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01-25-2015, 11:27 PM
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#1
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Weekend Camper
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: CA
Posts: 21
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Averted a major road disaster..a fix for rocker switches in cargo bay
I have a Sunset Trail ST26RB travel trailer. We decided to go camping over the Thanksgiving holiday and we had such a great time. We love this trailer! After the holiday weekend was over, it was time to head home. We broke camp and headed down the highway. About half way home, I noticed that the LED lights on the front of the trailer suddenly came on. Very noticeable since the LED lights are blue and they are very bright at night. These lights are not meant for driving down the highway and with these bright lights, it creates a distraction so I pulled over at the next off ramp. Upon inspection, I discovered that a small crate that I stowed in the storage compartment was sliding back and forth and hit the switch for the LED lights. It was then that I noticed that my front stabilizers had extended about 30% of the way down. I know I fully retracted them when we left camp so the only thing I could assume is that the crate must have been sliding back and forth and hit the rocker switch for the stabilizers. A lip on the crate was the perfect height to touch the top part of the rocker switch for the stabilizers. I pulled out the crate and put it in the back of my pickup truck for the rest of the way home. If the front stabilizers had fully extended while driving down the highway, it could have resulted in a lot of damage and quite possibly caused an accident. Worried this could happen again, I decided to install some flip up switch covers over the rocker switches. I bought these on Amazon for about $6 each. These were designed to be used with household light switches and outlets so I had to make some slight adjustments for use with the rocker switches. I used 3M double stick tape to affix the rocker switch to the inside of the back plate for the cover to hold it in place. Then I had to drill new holes to match the rocker switch in the back plate of the switch cover. Other than that, the rest was easy. The switch cover mounts to the inside wall of the cargo area just like any wall switch plate. Now I will never have to worry about the rocker switches accidentally being pressed by something in the cargo bay.
I attached some pictures in case anyone wants to see these installed in my trailer.
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2015 - Sunset Trail ST26RB
2005 Nissan Titan
Equalizer Hitch 1400
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01-26-2015, 04:37 AM
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#2
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Winchester, ON
Posts: 1,177
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Some engineer was not thinking when he designed that! Good fix on your part.
In our trailer, the switch for the bedroom slide is in the bathroom just under the light switch. It also looks like the light switch. So I covered it with a little piece of heavy plastic sheeting and made it like a little flap so I can lift it up to use it when needed. I just put this on with a bit of duct tape. This way you cannot accidentally hit the slide button instead of the light switch.
Someone in our park in Florida has the same model and year as our trailer, but it was built at a different time because their slide switch is behind the bedroom door, high up, out of the way.
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2012 Cruiser Sahara 330SS
2015 F250 Super Duty diesel
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01-26-2015, 10:45 AM
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#3
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Site Team
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 5,728
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The designers and engineers probably don't go rving. If they did, you wouldn't have so many issues like this.
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Mark & Susan
Lehighton, Pennsylvania
EAGLE HT FIFTH WHEEL | 30.5CKTS - '13 Ford F150 SCREW - PullRite Superslide - Roadmaster Active Suspension
Member - "Northeast Adventures RV Rally Group" & "Mason-Dixon Bunch"
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01-26-2015, 12:26 PM
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#4
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Family Vacation Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Kansas
Posts: 214
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We have a 2013 26RB and our stabilizer switches are all outside under the trailer. Not sure why they would have changed the design. Doesn't seem like a very good design change. We do have the light switch inside the storage area but there are no stabilizer switches.
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Richard and Jill
2013 Sunset Trail Reserve 26RB
2013 F250
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01-26-2015, 12:35 PM
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#5
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Weekend Camper
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: CA
Posts: 21
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I have read a few articles in this forum regarding the placement of the switches for the stabilizers. It appears that CR moved these into the cargo bay due to problems with the switches being exposed to the elements on the outside under the trailer. There was on thread where the owner described his stabilizers going up and down as if a "ghost" were playing tricks on him.
http://www.crossroadsowners.com/foru...ghlight=st26rb
Apparently the switch was exposed to the salt air and anything that conducts electricity would set it off. I think moving the switches in the cargo bay is a good idea, but having covers just like the ones I installed is essential to prevent cargo from pressing up against it accidentally. These covers are cheap on Amazon so I hope Crossroads invests in the extra $15 bucks and installs them from the factory.
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2015 - Sunset Trail ST26RB
2005 Nissan Titan
Equalizer Hitch 1400
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01-26-2015, 12:50 PM
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#6
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: DFW, TexUS
Posts: 1,032
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Don't worry~
the redwoods (under the crossroads banner) have the AWNING switch in the basement --- have heard of one or two that the awning ran out while going down the road !
What a MESS - they finally put covers over them !
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01-26-2015, 02:28 PM
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#7
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Belle River , Ontario
Posts: 1,753
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[QUOTE=Joedh2;91282]I have read a few articles in this forum regarding the placement of the switches for the stabilizers. It appears that CR moved these into the cargo bay due to problems with the switches being exposed to the elements on the outside under the trailer. There was on thread where the owner described his stabilizers going up and down as if a "ghost" were playing tricks on him.
x2 . bad idea to leave them right where the tires throw water and salty slush in the winter (trailers are delivered in all weather , so any of ours could have been driven fron Indiana in the salt.
here is what I did
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It was a rainy few days at Algonquin Prov park...tarps kept us dry.
Wayne --Belle River (Windsor), Ontario
2013 Sunset Trail Reserve 25RB..(just sold it)
2015 White Chev Silverado 2500HD 4x4 (6.0 l gasser)
2003 Mountain Star 890SBRX Truck Camper
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01-26-2015, 03:03 PM
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#8
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Weekend Camper
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: CA
Posts: 21
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Harley, nice solution to fix the problem. You gotta wonder why this isn't factory installed that way. What you did just makes a whole lot of sense. Looks good too. Nice job!
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2015 - Sunset Trail ST26RB
2005 Nissan Titan
Equalizer Hitch 1400
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01-26-2015, 08:00 PM
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#9
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: May 2013
Location: So IL
Posts: 1,811
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Harley did a nice job. But I think in the basement is a better solution, with your rocker guards of course.
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Tim
13 ST25RB
08 F-250 SC 6.8L XLT 4x4
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01-27-2015, 06:14 AM
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#10
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Weekend Camper
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 68
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[QUOTE=harley;91287]
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joedh2
I have read a few articles in this forum regarding the placement of the switches for the stabilizers. It appears that CR moved these into the cargo bay due to problems with the switches being exposed to the elements on the outside under the trailer. There was on thread where the owner described his stabilizers going up and down as if a "ghost" were playing tricks on him.
x2 . bad idea to leave them right where the tires throw water and salty slush in the winter (trailers are delivered in all weather , so any of ours could have been driven fron Indiana in the salt.
here is what I did
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Excellent solution. This is something we really need up here in Canada too.
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03-05-2015, 01:38 PM
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#11
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Family Vacation Member
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: Ontario
Posts: 114
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We have the ST25RB with the stabilizer switches outside. I removed both front & back switches totally & now just use the remote. Always keep a fresh extra battery for the remote too, just in case. I must admit I do like what you did with the switch inside a protective cover under trailer. Perhaps one day when I get some spare time...I'll do the same. In the meantime, remote works okay for me.
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Nancy + Tony
'11 Dodge Laramie Longhorn CC
'12 Sunset Trail ST25RB
Equal-i-zer hitch
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03-05-2015, 09:05 PM
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#12
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Full Time Camper
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Mn
Posts: 548
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We moved are switches to the inside be cause of tampering and corrosion problems.
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Lee & Jane and Black Lab Zoey
2008 Ford F250 CC Lariat 6.8L
2011 Crossroads Cruiser 31RK
Faribault MN
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