getting started

[mapachoo]

Hello :
We are Rick and Deanna we pick up our new 30sk this week at kettelson campers in colorado.we have a 97 f250 hd 4X4 with 4:10 rear end and 7.2 liter D hope its enough.so many questions and where to start.!st i guess i read about suspension if i feel it squats to much timbrens offers both front and rear for 4wd do i need both or just the rear.2nd what about an inverter can i get an inverter that will cover everything not the ac of course but the rest of the unit and hard wire it in .I see where a lot of folks use 2 6volts together instead of 2 12volt betteries whats the bonus.Ive read most of the posts on the new and old web sites and have seen many mods i think we will try .my ever loving wife isnt mad even when i talk about modifying a brand new unit.however first i need to cut down a tree and make room for the rig to park in the yard and plan our first trip

[Hunter11]

First off welcome to the forum. You will be fine with the truck you have. I would only put Timbrens on the rear of the truck if you need them once you hookup your trailer and see how it sits. If you want mods, we've got them here on the forum.



We had one 12v battery in our old Cruiser and have 2 -6v in our Paradise Pointe. At this point I really can't tell you if one last longer than the other as we have not dry camped. I have read where two 6 volts will last longer than one 12v but cannot tell you they do from personal experience. Edited by: Hunter11

[papa2]

Congratulations on your new rig

I really can't answer your questions, except to tell you two 6 volt batteries have a longer battery life than 2 12v.Â*

[fhenn]

Congrats and welcome, Your truck should be fine. Wait and see how the truck sits when you hook up before you do suspenion mods. I suggest a week end camping near you house, or in your drive way if possible. as you camp make a list of every thoing you will need. I have one 12 volt in my unit seems to be good yet

[J Ren]

Welcome to the CrossRoads family. Your going to love your 5th wheel and with so many places to go here in Colorado I know you can't wait. My sister and brother in law just ordered the 30sk and it's an exciting time. Ketelsen Campers is a great dealer.
Â*There are many mod's on this forum and they've keep me busy for 3 years trying to keep up. Hope to see ya soon in the mountains camping and enjoying the good life.

[bradrv]

Welcome to the forum, and congrates on the new 30 sk that is a great floorplan...

[jjustman]

I would think you have enough truck. You may want to make some changes, but you certainly aren't "under" trucked from the start!! That a very good place to start from.

Colorado has so many places to see and so little time!!

Happy Camping,

[Cobra909]

Hey Rick, welcome to the forum and congrats on the 30SK! You've should have all the truck you need and I'd be suprised if she squats very much at all (unless you really load up the front basement, like I tend to do). Are you planning to do a lot of dry camping? If so, then yes, you will need multiple batteries and probably a solar panel to keep things charged up unless you plan on running a generator. If running a gen, then may be able to skip the inverter. Good luck and enjoy!

[cwit]

Hi and welcome to the forum, you going to love it.

[GeorgeG]

Hi and welcome!! The only problem I see is the truck being a Ford.

[Virginia RVers]

Welcome here... Hope your enjoy your 5er as much as we do. Agree you should have enough truck and if you decide to put timbrens on it, do it before you start some serious camping. If you wait the springs will get weaker and timbrens will not be as effective.



Happy camping in 09.

[Hamops]

Welcome to the Crossroads family. You made an excellent choice with the 30SK.



I use 2 size 24 RV/Marine batteries for our 30SK and they work fine. They are readily available and cheap.



As far as 6V vs 12V batteries is concerned, it's a toss up. There are two main battery compounds. One is lead-calcium and the other is lead-antimony. Both will provide a low current rate capacity that should work well for use on any RV. The key to most batteries is Ampere Hours of capacity. Regular car batteries are designed to take large discharge rates fora short period of time whereas a deep discharge batteryisn't. The car battery can also provide a steady low current rate as well. The deep discharge battery is intended to discharge at a fairly constant rate. For that type of battery, the discharge rate is about 10% of the Amp-hours number. A deep discharge battery can tolerate many discharges and many recharges but a regular car battery is not as tolerate to as many discharge/recharge cycles.The RV/Marine batteries on the market are a mixture of the two types of batteries. They are more tolerate to deepdischarging and can provide short term high discharge requirements like starting an outboard motor.



With regards to an inverter, I would suggest that you forget about it. The size of inverter that you are indicating would be too big to handle and the battery bank to run it would overload your trailer. If you want to have 120V power while boondocking, I suggest that you spend your money on a portable generator instead. There are several on the market that are very quiet and provide computer quality 120V AC power. The generatoris far cheaper leaving money for other projects on your new 30SK.



We've had our 30SK going on 3 years and I've done about a dozen mods on it already. Aslong as they make life easier for your DW, she won't mind.

[CruiserJoe]

Welcome to the Crossroads family. Your combination will work great, many of us have the same setup with no problems.

[riverotter55]

Originally Posted by GeorgeG

Hi and welcome!! The only problem I see is the truck being a Ford.

GeorgeG your just jealous! But back to the subject. Welcome to the forum & congrats on new Rig! Other than that I can't add a thing to the comments already made.

[geondebi]

Welcome to the forum and like everyone else has said you truck should be fine. I found with my PP I did not need any other additions to the springs so see how it sits and rides. As far as the battery issue I would think it might last longer as I read that most that dry camp have two 6 volts vs the one 12 volt. I know when I need to replace the battery it will be with two 6 volt batt. But most of what I do is in campgrounds with hook ups.


welcome
george

[dsaalease]

Originally Posted by GeorgeG

Hi and welcome!! The only problem I see is the truck being a Ford.

Rick & Deanna, ignore George. Someday he'll find the blue oval rules!!

[mwebber78]

Welcome to the forum and happy camping. I would second the generator idea, much more versatile to power your camper, charge batteries and provide emergency power at home when needed. There are many brands to choose from with Honda, Kipor and Yamaha making quiet, clean sine wave power units.



Again, welcome!

[KHUNLINDA2003]

Welcome to our family of RVers. Â*I would suggest hooking up and seeing how your control is for turning and stopping. Â*If you feel that the front end is two high and you don't have the control for steering and stopping then you can beef-up your suspension. Â*Just a hint on something we discovered pulling up mountains, especially the long drive up to Vail on US80, we found that the Ford transmission was undersized for our 2002 F550 and put in the Banks Billet torque convertor and Transcommand chips. Â*All I can say is WOW! Â*We drove out of Valdez AK on a 10 to 12% grade for 12 miles without hardly slowing down. Â*Watch your transmission on the Vail grade and see how it does. Â*The Banks convertor and transcommand module cost about 2500.00. Â*For our suspension we put in a Reyco airbag/compressor systems and it works well. Â*We have the 37fl 2004 Siverado so really had to beef up the suspension. Â*Probably and overkill for your rig so the other suggestions should work if you need them.

[mapachoo]

thanks for all your welcomes and replies i feel more comfortable getting it now its a large upgrade from our old hi-low.funny when the kids were home it felt like a lot of room.As for george i've found a truck is a truck as long as it works well most of us buy the first one for sentimental reasons and dont change unless we have a problem.However i do have a bowtie in the back yard.it has the engine,cab,and drivetrain cut off and makes a perfect cargo trailer but deanna thinks its ugly

[csham]

Welcometo the forum. I hear you on trucks or any vehicle for that matter! My first one was a Jeep, moved to a Chevy and now drive a Dodge. All depends on the look and who is willing to deal.