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Old 05-10-2009, 06:41 PM   #1
Mesavista
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Default Supernova Grand Hotel or Gladiator 6370??

We have a large family (6 kids, some young adults)and need an outfit big enough to sleep all of us, preferably to tow our '03 diesel Ford Excursion and have living space for 8 people. We want as many individual beds as possible and I don't want someone sleeping on the dinette so I can get up and have cooking space without kicking someone out of bed! At this point we are narrowed down to 2 out and cannot decide. Here are some points we have considered about each.

Gladiator...we build bunks in the toyhauler garage to fit our 6 kids sizes and needs. Smaller living area and only one toilet. Lower price by $30,000.00. Only has 1 AC, can't find out width of overcab bed..anyone know? Smaller H2O heater, But each kid could have own bunk...if it is indeed possible to build bunks in the back. Requires modifications. Mom and Dad sleep on overhead cab bed..is it big enough for us?

Grand Hotel: Requires no modification, Y. adult children on bunks, 2 on overhead, 2 on couch, drawback- kids on couch don't have own bunks. greater living space, more "decked out" 2 potties!!, 2 AC's, Mom and Dad have real bedroom.

On either can we really tow our 8500# Excursion, as a group we weigh in at 950#'s plus we'll need "stuff".
Is the bunk building idea realstic?
Is the SuperNova worth the extra 30 grand? We have it to spend but don't want to go overboard in what we invest in this rig.

Ideas? Thoughts anyone? Help?
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Old 05-11-2009, 10:35 PM   #2
Nanaeve
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Default Grand Hotel or Gladiator

we to looked for the max sleeping and space and endded up with a Endura 6341 with the bunks in place of the wardrobe. The bed over the cab varies with the options you choose, but you also bring up a point to look at closely, the CCC's, Combined Carring Capacity, the magic number. I seem to remember the Gladiators having several bunk bed options in the Garage as I thing it was called. The CCC's list the pound you can carry with full tanks. This number allows you to gauge what you can realistly carry. Look closely at it and as long as you are getting the same chassic, the Gladiator should carry more as it is lighter than the Grand hotel. Look closely at the listings in this Quorum, as thier are several regarding the Grand Hotel and concerns that owners have. Our unit can sleep more than it can seat (9 sets of belts) and with loaded tanks Iweigh in at 21000 lbs, allowing for almost 5000 lbs, loaded properly. Remember to take this in account as your Excursion propably weighs 6000 lbs, the max combined for the internation chassis is 33000. so do the numbers. Buy it from a dealer near you, as " Gulf Stream can't force a dealer to do warranty work" the Local dealers here in Nor Cal often refuse to work on units not purchased from them, we learned the haqrd way and get it in writting about repairs as Gulf Stream has ignored us for almost 3 months regarding major leak problems in the 2 slides of our unit. Get a good dealer and get them to work for your money, or take it else where.
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2009 Gulf Stream Endura on the International Chassis. Joe at J&L RV in Fontana, CA did the work for GS and it appears that its finally done right. Seems GS "forgot" 5 seals in the 2 slideouts
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Old 05-12-2009, 12:41 AM   #3
Texas TC
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The 6341 with bunks would probably be a good unit to look at. Some have reported the weight of a loaded 6400 near the 25,900 max CCC. Add your Excursion and you will be over the 33,000# combined weight rating by over a thousand pounds.

If you plan to use the coach quite a bit, I really do not think you will be happy using the overhead bunk as a primary bed for adults. I had a toy hauler on a Kodiak chassis before my SuperNova and the overhead bunk was not very big and definitely not comfortable. Also, check the air conditioning on the Gladiator. On my toy hauler, there was an air conditioner in the garage but no heat. It was really cold back there in the winter.

I concur about having a good GS local dealer. My dealer is only a mile from my house and they were great working with GS during my warranty period to get my coach in tip top shape. Also, a good local International dealer is nice to have. I have been to several around the country and have not found any as good as my local dealer in Dallas.



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Old 05-14-2009, 05:24 PM   #4
dsomonster
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I, too, needed maximum sleeping capacity, living space, and towing capacity all the while making DW happy. She is not a camper and the closest she will get to roughing it is a huge moho.
Looked at the gladiator but was towing a trailer anyway so instead of the garage, I went with the 6400N and picked up a bathroom and more living space.
Price is always an issue but the difference between the 2 was more like 22k in my case. 22k is 22k but in the grand scheme of things, that is not much considering I will not be buying another rig unless we downsize when the kids are grown.
Here are some pics from last year:







We have anywhere from 2-6 adults and at least 5 kids on any given trip. Most of the time it is just me, DW, son (11), daughter (9), son (3). However, our rig is the rig of choice for others in our group to have their babies take naps in, watch TV, watch a movie, etc. etc. Kind of a curse, but if you can't share with family and friends, what good is camping?

-Ron
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