Maiden Voyage...finally!

[laknox]

Due to life happening, mostly dealing with the loss of my mom, we've not been able to take out our new KZ Durango 1500 277RLT until this past weekend. Was sort of a last minute suggestion by DW to head up to the Payson AZ area. After calling around, the only place I could find was a small place S of Payson called Oxbow RV Park. Small, older place, but very quiet. Fairly well maintained, though still in need of some TLC. Lots of long-timers parked, but a number of transient spots. We got a back-in spot and I was d@mned glad of having 4wd to get into it as the ground was very dry, hard-packed with a layer of crushed granite on it. Even in 4wd I spun a bit backing up the incline to the near-level spot. Beat up pedestal, but it worked. Only issue we had was with the cable, which the local cable idiot had FUBARed forcing the park's handy-man to hook it up properly. All-in-all, a nice place. Now, for the trailer...

Easy tow up; I think it's a lot more aerodynamic than my old low-pro Komfort. Much less buffeting and mileage was better than expected, despite the nearly 2' higher profile. Maneuvering back into our space didn't require any hard turns and I was even complimented on how easy I backed it in with a "that's not your first rodeo". :B I =did= have to watch my top and had to remind DW to watch, too, since there were some trees overhanging. The 4-point auto-level worked awesome and I can't imagine another rig without it. :B I =do= need to be sure to put some blocks under the rear jacks, though, as they don't have a lot of stroke and it doesn't take a lot of slope to max them out. Saw another rig that had rear jack with =extension= like the front jacks. Way cool and I wish I had them!

No issues with the rig the first night, though DW was pissed at not having cable. Got up the next morning, lazed around for a couple hours, had some cereal, then decided to take a drive and do some shopping at the local WallyWorld and Home Depot for a few odds-n-ends for the FW. Drove up to Pine/Strawberry to look around and have some lunch. Some gorgeous homes down Fossil Creek Rd. and it includes the Strawberry School house, the oldest school building in AZ (1885) and on the National Register. Went back later in the PM, lazed around some more, then headed over to Mazatzal Casino for dinner. Nothing special, just some simple eats and a brewski for me while DW blew $20 on the penny slots. :B Home to some more TV and chips and salsa.

Got up the next morning to NO 12v in the coach. No lights, no fridge, nothing. Checked, and the Interstate battery was dead. We were plugged into the 50a the whole time, so that means that the charger/converter is toast. Oh, the stereo was dead, too, which I knew before we even left home. It =was= working after I'd picked it up and I'd had it working when I'd had the FW at the house to load things up several weeks ago. Ended up having to hook up to the truck and leave it idling for nearly 45 minutes while we got packed up, slides in and jack retracted.

My one paranoia was with the awning as it was a bit breezy. I did put a ratchet strap on the upwind side over night, but took it down and rolled the awning up when we left for the day. Most others had theirs out, but I didn't want to take =any= chances.

When we got home, we got things cleaned up, then I headed right down to Tucson, to the dealer, to have them look at the stereo, converter and a few other things, including where the kitchen slide seems to be hitting the island cabinet doors and scuffing the trim finish on both. 90 miles, one way. NOT a happy camper about this, especially as we already have another trip planned, leaving Aug. 1. The converter is the #1 priority and I'm really hoping they replace the battery, too, as this one was marginal from the get-go, but they refused to give me a fresh battery when I picked it up. (That's a story in itself. :()

Takeaways:
1) We really like this rig.
2) We seriously need to consider adding the 2nd AC, especially if we plan on doing any summer camping at un-shaded or lower elevation sites.
3) Need to get a surge guard.
4) Need to organize the basement a bit better and to add some cargo netting. Containers and "stuff" slide around too much.
5) Need to get the 2nd battery installed, even if it's only a 12v and not the 2 6v GC2's that I =really= want. Can do that later, though I've even thought about just doing 3 12v's. We'll see...
6) I plan on a wet bolt kit at some time, though we just don't tow all that much, so it's not a priority.

That's it until the next trip.

Lyle

[laknox]

DutchmenSport wrote:

laknox wrote:
...I =suppose= it could have tripped a weak-ish breaker... (shrug)

Lyle

Glad it wasn't more. Just wondering? Do you have a surge protector for your camper, or an EMS system so power "hits" won't blow things up in the future. If not, seriously consider getting one so this type of thing won't happen again.

That will be my next purchase, after a 2nd battery, since we're doing a 'docking trip before. At home, I'm not too worried about plugging in, figuring that if I have problems =there=, the house will let me know in advance. :B

Did get an update, though. Since I'd already started a claim with Jensen, the owner called them with the claim # pretending to be me, and they're shipping a new unit directly to them to install. Crossing fingers that they have the same unit in stock, or one that will connect with no issues, as the old one is no longer made. At worst, an adapter harness if it's not a direct PNP. We'll see.

Lyle

[DutchmenSport]

laknox wrote:
...I =suppose= it could have tripped a weak-ish breaker... (shrug)

Lyle

Glad it wasn't more. Just wondering? Do you have a surge protector for your camper, or an EMS system so power "hits" won't blow things up in the future. If not, seriously consider getting one so this type of thing won't happen again.

[laknox]

So, just heard back from the dealer about the converter. Seems there were some blown fuses that took it out. Replaced and all is good again. They won't touch the stereo (Surprised? Didn't think so.), so have to go to Jensen for that. No clue as to what happened, though it =could= have been the pedestal. I did manage to trip the 50a breaker as I was putting a slide out at the same time as the auto-level was running. I =suppose= it could have tripped a weak-ish breaker... (shrug)

Lyle

[laknox]

Me Again wrote:

laknox wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
About your 12 volt? If this is a new camper to you, then you are probably not familiar with everything yet. Does your camper have a battery disconnect switch? That would account for the 12 volt power failure. Check that first before making the trip back to the dealer. Just a suggestion.

Not a newb, though the FW is new. Disconnect was hot, or =nothing= works. There is zero 110v lighting, so we had no lights anywhere. Clock on the MW was working, as it's 110v only. FW was plugged in at home for 2 days prior to leaving and, I assume, it was charging. Battery showed full after towing for 2 hours and it showed 2/3, from zero, after towing home. Lesson is to buy a battery charger and carry it with me...just in case. NOT happy with this, for sure.

Lyle

Lyle, you did check the AC breaker for the converter, yes?? Chris

First thing I did was flip =all= the breakers in the panel. If there's a "hidden" one, I didn't find it. No fuses were labeled for a "converter" or "charger", though I did pull a couple that I thought might be.

Lyle

[Me_Again]

laknox wrote:

DutchmenSport wrote:
About your 12 volt? If this is a new camper to you, then you are probably not familiar with everything yet. Does your camper have a battery disconnect switch? That would account for the 12 volt power failure. Check that first before making the trip back to the dealer. Just a suggestion.

Not a newb, though the FW is new. Disconnect was hot, or =nothing= works. There is zero 110v lighting, so we had no lights anywhere. Clock on the MW was working, as it's 110v only. FW was plugged in at home for 2 days prior to leaving and, I assume, it was charging. Battery showed full after towing for 2 hours and it showed 2/3, from zero, after towing home. Lesson is to buy a battery charger and carry it with me...just in case. NOT happy with this, for sure.

Lyle

Lyle, you did check the AC breaker for the converter, yes?? Chris

[2edgesword]

Congrats on the maiden voyage. Hopefully followed up by many more with most of the RV bugs taken care of.

I had a KZ travel trailer for six years. We had a few minor issues but nothing that ever caused a delayed or cancelled trip, all covered under warranty and all systems were still operating when we traded it in. Give them a chance and I think they'll make it right.

[laknox]

DutchmenSport wrote:
About your 12 volt? If this is a new camper to you, then you are probably not familiar with everything yet. Does your camper have a battery disconnect switch? That would account for the 12 volt power failure. Check that first before making the trip back to the dealer. Just a suggestion.

Not a newb, though the FW is new. Disconnect was hot, or =nothing= works. There is zero 110v lighting, so we had no lights anywhere. Clock on the MW was working, as it's 110v only. FW was plugged in at home for 2 days prior to leaving and, I assume, it was charging. Battery showed full after towing for 2 hours and it showed 2/3, from zero, after towing home. Lesson is to buy a battery charger and carry it with me...just in case. NOT happy with this, for sure.

Lyle

[DutchmenSport]

About your 12 volt? If this is a new camper to you, then you are probably not familiar with everything yet. Does your camper have a battery disconnect switch? That would account for the 12 volt power failure. Check that first before making the trip back to the dealer. Just a suggestion.

[laknox]

Afterthought: Had a shower 1st morning and was glad I was on city water and not the pump. Even with a semi-Navy shower, I used a =lot= more water than I thought, if I'm to believe the gauge. Had water on the floor outside the shower, though and, at the dealer, the service tech immediately noticed that the ends of the door track had NOT been sealed up allowing water to leak onto the floor. C'mon KZ! How can you miss that one?

Second afterthought: The RR trim strip (rub rail) had been cut too short and had come completely out. From a comment made at the dealer, this seems to be somewhat common. C'mon KZ! How hard is this?

Third afterthought: The Dicor caulk at the top of the RR, where the top, rear and side walls meet, was badly cracked. This is a '17 unit, built in '16 and sat at the dealer for right at 11 months before we took it home. My old Komfort's caulk didn't show cracking for over 4 years. C'mon KZ! Time for better quality caulk?

Lyle