New to Travel Trailers

myredracer wrote:
Enjoy the new TT! You will love towing with the F250 SD. :)

Check the suspension & tires. Look for worn shackles & bushings and for anything that doesn't look right. Do a bearing inspection, clean them, repack & new seals. Check brakes. Replace tires (need to be correct load range). I would spend a few hundred $$ or so and take it to a good frame & axle shop for inspection and bearings/brakes. That may save you a lot of grief and expense down the road.

Specs say GVWR is 9450 lbs. Dry tongue weight is listed as 650 lbs. The actual tongue wt. will likely be around 1100 lbs, possibly a bit higher. Make sure the WDH is rated for that - probably 1200 lb spring bars. Learn how to properly set up the WDH for safety, handling and sway reasons. There is a good sticky on this. You'll most likely want to add friction sway control to the WDH (if not provided). If you find sway is an issue, there are some good WDHs to upgrade to like Reese dual cam, Equal-i-zer and a couple of others with integral sway control.

If you're not familiar with a TT and everything in one, it might be a good idea to take it to a local RV shop (independent) for an overall inspection & report - 12 volt system, propane system, plumbing systems (waste and water) and holding tanks, etc. You don't have to pay them for anything that may need doing if you can do it yourself. They know what to look for and again, may save some grief and $$ down the road.

And most definitely check for leaks and re-caulk as needed. Water leakage can be the kiss of death in an RV if ignored.

Thanks. The trailer came with a WDH and attached friction sway control. I am familiar with water water systems as I work with commercial motor coaches. I have a number of people giving advice and lessons and we used to have a tent trailer years ago, so it's different, but similar.

I plan to repack bearings soon, but it handles great right now towing home. Pictures will be posted soon, I have to get back over there to clean and start planning our first trip.

Enjoy the new TT! You will love towing with the F250 SD. :)

Check the suspension & tires. Look for worn shackles & bushings and for anything that doesn't look right. Do a bearing inspection, clean them, repack & new seals. Check brakes. Replace tires (need to be correct load range). I would spend a few hundred $$ or so and take it to a good frame & axle shop for inspection and bearings/brakes. That may save you a lot of grief and expense down the road.

Specs say GVWR is 9450 lbs. Dry tongue weight is listed as 650 lbs. The actual tongue wt. will likely be around 1100 lbs, possibly a bit higher. Make sure the WDH is rated for that - probably 1200 lb spring bars. Learn how to properly set up the WDH for safety, handling and sway reasons. There is a good sticky on this. You'll most likely want to add friction sway control to the WDH (if not provided). If you find sway is an issue, there are some good WDHs to upgrade to like Reese dual cam, Equal-i-zer and a couple of others with integral sway control.

If you're not familiar with a TT and everything in one, it might be a good idea to take it to a local RV shop (independent) for an overall inspection & report - 12 volt system, propane system, plumbing systems (waste and water) and holding tanks, etc. You don't have to pay them for anything that may need doing if you can do it yourself. They know what to look for and again, may save some grief and $$ down the road.

And most definitely check for leaks and re-caulk as needed. Water leakage can be the kiss of death in an RV if ignored.

Well, the trailer is in my possession. It tows great and will suit us well. The family loves it, and as soon as is up to my standards of clean it will be awesome!

Pictures to come, how do I post them here?

I will, thanks. The down payment has been made now we are awaiting title work, then I drive to get the trailer. Hopefully this weekend.

Please keep this thread updated, like to know how everything works out. Welcome to the Forum....

Many TT that age are a great buy, Many are not. All depends on how it was cared for. When you see it. Look at the ceiling on the inside. In the cabinets, and closets. IF you see any water stains. Walk away. Soft spots in the floor. Walk away.
Make sure all the appliances work as they should. Hook up to water and check for leaks. Put some water in the fresh tank and check the pump, Run the AC, and heat.

Some 5 year old TT look 50, and some look new. If it is fased on the paint. Rub some wax on it to see if it will come back. If it does. Good to go. And yeah. You may have to seal the roof fixtures. No matter how well it was cared for. The stuff on the roof dries out.
Good Luck, and enjoy.

Thanks all. I have tons of pictures and the seller has been very open and seems legit on the phone. I am familiar with the model, but wanted the knowledge of those experienced.

Follow up: He is giving me the WD hitch and sway system. My truck is a SuperDuty F250 with bags from previous owner having a slide in camper. As for inspection, no, its 4 hours away and I don't have th etime to get out there ahead. I know I am taking a chance, but compared to my past Pop-Up, which was a fixer upper, i think I have the knowledge for the final inspection when I pick it up.

Welcome to the scrum. Best wishes for many years of wonderful camping.

The big question is have you thoroughly inspected the trailer, especially the roof and all seams that are potential water leaks? Do you know enough to inspect a trailer and/or have you considered having the trailer inspected by a RV repair shop? How old are the tires? Have the brakes been inspected? That should have been done before making a deal. Any trailer that is 5 years old or so may have issues, or if it was properly taken care of, could be ready to roll.

In any event, I hope things work out well for you and you can start having some great camping trips with your family. Enjoy!!

We had a 2006 Keystone Springdale and had good success with it. The things you should check are the roof, make sure there are no leaks. Check the frame, make sure there are no cracks. The decals may start curling in the camper's 5th year. We just ignored that. Because it's an aluminum side with paint, in the 7th year, the paint started running off, kind of like fine baby powder, and when it rained it left white powdery stuff on the asphalt under it on the ground. The paint was thinning.

About the 6th year of the camper, expect the roof vents to start becoming brittle, and the fan blade in the vent in the bathroom may become so brittle, it may may just crumble. These are easy fixes.

In the 7th year, the floor linoleum started curling around the edges in some places. In the 8th year I put new trim on the edges to hold the curls down, and then sold the camper for our current one.

Ours had an outside shower, it had to be replaced in year 7 also.

All the appliances worked like a champ when we sold it. We sold it because the floor plan just did not work for us any more. It towed great and I had the original tires through the 6th year of the camper's life.

Look at my profile to the left, and you'll see a photo of ours. Scroll down.

Here's some stats about yours. It's not all THAT heavy, but a 1500 or 150 truck will be a bit light for it. You'll want to get a weight distribution hitch system. Yours is too long to NOT use a WD hitch and sway control of some kind. Keystones are balanced good, so you'll want to load it about equal weight near the front and the back, you should have no problem towing that way. Lean toward the front if you need to load more weight.

Hope this helps. You can go to



Year = 2011
Model = 294BHSSRWE
Shipping Weight = 6923
Carrying Capacity = 2527
Hitch = 650
Length = 32' 7"
Height = 10' 11"
Fresh Water = 60
Waste Water = 30
Gray Water = 34
LPG = 60
Tire Size = 225/75R15D
Type = Travel Trailers
Region = West Coast

Here's a YouTube video about this trailer, this was the only one I could find: Click here.