Newbie Travel Trailer ?’s

[Kruel J]

Always dump your black water first, then your gray! The gray will wash some of the yuck out of the hose.

Also, even if you're on full hookups, NEVER leave your black water dump valve open. Let the tank fill about half way then dump and close it back up. Otherwise you'll end up with a clog. Trust me. No fun.

 

[kmk1012]

Always dump your black water first, then your gray! The gray will wash some of the yuck out of the hose.

Also, even if you're on full hookups, NEVER leave your black water dump valve open. Let the tank fill about half way then dump and close it back up. Otherwise you'll end up with a clog. Trust me. No fun.

I work with wastewater and trust me, when the velocity drops below 2fps very bad things happen in a collection system!

 

[partsed]

The collapsable outside garbage can is nice for pop and beer cans. We throw a garbage can liner in it and then the inside doesn't get all sticky.

 

[Kruel J]

I work with wastewater and trust me, when the velocity drops below 2fps very bad things happen in a collection system!

Yes it does! I can't tell you how many people I've dealt with that pulled up to their hookups and opened the black valve, not understanding that it's not like a home sewer system. The repair to the problem can be quite expensive.

 

[partsed]

Always dump your black water first, then your gray! The gray will wash some of the yuck out of the hose.

Also, even if you're on full hookups, NEVER leave your black water dump valve open. Let the tank fill about half way then dump and close it back up. Otherwise you'll end up with a clog. Trust me. No fun.

And two mandatory movies to own are RV with Robin Williams and The Long Long Trailer with Desi Arnez and Lucille Ball!!!!

 

[USMC1911]

Oh ya a water heater drain plug is nice also. Make sure to drain it if it's going to sit for more then a week or two the water is going to stink like rotten eggs if you don't. Stick on propane tank gauge is nice for obvious reasons. Oh ya you get a spare tire but no way to change it unless your tow rig happens to be the same size lugs. A few dollars at harbor freight for a basic tool kit, bottle jack and 4 way tire iron that stay with the trailer has been money well spent.

 

[kmk1012]

Oh ya a water heater drain plug is nice also. Make sure to drain it if it's going to sit for more then a week or two the water is going to stink like rotten eggs if you don't. Stick on propane tank gauge is nice for obvious reasons. Oh ya you get a spare tire but no way to change it unless your tow rig happens to be the same size lugs. A few dollars at harbor freight for a basic tool kit, bottle jack and 4 way tire iron that stay with the trailer has been money well spent.

I like the water heater drain idea, as we'll be using it throughout the summer on the weekends. I'll have to look at the plumbing next time I get up to camp. Also, as a former long time "Schwabbie" I come prepared to change my tires as well as anyone else's along the road (not 18wheelers, lol)

 

[jbett98]

My Dad would always bust a gut trying to get the EZ Load hitch leveler lifter bars up and cammed over into place.
He would select a lower link of chain, cam it over and then go to the other side and go up one link and do it back and forth till he got to the last link, and try to heave upwards till it snapped into place.
One day a neighbor walked over to me while my Dad was looking in his tool shed for a piece of pipe to use as a cheater bar.
The neighbor told me to watch and learn while he calmly used the hitch jack crank to raise up both the trailer and the rear of the station wagon way higher then normal.
He then used the tire iron to lock the EZ Load levelers up and over with the proper link of chain, then he cranked the trailer jack back down and rotated it into it's horizontal position.
He told me not to show my Dad and claim that I had done it by myself while he was away looking for that cheater bar.
The look on my Dad's face was priceless when he saw what I had done.

 

[Kruel J]

My Dad would always bust a gut trying to get the EZ Load hitch leveler lifter bars up and cammed over into place.
He would select a lower link of chain, cam it over and then go to the other side and go up one link and do it back and forth till he got to the last link, and try to heave upwards till it snapped into place.
One day a neighbor walked over to me while my Dad was looking in his tool shed for a piece of pipe to use as a cheater bar.
The neighbor told me to watch and learn while he calmly used the hitch jack crank to raise up both the trailer and the rear of the station wagon way higher then normal.
He then used the tire iron to lock the EZ Load levelers up and over with the proper link of chain, then he cranked the trailer jack back down and rotated it into it's horizontal position.
He told me not to show my Dad and claim that I had done it by myself while he was away looking for that cheater bar.
The look on my Dad's face was priceless when he saw what I had done.

I literally just laughed out loud!

 

[kmk1012]

My Dad would always bust a gut trying to get the EZ Load hitch leveler lifter bars up and cammed over into place.
He would select a lower link of chain, cam it over and then go to the other side and go up one link and do it back and forth till he got to the last link, and try to heave upwards till it snapped into place.
One day a neighbor walked over to me while my Dad was looking in his tool shed for a piece of pipe to use as a cheater bar.
The neighbor told me to watch and learn while he calmly used the hitch jack crank to raise up both the trailer and the rear of the station wagon way higher then normal.
He then used the tire iron to lock the EZ Load levelers up and over with the proper link of chain, then he cranked the trailer jack back down and rotated it into it's horizontal position.
He told me not to show my Dad and claim that I had done it by myself while he was away looking for that cheater bar.
The look on my Dad's face was priceless when he saw what I had done.

That's super funny! I've got another one involving those levelers. My maiden voyage to our campsite straight from the dealer. I backed the trailer up and got it all leveled out and then......tried to unhitch it. The trucks rear tire was on a rock and sitting at just enough of an angle to not let go. A quick call to a friend for some advice and got them off each other. Not before he gave me a hard time about helping another man get a "jack off" over the phone!

 

[1980VCGP]

So how big is the trailer? I know it has bunk beds from the windows in the back. 1/2 or 3/4 ton truck? Gas or diesel? Mine is a 3/4 ton HD with the 8.1 liter gas motor, Allison transmission. 4X4. Have increased the size of the transmission cooler and got a deeper pan. Pulling over the hill either way near Ashland is not too bad, just uses a little extra gas. With the deeper pan and larger cooler it gets close to 200 degrees but no higher.

 

[USMC1911]

So how big is the trailer? I know it has bunk beds from the windows in the back. 1/2 or 3/4 ton truck? Gas or diesel? Mine is a 3/4 ton HD with the 8.1 liter gas motor, Allison transmission. 4X4. Have increased the size of the transmission cooler and got a deeper pan. Pulling over the hill either way near Ashland is not too bad, just uses a little extra gas. With the deeper pan and larger cooler it gets close to 200 degrees but no higher.

Looks like a dually. That 496 really is a great motor and the 5 speed allison is pretty good but man the gas mileage is absolutely brutal! The one I had got 10 mpg empty and 6-7 with my enclosed trailer with a car inside. It had 220k on it when I sold it to my brother in law in 2010 and it now has almost 300k with little repair. Good truck.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

These travel trailers sound very expensive.
And they seem to sit around a lot.

 

[jbett98]

My retired neighbor bought a 17' trailer for a two week trip to Yellowstone a year and a half ago.
It hasn't moved since. He could have rented one.

 

[Kruel J]

My retired neighbor bought a 17' trailer for a two week trip to Yellowstone a year and a half ago.
It hasn't moved since. He could have rented one.

Yup.

 

[kmk1012]

So how big is the trailer? I know it has bunk beds from the windows in the back. 1/2 or 3/4 ton truck? Gas or diesel? Mine is a 3/4 ton HD with the 8.1 liter gas motor, Allison transmission. 4X4. Have increased the size of the transmission cooler and got a deeper pan. Pulling over the hill either way near Ashland is not too bad, just uses a little extra gas. With the deeper pan and larger cooler it gets close to 200 degrees but no higher.

It's a 29.5 foot (32'7" overall), half ton that's got a 12100 tow capacity (they claim). It tows very easy so far, August will be the trucks real test. We're going to east lake, out of LaPine. If I recall it's a pretty steep climb to the top of Newberry Caldera.

 

[kmk1012]

Dry weight is a little over 6k.

 

[Kruel J]

Dry weight is a little over 6k.

You should do OK. Fill the tank when you get there, gas is expensive. Water is cheap. As you know.

 

[kmk1012]

You should do OK. Fill the tank when you get there, gas is expensive. Water is cheap. As you know.

My thoughts exactly. The family is really excited about this new adventure.

 

[PNWguy]

My 2005 Yukon lists a tow limit of 7800lbs. Most trailers these days seem to be well under that. But it's the overall length of the trailer that seems to be a factor as well.

My dad has a 24' with slideouts and it just seems a bit too big for my vehicle.