We are looking to get back into RVing now that both of our kids are off to college. From 2007 to 2015, we owned a 40-foot Cedar Creek and had many great trips with the kids. Now we are looking shorter and lighter for just my wife and I. We have a 2003 F350 with the V10 engine. We towed the Cedar Creek with a 2006 F350 dually with the 6.0L diesel. We did not want diesel or a dually again, although it worked great for towing the big and heavy Cedar Creek.
We like the open floorplan of the 27MK, king bed option, large holding tanks, 12V refer option, roller blinds (vs. pleated on string), receiver hitch and good storage.
Questions for the 27MK owners:
Receiver Hitch - We have two e-mountain bikes that weigh 50lbs each. Do you think these would safe on a bike rack mounted in the receiver hitch? I know the hitch is rated for 300lbs, but many say to not put heavy items on the rear hitch because road bounce magnifies the stress on the hitch.
12V Refer - Does anybody have this option? How do you like it? We had an Amana residential fridge in our Cedar Creek and four 6-volt golf cart batteries. With no solar, we could last about one day before needing to run the generator to keep the batteries up. I know the new 12V refers are more efficient than that Amana from 2007.
2nd AC - We had the second AC on our Cedar Creek but it was not ducted and just blew straight into the bedroom. We ended up using it much less than we thought as it just made the bedroom into a meat locker but did not do much for the overall coach comfort. What are your thoughts on the second AC for a shorter 5th wheel like the 27MK? I assume the second AC is also not ducted on a Cruiser Aire.
Roller Blinds - Are these much better in practice than the pleated blinds on strings that we did not exactly love?
Tri-Fold Sofa - We would prefer recliners or theater seating. Maybe something like this:
https://phoenix.craigslist.org/wvl/f...325640554.html. Would this likely fit in the space where the tri-fold sofa is?
TV Viewing - We are not big TV watchers, but we do watch movies once in a while. We figured we would sit in the U-dinette to watch the TV. Maybe get a foot stool or two so we could put our feet up and sit with our backs to the window. What do you 27MK owners if you want to watch the TV?
Solar - Have some of you added solar? We were thinking that a small system would be nice to keep up with the 12V refer. Is the factory system the way to go or is after-market better?
Thanks for any comments on your Cruiser Aire, especially any insights from 27MK owners.