New Grand Design Reflection 230RL!

[Ctdecuir]

Thanks, Jim! It is really helpful to know about the clunking axles, and I appreciate you giving me a couple of things to check out!

[johndeerefarmer]

Thanks, Donald - I have been watching your posts for a long time! They have been extremely helpful as part of my research. Btw, I noticed that the "clanking" noise only happened when I was turning while backing the trailer - not when I was just backing in a straight line. Btw, I have to also say that this was my first backing experience, and there were more than a few "back and forth" maneuvers that I went through to get the trailer square in the the Storage slot .

Luckily, there was no one else there to witness that it took me a REALLY long time to get the trailer backed in correctly and the barrage of somewhat heated communication that went on with my wife who patiently directed me from outside the truck! Something tells me there is a rear mount Furrion observation camera coming in the near future!

The best advice I can give you as a beginner at backing it to not let anybody rush you for that is when you make mistakes. It seems that whenever you go to back into a campsite some is always waiting for you to get out of their way. I tried to hurry up once and ended up denting my driver's side running board on a boulder that was along the left shoulder of the road. Now i just take my time and let them wait.

I have a backup camera as well as a pair of Motorola walkie talkies that really help.

You can buy orange plastic cones at Walmart (I think they have them in the sporting goods section) put them out in a parking lot and practice all you want!

Have fun!

[Ctdecuir]

Thanks Donald! Good advice - we have been looking around for a parking lot to practice in... and I’m hoping that rv parks we stay at will be pull-through until I get some practice!

[Ctdecuir]

Ok - did my first mod in the 230RL! The TCL ROKU TV didn't work when we did our walk-thru, so the dealer received approval from GD to pay for a new TV. I picked up a Samsung 40" TV, and also decided to replace the articulating mount with a Morryde TV1-006H articulating mount. All together, the TV and mount weigh about 5 lbs more than the stock units. I called GD Support to see if there was backing material sufficient for the new mount, and they told me there should be backing material behind the whole TV wall (I found out the hard way this was wrong - don't ask me how...). There is only a relatively small amount of backing material about 5 inches wide in the center of the TV area. This was sufficient for the mount to be installed using some 1/4" x 1-1/2" lag bolts, and it feels pretty stout. The TV is now more centered than the original, and the new mount has about 6" more extension. This makes for a better viewing angle in most cases, so I am quite happy with the result. And the Samsung is easily a better quality TV than the TCL ROKU. I also had issues getting the original TV to easily "click" into place when locking it for transport, but the new Morryde mount has an awesome spring loaded lock which is very sturdy, and has a chain that hangs down below the TV for easy release of the mount lock.

[Cate&Rob]

Hi Chad - the MORryde TV1-006H is the same mount that many of us have used for bedroom TVs. No issues across many thousands of miles . . . although usually with smaller TVs than you have installed. You can "fine tune" the nyloc nuts and bolts at the hinge points to get just the right amount of folding friction to make the mount easy to open but still hold the TV firmly.

Rob

[Ctdecuir]

Rob - thanks for the info. I will take a look at the nyloc nut tightness, as I noticed the mount was difficult to move around. One if the things I don't like about it is the way the tilt is setup with wing nuts. It is not easy to change the viewing angle on the fly (by completely removing the wing nut bolts) so I probably won't modify what I have it set to.

Chad

[Model Citizen]

Congratulations! By the way, is the 230 RL a 30 amp or 50 amp coach?

[Ctdecuir]

The 230RL is a 30A coach.

[Steven@147]

It has been a long journey, and a ton of research - yesterday we finally picked up our new 2018 230RL! We towed it about 40 miles to the storage facility where we will be keeping it between camping for awhile - and the tow experience was better than I expected, even with pretty strong Texas crosswinds. However, this was my first time towing a 5er, so I don't have other experiences to compare it to! We have our first shakedown camping experience set for next weekend in Galveston...

About 8 months ago, I joined this forum as part of my research on the best truck, hitch, and trailer to get for our new life experience. Many of the folks on this forum have provided LOTS of unbelievably helpful feedback and information - I can't tell you how much my wife and I appreciate your willingness to help newbie's like us!

We really look forward to seeing some of you at future Rallys!

Chad & Marisa

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Chad & Marisa Welcome Aboard! Its always great to see another Texan sign on. Mark your calendar Oct 25-28 for the GDRV San Antonio Rally. We are already signed up. We went last year and had a great time, met wonderful people. Tami and I love to go to Galveston. We usually stay at Dellanera.

Have a great time

[Steven@147]

Thanks, Donald - I have been watching your posts for a long time! They have been extremely helpful as part of my research. Btw, I noticed that the "clanking" noise only happened when I was turning while backing the trailer - not when I was just backing in a straight line. Btw, I have to also say that this was my first backing experience, and there were more than a few "back and forth" maneuvers that I went through to get the trailer square in the the Storage slot .

Luckily, there was no one else there to witness that it took me a REALLY long time to get the trailer backed in correctly and the barrage of somewhat heated communication that went on with my wife who patiently directed me from outside the truck! Something tells me there is a rear mount Furrion observation camera coming in the near future!

Thats normal, Tami and I use radios when backing in a site. She keeps an eye on things I cant see in the mirrors and lets me know when the RV is positioned right for the service hook ups. We do have a rear camera but I mostly use my mirrors when backing into a site. It just takes practice and patience.

Back in our boating days we would set near the boat ramp and watch the fun!