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Thanks for the comment!! I completely agree that you need to have the right size truck to pull your rig. Some of the stuff we see pulling into campgrounds just amazes me. 40' toy haulers being pulled by a half ton with all of the weekend party gear in the bed of the truck. It's just crazy!

@@ourrvsunsets, I hear you. Rear fender pushed almost to the ground and front bumper way too high. My wife and I will sit back and muse, "What are they thinking?"

Definitely go to Glacier, it's just so beautiful there!!

As long as you're within limits, and the towing experience isn't a white knuckle situation, you'll be fine. I think one of the other issues we had was that our 1500 was a RAM which uses coil springs and not leaf springs. There are plusses and minuses to this. The plus is that the truck rides like a luxury car even when empty. The minus is that the coils don't have as much lateral stability as traditional leaf springs. When we were pulling close to max weight it was not an enjoyable experience! Thanks for the watch and the comment. Safe travels!!

I agree that a good weight-distribution hitch is essential for pulling rigs. This is also an area where you shouldn't skimp. The WD hitch has to be rated for the tongue weight of the rig and needs good sway control. A good one will increase the safety of towing and good sway control will make it MUCH less tiring to pull the rig down the road. Don't skimp on the weight-distribution hitch!

I've heard a lot of good things about Pro Pride although I have never used one.

Thanks for the vote of confidence!!

Its all part of keeping that giant economic engine turning 😁

Sometimes she'll hide a treat in there, but most of the time is't just her morning thing to dig around in her doggie car seat. That dog really is a nut. Her current thing is a frisbee. We went disc golfing with the kids in Kansas City and she decided she wants to be a frisbee dog. Now she has a small frisbee that she insists we play with outside at least once a day. She is so not the usual Chihuahua. Our son hit it on the head when said she was a lab in a chihuahua body!

It was paved as far as we were able to go in both directions. Lovely views all along the way too. We have to go back now at some time to get to Logan Pass though. I want to see what it look like from the top. We also need to plan some daycare for Gracie so we can take a couple hikes. We didn't get to do any hiking this time through.

So in other words Montana was not drunk, it was just being Montana!! 😂 You truly have a lovely state. We were blown away by the whole Glacier area. Everywhere you looked was a postcard image.

Definitely a must do trip. The area is just amazingly beautiful. As for the Old Fashioned it was not like a standard Old Fashioned. It maple syrup and a bunch of other stuff in it. It was good, but a bit on the sweet side.

Definitely give it a look. Although we have since upgraded to a 5th wheel, this Imagine was a great travel trailer, especially for a big person.

Yep, it does help out a lot!

I don't know for sure, but that sounds like it just kills power to the inverter. Typically a solar cut off would be a separate switch. I don't know if the Solitudes come with a solar cut off, but I can tell you that our Imagine travel trailer did not.

Ugh... Nothing worse than getting put in the middle of the corporate blame game. Did you have the GM fix done with the power module for the trailer brake? That fixed all the problems;ems we were having with our rig.

@@ourrvsunsets the first dealer I went to was a small dealer while we were on the road. They didn’t do anything other than say unplug the solar and tell me about the TSB on the Hydrastar brakes. I’m headed to the dealer where I purchased the truck tomorrow. Hopefully they will do whatever needs to be done so I don’t have a useless $90K tow vehicle

We have since upgraded our rig to a Brinkley 5th wheel. But honestly we still love our 2500RL. It was our first full-time rig and took us to so many amazing places. We love out Brinkley too, and love the extra room it gives us, but that little Imagine will always have a special place in our hearts. Thanks for the comment and safe travels!!

Yep, were currently camped there. If you're still here swing by and say hi. We're wrapping up work for today in a bit and will probably be having a cocktail outside in the shade.

That lady definitely needed a Snickers!!

Yeah, after this experience we either do it ourselves, or use a mobile tech. No more dealers for us!

Thanks for the vote of confidence!! And thanks for the comment.

Hahaha!!! Yeah, that plug under the stairs was not fun! Thank God Toni was able to fit back there to plug it in. If you're going from an Imagine to a Brinkley you're gonna love it. We went the same route going from a 2500RL (Which we loved and had amazing adventures in) to our current Z3100. It's just so much roomier!! You will have to get used to the extra height when pulling it, and really keeping an eye out for those low hanging branches. But seriously you're gonna love the extra room. Congrats on the new rig and safe travels!!

@@ourrvsunsets We had wood-framed 5Rs in 2008-2012, about the same GVWR as your Z3100, but our '08 3500 kept getting engine codes as Workamping 5 months at a time meant it got used only as a Grocery Getter. In 2015-2021 we managed an RV park in FL & had small vacation Lance TTs. So in 2023 we brought home our 2670mks with our F-150 in 50 mph side winds. After 2 years of looking we bought a gas 6.6L 2500HD which pulls out 2670 very well, it is parked all summer in CO as we have 4 work trucks. But, I felt our 2500 was too near the max for the Z3100 & the Z2900 was a better match if We got the Gen-Y GN pin box & offset ball. We shall see, but I just need to add the blue Sumo Springs & we are at 85% of our towing capacity. My Cummins friends laugh at my gas truck, but it has the same hp & tq as my '08 3500 diesel had, lol. Normally I stall at 50% of rated towing on half-tons, but as you say the front wind resistance is a big factor too. We try not to tow on windy days, but our west in CO it is more measured by windy years or decades, lol. I'll let you how difficult getting to the Z2900 WFCO converter is. Being 2 feet shorter with the shower turned sideways there is a big mystery there for now. Thanks again! Davey & Sheila

@@KU9L We are pulling at max with our RAM 3500 SRW and the z3100. Honestly, it does a great job pulling it even at max. We don't fell the trucks passing us, and even on 30mph winds it's rock solid. I'm certain you will be fine power wise pulling the 2900 with the gasser. Modern gas engines have plenty of power. We chose to go with the diesel not because of the power, but because of the exhaust brake. That thing is so nice to have when traveling through the mountains. I'll be interested to hear how the 2500 handles the z2900. I think my only concern would be how well the coil springs handle the sideways pressures of trucks passing and wind. I've heard a lot of folks say the coil springs are not that great in those situations, but I'm not convinced they're right about that. The coils sure do produce a better ride when empty though. Our 1 ton is standard leaf springs and can beat the hell out of you on rough roads when empty!

Toni Towe is absolutely the Boss!!! Although she'll tell you she doesn't want the job, I don't want it either ;-) Unfortunately the farthest east we're going to get this year is Wisconsin. But next year we're talking about running across the US and then taking the TransCan back through Canada. If that happens we're definitely coming through Ohio! We miss you guys as well.

You would be surprised what we see pulling into RV parks! Our RAM 1500 had a payload of 1780lbs. which was fairly decent for a half ton. However we did have to pay attention how we loaded things to make sure we were within the manufacturers specs. We've since moved on from that rig and that truck. We had some great times in it though. Thanks for the watch and the comment!!

In all honesty she really is!

Hey old geezer, your 2 cents are spot on!! For our RAM 1500 we did have a weight distribution hitch with sway control. We were using a Husky TS Centerline hitch. When we upgraded to our 3/4 ton Silverado we also switched over to an Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch with sway control and we LOVED that hitch. It was so much easier to hook and unhook with it. We now have a RAM 1 ton that we pull a 5th wheel with. We went with a GEN-Y Gooseneck hitch for that. As for the old days of people hauling rigs with passenger cars. Back then cars were a different breed than they are now, and had more in common with the trucks of today. They had big beefy steel frames, not the uni-body light weight cars of today. They were also powered by beefy V-8 engines that had plenty of power. I know all of this because one of those lead sleds was the first car I ever owned. A 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88. I miss that car! But yes, suffice to say, the cars of today are certainly not the same. Thanks for the comment amigo! As someone that isn't far behind ya when it comes old geezer status, I welcome input from those with move life experience. Experience is one of the advantages of aging!

We've had hail more than once this year, I hate hearing it on the roof. Coeur D'Alene was really lovely. We only had one day there and it will be on our list of places to go back to and spend more time. As for meeting up are you guys doing Yellowstone/Tetons with Joel and Taunia this year? We're trying to get something booked in that area to join them. If so maybe that's the meet up! Would love to have a beer with you guys.

So the cherry chocolate stout was at Whistle Punk, but they didn't have it on tap when we were there 😞 Honestly, we really did like Spokane. Having a waterfall on the middle of the city was a plus!

@@ourrvsunsets Don't you just hate when you see something on a menu for brewery or restaurant and when you get there its not there! Spokane is definitely on the list for next spring.

@@thisisouradventure Yeah it was a bummer they didn't have that stout, but honestly the beers they did have were amazing, and Bartender Chris was such a nice guy to sit and chat with. I really think half of how we judge a brewery is by the employee interaction.

Thanks!!!

We did mention the fridge. It is a 12v 16 cubic foot fridge that we love. Here's a link to that section of the video... th-cam.com/video/JTXIXRBL4zg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Yqhbyi0xekGT0_WT&t=1095

It really was, and if it hadn't been for the road up to Sunrise being closed we would have never found it. If there's one thing were good at it adjusting!

To be honest I kind of did. It was weird the first time I watched it on video because it happened a lot faster than it did in my brain in real time. I saw the car start to come into our lane and my first thought was that he/she was going to correct. Then as it kept coming I started moving to the right. I looked in my mirror and the trailer tires were on the edge of the road and I couldn't go any further. I looked up and the car was still coming into our lane as I was applying the brakes. At that point I was starting to brace for the impact. I was hoping that Toni and Gracie would be okay as my side would take the brunt of the impact. I figured the next time I woke up, if I did wake up, would be in a hospital bed. Then the driver adjusted and pulled back into their lane. In hind sight I never even thought to lay on the horn. I've made a mental note of that for the next time. As I mentioned in the videos, if it wasn't for the fact that there were wake up bumps in the middle of the road, I'm quite sure it would have ended badly. I'm also quite sure the driver was looking at their phone when all of this happened. It only takes a second to really screw up a lot of peoples lives.

We’re outside of Omaha for the next week. If you’re still in the hood let’s go grab a beer!!

@@ourrvsunsets omg that would’ve been so cool!!

You're going to love hanging out with Ron and Jodi. They really are just like they are on their channel. Jodi is a bundle of energy who excitement is infectious, and Ron is the somewhat quiet type with a dry sense of humor. He just drops one liners in that will have you rolling. We loved our time with them and now consider them good friends. You mentioned coming over, Are you up in Canada? If so where about? Toni has relatives by marriage in the Vancouver area and every time we go spend any time in Canada we say we're just Canadians that were born in the wrong country! Thanks for the comment and welcome to our little corner of the interwebs!!

@ourrvsunsets Aww really look forward to hanging out with them! No we live in England UK we are shipping our van over August 2025

@@gatersontour Wow that's even crazier!!! Have a grand time in the US. Let us know when and wear you're going to be. If we're in the same area we'll find a way to meet up. Cheers M8!!

@@ourrvsunsets We cant wait we have already visited 27 states of your beautiful country, so we plan to visit more and pop over the border into Canada. Yes we will definatley give you a shout, we have a few people to meet up with, its going to be a fabulous 1 year trip!!

Just Googled the Peak2Peak gondola and discovered they have one with a glass bottom!! Toni would never do it! Canada is on our list as well. We have talked about doing the TranCan across the country just to see as much as we can. Starlink has worked great for us, definitely worth what we pay for it.

@ourrvsunsets Yes, we saw the glass bottom one. Hell No!! Plus, it stopped midway, but it did concur my fears, I think!! Lol 😆

Totally agree, especially if you are traveling in the west. We didn't have it last year when we did the east coast, but our Verizon SIM card in our Pepwave router worked fine. This year in the western USA there have been times where the Starlink was all we had. So glad we picked it up for this year's travels. Thanks for the comment!

It was so cool to have a clear sunny day to take the gondola up and see Rainier. Next we're off to Eastern Washington which will be our first time in that part of the state.

We run two GPS apps too. It was Apple Maps that made us realize that RVLife was sending us on a round about way. We thought maybe it was because of our height, but when we reset RV Life, it sent us the was we went. The Chinook pass was a bit curvy, but honestly not that difficult to pull. That almost head on was scary. It goes by quick in the video, but it went slow motion in my brain. I had moved as for right as I could without putting the rig off the road, and that car kept coming into our lane. I thought for sure we were going to hit. Distracted driving is not a good thing!!!

It really was cool up at the top. You had a great view of Rainier. We were so lucky to be there on a bright sunny day where you could see for miles.

Thanks Barbara!!

Right! It was amazing being up in the Cascades on such a sunny clear day!

Yes, actually our GPS took up to the Eastside of the actual town on Farman Street. That's where it hooked us up to the 410. Aside from the near head on it was a beautiful drive.

@ourrvsunsets glad ya'll enjoyed it. It was nice seeing you guys at the wedding. Safe travels. Been watching your channel. Very informative. We want to get our 76 gmc palm beach on the road for a few trips.

We have seen his work a lot this year!