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RE: 2012 Dutchman Voltage Review
I would say I got a good one, but I have had problems, but none weren't anything I couldn't take care of. I did a thorough PDI and had a few things fixed on the spot and the dealer ordered a couple things I found on the PDI. After our first trip, it went to the dealer for a week. One of the gutter extensions was missing, and the big one was the rear awning fell off the first time we used it. That was about it.
On subsequent trips, the WFCO water pump and transfer switch croaked. I removed them and took them to the dealer and they tested them and gave me credit for new ones. I then upgraded both to US made versions. The tires were******and I replaced those with G rated tires.
We just spent two months in it and the only problem was the screw heads popping off on the slides. The screws seem to shear where they go into the steel structure and I think it it caused by the slide motors pushing the slide up tight against the trailer when we close them. I replaced about 50 screws in total with stainless steel screws and recaulked the seams. Gotta remember that we have put over 8K miles on it and spent a total of 4 months living in it though. IMO, these things are always going to have problems and you have to spend a little time getting them right. Expecting perfection on something this big and complicated at this price point is a lost cause.
There are RV manufactures that offer lifetime warranties, but you have to write a check in the deep 7 digits.
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Dave Wilburn
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05/06/13 09:06pm |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Dually Tires
I run the Firestone Transforce tires too. I get very good service life (~70K miles) and they take quite a bit of abuse. The Transforce ATs do well in the snow too. I think they are a very good tire at a decent price.
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Dave Wilburn
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05/03/13 09:36am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Leaving 5th Wheel Hitch Hanging on Kingpin
Where does all the weight of two people sleeping in the master bed go?
It goes the exact same place the 100lb hitch weight goes.
Anybody with a trailaire hitch knows that the truck and trailer move independently and all the weight of the trailer isn't always on the hitch, sometimes over rough pavement the hitch jaws hold the pin down. You can test this by leaving the lock mechanism on a conventional trailer undone and see how many miles you get before the hitch comes up off the ball.
Its a non-issue to leave the fiver hitch hanging...other than its something else to walk into.
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Dave Wilburn
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05/03/13 09:12am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Rubber Roof
Most manufacturers claim a "full walk on roof" but I'd say the weight limit is about 200 lbs. If you weigh more than that, you'll hear some creaking and groaning. I'll have to get up there to install solar panels, but I am planning on laying down some padding and then a couple 2x8s to stand on to work since I'm over 3 bills.
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Dave Wilburn
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05/03/13 08:58am |
Toy Haulers
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RE: home made toy hauler help
Attitude makes a couple toy haulers with 10' garages. They have options in the brochure for an additional 2, 4 or 6 feet added to the garage. That makes for up to 16'. We looked at one last year, but 16' wasn't necessary for us.
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Dave Wilburn
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05/03/13 08:31am |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: Wifi question
Yep. And if he does something illegal, the cops will come knocking on your door.
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Dave Wilburn
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05/02/13 04:56pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: How often do you rotate tires?
I find way too many people will blame the tires for poor tread life because they don't maintain the other aspects of the vehicle that severely affect tire performance. Air pressure being #1, followed closely by alignments, tire balancing, and worn shocks or suspension components.
I know Dodge put super cheap shock on my truck from the factory and they caused the tires to cup and wear prematurely. They were shot by 20K miles. I had the alignment checked and installed Bilsteins, now I get about 70K out of a set of tires.
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Dave Wilburn
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05/02/13 12:40pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Rubber Roof
I have a guy coming to wash my trailer today. I asked him about treating the roof and he said the best thing I can do is just keep it clean by washing it once or twice a year. He is going to use the same soap that he washes the rest of the rig with.
The trailer usually gets washed at the Blue Beacon truck wash and they put a rain-x protectant on the trailer, but they don't get the roof clean.
For a buck a foot, I can't afford to not let him wash it. :D
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Dave Wilburn
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05/02/13 11:33am |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Another Air Filter Question
I don't know if the newer Rams are similar, but on the 3rd gens, there is a 4" thick Wix filter that is the same size as the standard 2" thick one. I don't know if it flows more air, but it does last longer than the standard one since it has a lot more surface area. Napa carries them.
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Dave Wilburn
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04/25/13 02:35pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Maiden Voyage with new Voltage --- and Brake Issues
Sorry about the rough trip. How did you like the rest of the trailer?
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Dave Wilburn
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04/22/13 09:00am |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Going to get our new 2014 Dutchmen Voltage V3800 Toy Hauler!
Have them show you if you have a bypass for the water heater and where it is for winterization, i had to unscrew cabinet covers to finally find mine...
Those controls are very clearly marked on the Voltages. Even Stevie Wonder could find them:B
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Dave Wilburn
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04/18/13 01:52pm |
Toy Haulers
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RE: dish receiver mounting in voltage??
I took the door off the cabinet and just let my DVR stick out. Its kind of stupid to have to open that door every time I want to turn on a light, and the glass prevented the standard remote from working. It looks OK and its not a hazard like you would think since the entry door only opens 90º anyway. The receiver sticks out the same amount that the screen door does when its open, so it hasn't been an issue.
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Dave Wilburn
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04/18/13 01:46pm |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Norcold refridgerator not cooling
You want to hear that norcold should give you a new one. They won't...not yet anyway. You will need to demonstrate to the dealer that it no longer works. If its working when you get there, they aren't going to warranty it out. If the dealer did, they have eat the cost up front, then send the old one back to norcold, and if norcold doesn't find anything wrong with it, they on't reimburse the dealer. So unless your dealer cant get it to work, you will be stuck with it.
If it is more than 2 or three degrees out of level, it wont work. Absorption fridges are a sealed system with no moving parts. I don't see how it could be going out. My old camper fridge would do that if it sat for too long. Turn it off for a day, then turn it on gas and go for a drive down a bumpy road. That should dislodge a blockage in the system. Then park it at home and leave it run on electric for a couple weeks. That should mix things up pretty well. Fridges are one of the things that go bad from lack of use.
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Dave Wilburn
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04/17/13 04:59pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Going to get our new 2014 Dutchmen Voltage V3800 Toy Hauler!
A search in this forum will turn up quite a few threads about the voltages. Some people are pretty upset, most (like me) are happy. There will be things that need to be fixed or improved, but that goes for all but top of the line MHs (think big bucks). Anyway, don't let them rush you off. They will (not to subtly want you to hook up and drive away. Once you move that trailer from where they parked it, they aren't going to want to fix your issues. Make them show you how everything works if you don't already know. Take two or three RVers with you to help operate everything to check it out. Run everything on shore power, then disconnect and fire up the generator and check that the Acs and everything works again. Keen eyes will spot most problems. I took an 8 foot ladder with me so I could see the tops of all the slides and make sure there was sealant on every seam. Figure 4 full hours to check everything. Don't hitch up until you are satisfied that they have either fixed everything or got the parts on order to do so and have scheduled you and appointment to bring it back. But in reality, I wouldn't hitch up until you are 100% satisfied. That is the only time in the deal when you hold all the cards. You can still walk away at that point if they don't want to make it right.
Check out the Voltage Toy Hauler page on Facebook. Read about what people have had go wrong. There really hasn't been a rash of the same problem over and over that I can say has been an issue for everybody, but the biggest one seems to be the slides. Make sure that when they are all in, that the seal in compressed slightly all the way up (except the lower part on the main and kitchen slides since the bottom only touches aluminum skirting along the bottom and they aren't really secured to much of anything). If the seal is more compressed at the top than at the bottom or vice versa means the slide isn't adjusted correctly and may leak and or the motors may fail prematurely. Mine were and still are perfect, but I have seen others that aren't. The slides can be adjusted, but the techs won't want to do it and may say they don't know how. That is bull. They just want you to hitch up and leave. Most of the complaints seem to come from people who ordered their trailer, and the dealers don't care about doing a proper inspection when it hits their lot. I bought mine off the lot, and it had been there a couple months. They had already ordered and replaced a couple things that were missing or damaged in shipping. That makes a huge difference. If you ordered it, they will probably just leave it to you to do the inspection (especially since you live so far away). I firmly believe people's experiences, good or bad are a direct reflection of the dealer. Some care, others don't. I hope you at least plan to stay in it a couple days on the dealers lot or nearby to take care of any issues that crop up (water leaks) can't figure out to operate something, etc.
If all is good and you take it home, there will be maintenance issues, but I find most are just little projects here and there to fix things and keep it looking nice. Have fun!
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Dave Wilburn
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04/17/13 12:22pm |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Exhaust brake delimma
I put the Pac Brake PRXB on mine and love it! I went with the stand alone brake and a Viair compressor and tank to power it. It took me a weekend to install both and do all the wiring and plumbing. I feel I have the best of both worlds and my compressor isn't mounted in the engine compartment. The heat and vibration of the mighty Cummins seems to destroy the pac brake compressors in only a couple years.
Besides being super helpful while towing, if you live in a cold climate, turning the brake on at idle will warm the engine up to 180º in less than 5 minutes....even in sub zero temps. Very nice to fire up the truck on a cold morning and go back inside and come out to a warmed up and defrosted truck. It works better than you would believe.
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Dave Wilburn
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04/16/13 01:28pm |
Towing
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RE: Planning to Toy Haul Full Time - Looking for Advice
So my next question is...thinking of full-timing and our first RV purchase, would we be better off to take the depreciation "hit" and buy new so we'll have vendor warranty and support, or roll the dice and buy a used unit. Since we are planning to use the unit for 10 years or more, our thinking is that we may be better off to buy new so we'll have all the warranties and leverage with the manufacturers. Suggestions?
New is nice. A lot of people just don't take good care of their RVs. Toyhaulers are pretty seasonable and many are left parked for extended periods and in the SW US, most are owned by younger families. Many are used hard and put away wet. To buy used, you really need to know what you are looking at and where to look for problems.
We bought ours new after looking for more than two years at all types of RVs, but kept coming back to the fifth wheel toy hauler. We bought it new, and it is the only brand new vehicle my wife or I have ever owned. While it pains me to pay the price for new, having a new rig made more sense. We did a good deal (if you consider $65K a good deal LOL). After a year, 7K miles and about 3 months spent living in it, we still love it. I have made several modifications to it (like all RVers) and I got to do them MY way. We figured we would cry once and keep it for a long time and hopefully get lots of use out it.
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Dave Wilburn
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04/16/13 11:06am |
Toy Haulers
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RE: I'm new to RV'ing, can anyone offer some quick advice?
Seems like you are looking for a "park model" trailer. They are technically RVs, but are big conventional trailers that most use as you are describing. They won't have a generator, or huge tanks, etc that you won't be using anyway.
Park models on RV trader
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Dave Wilburn
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04/16/13 10:43am |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Does your garage start smelling like fumes?
I once rode the clutch too much getting the baja in when it was raining one time that the clutch smelled pretty rank. Even with the fan on and windows open it smelled bad back there, but once the car was out at our destination, it was fine. In essence, the toys may smell, but there aren't enough fabrics back there to absorb the smell and linger.
I always have the front and rear vents open while traveling (as long as its not raining) just to keep it aired out. Never had a problem.
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Dave Wilburn
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04/16/13 10:29am |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Pondering a side load, ?'s
The rules for tying vehicles down is the same no mater what. Use high quality ratchet straps (probably not gonna use chains on a bike) that are each rated for two to three times the vehicle's weight. Tie it down to prevent it from moving (that means tight enough to compress the suspension enough to keep it from bouncing). Make sure to get a couple wraps on the spindle of the ratchet strap so it doesn't work loose. Then stop after twenty or thirty miles and tighten the straps again.
I cringe every time I see people tying down their bike with a couple of those 1" el cheapo straps that are only rated for about 500 lbs. If you have done it right, even if you get into an accident, the bike will remain securely tied to the trailer.
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Dave Wilburn
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04/15/13 01:39pm |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Rear camera
This weekend, I was at my RV dealer and they were showing me a voyager wireless rear camera and they said it works good. But the unit was $799.00 anybody have any info on that system?
Thanks
Mike
That system came with my trailer. If your trailer is under 30', it will probably be fine. On 40+ foot trailers, the camera antenna is just to far away to work while under way. It works fine until about 20 MPH and then it loses signal. Voyager does make an extension cable to relocate the antenna further forward on the roof of the trailer to correct the problem.
While backing up, it works great since I'm going so slow though, and that is when I need it.
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Dave Wilburn
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04/15/13 10:24am |
Fifth-Wheels
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