Customizations / mods to the Freelander 21QB

rockfishon wrote:
Your Itasca radio is probably wired differently than mine. The radio should have 2 lines for power. One is for the ignition to allow you to turn it on when the key is on and the other is for the clock. My guess is that on your RV they are tied together.

On mine, I kept the clock line always connected to the engine battery. I only switch the ignition line on the radio. This way the clock and the station memory is never lost.

On some radios, the clock line is actually the main power line and the ignition line basically just a remote control line to cause the radio to turn on and off. When it's on, the power for the radio comes from the clock line. Probably that's not universally true.

Your Itasca radio is probably wired differently than mine. The radio should have 2 lines for power. One is for the ignition to allow you to turn it on when the key is on and the other is for the clock. My guess is that on your RV they are tied together.

On mine, I kept the clock line always connected to the engine battery. I only switch the ignition line on the radio. This way the clock and the station memory is never lost.

Regarding your mod of a switch to power the radio from either the chassis battery or coach batteries: My Itasca Class C came from Winnebago with a switch on the dash to power the cab radio from either battery source. However, I've learned to never leave this switch in the position such that the cab radio is powered from the coach batteries.

The reason is that the cab radio has a digital clock showing the time. We completely disconnect the coach batteries periodically and temporarily for various reasons (the RV came with a built-in switch for this). By powering this radio from the coach batteries, this clock constantly has to be reset. We now leave the cab radio always powered from the chassis battery. The chassis battery is kept charged during storage with a small battery maintainer, so the cab radio's constantly running clock cannot run the chassis battery down during storage.

rockfishon wrote:
15: My Walmart bike rack did not fit in the receiver because it hit the bumper. I moved the bumper in about 1 inch by adjusting the 6 big bolts on the frame.

Here is something that helps a lot on the bike rack.
I have tried almost every Anti Rattle device on the market, most have been no good or so complicated and cumbersome that they are useless. If the hitch is not tight in the receiver that added movement only amplifies that bounce.

Until I found the one at Hitch Rider. This will keep everything tight.

Their Hitch Vice is the best and easiest one I have come across and it really works.

16: Purchased a privacy cover for the front window. This allows us to utilize the front swivel seat and still have privacy.Found on Amazon: Chevy GMC Class C RV 2001 - 2011 White Windshield & Side Windows Privacy Cover

15: My Walmart bike rack did not fit in the receiver because it hit the bumper. I moved the bumper in about 1 inch by adjusting the 6 big bolts on the frame.

14: I installed a quick drain on the water heater. Camco 11703 1/2" Water Heater Drain Valve

13: There is a lack of storage for silverware in this RV model. It does not have a dedicated drawer. It does have a oven that we never use, so we purchased a silverware organizer that fits perfectly in the oven. Problem solved.

Nice mods. On our prior Chevy B+, I too had to add a switch for the radio. Thankfully Forest River took care of that on our Sunseeker.

12: Other radio mods.

The audio for the backup camera was only connected to the right channel. I added a RCA spliter and patched it into both the left and right input.

The DVD would not play on the stereo. I found that the connection had to be made to an emergency brake switch. Since my RV does not have this switch, just connecting it to ground lets the player work all of the time.

To play the TV through the stereo, I got a long patch cord and connect it from the TV audio out to the 3.5 stereo input plug on the front. It sounds much better than the speakers on the TV.