Grandby / No Wheels

B

bobg333

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Oct 5, 2007
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OK, I'm an official member of the group now. I bought a 2004 Grandby four hours ago. One hitch: I don't own a pickup.

So, I sent this question to FWC but it is always good to get more input: I'm leaning toward a 1999-2005 Dodge RAM2500 with the Cummins engine. Is that a good match with the Grandby? Any other thoughts, good or bad?

Bob in LA
 
Welcome to the club Bob,

I think the Cummins & the Grandby is one of the best combos you could get, you won't even know the camper is there. There are s few guys on here with this set up, I am sure they will chime in.

Enjoy.
 
Hey I just bought an 04 grandby on Sat......and I bought an f250 the week before........the one thing I did was to measure the cabover to make sure it fit over the cab and the height of the side of the camper. you could also check the FWC site for fit.........I was also looking in to a diesel but I wont drive it enough to of set the cost........have fun I know I will....
 
2004 Hawk with a 2004 Dodge 2500 CTD. Truck doesn't know theres anything thing. Its pulls great. Its suspension is heavy enough I've never once wish I had the camper jacks on (on the other hand it rides like a truck) or experienced any handling problems from the weight. Plus I have power to spare to tow my Jeep.
 
grandby truck

That is probably one of the best combinations that you can put together. I had the same set up for a couple of years and you won't even know the camper is on the truck. My gas mileage hardly varied with or without the camper. You can't go wrong with that set up.
 
Hi Bob,
I have a '06 Ram with a CTD. As said before the truck is oblivious to the camper and there is very little difference in milage with the Hawk on or off. And oh my ...the power
 
Good morning Bob,

I have an 05 Dodge CTD 4X4 and it is great. There was a recent discussion on the TDR about which year is the best. The general consensus was 04.5 to the 06 models. When I bought mine, diesel was less than regular gas. I calculated that it would take me 60k miles to pay off the diesel engine cost, of course now that diesel cost more then regular that went out the window. I've guestamated the the pay back is around 80k miles now. To me the biggest advantage of the diesel is the 500 mile range of the fuel tank.

I noticed that you are in the LA area, so am I. If you would like to take some measurements on a Granby or see how it looks PM me and we can get together.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Welcome aboard !

Did you get your camper from Doug Tyler ?

He sent me a picture on Sat. -- not sure if this is the same camper or not ?

If it is, it looks like a nice one.

I thought he was down in LA / So Cal somewhere.

If that is the same camper, it should fit great on the Dodge Ram trucks.

Just have him remove the small spacer under the camper he added for putting the camper on his Ford SuperDuty.

Feel free to let us know if you have any questions we can help with once you get it.


Happy Camping !

==============================================

OK, I'm an official member of the group now. I bought a 2004 Grandby four hours ago. One hitch: I don't own a pickup.

So, I sent this question to FWC but it is always good to get more input: I'm leaning toward a 1999-2005 Dodge RAM2500 with the Cummins engine. Is that a good match with the Grandby? Any other thoughts, good or bad?

Bob in LA



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there were three different 2004 Grandby Models for sale at the same time (wow).

I heard the one in Napa sold this weekend

I think the one in Davis is still available (un-confirmed though)

Let me know if you need his contact info (the Davis guy) ?

His name is Aaron Setran, we just put a new 2007 Keystone Model on his truck for him a few weeks ago, so I know he would like to sell his 04' Grandby

I saw his 04' Grandby about a month and a half ago, it looked like it was in very good condition - very clean -- nice camper !


===================================================


bobg did you get your grandby in Davis?
 
Stan I just made another post I bought the Granby in Napa........
 
i have granby envy...:D , look like some really nice campers, spacious and clean...
 
Welcome Bob, thats a nice camper you have there. The cummins is a great diesle and I don't think you will be disapointed. Still, I'm more of a Ford guy and I think you should also check them out. I am on my second truck with the Power Stroke Diesle and couldn't be happier. Both are good motors so either way you can't loose.

Marc
 
Thanks all for the welcome.

Yes, Stan, I bought it from Doug Tyler. My wife kept saying, "I can't believe how clean it is." So, I thought that was a good sign.

After researching it, my primary interest in the light-weight, low-profile Grandby and the CTD (a new bit of jargon I just learned!) centers around the idea of maximizing gas mileage given the need for a full-size truck. I am an environment-oriented person and the idea of single digit mileage is something I cannot deal with even if I could afford it. I have never owned a diesel vehicle before. Is there some other option I should be considering? Everyone talks about the power of the CTD but maybe I don't need it. I will definitely be off-road in Baja in this rig but I am not likely to ever be towing anything.

Bob in LA
 
Bob,

As others have said that is a great combination. This is my first diesel truck and I will never go back to gas. With the price of diesel today I'm not sure it will ever pay for itself but the power and range are awesome.

Either a Dodge or Ford 3/4 ton will handle the Grandby with no problem. If you can find one with a camper package you will get some suspension upgrades that will help handling.

If you are considering a new truck I would first check on the availability of ultra low sulfur diesel in Mexico for your Baja adventures. I missed my Baja trip last year so I don't know what Pemex is pumping now. Only '07 or newer trucks require this fuel. Also diesel is cheaper than gas in Mexico.

Dick
 
Diesel...

I do not have a diesel truck although what you propose would pretty much be my dream set-up. I do know that anywhere else in the world you might drive your camper rig, diesel is cheaper and more available than gasoline. Remember, there are trucks and buses in places where there are few and other personal vehicles. My experiences driving outside of the country are few, but I know that in Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, diesel is anywhere from $.50 to $1.00 a gallon cheaper. That means something when gasoline is $5.00 a gallon as in Belize. I think that most of that diesel is of a higher sulphur content than here though.

I have been told that it is becoming difficult to buy a new gasoline powered car in Europe....they are nearly all diesel.....this is hearsay though.

I have never seen anyone on a overland RTW trip using a gasoline powered 4 wheeled vehicle.

Brian
 
Bob,

I think the CTD will be overkill with a FWC but not necessarily in a bad way. The mileage should be relatively good (perhaps CTD owners can post their fuel mileage) though with any new gas truck you won't see single digit fuel mileage with the FWC. Just to give you an idea, the worst I have seen with my small V8 was 11-mpg and that was 70+mph with a strong head wind. I normally see 13/14 mpg with the camper and 15/16 without.

Depending on how environmentally motivated you are, you could explore Biodiesel and vegetable oil conversions?

Sounds like you might be having a hard time justifying the extra cost of the diesel truck? How long do you plan to keep the truck? The diesel engines last forever.

When I wear out my current truck, I will go to diesel. Diesel technology is really advancing and diesels are becoming more and more prevalent in the U.S. and I think this trend will continue greatly over the next few years.
 
The mileage on my CTD 4X4 is 15 city, 18 highway with the FWC on. To get the 18 hyw I have to set my cruise control buy tachometer at 1800 RPM. This is about 68 MPH. On a trip through Utah and Colorado on a mix of two lane, forest service road and interstate I averaged 17 MPG. Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Mike
 
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