Taking delivery of Paradigm 395DS.
- Thread starter Flynet35
- Start date
Welcome.... 
There are a couple of us that would really like to hear your experience so far with your rig. Please post.
Congratulations on the 385FL and welcome to the forum!
KingDom
Active member
Oops. Still learning how to reply..Hi, Congrats on your new 385FL. We are currently shopping for a new 2024 385FL. What are you pulling it with? With the favorable weather we have been having in the W. PA area, have you had it out yet? What do you like about it best? Safe travels.
I'm pulling it with a 2020 Ford F-250 SRW (with 7.3 Gas, 3.55 axle) with no issues at all. I did add a set of LoadLifter 5000 airbags to the back of my truck which has made a big difference since its a 3/4 ton truck. Otherwise, it sagged lower than I cared. We had it out local and towed it to and from a Penn State football Game in November loaded up to about 16,000lb. (fresh water tank w/ 70 gallons) from Quakertown PA 185 miles each way. I like the unit and it has a lot of room. Still getting use to minor setbacks with always come with a new rig and learning a new RV. I also pickup up an Garmin 795 since the RV is 13'6 high (as tall as a tractor trailer) and when attached to the truck its about 62 foot long. I want to avoid any surprises while traveling to different camp sites with tight roads and low underpasses. Overall I like it a lot. The storage area "which we call the morgue for its roll out tray" under the master bedroom is great and the larger interior space and layout is perfect. Working with the customer support is very good so far for a few very small warranty items. Time will tell. Hope that helps.
KingDom
Active member
Hi SCuz,
Thanks for your input. I especially appreciate your mention of Garmon 795. Is this used for navigation or a camera? Not familiar with it. We a Furrion camera for the rear view. Focus is not great. We use wave or google maps for navigation. I’m jumping up from a Keystone Cougar 33’ 5er. Kind of intimidating to climb to a 41’ . My biggest concerns with a 41’ is scraping going up and down our steep driveway to a 90 degree road. We are considering excavating and reshaping the turn at an angle. Have you had any scraping issues? We are pulling with a 2020 F350 6.7L turbo diesel. Should be no problem towing. But I will look into whether airbags will be of benefit to us. Thanks again for your thoughts. Enjoy our mild winter season.
KimDom,
The garmon is a navigation only (for me) since i can load my RV and trucks sizes and weights prior to a trip and it will route it based on routes that are okay to travel. I installed a Haloview camera on the rear since it is a large RV, it has a great focus on it and i get real good real time views from it on such a long run with an antennal transmitting from the camera itself which is wireless. We went from a Forrest River Rockwood 32 foot travel trailers to the 385 FL. Trust me it was intimidating on the pickup and on my way out to PSU, but after a few tows i got more comfortable. You just need to make turns as a tractor trailer does so you don't clip your wheels on curbs or go off road with the trailer wheels. Not sure what you mean by scraping issues. The air bags never hurt and can be inflated and deflated at any time. without the airbags my RV dropped my truck 6 to 8 inches. we have 40lbs of air in them (you can put 5 to 100 lbs into them) which raises the rear a couple inches, but when we connect the RV its at a perfect level for towing. You are welcome. I hope to get out towards the western side of the state within the next year or 2 as i explore more sites. We have done a lot of central and eastern pa camping since i prefer to stay in PA to be able to conceal carry with all of the nonsense that has been going on over the years. I may have to pick your brain for sites out towards your region in the near future.
Mike in North Wales
Well-known member
Hi SCuz
Finally, someone nearby! We're down 309 from you, in North Wales, with a 310RL. We lived in Q-town for 9 years about 25 years ago.
I'm a bit surprised you are good with an F250 under that 385FL! We max out the axle weight on a 3500SRW with our 310. I think your rear storage helps balance the rear vs pin weight.
Maybe we'll see you around PA. I know what you mean about staying where you can be prepared.
Hi Mike in North Wales,
I did my research and talked to a couple guys that tow a lot heavier things with a 3/4 ton vehicle non-dully. He is my mechanic and said the air bags will make a big difference....and they did. Even though our pin weight difference is 345lbs, yes the back storage makes a substantial difference in balancing out the RV. I also been using a Pulllite 2400 which is lite and works very well with my truck bed and totally center on my axle. Its is easy to remove which i like since i use my truck in the city so i can attach my diamondback bed cover in minutes when needed. My old TT had all front storage and it was brutal to deal with. A question for you: Who do you use for service or warranty work when you purchased the RV? We got ours at the Hershey show and the dealer for Alliance was General RV, they are 2 hours from me for things which is not convenient. I know there is a local deal between us, but they gave me a attitude about service since it was not purchased through them. It was pretty much a turn off to me. Thanks
Mike in North Wales
Well-known member
SCuz
Check your messages. I just replied to you.
Check your messages. I just replied to you.
CornCrib
Well-known member
Hey all you PA folks…. There’s a Western PA MeetUp August 9-11. It’s being put on by Rich and Becky Geyer. We’ll be there, and I believe MikeInNorthWales will be also. Come join us.
Mike in North Wales
Well-known member
Yep! We're signed up!
Looking forward to it!
Looking forward to it!
BryanValRox
Well-known member
Morning CornCrib, would you be able to share any info on the Western PA MeetUp? I am not on Facebook and I see this link takes me there.
KingDom
Active member
Morning SCuz, your pullet sounds like a great solution to being able to remove and access the truck cargo bed. I saw one review that was a little negative. I’d like to know more about how the Pullite is rated for towing and if Alliance weighs in on what is ideal for hitching up. I currently use a gooseneck and it is a pain to connect. I use cameras but still tricky to align and connect. I am seriously considering a fifth wheel hookup this time around for maneuverability and safety. Any additional thoughts on reviews and info to help me make a decision is valued. Dom
BryanValRox
Well-known member
Hello KingDom,
It would be my opinion that the hitch set up has little to do with the scraping of the coach while traveling. The hitch obviously needs to be rated for what you will be towing and remember to pay attention to the least rated component within your hitch set up. That will be your limiting towing factor. The hitch will in fact help your truck bed clearances and your overall coach height, and ultimately the towing level of your coach. Yes, this might factor into your underbelly clearences some, but I truly do not believe it is the make or break ”Tummy” comfort you are looking for.
The underbelly drag, will be a direct result of what hangs below it(think plumbing, genset exhaust, leveling jacks, spare tire, axle overhang etc) . The length of the coach, curb clearance, approach and departure angles, tire size and the grade that you are trying to transverse are really what are the determining factors when it comes to scraping.
It might be helpful, to take a look at the resources section of this forum or the Lippert website for the installation manual of your leveling system. They normally go into some detail regarding angles that can be measured to ensure placement of the jacks are optimal for the given application. You could use a string line from the base of your tire to the bottom of your frame at the front and the rear to give you a visual of your danger zones.
KingDom
Active member
Hi Bryan, thank you for your reply. We are only scraping the bumper on our current 5'er as we come up and down our steep driveway. I believe it is caused by the sharp angle we turning into as we go up the steep driveway. We are going to try to remedy this by widening our drive at the bottom of the hill so we can come in on a lesser angle. Thanks again.