seasonal set up

[campfire crazy]

Being a new owner and single woman, I could use any additional advice on what to be sure is done by Campers Inn when they deliver and set up my trailer. I have read about the levels used and am going to purchase bottle jacks and 2x4's for under the tires.

Is it ok to use cinder blocks under the jacks and hitch instead of wood?
I could use any additional advice you might have as I am doing this blindly (is that a real word?).
Thanks,
Sue

[Sunline Fan]

I have been told that cinder blocks aren't good because it'll bend the frame. I would find that hard to believe on your coach, having the big frame rails that it does, but I suppose it's possible. I think you would be fine if you did that right in front of and behind the axles and up by the tongue (to take the weight off the jack and tires), but I wouldn't do it between those points. The frame is designed to flex, and you could cause some major damage if you don't let it do that.

My other advise is make sure you park the trailer on some sort blocks or something and cover the tires once parked. It would even be beneficial to put a piece of plywood or something in front of the covers on the opposing door side, so no UV gets through to the tires. You don't want them dry rotting if you can help it. It would be ideal to take the tires off and store them elsewhere, but that always doesn't work out.

If you want to invest some money, buy another set of tires of a smaller size (the dealer should have these tire/rim combos available for ~$50 each) and mount them on in place. Then store the originals inside somewhere. The new smaller tires will put the coach closer to the ground, making it easier to jack up and go in and out of. You wouldn't want to have the coach sit fully on these, but it should be fine for the little weight left on them. Also, these tires couldn't handle moving the trailer at all, so it would sort of be like a mobile home how they take the tires off when it gets to the location, except you would be replacing them with the smaller ones.

Jon

[Steve Collins]

Seasonal Camper Hints:

Black Water:

If you have sewer hookup on your site, do not leave the black water gate open. Let the black water tank fill until at least 1/2 full before dumping.

Why you ask? Because the "flush" from a RV toilet does not have enough water to move the solids out of the tank and into the pipes. You could hold the water valve open on the toilet all day and it won't be enough to flow the solids out from under the toilet.

What will happen if you leave the gate open? You will build what is known as "the dreaded black pyramid" directly under the toilet. Given enough time, this will grow to the point that it will stop up your toilet. Removing a black pyramid is a very ugly task so it is good to avoid having to do so.

Gray Water:

It is safe and reasonable to leave your gray water gate open all the time when in a seasonal or other long term camping situation with a sewer hookup. Let's you shower or do dishes to your heart's content without worrying about overflowing the tank. However, it is a good idea to close the gray water gate a day or so before you plan to dump the black water. This will allow the gray water tank to fill at least partially so that you can drain the gray water after dumping the black water which is a nice cleaning action on the pipes.

Fresh Water:

There has been a lot of discussion about the fresh water hookup in a seasonal situation. Be sure to use only a white, food grade RV hose. This is a specially made product that does not leach toxins from the hose into the water. If a hose lays out in the sun for a long time, a regular garden hose will do this.

Make sure you have a pressure regulator on the faucet end of the hose. This way your hose will not be subject to the varying high pressures usually found in seasonal camp grounds.

It's a good idea to shut off the fresh water if you are leaving for a day or longer.

If you search here for threads on water filters, you will find lots of useful information about them. Most seasonal folks will install some kind of filter, again, on the faucet end of the hose after the regulator.

Other hints:

If your trailer does not have MaxxAir vents, consider getting them. That way you can leave your roof vents open when you are not there, allowing the trailer to say cool and fresh. That's a good idea for everyone, but especially seasonals.

You can run your fridge on electric, but IMHO propane seems to always work a bit better and colder. Make sure you always have enough propane to run the fridge if you are not there duing the week. A lot of seasonal folks will upgrade to 30# tanks if they don't already have them. You'll probably want to run the fridge all season, and that's fine, provided that trailer is nicely levelled. If you chose to run the fridge on 110 vac, it'll be fine, too.

Same logic for the hot water heater, especially if you don't have full 30 Amp hookups in the campground. But remember to shut off the hot water heater if you are going to be gone overnight or longer.

There's controvery about awnings. Some folks will roll them up when they leave for more than a few hours. Others will drop them all the way down so that it's at about a 45 degree angle with the legs connected to the trailer in the shortest position. Gives about 6 ft of dry space next to the trailer for chairs, etc. If you lock it down good in that position, it will usually survive pretty heavy rains quite well. I won't make a recommendation either way except to say that I've done both comfortably at one time or another based on the weather forecast.

Mouse baits and ant traps are a must. Put them in places that pets and small children can not reach. Pull a bottom drawer in the kitchen and put at least one of each there. Put one of each in the compartment where your electric shore line is stored.

Our trailer sits on blocks all winter long with the tires stored in the shed. No frame problems after 9 winters. And our rig has the smaller 4" 'C' channel frame. Newer Sunlines with the 5" or 6" frames are even less susceptible to frame bending.