jmatthews
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Re: Ram 1500 with starcraft 289bhs
I can tell you that towing your trailer will be fine as many have said the payload will be over if the numbers you provided are correct. That said I have a 2011 Ram 1500 outdoorsman with 3.92 gears and heavy duty towing package. This added a trans cooler and the gears also have LT tires from the factory. I have a 2013 shasta revere and it weighs 6800lbs loaded ready to camp. I have towed 300 miles one way to campgrounds with absoulutely no trouble. I have a weight distribution hitch and antisway. My tongue weight is right around 850lbs loaded ready to camp. My payload on my truck is 1400lbs I forget the exact number but it is very close to that. That number is right off the sticker again I dont have it in front of me but I know its more then you are claiming yours is. Max tow is 10,500lbs. I am guessing you have either a Laramie or an outdoorsman because normally they have 3.55 gears and max tow of 9500lbs. My truck has a class 4 hitch as well as an intergerated brake controller in the truck. I tow mine with no issue at all. I know the weight police are going to tell me I am wrong but I know what my numbers are and have been towing for years. I have scaled the truck and trailer and family in the truck and I come in just below my payload. Its not by much but we make it. Good luck and happy camping.510Views0likes0CommentsRe: First Trip Down
For beach camping a matt outside the door is a must. I also bring a vaccumm cleaner to keep the sand at a dull roar. I do not like sand in my TT. If you dont have some kind of mat outside you will drag it into teh TT and never get it out. I had an older camper before and we went to a beach resort. It took me months to get the sand out of it. When I traded it in I pulled a bag out of one of the storage areas and guess what sand. It is crazy how it gets everywhere. Well enough of my 2 cents happy camping and enjoy!!!215Views0likes0CommentsRe: Opinions - Shasta Revere travel trailers
I almost forgot that Ours did not come with a TV. I purchased one from the local Walmart and installed with a wall mount. I found the studs and mounted. Little word of advise Make sure you buy shorter bolts for the assembly wall mount as the TT walls are not 2x4 like a house. I mounted mine and put in two hooks and use a tie down strap while traveling to make sure it doesn't go flying. Good luck727Views0likes0CommentsRe: Opinions - Shasta Revere travel trailers
I have a 2013 Shasta Revere 26tb So far we have not had many issues at all. The first trip we found that the Black tank valave was not sealing completely and allowed some nasty balck tank water to come out when I removed the cap to put on my sewer line. The dealer replaced that. The Kitchen faucet was cracked from the factory I missed it on the PDI. The only other thing was the switches for the water heater were in the wall plate backwards. To explain they worked correctly but the propane switch was where the electric switch should have been. I simply popped the cover plate off and swapped them to the correct spot on the wall plate. As for the build quality I am pleased so far. The air and heat are great! We camped in the fall last season and the heat was fantastic. The air keeps the TT nice and cool. I would not hesitate to recommend a shasta revere. Good luck in you search and Happy Camping!!!!725Views0likes0CommentsRe: First-time RVer: new vs used?
My wife and I bought our first TT used. It was a 97 mallard and we did not have any idea what we were looking at. We got it cheap and we enjoyed it for about 3 yrs. We kinda lucked out though as we had limited issues and enjoyed it. I have heard the horror stories. I traded that unit in on new after we knew we loved camping. Same year we bout ours my neighbor bought theirs and it was newer than ours and much nicer inside but... The roof leaked and the axle was bent so there were soem very costly repairs for them. This is like anything you buy used. If you look it over as good as you can and make an educated purchase you should be ok used. Bit remember even when you buy a new one you have things that have to be gone through. Good luck each new and used have the good and bad.434Views0likes0CommentsRe: TT leans when slide outs are extended
When I put our slide out I always have the stablizers down. I level first always put it a tad high on the slide side then put my stablizers down then put out the slide. recheck for level and usually I am either right on or slighty sagging but... perfectly level I dont think I have ever achieved that. The weight will make it that side heavy so I just adjust it accordingly. I have the levelers that I drive up on or use 2x6 planks or some plywood whatever may be needed for that particular CG912Views0likes0CommentsRe: Your Spring De-winterizing Checklist
This is what I do. 1. Flush all lines till I am satisfied there is no RV antifreeze left in them. 2. Bleach and water in the fresh water tank then run through the lines. 3. Empty fresh water tank flush with clean water and drain. I do this a few times to make sure all bleach is out then I flush lines with clean water. 4. pull plug from water heater take a wand and flush out hot water tank to get rid of scale that has built up from prior season of use. Put plug back in. 5. Hook up to city water and open all the faucets let them run for a few mins. I make sure the water heater is full and test to make sure I get hot water on electric and propane. I also take that time to check for any spider webs in the propane system. 6. Wash the roof of camper check the Roof for any cracking in or potential leaks. (washing the roof prevents black streaking) 7. Wash entire TT. 8. Repack wheel bearings check tires and lights on TT adjust the Trailer brakes checking magnets. 9. Go through inventory inside TT for what we may need for the upcoming season. 10. Check Battery test and charge. If battery is weak or will not take a charge replace battery. 11. Lube all stabilizer jacks make sure they operate correctly. 12. Check air pressure in all tires including spare. 13. Go through all systems inside the TT heat AC and stove Fridge and microwave. Make sure everything is working as it should. 14. Clean inside and disinfect. That's my list. I am pretty crazy with what I do. But I usually have no problems when I do get out camping. I use my camping as vacation and try not to do to much work while I am on vacation.229Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ram 1500 Bumper Notice
APT wrote: jmatthews wrote: My only concern is that you have the 3.92 gears because with the 3.55 gear the towing capacity goes way down it is 8500lbs with the 3.55 gear. 8000+ pound RV is too much for 95% of 1500 Rams in people's driveways. Gear ratio and power are not a problem. I dont disagree with your statement. Most 1500 series run out of payload way before they hit what they are rated to tow. What I was trying to point out is that each truck has a different tow rating and payload. The truck is rated to tow 8500 with the lower gear and it does make a huge difference in how the truck pulls the weight. But to be clear I understand about tongue weight payload and towing capacity. You should be well under what your truck is rated for. My truck's capacity is 10,500 in the book but... I would never try to get even close to that weight. My TT fully loaded to go camping is just under 7000lbs I use a WD hitch and have weighed it with me the family and I am under payload and my setup tows excellent!! I used my brothers truck that is the same truck as mine but has the 3.55 gear and it honestly did ok but it struggled a bit getting moving. That is why I bought my truck with the 3.92 gear and I will be adding air bags to help with the sag but the WD hitch takes are of that problem.320Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ram 1500 Bumper Notice
I have a 2011 Ram 1500 with the outdoorsman package. It has 3.92 gears and a heavy duty trans cooler. If you have the factory hitch it is a class IV hitch and yes it will sag a little but if you have a weight distribution hitch you will be fine. I have WD hitch and tow my shasta revere that is around 7000lbs also and 30ft long. I can barely tell its back there. My only concern is that you have the 3.92 gears because with the 3.55 gear the towing capacity goes way down it is 8500lbs with the 3.55 gear. I think you will be better of than the armada either way but make sure you are within the limits of your tow vehicle. Oh and if you dont know the rear gear you can contact a dodge dealer and they can run your vin to tell you exactly what you have. Happy camping!!321Views0likes0CommentsRe: TT tools
I agree with all the posts above. I carry a bit more because I started out in an older TT and found that water leaks can ruin a weekend real quick!! I carry a few small pieces of pex water lines and the slip style fittings a couple 90 degree and straight also the ones with the nut on the end for the faucets so I don't need to carry a criping tool. Fuses tool kit from sears or harbor frieght. Channel Locks Small,medium,and large Axe. It is a pain to get a fire started if you can't make kindling or cant find any. Extra clips for hitch pin.(I take mine off when we get to the campground so I don't walk into it) Cooking grate for fire so you can cook your burgers and such. Spare tire 4way lug wrench. Jack as stated above all the things the other folks listed. Good luck and Happy camping!!!368Views0likes0Comments
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