New to Forum: Deciding Between 3200 and 3600 -- HELP!

[Shewbox]

We are getting ready to buy our first Voltage TH and have it narrowed down to either the 3200 or 3600 and would appreciate some feedback from you pros ! We had pretty much decided on the 3200 but then looked at the 3600 and love the extra room. We live in the Northwest so most trips for now will be to the mountains and maybe Lincoln City. How is the 3600 to pull with the added axle and length? We will retire in a couple years and then will venture out further. We know a couple of our kids may join us from time to time so extra room would be nice but a little nervous about the extra length. We will pull with Ford F-350 Diesel. I see folks who have 3200 love them as well. We'd love to hear from you! We will likely haul dirt bikes and a Razr. Thank you in advance.

[Nana & Poppy]

Whatever it is that you decide on make sure you have an excellent dealer and do a VERT thorough PDI......many, many people are having issues with the quality of Dutchmen products.....just saying!

[hddecker]

X2 on the qaulity issues.

Knowing what I know now I wouldn't tow a Dutchmen off the lot until it was in absolute perfect condition.

I was told that Dutchmen put a lot of glitz into their products, but the quality was not there. How I wish I would have listened. I thought that the salesman was just trying to up sell us.

Just make sure that you fully research any camper that you are considering.

[buckeroo]

X3 on Quality ITS NOT THERE We just bought a V3800 #month old still in shop Dutchmans customer service useless What a mistake I made

[buckeroo]

GO to toy hauler adventures down load the PDI and use it and tell the dealer you want at least 4-5 hrs to complete it , I didn't and now I'm paying for it

[soonernation]

Originally Posted by Shewbox

We are getting ready to buy our first Voltage TH and have it narrowed down to either the 3200 or 3600 and would appreciate some feedback from you pros ! We had pretty much decided on the 3200 but then looked at the 3600 and love the extra room. We live in the Northwest so most trips for now will be to the mountains and maybe Lincoln City. How is the 3600 to pull with the added axle and length? We will retire in a couple years and then will venture out further. We know a couple of our kids may join us from time to time so extra room would be nice but a little nervous about the extra length. We will pull with Ford F-350 Diesel. I see folks who have 3200 love them as well. We'd love to hear from you! We will likely haul dirt bikes and a Razr. Thank you in advance.

I have a 3200 and we like it. My wife really wanted the 3600 when we were looking but we just didn't have the vehicle to pull a trailer that size. Even with that, we spent a ton of time inside of it. The main thing that was pulling me towards the 3600 was the larger garage and the half bath. Knowing what I know now, the half bath is of no interest to me as most of the places we stay don't have full hook-ups. I dislike dealing with one black tank after the weekend. I really don't want to deal with two.

As for towing size, the 3200 is perfect for me. We took our first long trip over Thanksgiving and I didn't always have the luxury of getting gas at truck stop style gas stations. I considered on several occasions how much more difficult it would have been to maneuver in the gas station if I has 4 or more extra feet of trailer behind me. The main reason this crosses my mind is that my wife wants a larger trailer so in advance of the probable purchase of one down the road, I think about how the extra footage would impact my current routes, campsites, etc.

[Sinecure]

We went with the 3600. For us the deciding factor on the 3600 was the size of the living room. We liked the dinette/sofa in the slide which to us made the living room feel larger than even the 3895/3950's with their smaller slides on each side of the camper. As far as towing, the extra length doesn't seem to be an issue, however there is a lot of tire scrubbing with the 3rd axle when making any sort of sharp turn. As soonernation pointed out, what seemed like a great idea with the half-bath isn't so great. I didn't realize that it's a completely separate holding tank and dump valve, so now there are two tanks to dump. The dump valves are also far enough apart that unless you have a really long hose, you'll probably need to pull up/back to dump the tanks. For this reason I tell the kids and wife to only use the full bath. I'd be better served to lose the half-bath and have a full 12' garage.

I guess I was lucky in that there have only been a few minor issues with the 3600 that I've been able to fix myself. It has not been back to the dealer since it was purchased. Aside from the AC ducts that I fixed on my own (there's a huge thread on this), the quality seems good all around. I have not had slide issues that others have mentioned. That's not to say I don't hold my breath every time I operate the slides for fear of the seemingly inevitable happening. Hopefully what we read on this forum is just the small percentage of those having issues with their RV, and not representative of the whole that never have issues.

[sundancer 87]

Originally Posted by hddecker

X2 on the qaulity issues.

Knowing what I know now I wouldn't tow a Dutchmen off the lot until it was in absolute perfect condition.

I was told that Dutchmen put a lot of glitz into their products, but the quality was not there. How I wish I would have listened. I thought that the salesman was just trying to up sell us.

Just make sure that you fully research any camper that you are considering.

Funny thing, when I was deciding between the Forest River XLR and the Voltage the same was said about the XLR. Lots of dazzle but short on quality.

[Sinecure]

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

Funny thing, when I was deciding between the Forest River XLR and the Voltage the same was said about the XLR. Lots of dazzle but short on quality.

Yep, you can probably find the same lack of quality bashing on just about every brand. Before I settled on the Voltage I researched many TH brands and found that no brand had any less complaints than the others, so I went with the one that had the most "dazzle" for the money.

[ATCguy]

Well, I've got the 3200... but wish I had the 3600.

At the time of purchase, I had an F-250 as my tow vehicle, which was the primary reason for selecting the 3200. However, a trip across the CAT scales at a truck stop soon made it apparent that my resigning was flawed. Turns out I was almost 1,000 lbs over max GCWR... so I ended up trading for a new F-450.

So while I'd like to have the extra room of the 3600 (or even the larger models)... I guess I'm content with my 3200. It does everything I need it to, and I've finally just about got it set up the way I want it. If I traded, I'd have to start all over again.

[Jbee]

Originally Posted by ATCguy

Well, I've got the 3200... but wish I had the 3600.

At the time of purchase, I had an F-250 as my tow vehicle, which was the primary reason for selecting the 3200. However, a trip across the CAT scales at a truck stop soon made it apparent that my resigning was flawed. Turns out I was almost 1,000 lbs over max GCWR... so I ended up trading for a new F-450.

So while I'd like to have the extra room of the 3600 (or even the larger models)... I guess I'm content with my 3200. It does everything I need it to, and I've finally just about got it set up the way I want it. If I traded, I'd have to start all over again.

I have had my eye on the f350 and 450 platinums for a while. I hope I can talk myself out of it..LOL

[Karlr]

We are a family of five that does both dry camping and hookup camping. We bought a 3200 and love it. The f350 will obviously not have any problems pulling either. If I were you I would think a little bit about where you want to go and if the 3600 will fit where you like to go (any specific campgrounds). But think a lot about garage size. I wish I got the 12 foot garage. If you're running toys like that you'll want as much space as you can get.

Those are some practical considerations. But I'd also go with what I thought had the interior I liked better. Ultimately that is what will make you the happiest when you're sittin in there in the evening watching a movie or mixing up a batch of margaritas. Look at the small things too like drawer space and think about what you'll want where you're camping. Believe me. This is our first trailer. We bought just last spring and have learned a lot.

Big lesson for us was about how little easily accessible main room storage space and exterior storage space there is. The exterior storage is minimal on the 3200 if you are running toys. Tools and an air compressor take a lot of space! And if they have an inverter option these days opt for it because it's stupid to not be able to watch tv or run your compressor without the generator running. I have the autoleveling and it is awesome! Only wish I had hydraulic.

I have switched over to two six volt batteries. One twelve volt is just lame and I don't know why they do that.

I agree with the comments about the quality. Be thorough and bring someone else with you whose bought before if you can. Don't let your excitement get the better of you. Check everything. May sound silly but it happens. All trailers suck and will likely need work. But you shouldn't have to deal with big problems. All in all though, these things are very cool. We really like ours.

[Jbee]

We needed a 12' garage therefore opted for the V series 3305. WE have had no major issues with it to date and saved quite a but over the 3200. It does lack extra TV's and no auto level but, TV's are cheap. I would like having the auto level though.

[ATCguy]

Originally Posted by Jbee

I have had my eye on the f350 and 450 platinums for a while. I hope I can talk myself out of it..LOL

If you do decide to pull the trigger on one... do your homework and know the differences between the 2. There are subtle differences:

F-450:

* Available only as a Dual Rear Wheel truck

* Only available with the full Super Crew cab, full 8' bed, and 4x4

* Better turning radius than any of the other Super Duty trucks because of the wider geometry front wheels. Helps a lot with backing & maneuverability... which is REALLY nice!

* Only rear end available is the 4.30... which will have no trouble towing anything anywhere, but will result in lower mpg. (I average 8 mpg pulling 16,000 lbs @ 65 mph)

F-350:

* Available as a Single Rear Wheel or Dual Rear Wheel truck

* Available in either Super Cab or Super Crew Cab configuration

* Available with either 6½' bed, or the full length 8' bed

* Available with either 4x2 or 4x4

* Available with gas or diesel engine

* Available with 3.55 rear end (Single rear wheel) or 3.73 rear end (Dual Rear Wheel)

I wanted a truck that that would pull just about anything I may decide to upgrade to in the future... which is one reason I went with the F-450. While the low 4.30 rear end doesn't get great fuel milage... that gear ratio is much easier on the engine when pulling high weight rigs up & down hilly areas. And it's also what gives the truck it's higher tow rating. Plus... with a truck that's over 20 feet long (263 inches front to rear)... I wanted the better turning radius the F-450's front end geometry provides.

In the dual rear wheel option, both the 350 & 450 are almost the same truck... the main difference being the 350 gets better fuel mileage, while the 450 handles better.

In my travels so far, I've met plenty of other RV'ers who are pulling with F-350 duallys who tell me they wished they had opted for the F-450 instead... again, simply because of the maneuverability. Of course, I've met others who are glad they have the better fuel milage... so it's a toss up.

Your particular requirements & preferences will be the key factor.

Here's a link for the towing specs on various Ford Super Duty trucks.... with tabs at the top for other specs. Good luck on whatever you decide!

2014 Ford Super Duty | View Towing Specifications | Ford.com

[nmroper]

Originally Posted by ATCguy

If you do decide to pull the trigger on one... do your homework and know the differences between the 2. There are subtle differences:

F-450:

* Available only as a Dual Rear Wheel truck

* Only available with the full Super Crew cab, full 8' bed, and 4x4

* Better turning radius than any of the other Super Duty trucks because of the wider geometry front wheels. Helps a lot with backing & maneuverability... which is REALLY nice!

* Only rear end available is the 4.30... which will have no trouble towing anything anywhere, but will result in lower mpg. (I average 8 mpg pulling 16,000 lbs @ 65 mph)

F-350:

* Available as a Single Rear Wheel or Dual Rear Wheel truck

* Available in either Super Cab or Super Crew Cab configuration

* Available with either 6½' bed, or the full length 8' bed

* Available with either 4x2 or 4x4

* Available with gas or diesel engine

* Available with 3.55 rear end (Single rear wheel) or 3.73 rear end (Dual Rear Wheel)

I wanted a truck that that would pull just about anything I may decide to upgrade to in the future... which is one reason I went with the F-450. While the low 4.30 rear end doesn't get great fuel milage... that gear ratio is much easier on the engine when pulling high weight rigs up & down hilly areas. And it's also what gives the truck it's higher tow rating. Plus... with a truck that's over 20 feet long (263 inches front to rear)... I wanted the better turning radius the F-450's front end geometry provides.

In the dual rear wheel option, both the 350 & 450 are almost the same truck... the main difference being the 350 gets better fuel mileage, while the 450 handles better.

In my travels so far, I've met plenty of other RV'ers who are pulling with F-350 duallys who tell me they wished they had opted for the F-450 instead... again, simply because of the maneuverability. Of course, I've met others who are glad they have the better fuel milage... so it's a toss up.

Your particular requirements & preferences will be the key factor.

Here's a link for the towing specs on various Ford Super Duty trucks.... with tabs at the top for other specs. Good luck on whatever you decide!

2014 Ford Super Duty | View Towing Specifications | Ford.com

You may want to check on insurane rate differences between the two. Last time i checked there was a significant difference between the two.

[ATCguy]

Originally Posted by nmroper

You may want to check on insurane rate differences between the two. Last time i checked there was a significant difference between the two.

Correct.

But, depending on what insurance company you have... they will consider an F-350 dually and an F-450 as the same thing.

I'm with State Farm, and they automatically consider my F-450 as a commercial vehicle. My agent did get the rate lowered a bit by having me sign an affidavit for the file that it is only for personal use.