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RE: How Long Do Your Tires Last?
I concur with check the manufacture date on the tires. I would HIGHLY suggest covering the tires when your trailer is parked at home. I picked up a couple silver tarps and use bungies to cover the tires on each side. Exposure will wear the tires (not tread wear but drying/cracking type wear). I did not cover the original tires and they lasted about 2 years before severe cracking developed. Based on which tires were showing the most severe cracking, I'd say the lack of covering was a significant contributor (note, I didn't say only)
I have Maxxis now and they are on the third year with about 4,000 miles on them and they look good as new. When I had them installed, the manufacture date was only three months prior. Not sure if the better tires, the covers or both are contributing to better tire life.
I also agree with constant proper air pressure monitoring etc.
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epeters
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05/17/12 10:02am |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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The dreaded job is done
I finished washing and waxing the trailer today. I enjoy waxing my truck, but there is so much trailer to wax.
It was a bit of a race to get done since we are having our first 70+ degree day and the trees around here are sending out pollen like mad! But, the trailer is ready for a good summer of fun.
What did you all do to your trailer today?
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epeters
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04/21/12 05:43pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: First Trip with New HTT!
Congrats! Have a great time. We've loved our transition (been a few years now) from our Fleetwood Mesa to our HTT.
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epeters
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04/05/12 12:27pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: LED's anybody???
I've been thinking about moving slowly to LED lights as well. The solar sounds really interesting to me (appealing really). However, many places we end up camping results in the trailer being under tree cover. So while solar could be a more cost effective investment, for me, it may not pay itself back enough versus the power use savings of LED lights.
Just a thought.
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epeters
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03/21/12 10:38am |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Travelstar poles vs cables--what model year?
We have a Starcraft (sister rig to the Travelstar). Ours is a 2008 (made in mid 2007) and has poles, however, I believe later that same model year they moved to cables.
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epeters
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02/20/12 05:10pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Buying 2008 Starcraft Antigua - Anything I should know ?
That is the exact model we have and love it! We have had no leak issues so far (knock on wood). I think you have had good advice so far. I would suggest looking at the pass-thru storage area carefully. That can show signs of leaking, but be careful as that is also were some items may get stored that are wet from being outside, so some wetting of the wood is likely normal.
Check under the kitchen sink area, that is where the outside water comes in, the pump is located there as is the hot water tank. All those connections could show signs of issues.
If you have any questions about the trailer, go ahead and ping me as well.
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epeters
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11/20/11 02:26pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Battery and the slide
Our trailer has the slide directly connected to the battery. I suspect the thinking was if the converter goes belly up, the slide can still be retracted without resorting to manual. So for our trailer, I suspect it would not work, but I haven't tried.
I also suspect, but don't know for sure, if all trailers are wired up that way. I found out as our slide wasn't working any more, and after a bunch of work troubleshooting, I found that the battery terminals had just enough corrosion on the to prevent the slide motor from running.
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epeters
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11/10/11 11:15am |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Show your mods!!
Here is a picture of the board mounted in the trailer. I don't have the TV hooked to the mount so it is easier to see what I did.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qpgAHXUAhYM/TjDPUpcYG4I/AAAAAAAAB9A/xKupQQhC6z0/s640/IMG_0467.JPG" height="480" width="640"
Erik
I had the same concern. So what I did is use some left over 3/4" melamine and cut it to fit between the top of our wardrobe cabinet and the bottom of the upper cabinets up against the ceiling where the TV will go. This allowed me to attach the board via L brackets to the upper and lower cabinet (so nothing into the wall). Then I mounted the swivel mount to the board. Works well. And, since our trailer's cabinets are done in white, the white board matches pretty well.
I can provide a picture if desired.
Erik
Has anyone mounted a flat screen TV on a swivel mount? I am concerned as to how to actually mount this because i am not familiar with whats behind the walls (e.g. i need it to be string enough to take the movements). I see allot of people mount them on the cabinet but in my case this is not an option. Of the two walls I can mount it on one is the wall around the fridge and seems weak and the other is the main wall. I suspect the later is the best to mount it on but not sure if either is strong enough.. Any suggestions?
I have a Coachman Freedom Express 17SDX.
Sounds like an interesting idea. I would love to see pictures.
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epeters
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07/27/11 09:05pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Show your mods!!
I had the same concern. So what I did is use some left over 3/4" melamine and cut it to fit between the top of our wardrobe cabinet and the bottom of the upper cabinets up against the ceiling where the TV will go. This allowed me to attach the board via L brackets to the upper and lower cabinet (so nothing into the wall). Then I mounted the swivel mount to the board. Works well. And, since our trailer's cabinets are done in white, the white board matches pretty well.
I can provide a picture if desired.
Erik
Has anyone mounted a flat screen TV on a swivel mount? I am concerned as to how to actually mount this because i am not familiar with whats behind the walls (e.g. i need it to be string enough to take the movements). I see allot of people mount them on the cabinet but in my case this is not an option. Of the two walls I can mount it on one is the wall around the fridge and seems weak and the other is the main wall. I suspect the later is the best to mount it on but not sure if either is strong enough.. Any suggestions?
I have a Coachman Freedom Express 17SDX.
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epeters
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07/26/11 07:48pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Any hybrid guys towing with a Honda Pilot
I'm sure you have done this already based on your indication of research and asking good questions BEFORE and not after acting. But look at what kind of camping you'll do. Even rent a trailer (careful of weight/size) or popup and give those a try.
Reason I mention this is that your statement of what your family really wants is a full TT. How much time would you spend inside the trailer versus out and about, sitting around the campfire, cooking outside etc. You may find that the popup would suit your needs well in the end.
Thanks everyone, this is incredibly informatative. I just joined RVNet today because we are considering purchasing a 2006 Starcraft Expandable Travel Trailer 18RB and towing it with a 2003 Honda Pilot. Given the recent posts, I am now on the fence as to whether it would be wiser to go with a PUP versus running the risk of damaging the Pilot (over 100K). Our personal preference is to have a hardsided TT but were willing to give on having the end /side bunks due to the towing/weight challenges. We are now also considering the new 2012 Rockwood Hard Side Series A122 but it tends to have severe space limitations for our family of 4. I'll continue to research all the options. Thanks again all and it's great to get started! We've dreamed of owning a camper for years so we're the new kids on the block and eager to learn! Thank you all!
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epeters
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06/22/11 01:25pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Why we got a HTT
Ah wow, great shot. We also love our Hybrid for the same reason.
We found that during the day, in addition to having the Gizmo's like others have said, pulling the curtains closed on each bunk (we have three) allowed the AC to work primarily on the living area and then it seemed to do well in the higher heat. We traveled thru Utah, Arizona and Colorado last year near the end of July thru the first part of August so we got plenty of practice.
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epeters
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06/17/11 08:46pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Have a nice one on the hook, but not sure...
I would agree. Asking price is too much. Even if it is great condition with no hidden issues. After 10 years, there will likely be some stuff that will need repairs/replacement. First that comes to mind is the roof membrane. Most rubber roofs are under warranty (at least those I am familiar with) for 10-12 years. I'm guessing that this HTT has been stored outside the whole time. Correct? if so, there could a new rubber roof in your future.
Best case, a new rubber membrane and caulking. Worse case, the roof has had a leak over time and the plywood underneath will need to be replaced as well.
Another would be the water heater. If it is one that requires an anode rod, has that been replaced over time? If not, the water heater tank could be compromised.
Not to scare you away, there are sweet deals out there. But, at this price, a new one isn't too far out of reach. I think they are asking way more than it's worth.
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epeters
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06/05/11 10:55am |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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RE: Slide motor not working - Fixed!
Exactly right. There are two wires coming off the positive terminal on the battery. One goes to the converter. I was, without any lights or anything else on, getting a battery fully charged reading. Lights in the trailer don't require much voltage to run, so they were fine.
When I looked at the terminal, the wires were both suffering some corrosion. But the connection that fed the slide was noticeably worse. And since the slide motor does need a fair amount of volts to run, the corrosion provided enough resistance for it to even start. A quick clean confirmed this as the motor would then groan and try to run. So a thorough cleaning was done as well and clipping off about a 1/4 inch of the wire to remove any corrosion in the wires. Then the motor ran great.
I did check fuses right off the bat, but they were fine. I even swapped out a couple just to be sure.
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epeters
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06/03/11 09:47pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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Slide motor not working - Fixed!
This has been an interesting saga. I'll share in case others don't know and run into these symptoms. Everyone else probably knows already, but I had to do things the hard way.
Came home from a trip last month to central Oregon. Great trip. Looking back, I should have known then there was a looming problem. We were setting up camp and my wife stepped out and told me the slide wasn't going out. I wasn't done leveling and told her I thought that was it. When I was finished, she went in and the slide worked. So we forgot about it. Few days later and we were closing up shop and all was fine.
Once home, I like to clean up the trailer inside and out so that it's ready to go next trip without much worry. One item on my list was to extend the slide (its a small one that carries the couch) and clean the slide out cover. Nothing. Not even a whimper from the motor. Nothing.
I pulled the front cover off and looked at the motor and wire connections. All was clean and good other than a little dust. I also pulled the switch and gave that a looksee. Nothing looked out of place.
So I called a good friend who is an EE and does antique radio restoration on the side. He brought over some meters and we figured the motor could be the likely culprit. So we pulled it off, took it apart and he took it back to his shop where he gave it a good going over. After that he put it on a Power supply where he could input 6 to 12+ volts and see if it works. It practically spun itself off the bench. All is good. I brought it home, connected it all back up.... Nothing. No sound, nothing.
So today he came over again with more meters and the power supply. We removed the motor from the trailer power and connected it to the power supply and moved the slide in and out. Motor is good. Then we started playing with testing the switch. That appeared good. We checked it last time, but we wanted to be sure. Then we checked all the wires to and from the switch. There were 6 of them.
Eventually we figured out that all the lines had the appropriate voltage or not as needed. But once we connected them up, the voltage dropped to zero. Ahh.. now we were getting somewhere. So we followed the lines around the trailer. We thought that the converter might have a short.. nothing. Then we checked the battery and realized, the slide is tied straight to the battery.
The problem, was..... a corroded contact on the positive terminal of the battery. After cleaning the post, removing the clip on the wire, and re-attaching it to freshly exposed wire and then the battery, BINGO! The slide works again, and the motor runs better and faster than I can remember.
The great news, the fix was free, other than time invested. So, check that battery!
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epeters
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06/03/11 06:08pm |
Hybrid Travel Trailers
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