Grand Designpage=2page=2page=2 Utility Trailer reviews

The floorplan is the best possible floorplan for the the way we travel. The desk space and the island kitchen have become essentials for us. If you want these amenities in a travel trailer, this is your unit. But it does have down sides. Foremost is the anemic cargo carrying capacity. Forget the factory weights, it will be heavier even dry. you are looking at a 1000# plus tongue weight. And once you add the basics like cables and hoses and a weekend's worth of clothing and food you will be at the weight limit. Distributing that weight is also a challenge as the unit is back end heavy. You will likely need to tow with the tongue slightly down to balance the load, which will increase the tongue weight even more. It is a drop frame to increase storage volume, so depending on your hitch you will be getting close to the ground. We use a P3 and get 4-5 inches of ground clearance. So with the gross weight, tongue weight, rear weight, and then add sail area, plan on a 3/4 ton TV. The math from GD might make you think 1/2 ton, and the fan boys will all say "Like it isn't even there" or "No problems". But you need a 3/4 ton for this trailer. The usual quality issues abound. Gaps in sealant, trim falling off, bubbles in the roof membrane, incorrect PEX fittings, sawdust everywhere. We have needed three repairs and I did all of them myself. The process of returning to the dealer 2 hours away, dropping off for warrantee claim, picking it up again, returning when the parts are in, and final pickup means 8 hours on the road for every issue. Give me a Mobile Tech or ship me the part! But in the end, worth it for the floorplan! Show less

We've had the RV for just over 4 years. Bought new. We do not travel with the unit. It is on a seasonal site. However I did move it 60 miles from the original seasonal location to another and it towed very well. The only real issue we've ever had was the Norcold 1210 model refrigerator. The original one was DOA upon us taking delivery. It was replaced quickly and that unit lasted about 2 years. GD was helpful in coordinating a replacement unit along with our dealer. That one failed as well. I replaced it with a residential refrigerator. I replaced the bathroom faucet as well. The original was simply too low to the sink bowl. A simple and easy process. Otherwise the floor plan, storage and overall functionality has been awesome for us. Show less

Floor plan is great for two. Murphy bed allows for comfortable sleeping with lots of space during the day. Full kitchen and bathroom make trailer feel like it’s much larger than it is. Full bathroom provides plenty of room. Tanks are good sized for smaller trailer. Show less

This rig is poorly constructed. We’ve owned it two years and put about 10,000 miles on it. Here are the more significant problem areas: 1) Plumbing. Installers used PEX clamps on vinyl tubing. So far, we’ve had six separate leaks and it’s getting worse. Some are in the underbelly. We’ll be forced to complete a major tear down just to get to the leaks. We will then have to replace ALL clamps on the vinyl tubes. 2) Schwintek slide was improperly installed from the factory. Dealer can’t seem to make it right. Still throws error codes. Multi-thousand dollar repair required one year into ownership. 3) Roof membrane is starting to bubble. 4) Kitchen countertop is delaminating.around the sink. 5) Sliding barn door always fell off during transit until I “McGyvered” it for a permanent fix. We hope to sell (dump) it once we fix the plumbing. Grand Design isn’t worth the premium price. Show less

I decided to trade in my Motorhome for a Toy Hauler and chose Grand Design because of the supposedly good reviews they have that are very questionable today. I picked up my new Momentum 29G in December 2023, it was supposed to bring us fun and adventure. During the first rain, water started coming in through both sliders, the generator stopped working, black water started leaking, and the reclining seats came loose. I took it under warranty, they had it for 3 months. I went out in the RV and during the first rain, the same problem, water through both sliders and the generator not working. Three months again under warranty, they let me know it was ready, I pick it up and the same problem continues, water coming in through the sliders and the generator not working. 10 months later without using the camper, it is scheduled to go under warranty again. I have called and written to Grand Design and they have not resolved anything. This is my third RV, my first Grand Design and it will be the last. Show less

For a small RV, it seems open and roomy. The bathroom is bigger than most bathrooms in larger RVs. The rear kitchen has a lot of storage and a pantry. The two large drawers next to the dinette are great for storage and the shoe cubby below the drawers are handy. The quality is great! Show less

We lived in our RV for almost 4 years, and it has treated us very nicely and without any problems. This layout gave us so much room and storage for everything we could ever need. We did upgrade our fridge to a Samsung residential fridge for more space as we were living it in. Show less

Grand Design means Poor Execution. Ours had the following defects: Underbelly heater duct was too short and not inserted into the floor. No underbelly heat meant our pipes froze on our first fall trip. Sawdust leaking out of every crevice everywhere. They never cleaned up as they were building it. Also wood screws, and enough spare parts under the cabinets to install a second TV antenna. Kinked hot water pipe. Electric tongue jack wired thru unprotected holes in steel frame. Combined with the fuse failing to blow, there were sparks and burn marks where the wires wore thru. Poor paint job. The frame and stairs were rusting before the first season was over. Surging water pump. 6 months to replace a recalled and faulty Chinese made propane pressure control valve. Undersized battery dead within 2 years. Cheap Chinese made Westlake tires wore out at 7,000 miles. A defective toilet valve flooded the bathroom and there is no way to turn water off just at the toilet. You have to turn off the water to everything. There are no shut off valves to any of the sinks or the toilet. But there was a loose fitting elbow drain under the shower. Show less

Love the camper but have had FOUR GE air conditioning units go down in less the TWO years! And we are not full timers. We didn't even take it out during the hot part of the summer in our second season for fear it would fail again... and sure enough. First trip out this summer and another AC unit went down. Annoying beyond words. If Grand Design doesn't change AC brands I will not be able to buy another unit from them, which is a shame because we love everything else about it. I will say, so far Grand Design has replaced all the units and my dealer has made the exchange as easy as possible but it is still a MAJOR pain. We live an hour from our dealer. Show less

We purchased our grand design because we really liked the layout and were told how well built of a trailer it was. That couldn't be farther from the truth. This unit has nothing but issues. To the point where I can't even sleep when it's raining outside because I'm getting up looking for leaks. As it sits we have had over a dozen leaks in this trailer and major water damage because if it. If I could go back in time and buy anything else I would. Don't waste your money on grand design!!! Show less