GVWR and NCC for the 3400

[vickir-MOC]

They're called "candle warmers" and they're only about $5 at Walmart. We're one of those who have an "unfortunate" experience with smoke on the ceiling. Agree completely with Carol ... the candle warmers do the trick without the smoke issue.

 

[sreigle]

Dave, we won't have the 3400 until late August (8/18 build date). While we were recently in Goshen we had opportunity to go over to the Corp office and talk with someone who knows some things about the Montanas. My question was how the GVWR and CC are caluclated, given the frames on all models are essentially the same, just longer for some and more slides on some. He did not know but said he would check and get back to me. Haven't heard yet. I expressed concern about the CC being considerably lower in the 3400 than in our 3295RK even though the 3400 is two to three feet longer. His comment was if our 3295RK is ok with all our gear then it won't be a problem for the 3400.

However, it may well put us over the GVWR of the 3400. We will have to see and then will decide how to deal with it. I will not probably weigh the rig until we have it fully loaded. We have to move from this park for Labor Day weekend since they're already booked. We are moving to a park where we have to go by a CAT scale. We will stop and do the weighings on that day, 8/30, assuming we have the new one by then.

I have not yet read this entire thread. We just arrived where we have a internet connection a couple of hours ago. I did want to comment, however, that the CC shown on the sticker in a cabinet in the coach has already subtracted a full load of water and full LP. If you don't carry 60 gallons of water you can use that weight for additional CC. We'll probably carry about 20 gallons so will have roughly 300 lbs additional we can use.

 

[sreigle]

Vicki has a few hundred DVD movies in storage drawers in that space under the TV in our 3295RK. We expect to use the same space in the 3400 the same way. Ours is not shallow. We will check that on the 3400.

We do store lots in the overhead cabinets. Some are heavy things. We've never had any of the glass broken. The cabinet doors on ours stay closed. The cabinet with the movies we do strap the two handles since those heavy things can push the doors open. Make sure the male part of the cabinet latch is perfectly aligned with the female side so both springs hold it closed. That helps a lot.

Our rear cabinets over the desk and the desk drawers we cannot see with slides retracted. We use dowel rods through the handles to make sure they don't open. If they opened and we did not know it they'd be destroyed by the slides opening. So we don't take the risk. However, for the first 3 1/2 years we had this Montana and the first 2 1/2 years of fulltiming we did not use the dowel rods and they never opened. Still, better safe than sorry.

Both the highway patrol office I talked to and our insurance agent said the weight ratings on the truck and on the Montana are guidelines, not legal requirements. They said we cannot be ticketed for being overweight. Nor could our insurance use that to refuse to pay. However, we would be susceptible to a liability lawsuit if we caused an accident and it could be shown our weight caused the accident. There is so much differing opinions being reported that I cannot say my sources are correct and the others are wrong. Hopefully we'll never have to find out. Common sense says to make sure the equipment can safely handle the load.

 

[richfaa]

Had another 45 min or so conversation with a Mor-ryde rep concerning my Perceived "chucking problem and the post by 8.1 that a softer rubber biscuit might be a solution.He looked up my order and pin box and determined that the rubber Biscuit (#4)and the 19K GVWR rating on the pin box was correct for units in the 3400 GVWR . He also related that the pin weight on the 3400 was among the lightest in its class. After a long conversation he suggested that I might be to weight conscious ( I am) and that it may ride better if I had a bit more weight on it...I figure that is something i can experiment with between now and the fall rally. I don't have the loaded weights yet but I know I am light..If I am still not satisfied we can do something at the fall rally... They are good folks to work with.

Rich& Helen N.Ridgeville,Ohio.

F-350SD, Lariat, V-10,4:30 Diff, tow command Long bed, Crew Cab Dually, 06 3400RL
Mor-Ryde Pin Box

 

[yvonnenid]

We just finished a lengthy stay on the Oregon coast. It was foggy, especially in the evenings. We just love the fireplace! If you just want to cuddle and don't need the heat you can run it without the fan. If you need the heat, you have two choices of fan speed. We really did not have to use our heater and propane. We just used the Oregon State Parks electricity! And it is so romantic sitting in front of the fire! I would never have another coach without one!

06 3670 Montana, MorRyde suspension, King Dome Satelite, 5500 onan propane generator
05 dodge 4x4 turbo diesel, six speed

 

[8.1al]

Rich,
Ours originally had a #5 in it and they replaced with a #4

"No matter where you go there you are"

Charlie & Nila
Fulltiming,formerly Hadley,MI
"presently in Hadley "
"2004" 3575RL
"2001" 2500HD, 8.1

 

[richfaa]

Charlie...The #5 would be much harder than the #4 from what I learned today . Our campers specs are very close so the #4 would have been the correct one for yours as well as mine.There may be something to the statement that I need a bit more weight on the pin to reduce the chucking I feel???... Ask questions and you learn...

Rich& Helen N.Ridgeville,Ohio.

F-350SD, Lariat, V-10,4:30 Diff, tow command Long bed, Crew Cab Dually, 06 3400RL
Mor-Ryde Pin Box

 

[dsprik]

We also love our fireplace. Glad we ordered it. It is very romantic and adds a real touch of class to the Montana. But even more important to us is the electric heater is GREAT. Only one problem... the thermostat is right above it on the side wall. It will shut down your furnace to the rest of your rig (and belly) if it is cool enough to where you need your furnace on.

We are finding enough space without the need for what the fireplace area would have afforded us.

Dave and Cheryl Sprik
Alden, MI

2002 GMC 2500HD 4x4 Ext Cab, LB, SLE (w/ full power/elect options), Draw Tite Brake Controller (Activator II), Full undercoating, Rhino Spray-In Liner
2007 3400RL
WE'RE HOME!

Don't EVER give up on your Dream.​

 

[Montana Sky]

Dave,
Do you have all of those space heaters in your coach we discussed earlier this summer??? I will be looking for them at Goshen... =)

2004 Chevy Silverado LT 2500HD CrewCab Duramax
2004 Montana 3400RL

 

[dsprik]

I am thinking that 0.4 one will be a fire hazard, Dave. Wonder if CW carries that? =)

Dave and Cheryl Sprik
Alden, MI

2002 GMC 2500HD 4x4 Ext Cab, LB, SLE (w/ full power/elect options), Draw Tite Brake Controller (Activator II), Full undercoating, Rhino Spray-In Liner
2007 3400RL
WE'RE HOME!

Don't EVER give up on your Dream.​

 

[RickFox]

Good Afternoon All,

We are back from our short stay on the Coast - must admit I like going anywhere better than going nowhere.

I just spoke with my structural engineering buddy concerning "chucking" and other such related forces. This is what he said.

You have two "coupled" heavy masses traveling down the road - the TV pulling the trailer. Each has its own suspension, each responds to road variations in its own way, and each has the desire to continue doing what it is presently doing (inertia). Additionally, the smaller mass (TV) it trying to control the direction of the larger mass (trailer).

The result is a constant tug-of-war between the two. This tugging against one another manifests itself as forces between the two that cause one or the other, or both to attempt to move in a direction different than that of the other. Motions that result include chucking, sway, wagging, bouncing, etc.

There are basically two ways of combating the problem. 1) rigidly connecting the two masses togther so they act as one (eg. Class A motor home) or 2) decouple the masses with some type of enegry consumption or disipating devise to "lessen" the effect.

Devices like the Moryde, Trailair, and Glide Ride decouple the trailer from the TV and thus lessens these effects but do not totally get rid of the effects. Those of you who have these devices can look thru the rear window of the TV and watch the trailer hitch move around with respect to the TV, and see the effects of this decoupling. But, its like just about everything else - there are trade offs. Design combinations that work well with minimizing small movements, don't do nearly as well dealing with large movements.

With respect to my Glide Ride pin box (the only one I have experience with), it works great most of the time. But some of the time, I can still feel the chucking. But all of the time, it is better than when I had just the "Plane Jane" pin box that orignally came on the Monty!

Rick & Wanda
2003 2500HD Crew Cab
Duramax with Allison Trans.
Firestone Airbags
Glide-Ride Pinbox - It's Great!
2006 3400RL - We Love The Trailer!

Montana Customer Service?

 

[RickFox]

By the way David,

There have been a number of comments and opinions about the various options. I have a comment about the king size bed.

Our last 5vr had room only for a short queen (60"x76"). It was too short, but also very difficult to make becuase it fit to tighly into the slide. Additionally, since there was little room between it and the front bedroom door, it was difficult to move around the bed side that was next to the front bedroom doors.

We thought we would order the king bed with our new Monty, but when we found out it was no longer than the queen, we opted for the queen. We have amply room to walk all the way around the bed, and it is quite easy to make up since there is about 6" of room on either side of the mattress where it fits into the slide.

Another thought - we decided to purchase and install a better mattress, and were able to purchase it at the local store (60"x80"). Such would not be the case with the king, as I believe the required size is 72"x80" with rounded corners.

Others who have the king size bed, might comment on how well it fits into the Monty bedroom - I have heard it is tight, and can be cumbersome.

Rick & Wanda
2003 2500HD Crew Cab
Duramax with Allison Trans.
Firestone Airbags
Glide-Ride Pinbox - It's Great!
2006 3400RL - We Love The Trailer!

Montana Customer Service?

 

[Montana Sky]

Rick,
Thank you for posting the info you received about chucking. I find that I usually feel smarter once I have read through the MOC each day. =) I am one who enjoys gaining as much information as possible and appreciate your input.

2004 Chevy Silverado LT 2500HD CrewCab Duramax
2004 Montana 3400RL

 

[David and Jo-Anna]

Rick:

Glad to hear from you again. Hope you had a very pleasant trip.

Thanks for sharing how you resolved the question of dealing with the poor quality bed that comes with the Monty. We plan to go with the queen size bed--my wife thinks king size beds are toooo big for cuddling--but haven't focused yet on whether to just buy a regular mattress as you did or go with a memory foam topper, or perhaps go with a sleep number bed although I've never tried one of them. Does your regular queen mattress press too tightly against the dresser with the slide in, or is there room for a mattress that is truly 80" long to fit in the 3400 when the slide is in?

And what do you and your wife think about the fireplace as a good "mood setting" device? LOL!!!

David and Jo-Anna Kikel

 

[Parrothead-MOC]

David
As far as the shorter queen size, it depends on how you sleep and how tall you are. Ed is 6' but is mostly a side sleeper and has not noticed the difference in the shorter bed. In our 05 3400 the regular queen size -80" was too long. It was the one we had purchased for our previous 5er. Part of our deal was to switch the mattress. We had to lay the end up on the dresser. We took it out and put it in our stick house to replace our 20+ year old king mattress. As you get older it is harder to cuddle in those big beds! Old bones don't move as well. We have slept in the queen bed so long in our 5ers that we decided we liked the queen better. It is nice to just pull the slide in and not worry about anything. Our custom mattress is a little taller than the Montana one (I would hope so) so I step up on the little ledge in front of the closet to get in bed. It is also heavier and on our other unit that affected the lifts for the bed but on the Montana it does not, they stay up just fine.
Happy trails.......................

Sue and Ed Rowe
Hemet California​

2005 3400RL​

2006 GMC 3500 Dually, D/A, Crew Cab, Long Bed ​

 

[richfaa]

The queen size bed that comes in the 3400 is a standard queen 60X80.It is so marked on the little tag. We purchased the Americana Bear bed (same as the sleep number bed but less expensive) it is also 60X80 and fits ok..You will have no problem with the standard 60X80 mattress , at least in the 3400.

Rich& Helen N.Ridgeville,Ohio.

F-350SD, Lariat, V-10,4:30 Diff, tow command Long bed, Crew Cab Dually, 06 3400RL
Mor-Ryde Pin Box

 

[Parrothead-MOC]

They have either made the slideout a little deeper or the dresser less deep. I don't know which. How deep is your dresser and slideout?
Happy trails......................

Sue and Ed Rowe
Hemet California​

2005 3400RL​

2006 GMC 3500 Dually, D/A, Crew Cab, Long Bed ​

 

[RickFox]

David,

As Rich mentioned, the bed delivered in our 06 Monty measured right at 60"x79" and had a tag that stated the size as 60"x80". We tried the memory foam first, and it improved the feel of the bed some, was we felt it still to limp.

Once we started looking into a different mattress, we noticed that many of the "made for RVs" mattresses were designed to bend or roll up to ease the installation into tight quarters. Many of them actually come rolled up for shippment. This causes these types of mattresses to be very weak around the sides. Also, the lack of side support caused some difficulty for my wife since it would tend to collapse some when she set on its corner to look into the sink mirror.

We purchased a somewhat firm queen mattress (60"x80") manufactured for home use. You can really tell the difference between it and the limp dishrag that comes with the Monty - cost was about $150 on sale - no fancy pillow top as it will then be too thick! We installed our memory foam on top of the new mattress and now have something that really works.

As for fit, the limp rag supplied with the Monty actually crimps up a small amount when the slide comes in and the matress comes into contact with the lavatory cabinet. The new mattress, which is much more structurally sound around the sides has difficulty. We thus move the mattress over toward the front closet several inches before we bring the slide in. Things do not get squeezed as much that way.

With respect to the fireplace, it seems to provide a fair amount of heat. But to her, me and quite a few visitors, it seems to be fasinating to watch. We get more comments on how interesting it is to watch than about anything else. You can certainly purchase an electric space heater that will do the same job for less money, but it sure is a mood setter that will be hard to beat! This is a good example of an option that seems great to one, but not worth it to another.

We are happy we purchased it.

Rick & Wanda
2003 2500HD Crew Cab
Duramax with Allison Trans.
Firestone Airbags
Glide-Ride Pinbox - It's Great!
2006 3400RL - We Love The Trailer!

Montana Customer Service?

 

[David and Jo-Anna]

Rick and Rich--

I'm a little puzzled about how well the bedroom space in the 3400 fits a regular queen size bed. Have they slightly increased the space in the 3400 since Rick bought his-so that he has to push it slightly towards the closet when bringing the slide in--while Rich does not have to do that in his later model unit?

David and Jo-Anna Kikel

 

[richfaa]

That is interesting isn't it. I went out and looked. We have a standard s 60X80 queen mattress. I went out and looked.The bedroom slide is in so I ran it out then watched as it closed. The end of the mattress is right against the dresser and a bit is on the corner of the bathroom cabinet but it did not seem to bind up against anything and the slide is entirely closed. Now you do need to make sure that the head of the mattress is all the way up against the headboard.One time it had slipped down a bit and the mattress did hit the dresser when attempting to close.It is a tight fit but we note no difference between this mattress and the OEM one in terms of length. I think the problem, if there is a problem, is the bed not being tight up against the so called headboard..We thought that we might have to remove the headboard for the extra 1/4 to 1/2 inch of space but that was not the case/// HUUmmmmmm

Rich& Helen N.Ridgeville,Ohio.

F-350SD, Lariat, V-10,4:30 Diff, tow command Long bed, Crew Cab Dually, 06 3400RL
Mor-Ryde Pin Box