26.5 Rear Kitchen October 25, 2020, 08:34:25 pm Have seen a couple 26.5 Rear Kitchen models out there. Can anyone tell me more about those? Why did LD discontinue that floor plan? Still more interested in the 30 IQ but intrigued by this rear kitchen floor plan. 1 Likes
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #1 – October 26, 2020, 12:11:43 am Keep asking questions and keep your options open. It will help you spot the 'right' one and more importantly the 'wrong' ones. Joel
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #2 – October 26, 2020, 10:25:00 am Thank you Joel. From your photo, your rig looks really nice. How long have you had it and how do you like traveling with a 30 ft. We are so used to our little 23.5 ft, we are not certain how it will be driving the 30ft. We do not really want to tow. The main place we go is to the family farm in Iowa where we keep a little Ford Ranger. But we also sometimes travel to see kids in Oregon and Colorado which involves mountain passes..... of course just getting out of the valley here in the Phoenix area always involves mountains. Would be interested in your opinion since you have been so kind to show interest in our quest. We are pretty excited... though bittersweet.... that we have successfully sold our 23.5 TK.
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #3 – October 26, 2020, 10:55:21 am Quote from: Debetch - October 26, 2020, 10:25:00 amThank you Joel. From your photo, your rig looks really nice. How long have you had it and how do you like traveling with a 30 ft. We are so used to our little 23.5 ft, we are not certain how it will be driving the 30ft. We do not really want to tow. The main place we go is to the family farm in Iowa where we keep a little Ford Ranger. But we also sometimes travel to see kids in Oregon and Colorado which involves mountain passes..... of course just getting out of the valley here in the Phoenix area always involves mountains. Would be interested in your opinion since you have been so kind to show interest in our quest. We are pretty excited... though bittersweet.... that we have successfully sold our 23.5 TK. Debbie, I've traveled over most of the major passes in the West in my 30', sometimes towing, sometimes not. I've always made it to the other side. On steeper ones while towing, I might have been going slowly at the top with the radiator cooler screeching, but I always made it. Chris
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #4 – October 26, 2020, 12:27:43 pm Thanks Chris. How did it go on the downgrades? That is our biggest concern.
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #5 – October 26, 2020, 01:01:49 pm I am curious about the RK floorplan. It seems impractical to have the lounge/bedding in the front by the door.
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #6 – October 26, 2020, 01:51:22 pm Quote from: Skholderby - October 26, 2020, 01:01:49 pmI am curious about the RK floorplan. It seems impractical to have the lounge/bedding in the front by the door. If you look at the Rear Bath configuration, it is the same way.
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #7 – October 26, 2020, 02:17:12 pm Quote from: Debetch - October 26, 2020, 12:27:43 pmThanks Chris. How did it go on the downgrades? That is our biggest concern.Fine, but using lower gears on steepest grades and going slowly. Turning off overdrive on less steeper grades sometimes is all you need.Chris
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #8 – October 26, 2020, 03:01:20 pm Quote from: Debetch - October 26, 2020, 12:27:43 pmHow did it go on the downgrades? That is our biggest concern.In my opinion, it’s important to start the downside SLOW. And the higher grade, the slower we go. For the most part, the tow haul feature and the transmission will provide the correct gear up to about Grade 5. At Grade 6 above, I manually put the transmission into 3rd gear and I start down slowly. We tow a Subaru which helps slow the descent with it’s brakes. I’ll tap the brakes to keep our speed at a level that matches the road conditions and my comfort level. On steep grades, I’m just fine with 20 mph. Btw, this style of driving might be rewarded with a one finger salute. On our recent trip to the PNW, we received 3 such awards and 2 others aggressively cut in front of us as they passed us. Nevertheless, we wished them a good day and pleased that they were now in front of us. That’s how we do it. Others may handle steep grades differently. 1 Likes
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #9 – October 26, 2020, 03:07:38 pm Quote from: Debetch - October 25, 2020, 08:34:25 pmWhy did LD discontinue that floor?According to some, the RK model was not as popular as the MB and RB. The RK had a smaller kitchen as compared to the other 2 models. So the Factory decided to eliminate that model just a few years ago. And that’s my understanding.
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #10 – October 26, 2020, 08:42:56 pm Debtech, if you want to see what it's like driving the 30IB, go down to UHaul and rent a 27ft for the day. It's the same frame, just tacked 4ft of iron on the backside (well, there's a bit more to the process then that but its transparent. You just have to take a little more care in turning with the extra 4 ft. The walk-around bed was the critical issue in the purchase. My main concern is the weight. The extra weight brought it up to 12.8K empty with gas, propane and no water. I am always considering the weight of 'stuff' and very rarely travel with more than 10 gallons of water. Weight is usually over 14K with a 14.5K GVWR. 45/48K miles have been with a tow'd (aka closet).The biggest issue I've had with grades (up and down) is accepting the accolades of the finger-flippers who seem to feel that their travel plans are more important than my safe operations. My suggestion to you on that is to develop a thicker skin, cheery smile and wave back at them with all five fingers. Take it as slow as safety dictates - and remember, where ever you are, in your LD, you've already arrived. That said, were I to do it again, now that my wife is gone, I'd get a shorter one with a full tank of water. I'm keeping the 30IB. It's home and it's paid for.Good luck on your quest. Safe travel and see you down the road.joel 2 Likes
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #11 – October 26, 2020, 11:39:48 pm Debtech,It turns out to be a very personal choice, and you might have to live in different models for some time before you decide what you really want/need. CCC is a big difference with the 30/31' LDs, especially pre 2008.For us, we were aiming for a MB, but a TK came up close to us for a very low price that we could play and learn with (being new to RVs). After about 2 years, when we discussed our "wish" list, we realized that while a 27' MB would give us an important one (2 separate spaces and still have the king size bed), we also really wanted more cooking prep area (especially when we are both doing prep at the same time) and more fridge space and a 31' TB would let us do modifications to give us what we wanted (and be more difficult to do with a 27'). I am so tired of owning stuff, that trimming things down to the essentials (plus a little bit more) actually made me happy.However, if it was just me (even with a larger dog or two), I would go for a 27', not a 31'. Scott gets more claustrophobic, so he might stick with a 31' even if it was just him and no dogs.That said, I have met a couple that full timed in a 23' and that worked great for them.I have met 31' full timers (or at least half timers) that had filled up all their space/CCC, where as others had tons of space/CCC left to fill and nothing else they wanted in their LD.I originally started out thinking I wanted every space to be able to do double duty and wanted a bed that would convert to non-bed usable space. And why would we need a couch up front with 2 in the back lounge area. We have moved to wanting a "lounge together" area as well as a sleep, nap, and watch a movie area - so the bed/lounge area is used for that. And while we really don't care for a "dining room" (we didn't use on in a sticks and bricks house for the last several decades), we think a couch up front would be useful (though it might turn into lounge chairs instead).So think - do you want guests in your RV regularly or you will socialize outside your RV. How many people will travel regularly in the RV and how claustrophobic do they get? How much stuff (or lack of stuff) do you want with you? Is this your full-time home (you might want more space) or something for shorter camping trips (so you can live with less for a few weeks/or even a few months)? How much time do you think you will spend in each room? How spacious do you want your rooms?I saw someone do a post previously that said - get any model, because you will change your mind over time, sometimes several times (e.g. you gotta live in it to see what you really want that you don't have, to choose your next model). That made me smile as I thought there is some truth to that.Jane 1 Likes
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #12 – October 26, 2020, 11:43:25 pm All of this input on driving the mountain passes is very helpful. We have had our share of that and everything shared here makes sense with our experiences. We used to have a 31 ft 5th wheel and pulled with the Chevy Duramax Diesel with the Allison transmission.... worth their weight in gold lugging that 5th wheel. We made the change to the 23 ft LD because we wanted to be done with towing and all that went with that.... as well as having the ability to camp in smaller spaces... especially the beautiful National Forest campgrounds out there. But now... that island queen is looking very welcoming to us oldsters. I have to say that we never noticed the single finger salutes... but then we were so concentrating with white knuckles the next down hill or curve... we didn't have a chance to notice. ;-) I agree that 20 mph is just fine on those 6%+ grades. I always dreaded those yellow signs with the truck going downhill.... I really do so appreciate this forum and the friendly and helpful advice.Joel, I am so sorry for the loss of your wife.... a difficult transition for sure.... We hope to see you on the road one of these days.
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #13 – October 26, 2020, 11:54:44 pm FYI, I heard something in an escapees bootcamp for RVers that I still say often to this day (especially when driving thru busy cities).Don't let the other drivers drive your RV.That means, you drive what is safe for you and don't drive faster because someone else behind you wants you to go faster. Same goes with all other aspects of driving, you decide what works best for you and don't give in to the pressure of other drivers around you.Jane 3 Likes
Re: 26.5 Rear Kitchen Reply #14 – October 27, 2020, 12:06:14 am I have an 05 RK...and while I wasn't searching for one, it fell into my lap in perfect condition. I travel alone with a mutt; very occasionally w/ one other person, when the twin beds up front work fine. When I am alone I often travel w/ one side as a bed (with a mattress topper/bedding, covered by a sofa cover; and the other as a sofa. I admit I sometimes lust after a rear bath (all that room!)...but I find the RK kitchen perfectly serviceable! 1 Likes
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