New to trailer Life ordered new Truck and TT

[vettebob]

My wife and I retired and have decided we want to travel so I ordered a new 2014 Sierra 1500 Double Cab with the max tow package and a Solaire Eclipse 247RKES TT. Both should be in towards the end of June. The truck is supposed to have a max tow of 11500. I don't have the truck yet so I don't know what the max axle weight is. Dry trailer weight of 5500 dry hitch weight 590 and max trailer weight of 8600. I also ordered the 10k equalizer hitch. I really use advice on what are the necessities I need to purchase in order to use the tt. Which leveling blocks are good how long/type sewer hose, Do I need a pressure regulator or special hose for hook up, is a surge suppressor a smart purchase. I did not order the rv barbeque what would be a good one for travelling. I did not order the television I thought I would get one from sams club do I need a special bracket? Any other advice suggestions to make it a great experience? Bob

[mbopp]

Our previous hybrid TT had 30# tanks, the new one has 20#. Unless you're winter camping and using a lot of propane for the furnace the 20# tanks should do just fine.

[lbrjet]

Congrats and welcome. Amazon sells lots of RV stuff now. Shop around.

[vettebob]

I was planning on adding a second battery I already have a new group 34 marine battery at the house and a inverter so I can run the fridge while driving. The new truck has a 150 amp alternator The TT has all LED lighting it comes with 2 20 lb propane tanks was planning on upgrading to 2 30s.We are planning on leaving part of the cold Missouri winters behind. I am working up a camping world order unless you have suggestions for somewhere better. Bob

[EcoBullet]

vettebob wrote:
1. Which leveling blocks are good
2. how long/type sewer hose,
3. barbeque Bob

1. wood 2X8 blocks 16-24" or so long
2. Rhino kit includes
3. Baby Weber

[mbopp]

You'll need some type of wheel chock, either wedges, "X"-type, or home-made ones.

Canadian cg's seem to have utilities spaced further apart. I have 75' of drinking hose, 30' extension cord, and 25' of sewer hose. Many times I can get away with 10' of water hose and 10' of sewer line.

You'll need some coax cable for the TV set if the cg has cable service.

We have a baby Weber BBQ grill (flea market special.)

Our TT came with a 22" tv. The "brick" power supply said 12V so I made a cigarette power plug and barrel connector to power it when we dry camp.

If you're going solar, how much dry camping do you intend to do? Many of us have dual (or quad) batteries and LED lighting.

[vettebob]

Think that's the brand of panels I have I was going to install them on my small cargo trailer. This may just be a better application. Bob

[westend]

Bob,
I think Pianotuna has Unisolar modules on his RV, maybe he'll let us know what type of roof he has.

[vettebob]

Thanks for the tips please keep them coming.
I have 2 flexable 45 watt solar panels with the adhesive on the back can I apply them directly to the rubber roof or will the heat from the sun on a dark solar panel cause problems. Bob

[westend]

generaljean wrote:
Television: Bought an RCA on line from Amazon.com. It's a 13" flat screen, is 12V or 110 (we do a lot of boon docking so prefer to run off the battery). They have larger screens, but they use many more amps and would drain the batteries too quick. Our solar panel charges the batteries so don't need to run a noisy generator.

My 32" screen draws 33 W in normal viewing mode, 2.7A at 12V. Do you know what your 13" draws?

Edit: I looked up the RCA 13" DECK13R and it draws about 1.8A (calculated from yearly use info on the sticker).

[generaljean]

Television: Bought an RCA on line from Amazon.com. It's a 13" flat screen, is 12V or 110 (we do a lot of boon docking so prefer to run off the battery). They have larger screens, but they use many more amps and would drain the batteries too quick. Our solar panel charges the batteries so don't need to run a noisy generator.

[loulou57]

Congratulations on your decision to adventure out. Curious..did you order the truck and TT in matching colours? We have seen that quite a bit in rigs that are all new.

We have 250' of white hose. 200' of electrical extension. Our BBQ is a baby weber, we cook every meal on it and have a nice grill tray to cook things like eggs etc. A mat for under your awning keeps out a lot of dirt from the TT. Make sure you get a brand that does not damage the grass, well worth the extra money.
There are many things we carry such as both a well stocked tool kit and first aid kit. To level and support we have some 6 x 6 blocks as well as some planks of wood.

[noteven]

For leveling we have a set of these Clicky.

We always connect city water supply through a pressure regulator. We always close the valve and shut off the 12v on board water pump when we leave our rig unattended.

For tank flushing I bought one of those shrinking hoses (as seen on TV!), mainly because it fits in a small bucket and isn't like coiling up haywire. So far it is handy and has stood up well.

We like our Blueline sanitation hose/fittings from Prest-O-Fit - easy to use and compact. I'm not sure what length I've ended up with, I've dragged one or two on the road to shorten them up a bit :S
We use a clear coupler on the rv to see when the tanks are flushed. We use one of those accordion supports to grade the sani hose down to the drop when parked on a site.

Don't skid your sani dump hoses around on the pavement and concrete when they are full of fluid - they become sprinklers 🙂

Barbeque - we carry a little round ball charcoal unit.

Check your tire pressures every travel morning & enjoy your new truck and trailer and retirement.

[ken56]

With a new TT you will likely have a black tank rinser built in to the unit. Get another general purpose hose and a Y with shutoffs for the water spiggot to be able to hook up both hoses. Do not use your fresh water hose for rinsing your tank. This also enables you to rinse your sewer hose before storing it. You should also pickup a clear fitting for your sewer connection to observe if the tank is running clear and thus empty and clean. I set up like this.....Y to the campground water spiggot first. one side gets the water filter and fresh water hose to the trailer, other side gets a anti siphon valve then the general purpose hose with a spray nozzle which is kept coiled up on the ground and I use that for various rinsing needs and tank rinsing when I dump my tank. You will be fine with your tow setup. I have a Silverado 1500 and tow about the same lbs as you and I have no problem. If you get some wiggle(not sway)in the rearend of the truck when you're towing its likely the tires. I had that problem and advice on here was to air up the tires to their capacity listed on the sidewall. That solved it.

[ken56]

With a new TT you will likely have a black tank rinser built in to the unit. Get another general purpose hose and a Y with shutoffs for the water spiggot to be able to hook up both hoses. Do not use your fresh water hose for rinsing your tank. This also enables you to rinse your sewer hose before storing it. You should also pickup a clear fitting for your sewer connection to observe if the tank is running clear and thus empty and clean. I set up like this.....Y to the campground water spiggot first. one side gets the water filter and fresh water hose to the trailer, other side gets a anti siphon valve then the general purpose hose with a spray nozzle which is kept coiled up on the ground and I use that for various rinsing needs and tank rinsing when I dump my tank. You will be fine with your tow setup. I have a Silverado 1500 and tow about the same lbs as you and I have no problem. If you get some wiggle(not sway)in the rearend of the truck when your towing its likely the tires. I had that problem and advice on here was to air up the tires to their capacity listed on the sidewall. That solved it.