First Time Toy Hauler (RV of any sort) Owner - Help!

[rockandride6]

Howdy all!

I've wanted a toy hauler since I started riding 20 years ago, and I finally made it happen! A few weeks ago I purchased a 2006 Weekend Warrior FS2300. (Yes, I knew about the Weekend Warrior problems ahead of time). The trailer was a great deal, has been stored under a carport it's whole life, and was owned by a couple who used it twice a year (New Years and 4th of July) for family reunions...needless to say it was cleaner than most of the bajillion I looked at. I've gone through the WW and cleaned/prepped/done maintenance to everything I could think of, but I still have a few questions that I am fully aware are stupid...never having been around RVs or Toy Haulers, I just legitimately have no idea:

1. Can you run the refrigerator when you are towing? Specifically, if I head out for a weekend should I pack my food and drink in a cooler and transfer it over when we get to our destination, or is it okay to put in the refrigerator before we head out?

2. If we have 2 people using the toilet and shower for 2 nights, should I empty the black and grey-water tanks immediately? Or if we plan to head out again within a few weeks, is it okay to leave it until we have a few more days of use?

3. Does the generator charge the batteries as well as powering the trailer? When do people usually run the generator?

4. In general, is there anything I should know about toy haulers/travel trailers?

5. Specific to the WW frame issue, what can I do to mitigate the problem? I checked the frame and while it has a VERY slight (few degree) upturn, the frame is, for all intents and purposes, straight. I haven't seen photos of the frame repair so I can't confirm, but I don't believe it's been done on this trailer.

[rockandride6]

Thank you all so very, very much for your insights. This is all such great information, I really appreciate you taking the time. Two questions have popped up after your replies:

1. Unfortunately, much of the paperwork has been lost for the appliances on the trailer so I need to ask a question I would normally find out for myself: What is the difference between the "Auto" and Gas mode on the refrigerator? As I seem to understand it, Auto uses electricity to maintain temperature (for a while) while as Gas uses propane for "full" operation?

2. When I bought the trailer the gentleman gave me a quick walk around which mostly just left me perplexed. Specifically in the little "electricity compartment." Per the photo below, can you confirm that (1) is the power cut off and (2) is where you plug in the power line when you're running the generator? It seems logical to me but he stated that (1) is a switch for when you go between generator or plug-in power. In my experience so far, that's false.

[dedmiston]

1320Fastback wrote:
4) One tip I like for Toy Hauler use is to get a battery powered leaf blower. Nothing cleans house like dropping the tail and blwoing out the inside. Also I have a spare set of scissor jacks for holding up the droor to make it into a patio.

Or if you use a gas powered blower, use your battery disconnect switch to kill the power first, or else all of your alarms will go off. :B

[IdaD]

We always turn the fridge/freezer on a few days before we go and start stocking it with food. Then switch to propane when we leave the house and let it run until we get back.

[1320Fastback]

1) Yes you can run the fridge on while driving but make sure its on Auto or Propane setting. As others have said turn it on a few days before leaving and stock it with COLD food from your houses refrigerator. Do not put room temp food in it. Absorption refrigerators take a very long time to cool down so you do not want to waste internal coolness. I've driven for 5 hours and when parked and set up items in fridge were still cold or frozen.


2) Empty Black tank when it is full and the more liquid in it the better as far as it draining. If your on hookups use plenty of water to flush, more than you think is necessary. Some trailers come with Black tank flush fittings which is basically jusy like a sprinkler inside the tank. I do not ever leave my full between trips. It is not a septic system, just a holding tank.

3) The Generator will power all the 120v outlets, interior and exterior 120v lights, Air Conditioning and Microwave. Yes it will charge your house batteries which power all the 12V lights, refrigerator, heater, water pump.

4) One tip I like for Toy Hauler use is to get a battery powered leaf blower. Nothing cleans house like dropping the tail and blwoing out the inside. Also I have a spare set of scissor jacks for holding up the droor to make it into a patio.

5) No personal experience with WW.

[LowRyter]

Mine has a spare tire but no jack. Of course the spare only held 10lb when I needed it.

[Dirtclods]

I would suggest get another spare tire too!

[LowRyter]

I have a Superlight 5th wheel that I've had for 10 years I bought new.

1. I typically turn the fridge on a couple of days before I leave while it's still plugged in. Once it's cold I throw in bag of ice in the freezer. I leave it on Auto for the entire trip.

2. Only dump the toilet and water when it's as full as convenient. The more black and gray water, the better it drains out.

3. yes.

4. You'll always be working on it and spending some $$. Always good to find a good local service guy but you have to be handy and carry lots of tools. At least be able to winterize and service it. I recently had to find someone to help me replace half the kitchen floor.

Also, have a commercial trailer repair outfit check the wheel bearings.

And consider replacing the tires.

5. Yes, the frames are prone to breaking. Find a trailer repair business, like for commercial trailers, and have them inspect it. I spent $3500 to fix mine (2nd time) and was given no warranty (and they usually give a limited warranty).

I usually take mine out 3 or 4 times a year. My longest trips are usually 2k-4k miles. My short ones are 300 miles r/t.

[Dirtclods]

If you really what to figure out water usage for your shower get a gallon bucket or larger and time it how long it takes to fill it up and that well help you calculate how long you can take a few showers based on your usage On my Toy Hauler at two minute shower uses 3 gallons of water my wife times hers, she'll take a four minute shower but on our last day of dry camping we don't care as long as there's a little to flush the toilet. Rinse off, soap up, rinse off. You'll most likely never fill up you black tank or even come close to it. You can dump you gray water depending where you are. Note: If water comes up in your shower you gray take is FULL!!

[dedmiston]

Y-Guy wrote:
I'd sit down with the beverage of your choice and read through it, if it takes more then 2 beverages you might want to split it into two evenings 😉

Welcome to the forums!

That thread represents way more than two beverages worth of grief and sweat. :B

[Y-Guy]

Welcome aboard! Congrats on your rig too.

Some good replies so I’m only going to add a few comments.
2. You can probably go without dumping but make sure you treat the tanks with the “stuff” that is commercially available. You may learn you want to dump quicker. If you can dump at home or at the campground before going home I’d do it, then you don’t start your next trip with tanks partially full and you’re not paying to haul that extra weight around.

3. Yes, it should, but it may not do it very well. When our stock converter/charger died we paid to upgrade ours with one from Progressive Dynamics. It gives more options, such as a rapid charge. Well worth the upgrade and I wish I’d done it years before.

4. Lots to know, you can learn a lot reading the forum and some of the questions. Don’t hesitate to ask anything. The only stupid question is the one you didn’t ask.

5. We've maintained the WW Repairs Thread for 10 years as it's still chock full of helpful info for those with the WW issues. I'd sit down with the beverage of your choice and read through it, if it takes more then 2 beverages you might want to split it into two evenings 😉

Welcome to the forums!

[midnightsadie]

you can also google questions you have. find out what that bend is, the frig on propane will last A VERY LONG TIME,,.weeks.. uses very little. and you have to have a good charged battery for it to work, even on shore power.

[Bob_E_]

1. We always travel with the fridge on. When home, our camper is always plugged in to the house so it is always cold.
2. We always dump at the end of the trip. No sense letting that stuff sit in there fermenting.
3. Don't know because I don't have a genny. But I would think it should.
4. Loading and weight distribution is key for toy haulers. Keep a reasonable tongue weight because it varies a lot depending on what you are hauling. A big UTV in the back weighs a lot more than a dirt bike...if you know what I mean.
5. If it looks like it is already bent up a little, do some research here and maybe take it to a welder and have it beefed up a little.

[dedmiston]

Welcome to the forum and welcome to the Toy Hauler family.

I owned a WW FS2600 for 12 years and we absolutely loved it. Not that it didn't have it's problems (because it really did!), but we focused on the good times and not the frustrations. (You can read the WW Repairs thread to see parts of our journey.)

Good questions. You'll get an assortment of answers, so here are my opinions.

1. Yes. We typically bring our RV home from storage and turn on the fridge, and then we load the food the next day after it has fully cooled down. You can load it faster than that, but your food will warm up with the warm fridge before it all cools down again. Anything in the freezer will partially thaw and then re-freeze, so it's best to really let the fridge/freezer do their thing before you load them.

You'll hear different opinions about driving with the fridge on. We ALWAYS drive with ours on. Some folks say it's dangerous. Maybe do some Google searches to see if you can find stats to support one argument or the other.

A lot of people turn off their fridge before they pull into a gas station, because they're afraid the fridge's pilot light could ignite the gasoline vapors. I only pull up to the diesel islands, so I don't have a strong opinion about this. We never turn ours off.

2. Haha. You'll have to figure this out yourself. It depends on how much you shower, how slowly you wash your dishes, your diet, etc. The weather is a factor too. Your temps probably don't get as high in SC as they do for us down here in So Cal. I wouldn't leave my tanks to set like that during the heat of the summer, but I might during the winter. Only time and experience will answer this for you.

3. Yes. Sort of. Since your WW was owned by a little old lady who only used it on Sundays, it probably has the stock Iota charger that WW installed. Those chargers are pretty bad. Your generator will charge your batteries, but very slowly. The Iota has a little RV-11 plug (phone-style plug) with a resistor loop. When you plug that in, it will bump up to a faster charge. Use this gently, because it's too strong of a charge to use all the time. You'll boil your batteries that way.

You should look into upgrading to a "smart" charger that will charge your batteries at varying levels until it eventually shuts off when the batteries are fully charged. Better yet, look into an inverter/charger, so you can plug in your coffee maker and TV without running the gen all the time.

4. Yep. Lots. Keep reading forum posts. Also check out the Beginning RVing, General, and Travel Trailer forums. I also like the "RV Newbies" group on Facebook, but some of those discussions get kind of crazy.

5. Ask the previous owner if they ever had the recall work done. Assuming they didn't, there are outrigger arms that WW installed on some of the models. There's also a more major frame fix that you can see in the WW Repairs thread, but I don't think that applied to the FS2300. If the frame looks OK to you, then you should be good. Watch for the front cargo hatches and make sure they open/close freely. If they pinch, then you're in trouble. Also look for any separation in the bend of the nose in front.

Don't overload it and don't drive too crazy when you get off road. You should be good.