Second Night in Our T-1950

wobbly · 04-12-2007, 08:36 PM

We picked up our T-1950 in Midland, MI Tuesday. They installed the used Hensley Arrow hitch we shipped out from Oregon. The Hensley tows great. There was a loud cracking noise that was traced down to a loose hitch strut that had no locking pin.

The weather in Michigan and Indiana has been terrible. Snow in Indianapolis. Strong winds and lightning.

The Husky (Valley Odyssey) brake controller was installed instead of the Sensa-A-Brake that I brought with me. The Jeep Liberty's brake pedal was not big enough for the Sens-A-Brake.

The Sunline seems quite comfortable. I thought we had ordered the kitchen upgrade, but apparently not. We did get the electric tongue jack, spare tire, and stabilizer jacks.

The only defect is the kitchen faucet, which leaks at the spout.

The Jeep originally gave about 18 MPG towing the trailer. The cold weather and strong winds dropped the MPG to 12.5!
Something is wrong. Our old '88 Ford Powerstroke diesel gave about 14 MPG with a cabover camper on it.

PS. The campground here in St. Charles, MO wants $55 a night for a pull through space. We booked 3* hotels in Pittsburg for less than that using Priceline.

Al in PA · 04-12-2007, 09:02 PM

Actually, I would think 12.5 mpg is about right while towing. I've never gotten more than that towing my 2051 with any of my past tow vehicles (Chevy Astro, Chevy Express, and now Chevy Silverado).

That must have been some white-knuckle driving in Michigan and Indiana!

**PTHutch** · 04-13-2007, 06:08 AM

Hi Wobbly,

Have a safe and fun trip home. Hopefully you'll get into nice weather soon.

Your mpg is depended on the weather, your speed, and type of roads driving. Like Al said - 12.5 mpg isn't bad. I was amazed when you said you got 18mpg towing. Is your Jeep new? I'm sure you know, it takes a long time for diesels to get broken in to the point where they are running at optimum efficiency. Some people say it takes 50,000 miles.

Good luck.
Hutch

wobbly · 04-14-2007, 09:09 PM

With some sun and warmer temperatures, our dispositions have improved.
The faucet stopped leaking when the spout was pushed down.
Our poor fuel economy is apparently partly caused by not using the overdrive lockout. Sometimes it pays to read the owner's manual.

The Hensley hitch spring arms have scraped the pavement on several occasions. The noise is a bit disconcerting, but it apparently doesn't hurt the hitch.

Passing trucks have a slight suction effect, but we haven't experienced any sway.

emam · 04-15-2007, 01:48 PM

Hey Wobbly, we've noticed the same sucking feeling when ever a large semi passes us. As the truck approaches us from the rear, I have to counter steer to keep from being sucked into it! Then as it passes, I have to correct the counter steer to keep from getting pushed off the road.

Other than that, I havent had a bit of sway to speak of.

You might want to throw some grease on any parts of the hitch where metal can rub together. Our hitch sounded like a stuck pig till I greased ever spot where metal rubbed. This took some time to locate the actual culprit. I later learned a trick from someone else in a Forum.

Buy some spray lubricant and spray the entire hitch set-up down before you travel. This keeps your clothes from getting covered in grease everytime you brush against it, and takes the time down to only a few seconds to apply.

We're pulling with a Powerstroke 6.0 Diesel and have been averaging 12 to 14 MPG. Like Hutch said, diesels tend to get better as the motor breaks in. We only have 28,000 miles on it, so I think we're just starting to break it in.

Good luck and happy travels

Pat

Mark · 04-15-2007, 07:23 PM

emam,

Are you using a sway control?

**PTHutch** · 04-16-2007, 03:52 PM

What helps to eliminate some of the pull – push of semi’s is open a side window near the front door/curb side a little, then open a side rear window on the other side (OD / road side) of the trailer.

**Sunline Fan** · 04-16-2007, 05:34 PM

Hutch,

That's interesting, I've never heard that before. Just remember to pull over and close it if it starts to rain!

Jon

**PTHutch** · 04-16-2007, 06:19 PM

That was told to me by someone once and I used that technique on our T-2670 before we bought our Hensley hitch.

I opened the awning type window over the kitchen sink and the awning type window of the top bunk. Only opened them about ½ inch and since they were awning windows, rain never was a problem. It actually worked. I was skeptical when the person suggested it but I thought I would give it a try.

Once we got the Hensley, I feel very little suck-pushing from trucks now. Even with the T-280SR, which is about 2,000 lbs heavier than the T-2670.