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.
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Originally posted by JB's 310Gk View PostHello, 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.
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.
HowardForum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.
Howard & Francine
2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus
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Originally posted by JB's 310Gk View PostHello, 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.Jeff
2019 Solitude 375 RES
2020 Ford F450 Platinum
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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
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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.Jerry and Kelly Powell, with Halo, Nash, Reid, Cleo, Rosie, and the two newest additions Shaggy and Bella..
Nash County, NC
2020 Solitude 390RK-R
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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.Last edited by Timmy; 03-11-2022, 10:28 PM.
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Originally posted by Timmy View PostSo 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.
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.
HowardForum moderators are not GD employees--we are volunteers and owners presumably just like yourself. Unless specifically mentioned otherwise, we have nothing to gain should you choose to purchase a product or engage a service we discuss on this forum.
Howard & Francine
2017 Ford F-350 DRW, '19 315RLTSPlus
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