RE: Laredo vrs Artic Fox
AF, but be forewarned they are heavy and will tax even the stoutest of trucks.
Agreed. We had one in our extended family for several years. The quality was great, but the trailer's weight caused our relatives to upgrade to a diesel tow vehicle not long after they bought it. Their 3/4-ton gas truck felt like it had a house tied to it's tail. :)
RE: Newbie trailer/towing questions
As others have said, you would almost certainly overload the manufacturer's recommended limits with the hybrid TT, and really strain your vehicle's drivetrain, too. However, if you don't want a canvas-sided popup, there are other alternatives.
Trailmanor makes models that would be towable by your Honda. Trailmanors are very light weight, in comparison with equal length TTs or hybrid TTs. They also have the added advantage of being about the same height of your Honda when folded down for travel, insulated hard walls, a bathroom, and you can store it in your garage. Compared to a canvas and/or vinyl-sided popup, Trailmanors are a breeze to set up, and can be set up or folded down in the rain without getting the inside wet.
We had a 3326 Trailmanor (33' long when raised, 26' long when lowered), the largest they make, for several years, and it was the easiest towing TT I've ever pulled. At about 3500 lbs. unloaded, and 5' high when lowered, our 1500 Suburbans hardly knew the thing was back there.
The only disadvantage would be cost; they aren't cheap. It costs more to make an extremely light trailer with walls that move than it does to make a heavier trailer with fixed walls, but the advantages of owning such a trailer, when you have a "towing-challenged" tow vehicle, outweigh the costs for some. And you probably already have a place to store the trailer--your garage. A folding tongue is an option which allows the trailer to fit in a garage slightly less long than the trailer is. It won't hurt to look at them, using the link above.
Most people tow Trailmanors without sway controls. With our Suburban/3326 combination, it wasn't needed. But a weight-distributing hitch was. With your Honda, I think I'd want one, anyway. A Reese Strait-Line hitch with included Dual-Cam HP sway control, or an Equal-I-Zer brand hitch/sway control, would be your best bet if sway control was needed. With these hitches/sway controls, you hook up your sway control by simply hooking up your weight-distributing bars.
You have done well; you're intelligent enough to realize that your tow vehicle is weight-challenged. Now check into lightweight, hard-wall alternatives to hybrid TTs. Your Honda will thank you.
If you have questions about Trailmanors that the web site doesn't address, feel free to send me a PM. As a former Trailmanor owner for several years, I feel that my knowledge might be useful.
RE: unplugging a television
Plug it into a power strip with a switch on it. Then just switch the whole power strip off at night.
Just what I was going to suggest. I have everything in my entertainment center plugged into two power strips/protectors, which allows me to cut power to everything with just the two rocker switches.
RE: I hate storing the TT
We do camp in cold weather, even though our TT doesn't have an underbelly or furnace-heated tanks. We've even camped at 8000 ft. in Colorado in November snow, although most often we are at Lake Whitney, SW of DFW, which is only 15 miles from home. Stick-on tank heaters, disconnecting and draining your city water connection in freezing weather, etc., can help you cope with cold weather camping, if you REALLY have that urge to go. However, I suppose many of the campgrounds in your area close down for the winter months. No problem.....come to TEXAS! :W Many "snowbirds" do!
RE: 2006(LBZ) Chev 3500 SRW CCLB bumper pull TH question
Even with the quads on the Diamondback cover, I would think that the tongue weight on the Octane would be within Chevy's recommended limits for a C3500. I would look at the door sticker to see what the maximum weight is that the rear axle is rated for, weigh the rear axle with an empty truck, then add the weight of the cover, the quads, and the hitch weight, to see if the rating would be exceeded. You would also need to estimate any other weight you would be carrying in the truck bed or passenger compartment.
Sometimes the truck suspension is capable of carrying more weight than the axle weight rating, but the rating is limited by the capacity of the tires installed from the factory. This is the situation we have with our TT--the axles are rated for over 1000 lbs. more than the tires the factory mounted on the trailer are. Airbags might keep the truck level, but they would not add any capacity to the tires, which is what usually gets to the limits first. You will also need a really beefy weight distribution setup, too, considering your empty tongue weight. Once loaded, your tongue weight would probably exceed my 1200-lb. capacity WD bars. You need to be able to transfer some of the quad's weight to the front axle, too, so you will really need a stout hitch and WD setup.
To get started figuring, weigh the empty truck's axles ASAP. Happy Trails, and welcome to the wonderful world of RVing!
RE: Just curious
Home now, have 5 days reserved at Lake Belton Thanksgiving week. Probably will make at least 1 one-week outing to nearby Lake Whitney sometime in the first two weeks of December. Depending on the weather, we may go out for a week in January or February. From March on thru November, we average one week of camping out of every three weeks. I don't mind re-winterizing the trailer. I usually wind up winterizing at least 2 or 3 times through the winter.
RE: Digital TV Coming
As ShapeShifter says, if you antenna system is in good working condition, you should have no problems getting digital signals to your converter box from your antenna.
RE: Eco travel trailers by thor/dutchmen
The only Eco owner we've talked to was a lady who camped next to us last year. She was very pleased with her Eco, and pulled it herself with a 1/2 ton pickup. A group of 6 ladies were having a "girls weekend out", and arrived with the Eco and a small Airstream trailer. They did all their inside cooking in the Eco. It's small, but that didn't stop them from having loads of fun! I didn't spot anything on her trailer that would make me have doubts about the quality, and it suited their needs fine.
We have had a 2002 Dutchmen Aerolite 25FBSL, a 2004 Aerolite 30BHSL, and our present Dutchmen Tundra 30RLDSL. Once we found and had fixed the little "glitches" that nearly all RVs have from the factory, we have been well satisfied with all three. The only reason we have traded up every two years is that I am disabled, with special needs, and it took us 3 trailers to find one that I can stay in a week at a time in comfort, without triggering painful neuropathies. We didn't have any issues with the quality of the Aerolites. They were nice camping trailers, and very easy to tow. The rear-living Tundra we have now has large and very comfortable rear chairs, and I can now stay out for a week with no health issues arising.
RE: Class C or a truck and trailer ??
With a $20k budget, a Class C. You won't find a truck/trailer combo for that money that will be viable for full-timing.
I agree. $20K is a ballpark figure for a truck OR a trailer, not both, if you wish to have something dependable that needs nothing in order to hit the road for a year.
RE: Trouble with Slide
Our 2002 Dutchmen Aerolite 25FBSL had a manual sofa slide and no documentation. But our '04 Aerolite 30BHSL had documentation on the slide assembly, and our '06 Dutchmen Tundra 30RL-DSL has a section in the owner's manual on the Lippert flush-floor slide system. You might check the literature that came with the trailer, if you have it. If not, it sounds like MPTLKT can help you out. Isn't it nice to have the forum?
RE: Newbie
Congratulations on your new Dutchmen, and welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of RVing! Our last 3 TTs have been a 25' Dutchmen Aerolite, a 30' Dutchmen Aerolite, and a 33' Dutchmen Tundra, all "lightweight" trailers. We have been satisfied with the quality of all three of them, once any factory "oversights" were found and fixed, and we think we finally have one now with enough room, features, and comfort to allow me to stay out for a week at a time without my disabilities making me too miserable to enjoy it.
There was nothing "wrong' with the Aerolites, the "problem" was with me, and the painful, worsening condition I have had to cope with for almost 20 years. The large and well-padded rear chairs of our present rear-living Tundra and the well-padded sofa and dinette seats now allow me to stay at the lake for a week and actually enjoy it. Your Dutchmen should serve you well, and I hope it give you many happy hours of enjoyment.
Since obtaining a Reese Dual-Cam sway control, for our 2002 Aerolite, I like it so much more than a friction bar-type sway control, that I will never go back to using the friction bar again. When I had to buy a new, heavier-duty hitch for our Tundra, I bought the Reese Strait-Line hitch, which comes with the new Dual-Cam HP sway control in the box. I like the Dual-Cam HP even more, as it has larger cams, and is much easier to mount on the trailer A-frame and make initial adjustments than the older-design Dual-Cam was.
With the Dual-Cam, no longer do you have the extra balls to lubricate, no longer do you have to tighten the friction bar for highway use, then stop and loosen it when you enter a town or campground, and don't want people staring at the popping and clunking noises the friction bar makes if you don't loosen or remove it before making sharp turns. And no more bent hitch plates, friction bars, or trailer A-frames if you forget or neglect to loosen or remove it before jack-knifing the trailer into a tight spot. And for someone with disabilites, the Dual-Cam couldn't be easier to hook up. Hook the Dual-Cams under the WD bars' "saddles", snap up the chains, and your WD system and sway control are ready to go. No extra hookups, and no adjustments.
The initial installation of the Dual-Cam is a little more tedious, and you MUST follow the installation instructions to the letter, or the Dual-Cam won't work, and will be no better than having no sway control at all. But once installed, no adjustment is needed unless you change trailers or tow vehicles.
The Equal-I-Zer brand hitch/sway control is somewhat different than the Dual-Cam, but is also an excellent sway control. Just a VERY little lubrication on either of these sway controls quiets noise. Without a LITTLE lubrication, the Dual-Cam will "clunk" or "pop" when turning, due to the dry or rusty cams binding on the dry or rusty "saddles", and the Equal-I-Zer will develop a high-pitched shriek or squeal, due to dry and rusty WD bars rubbing across dry and rusty L-brackets. But either of these hitches/sway controls work better and are easier and quicker to hook up than separate friction bar sway controls, especially if you use two friction sway controls on long trailers.
Since your dealer "threw in" your hitch and friction sway control, you can't beat the price. But later, you may want to try the Dual-Cam or the Equal-I-Zer. If you do, and they are installed correctily, you won't want to change back.
Happy Trails to you and the Razorbacks!
RE: New delivery
We left our present TT at the dealership for 2 weeks before we brought it home, because we wanted them to fix the "glitches" we found after going over the trailer with a fine tooth comb before purchasing it, so that we wouldn't have to turn around and bring it back again.
Since the dealership was extremely busy at the time, and we had to wait for the new hitch/WD bars/sway control we ordered to be shipped, and I had to get a brake wiring harness and a few other items for the truck we bought to pull the trailer, the two weeks didn't seem to be an unreasonable amount of time to wait to bring it home. Due to committments, we couldn't use it for another week after bringing it home, anyway.
Three weeks seems a little excessive, but a motorhome is a much more complicated vehicle than a travel trailer, and I personally would want them to take their time and check everything out thoroughly before I took off on the road with it. There are so many systems and accessories to have problems with. Could be the dealer is shorthanded, also, considering the times we live in right now.
RE: AC question.
Until we built our RV garage, we ran our lights, our A/C, and fridge on electric, using a 30A-to-20A adapter, while loading or unloading the trailer for an outing. We never tripped a breaker on our 20A outside receptacle circuit. But any further load probably would, unless something was turned off or not running. We also used a 12-gauge extension cord, which is the same size as the wiring for our 20A outside receptacle circuit. Of course, we installed 30A and 50A RV receptacles in the garage, the 50A just in case we later have an RV which uses a 50A power cord.
RE: outside lights
A loose or departed connection or a defective switch are likely culprits, since both lights went out at the same time, and no 12V fuses are blown. It's unlikely that the circuit is fused anywhere but at the converter. Haven't drilled any new holes recently, have you?:W I'm assuming that you've checked the bulb filaments for continuity and the bulb sockets and contacts for corrosion.
RE: A farewell to rent
Welcome to the RVing life-style. Your rig should suit your needs just fine. I hope you enjoy it. kirkj55 has an excellent idea. A friend of mine who was the treasurer of our local volunteer fire dept. resigned a couple of years ago to go to work for the federal government fighting wildfires. He has spent most of his time time in the western states since then. I think buying an RV like you did would work fine for him, as he is newly divorced (maybe 'cause he's never home anymore??), and has no one else's needs to consider. He'd probably enjoy having a dirt bike when he had some spare time, too. There's certainly plenty of places to ride them out there. Happy Trails!
RE: Trailer Brake Light Issues
Tinjack, I agree with DutchmenSport and mikeyork. I had a similar problem with a borrowed utility trailer a couple of months ago. The ground connection on the trailer frame had corroded and had become a high resistance connection. Grinding the rust off the frame around the screw hole with a Dremel tool, and cutting the end off the wire, re-stripping it, and installing a new connector on it, solved the problem.
RE: Coach Weight Distribution
Last year I had the WEIGH-IT people weigh our TT and TV while they were in our area. They weighed each wheel on our TV and TT, hitched and unhitched, with WD bars and without, so that I could see in black and white exactly how my WD system is working to lighten the load on the TV's rear axle and increase the load on it's front axle. I loaded the truck and the trailer exactly like we load it when we are leaving for a week's stay at our local COE lake (I carry a motor scooter and other articles in the pickup bed, too).
Like you, I was curious as to the trailer tire loading, because our complete kitchen is curbside, mostly over the trailer wheels. Although I didn't think we were anywhere near the trailer axles' maximum weight rating, (and we weren't), the WEIGH-IT information alerted me that, with the tires the factory put on our trailer, we were within 100 lbs. of overloading the RR trailer tire, because of the "D" load rating of the tires.
The RF trailer tire was next heaviest, followed by the LR, then the LF, which was carrying 250 lbs. less than the tire's load rating, 150 lbs. less than the RR tire. All other TV and TT parameters were well within limits, including the trailer axles, which have more than 1000 lbs. of rated capacity left. But the trailer tires were near limits.
My wife and I used bathroom scales to weigh things that we removed from the rearmost kitchen drawers and cabinets, and moved about 75 lbs. of "stuff" to a cabinet just forward of the left front tire (we had nothing stored in that cabinet, anyway).
Since having the trailer weighed, we haven't towed it on any long trips. We mainly go to our local COE lake for a week's stay every 3 weeks or so from March until November, which is only 15 miles away from home. But before we consider an extended trip of several hundred or several thousand miles, we will replace the tires with tires which have an "E" load rating, which would allow loading the trailer to the axles' maximum capacity without overloading the tires, not that we will ever actually carry that much. I like to have plenty of extra capacity where trailers and towing are concerned.
I would probably have never realized how close I was to overloading the trailer tires if I had not had the WEIGH-IT folks weigh each individual wheel of both the TV and the TT. Weighing the rig on our local agribusiness' scales outside of business hours had told me that my hitch weight and truck weight were excellent, and the TT axles weren't anywhere near being overloaded. But I was within 100 lbs. of overloading the RR trailer tire, something I wouldn't have realized or known had not the WEIGH-IT folks weighed each wheel and compared it to the tire's rated capacity.
RE: Sticking valve on Flush King
Thanks for the contact info, Slate. I'll contact them in the morning. I should have time on my hands 'cause it's supposed to be rainy and cold here, anyway!
BTW, you've got a nice looking rig there. I've seen your profile photo many times. Everyone in our family but me now pulls with PSDs or Duramaxes, but there isn't likely to be one in my future. I've been on disability for 18 years. But my gas truck does OK, and we only tow more than 15 to 30 miles once or twice a year. We have plenty of COE parks within spitting distance of home.
