Green, Green, Green.....Imagine 2670MK on Order

[dmlconcord]

Hello GD Owners, my wife and I have a 2022 GD Imagine 2670MK and hope to have it delivered by September. I'm a sponge with this forum and trying to soak up as many tips as I can before we head up to Northern Michigan in October. Currently struggling with the type of hitch I need, what I get from the Grand Design factory and whether it will will include stabilization and sway control . I drive a Ford 150 V6 Eco Boost that has the towing package and brake controller; currently trying to figure out how it will "marry" to the 2670MK. Appreciate all the input from all of you.

[ThePowells]

dmlconcord Welcome to the Family and the forum!
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[RJAPCOK]

Hello GD Owners, my wife and I have a 2022 GD Imagine 2670MK and hope to have it delivered by September. I'm a sponge with this forum and trying to soak up as many tips as I can before we head up to Northern Michigan in October. Currently struggling with the type of hitch I need, what I get from the Grand Design factory and whether it will will include stabilization and sway control . I drive a Ford 150 V6 Eco Boost that has the towing package and brake controller; currently trying to figure out how it will "marry" to the 2670MK. Appreciate all the input from all of you.

I don't think you will get a hitch from Grand Design, (or any other manufacturer), but the dealer you purchased from may have included one if you asked for it as part of the deal. So that question is better posed to the sales rep you dealt with. There are a host of hitches and you will want one that provides weight distribution and sway control.

Here's my rule of thumb. Purchase a hitch that has a load carrying capacity of at least 15% of the Gross Trailer Weight. The 2670MK has a GVW of about 8500 lbs, so your hitch should be rated for at least 1275 lbs load carrying capacity, and at least 8500 lbs of towing capacity. That goes for the truck as well. Your truck needs to have a payload capacity of at least 1275 lbs, plus the weight of all the usual "stuff" (passengers, cargo etc.) that you plan to haul, and a towing capacity of at least 8500 lbs. And the truck receiver needs to have a load carrying capacity of at least 1275 lbs and towing capacity of at least 8500 lbs as well.

The reason for all of this is that when towing, you want 10%-15% of the Gross Trailer Weight to be carried by the hitch ball. While the advertised tongue weight of the 2670MK is 690 lbs, that is the "unloaded" value and when you get propane, battery, and cargo in the trailer the tongue weight will likely be closer to 1000 lbs. That is about 12% of the Gross Trailer Weight and falls right in line with the 10%-15% rule. But that tongue weight is dependent upon how you load the trailer and can change each time to tow. If everything is sized to handle at least 15% you should be good to go without overloading anything. There is one other thing that is often overlooked. The way that Weight Distributing Hitches work, results in them carrying some of the load of the cargo in the truck bed, in addition to the trailer tongue weight. All the more reason to purchase a heavier duty hitch.

There are a lot of threads on this forum that cover htiches and there are lot of opinions. I'd encourage you to study up on them, visit dealers and look at them, and ultimately decide based upon your personal preference.

Oh... and by the way, that 2670MK is a really nice unit. My wife and I were seriously considering it, but opted for the larger 2970RL instead. I'm sure you will enjoy it immensely!

I hope this helps.

Bob

[humunuku]

dmlconcord

Hello and welcome to the family. We are very new to Grand Design too but the experience has been fantastic, in no small part to this forum. We live in Michigan and picked up our 2670MK this past May from South Carolina. The dealer was originally going to include a lower grade WDH (Weight distribution hitch), but when we arrived for delivery, they had upgraded us to a Curtis Trutrack WDH. We pull with a F150 Platinum 2020, which has the max tow package and all the frills.Despite the truck capacity meeting all the numbers (Payload, trailer weight, hitch weight) the ride from SC to Michigan was less than desirable. The back end of the truck felt very soft. The trailer was affected by wind and adjacent lanes of traffic causing the truck to wander. Although I never felt out of control, the constant tugging and swishing made the Dear Wife(DW) very uncomfortable. We started to reevaluate whether or not the F150 was enough truck. Following many comments and experiences from this forum, we made some changes. Now we are very happy with the F150 pulling the 2670MK. We have taken a few trips to Northern Michigan in preparation for our first big trip to Glacier in August. In our opinion, we feel that the revisions that were made since bringing our baby home have the towing setup performing perfect for this trip.

The first thing I did was increase the tire pressure on the truck from the soft, cushy ride of 35PSI (from factory) to 45psi. This is just short of the 51psi marked on the sidewall of the tire The second thing we did was study and read the hitch setup from Curt Mfg. In my opinion, the dealership did not install the hitch properly, Curt recommends lifting the trailer and truck with the tongue jack 3 inches in order to put enough downward force on the spring bars. From the RV dealer, I only had to lift the truck 1-1/2 to 2 inches. Also, there was about 2" of sag in the rear of the truck after hitching the trailer. Ford Towing manual specifies for only a 3/4" sag. After adjusting the hitch, this helped a lot with the trailer but not completely. The last and best improvement we made was adding Airlift AirBags to the rear suspension (~$1,000). They are double bus with and internal jounce. It took less than 3 hours for my local Brake/Tire shop to install. I started at 35 PSI but this lifted the truck and tongue of the trailer too much. I tried 25psi, but settled on 10psi. This provided the best height and best ride when pulling the trailer. When not pulling, I could go to 5 psi for a softer ride and maybe let some air out of the tires, but for now we just endure the stiffer suspension. I could have purchase an onboard compressor for easy filling and depressurization, but wanted to make sure this solution would work before spending additional $1000. The Following this installation my DW can now relax enough to sleep while we drive. Now we even have enough confidence to drive across the Mighty Mac.

Regarding adjusting the hitch and adding airbags, I am not sure which helped more, but I would recommend both as a single solution. The truck has less than 3/4" sag, the trailer is level, and I can drive with a light grip(2 fingers) if I so desired but not recommended. Lastly, encourage your RV dealership to include a premium hitch as part of the purchase and setup.

Good luck and happy camping

[Cate&Rob]

dmlconcord
Welcome to our owners technical forum.

There is an option on an F150 called HDPP (Heavy Duty Payload Package) which is the best configuration for towing near the limits of the truck. Unfortunately dealers almost never stock trucks with this option . . . and some don't even seem to know about it. HDPP comes with 60 psi or higher LT (light truck) tires rather than the standard 35 psi passenger car tires. Also heavier rear springs, a larger rear axle and different suspension tuning. Looking at what Ford does to improve the towing stability of the F150 is a good guide to what you might consider doing. The easiest improvement that can be made to a non-HDPP F150 is to upgrade to LT tires. Rear air bags will also help the towing stability.

All 1/2 ton trucks (including the HDPP F150) come with Class IV hitch receivers. These are typically rated for under 1200 lbs with a weight distributing hitch. There will be a label on the underside of the hitch frame listing exactly what yours is rated for. You also need to keep an eye on payload which includes tongue weight of the trailer plus everything else that you put into the truck. This will be listed on the drivers door tire information label. It will be stated as "Combined Weight of Occupants and Cargo should never exceed ??? lbs."

The Ecoboost will definitely be capable of hauling your Imagine. I tow a larger Reflection without any problems. I do lock out top gear (6th for me . . . might be more for you with a 10 sp transmission) to keep engine RPM at about 2100 at towing speed. This is just into the turbocharged RPM range where the engine pulls comfortably. This should eliminate most transmission downshifts on gentle grades.

Rob

[familytruckster4]

Whatever hitch you decide on its likely (based on my experience) that the dealer will not have it adjusted properly. You will need to readjust it anyways after loading it with your stuff since that changes the trailer weight balance significantly. I personally used the Reese dual cam (or whatever they are calling it these days) I felt it was a good balance between price and performance. I ran this hitch on 3 different trailers, the biggest was an Open range 36 ft that weighed over 10,000 #. Whatever option you chose (and theres plenty out there) I would order a unit with weight bar capacity above what your anticipated tongue weight will be. You can always adjust a heavy bar to less weight but you cant adjust a light bar for heavier weight.

[Julann]

dmlconcord
Welcome to our owners technical forum.

There is an option on an F150 called HDPP (Heavy Duty Payload Package) which is the best configuration for towing near the limits of the truck. Unfortunately dealers almost never stock trucks with this option . . . and some don't even seem to know about it. HDPP comes with 60 psi or higher LT (light truck) tires rather than the standard 35 psi passenger car tires. Also heavier rear springs, a larger rear axle and different suspension tuning. Looking at what Ford does to improve the towing stability of the F150 is a good guide to what you might consider doing. The easiest improvement that can be made to a non-HDPP F150 is to upgrade to LT tires. Rear air bags will also help the towing stability.

All 1/2 ton trucks (including the HDPP F150) come with Class IV hitch receivers. These are typically rated for under 1200 lbs with a weight distributing hitch. There will be a label on the underside of the hitch frame listing exactly what yours is rated for. You also need to keep an eye on payload which includes tongue weight of the trailer plus everything else that you put into the truck. This will be listed on the drivers door tire information label. It will be stated as "Combined Weight of Occupants and Cargo should never exceed ??? lbs."

The Ecoboost will definitely be capable of hauling your Imagine. I tow a larger Reflection without any problems. I do lock out top gear (6th for me . . . might be more for you with a 10 sp transmission) to keep engine RPM at about 2100 at towing speed. This is just into the turbocharged RPM range where the engine pulls comfortably. This should eliminate most transmission downshifts on gentle grades.

Rob

Rob is spot on about the LT tires. My last truck did not have them and it was very unsettling to feel the sidewall flex that was occurring during towing. It almost felt like the trailer was swaying but it wasn't when I looked in the mirrors. White knuckle driving, especially in a cross wind or when a semi took wind off by approaching me from behind. While my new truck has the heavy duty tow and heavy duty payload, I am confident the LT tires was an enormous help to the towing experience.

[dmlconcord]

Thank you everyone for the great information your provided. Extremely helpful and I have them in my notes. I just got the call today that our new MK2670 has arrived; I'm scheduled to get my orientation next week. Any recommendations on picking up the TT from the dealership? Also, I'm being asked about purchasing the 5 year warranty for all parts as well as the Wax coating that is supposed to protect the exterior "forever". I've never been a big warranty guy; but I"m not a Mr. Fix It guy either. I'd be interested in your thoughts.

[familytruckster4]

Since you asked, the "wax" is a scam in my opinion. There is no super duper wax that will last for years. They are betting on a hope that your trailer wont fade and if it does they can hide behind the fine print. Save your money.
As far as an extended service plan, that depends on your tolerance for risk, your ability to fix things yourself and your dealers service dept. Some dealers are notoriously bad about repairing units in a timely manner and it can take weeks for even minor issues. They love to blame delays on getting parts from the manufacturer, the reality is that they push warranty work off if they have deliveries and more profitable work. They will tell you horror stories to try to scare you into buying the plan, bear in mind that this is the center of profit for any RV or automotive dealer. The RV dealer makes a ton of money off of service plans. It boils down to a personal choice but just bear in mind that the house always stacks the game in their favor.
You should also consult your insurance agent about the issue of "gap" insurance. We insure our trailer very inexpensively because its on our home and auto policy with an agreed value a little above what a new one would cost. All for significantly less than what the dealer wanted just for gap insurance.

Good luck.

[dmlconcord]

As noted, I'm new to this Forum. This "Like" / "Unlike" thing is very confusing. I'm not sure if i'm LIKING or UNLIKING but to be clear; I appreciated all responses given to me.

[Country Campers]

As noted, I'm new to this Forum. This "Like" / "Unlike" thing is very confusing. I'm not sure if i'm LIKING or UNLIKING but to be clear; I appreciated all responses given to me.

You are doing just fine. When you click the "Like" button it will change to "Unlike" , just incase you want to "Unlike" the post. If you click on the window beside the "Like" or "Unlike" button it will show you who liked the post.

Brian