First Look at MH - Greyhawk

cekkk · 01-07-2015, 10:21 PM

Today we looked at a Seneca we really like, and at the other end dollar-wise we found a 29MV Greyhawk we liked. Storage in both of those please DW.

This would be our first dealing with a MH. If you have any advice to offer I'd welcome it. Any common or known problems with and part of this unit? Things to be sure to get or avoid, just general info. My post on the Seneca gives a bit more information. Thanks.

GrayHawk51 · 01-08-2015, 01:35 AM

Hi Cekkk.
I just purchased a Grayhawk 29MV and love it. Briefly..... I just want to say that you make sure you and spouse sit at the Dinette. Might be a little tight for some. Wife loves the kitchen area with the long counter. Jack Knife sofa will handle an adult if you sleep at an angle. The overhead bed is GREAT! Holds 750 lbs of weight. TV in living area is ok. Make sure you have the dealer show you how to make the tv audio come out on ALL speakers inside.

The rear bedroom TV does not adjust. So make sure you have them fix it to adjust down towards the bed otherwise you'll only see black figures. this can be resolved if you stand up on the bed and watch it but I would assume that it would be a bit uncomfortable. 10 cf refrigerator is more then enough for the two of us and then some.
Love Bathroom. Love the vanity. Showers not bad either plenty of room. Outside storage for us is ok the largest is the rear passenger side. I can't stick my 4 foot ladder in there as I have 2 folding chairs, folding table and Satellite dome in there.
Oh and the broom.
More then enough storage actually unless you want to take the garage or house stuff with you.

Cabin seats are very comfortable! Wife has o complaints in that department. I have to agree, nice comfortable seats.

Now that being said, If you try to compare the Grayhawk with the Seneca, it's like comparing apples and oranges! One is diesel and the other Gas. One is less $$ other is more $$.

Finally, if you've looked at the forum, you'll hardly see any issues on the Grayhawk. Oh yea, no spare tire..

If you want more details email me.

cekkk · 01-08-2015, 05:59 AM

That was very helpful. DW drove a larger bus for 30 years, gas and pushers, so I was concerned about the leg room on the passenger side. Not much. But I could ride further back. I'm pretty big and wasn't knocked out about the dining area. And while we've never had a V-10, we've had lots of Ford SUVs and large pickups, so no learning curve there. Never had a real problem with any of them, but we take good care of them. The Seneca will take a while just to learn the placement of the controls, but it was very seductive. While a little expensive, our children will be paying for it with their inheritance! Still, we don't want to ignore the price factor.

Whatever we choose we will go with the tv angles. Our bedroom set sits in an alcove for it that is about head high. You're right. I prop up the rear of the pedestal so as to avoid that washed out look. Thanks for your input.

Bobs A Class · 01-08-2015, 08:56 AM

I could not pass up the chance to offer a compromise between comfort and money. I just moved up from a Greyhawk that I really enjoyed, to a Precept 31UL. Couldn't resist it! Take a look if you have not already. Either way, good traveling.

Bob

cekkk · 01-08-2015, 10:41 AM

BobsC, that looks beautiful! You're going to love it. We might have to look at it, too. Just wondering, is there any leg room for the passenger? The Greyhawk would have me sitting sort of sideways when DW is driving.

The Logans · 01-08-2015, 11:33 AM

Just a comment...

When you get down to the final dickering with the dealer, before you sign the buyers commitment, insist on a mounted spare tire as part of the deal!

Its a major omission on newer Class C's (supposedly to save weight). However, for the peace of mind, we made sure that we got one.

Also, refer to this post (Warning suspension problems - Hellwig Springs adjusted incorrectly from the factory) and make sure that the rear helper springs are adjusted properly.

Happy and safe camping!

TX_Arvee · 01-08-2015, 01:34 PM

These may or may not be helpful, depending on your experience
1.) V-10 / Allison Transmission is strong and thus far reliable. Oil changes are a snap to do yourself. Trans brake works great in the hills when needed. Back road hills leave me needing a little more torque than the V-10 gives, but freeway inclines are taken in stride.

2.) Ensure your Greyhawk has BigFoot autoleveling system. It just beats the hell out of self leveling using blocks, etc.

3.) Ensure you have enough storage for what you will be doing. Ensure lights are in the compartments they need to be in.

4.) Check the placement of the thermostat for the A/C-Heat. Make sure it is not on a wall next to the refrig or by a window were external heat/cold will make it function strangely.

5.) Take unit directly to a commercial tire/allignment shop that deals with commercial trucks. Have the alignment set by them. Ensure you have the upgraded suspension parts installed. (and properly)

6.) Greyhawk comes with standard E450 wheels/tires. Check out how much you will be hauling around, towing, etc. and see if you are comfortable with the ratios. Bigger chasis will handle a lot more.

7/) If you go with Greyhawk, have a good tire shop re-do the tire valve stems for you. Extensions are not necessary if the valve stems are made up properly by a shop used to commercial E450 chassis...This make checking tire a whole lot easier.

8) Dont waste money on side mirror cameras if you can. They are worthless and costly.

We love our 31FS, but looking back, we probably could have been just as happy in a 26 foot rig.

Jayco support has been great.

cekkk · 01-08-2015, 04:57 PM

Great lists of things to look out for. But I was sort of waiting for this: " Trans brake works great in the hills when needed. Back road hills leave me needing a little more torque than the V-10 gives, but freeway inclines are taken in stride."

We live at 9000', where gas engines are down nearly 30% in hp. On top of that we climb around 700 feet from the highway up a touch road to our home. Additionally, most of our use of the rig will be around or above 6000'. Ford has a tendency to under power their SUVs and pickups IMO, and it seems to be the case in this 450. Jayco should offer this with their 6.7. Then not having an exhaust brake is a whole other problem.

This thread is giving me just what I was looking for.

anav8or · 01-08-2015, 08:49 PM

We moved up from an E-450-based Class C to a Seneca late last year. The main driver for the move was space inside the cabin. On longer trips, there just wasn't enough space to spread out and relax in the old coach. The Seneca has more couch space and, with the slides open, room for a couple of bean bags to lounge on.

The power was great through the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia, even towing a Honda CR-V behind us.

It was well worth the extra investment for us.

TX_Arvee · 01-09-2015, 12:46 PM

Ranch Rd 337 between Lost Maples State Park and Garner State Park in Texas was a good test of hill climbing in the GreyHawk. Road climbed nearly 600ft elevation in 1.5 miles. Google Earth reads 4% to 14% grade on this roadway section.

Well into the hill I was in tow mode with my foot nearly to the floor, rpms were high and speed was decreasing from 45mph, the scan gauge said I was using 300hp.

The rest of the road was winding and had more climbing. Like I said, it left me needing more torgue. But breaking was no issue. The Greyhawk and E450 has great brakes, and the trans brake kept us well under control on the way down.

If I climbed a lot of hills this would probably get to be an issue. But we generally dont travel roads with great hills, so this is not a problem for us.

cekkk · 01-10-2015, 06:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TX_Arvee

Ranch Rd 337 between Lost Maples State Park and Garner State Park in Texas was a good test of hill climbing in the GreyHawk. Road climbed nearly 600ft elevation in 1.5 miles. Google Earth reads 4% to 14% grade on this roadway section.

Well into the hill I was in tow mode with my foot nearly to the floor, rpms were high and speed was decreasing from 45mph, the scan gauge said I was using 300hp.

The rest of the road was winding and had more climbing. Like I said, it left me needing more torgue. But breaking was no issue. The Greyhawk and E450 has great brakes, and the trans brake kept us well under control on the way down.

If I climbed a lot of hills this would probably get to be an issue. But we generally dont travel roads with great hills, so this is not a problem for us.

My GoogleEarth app was removed during a repair and won't reinstall. What is the elevation of those parks? I'm guessing it's below 5000' but really have no information. All the search engines seem to see is the parks and give me sites with info on them, ignoring elevation/altitude.

At this point I've pretty much ruled out any gasser.

Bobs A Class · 01-10-2015, 07:34 AM

The precept shotgun seat has more room than you need. It goes all the way back and swivels around to become part of the front room. Also, although the Precept is the Ford 450 also, , the Greyhawk has 305 HP while the Precept is 362HP. Big difference in power. Take a look. You might be surprised.

Bob

canuckowner · 01-10-2015, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobs C Class

The precept shotgun seat has more room than you need. It goes all the way back and swivels around to become part of the front room. Also, although the Precept is the Ford 450 also, , the Greyhawk has 305 HP while the Precept is 362HP. Big difference in power. Take a look. You might be surprised.

Bob

Also built on the more commercial F53 chassis as opposed to F450. Would be fun to drag race a new Precept and new Greyhawk to see how they compare. should ask the dealer if they would oblige to help you make a decision on purchase

GrayHawk51 · 01-10-2015, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TX_Arvee

Ranch Rd 337 between Lost Maples State Park and Garner State Park in Texas was a good test of hill climbing in the GreyHawk. Road climbed nearly 600ft elevation in 1.5 miles. Google Earth reads 4% to 14% grade on this roadway section.

Well into the hill I was in tow mode with my foot nearly to the floor, rpms were high and speed was decreasing from 45mph, the scan gauge said I was using 300hp.

The rest of the road was winding and had more climbing. Like I said, it left me needing more torgue. But breaking was no issue. The Greyhawk and E450 has great brakes, and the trans brake kept us well under control on the way down.

If I climbed a lot of hills this would probably get to be an issue. But we generally dont travel roads with great hills, so this is not a problem for us.

------------------------------------------------------------

I looked into 5 Star tuning as I've heard good reviews on the product and will be installing this in my unit.

The SCT X4 would be a nice fit for your RV. See here for some specific tune details Got A V10 RV; A RV Daily-Tow type map/ tune will net you better pulling power & better shifting from tip in through 4000 RPM's and can net some better economy. The RV just with an 87 Octane fuel tune will run with more power through the entire RPM range and much better shifting

Rick

cekkk · 01-10-2015, 10:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bobs C Class

The precept shotgun seat has more room than you need. It goes all the way back and swivels around to become part of the front room. Also, although the Precept is the Ford 450 also, , the Greyhawk has 305 HP while the Precept is 362HP. Big difference in power. Take a look. You might be surprised. Bob

But Guys, at home base that 362 hp is closer to 265, or less. I'll try to find a Precept to look at, but it's going to have to be very impressive to sway me to a gasser.

As for the chairs, I was surprised that the Seneca we looked at did not have swiveling chairs. That's a bummer when company drops in. Got more looking to look forward to.

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