Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 04-10-2014, 06:38 PM   #1
Seasonal Camper
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: ontario
Posts: 304
Talking Tomorrow's the big day!

Well it's been a long wait since January when we purchased our trailer. Burried under a foot of new snow we only got a quick look at our rig but having spent months looking and researching we were only shopping for the best price at that point.

I've got our PDI booked at 11am with my inspection booked to start at 9am. If all goes well I'm hoping to be on our way early afternoon but we are in no hurry.

Fingers crossed we don't find any unexpected issues.

Pictures and lots of the them to come tomorrow.
__________________
2014.5 Sunset Trail ST290QB
2011 F350 KR 6.7 CC SRW
Coopers_dad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2014, 07:07 PM   #2
Seasonal Camper
 
ZT211RD's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: Ohio
Posts: 255
Good Luck.
Waiting to hear the results
__________________
Gary & Angela - Kilo & Sierra (K9s) Southwest Ohio
2000 GMC Sierra - 2014 Z1 ZT211RD
2015 - 28 Nights - 2248.4 miles.

2014 - 47 Nights - 1445.8 miles.
2013 - 44 Nights -
2154.8 miles.

ZT211RD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2014, 07:22 PM   #3
Site Team
 
mark5w's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: PA
Posts: 5,715
Make sure to check out the water system. Have them put some water into your tank, fill up your system and check for leaks. Also turn on the hot water heater to check that out. When you done with PDI, you can drain your water for the trip home if you want to save a little weight.

You won't sleep tonite will you??
__________________
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"
mark5w is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2014, 07:30 PM   #4
Full Time Camper
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Mn
Posts: 548
That sounds great, Good luck on your PDI and safe trip home.
__________________
Lee & Jane and Black Lab Zoey
2008 Ford F250 CC Lariat 6.8L
2011 Crossroads Cruiser 31RK
Faribault MN
LeBo is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2014, 07:31 PM   #5
Seasonal Camper
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: ontario
Posts: 304
Mark we are having the de winterize the unit so we can test the water system. :-)
__________________
2014.5 Sunset Trail ST290QB
2011 F350 KR 6.7 CC SRW
Coopers_dad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2014, 08:33 PM   #6
Full Time Camper
 
anaro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mebane, NC
Posts: 2,394
Don't forget to videotape your pdi. Have them show you how to winterize and dewinterize. If it turns on, off, opens, closes etc have them show you and you repeat the demo. Run the heat and the a.c.... make sure the tt warns up and then cools down. Check all vents, water faucets, cabinets, drawers, caulking, climb on the roof and look for any issues. Have them show you how to hook up and in book your web and you repeAt that too. Double check your own measurements to make sure they set that up right. Do not give them any money until your pdi has been completed and repairs made to your satisfaction. Bringing it back under warranty will delay usage and they will be less motivated to do a good job quickly for you. Don't forget to have fun!
__________________

2014 Chevy Silverado 3500 SRW Duramax
2011 Zinger ZT26BL-sold
2014 Sabre 34REQS

***Member of the Mason-Dixon Group***
anaro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-10-2014, 09:00 PM   #7
Full Time Camper
 
cowboy_71's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: LA
Posts: 953
Well congrats and best of luck...keep us informed...
__________________
07 Cruiser 30sk

06 F350 KR PS CC SRW

...Wish we were camping...
cowboy_71 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2014, 10:21 AM   #8
Weekend Camper
 
nanimal's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Florida
Posts: 17
Good luck and congrats. It is a very exciting time. Take your time and take notes with the PDI.
nanimal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-11-2014, 10:54 AM   #9
Full Time Camper
 
OhioMark's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: United states of america
Posts: 1,570
We recorded parts of our PDI. Good idea. I was like a kid with a new bike...I just couldnt wait to get it home and was hard to pay attention to all the instructions....
__________________

2017 Ford F350 Super Duty 6.7 King Ranch Crew
Sold the 2016 Crossroads Sunset Trail Grand Reserve 32BH
2020 Grand Design Momentum 320G
OhioMark is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2014, 05:21 PM   #10
Full Time Camper
 
ewbldavis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Canton, OH
Posts: 937
Did you get it?! Did you get it?! Did you get it?!

Sorry...getting a new camper is exciting for all of us...
__________________
Eddy & Brenda
Canton, OH
2015 Silverado HD 6.0L
2014 Zinger 32QB
ewbldavis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2014, 06:32 PM   #11
Full Time Camper
 
anaro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mebane, NC
Posts: 2,394
I think he's still out playing with his new baby.
__________________

2014 Chevy Silverado 3500 SRW Duramax
2011 Zinger ZT26BL-sold
2014 Sabre 34REQS

***Member of the Mason-Dixon Group***
anaro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2014, 07:35 PM   #12
Full Time Camper
 
Tim D's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: So IL
Posts: 1,811
Quote:
Originally Posted by anaro View Post
I think he's still out playing with his new baby.
New camper owners can be so selfish.
__________________

Tim
13 ST25RB
08 F-250 SC 6.8L XLT 4x4
Tim D is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2014, 08:42 PM   #13
Seasonal Camper
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: ontario
Posts: 304
Hey everyone sorry for the total lack of information but it's been a crazy few days.

The Pickup on Friday went fairly well. I spent two hours inspecting the unit before we did the walk through. I noted a number of issues all either cosmetic or minor. There was wood filler all over the trim pieces that needed to be cleaned, we couldn't get three windows to open and two rear screens were missing.

The walk through was not that impressive the guy was nice enough but couldn't stay on topic. He spent more time telling us camping stories than about the unit. The dealer was supposed to install our equalizer hitch which they did but then blamed the setup issues on my avalanches auto ride. The truck was nose high the way they set it but then the auto ride would pump up the bags and level it all out. It would then purge some pressure dropping the rear and start filling them up again. I've read about the auto ride fighting with the WD systems so this wasn't a surprise but annoying. By the time we had it all hooked up we had been there for 6 hours and I was getting tired and a bit frustrated. Bless my wife who didn't let me get too annoyed. We departed with a few minor issues to be resolved and a WD system that I wasn't sure was fully working. 400km home on a mix of country roads, two lanes, city driving and 4 lane highway on a sunny Friday afternoon. The drive was great, far better than I expected. The 5.3 is no powerhouse but it pulled the trailer up some long grades at highway speeds just fine. The wheelbase of the Avalanche is a definite benefit, very little sway but the front end felt a bit lite at times. Equalizer setup issues I guess.

We got home and I managed to back into my driveway on the 2nd try, quite proud of that.

The main to do list item is the equalizer. They only put 4 washers on the head and I plan to make that 5 to start. I tried to fix things and raised the L brackets up one spot and the trucks nose went back down but now the trailer is nose high.

I'll post pictures up tomorrow and more info. I've got to get to bed I've been on the go since 3 this morning.
__________________
2014.5 Sunset Trail ST290QB
2011 F350 KR 6.7 CC SRW
Coopers_dad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2014, 08:50 PM   #14
Full Time Camper
 
longhauler's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Illinois
Posts: 660
Sounds like you did a great job inspecting the trailer and again congrats on the new purchase. I'm sure the guy wasn't paying much attention or being helpful during walk through because they don't want you to find the problems they just want the unit out the door. Hope you figure out your set up and enjoy.
__________________

Chris & Karen- Heyworth, Illinois
2009 CF32BL pulled by a 2011 RAM 2500 CTD 4x4
PullRite Superglide 18K hitch
2015stats:
Nights: 28
Miles: 3245
longhauler is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-14-2014, 09:18 PM   #15
Full Time Camper
 
anaro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Mebane, NC
Posts: 2,394
My old armada had an auto leveling suspension. After many months of messing with my reese dual cam and tons of posts on rv.net forums, we finally figured out the problem was the auto leveling suspension. We had to hook up and shut the tv off quickly before auto level could kick in. Measure and then turn it on. Long story short, best setup was achieved by adjusting with auto level off and then checking adjustments by scaled weights. We weighed the armada by itself, each axle separately. Then with tt hooked up, no wdh and then with each adjustment. Goal was to return the front axle as close to unhitched weight as possible without going heavier. It took a lot of work but was worth it. If you have cat scale near you, it is usually $9-12 for first weigh and $1-2 for each reweigh. Not sure if they are in Canada or what they cost up there but down here most truck stops and county dumps as well as feed stores have scales. We are adjusting for our new TV and will have to do so again after the tt upgrade. It us a pain but I promise it will be worth it in the end. Enjoy your tinker time and congrats on getting your new baby home. Post some pics when you can.

On edit- there are some cat scales in Ontario. I don't know where you are in Ontario but do a search on their site and see if any are close to you.
__________________

2014 Chevy Silverado 3500 SRW Duramax
2011 Zinger ZT26BL-sold
2014 Sabre 34REQS

***Member of the Mason-Dixon Group***
anaro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2014, 10:04 AM   #16
Full Time Camper
 
ewbldavis's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Canton, OH
Posts: 937
Glad it went well! You'll get the hitch dialed in eventually. It took a couple tows for us to do it, and we don't have a complicated auto-level system.
__________________
Eddy & Brenda
Canton, OH
2015 Silverado HD 6.0L
2014 Zinger 32QB
ewbldavis is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2014, 11:04 AM   #17
Seasonal Camper
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: ontario
Posts: 304
Got a few minutes while I wait for my flight so here are some pictures of the pickup and the weekend.

Hooking everything up for the 1st time. ( My truck has never been this dirty before. )


Home on Saturday after a good wash. It just fits in my driveway, we can keep it at home for 48hrs as it fits in the driveway.





Cooper found a nice spot under the slide.


This drives me crazy, doesn't anyone remember basic science. I've already ordered another cover plate.


My daughter Leah just 5 colored a picture for our trailer. She named it Olaf, I thought it was because she liked the snowman from the movie Frozen. But she gave me further explanation that "Olaf loves summer, we will use the trailer in summer so we should call the trailer Olaf." Olaf it is.


Dropping it off at our storage location.


This is the level of the trailer with the L brackets raised up one spot.


After washing and polishing the trailer I noticed a few more things, some rust on the underside, the front decal is lifting in one corner which is easy to fix and the chrome plate on the front is plastic not metal. I have to figure out how to clean and polish the plastic now.
__________________
2014.5 Sunset Trail ST290QB
2011 F350 KR 6.7 CC SRW
Coopers_dad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2014, 11:14 AM   #18
Seasonal Camper
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: ontario
Posts: 304
Anaro: We have a cat scale about 20 minutes from our house so I'm going to head down there next week to get the weights measured. They have already suggested a time which is least busy during the day so I can take my time.

The way I hooked it up was to turn the truck on, back it up and then let it idle. This gives the computer enough time to do what it needs to do. I then shut the truck off, connect the hitch and bars. At this point there are two theories 1 put all the weight on the truck and then turn it back on letting the auto ride fill. 2 Turn the truck on let the auto ride fill which raises the tongue jack off the ground. I've only tried #1 for now.
__________________
2014.5 Sunset Trail ST290QB
2011 F350 KR 6.7 CC SRW
Coopers_dad is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2014, 11:15 AM   #19
Full Time Camper
 
Tim D's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: So IL
Posts: 1,811
Very nice. Don't know who olaf is but think it's cute your daughter named it. Looks like hitch might be a little on the high side now. Enjoy it.
__________________

Tim
13 ST25RB
08 F-250 SC 6.8L XLT 4x4
Tim D is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-15-2014, 11:21 AM   #20
Full Time Camper
 
cw3jason's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 688
Love the name! Happy camping
__________________

Jason & Wendy
2014 Ford F-350 Lariat 6.7L PSD
2015 Keystone Montana 3711FL
B&W Patriot 16K Fifth Wheel Hitch
cw3jason is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3
Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Crossroads RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:38 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
×