new TT what do you change first if anything?

[tekman741]

Waiting for my 2020 forest river wildwood 179dbk to come in mid July.
The previous 2 TT where used so this is our 1st brand spanking new one. If you had to change something e.g. tires, stabilizers, battery, mattress (queen comes with an 8" thick coil mattress but bunks are foam), seat cushions, faucets, locks... what would you do or have the dealer change.

Personally, I like doing my own work because in my experience dealers do the bare minimum with cheap labor.

[colliehauler]

When I purchased a new trailer I left the mattress, faucets, fire extinguisher, smoke detector and manual tonge jack at the dealership and put in my upgrades there. The salesman even helped me carry out the factory mattress and helped me put in my new one. I did the fan upgrade at home. I put in a combination smoke-carbon monoxide alarm and a larger metal valve fire extinguisher for safety. Mine came with good tires so I didn't need to upgrade, some trailers are coming with Goodyear Endurance now.

I also declined the starter kit and bought a good quality sewer hose and a premium water hose.

[tekman741]

drsteve wrote:
If your new TT has the lame "beanie copter" vent fans, get a real fan--Maxxair or Fantastic--so you have real ventilation when needed.

Now that I like it will also help vent heat out too. Another idea I saw someone at a camp site do. Had a fan you set on the floor that moves alot of air but put it out under the awning. Kept the bugs away and kept him cool whilst having a beer.

[tekman741]

Boomerweps wrote:
Vent covers to have them open in rain or driving down the road.
Adjustable small curtain poles for refrigerator shelf retainers.
Adapter for power to run TT off of 15/20 amp recepticals, 50-30 adapter.
Extra potable water hose, extra sewer hose with a tapered fitting for the ground pipe, maybe a clear adapter section for monitoring sewage disposal. No fun being a little short on cables or hoses ;(
Some means of leveling the TT side to side using the tires, those mounted "jacks" are STABILIZERS and not for lifting (which can warp the frame). All kinds available from wood planks to platforms to "Lego" like blocks to roll on wedges. Get chocks that can work with your leveling system.
Are you getting a Weight Distributing Hitch? Setting that up right is a must when using. Not rocket science, manuals are clear, Utube videos usually available for all versions for setup.
Brake controller? A MUST.

I have most of that stuff, the blocks extra cable, extra white hose and then a green one for sew rinse, etc... Why because on my very first trip I did not have a long enough sew and water hose. learn by making mistakes.

[drsteve]

If your new TT has the lame "beanie copter" vent fans, get a real fan--Maxxair or Fantastic--so you have real ventilation when needed.

[2oldman]

faucets. They come with the cheapest plastic junk they can find.

[DutchmenSport]

As stated above, use the camper before making any changes or modifications. You will find there is a natural "flow" inside your new camper, just like there is a natural 'flow" inside your house.

We took delivery of our last camper (fifth-wheel) on a Wednesday. Thursday morning we pulled out of the drive way for a previously reserved campsite at a state park in Kentucky. We had time, only to toss stuff from the old camper into the new one and literally, hit the road. So there was no time for any modifications.

That maiden voyage proved to be a worthwhile event. It only took a few hours to realize there was a natural "flow" in the new camper. There seemed to be a natural place to hang dish towels, a spot to hang keys, the dog leashes, even where the toilet paper should be located in the bathroom.

Once we returned home, the first thing I did was install hooks (with screws, not Command sticky hooks) in each of these locations. And now, 9 months later, they are in the right spot.

Just last night I installed 2 towel bars directly above the bed, one on each side (24 inches long each) so we can hang clip flans there, directly above our heads when sleeping at night. Well, it took 9 months to figure that one out. There was something missing, we couldn't put our finger on it, and then a couple days ago, my wife hit the nail on the head ... 2 clip fans above our head to help circulate the air because the air conditioner in that room kicks on and off so much it wakes us up every time it kicks on and then again with it kicks off. But the other air conditioner in the living room area (30 feet away) isn't noticeable. So at night, we can leave the air conditioner off in our bed room, and because everything is ducked we get cold air in the bed room, just not good air flow. The fans were the answer to circulate the air. But there again, it took 9 months for us to figure this out ... plus the weather had to get real hot in order to use the air conditioners fully too.

There is a natural "flow" in your camper. Don't just start changing and swapping things out for the sake of making changes. Give everything a chance as it came from the factory. Then after you've used your new camper a short while, you'll figure out where those modifications need to be made.

Buy the way, the factory mattress in our new 5er is actually pretty good. We were going to swap out our Serta from the previous camper for the new one in the new camper, but after stretching out on the bed, found it was quite comfortable. We did not do the swap. After 9 months and sleeping on it almost every night since, it's still very comfortable.

Here again, don't make modifications just for the sake of making changes. Have a real reason to do so.

Good luck, and hope you enjoy that new camper.

[Boomerweps]

Vent covers to have them open in rain or driving down the road.
Adjustable small curtain poles for refrigerator shelf retainers.
Adapter for power to run TT off of 15/20 amp recepticals, 50-30 adapter.
Extra potable water hose, extra sewer hose with a tapered fitting for the ground pipe, maybe a clear adapter section for monitoring sewage disposal. No fun being a little short on cables or hoses ;(
Some means of leveling the TT side to side using the tires, those mounted "jacks" are STABILIZERS and not for lifting (which can warp the frame). All kinds available from wood planks to platforms to "Lego" like blocks to roll on wedges. Get chocks that can work with your leveling system.
Are you getting a Weight Distributing Hitch? Setting that up right is a must when using. Not rocket science, manuals are clear, Utube videos usually available for all versions for setup.
Brake controller? A MUST.

[tdiller]

tekman741 wrote:
Waiting for my 2020 forest river wildwood 179dbk to come in mid July.
The previous 2 TT where used so this is our 1st brand spanking new one. If you had to change something e.g. tires, stabilizers, battery, mattress (queen comes with an 8" thick coil mattress but bunks are foam), seat cushions, faucets, locks... what would you do or have the dealer change.

Personally, I like doing my own work because in my experience dealers do the bare minimum with cheap labor.

This sounds very much like some motorcycle forums. People often ask the same sort of questions. Should I buy risers, should I change the seat, should I buy this or that?

My answer to your question is the same as that I offer to a new motorcyclist.

Spend some time in the camper in the first season and then decide what changes YOU want to make based on your needs. You may find that that mattress that came with the camper is fine for you and you don't need that 4-6" mattress topper. Or you may decide that whatever chrome go faster is not for you. Basically customize it to your way of camping. For some that means tricking it out to the max. For others it means a few creature comfort changes. But don't jump in with a bunch of changes that you read here simply because others have used them. Make sure that they will work for you and how you use your trailer.

We've just spent our first year in our trailer and have found a few things we would do. One which was done the first week was the mattress topper. Other things we'd like to do include removing the jackknife sofa and replace it with two recliners. I'm researching that now but in the meantime we have found some folding foot stools that work.

[Wiscampsin]

Put some Maxxair covers on your roof vents.

[Fizz]

Live with it first.
Only you will know what works for you.
After our first Snowbird winter we tossed the mattress and couch. Next I squeezed everything I could for extra storage, shelves, hooks etc...

Live with what you have for one season at least.

P.S.
Original tires lasted five years.

[tekman741]

every single suggestion is awesome.

[guidry]

garysol wrote:
If I have the spare money the first thing I do is swap out the tires to a better quality set. You can still sell the take off tires as long as they are new to recoup some of the money spent.

This! Manufacturers go with the lowest bid on tires and then get your money again when you have a blow out and there’s fender damage. Higher rated load range tires will give you peace of mind.

[midnightsadie]

tires ,they put the cheapest they can get on new trailers, and I,d pop a bearing cover check the grease packing. check roof for a good seal. at the clauking .

[Tvov]

Mattress - either a new one or a nice, thick memory foam topper.

Second is adding shelves to the closets, assuming yours has one of the "hanging" closets designed to hang clothes in... we found adding shelves and putting folded clothes in was better for us.

[garysol]

If I have the spare money the first thing I do is swap out the tires to a better quality set. You can still sell the take off tires as long as they are new to recoup some of the money spent.