New to me TT have some questions

[Integritas]

Okay this is going to a bunch at once! We just got a new to us TT. it is a 23' Fleetwood Pioneer. I have a 2018 F150 with Max tow package. I am hoping this is going to be sufficient. I will check the truck rating later today. The trailer is 6600 GVRW.

We took out the couch that folds out to a bed, AND took out one side of the dinette. I am getting some captains chairs today to put in those areas. Not sure if that will change the weight or not by removing those things. I hope it was okay to do so. We will not have anyone going with us anywhere and we thought the space would be nicer for us than additional sleeping area.

I am wondering...... I got pads for the leveling jacks, but am wondering if putting them on blocks would be a good idea so we don't have to extend the jacks all the way?

I got an electric tongue jack I will be adding this weekend, any tips on that?

I am thinking solar would be a good thing to put on to keep the batteries topped off if it is not plugged in, any recommendations?

I will need to put a new AC system on it after this winter because the previous owners removed the system because it failed. Any recommendations for a good economical system?

I changed all the light bulbs to LED bulbs and hope that helps a little bit with power consumption. Trying to make it as good as possible for us! We will be traveling around mostly the west coast to courses and competitions for our company. Just 2 of us.

Thanks for any input you might be able to give!

[Tvov]

I usually bring along three 2x8 boards about 3 feet long for under the camper wheels for leveling side to side. In addition, I bring a block of wood for under the tongue jack, and a couple miscellaneous small pieces of wood for whatever else.

I also have about 20 of those lego type plastic leveling blocks - we rarely put them under the camper wheels, but use them under the stabilizers, tongue jack (with a piece of wood on top to protect them), under the picnic table and/or grill for leveling them, under the camper steps for support, etc. Those plastic blocks are very useful, just get out of the mindset that they are just for leveling the camper.

For the leveling wood I bring for weekend camping, I try to get Non pressure treated wood... much lighter, and since they are not sitting on the ground in one place for an extended time, they last years.

[hondapro]

Dutch
That nose on the ground photo looks exactly like a spot I had this summer in Pa.
The jack was all the way in and the tounge was on the ground to make it level.
The campsite had concrete blocks setting around,people used them to back up the wheel chocks.It was the most unlevel site I have been on.

[DutchmenSport]

Integritas wrote:
...What happened on that last picture? Your trailer looks like it fell off the front blocks! Also the blocks look not as stable as I would like. ....

That camp site was sloped down hill. With a 35 foot trailer, it doesn't take much of a slope for one end to be on the ground and the other end in the sky.

Actually it is quite stable. Those blocks are 4x6 solid timbers that I cut to length from a support post that came out of an old barn that was built about 150 years ago. I won't part with those blocks for anything, and they are more solid (and heavy) than a concrete block. Age has also made that wood petrified and I had to cut them (20 years ago) with a chain saw.


If you travel a lot and visit different camp grounds around the country, from the flats of Nebraska to the mountains of West Virginia, you will eventually encounter campsites that are very unlevel, left to right and front to back. Its times like that you will be glad you have lots of stuff to put under your tires and jacks.

[Integritas]

HOLY COW Dutchmen sports!!! I just changed my settings so I could see the pictures. What happened on that last picture? Your trailer looks like it fell off the front blocks! Also the blocks look not as stable as I would like. I am thinking the lego block things would be better so they are firmly on the ground. I probably just don't know how it all works and that is why I think that looks unstable. I am sure I will learn as the time goes on and we get to using the trailer.

[Integritas]

Thanks for all the comments!! Good tip about turning the electric tongue jack to the side, I will see if I can!
My truck is a super crew (4 full doors) the 3.5 ecoboost engine with 10 gear transmission, full size bed 6.5' it is so pretty!! It was built with the max tow package on it so I would hope it would tow! It will even back the trailer up for me once I set it up to do so!!

I picked up the captains chairs today and hmmmmmmmmm, some people!! I went an hour away to pick them up, the guy told me there were no pet or smoking odors or stains, they looked pretty clean in the blurry pictures. I meat him in town and saw the chairs....... dog hair covering them! They looked kinda brownish beige, no biggie I could clean them. Got home, spent an hour vacuuming them and then decided to just wash them with the power washer and let them dry for a few days, HOLY COW!!! They are actually a blue grey color! They stunk to high heaven when I washed them but now hopefully the smell is out!! They will need to dry for a few days before I put them in the trailer!! other than being filthy, I think they were an okay deal, $40 each. One needs to have some of the bottom stapled back on but no biggie, I have the staple gun to do it! I hope they will dry out and be good for the trailer. I sat in one and if I weren't squirming from the filth, I thought it was fairly comfortable! We got some conduit brackets to hold them in place when we stick them in the trailer.

Need to figure what to do with the TV while driving. I am thinking just leave it on the floor by side of the bed with a blanket over it maybe. Any thoughts?

When I pulled the couch and the dinette bench out, it left some holes in the wall where staples had been put through the side, any ideas how to deal with that? The walls are wallpapered. I probably should post up some pictures huh?! We are taking it out next week for its first trip for 2 weeks! Kinda crazy!! I have a ton of things to finish cleaning and doing before Monday but I also have work to do so not a lot of time for playing with the trailer! Oh well it will be a work in progress!

Keep the tips coming. I read about the inline fuse for the tongue jack, just have to get the thing unboxed and figure what I am doing. Can I get that at O'Reilly auto parts? I am hoping that project wont take me to long and I can do it in an hour or so.

[Takamine]

I installed my electric tongue jack in about 10 minutes. It's a really easy install and I thought well worth it. My WD hitch requires numerous ups and downs to connect and install the bars.

You should be able to download a 2018 Ford tow capacity chart for your vehicle. As mentioned above, your capacity is dependent on engine size, cab configuration, wheel base and rear axle ratio. For mine, the rear axle ratio was a letter code that was on the door panel of the truck.

[neschultz]

Try to turn the tongue jack sideways if you need it to clear the trucks tailgate.

[coolmom42]

You might look into a portable "suitcase" system for solar. Already put together for you, and can be moved around to catch the sun.

I agree with the LED recommendation above. You want a color temperature no higher than 3500K. Check the lumens to compare brightness to "standard" bulbs.

[Merrykalia]

Yes on the LeDs for lower power consumption.
Agree with a 13,500 BTU A/C unit will do you good. You may need a fan, too.
DH thought the electric tongue jack was the best thing we ever purchased for our TT.

I can't speak to the solar power because we have never had any need for it.

[Artum_Snowbird]

I purchased these light packs and we are delighted with them. The 3200K light temperature is a very warm light and they make the place warm and cozy feeling. They are also exceptionally bright too!

Hi/Low warm light LED replacement fixtures

[George3037]

Integritas wrote:
Okay this is going to a bunch at once! We just got a new to us TT. it is a 23' Fleetwood Pioneer. I have a 2018 F150 with Max tow package. I am hoping this is going to be sufficient. I will check the truck rating later today. The trailer is 6600 GVRW.

We took out the couch that folds out to a bed, AND took out one side of the dinette. I am getting some captains chairs today to put in those areas. Not sure if that will change the weight or not by removing those things. I hope it was okay to do so. We will not have anyone going with us anywhere and we thought the space would be nicer for us than additional sleeping area.

I am wondering...... I got pads for the leveling jacks, but am wondering if putting them on blocks would be a good idea so we don't have to extend the jacks all the way?

I got an electric tongue jack I will be adding this weekend, any tips on that?

I am thinking solar would be a good thing to put on to keep the batteries topped off if it is not plugged in, any recommendations?

I will need to put a new AC system on it after this winter because the previous owners removed the system because it failed. Any recommendations for a good economical system?

I changed all the light bulbs to LED bulbs and hope that helps a little bit with power consumption. Trying to make it as good as possible for us! We will be traveling around mostly the west coast to courses and competitions for our company. Just 2 of us.

Thanks for any input you might be able to give!

The tow rating of the F150 depends on how it was built. Things like reg. cab, ext. cab, crew cab, 2 or 4 WD, engine etc. all make a difference on the towing capacity. Your truck owners manual has the max tow rating listed. If you can't find it look in the Trailer life towing guide which has most all configurations listed. I'm guessing you'll be fine towing a 23' 6600 lb. trailer with a proper weight distribution hitch setup.

Its OK to remove and replace furniture and yes it will affect the total unloaded weight of the trailer. The GVWR is set by the TT mfg. and won't change. If you like, You can get the trailer weighed at some truck stops, local trash dump, highway weigh station etc.

Pads for the stabilizing jacks are fine, I have the plastic lego type blocks but found they break very easily so I use 6x6 wood blocks with mine so jacks don't have to extend more than needed. Also as mentioned, bring extra blocks. I have a stack of 2x6's I bring since you never know how level the ground will be where you camp.

As mentioned, put a proper sized fuse inline when you install the electric tongue jack.

Most smaller TT's use a 13,500 BTU A/C unit. they are pretty standard and will fit in the same rooftop opening.

I too changed all my interior lighting to LED's which cut down of amp draw and generate less heat.
(Note to Bill & Kate, Let me know which LED lights you have that are too bright. I have bought LED's 2X so far and both sets are still too dim for an old fart like me.)

Can't help much with a solar charger as I keep TT plugged in at home for charging and don't camp anywhere without power. I do have 1.5A solar chargers on my 2 other trailers (car and dump) to keep them topped off. Picked them up at HF store a couple years ago.

[Bill___Kate]

My two cents on your concerns:
We use scrap wood for stabilization jacks and under tires for leveling. I trash pick 2 x 6, 8, and 10's and cut them about a foot long with 45 deg angle on each end. I also have an assortment of 4x4, 4x6, and 6x6 blocks for under the tongue jack and under the stabilizers - as you say, the less you extend the stabilizers, the sturdier they will be. I prefer plain lumber (especially cedar) to pressure treated as it is lighter, and if it splits you can use it for kindling wood.
The electric tongue jack is well worth it to me. As said, when you install it make sure you have a slow blow fuse or a circuit beaker in the hot feed. Also pay close attention to the grounding. Most of them are grounded through the bolts to the trailer frame, and those connections corrode frequently. I usually run a separate ground wire from a screw on the power head direct to the battery.
A small solar panel to keep the battery topped off can work well, and can easily be installed. More important would be a battery isolation switch to disconnect the battery to avoid all the parasitic loads. A full blown solar system for power when boon docking is much more involved and expensive.
Any of the name brand RV air conditioners will install in the same hole you have, and use the same AC power wiring. There might be a difference in the wiring for a remote thermostat, so check what you have first.
LED lamps work well, but we had trouble finding ones that gave the color of light we like - most were too bright white for us old farts ....

[Artum_Snowbird]

Solar charging can work, but also remember when it's cloudy and cool, or even raining, you use the power but solar will not produce much.

A small generator can really help at times. Two batteries will only need less than an hour a day of generator to keep things up.

Get a battery voltage meter with two decimal places and observe the battery voltage when power usage is low. (Not while running the furnace). You will learn how long your batteries last this way.

Blocks and pads in combination can make it easier. Every so often run them out just so you know it works well.

[DutchmenSport]

I'll answer one of your questions? The stabilizer jacks: Bring along extra blocks, if that be Lynx plastic lego style or lumber. The less you have to extend the stabilizer jacks, the more stabil and the less rocking you'll experience. I think a photo saved a thousand words. Here's some situation we found ourselves in over the years and I was glad I had the extra lumber: