Finally getting a camper!

[sbodi4d]

Hello all.
Been lurking here for a few years, posting sporadically. Hopefully by this time next week, we will be the proud owners of a new 2014 Rockwood HW296!
I have a 2007 Silverado 1/2 ton truck to haul it with. My question is, should I get a WDH or just go with the TV the way it is? Truck has a factory installed towing package rated at 5000 lbs, towing weight, and 600lbs. hitch weight. The new Popup is rated at 373lbs. hitch weight, and 4573lb. GVW. Can't decide whether a WDH would be needed, or not. Hate to spend the dough if it is not needed. Thanks for all the advice I have gleaned so far.

[RoyB]

My 2010 F150 truck does a great job towing my heavy 4200 LB OFF-ROAD Starcraft 14RT OFF-ROAD POPUP Camper.

I certainly would give it try without one... If it pulls your truck down towards the ground big time then definately get one. My 2010 Truck tow package has some sort of sway control built into it.

Since 2008 I have a good 50K-60K tow miles on my off-road camper... Even around wiskey Tall Falls and Wichita Mtns Wildlife Refuge in Medicine park OKLA. Used to go to Midland/Odesa on Tornado alerts way back in my running around days with Ham radio OPS out your way... Married into North texas and lived there in the 60's and 70's. Love looking straight out and seeing stars at night.

Roy Ken

[jmcgsd]

1. Re the WDH Hitch: no you probably don't need one, but I'll bet you will want sway control.

2. Re the electric brake controller: what kind is it? Is there any display on the panel even without a trailer connected? I just recently replaced my Lance truck camper with a TT. I had my Prodigy controller which I used when I towed a Coleman Tent Trailer mounted in the truck, but had never used it with this truck because it wasn't necessary with the truck camper of course. It had been moved by the dealer five years ago when I bought my present truck.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and my new TT where I needed the brakes. We couldn't get them to work. It turns out that the brake wire had been spliced into the wrong wire in the harness for five years!

Good luck with your problem and welcome.

[sbodi4d]

That's good to know. We will be there the first week in april for our maiden voyage! Thanks for the info.

[Bonefish]

sbodi4d wrote:
Thanks for all the advice! My TV does have a factory installed hitch, not a bumper mounted ball. I have a 2" drop, and a 4" drop receiver ready to go. Thanks for the heads up on the shocks, and alignment. I will try it without the WDH on the way home after picking it up. It will be a 300 mile trip, so I should know pretty quickly how she does. My hitch says with a WDH the towing capacity is 10,500lbs. and 1,100lb tongue weight, so if I think I need a WDH, it will well exceed the campers specs. Can't wait to pick it up and get out to the campground. We have been tent camping since we were married 36 years ago. The last time we went camping a herd of Javelinas attacked our tent, and got into the ice chest (I inadvertently left it on the ground instead of putting it in the bed of the TV like I usually do), and my DW hasn't wanted to go camping since then!

We had the grandkids with us, and that made it worse for her. I had my pistol with me just in case, and she said, you can't shoot them! I said just watch me! If it comes between my family's safety, and a Javelina, he's gonna loose every time!!!

Another one from Midland. We just got back from Davis Mts SP and they have really cleaned out a lot of trees & brush around the campsites. As far as Javelinas we did not see any as others told us they did in site 10, we had 7(FHU). Only one deer came down the hill during our stay. The park redid the sewer hook ups too. Sharon

[drae0814]

I Bought it and never used it to tow my pup when we had it and it was about the same as your save your money for camping buy it if you need it only.

[sbodi4d]

Well, went to pick up the Pup, and after a 5 hour drive, they couldn't get the brake controller to work on my truck. Needless to say, I didn't come home with my Pup. For some reason they couldn't get the brake controller to work, I have a 2007 Chevy Silverado 1/2 ton TV. I would have thought that it would have been a breeze to do on the Chevy, but they were having problems for some reason. I'm wondering if it is just a faulty brake controller. They told me there must be a problem with the factory wiring harness, and to take it to a Chevy dealer to get it looked at.
They are going to deliver the camper to me free of charge. Has anybody else ever had trouble with a brake controller on a Chevy? I hate to take it to the dealer, because I'm sure it won't be cheap. I am very mechanically inclined, and will probably try to do it myself. They left the controller installed in the truck. Should I try to get it going, or just buy a new one and do it myself? Any feedback would be welcome. Otherwise it was a mostly pleasant experience, at Fun Town RV of Cleburne Texas. Also it was close to closing time when we arrived, but they still did a brisk walkthrough (which was fine with me because I pretty much know how everything works), and stayed late trying to get the problem with the brake controller resolved.

[xteacher]

Congrats on your new PUP! I would definitely get the pop up Gizmos to insulate the tops of the bunk ends. When we had a PUP, they were life savers, especially in the brutal FL sun. Pop Up Gizmos. We also put the silver car dashboard/windshild protectors in the bunkend screened areas to insulate and cut down on light.

We use these under our stabilizer jacks, and also to help level from side-to-side when necessary: Lynx Levelers. They're lightweight and relatively inexpensive at Wally World. We also have the plastic chocks from Wally World (4 - one in front and back of each tire).

If you want the Cadillac of levelers, get a BAL leveler. Prices vary widely, so Google BAL Leveler, if you're interested in this option. The BAL will chock and level your camper.

Another good forum for PUP folks is popupexplorer.com

[sbodi4d]

Thanks for all the suggestions, keep them coming, I am compiling a list! Where is the best place to buy this stuff, Camping World? Thanks for the info Bradnailer! We plan on going to the Davis Mountain State Park for the first outing, we have been there many times and know the area.

[GWolfe]

One thing I would suggest is the Pop Up Gizmoes for the bunk ends. In Texas in the summer you will want them, they do a fantastic job at keeping the bunk ends cooler.

A pen and paper is a must have for the first few trips to keep a list of things you might need.

[bradnailer]

sbodi4d wrote:
Thanks for the info DougE. We were at Davis Mountains State Park when we had the problem. Well the dealer just called and told me they don't have enough time to have the unit ready this weekend, so it is being pushed to the next weekend Feb. 22nd. I've waited this long, I guess one more week won't kill me, besides it will give me a little more time to prepare.

This is going to be my first camper, so any advice on what kind of accessories I might need would be helpful. Hookups, leveling equipment, etc...
Thanks.

Also living in Midland, we like to pop over to Abilene State Park. It's amazing the amount of shade there from the huge pecans and oak trees. We do a week in the spring and the fall down at Lady Bird Johnson City Park in Fredericksburg as well.

For your first trip, try to camp someplace near a Walmart. They have a ton of camping and RV gear. Make sure you either have leveling blocks of varying thicknesses or a couple of sets of Lynx Levelers. Get your trailer level by using blocks or levelers then use the stabilizers only to stabilize the trailer. Also take some blocks to put under your tongue jack. You need a good set of chocks for your tires. Your dealer will likely give you a bucket kit that has some water hose and such in it. Other set up things I carry include a 30 amp extension cord, extra water hose, tools and such.

Have fun and be safe!

[DougE]

Get a couple of pieces of 2x6 or 2x8 to level the trailer side to side if necessary. A chunk of 4x4 will save you some cranking when unhooking. (Obviously there's more sophisticated blocking systems.) Have a heavy duty extension cord in case you can't get close to the electric hookup. Get a couple of wheel blocks to prevent the camper from moving (the tongue jack won't do it by itself). There's lots of info on carrying firearms. Putting the unloaded gun in the trailer and the ammo in the tow vehicle satisfies most of them. Park Rangers have stopped me an asked if I had a firearm. Your unit is large for a popup so what's OK for folks with a 10' box may not be OK for you. As large as your unit is you need to stabilize the front corners too (surely the rear has them). If not already mounted get a couple of screw jacks or bottle jacks to do the job.

[sbodi4d]

Thanks for the info DougE. We were at Davis Mountains State Park when we had the problem. Well the dealer just called and told me they don't have enough time to have the unit ready this weekend, so it is being pushed to the next weekend Feb. 22nd. I've waited this long, I guess one more week won't kill me, besides it will give me a little more time to prepare.

This is going to be my first camper, so any advice on what kind of accessories I might need would be helpful. Hookups, leveling equipment, etc...
Thanks.

[DougE]

If you're headed out to Big Bend Nat'l Park there weren't any Javelinas in the Rio Grande campground the last time I was there. The rangers said they were gone due to the floods but it wouldn't surprise me if they had relocated them since they were becoming such pests. In the past I've seen them bust tent zippers and open coolers.

[bradnailer]

I don't think you would need a WDH, but I would strongly suggest adding a sway bar.

You'll love the high wall.