Calling all owners of 2499 model

[ce2je12]

My wife and I are picking up our first ever tt tomorrow. We have been looking for about 7-9 years and have finally come across a sloaris 2006 T-2499 25' from Leisure Time RV in Winter Garden Florida. Did we make a good choice? We live on the East side Orlando, Florida. We will be the second owners of the unit. They moved into a bigger unit.

The tt has a rubber roof, i do not know alot about the roof so i may need to ask several questions. I would like to replace all three air vents, i am fairly handy with tools, but i also do not want my tt to leak wants i am done replacing the fans. What fans should i get? With or without thermostat? How do i seal it? I was thinking of adding a solar pane? Any pros or cons on this? Does any have the exact measurements of the front pass Thur storage area?

We are getting the brake control and hitch installed tomorrow when we pick it up. Prodigy controller and ??? on hitch.

We would like to change all the locks on the tt. Can a regular lock smith change them? We are concerned about safe both on the road pulling it parking to eat and in the camp site. Any suggestions? We have read about pepper spray, guns, etc. what do the populace use?

I have read that the tt drags because it sits low. I would like to put air bag's on the tt to lift and lower when needed. Any suggestions?

Thanks to everyone
Carolyn & James Ehlinger

[Poppy & Nana]

We have a 2499 (2007 model year) and are VERY happy with the TT - we moved up from an 06 T1950.

The tt has a rubber roof, i do not know a lot about the roof so i may need to ask several questions.

Your rubber roof and seams need to be checked frequently for wear and tear and cleaned frequently as well.... can tell you that when you replace your vents - DO NOT PUT ANY SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT ON THE ROOF! Most of us - use a 4x4 piece of plywood (covered with a blanket) and use that as support - making sure we span the roof rafters.

I would like to replace all three air vents, i am fairly handy with tools, but i also do not want my tt to leak wants i am done replacing the fans. What fans should i get? With or without a thermostat?

Many members have changed out their old vents/fans - if you do a search here - you'll find lots of great reading on who used what! We left our vents status quo (being a 2007) but added MaxAire covers - one of the best mods we made.

I was thinking of adding a solar pane? Any pros or cons on this?

OK - Eman will chime in on this, as his 2499 has solar panels and he loves them!

We would like to change all the locks on the tt. Can a regular lock smith change them? We are concerned about safe both on the road pulling it parking to eat and in the camp site. Any suggestions? We have read about pepper spray, guns, etc. what do the populace use?

As far as locks go - unfortunately MOST TT's use the same locks and keys - a friends of mine locked herself out of her TT this past weekend - I just gave her my keys and "poof" she let herself into her TT! As far as pepper spray, guns, etc.....we don't carry any of the above....call us stupid, but we are a trusting couple! Heck, I never once locked our TT over Memorial Day weekend and we camped with over 500 people at a private event!

I have read that the tt drags because it sits low. I would like to put air bag's on the tt to lift and lower when needed. Any suggestions?

We have only "dragged" at one location - a gas station near our daughters' home.....yes more than once, but it is the only fuel stop near them....we know so we watch real carefully pulling out of the station......other than that we have not really had any problems dragging!

Oh by the way - welcome to the forum.....I'm sure you will get many other members chiming in! You will find this group to be friendly, informative and extremely helpful in anyway they can be! Most of all enjoy your new to you Sunline!!!!!

[PTHutch]

Hi Carolyn & James

Welcome to the club and congrates on your new trailer.

I’ll add my $0.02 to try and provide some answers to your questions.

Originally Posted by ce2je12

Did we make a good choice?

Yes you’ve made an excellent choice. The T-2499 is a very popular unit and many of the members her have that unit. So I’m sure you’ll be able to get a lot of advice and help here specific to your unit.

Originally Posted by ce2je12

The tt has a rubber roof, i do not know alot about the roof so i may need to ask several questions

Dicor is the OEM of your rubber roof. There’s a lot of advantages to a rubber roof, which you can read about and get more information on the recommended care and maintenance at Dicor’s web site - http://www.dicor.com/

Originally Posted by ce2je12

I would like to replace all three air vents, i am fairly handy with tools, but i also do not want my tt to leak wants i am done replacing the fans. What fans should i get?

That’s really a personal choice and how you plan to use the fan. I installed a SHURflo fan because I liked it’s feature to operate the fan with the vent closed. The Fantastic fan is also a excellent fan. As is the MaxxAir Turbo Fan, which installs over your existing roof vent.
Here’s a link to a SHURFLO / FAN-TASTIC vent fans post that discusses the pros and cons of each.

Originally Posted by ce2je12

With or without thermostat?

Again personal choice. I didn’t get one with a thermostat – more because of $. I also didn’t get one with a rain sensor because I have the vent covered with a MaxxAir vent cover.

Originally Posted by ce2je12

How do i seal it?

Seal it with Butyl tape and Dicor self leveling lap seal.
JohnB provided some excellent instructions and pictures on replacing roof vents in his Replacing Roof Vents and his Installing a MaxxAir Power Roof Vent posts. Check these posts out and you'll know exactly what and how to do it.

Originally Posted by ce2je12

I was thinking of adding a solar pane? Any pros or cons on this?

For good information on solar panels, check out emam’s web site Every Mile’s A Memory
Pat had solar panels installed on their T-2499. Pat’s got a whole page on Solar Panel Tips, which will give you some excellent information.

Originally Posted by ce2je12

Does any have the exact measurements of the front pass Thur storage area?

Sorry, I can’t help you here.

Originally Posted by ce2je12

We are getting the brake control and hitch installed tomorrow when we pick it up. Prodigy controller and ??? on hitch.

Prodigy is an excellent choice of a brake controller. I have one and love it.
Wrt hitch – make sure you get a good weight distribution hitch with sway control. Also make sure they set it up properly.
A lot of members have the Reese Dual Cam (DC) weight distribution hitch, and speak very highly of it. JohnB’s our local expert on the Reese DC hitch and setup.

Originally Posted by ce2je12

We would like to change all the locks on the tt. Can a regular lock smith change them?

We did that on our previous Sunline for the storage compartments. The storage compartment locks are easy to remove. I believe we took them to a lock smith and had them change. It was a long time ago and I don’t remember it being a big deal to do. We’ve since transferred the same locks to our current Sunline.
I wouldn’t think you would need to change the Door Locks.

Originally Posted by ce2je12

We are concerned about safe both on the road pulling it parking to eat and in the camp site. Any suggestions? We have read about pepper spray, guns, etc. what do the populace use?

We’ve never had a problem.
We don’t carry either. If you feel you need a gun or pepper spray to be safe in the area you’re going to – do you really want to go to that area?

My best suggestion is use common sense.


Here are some other posts specific to your T-2499 that you may find interesting:
JohnB’s T-2499 Bath Upgrades post.
Kathyh’s T-2499 Modifications post.

Hope this helps.
Enjoy your new Sunline. It's an excellent trailer and floor plan. I’m sure you’ll love it and get many years of enjoyment out of it.
Hutch

[kanyonkitty]

Carolyn & James,

Well, by the time you read this, you'll have your new 2499 home. Congrats on purchasing one of the best made travel trailers available. Yeah, Sunline is out of business, I guess not enuff folks wanted to pay for quality, but this group poves that we WANT QUALITY rigs.

I can't answer about the rubber roof, I don't have one

I have a Fantastic-Fan in the living roon with thermostatic control and rain sensor (IF I were to do it over again, I'd delete the rain sensor and just put a Max Air vent cover over it. Get the newer vent covers that have the hinge for easier cleaning. I will probably be adding the hinges to mine (IF I can con my friend into intalling them, I'm afraid of heights)

Can't help you with solar, but Eman (Pat ) sure can

Prodigy is probably one of the best brake controllers, and Reese D/C is a great hitch (See JohnB post for that info) That hitch does need to be set correctly, as the 2499 has a potential to be tongue heavy

Changing door locks, I haven't and won't, IF they want in bad enuff, they'll get in. Changing storage locks, yeah, that I might do . But, a good screw driver will get a thief into your compartments anyway.

Safety on the road: well it's just me and mom and we have logged thousands of miles, east to west coast, north to south and I have not felt like I should have carried a weapon, which I could easily do as I own a shotgun, 357 rifle and (2) 357 handguns. I just make sure that I am aware of my surrounds and don't stop/stay where the area is "ruff" looking

As to dragging, yeah I have, but I might sit a bit lower than other 2499s' as I have the rubber ryde axles, and did not know to request a lift like Eman did. I am currently looking for a way to add a few inches of ground clearance to my rig.

Kitty

[henryj]

Welcome to Sunline ownership and the Sunline Club!

I have also been busy reading old threads to find all the discussions I missed before joining up. If you look at the top of the gold section on this page you'll see a "Search" link. Click on that and enter the item you're looking for, for example "roof AND fan" or "Maxxair". Don't use the quotation marks in the search field. You'll find what amounts to excellent tutorials complete with photos on how to change out the vents. Hutch gave you the links that point you directly to these instructions, but try the search too for practice and with other things to get a feel for how the search function works. It is very useful.

We have the small OEM fan in the bathroom which is not nearly as good as the Fantastic in our old trailer. However, it still does the job albeit noisily. Personally I wouldn't put in more than one fan. Put it on the center vent and crack open a window at either end and you'll have all the ventilation you need. Maxxair makes a nice, but not cheap, model that stays open in the rain and I intend to swap to that one in the next year or so. If I had a better fan to begin with I'd go with just the Maxxair cover.

I admit to being taken aback when my new Sunline had the same 751 key that my old Aliner had. Then my brother's Titanium also came with... you guessed it... 751. The thing is, if somebody wants your stuff badly enough they're going to take it. I'd rather they not wreck the compartment door doing it. Campers are bonded together by a common vulnerability. I'm not going to take my neighbor's lantern and he's not going to take my extension cord. I've been camping for 45 years from tents to Sunline and never lost a thing--except maybe a toothbrush. And I think somebody threw that in the garbage before I got back to get it, but if they needed it worse than me, they're welcome to it! Your trailer is more likely to be burgled at home, and those guys won't have a 751 and will wreck the door either way.

Personally, I don't like guns, but if some of the boys from PA want to shoot more deer, I'm all for it because Bambi's hunting me every time I'm on 15 or I79. I have traveled the US from FL to AK and ME to CA in the last 40 years mostly with a pickup with a vinyl bed cover. I have met up with lots of friendly like minded folks, never felt threatened by anyone, and never had my truck broken into despite an out of state plate and unlocked tailgate. The odds of you being mugged in Yellowstone are about as remote as the park. The seatbelt in your truck is the most likely thing to save your life when traveling. Help local businesses by camping in family campgrounds or SP and NP, stop before sunset, and stay far away from highway rest areas and Walmarts. The bad guys travel down the same roads we do and occasionally they even buy stuff at all night Walmarts, but they definitely don't go camping.

Henry

[Bobo]

Welcome to the group,

We also have the T-2499. We love the HUGE window in the rear and the size of the bathroom. I have not installed any roof fans but recommend the Maxx Air vent covers. As for the dragging due to the low suspension, I have only touched down once in two years, with no damage. The lower stance gives you a better center of gravity and reduces wind resistence when towing. Unless you are going off road like Emam, it should be OK. As for the rest of the mods, everyone is right on the money.

As to your question on safety, the main door locks can be opened by a master key but the deadbolts can only be opened by your own key. If anyone wants to steal something from your trailer bad enough, they won't bother with the locks. They will kick in the compartment door or break a window. They are thieves and could not care less what damage is done.

As for your protection, in my experience,not needed. The campgrounds we have been to have been 90% families and we stay at alot of state parks. The only problem that I have seen was at a private campground, when kids stole everyones coolers in the middle of the night looking for beer.

There is always someone at this forum who will have an answer or opinion for any question you have.

Enjoy your new second home.

Bobo

[Steve Collins]

A couple of more comments:

Many of the after-market vent fans are designed to fasten to your existing roof vents. That way you do not have to mess with removing the existing vent, and run the risk of damaging the roof seal around it.

However, it is possible to replace the existing roof vents, and JohnB already posted an excellent message thread on that topic *if* you really need to swap out the original roof vents.

My preference would be to select an after-market vent fan system that installs into your existing roof vent. MaxxAir makes several fine versions of this. You'll find that the vent covers are greatly desireable anyway as they let you leave the vents open during rain and while travelling. Why they are not standard equipment on trailers is beyond me.

Regarding the keys: All of the compartment doors are keyed alike in Sunlines, and most other brands of trailers. The key is a CH-751. Like was already stated, campers are a pretty honest group of people on the whole so the risk of theft in a campground is really very low. And, a flat-blade screwdriver will pry open any of these compartments, regardless of the lock/key combination that is there.

You can get different locksets for the two entry/exit doors, but again, if you got both sets of keys with the trailer, you're probably OK. These doors too can be forced open with a minimal application of a screwdriver or prybar.

Most of us lock the compartments and doors to prevent accidental opening while on the road, and to prevent theft only from the thief who will take advantage of an unlocked door. If they're willing to trash your doors to get in, changing the locks is an effort in futility.

Personally, I'd spend spend my money on other things for the trailer than door/compartment replacement locks. If you really must change the locks, check with your RV dealer first. They stock or can quickly get the door lock assemblies. As for the compartments, the RV dealer may or may not be able to get you the same lock/tab body in a different key from the CH-751's. There you may have better luck with a locksmith.

About the trailer height: Air bags alone are not an appropriate choice to raise the trailer. They are very expensive and may not work as you expect them to do. Better to do the "axle flip" which has been described and documented several times here at sunlineclub.com - just do a search on the word flip and you'll find the message threads quickly.

Just understand that the newer Sunlines (all models) sit higher than the older ones like mine. You may want to tow it around a bit before jumping into an alteration. But the axle flip can be done for around $400-$500 total which is much less than modifying the entire suspension system to accomodate air bags that will lift the entire trailer a few inches. The axle flip typically yeilds additional height of 6" or so. Dexter and other axle/suspension manufacturers offer the flip kits, so you can be sure that it is a safe and proper alteration of your suspension system.

Weapons? I've camped for 40 years and never found a need for a weapon while camping. If you insist on staying overnight in vacant parking lots on the bad side of town, you might need a weapon, but campgrounds are probably one of the safest environments you will ever find. I think you will find that none of us will recommend carrying any kind of weapon while camping. Also, many campgrounds ban weapons anyway.

As for safety while parking to eat, we typically stop at brand name restaurants that offer RV parking like Cracker Barrel. There was also a great place in Old Forge, NY for breakfast and lunch that had a huge parking lot with signs pointing out the RV area and the dog walk. If you already feel unsafe at your local Cracker Barrel, bringing the trailer along won't change that feeling. We've always preferred places like Cracker Barrel when traveling in part because we think they are above average safe places anyway.

Since you have probably already picked up the trailer by the time you read this, I will just tell you that the Prodigy is one of the best brake controllers available right now. And you can not go wrong with a Reese weight distributing hitch system with their Dual Cam sway control.

[emam]

Sorry it took so long for me to chime in on this thread, but we've had a unbearably slow connection the last few weeks, so all I can do is read a post or two per night and replying to any of them is out of the question.

We're near a large city right now, maybe 500ppl , so we stopped to catch up on emails and what not.

If anyone ever travels through Northern California, dont miss Mono Lake!


Fans question: I'd go with the Turbo Max fan where the fan isnt right in the opening for two reasons. One, the fan is a bit quiter, and two you cant see the fan blades like you can with the Fantastic Fan where the blades are right in the opening.

This drives me nuts because once the blades get dusty, that means I have to take the whole fan apart to clean them. If I cant see the dust on the blades, out of sight, out of mind

As for thermometer, save your money. We never use our thermometer that came with the Fantastic fan. It also had the rain sensor that shuts the fan off if it detects rain, something it never does since we have a cover over it so we can keep it open in a rain storm...DUH!! Big waste of money.

The covers are mandatory in my mind, as we leave them open while driving to keep the camper ventilated

Solar Panels Question: If you plan on only part-timing, weekend arrior style and will usually be staying in campgrounds, then save your money with the full solar set-up.

I would recommend adding one 100watt panel to keep the stock one or two batteries up to par for between campground stops, and the average over night here or there. I would think two 6-volt batteries run in parallel would work great for the average weekend camper. That would give you plenty of power and the one panel would keep them up to snuff.

There are a few different ways you could mount them. We've seem some where they never even drilled through the roof. Most Europeans just use a strong adhesive to mount their solar panels and they hold up fine.

Every RV should have at least one panel to recharge their house battery while driving between campgrounds, and not have to worry about draining the battery with just limited use. The prices are coming down enough that this is now very affordable.

Lock Question: We've been on the road for 16 months straight, and never worried about locking the camper. We dont RV in neighborhoods where we would want to worry about something like that, so this has never been an issue.

Now if we stored the camper for lengths of time, I'd go with the option that a friend of mine did. He swapped out all storage locker locks with combination tumbler style locks. Now there is no fumbling with keys, as every bin is locked with the same combo.

Locks were bought at a local RV supply house. I'd google it to find a place near you that sells them. The way I look at it is if someone wants to get into the bin, the whole structure is only a few inches thick, they're going to get in one way or the other.

Lift Kit on Camper Question: Flip the axles and dont worry about any other issues. This has to be a no brainer if you plan on doing any backroad camping. Read Quetse's post about the Axle Flip Question which should answer your questions.

Oh, and by the way, Welcome to the Club!

[Mooney]

Pretty much most of the topics were covered above, but, with regard to personal protection, the interstate laws are VERY different from state to state.

Here in MA, we have some of the toughest (worst) laws in the states.

You need a license even for pepper spray, "real" Mace is illegal, "wrist rocket" type slingshots are too...

I have firearms licenses in several states, and as a shooting competitor,wouldn't mess with carrying in a state in which I am not licensed. There are exceptions for travelling to and through states for competition purposes, but this is restricted (must be going to a sanctioned event, carrying a copy of your entry, the itinerary of the event, firearm and ammunition locked in seperate, opaque containers, and so on....).

That said, only YOU can make the best decision for yourself and your family. I will add, if you choose to use pepper spray as your defensive option, make sure you spray yourself, so you know what to expect if you must spray into the wind. Also, be aware of the proper use of the spray, a continous blasting is BAD- 1/2 seond bursts seperated a bit are best- the propellant will wash off the spray, weakening the effect.

BTW- Oven Spray is just as effective as pepper spray (unfortunately it can cause permanent damage to the bad guy- MAKE SURE of their intent before use- you can apologize for the inconvenience of getting blasted by pepper spray) and it's 50 state legal. Plus, you don't have to worry about securing it when you are offsite (or in a National Park or governmental building).

[emam]

In reguards to the weapontry issue, carry anything on your person and keeping it in the camper are two completely different subjects.

In many ways, the camper is considered your house, the vehicle isnt. So many state laws change between keeping or having different weapons in a RV compared to carrying them on your person in that state.

I have a CCW Permit, which most states honor. I carry a book that lists each state and whether they honor the right to carry from my home state of Michigan. If they dont, then I just leave my pistol in the camper locked beside the bed.

If they honor it, most do, then it is usually on my person while in certain invironments. 90% of the time, we are never in an area that I'd need to use it, but being out West, it's better to have it for the animals than for the bad guys

Most of the states out here require you to have either a gun or bear spray if going out into the back country where bears would be present. Almost like RVing in Downtown Detroit....LMAO

[Lode]

I have a small collection of firearms and am licensed here in PA. Last time I was in the Sheriff's office to renew I read about a permit that's issued that carries over state to state here in the USA. A synopsis of it was that basically if someone was eligible in one state to carry a firearm and both states agreed of the criteria for issuance, they cooperated by exchanging coverage. The only snag is that some states didn't opt and aren't on the list, a problem for folks doing long cross country. It is a completely different license that aplication is required before you get your card, it's not automatic if you're licensed in a state that's on the list. This was a couple years ago, so thing may have changed.

I lived in RI and MA for a couple years and left the collection back here in PA... along with my nail clippers and letter openers.

Personally, I don't ever carry them with me unless I'm going shooting. Otherwise they're locked in a gunsafe. No creepy crawlies around here that warrant it on a camp out. As far as security, robbers can have what they want, everything's replaceable.

Take care,
Jason

[ce2je12]

We thank you very much for all the replies and useful information. We picked up our tt with no issues and it pulled great (empty) with the truck. I do have one question as part of the deal the dealer thru in the hitch equalizer 600 lbs. I did not notice it unitl we parked the tt in storage for the night I called them back and of course the parts and service was closed already. Of all the information I have read we need at least one for 750 lbs. Is this correct?? Does anyone have any documentation that says what the minimum hitch should be? Please send it to me so when i call them tomorrow i have proof.

Thanks again for everything.

[PTHutch]

Originally Posted by ce2je12

… I do have one question as part of the deal the dealer thru in the hitch equalizer 600 lbs.
… Of all the information I have read we need at least one for 750 lbs. Is this correct??
… Does anyone have any documentation that says what the minimum hitch should be? Please send it to me so when i call them tomorrow i have proof.

Hi Carolyn & James

Glade everything went well with picking up your new Sunline and bring it home.

If you look on page 11 of the 2006 Sunline Brochure at the T-2499 floor plan by the tongue, you’ll see that the manufacturer’s unloaded tongue weight is 755 lbs. Therefore, the loaded tongue weight could be 900 – 1000 lbs, maybe more due to the floor plan of the T-2499 (i.e., very little weight in the back end) and how you pack.

If you’re talking that the dealer gave you 600 lb weight distribution bars with your equalizer hitch. Those are way too light. I would recommend 1,000 or 1,200 lb bars for your trailer. The higher rated bars will cost more, but they should be able to take back and credit you for the 600 lb bars and you just pay the difference.

Hope this helps
Hutch

[henryj]

To show something to your dealer:
Click on FILES in the blue portion at the top of this page. Then click on2006 Sunline Travel Trailer Brochure. This will download a pdf that you can print the one page you need and show to your dealer.

Please note the hitch weight of 755 lb. is the dry factory weight without propane or battery. I do have a 2499 and you need at least a 1000 lb. hitch and preferably 1200 lb., provided your truck has the receiver rating for 1200 lb.

My TW is typically 840 lb. ready to roll, but with no water in any of the tanks. I have 1000 lb. bars, but wish I had gotten the 1200 just for peace of mind. The 2499 provides little opportunity for reducing TW by loading up the back end so I compensate by not carrying water. Don't load up the front compartment either with stuff you can carry in your truck.

If you try to use an undersized bar, it will just bend and not transfer weight properly, basically defeating the whole purpose of the system. The price of the heavier hitch is virtually the same as the lighter one.

I just checked and Hutch just posted most of this too. I'll post anyway just to confirm it and give my opinion.

Henry

[Steve Collins]

Double Ditto!

Get the heavier bars. If the dealer tells you that you don't really need them, INSIST on them anyway. If the dealer repeats that you don't need them, DEMAND them. There are some safety issues here that affect not only you, but also those who share the highway with you.

Get at least 1,000# bars, but the 1,200# bars will be much better for you in the long run.

Over under Towing and Tow Vehicles you will find several threads relating to weight distributing hitches. JohnB has posted several responses about setting up these hitches for maximum performance and safety. Find them and read them carefully; there is a world of information there just for the taking.