RE: Equalizer hitch size, how big is too big?
The dealer is recommending an Equalizer brand as that's what he carries.
Why not shop around and find the hitch you want, not the one the dealer sells? There are better hitches than the Equalizer.
RE: Counting propane as tongue weight.
How many of you do? I'm not sure I should really count full tanks. After all how many times do you travel with FULL tanks of propane? For me. Both tanks have only been full ONE time, and that was on the way home from the dealer. They will prolly NEVER both be full at the same time again, and only rarely will one of them be full. So I'm not really excited about counting them for tongue weight. and lets be honest. 20lb ain't all that much anyway
If 20 pounds is not that much one way or the other, then why do you care? I certainly would not. It is not like it will change the size of the tow vehicle needed or the hitch spring bar ratings.
RE: WDH/equalizer and hitch receiver advice for newbie
We're about to purchase our first TT, an Outback 230rs. It' a toy hauler,
They are nice but they are really travel trailers with a storage bay in the front, not a real toy hauler. Any weight you place in front will add to tongue weight, bicycles or anything else. Most toy haulers load in the rear and that tends to lighten the tongue or pin weights with the load inside. So, they tend to be tongue or pin heavy empty and ride better loaded. Yours will be almost the opposite as you add weight in the toy bay area the tongue weight will go up, not down. I have looked at the 280 TT as it is the same unit only a little bigger and like it. They are nice. But for me I need to load a large touring motorcycle and the ramp and storage area is limiting. The rear expanding bed is a cleaver design.
however we're not planning on taking any motorized toys. The heaviest thing in the front "garage" will be clothes/food and occasionally, five bicycles. Our TV is a 2004 Suburban 2500 with the 8.1L and 3.73.
What type of WDH/equalizer should we get for this set up? Is this something I should get installed from the dealer, or can we buy off the net and DIY?
Get the best hitch you can afford. In your case if you change the weight in the toy section of the TT, you are changing the tongue weight so I would opt for a hitch that can be adjusted easily to accommodate for the conditions. Spend money on a good hitch and your towing experience will be better. Get the hitch rating that will be for the TT fully loaded not empty. You might use gross weights to size your spring bars and hitch rating. The more you put in the toy section the heavier the tongue will be so this is real important not to calculate weights with the brochure weights nor the empty weights of the coach. I agree with those that think you should start with a 1200/12000 hitch and if needed work lighter by loosen a chain or leaving a washer out, etc. If you can afford to find a good used Hensley or ProPride your towing issues will be greatly minimized. I would stay far from an Equalizer hitch as the bars and head are not usually interchangable and if you opt for lighter or heavier bars you usually need to purchase a new hitch head.
Also, we just bought the TV used. I've heard that the old GM receivers aren't so hot and may need replacement...any suggestions on that?
Many of us have heard the same thing about OEM GM receivers. I would opt for a 15,000 pound or more aftermarket receiver. Curt makes one that is relatively inexpensive. Too many safety issues are riding on the hitch and receiver to be cutting corners in this important area.
Finally, the TV has a prodigy brake thingy plugged in.
Prodigy is an excellent brake controller. Keep it if it is working properly.
Will I be able to use it with the new trailer? Sorry for all the dumb questions...our current RV is a pup, so all of this is new. We're trying to save $ on the purchase of all this stuff and the install. DH is a newbie too, but is usually pretty
RE: Greasing Wheel Bearing
It is normal; however, to do it right take the bearings off, clean them, check them, regrease and use new seals. The EZ lube system is marginal at best and can spread grease to the brakes at worst. In any event you need to check the bearings at least every 10,000 miles. Replace any worn bearings; always use new seals. If you have Dexter axles the manufacturer suggest doing it every year.
RE: "V" Nose Trailer Make Any Difference???
Not having a V nose I can only speculate. I would suspect that your tow vehicle distrupts the wind for any trailer as it is first into the wind. And below around 45 mph wind resistence is not really much of a factor. As to cross winds, I almost see the opposite issue. The V nose is at the angle to be a direct hit from any quartering wind from the side that is coming from a direction in front. The V nose might even be worse in some cross winds. I think that for a 'no wind situation' (almost never in Nevada) the V nose might gain a miniscule amount of fuel mileage gain. I have looked at a few V nose trailers and like the floor plans so you made the right decision by getting what you want regardless of the nose style.
RE: Anyone considering a Nash 25C tt from Northwoods Mfg?
An Arctic Fox and Nash are made by the same company but are not the same basic unit with upgrades for the Arctic Fox. Carefully read the brochures and on line info and you will find that some models are wood framed, Arctic Fox aluminum framed; thickness of walls; front moulded cap vs filon; shocks on the axles or not, etc. There are differences besides just the interior appointments and price. As with others, I think the Fox is the better deal if you can handle the weight and price. The Arctic Fox in the larger sizes is not a light weight towable trailer.
If you are planning to travel to California or the west coast why not just go to Oregon and purchase from a close by the factory dealer? The trip distance from your home is the same of perhaps even a few hundred miles less.
RE: Customer Service
not to defend CW but I bought a brand new Airstream 3 years ago paid just under 80,000, when I picked it up I asked the tech what the tire pressure was and he said, I dont know lets go find out . and this is a very reputable Airstream dealer.
I guess it all comes down to if tire pressure checks were part of the 45 point inspection. That should be easy to figure out as there probably is some form or checklist with the 45 items checked. Of course they could check off anything without really checking it but that would be charging you for something you did not receive and fits into another category. Ask if tire pressure checks are part of the 45 point inspection and, if so, why did you pay for something you did not receive.
The other side of the coin is our Ram dealer that checks the tire pressure every time the truck is in for an oil change or anything else. I always have to re-check and re-inflate the pressures after they are done so finally I decided to just tell them to leave the pressures alone.
RE: Ukiah to point arena
Any body know the best way from Ukiah to point arena? A friend says that highway 1 is a big delay.
California highway 1 is not a big delay. It is a windy and for the most part two lane road along the coast. It is also arguably the most scenic highway in all of America so take your time and enjoy it. It is not a delay, it is an experience.
RE: Gone to the Dark Side :-)
tmphoto,
You provided one of the most interesting reads when you picked up the AF and took it home (maiden voyage). Maybe do the same thing for the toy hauler if that experience was as interesting.
RE: TT Mystique
Something about them strikes me as cool. It's not necessity, but something has me hooked on what they represent.
The iconic lines of the Airstream have always represented camping, adventure (sometimes caravans around the world), freedom, and family togetherness. Not that other types of RV's and tents can't do the same thing but the Airstream is the icon everybody recognizes.
RE: Move it on over....
Hmmm, wonder why they weren't towing it with a Tundra?
Funny! You just got to wonder how many of us RVers have a Space Shuttle in the side yard we want want to move around to the front. Like Toyota thinks that commercial will resonate with most RVers.
RE: Customer Service
After all I only spent about $2700.
I sure hope that you got a lot more done than an oil change, fuel filter change, the air filter change and a 45 point inspection for $2700.
RE: 1150 vs. 990
I have never driven 1. a truck with a camper 2. a duely diesel truck and 3. a truck with 4000 lbs in the back end so I have zero frame of reference to make an intellegent decision. Because there are two separate components, you can't go to the Artic Fox dealer and take a camper for a test drive............. :^(
I suspect you will be at or more than 5000 pounds camper loaded and with water. You will likely need some suspension mods to the truck to handle that much weight even with the one ton dually. The real difference between the 1150 and the 990 besides price is the length, the weight is only about 200 or so pounds. If you plan to tow a trailer the 990 would probably work better with a shorter stinger; if you do not plan to tow the inside area of the 1150 provides more living space. Truck campers are small inside when it is raining, windy, cold, buggy, etc. Size really matters.
RE: Equalizer Hitch Setup Help
I appreciate those of you who posted helpful responses.
I think every response was 'helpful'; perhaps some more truthful and to the point than others. Some you might have liked better than others and some perhaps you did not like to read about at all. However, as I read all of them, I can assure you they are an accurate reflection of RV towing issues. Some of us have 'been there and done that' and that is what makes the forum a place of learning and knowledge exchange. When I purchaed my 30 foot TT, the dealer that has been in business almost forever set up the hitch. It was wrong. I sorted it out over weeks and months to get it 'just right'. One of my concerns with the Equalizer hitch is the relatively poor instructions that come with it for a one size fits all type of approach. Measuring from the fender or bumper does not work on some vehicles as they will not squat under a load. Yet the instructions don't reflect that fact. Only the scales will set up the truck and trailer correctly and it may take some iterations to get it 'just right'. But, try as hard as you want it will not tow as well as it did with your one ton dually.
RE: Equalizer Hitch Setup Help
So here is my dilemma...
I previously was towing my TT with a 2006 F-350 DRW. Just hitch up and go. I finally got tired of all of the 6.0 PSD problems so I traded in for a new 2013 F-150 King Ranch with Ecoboost and the Max Tow package. Even though the new truck is capable of towing my TT, needless to say it's not as "care free" now.
It is almost impossible to have too much truck towing. I suspect you will not be as happy towing as you were with the one ton dually. The dually especially makes for a very stable towing platform. Would it not have been much less expensive to just fix the 6.0 and drive it instead of getting a new truck that does not do the job nearly as well? I am sure your new truck cost far more than the couple thousand dollars to make the 6.0 reliiable and dependable. But, I guess this is another discussion for another thread. I can't imagine anybody going to an eco boost after driving a one ton diesel towing and expect it to be as good or better. But that is just me.
So I purchased the 12000/1200 Equalizer 4-point sway because I've read great things about it here and elsewhere. My problems come with correct hitch set up.
I have offered comments on these forums about the Equalizer hitch and you certainly did not read great things about it from me. I have always felt that the hitch, while it does a job at weight distribution, really does little or almost nothing for sway mitigation. If I were you I would have gone with a better hitch. Most folks with glowing reviews of this entry level hitch are towing a trailer that would not sway anyway as it is properly loaded, weight on the tongue about 13 percent of total, etc. Read comments in the Airstream forums and you might come away thinking a little differently about the hitch.
My driveway, nor anywhere else on my property is level. So I initially set up the hitch in the "default" position as per the instructions. A test drive revealed that I wasn't comfortable with the way it handled or felt.
I then took the entire set up to a nearby closed business with a nice level parking lot. I went through the Equalizer manual, took all of the measurements, and set it up per the "book." Test drive and it rode great -- almost felt like the F-350 again where I could probably forget it was even there.
The hitch needs to be set up at the scales.
Being that this was my first time I've set up one of these on my own, and I camp with my wife and two kids, I wanted to make sure everything was safe before we went out for our first trip with the new setup. I found an RV shop that is an Equalizer reseller near me and scheduled an appointment for a "professional" hitch adjustment.
I explained why I wanted them to look at it and made sure to carefully watch and ask questions as they were going through the setup.
To my surprise, the ONLY measurements the tech took was of the trailer. He made sure it was level in the front and the rear. He re-adjusted the hitch head to the SAME place I had it the first time (the default settings). Re-measured the trailer, and said it was good.
I asked why he didn't measure the truck or any of the other steps in the manual. His response is that he's been doing it for 15 years and has never done that.
We live and learn and as long as you learned something from this experience you are better for it. If it ain't broke don't fix it. It is your truck and your trailer not the tech's. You can putter around with the hitch until it is just right for you. The tech is not driving the truck and towing the trailer. Also, be sure the hitch is set up fully loaded both the truck as well as the trailer for camping.
So it's back to riding like******-- white knuckle driving at times.
You invested in a new truck, why not invest in a better hitch like the Hensley, ProPride or PullRite to better work with the half ton?
I apologize for the length of my "plight" but I'm hoping for some seasoned advice on if I should go back to my original adjustments or stay with the "professionals" adjustment?
........and I don't see how an entry level hitch can expect to make the towing experience as good as what the one ton dually did and expecting the same is a little unrealistic.....
FWIW, I read the sticky on this forum, which is pretty much the generic version of the Equalizer instructions. That's pretty much how I adjusted my hitch. The truck measurements were right, nose of the RV was slightly low.
Assuming you have a tandem axle trailer, the nose of the RV should be level. Even your tech made sure the trailer was level front to rear. Both trailer axles should ideally carry about the same weight (it will never be exactly the same nor will one side of an axle carry the same weight as the other) and even with the 'equalizer' between the axle springs, changing the tongue height an inch or two makes a change to the weight the axles are carrying. Again, the scales can help you figure that all out as nose down tends to put more weight on the front axle.
Thanks to anyone in advance for their help.
Good luck!
RE: BlowMax Tires
Question: How long/far can I go before I should switch to a good LT tire?
You have had zero problems with your OEM tires so I clearly see both your need and urgency to switch to something better. But to answer your question .......you can switch anytime, even today, if you want to. That decision is yours. I would not run with OEM tires more than four years but that is just me. Some go longer, some shorter and sometimes the tires themselves let you know when to replace. If you are afraid of tearing up the coach with a blowout, money for new tires now might be a good investment.
RE: K&N air filters, help or not
I ran a K and N filter on my 91.5 Dodge Ram Cummins and it actually ran better and was far less hassle using the stock filter than the K and N. I did not get any better seat of the pants power or fuel mileage with the K and N than stock and the K and N was a lot more effort to clean and re-oil than just dropping a new stock filter in every so often.
RE: New TT battery box full of water
Opened up my plastic battery box on my 2 month old TT, and found it was full of water...there are a couple of ventilation slots on the tp so I guess it got in there.... I was worried something could short out or something? I drilled a half doz. holes in the bottom of the box so water will drain out.... Is this unusual? Why wouldn't the box have some sort of drainage? It sits right behind my propane tanks.
Same problem, same solution....... only I drilled one small weep hole in the bottom of each box. It has fixed the issue.
