All ActivityMost RecentMost LikesSolutionsRe: Question on winterizingI can attest to the crappy plumbing. The drain from the kitchen sink is a flexible pipe, which is completely pinched from the way it was routed. I got tired of the drain backing up and decided to dig into it myself. Among a few other issues that we need to have addressed via the warranty, this is another. I do have exposed valves. The tanks are empty, minus black that has just enough to keep any TP from drying up and getting some TST in it, but I can dump some antifreeze down the drain and toilet.Question on winterizingWe have a 2021 Apex 288BHS that we purchased in the Spring. I live in Central MD, but with the temperatures expected to dip to 28 Wednesday night, I wanted to know when I should think about winterizing. It stays plugged in, we have the heat running now (set to 55), and we have a heated and enclosed underbelly. We are not done camping for the year, but should I winterize it just for this one freezing night, or will it stay warm enough? I had considered just emptying the lines, but not blowing them nor putting in antifreeze. However, I would like to think having the heat on will be sufficient - even though it seems to burn propane rather quickly.Re: Advice o WDH after CAT scale MFL wrote: IMO, seems about right. How does it tow? If it handles good, under most conditions, no real need to change. Jerry It tows pretty well. A little bit of porpoising, but once it was full it was no where near as bad as when we brought it home.Re: Advice o WDH after CAT scale CaLBaR wrote: slashnburn wrote: Finally got our new TT loaded and went on our first little trip, with a stop by the weigh station. As such, we had pretty much everything fully loaded to where we would need it in both vehicles. Only exception is our 105 pound dog/crate that won't always be with us. I'm towing an Apex 288BHS(GVWR 7000#) with an F150 with a payload capacity of 1596# and GVWR of 7000#. My weights were: TV only Front: 3400 Rear: 2800 Trailer: 0 Combined: 6200 TV/TT without tension Front: 3060 Rear: 4040 Trailer: 5380 Combined: 12480 TV/TT with tension Front: 3300 Rear: 3680 Trailer: 5500 Combined: 12480 I had the hitch installed by dealer, but have given it the once over. Anyway, I am wondering if I should add another washer to try to get me more wiggle room in payload capacity. With a hitch weight right now of 880 and a trailer weight of 6280, I am at over 14% hitch weight, so I have the room. Honestly, I'd rather not have to make adjustments if the consensus is that the set-up seems adequate. Even if you add a washer you will not get any margin on payload. WDH does not affect the tongue weight. It will be what it will be. All another washer will do is put more weight back to your front axle. I like to set mine so unloaded the front axle comes back so in your case add another washer to bring back 100 lbs or so. Check your owners manual as I believe Ford does not want you to put it all back so it seems you are all set to go. Rob Wouldn't it also shift some back to the trailer? Yes, Ford doesn't want it all back. As stated in a later reply. I read that in the manual the other day.Advice o WDH after CAT scaleFinally got our new TT loaded and went on our first little trip, with a stop by the weigh station. As such, we had pretty much everything fully loaded to where we would need it in both vehicles. Only exception is our 105 pound dog/crate that won't always be with us. I'm towing an Apex 288BHS(GVWR 7000#) with an F150 with a payload capacity of 1596# and GVWR of 7000#. My weights were: TV only Front: 3400 Rear: 2800 Trailer: 0 Combined: 6200 TV/TT without tension Front: 3060 Rear: 4040 Trailer: 5380 Combined: 12480 TV/TT with tension Front: 3300 Rear: 3680 Trailer: 5500 Combined: 12480 I had the hitch installed by dealer, but have given it the once over. Anyway, I am wondering if I should add another washer to try to get me more wiggle room in payload capacity. With a hitch weight right now of 880 and a trailer weight of 6280, I am at over 14% hitch weight, so I have the room. Honestly, I'd rather not have to make adjustments if the consensus is that the set-up seems adequate.Re: Newbie Towing QuestionsThanks for all of the advice. I will be weighing the set-up next week and making adjustments as needed.Newbie Towing QuestionsI finally just picked up our Apex 288BHS last Friday. We also had an Equalizer hitch installed. On the drive home, I had a couple of concerns and was hoping to get some advice here. First, when driving, it felt as if my truck was kind of jerking forward and back. I tending to notice it a bit more with wind gusts, but it seemed fairly persistent. After doing some research it sounds like it could be because there is actually too little weight on the hitch. It could have potentially been the road bumps, but they weren't significant and again, it was pretty persistent. With that said, we live in a rural area, so the roads are fairly rough anyway. I just wanted some advice on if this is normal and if there is anything I can do to combat it. We are towing with a 19 F150 Lariat Max Trailer. Second, I am interested in learning more about the proper gain setting for the brake controller. The guy at the dealership said that it should be pretty low. I had it set on 2 on the way home and it seemed to slow everything down, but I don't want to unnecessarily wear out the brakes on the truck. According to the owners manual for the truck, it should be driven and applied by hand until the brakes lock up on the trailer and then go down one setting. Is this the best process, or is it better to keep it low and apply the trailer brakes manually when needed? Third, how sharp of an angle is safe to back up? Is it as much as I can while still leaving enough room to get back in front of the trailer? Fourth, should I air up my tires a bit when I am towing? I know all of the stuff about amount of tire that is actually on the road, but wasn't sure how that is related to the actual load on the back tires. The recommended cold pressure is 35 (which I think is where it is supposed to be for the max towing capacity), but I normally keep mine at about 38-40. I am new to towing, so please pardon the newbie questions. As always, your advice is greatly appreciated.Re: Travel Trailer Advice Terryallan wrote: Look at APEX/My 30' Apex bunk house came in at 4811lb dry, and right at 6000lbs loaded. Tows easy. Look around. what you need it out there. That is probably what we're going to go with. The Sunset Trails isn't readily available around here. Do you have the 288BHS? Do you like it? Did you can any upgrades?Re: Travel Trailer Advice Walaby wrote: slashnburn wrote: bid_time wrote: Aerolite 2843BH ***Link Removed*** Those are almost 6k dry. Actually the 2843 he linked to is almost 7K dry. I comfortably towed a 6800(ish) lb fully loaded trailer with my Silverado half ton. That's about the max I would personally do with a half ton. You might be a bridge too far with a bunkhouse requirement. Mike Here are the models I have found: Apparently I can't post links.... Passport 240BH Bullet 273BHS Outback Ultra Lite 257BHS Freedom Express Ultra Lite 257BHS Apex Ulta Lite 288BHSRe: Travel Trailer Advice bid_time wrote: Aerolite 2843BH ***Link Removed*** Those are almost 6k dry.
GroupsTravel Trailer Group Prefer to camp in a travel trailer? You're not alone.Jan 20, 202544,029 Posts