Settling into X19H

[bankr63]

Now that we have a few trips under out belts in the new to us 2011 X19H, I took a few pictures of some of the mods and adaptations we have made as we settle in. Trips so far have been fairly short, but we have a big 17 day trip coming up in a couple of weeks. Our favorite CG's have no utilities or power only, so we are always pretty close to boondock camping.

Note: if you prefer, click on the link here to step through the photos in a slide show on pbucket: Camping Slideshow by bankr63 | Photobucket
The slide show has a couple of extra images from out favorite campsites and it unfortunately doesn't show the image descriptions of what you are viewing.

Starting with getting the gear there, I struggled a bit with how we would get our bikes there. Our trusty 1007 had a roof mount rack. After reading a lot here on JOF, I settled on the Arvika 2" receiver and a Thule platform style rack.


The fit here was really tight due to the under tongue mounted spare. Had to drop the spare to get it bolted in, and then "persuade" the tire back into position.


Build quality on the Arvika was great and installation should be breeze on most TT's.

The rack in Up position:






When down, the clearances are tight, but we tested out with a spotter in a parking lot to ensure that I could make turns without touching the TV.



Next up solar battery minder.

[bankr63]

The new TT is too big to keep in the driveway and plugged in for the summer, so now we are at a local storage facility. I wanted to keep the battery topped off in storage, and got a great deal on this 40W solar panel kit at 70% off at a February sale at Canadian Tire (for Americans that's like Pep Boys meets Dicks Sporting Goods meets Pottery Barn?)



I scavenged a bolt on connection from my auto trickle charger that had the right connector for the controller:


The controller is attached to the battery box with a couple of zip screws. Seems fairly well sealed, but didn't say it was weather proof, so I tried to keep it sheltered. The label didn't last long in the elements though, so I have to remember which LED means what:


The panel itself, with about 20' of extension. This is tucked up on the roof of the TT in the lot. I keep the wire tight around one of the bunk handles in case a wind catches it to prevent crashing into another unit, but it hasn't moved through a couple of good stormy days so I think I am probably okay:


Up next, a few more outside mods:

[bankr63]

The TT came with the RVQ rack but no RVQ - okay by me as we never used the RVQ on our 1007 either. It was factory new when we traded it in. But we always used the outdoor stove on our pup, and wanted to do the same here, but also wanted something a bit better.

Settled on the Coleman Gladiator stove which has fantastic output, griddles included and a lot more space for the big corn pot. To bring the whole package together, I can up with the shelf here to mount the stove on the side:


I drilled out a couple of holes to take the RVQ rack poles. Finish is food safe mineral oil. The shelf is from a single 2*10 fine grade pine board cut down and glued up.


This one was an easy mod taken from several discussions here. Pool noodle cut in two and then split down the middle makes a perfect awning skull saver:


Another easy one from the JOF suggestions - our sewer hose keeper from a fence post cover. Bungee cords to hold the cap in place, and a few drain holes on the bottom side:


Currently mounted right beside the sewer outlet with double loops of zip ties. I'll add strapping when I am sure I like the position. Where it is here, it is really close to the step on the other side:


Still at the back of the TT, we keep our outdoor mat bungeed to the bumper. The end cords are figure 8 and wrap the bumper mounts to stop movement, with a 3rd heavy duty cord in the middle.


Not really a mod, but we have always plastered the back with our travel stickers - the collection has already started and will grow again!


Heading down the side, we have added screening to the side vents for fridge and furnace. The fridge ones from Camco took a fair bit trimming with tin snips to get a fairly tight fit.

[bankr63]

Up to the roof, we added the Maxxair II cover:


And we replaced the roached out grab handle foam with a fresh one. The trick here was to use shampoo with conditioner (extra slick) to grease the foam into position. The kit includes new hardware for both ends, but I only replaced it o the lower bracket and left the top bracket attached to the handle:


The last exterior mod would be cutting down the Andersen levellers to fit between the two axles. I used a chop saw and would warn anyone doing the same to prepare for a pink snowstorm:


One last exterior pic, not really a mod. Our anti-sway ball was installed short by the dealer. On my first tight left turn out of the driveway (forward) the AS closed up and ripped the mount half off the rail. The ball is supposed to mounted at 24" from hitch ball centre - you can see where I marked that. This was about 3" short. The dealer has agreed to replace the mount with the proper distance.

[bankr63]

Flipping through the photobucket, I missed one exterior mod.

We added two T's onto the propane; one for the Gladiator Stove, and one for the RoadTrip Grill. These deliver full pressure propane to the Coleman through 20' hoses (not shown) that attach to the take off ports. The only fly in this one is that while one tank is empty, I can only use one of the two. But it did prevent me from having to bypass any of the Coleman regulators.



ETA - one of the few things our dealer did that I didn't like was replacing the original polycarbonate tank cover with a vinyl one with their logo emblazoned all over it. Will probably try to go back to a poly cover, but the vinyl does have a bit of give to fit all the extra plumbing.


That's it for outside. Inside mods are next - probably much later. Off to an outdoor blues festival in the pouring rain with the whole fam damily. Yay!

[bankr63]

Just as you step into the entry door, there is a lip at the edge of the counter. I added some hooks under the edge to keep certain items handy. Normally the lighter for the campfire/torches is hanging here too


On the wall just inside the door we added some command strip hooks for jackets and this handy shoe pocket where we stash the bug spray and sunscreen. The broom is also a stick on hook and handy for sweeping dirt right back out the door:


We found this neat little set of wood drawers at a garage sale that sits just beside the door for flashlights, clotheslines, and other outdoor essentials. The sign is our first hanging; a memento from a recent FL trip:


One deficiency that the previous owners never fixed was the missing Velcro on one side of the weather flap for the bunk end. I bought a roll on Amazon and ran this strip the length of the bunk so we can be sure to have that sealed.


We setup the following charging station for cell phones, tablets, etc. There is a 2port USB in the 12V TV receptacle and 3 more USB taps on the 110V plug tap:


The other main electrical upgrade was changing all of the interior bulbs over to LED. We used a combo of warm and cool white. The light over the kitchen (left) is cool, and the hall (right) is warm. Should have taken a pic when I had one of each LED/incandescent in a fixture, but the output is very similar for the two types and the Warm LED is just a hint cooler color than the incandescent bulb:


The bulbs we used have 13 LED elements each and fit easily into the same space. If the bulb doesn't light, pull it, twist 180 degrees, and reinsert. They are polarity sensitive:


I found this giant pail of Damp Rid at Wal-Mart and it has been doing a fine job of absorbing any moisture so far. No condensation issues yet:


Final post coming; working with storage.

[bankr63]

Nothing too exciting here, but everyone struggles with storage in a small space. I will say that after 8 years in a pup, we haven't come close to running out of space for anything, but I am sure that we will eventually.

There are overhead cabinets the length of the curbside wall. The ones nearest the front have glass doors that were frosted. The frosting was painted on and had been scratched up over the years, so a little time with a razor scraper got all that off. Helps to know if something has shifted in transit and is waiting to fall on you. Also the clear baskets make it easy to see what is in what cubby:


There was a single fixed shelf behind the end door only. I added shelves to the next 3 sections using adjustable plastic clips. I can easily drill new holes if we want them at a different height:



There is storage over the front bunk too. We fit 10 baskets up here with a variety of games, batteries, basic tools, etc. Not a lot up there yet, but I am pretty sure DW has a mountain of craft supplies ready to fill them. The bungee is setup with a slip knot to keep gear in place while travelling and can be tucked away at the CG:



I had originally thought to put one of the metal covers over the stove, but, again with the advice from here on JOF, I opted for the Camco cutting board. This fits the surface perfectly and is very sturdy. The anti-skid on the back is amazing! We forgot to stow this on one return trip, and it was exactly in place when we got back home (after about a 4-hour trip).


Peeking inside the pantry, we decided to keep the same plastic drawers that we used in the pup. We are all used to where all of the various bits go, so why mess with it. One drawers is mostly plates/bowls, another for cups and wine mugs, a third for mixing bowls, and the fourth has platters and coffee service. Packing soft stuff down the side while travelling keeps the drawers from opening as they will hit the door frame.


The last mod so far was the shower area where we store tall items like camp chairs, folding tables and kayak paddles. We tend to use the CG showers so don't mind giving up the space. At 6'3" and the build of a linebacker, using the shower is a bit of a comical exercise for me anyway. Simply added a couple of hooks and a heavy bungee cord to keep the gear in place when moving:


So that is pretty much it for now. This week I think I found a solution to keeping the bathroom door propped open; the ventilation fan is in there so we like to always have the door propped to keep the air flowing, especially in storage.

I'd be happy to hear about mods others have made to their 19H or similar models that have made life easier for you! Thanks so much to all the folks here on JOF who have posted on almost all of the mods here. There are really only a couple that I think are relatively original, the rest are just a distillation from many other contributors.