Generator installation in my 2020 Solitude 310GK

[JB's 310Gk]

Hello, I recently purchased a 2020 Solitude 310GK that was purchased new in June of 2020. The husband of the original buyer passed away and she had to sell. They did not purchase the rig with the generator prep kit and I now want to install an Onan 5500 propane generator. I've called a couple GD dealers and have received varying information. Some quoted me $9-$10K for the effort. I asked others if I supply the parts would they do the work, and they said they would. I can purchase the Gen itself for around $4.6K. The questions I have are as follows. 1) has anyone else taken this route and if so, what was your experience. 2) what was the cost of the other required equipment and where di you buy it, and lastly, what was your total cost in doing so? The places telling me they will do the labor only effort are saying its 6-8 hours of works at anywhere from $125-$145 an hour, or around $1.1K, leaving a lot of room for piece parts.

[howson]

Hello, I recently purchased a 2020 Solitude 310GK that was purchased new in June of 2020. The husband of the original buyer passed away and she had to sell. They did not purchase the rig with the generator prep kit and I now want to install an Onan 5500 propane generator. I've called a couple GD dealers and have received varying information. Some quoted me $9-$10K for the effort. I asked others if I supply the parts would they do the work, and they said they would. I can purchase the Gen itself for around $4.6K. The questions I have are as follows. 1) has anyone else taken this route and if so, what was your experience. 2) what was the cost of the other required equipment and where di you buy it, and lastly, what was your total cost in doing so? The places telling me they will do the labor only effort are saying its 6-8 hours of works at anywhere from $125-$145 an hour, or around $1.1K, leaving a lot of room for piece parts.

Hi JB. Since that was your first post, when you get a chance please check out the Welcome Letter to New Members https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members

I don't have a 310 nor installed a generator, but I do have a suggestion. On the home page of this forum is the phone number to Grand Design Customer Service. Give them a call (have your VIN handy). What I'd try to figure out is what's different between a 310GK with a generator from the factory vs one that does not come with the generator. Obviously the generator isn't installed--but what else? Fire suppression? Exhaust routing?

Please post what they tell you. I'd also verify that everything supposed to be in your trailer is there before starting the project.

Howard

[Txfivver]

Hello, I recently purchased a 2020 Solitude 310GK that was purchased new in June of 2020. The husband of the original buyer passed away and she had to sell. They did not purchase the rig with the generator prep kit and I now want to install an Onan 5500 propane generator. I've called a couple GD dealers and have received varying information. Some quoted me $9-$10K for the effort. I asked others if I supply the parts would they do the work, and they said they would. I can purchase the Gen itself for around $4.6K. The questions I have are as follows. 1) has anyone else taken this route and if so, what was your experience. 2) what was the cost of the other required equipment and where di you buy it, and lastly, what was your total cost in doing so? The places telling me they will do the labor only effort are saying its 6-8 hours of works at anywhere from $125-$145 an hour, or around $1.1K, leaving a lot of room for piece parts.

Welcome JB, I will field this question as I did the exact same thing to my Solitude 375. Mine did not come with the generator prep package either. I would try hard to find a reputable dealer in your area and let them do the install. There are a lot of odds and ends that go with it. You'll need the metal box it goes in, transfer switch, the propane line and T fitting to tie into the street side propane regulator, the complete exhaust system with hangers, the remote start switch and hour meter that mounts in your switch cabinet inside the rig. That's all I can think of right now but that list is pretty complete. I paid my very competent selling dealer $ 7000 total including the Onan 5500 LP generator. I was ok with that price considering all the pieces involved and all the labor involved. They also got all of the parts direct from Grand Design except for the Onan so I know it's basically a factory install. Good luck if you get one, you will love having it!

[RV4FUN]

I just did this on my 2020 Solitude 310GK. Job was competed late Oct 2020.
My Solitude did have the generator prep kit....I think it was around $800 on the sticker price....
included in the prep kit was the metal box in the front storage compartment, a remote interior start switch (with hour meter) inside the control panel and some wiring leading down to the storage area where the generator is installed.
I bought a new Onan 6500 LP generator on line(about $5400).....had it delivered to a RV shop 20 minutes from home and they installed the Onan 6500.
The RV shop provided a Progressive Dynamics automatic transfer switch and installed it along with a wiring harness(for connection to battery & transfer switch), propane line ---- fittings and connections for propane, and an exhaust system with hangers.
His total charge was around $1350 for the install and parts. His hourly price was around $135/hr and I recall he had 6 or 7 hours of labor on the final invoice.
My local dealer had quoted $6400 to $6800 for an installed Onan 5500 LP..... I get the bigger unit for a very close price to the local dealer. Good or bad it is too early to say..
The trailer was at the install shop for 3 days.....he said the wrong exhaust system was delivered and he had to get correct one so it took a day longer than anticipated.
I now have a total of 12 hours on the generator and it works great. A side note-----Be prepared to fill those propane tanks.....these things eat propane.

Ken
2020 Solitude 310GK
2017 Ram 3500 Dually

[ThePowells]

JB's 310Gk Welcome to the forum and the family! Ours did not have the prep kit, so they had to do a ground up install and (the best part) is the tech was a master tech in an Onan shop. It took a little over a day and a half to do ours and it was an expert install. That night I went back to the campground and after getting everything squared away, I fired it up and turned on everything electrical that I could find and let it go for two hours. I picked a very secluded spot that was more then 400 feet from the next closest camper so I wouldn't bother anyone. Then in the middle of this, security dropped off three homeless campers right behind me. Then they found out that they didn't have tent poles.

[Timmy]

So the auto transfer switch is not included in the generator prep kit? We just received our 2022 310GK that we ordered with gen prep and was planning on using a westinghouse iGen4500 dual fuel and hoping to plug it into the gen prep wiring. I know I'll have to make a 30A connection that will plug into female port on generator and assumed there was a auto-transfer switch already installed. I need to contact GD and ask for a wiring schematic. If anyone has done this, has any suggestions, etc please respond. I'm new to this site and happy to know such a forum exist for us.

[howson]

So the auto transfer switch is not included in the generator prep kit? We just received our 2022 310GK that we ordered with gen prep and was planning on using a westinghouse iGen4500 dual fuel and hoping to plug it into the gen prep wiring. I know I'll have to make a 30A connection that will plug into female port on generator and assumed there was a auto-transfer switch already installed. I need to contact GD and ask for a wiring schematic. If anyone has done this, has any suggestions, etc please respond. I'm new to this site and happy to know such a forum exist for us.

Welcome to the forum, Timmy. Please take a moment to read the Welcome Letter to New Members to get oriented to the forum. Link here: https://gdrvowners.com/forum/main-fo...to-new-members

As you'll learn in the Welcome Letter, there isn't a diagram a wiring available. May be hard to believe, but that's the truth. The best you'll get is a "plan" which is not very useful for your purposes.

Using the Parts Lookup website (link on menu bar above) the 310GK uses a 50A Transfer Switch. https://www.granddesignrv.com/owner-...s/detail/68487

Your trailer's paperwork should have included a build sheet which will list what came on your unit. GD will provide that to you if you call Customer Service (if you don't have it) and they can also confirm what is in your particular unit.

Howard