Hummingbird Is Finally Home!

[01tundra]

Decided to raise our TV up a little to compensate for the extra height of the mattress topper.

It was super easy to do, I removed the bolt holding the entire bracket arm to the mounting plate, then moved the plate up two screw holes, which bought us about 5" of additional height. I was able to reuse six of the screw holes and made new holes for the upper screws. Patched the four left over holes with some wood putty and used some stain to match it up as close as I could.

Much better now, no more accidently kicking the TV while laying in bed !

[Racer X]

I love what Tundra01 was able to do with his refrigerator vents but I finally found them on Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Camco-42156-F...=camco+norcold

Pricey but I just don't have the time anymore.

[01tundra]

Just got home from a great second camping trip at Fall Creek Falls State Park in TN. We pretty much had the campground to ourselves for three days.

We got to pull in snow, sleet and freezing rain on the way home so I got some great experience towing in new conditions. The FJ continues to impress with its towing capability and handling.

We had an absolute blast and came home with a much shorter "to do" list. I ended up raising the TV another four inches while we were there. I used plastic wing anchors designed for paneling for the upper four holes, the lower six screws were still in the backing.

I realized that the drain line for the black tank isn't pitched the correct direction and traps a little water. I'm going to reposition the metal support strap holding the drain pipe up to the frame and put a 1/4" thick UHMW spacer between the drain and the frame to get the required fall for the drain to work properly.

The other thing I noticed was the bounce we're getting from the sidewall flex on the factory P-rated all-terrain tires. I have them at the recommended pressure of 44 psi, but anytime we go over even a small bump I can watch the tires bob up and down for several seconds after the bump, the side walls are really bulging.

No I have to decide whether I need to step up to 8-ply or 10-ply Maxxis 8008 tires. With a loaded weight of 3,750 lbs, I'm afraid a 10-ply may be too stiff.

If anyone ever gets the opportunity to check out the Fall Creek Falls State Park in TN I'd recommend it.

[87Yugo]

Wow, Nice pics, looks like it took abit to level out the beast?

[01tundra]

Originally Posted by 87Yugo

Wow, Nice pics, looks like it took abit to level out the beast?

Yeah, the camp site dropped off on the back corner. I should have simply parked the TT higher up toward the picnic table where it was more level, but I had already unhitched by the time I realized it.

[01tundra]

Just got my Maxxis M8008 8-ply (D-rated) tires mounted and balanced. Bought one for the spare as well.

As I suspected, even though I stepped down in size from 235/75R15 to 225/75R15 I basically didn't lose any ground clearance since the new tires don't buldge like the factory P-rated tires did. I'm running them at their max pressure of 65 psig. Also had metal stems installed on all three wheels in case I ever decide to add TPMS.

I spoke with Jayco prior to installing the new tires to try to determine the pressure rating of the wheels. They looked it up and told me 110 psi. I haven't been able to confirm that myself and didn't find the pressure rating stamped in the wheel anywhere, but I did find the weight rating stamped on the back side that stated 2,830 lbs. this weight rating corresponds with what I've been able to find online for HWT HiSpec Dark Force 15x6, 6 lugs wheels so I currently have no reason to believe that the 110 psi rating is inaccurate.

I was able to find the same wheel in 16x6, 6-lug and they were rated at 3,200 lbs / 110 psi. Also found a 15x6, 5-lug rated at 2,150 lbs / 80 psi.

Keep in mind that our TT has the Baja option and 15" wheels. The same wheels in 14" that I've been able to find have had a rating of 1,900 lbs / 60 psi, which doesn't sound suitable for load range D tires at their max pressure rating of 65 psi.

15 x 6 Dark Force Black Aluminum Trailer Rim 6 on 5.50

16 x 6 Dark Force Aluminum Black Trailer Rim 6 on 5.50

15x6 Dark Force Aluminum Hi Spec Trailer Rim 5 Lug, 2150 Max Load, Free Shipping.

[paggy00271]

Tundra,

Since I am a new to the whole trailer tire thing, if I have a 14" rim what should I be looking for in a trailer tire then? Since we are basically talking about the same trailer other than rim size and axle-the weight is roughly the same what would be an ideal tire- or am I looking at buying rims and tires? Will a 15" rim work on a non-Baja Hummingbird?


2017 Hummingbird 17RK
2016 Dodge Durango

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[01tundra]

Originally Posted by paggy00271

Tundra,

Since I am a new to the whole trailer tire thing, if I have a 14" rim what should I be looking for in a trailer tire then? Since we are basically talking about the same trailer other than rim size and axle-the weight is roughly the same what would be an ideal tire- or am I looking at buying rims and tires? Will a 15" rim work on a non-Baja Hummingbird?


2017 Hummingbird 17RK
2016 Dodge Durango

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Just guessing, I doubt the fenders would clear with 15" wheels & tires since ours has the spacer blocks between the frame and axle that comes with Baja option.

If your wheels are the same as ours, but in 14", I believe they have a pressure rating of 60 psi, even though the wheel manufacturer says that they are no longer rating wheels by pressure and only by load rating.

If you based it on the 60 psi I'm not sure if you could run D-rated tires and only inflate them to 60 psi instead of their max pressure rating of 65 psi. I imagine a D-rated at 60 psi is still way overkill on weight carrying capacity vs. actual load on the tires. A C-rated could probably be inflated to its maximum pressure with those wheels. I know what I'd do if it were mine, but it's not so I won't say I'd do the same thing I did today.....since it's not my TT and I don't always follow rules as well as I probably should.

The tire manufacture that you choose may be able to help with which tire rating best matches you wheels. If your wheels are the same as mine, you can call the wheel manufacturer, they were pretty helpful for me today.

I'm not sure what your TT came with, but I'm pretty sure that they are at least ST tires where ours were P-rated car tires. I think you may already have C-rated tires?

[paggy00271]

Not sure what's on it- it's back at the dealer for warranty work on the furnace. I will have to check- I know it bounces like a pogo stick from the sidewalls flexing. I will check them when I pick it up. Biggest issue here is there is no Maxxis dealer in town so we may have to order online.


2017 Hummingbird 17RK
2016 Dodge Durango

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[01tundra]

Originally Posted by paggy00271

Not sure what's on it- it's back at the dealer for warranty work on the furnace. I will have to check- I know it bounces like a pogo stick from the sidewalls flexing. I will check them when I pick it up. Biggest issue here is there is no Maxxis dealer in town so we may have to order online.


2017 Hummingbird 17RK
2016 Dodge Durango

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

Yeah, my wife and I watched the tires on the way home from the campground on Sunday and were amazed about how long the factory tires would bounce after even a tiny bump....it was a little sketchy. The sidewalls were bulging really bad. That's all it took to seal the deal, I had the green light on new tires before we even got home .

I was going to order from Amazon but Discount Tire beat them by a few bucks.

I'm looking forward to hearing what they say about your water leak, if you can, get them to explain what the problem was and how they fixed it. I'd also like to hear about the furnace once you find out. The more we learn the better off we'll be since we're all the pioneers with the Hummingbirds.

[paggy00271]

Originally Posted by 01tundra

Yeah, my wife and I watched the tires on the way home from the campground on Sunday and were amazed about how long the factory tires would bounce after even a tiny bump....it was a little sketchy. The sidewalls were bulging really bad. That's all it took to seal the deal, I had the green light on new tires before we even got home .



I was going to order from Amazon but Discount Tire beat them by a few bucks.



I'm looking forward to hearing what they say about your water leak, if you can, get them to explain what the problem was and how they fixed it. I'd also like to hear about the furnace once you find out. The more we learn the better off we'll be since we're all the pioneers with the Hummingbirds.

The furnace is a bad flame sensor- it won't stay lit. According to Jayco they had a few get out with them on a run of 17RKs. We didn't catch it on pre delivery or it was partially functioning. The water leak has already been fixed (CW caulked around toilet flange as others have done on forum).


2017 Hummingbird 17RK
2016 Dodge Durango

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[01tundra]

Well....so much for my 1/4" spacer plan to get the black tank drain pitched downward. I ended up having to use an 1-1/4" wood spacer with 3M tape on top and bottom and maxing out the length of the factory support strap to get it sort of pitched downward, I think it's more like level at best now. At least it drains for the most part now and doesn't trap water like it was doing.

Hey Jayco, please pitch your gravity drain lines downward toward the outlets from now on, thanks .

[01tundra]

Just completed our third camping trip today, we stayed Bandy Creek Campground in Big South Fork and practically had the entire campground to ourselves. We had highs in the low 70's and lows in the 50's, so it was a perfect weekend to be out.

The Maxxis tires make a huge difference in pulling, the TT handles so much better now, no more bouncing down the road.

Latest mods have been Maxair vent covers and a AP Products Tank Check Bluetooth system for the propane tank. The tank check seems to be very accurate and takes the guess work out of how much propane we have left, really handle for a smaller TT that only has one tank like ours.

[Racer X]

Awesome pics from your latest TT outing, that place looks great! Thanks for all the info, I really appreciate knowing there's an app to monitor your propane level. It's on the list, along with the Anderson No-sway hitch and a cover.

I think I got one of the bad furnaces as they couldn't get it to work when I went to take delivery and said it would have to be replaced but a few days later I took delivery after they did some kind of splicing.

How do I remove the toilet to caulk the sealing ring? thanks

[01tundra]

Originally Posted by Racer X

Awesome pics from your latest TT outing, that place looks great! Thanks for all the info, I really appreciate knowing there's an app to monitor your propane level. It's on the list, along with the Anderson No-sway hitch and a cover.

I think I got one of the bad furnaces as they couldn't get it to work when I went to take delivery and said it would have to be replaced but a few days later I took delivery after they did some kind of splicing.

How do I remove the toilet to caulk the sealing ring? thanks

Bummer, we must have got lucky because our furnace has been working well so far.

The toilet is mounted just like a residential toilet with two flange bolts w/ nuts. You pop the white covers off on each side down on the base and remove the nuts. There's a rubber seal mounted on the bottom of the toilet outlet, so no messy wax ring involved.

It would've been easier to remove the water supply hose, but it was on very tight and there was enough slack to move the toilet forward to get access to the floor flange, so I just dealt with it.

[01tundra]

Brought our new TV home last night, shouldn't have much of an issue handling the Hummingbird - 2017 GMC 2500HD Denali w/ 6.6L Duramax.

Can't wait for our next camping trip in a few weeks

[Jm9301]

I think you are going to be Overloaded!


Nice truck! love the look of those GMC's

[87Yugo]

Nice On my 1500, my only complains are the headlights and shocks. But its all taken care of. Enjoy and lets have a report on that nice looking truck.

[87Yugo]

Its like taking a cannon to a knife fight....lol

[01tundra]

Had to complete a little more work on the parking area prior to starting the shelter construction.

I ended up building a retaining wall at the steep sections of grade to eliminate run-off onto the pad, which has been successful in solving the problem. I used railroad ties and 72 feet of 1/2" rebar. Put a 4" corrugated drainage pipe with sediment sock and gravel behind to wall to help with drainage. Also used sediment sheeting on the back side of the wall to stop anything from coming through the joints in the wall.

Now it's time to get started with the actual shelter.

Got all the truss plates cut over the weekend. They are 3/16" thick steel.