What to buy for a first time RV?

[natepatton]

My family is new to this forum and to this lifestyle.

We just purchased our first travel trailer (2018 Forest River Cherokee 294BH) and will take delivery in March (too cold in the Midwest right now). The dealership is asking if we want to install a few options before we take delivery and I am wondering if they are worth it or not. The first offering is for slide toppers for the two slide outs (super slide & bunk house) - the cost seems high for something I could probably do with a ladder and a broom, but I'm a novice (what do I know?). The second option is for a vent cover. This is something I believe is a good investment (low cost, high payoff) to keep moisture out of the RV. The final option was for a hard-wired power surge protector. I'm torn between getting an in-line protector or having it hard-wired. The in-line is less expensive, but there is a potential for theft - or am I wasting my money getting one all together?
Thanks!

[drsteve]

Slide toppers yes, if you camp anywhere near trees. I made one trip lugging a ladder so I could sweep debris off the slide before closing it, and that was enough for me.

[bigorange]

Vent covers - yes
Slide toppers - probably, depending on price.
Surge protector - I’m learning from this thread

You didn’t ask about other things but here’s my opinion based on my recent purchase of a Cherokee 235b. My buddy just bought a similar trailer and I learned a couple from his experience too. At least find out prices for these as well if interested...easier to get them as part of the package up front in my opinion.

If boondocking is in your plans consider 2x 6v batteries instead of a 12v
Consider 30# propane tanks
Solid step - had no idea I wanted one until it was already installed on my trailer. Love it.
Battery kill switch - easy enough DIY but nice to have it done for you
Electric tongue jack

[mycamperfriend]

We were too pretty overwhelmed when the dealer presented us all the must have accessories on the day we picked up our first camper. My strategy since then has always been to politely decline, do some thorough research and then order online or go back to the dealer when I know what I do need. For the items in question, I'd recommend the following:

Vent covers: Yes
Slide toppers: No
Surge protection: Maybe

[Mortimer_Brewst]

I realize both links are active, which in turn has caused the confusion. Has anyone been able to find the version which says the unit must be dealer installed on the current website? I haven’t been able to find it unless I use the link from the older post.

[SoundGuy]

drsteve wrote:
I certainly don't blame Mort for doubting, since he went to the PI home page and viewed their warranty.

Yes, there's confusion at the moment since both links are still active but why does that justify Mortimer Brewster jumping all over my bones for "spreading misinformation"?!! He clearly didn't ready the entirety of your post, only chose to believe what he wanted, and blames me for the confusion which I have nothing to do with. :S :S

[drsteve]

SoundGuy wrote:

Mortimer Brewster wrote:
X2 on a Progressive Industries hard-wired unit to protect your electrical system. I’d take a look the installation instructions on their website and decide if you can install it yourself.

drsteve wrote:
If you self install, they will not warranty the unit in case of failure. Has to be done by an RV dealer.

Mortimer Brewster wrote:
Here’s the warranty . They will NOT honor the warranty for an improper installation and they strongly recommend that it be installed by a qualified electrician. Nowhere does it say that if you self install the warranty is voided.

drsteve wrote:
There was a discussion that touched on this last week. The company apparently changed hands recently, and changes were made to the warranty. I went and read it, and at that time the warranty specifically excluded self installs. Looks like they changed it, which is good. They probably realized they were going to lose a lot of sales...

On edit: That page is still up, and can be viewed here: http://www.progressiveindustries.net/warranty-information

The first item under "exclusions":

"Installation of hard wired units by any party other than a qualified RV dealer."

One has to wonder which of these applies....

Good catch Dr Steve! Obviously the new owners of Progressive Industries have altered the terms of their new limited lifetime warranty as I myself saw that same exclusion myself, voiding warranty on a hard wire EMS if not installed by "a qualified RV dealer". Here's a screen shot of that warranty for the doubters like Mortimer Brewster ...

I certainly don't blame Mort for doubting, since he went to the PI home page and viewed their warranty. The larger question is, why are both of these pages still up? Both links are active. And most important, which one applies if you buy a Progressive Industries product? Which version of the warranty is on the printed material supplied with each unit?

[SoundGuy]

Mortimer Brewster wrote:
SoundGuy - Stop spreading misinformation! I strongly urge you to go to the Progressive Industries website and look up the latest warranty. The warranty which you referred to is an older version. If you had actually read Dr. Steve’s last post on the warranty rather than just snip pieces out of it which suited your argument, you would have realized this.
Again, please go to the Progressive Industries website and look up the latest version of their warranty. It’s under Support & Resources. You will find:
Improper installation IS NOT covered by the warranty.
They strongly recommend hiring a competent electrical professional.
NOTE: Dealer installation is no longer required.

It's YOU who is spreading misinformation - drsteve's point was that the terms of this limited lifetime warranty was JUST changed in the last week so unless one had read the most updated version posted in the last few days one wouldn't know it had been changed. Further to that, the previous version which did include this "RV dealer exclusion" is still posted online here for all to see. :S

[Mortimer_Brewst]

SoundGuy - Stop spreading misinformation! I strongly urge you to go to the Progressive Industries website and look up the latest warranty. The warranty which you referred to is an older version. If you had actually read Dr. Steve’s last post on the warranty rather than just snip pieces out of it which suited your argument, you would have realized this.
Again, please go to the Progressive Industries website and look up the latest version of their warranty. It’s under Support & Resources. You will find:
Improper installation IS NOT covered by the warranty.
They strongly recommend hiring a competent electrical professional.
NOTE: Dealer installation is no longer required.

[SoundGuy]

Mortimer Brewster wrote:
X2 on a Progressive Industries hard-wired unit to protect your electrical system. I’d take a look the installation instructions on their website and decide if you can install it yourself.

drsteve wrote:
If you self install, they will not warranty the unit in case of failure. Has to be done by an RV dealer.

Mortimer Brewster wrote:
Here’s the warranty . They will NOT honor the warranty for an improper installation and they strongly recommend that it be installed by a qualified electrician. Nowhere does it say that if you self install the warranty is voided.

drsteve wrote:
There was a discussion that touched on this last week. The company apparently changed hands recently, and changes were made to the warranty. I went and read it, and at that time the warranty specifically excluded self installs. Looks like they changed it, which is good. They probably realized they were going to lose a lot of sales...

On edit: That page is still up, and can be viewed here: http://www.progressiveindustries.net/warranty-information

The first item under "exclusions":

"Installation of hard wired units by any party other than a qualified RV dealer."

One has to wonder which of these applies....

Good catch Dr Steve! Obviously the new owners of Progressive Industries have altered the terms of their new limited lifetime warranty as I myself saw that same exclusion myself, voiding warranty on a hard wire EMS if not installed by "a qualified RV dealer". Here's a screen shot of that warranty for the doubters like Mortimer Brewster ...

[valhalla360]

Sounds like they are padding the profit margin.

If you aren't a DIY kind of guy call up a mobile RV tech and get a bid.

Slide toppers: Just checked and small ones run around $200 big ones maybe $400, so $600 each is high even with some installation cost.

Vent covers are about $25 and take 15-20min to install.

As mentioned by someone else, the surge guard is way overpriced.

[drsteve]

DrewE wrote:

natepatton wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
What are they charging for each item?

The dealership is charging $1311 for the slide toppers (2 x slides), $100 for the vent cover and $850 for the hard-wired power surge guard. All prices include the items and installation.

I really appreciate everyone's input to my questions. I was directed to this forum for advice and I'm glad I followed it. Lots to learn for a newbie!

Those prices are pretty steep. The top-of-the-line 50A PI EMS with remote display is a hair over $300 at Best Converter, and installation is straightforward unless access to the wiring is very difficult. Vent covers generally cost somewhere around $20 to $50 or so apiece (depending on the brand and quality or perceived quality) and installation is about as hard as putting up a curtain rod and curtain. I'm not up on slide topper costs, but $650 each does not strike me as anywhere near reasonable.

What he said. Those prices are way out of line.

[DrewE]

natepatton wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:
What are they charging for each item?

The dealership is charging $1311 for the slide toppers (2 x slides), $100 for the vent cover and $850 for the hard-wired power surge guard. All prices include the items and installation.

I really appreciate everyone's input to my questions. I was directed to this forum for advice and I'm glad I followed it. Lots to learn for a newbie!

Those prices are pretty steep. The top-of-the-line 50A PI EMS with remote display is a hair over $300 at Best Converter, and installation is straightforward unless access to the wiring is very difficult. Vent covers generally cost somewhere around $20 to $50 or so apiece (depending on the brand and quality or perceived quality) and installation is about as hard as putting up a curtain rod and curtain. I'm not up on slide topper costs, but $650 each does not strike me as anywhere near reasonable.

[natepatton]

valhalla360 wrote:
What are they charging for each item?

The dealership is charging $1311 for the slide toppers (2 x slides), $100 for the vent cover and $850 for the hard-wired power surge guard. All prices include the items and installation.

I really appreciate everyone's input to my questions. I was directed to this forum for advice and I'm glad I followed it. Lots to learn for a newbie!

[Jim2007]

I agree with 2 chiefsrus. .... get the progressive EMS protector. Cost more but it is good insurance for your electrical system.. I learned the hard did not have protector on old trailer and poor electric on the post caused damage to my television. Jim2007