good point. I’m actually surprised some people are picking sides 😂. We just kid.
Alice
I liked them both
A couple of pointers that I have learned over the years.
1 Navy Showers saves water and propane while dry camping.
2 Time your water heater to only heat the water to the right temperature for one shower that way you only heat the water to your temp. That saves water by not having to mix cold water to get your temp right for your shower.
I think mine was 6-7 minutes and then only run the hot side. Long showers are great when you are hooked up.
Tony. Great tips. We have learned the same thing.
Alice
Very informative video, thank you J. P. floridians. RV Park
Thank you. Maybe next time we are there, we can give you a personal tour
Sorry I cant help in the area of whos video is better. My wife liked the inside one and I like the outside. Keep up the great videos.. See you on the road!
Hal, we didn’t know we were dividing houses 🤣. But it does seem to be like yours. See you soon.
Alice
Enjoyed your video, learned a few things, we are still deciding on a 310 GK or may 375 RES, we plan to purchase next year.
Allen, remember that over 35 limits your choices. For instance, 32’ is the large category in Ontario Provincial Parks. And in Anastasia State Park in Florida, nothing over 38’. Plus National Park limits often at 35’.
Good luck.
Alice
Wow Larry shaved off that little kid beard. lol You did a great job on your solar install. Looks really good. Come use it out west with us. Larry watching your head under that slide!!! We know how you are. I like your leveling system. I remember you showing me that at Forest Lake. Dang y'all have a ton of storage in that rig. Larry keep your snow buddy. Ok Larry don't fall off the roof. That is just and accident waiting to happen. Get down. lol. That solar setup is sweet. You did a great job. Larry get Alice them new steps buddy. Come on. Treat her right. hahaha. Oh crap Larry is going underneath. I bet there are some painful outtakes on this video. Yep that leaf spring is very important as you have shown us. Aint no way I am saying who did better. That is a trick question. Great video y'all. Hope to see y'all soon somewhere.
William, I told Larry to grow the beard back 🤣We can’t wait to go west. After January, who knows. The leveling helps so much. We do have a lot of storage. The site where we are, there is a tree that almost took off the air conditioner 😳 Yes. Larry, get me new steps. He actually didn’t hurt himself this time 😂. Don’t get me started and leaf springs or Lippert 🤬You know mine is better 😘 Talk soon,
Alice
I'm a little OCD but your rear ac unit is mounted a little crooked when seen from overhead ;-). Thanks for the detailed video, rarely do you see someone show behind the wall in the storage bay for example. That's the stuff I like to see.
That is so funny I noticed the same thing about the ac when I was editing the video, I showed it to Alice and said , is that crooked or is it just me. Larry
Great job with the outside video Larry!! However I’m more of the inside kind of girl soooo Team Alice🤣
Lisa, I knew I could count on you. Go #teamAlice 🤣
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents You know it Alice!!!!🤗
For the leveling jacks, I've heard snap pads are the way to go. I am another who is interested in the solar. How does the ram tow? I just picked up a used f350 dually to keep my rv options open, and am liking the 35ft units. Toss up between this unit, or try and find a similarly sized toy hauler.
We haven’t really needed the snap pads. Sometimes we use blocks of wood. Yes. Many people are asking for the solar. Larry is a perfectionist. He is learning all he can about the system before he starts the solar series. Larry loves his Ram Dually. He says he doesn’t even feel the fifth wheel behind him. 35’ is a good size. Bigger can keep you out of some parks. But I wish GD would make a 29’ Solitude. I would like to downsize 🤣. Anything over 32’ is seen as large in Ontario, Canada parks.
All really good questions. Thanks.
Let us know what rig you pick.
Alice
Awesome walk through around the outside!! A few questions.. are you concerned with the electrical so close to the wet bay? I Love the setup all around!! Now My”Boss” needs her AC.. so a hearty solar system will be a must! I do approve of the “Yell at Alice” backup solution. How often do you check and maintain that spare tire? Wonder and complete walk around! I gotta say, your sound is Amazing!!!
Thanks Darisan, not concerned about power so close to the wet bay, that plug is on a GFCI circuit. Kiteboarding is an awesome sport i love it. Thanks for watching so many of our videos, Bad sound is one of those things that really bothers me when i watch other youtube videos, so i really try hard to keep the sound clean. Larry
@@DownsizingMakesCents you can tell that you make an effort with the sound! Well done there!
@@darisanshanger1616 Thanks for noticing 🤗
The front compartment door isn't taller, so that you can open it while hitched to the truck...?
Someone else says the same thing. But we never have that open when hitched.
Alice
I’m looking into the propane tank level monitor you have. What is your experience with this product? Battery life, reliability etc…..
Luke, we actually have a video all about it. So far, we are very glad we have it
ua-cam.com/video/pv4o2Ogbq-g/v-deo.html
Alice
Hey there, we are looking at getting a set up like yours (in a class A currently) question is is the 8ft bed a must on the ram or the 6ft4in would be ok to ?(beside the jack knife ),also are you happy with the ram reliability? Do you have another vehicle or jusr the truck to run for erands?I was thinking that a smaller bed is more convenient to park when going to stores(daily driver).Would you buy again at this point a grand design? Or?Thanks in advance and of course great videos
I love my ram dually long bed crew cab. A 6 foot bed woul be ok, you would have to be careful to not hit the cab when turning hard to get into tight spot. So far the ram runs great, this summer will be 2 years. With the truck. We always change our oil and fuel filters. On schedule. All we have is the truck now, no more follow car, Alice hates driving the truck in town. Larry
Waiting on that solar video....
He’s working on it. He’s such a perfectionist so he’s waiting until he knows it really well.
Alice
Would like to see what you store in the basement. Not nosey, just trying to figure out if we can fit all the stuff that we think we need into the outside storage space of a 310GK.
Dave & Laura, we keep at least 5 big bins plus 2 tool boxes. There’s room for more but if you pack it too much, it’s hard to get to stuff. Maybe I’ll do a UA-cam community page picture. Keep a look out for it.
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents forgot to mention that I really like what Larry did to the basement where the batteries are located. Is your rig equipped with a central vacuum system? I think that units with that feature may have a port for the vacuum nstalled in the panel that appears to have been removed for the batteries.
We never had the central vac. That might have been the next year and on.
Alice
Good job on outside tour, I like it over Alice inside but then I like guys stuff.... lol
Rick, I’ll give you a pass 🤣. But Larry did put a lot of work into this.
Alice
Would you buy the 310GK again or would you recommend another unit/brand for 4 season use and cross country travel for 2 people and 2 dogs? 35’ seems like an ideal size for campsite availability and 2+2 souls onboard.
Oooh. This is a tricky question. And really depends on the individual circumstances.
I wish we were smaller. I used to want a 30’ fifth wheel that isn’t the tallest and widest legally allowed. We did look for an Arctic Fox, but those are hard to find in Florida.
Since you aren’t talking about full time? If we had a home base, I’d rather have a Class B or C - something I felt I could drive.
Because Larry was recently diagnosed with a rare Neuro disease and couldn’t tow. I don’t ever want to tow. But this is a unique situation.
But still, make sure what you pick is something both of you can handle.
Good luck 🤗
@@DownsizingMakesCents thank you for the quick response. I’m new to your channel and grateful to have come across it. Thoughts and prayers for Larry and you with his neuro disorder. I have Ménière’s disease and worry about my wife towing as well but she is willing to do what it takes when I’m too dizzy to drive. Love her for that and more. We currently have a 26’ bumper pull and need more space to do the trips we want to take. Upgrading to a SRW 1 ton pickup short bed and wanting to find a 5th wheel that will meet our needs for the next 5-10 years so far with our past two units I would not buy again so really trying to find a brand/unit that has the quality throughout especially the components that matter most. Have artic fox on the list along with solitude, vanleigh and alliance. Refuse to deal with camping world too. Understand there is no perfect RV out there but hoping to get 80% there.
I myself cannot work with gloves on I prefer to feel what I'm doing and get a good grip on it
Thomas, exactly. As long as you have stuff to clean up afterwards, Larry says no to gloves.
Alice
Question: Are you able to use the any of the a/c's with your solar set up? Thank you.
Sorry, I just saw this comment- no idea why it showed up on computer but not phone. Ugh.
We installed the Micro-air and have used it without hookup. But we installed in on the bedroom air. Larry needs to finally make a solar video haha. Dry Campers swear that you can run air with solar.
Alice
No problem. Thank you for answering.
Thank you. My wife and I are about to buy a Solitude 310GK also and I'm a little nervous about the pin weight and tow of my truck. The dealer I got the truck from and the rv dealer says no problem. Our Ram 2500 Heavy Duty Diesel (2017) has a PW of 2256 and towing of 17k the trailer has a PW of 2350 and gross WT of 15k. We are only part timers so wont have near what you have. With our super light freedom express travel trailer (5k gross wt) it was no problem. Do you think my truck can handle the Solitude safely?
PS. I loved your more because I loved additional comments from your wife. PSS plus I really appreciate you going underneath.
Yes it will work but i wouldn’t say no problem. You will need to be careful not to overload weight in the front of the RV, keep heavy items in the back over the trailer axles. You wont have much capacity to put stuff in the bed of the truck. On your first shake out trip, bring as little as possible and get the RV weighed at a cat scale. Weigh the truck alone first so you don’t have to unhook at the cat scale to get the two weights.. Calculate your pin weight. If you are really close or over, you may want to add some airbags to your 2500 rear suspension so you wont have so much squat. I’m no expert but i did do a bunch of research before i got my truck. I did make a couple of truck videos but i still need make a video about weighing the rv and choosing the right truck. Larry
Larry even told me hardly anyone goes underneath.
Alice
Team Larry 👍 I wish I could do all the mods I’ve made.
I am not surprised that you are team Larry 😂You have done so many mods, you could do a whole series on them.
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents You should have seen our Sail Boat!!
Don’t! Larry so wants a catamaran 😬
@@DownsizingMakesCents Cats are Debbie’s favorites too. Big lots of room and sail fairly flat so it makes it easy on moving the house. We’ve sailed San Fran it Cabo - great times!
Wow. That’s amazing.
Hi! I thought both videos were great;-). My husband John and I are considering the grand design solitude 310 GK. I’m wondering if you’ve been satisfied with the quality of construction of this unit? And I’m also wondering what you are pulling it with? Thank you for any suggestions you may have. There are several luxury fifth wheels in this size that we are considering, and we are having a hard time deciding whether grand design, Montana, or the Jayco Northpoint would be the better constructed fifth wheel. Thank you!! Brenda
Brenda, overall, Grand Design seems to be more solid than the others you mentioned. But no RV is perfect. The box balances stated to come undone our first trip. We also looked at Van Leigh and Mobile Suite. I loved the windows on all sides of the RV. But the kitchen and TV windows don’t open so not much cross ventilation. Plus the frameless windows don’t open much so again not much cross ventilation.
We do have two videos about our truck- Ram 3500 crewcab longbed dually. Larry says it tows like a dream.
Hope that helps.
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents Thank you Alice! Yes, that makes a lot of sense. My husband and I recently toured the Montana and Jayco North Point and came to the same conclusion. The Grand Design seems to be built better and has a more quality appearance because of it. I really appreciate your reply. I’ll alert my husband about Larry’s videos on the Ram 3500. If you get a chance and want to share with me your favorite RV parks in Florida I would greatly appreciate it;-)))! Take care! Brenda
@@brendaguertin-fritz2069 Brenda, favorite parks is a tough one. There are so many in Florida. But Anastasia, Curry Hammock, Bahia Honda, Wekiva Springs, Silver Springs just to name a few.
Alice
@@DownsizingMakesCents Thanks Alice! I will definitely research those. Have a great day 😁
@@brendaguertin-fritz2069 we have videos on all of those 😉
Any Idea how much weight was added to RV with the solar system you installed sir?
Larry estimated about 500 lbs. 1200 watts
We are still working on our detailed solar series. We have a few so far.
ua-cam.com/play/PLTSSVhr0HOziXzWEIuRLR9f9cOM4YPLdI.html
@@DownsizingMakesCents Thank you very much. Great videos. Subscribed and will be watching them all😀
Good INFORMATION I AM ON ALICE SIDE BUT U DID A GREAT JOB I AM ALWAYS ON THE FEMALES SIDE (LOL )
Mark, #teamAlice 😂. You are a smart man. Larry did do a great job. Lots of great detail.
Alice
A 2017 and the leaf springs are all bad already? That sure doesn't give me much confidence in the quality and long term durability.
Steve, you are so right. Watch our leaf spring video. The one that broke looked defective but the others look pretty flat, too. We would love to totally upgrade the suspension.
Alice
How is your gas milage. This rig seems more complicated than my 2000 Sq ft house.k
Carol, every "home" has its advantages and disadvantages. Larry wants to sail around the world- THAT looks complicated to me haha
We get between 9-10 mpg while towing.
Alice
👍🇺🇲
🤗
The manly stuff makes more sense when you're traveling 60 miles per hour with a 35 foot trailer I really don't think the size of your kitchen sink Mathers or how pretty the windows are love and respect you Alice but I still like the manly stuff better
Thomas, I’m glad Larry deals with the outside. And your right, the windows are awesome. But the mechanics is what makes the house live able. You noticed there isn’t a lot of decorating inside. That’s not important to us.
Alice