Hobbes525
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Joined 8 years ago
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Winterizing Travel Trailer for Beginners
Hello RV'ers - We just finished our last camping trip for the year. :( That being said, this is our first year having to winterize a travel trailer. We have a 32' Passport 2920bh. Does anyone have a link or tips to a good how-to on winterizing? Everything I have found so far focuses on the plumbing which I think I have a good understanding of now. But what about other areas of concern or attention? One thing I noticed on this last trip, which was cold an rainy, is that a lot of condensation formed on the inside of the windows. How do I prevent them from happening while being stored? Any help or suggestions is greatly appreciated. Thanks!3.2KViews0likes11CommentsRe: Wireless camera
We upgraded to a travel trailer from a Pop-UP this year. It did not come with a factory installed camera and I didn't want to pay the $600 parts and labor cost to get one installed by the dealer. I purchased this kit: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06XQJ9L7K/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I mounted on the roof along the back edge. It has tilt adjustment. I have mine angled so I can see out the back like a review mirror. I can angle it down if I want to see more immediately behind the camper for backing up. Its not wireless but I ran power and video along the bottom of the camper and the cables coming up the back corner of the camper to the roof. Used some cable channel painted to match the trim so it blends in. I mounted the camera on a gang box that is sealed to house the connections. Power is connected to a toggle switch running off the battery. I ran extra video cord that is zip tied to the main power cable that connects to the truck. I then run a video cable from my dash to the back of truck, tucking the cable into the inter trim panels. I can send pics if interested but I was all in for less then $100 and an afternoon to get everything installed. Bonus for not having to put holes in the camper. :) It definitely helps.413Views0likes0CommentsTips for first time long haul road trip.
Hello fellow RV'ers. Mi wife and I are going to be embarking on our first long haul road trip with our two sons. (13 and 8). I hope this is the first in a long line of annual family vacations. :) We live approx 20 min west of Milwaukee, WI and will be heading down to Orlando, FL. We are planning two days for travel. I plan to leave between 4 and 5 am the first day and drive Nashville area. We have made reservations at a camp ground there. I hope we can make it there around dinner time to give us time to relax and rest up for day two. I was planning to go through Rockford Ill on 39 to champaign and then taking 57 south and picking up 24 into Nashville. This gets me around chicago and avoids the dreadful drive on 65 to Indianapolis which I made more times then one person should ever have to in their lifetime. :) For day two it looks like 24 to Chattanooga and then 75 all the way. Tried to find some ways around atlanta but doesnt look like there are many options. We will do the same thing on the return trip. We're pulling a 30' TT so we plan on taking it nice a slow. we will be in Florida for a solid 11 days with some off days planned between all of the touristy stuff. Really looking forward to it. We have done some smaller, two our drive, trips with the camper so I've gotten a good feel for how the trucks pulls with it. Be a long trip I could use some tips and or advice any seasoned RV'ers would have.5.5KViews0likes22CommentsSumo SuperSprings, worth the investment?
Hello - Second time poster here. We are planning for a long road trip with out new TT. I am using a '03 Suburban, pulling a 32' TT that weighs approx 6200 lbs loaded. I have a Curt Sway Control and Weight Distribution hitch installed and as adjusted the Burb sits almost at its normal ride height. Very little dip in the rear. Another poster suggested I invest in some super springs. Just wondering if with the hitch installed and adjusted properly would the springs still be needed or make much difference? Thanks704Views0likes1CommentRe: Towing with Chevy Suburban 1500
Thank you everyone for all of the advice. I had not thought of the ratings for the trailer tires. We just picked up the TT this April. Not sure how long they have been on the camper but they look new. They are Trailer King St Radial ST205/75R14. I confirmed as everyone suspected, they are rated to 65 mph. To be clear I was doing 70 for a brief period of time. My average speed was closer to 60. For Tranny coolers does anyone have a recommendation? I see there are several styles with the stacked plate being the most efficient. Any thoughts on make and style that would be best?923Views0likes0CommentsTowing with Chevy Suburban 1500
Hello fellow RV'ers. I recently graduated from a modest little pop-up to a nice Bunkhouse TT and excited about going on some great family trips. I'm a self admitted noob when it comes to the world of towing more substantial loads and had a few questions in regards to towing my new trailer with our suburban. My TV is a 2003 Suburban 1500 with 148k on it. Its the 5.3 with a 3.73 gearing. I'm not sure if I have a tranny cooler on it as we bought it used. I did use tow mode. The trailer is a 2016 Passport Ultra Lite 2920bh with a dry weight of approx 5200 lbs and tonguew weight of 625 lbs. All in we are probably at 6500 to 6800 loaded with passengers and gear. We took the TT on its first trip of any significant mileage. Approx 150 miles. The suburban seemed to do okay but in all honesty I'm not sure what it would look like if it was pushing its limits. On the trip we battled some decent side winds but over all the engine was running around 2500 up to 3000 rpms trying to keep up with freeway speeds. It seemed to be happiest around 65 mph. I'm running a full sway and load leveling hitch. I had some swaying but it was controllable. It seemed the most notable when semis or box trucks would pass My inexperience didn't help. :) Braking seemed confident and my temps stayed steady at normal readings so it even with the higher rpms it didn't seemed too taxed. I didn't face any real hills but on some extended grades she would lose speed and by the time we crested the top we were down to about 50 - 55 mph. I was also nursing the gas to avoid it down shifting and reving higher. A couple times it did this and rev'd up to 4000 rpm. On our return trip we had head winds and I was running 3000 rpm and keeping at 70 mph. Hills brought this back down to the 50s as expected. I know that patience is key with towing but my question is does this sound like the truck is over-loaded? Am I risking damaging the vehicle or something more serious? We are looking to do a family trip from WI to FL towing the trailer. Original plan is to use our suburban but I have considered renting a 3/4 ton diesel. I would prefer to save the cost of the rental but do you think the suburban can handle the trip? I appreciate any advice offered. As I mentioned I am new to this world. :) Thanks!10KViews0likes19Comments
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