Gary
Newbie RV’er
2015 Spree 300RLS. 2015 Chevrolet 2500 High Country Duramax.
Posts: 43 
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Post by Gary on Jan 13, 2015 12:47:08 GMT -5
Hi all,
We are Gary and Joy currently living in Roswell GA. We just purchased a Spree 300RLS at a show last week. We sold our year 2000 Trailmanor Monday and put the down payment of the Spree a few hours later. We get our walk through Tomorrow (Wednesday). I really didn't do much research but after reading all your comments I feel much better about our brand choice. Joy sat in the back of this unit and her mind was made up there was not much I could do except say yes! Our tow vehicle is a brand new 2015 Tahoe with every trailer option. I will update you all on how well the Tahoe does pulling this monster soon. We did opt for a Equal-i-er hitch we seems to get great reviews.
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Post by johnr on Jan 14, 2015 9:37:50 GMT -5
Welcome to the group Gary and Joy! Do you store your unit for the winter or are you able to camp?
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Gary
Newbie RV’er
2015 Spree 300RLS. 2015 Chevrolet 2500 High Country Duramax.
Posts: 43
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Post by Gary on Jan 14, 2015 9:55:12 GMT -5
We did not take delivery yet and are getting our walk through today. We plan to take it out next week for a few nights then return it to the lot where they are letting us store it until we can get a contractor to show up at our house and make a parking area for us. We will go through the winterizing process today. This winterizing is new to me. We used to have a Winnebago Brave many years ago in California and winterizing is not an issue there.
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Gary
Newbie RV’er
2015 Spree 300RLS. 2015 Chevrolet 2500 High Country Duramax.
Posts: 43
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Post by Gary on Jan 28, 2015 10:18:49 GMT -5
We took the Spree out for a few days just to check it out. We did find a few problems and the dealer has agreed to fix anything we want. The biggest problem and I think bad design is the heater ducts under the sink are not the insulated type so after a while when I opened the cabinet it was so hot we did not put anything plastic in there. The dealer has offered to replace the duct with the insulated type. I wrote to the company with quite a few comments and have not heard from them. I find this a little disturbing
Gary.
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Post by jgroff on Jan 28, 2015 19:32:24 GMT -5
congrats. Good choice! we ordered a 322bhs in October and just got to walk through it a couple weeks ago. to bad it will be in storage until mid April.
I was impressed by the parts they use to make the spree lx's. 4400 lb axles, all aluminum upper structure and an 8" i beam frame just to name a few. its a very under rated trailer or looking at it a different way has alot of safety margin in it.
ie. 8300 gvwr but has 4400lbs axles. they come with 15" load range d tires which is good for over 10k.
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Post by lynnmor on Jan 29, 2015 4:44:41 GMT -5
8300 gvwr but has 4400lbs axles. they come with 15" load range d tires which is good for over 10k. That is the lightest axle that can be used for that trailer weight. The tires are the minimum for that axle. |
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Post by jgroff on Jan 29, 2015 8:01:49 GMT -5
8300 gvwr but has 4400lbs axles. they come with 15" load range d tires which is good for over 10k. That is the lightest axle that can be used for that trailer weight. The tires are the minimum for that axle. I would say that's not really true. they could have gone with 4000 lb axles. typically the gvwr of a trailer comes from the 2 axles capacities plus hitch weight minus a small safety margin. ( 2x 4000 lb + dry hitch weight mine is 720lbs = 8720 lbs gvwr). this is very common from other manufacturers. my last 2 trailers were done like that. as for the tires they could have a put a load range c tire on in the same size which would cover the gvwr too ( 2150 x 4 = 8600 lbs) so when I say KZ is putting some safety margin in these trailers they actually are compared to other manufacturers. the trailer would have around 9500 gvwr from another mfg |
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Post by johnr on Jan 29, 2015 9:35:48 GMT -5
Hi Gary, glad to hear that the dealer is willing to work with you. All of my heating ducts run under the floor. Is your furnace located right next to your sink?
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Post by lynnmor on Jan 29, 2015 11:59:55 GMT -5
That is the lightest axle that can be used for that trailer weight. The tires are the minimum for that axle. I would say that's not really true. they could have gone with 4000 lb axles. typically the gvwr of a trailer comes from the 2 axles capacities plus hitch weight minus a small safety margin. ( 2x 4000 lb + dry hitch weight mine is 720lbs = 8720 lbs gvwr). this is very common from other manufacturers. my last 2 trailers were done like that. as for the tires they could have a put a load range c tire on in the same size which would cover the gvwr too ( 2150 x 4 = 8600 lbs) so when I say KZ is putting some safety margin in these trailers they actually are compared to other manufacturers. the trailer would have around 9500 gvwr from another mfg Please direct me to a source for 4000 lb leaf spring axles that would cost less than the 4400 lb units. |
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Post by jgroff on Jan 29, 2015 18:34:26 GMT -5
I would say that's not really true. they could have gone with 4000 lb axles. typically the gvwr of a trailer comes from the 2 axles capacities plus hitch weight minus a small safety margin. ( 2x 4000 lb + dry hitch weight mine is 720lbs = 8720 lbs gvwr). this is very common from other manufacturers. my last 2 trailers were done like that. as for the tires they could have a put a load range c tire on in the same size which would cover the gvwr too ( 2150 x 4 = 8600 lbs) so when I say KZ is putting some safety margin in these trailers they actually are compared to other manufacturers. the trailer would have around 9500 gvwr from another mfg Please direct me to a source for 4000 lb leaf spring axles that would cost less than the 4400 lb units. Not sure what the cost of the axle has to do with anything. My original post was stating some of the features I liked about the spree's and why I bought mine. What does the min axle size or cost have to do with the trailer having a good safety margin for its components ? I think these posts have pushed the thread off topic enough. I wanted to say congrats again on the new trailer and can you post sone pics of the old and new duct work for the furnace. |
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Gary
Newbie RV’er
2015 Spree 300RLS. 2015 Chevrolet 2500 High Country Duramax.
Posts: 43
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Post by Gary on Jan 30, 2015 10:48:15 GMT -5
Attached is the picture of the heater duct under the sink.  To the right of the sink is an 8 cu ft frig (nice) and the furnace is under the frig. As you can see the ducts are not insulated and pulled tight across the space. I feel this is sloppy work and the non insulated duct puts too much heat in the cabinet. The dealer said they will fix it and If not I will but after spending a lot of money on this unit I really don't think I should have to. Also it makes me wonder what is happening under the trailer. Its a bad design and a poor execution. There are a few other minor problems like the track for the shower doors is either sealed with silicone on the inside or installed backwards because all the water drains out of the tub onto the floor. They are going to fix that also. We love the floor plan and are very excited about getting it back. We just found parking 13 miles from our house and are considering putting in a driveway to the side of the garage. We will also need a wood fence and are balancing the cost vs the convenience of having it on the side of our house. The driveway and fence are going to cost a lot more and I plan to retire in less than five years. Gary and Joy |
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Post by jgroff on Jan 30, 2015 13:48:05 GMT -5
I bet my duct pipe looks the same. I will have to look when I pick it up. thanks for the pic.
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Gary
Newbie RV’er
2015 Spree 300RLS. 2015 Chevrolet 2500 High Country Duramax.
Posts: 43
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Post by Gary on Jan 31, 2015 9:33:13 GMT -5
After your furnace runs for a while is it hot under the sink area?
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Post by jgroff on Jan 31, 2015 12:47:45 GMT -5
After your furnace runs for a while is it hot under the sink area? I'm not sure, our first trip wont be until the beginning of May. I will be able to get into the trailer before I pick it up so I will have alook. |
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Post by shortlance on Jan 31, 2015 12:56:39 GMT -5
Hi Gary and Joy,
You said you were thinking of putting in parking at your house for your RV. I put in parking next to my garage for our 5er and to me the benefits outweigh the cost. I wired a 50amp park box on the garage wall and am parked next to our septic tank so I have full hookup right at home. Having the RV at home gives you easy access to tinker on the RV any time you want and the grandkids love to come over and stay with us at "CAMP DRIVEWAY". Another plus is it is always sitting at home so my wife can clean and stock it for camping a little at a time without having to leave home.
The only problem is that I used blacktop and it gets soft in the summer and even with 8x12 pads under them, the front jacks on our 5er put a little depression in the blacktop. If you keep your RV at home you will always be messing around with it and maintenance is a lot easier to keep up with.
It is a bit of an investment to put in proper parking but if you can afford to do it I would say do it and you will not have any regrets.
Enjoy your new toy!!!
Thane and Sharon
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Gary
Newbie RV’er
2015 Spree 300RLS. 2015 Chevrolet 2500 High Country Duramax.
Posts: 43
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Post by Gary on Feb 1, 2015 10:48:09 GMT -5
We want it at our house so bad but its not that easy. We actually have 1/2 acre but there is only 12 feet on the side of the garage and it is 66 feet from the street. Doesn't sound too bad so far. I called the city and was told that it has to be behind the front of the house and I need a 6 foot tall fence also something I can accept. The I was told that I need to have a surveyor find the property line and I need the driveway to be 2 - feet from the property line. That makes it very difficult to park an 8 foot wide trailer. The other part of the picture is that at best we hope to sell the house and retire in less than five years. So putting in a driveway and fence would be great I think its not worth it for us maybe if I was younger. As far as a 30 amp circuit the breaker box in the garage is already full because of an addition the previous owners did. So I have a lot of thing working against me. I work 2p - Midnight four days a week and can easily go pick it up before work the day before a trip and leave it in the driveway 24 hours when we get home then take it back the next morning. It just seems like the best thing to do. I would much rather have it here but don't think its going to happen.
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Post by shortlance on Feb 1, 2015 14:54:03 GMT -5
I understand your problem--you're between a rock and a hard place and in your situation I don't know what I would do. I had the perfect situation at my house- I have 3 acres and the house is 150 ft. from the road. I have a 24x35 detached garage that is set back from the house so our 5er is behind the house and aside of the garage and cannot even be seen from the road or our neighbors. If you go to the Stoneridge section and look at "pictures of my Stoneridge 36 RK" you can see it aside of the garage and the house is not in the picture but it is in front of the her. The thread is easy to find--just look for the one with over 4000 views. I have some pictures under Montego Bay also.
In the long run it really don't matter where you store it as long as you get to use it and enjoy the new memories you will be making with it.
PS--Just a note for your near future. I just retired the end of November and just wanted to tell you that it is even better then you could ever imagine!!!
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Post by spreevilla on Feb 1, 2015 15:23:05 GMT -5
Hi Gary, regarding adding a 30amp circuit, you mentioned the box is full, the easiest way to do is to add a sub panel instead of a new circuit panel and it's less expensive. I have a double wide driveway but not much left to the property line to add driveway to it, I keep mine at a storage place where I bought it from, way less expensive than storage facilities. Good luck.
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Post by spadoctor on Feb 2, 2015 10:38:41 GMT -5
Every rv manufacturer uses the heat duct you have and not an insulated duct....all about costs. My furnace is under the counter and a duct run thru it in 2 places....not a problem with anything stored there. The shower frame and base door track is sealed to the shower base with Geosel...a tough caulking / adhesive. Chances are they blocked a drain hole like on mine....a simple fix.
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Gary
Newbie RV’er
2015 Spree 300RLS. 2015 Chevrolet 2500 High Country Duramax.
Posts: 43
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Post by Gary on Feb 2, 2015 13:01:02 GMT -5
Not only is the duct not insulated but the piece was short so instead of it running against the wall it is at an angle across the cabinet. Clearly poor workmanship.
If the dealer wont fix it I will but the question is really should I have to. Still no response from the factory about my list. The dealer agreed to fix anything I want but he is about 40 miles from our house.
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