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Old 10-18-2018, 02:37 PM   #1
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Winslow 31 vs NW AF

Hello all,

We're going full time this spring, stationary for a year as jobs finish up, and then traveling often after that, focusing on state and national parks.

We're looking at shorter fifth wheels to allow for mobility and shorter site access and it seems there are several nice condition Winslow 31s out there, like this one.

I wonder if these are too much for our 2019 GM 3500HD SRW Duramax. We plan to install a good bit of solar and a washer/dryer. Our alternative might be a lighter Arctic Fox fiver.

Anyone have experience pulling the 31 IKE with a SRW 1-ton? Thanks.
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Old 10-18-2018, 02:53 PM   #2
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We pulled our 34RKM for a couple of years with a 2012 GMC 3500 srw. We were pushing the weight limits of the truck and were never happy with the ride it gave us while towing. Our dually is a bit of overkill but it handles it very well. I would think your GMC would be a pretty good match for a 31 footer even after adding the solar and washer/dryer.

I'm not sure what the hitch weight is on that one but maybe someone else does. Once you find out look at the yellow sticker on the driver's side to see how much weight your truck can carry. Add the hitch weight of the trailer to the weight of your hitch, you and any passengers and whatever else you might carry to see if stays within the recommended rating. There are other figures to check such as towing weight, etc. but you should be fine with that truck.
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Old 10-18-2018, 05:20 PM   #3
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Thanks Jim. I've now read through much of the stickied posts above and noted from signatures that a number of the shorter models have been pulled by similar trucks by members here. Now to convince my wife that these 2013-2015s without residential fridges, LED lights and some of the other modern features of the day are still better for us than an Alpine, Bighorn or NW AF.
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Old 10-18-2018, 06:47 PM   #4
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We have had ours for 7 seasons, used it on average 3 months a season and towed it over 50K miles. The only repair to the house part has been one slide adjustment the second year we had it. There have been a few components replaced like the water pump and gas leak detector. The fully boxed frames are pretty tough and that is hard to find on most new ones. Excel was not noted for being glitzy like some less expensive models but they are tasteful and livable.

We had thought we would look for a new one but haven't found anything we like better or that is built nearly as well without breaking the bank. We have decided to keep it for the long haul and have changed out the couch and recliners, added a Winegard Trav'ler roof satellite and a year ago changed the Dexter suspension to MorRyde IS. I also changed out all the interior light bulbs to LED.
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Old 10-19-2018, 06:01 AM   #5
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I have a 2014 31 IKE and I love it. We travel in ours for 5 months in the winter and it has been very good to us. It is a very well built fifth wheel but has to be maintained. If it has a Rhino roof I would stay a way from it. Check the caulking for any leaks it might have or did have.

When I bought my Excel in 2013 we I did the calculation for the weight limit of the GMCs and we needed a dually to tow it. The newer pickups have higher weight capacities and you might get away with the SRW GMC. Check the tongue weight and the rear axial capacity of your newer GMC.
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Old 10-19-2018, 08:24 AM   #6
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Thanks John and Rita.

I know our truck has a RAWR of 7,050 and a GCVWR of 25,300. An actual loaded pin weight is of course a great unknown, leaving us with the usual 20ish percent calculation based on the trailer's GVWR.
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Old 10-19-2018, 12:54 PM   #7
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I'm trying to remember but I think the pin weight on our 34 was listed at 2680, or close to that anyway. We added a Splendide combo washer/dryer which sits up front and adds around 150 pounds. Add in a bunch of clothes in the closet, bedding, things in the storage bay and other stuff and we gained about 400 pounds.
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Old 10-19-2018, 09:38 PM   #8
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Jim, 2680.....what kind of girlie rig is that??? Our last weigh-in on our old Charm was 3960 on the tongue. Ha! We were FT with all the goodies in the front bay. You know.... a 100 lb. floor jack and stuff like that. We actually were tapping the higher end of the limits of payload on the duallie!!!! We were living "large"!
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Old 10-20-2018, 07:51 AM   #9
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Tom, I know it's just a Winslow. What can I say.

As I think about it the listed hitch weight may have been 2860. This aging stuff is fogging my mind.
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Old 10-20-2018, 01:07 PM   #10
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Jim, I love rattling your cage.....cause it's easy! Ha. I really miss RVing and the travel big time.
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