Finally Did It

tedontario · 11-25-2006, 07:48 PM

Well all our Sunline Friends

. The search is finally over

We are now the owners of a 2004 T2499 Sunline. We found it on line at General RV in MI. WE went to look at it today and put our name on the line. We pay for it in 2 weeks and will probably bring it to our home in Ontario CA befor Christmas. Have to find a TV. Looking at a 2005 F150 King Ranch 5.4 engine need to check the rear end yet. We have been looking for 2 years but hey you all know how that goes eh

Ted

Woodstock · 11-25-2006, 08:52 PM

Congratulations Ted! Let us know how you make out with the TV.

David

rich2500 · 11-26-2006, 05:27 AM

congrats on your sunline purchase

Trailblazer · 11-26-2006, 07:29 AM

Congratulations on the purchase of your trailer. I am sure you are going to be very happy with it.

Poppy & Nana · 11-26-2006, 08:03 AM

Congrats on the 2499 - we are looking at one now, hopefully we'll be able to "make a deal", if not we'll just be happy with our 1950!

GoodoleBob · 11-26-2006, 08:10 AM

Congratulations! You picked out a wonderful trailer. Many happy miles and happy smiles to you. Tell us all of your adventures with it.

Bob

emam · 11-26-2006, 12:50 PM

Congratulations! My wife and I also bought a 2499 from General RV in Novi, MI. Wade the General Manager has to be one of the nicest guys around. Luckily for us we were able to have ours custom ordered from Sunline before the shut down. We went and toured the facility and watched it be built and I'd have to say, after the tour, I couldnt be happier with our decision.

After seeing the way they are built (One at a time) I dont think any of us here on this website have too much to worry about when it comes to service. As long as you maintain your TT, it'll treat you right for years to come.

**JohnB** · 11-26-2006, 10:16 PM

Ted

Super Congrats to you

You and I have the same year/model. Don't know what extras you have, but the Solaris in 2004 had most things.

You will be a happy camper.

You said you where still searching for a TV. H'mm may want to pass along a few things I found out the hard way on my T2499 to a fellow Sunline owner.

Don't get me wrong, the T2499 is a great TT. The point I'm referring to is the TV. I had a 1/2 ton Tahoe SUV 5.4 with a 3.73 rear end and now I have the TV in my sig.

My T2499 before I did a major weight and balance act weighed in 6,470# with a 1,200# tongue. And this is with no fresh water. Yes I'm carrying about 1,000# of camper "stuff" and the WD of the hitch adds 200# more on the TT axles. That took the starch out of my 1/2 ton truck rear axle.

My only friendly heads up is check all your axle ratings on your new TV. Plan on having enough TV to pull the entire 7,000# GVWR of the T2499 and plan on dealing with a 1,200# tongue. It caught me off guard, but I have since learned and now try give a friendly heads up to help others not make the same mistakes.

Especially now with Sunline’s future now known, we Sunliners have to stick together.

Enjoy your new TT. We just camp back from camping in ours this weekend. Still love it.

Hope this helps

John

irishguy101 · 11-27-2006, 05:37 PM

Congratulations! with your Choise of a Sunline, A Great Coach, I don't like calling them trailers.

GoodoleBob · 11-27-2006, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by irishguy101

Congratulations! with your Choise of a Sunline, A Great Coach, I don't like calling them trailers.

Actually that's an interesting point. The Sunline does seem so much more than a simple trailer. Indeed "Coach" is more appropriate.

Bob

donreitz · 11-28-2006, 05:24 AM

I'd like to second JohB's point about the tow vehicle. We pulled our 2499 with a Tahoe like his. Our vehicle towed like a champ but it simply didn't have enough power to haul our unit around well. I was constantly having to compensate for every small change in elevation, and towing on mountain roads was an adventure. We always got to where we were going, but the drive wasn't always easy. My experience suggests that--independent of a particular tow vehicle's towing capacities--a 2499 is at the very limit of acceptability for a 1/2 ton chassis and small engine.

Since you're in the market for a tow vehicle, you might consider something with a 3/4 ton rating and a bigger engine. I don't want to get into a diesel vs. gas engine debate (take a look at the "Tow Vehicle" forum at RV.net to know how crazy those threads can get), but you'd be surprised at how much easier towing can be with diesel power. I was and I'm not even a truck guy.

Congratulations on your new 2499 and good luck with your search.
Don

jdew1920 · 11-28-2006, 07:23 AM

Ted - I don't know how you load up your trailer but I think you'd be fine with an F150. UVW for that trailer is about 4800 lbs I believe.

I pull a 276SR with my '06 F150 and am happy with performance. Yes if I was full timing or pulling through montains often I would probably upgrade to a diesel but I am happy with the performance so far. I am close to limits on GVWR but not over - this trailer weighs about 1500 lbs more than yours.

tedontario · 11-28-2006, 08:46 AM

Well DW and I bought an F150 King Ranch yesterday. It is an 05 with about 35000 miles on it. The engine is 5.4 and it has the 3.73 axle. The GVWR for the truck is 7200 lb. I myself like diesel but we travel fairly light and the DW really likes this truck. My next big question is should I go with the 1200 lb equalizer or 1000lb? From the way the replys to my first question are going I should go with the heavier. In 1978 while pulling a sleep 6 PU with a volkswagon Rabbit diesel out west we had to swerve to miss road debrie it handled great but this is a bigger trailer and maybe the heavy hitch would prove to be the best route
Thanks for all the great comments and support.

Woodstock · 11-28-2006, 09:27 AM

Ted, sounds like a nice truck...good luck with it. On the hitch, IMO, I think the 1200/12000 would be over kill. I have the 1000/10000 which is a lot more than I need for my T2299. I called the Equal-i-zer factory and the rep advised me to go with the 1000/10000 not because my T2299 would require it but because I would be able to use it should I go to a T2499 or T2553.

David

GoodoleBob · 11-28-2006, 03:56 PM

Hi Ted,
Please read over the reply above by JohnB before you go out and buy any hitch equipment. John is very knowledgable about such matters. I would trust his advice without hesitation.

Bob

Woodstock · 11-28-2006, 04:40 PM

Ted, please ignore my post above...I must be older than I think...read 1200/12000 & was thinking 1400/14,000!!! GoodoleBob and JohnD are on the money with their comments especially the comment to figure your setup on the GVWR. I did that with my setup and then called Equal-i-zer to query if the 1000/10000 would be sufficient for the T2499 or T2553. Their answer was yes, but I would still buy the 1200/12000 if I were in your shoes.

kanyonkitty · 11-28-2006, 06:20 PM

I have the 1,200 / 12,000 on my truck. It was what my dealer recommended. Good for use "IF" I would want to upgrade. But not a chance of that unless Sunline pulls thru. But, then again, I love my 2499 so not sure I would upgrade. Sometime down the road, mom won't be with me and the 2499 will be very sufficient for KD and me.

Kitty