Newbie questions on 2009 1207

[mkultra]

Howdy folks. Just bought a 2009 1207 pop up and a I have a couple of questions that i hope you can answer

1) Under the slide out for the queen side, there is some kind of strap hanging underneath in the middle. What is that for?

2) It seemed like on our first outing i hit a bump going about 75mph and the tail end started to sway back and forth. Any words of wisdom on this? My current solution is just to slow down to 70 max. Do I need anti-sway?

3) The tail end of the camper seems to dip down just a bit and also seems to bounce more than I expected. Should i go to the trouble to level the hitch? How important is this?

4) How do you load up the camper to insure proper weight distribution. It seems like we don't really put anything in it but i know that the water tank is in the back so if i travel with it filled wont that weight the back down?

5) When bought, it was winterized with antifreeze. What was going on there? Was that to just protect the water heater and if so, how can i do it next time? Can i just leave the water heater empty?

6) I have a three way fridge. If i set it on 12v for when im driving (7pin plug) will it drain my battery when i stop to eat?

7) My AC unit has a knob on the right that has the red and blue swirl to indicate temperature. Does that mean it has a built in heater?

8) If im dry camping, can i leave the water pump switch on even when not running water or will it try to run all the time and drain the battery?

9) The king size bed side has two sets of braces but the bed sits up off the first set. Should i wedge a board in there to bridge the gap?


whew! that is a bunch. Sorry for the ignorance and i really appreciate your help. We took it our for the first time this weekend and it was a dream come true. Our imaginations have really been sparked and we are ready for the open road this summer.

[Matt Chapter]

I'll tackle a couple of your questions.

Firstly, regarding swaying / bouncing / ball height, etc. Yes you'll want to get your hitch height as correct as possible. To do so, measure the height of the tongue of the trailer, when it is level, on level ground, from the ground. Then try to measure the distance from the ground to the bottom of your hitch. (You may want to consider loading your TV while taking this measurement, since the hitch height may change due to weight in your vehicle) The delta between the tongue height and the hitch height tells you how much drop or rise you need on the ball.

I do notice when towing that my trailer is bouncy, this is probably a good sign that your springs are in good condition. You will of course want to adjust your speed to conditions (and note that trailer tires do have speed ratings from the manufacturer) but at the same time, I have had mine up to 80+. The swaying can be a concern, and there is a mitigation technique if you have electric brakes, and a brake controller. Refer to your brake controller manual to find out if you can activate the trailer brakes without activating the TV brakes. Otherwise, towing is a skill and with practice you'll become better at it. As you mention, weight distribution can have an effect on how the trailer tows as well. Ideally the majority of the weight is balance over the axle(s).

As far as the water pump goes, the pump only shuts off when it builds enough pressure. If there is no pressure, i.e. empty tank, the pump will run until the battery is out of charge. Conversely, if the pressure is over the cutoff, the pump will not run. I assume if you left the fridge running on 12v without the TV running long enough, it would drain the battery. I don't know how long that would be though.

As long as the bed seemed stable, I probably wouldn't mess with the supports. I don't think the presence of a heater is indicated by the color of the control, but that doesn't mean you don't have one. My camper only has A/C.

[Owen Stubbs]

Originally Posted by mkultra

1) Under the slide out for the queen side, there is some kind of strap hanging underneath in the middle. What is that for?

Storage of your travel door. I don't use this as I don't want it to disappear while I am away from my camper. I store my travel door in my tow vehicle.

Originally Posted by mkultra

2) It seemed like on our first outing i hit a bump going about 75mph and the tail end started to sway back and forth. Any words of wisdom on this? My current solution is just to slow down to 70 max. Do I need anti-sway?

I do not exceed 70mph while towing... your tires may, or may not even be rated for that speed. It is going to sway a little... especially with a single axle. If it is excessive sway, you could have insufficient tongue weight... but if you have at least one propane tank and battery, I would doubt this, unless you have a LOT of weight (excess gear?) toward the rear of the camper.

Originally Posted by mkultra

3) The tail end of the camper seems to dip down just a bit and also seems to bounce more than I expected. Should i go to the trouble to level the hitch? How important is this?

The camper should be fairly level when towing. You can get draw bars in various levels of drop/rise.

Originally Posted by mkultra

4) How do you load up the camper to insure proper weight distribution. It seems like we don't really put anything in it but i know that the water tank is in the back so if i travel with it filled wont that weight the back down?

I don't over think this really. I have three sterilite bins that go down the center "aisle" of the camper. These bins contain all dishes, food and bedding. Everything else goes in the back of my tow vehicle.

Originally Posted by mkultra

5) When bought, it was winterized with antifreeze. What was going on there? Was that to just protect the water heater and if so, how can i do it next time? Can i just leave the water heater empty?

You can leave the water heater empty. Antifreeze is typically NOT left in the heater - it is fully drained, then has a valve that bypasses it completely. the AF is used to protect your water lines and pump.

Originally Posted by mkultra

6) I have a three way fridge. If i set it on 12v for when im driving (7pin plug) will it drain my battery when i stop to eat?

Not likely if you have a strong battery... but its also not likely that your vehicle provides 12v to the harness when the ignition is off. Check it with a voltmeter.

Originally Posted by mkultra

7) My AC unit has a knob on the right that has the red and blue swirl to indicate temperature. Does that mean it has a built in heater?

Some do have a heating element, some don't. I personally do not have a/c. Perhaps the color codes simply mean relative colder/less cold?

Originally Posted by mkultra

8) If im dry camping, can i leave the water pump switch on even when not running water or will it try to run all the time and drain the battery?

I would not leave the pump running continuously. When the water tank is fairly full, it will pressurize the system then shut off. Mine seems to run continuously when the water tank starts getting low. For this reason, I bought a lighted switch to replace the existing, non-lighted switch so I am reminded to turn it off when not using water. I have not yet installed it, but will post photos here when I do.

Originally Posted by mkultra

9) The king size bed side has two sets of braces but the bed sits up off the first set. Should i wedge a board in there to bridge the gap?

Mine sits directly on both.... so not sure why yours does not. I would definitely shim it with something. Maybe you could post a photo? Does the gap exist when occupied?

[bailee21]

anything over 70 might be pushing it to much

[oldmanAZ]

Originally Posted by mkultra

Howdy folks. Just bought a 2009 1207 pop up and a I have a couple of questions that i hope you can answer

2) It seemed like on our first outing i hit a bump going about 75mph and the tail end started to sway back and forth. Any words of wisdom on this? My current solution is just to slow down to 70 max. Do I need anti-sway?

Check your speed rating for your tires. Many of them are limited to about 60mph.
ALSO, check the DATE of your tires. They may be too old and need to be replaced.
ALSO, check your inflation pressures. Sway for the TT and TV are often reduced by keeping your tires inflated to their maximum.

3) The tail end of the camper seems to dip down just a bit and also seems to bounce more than I expected. Should i go to the trouble to level the hitch? How important is this?

Generally, trailers tow best when level or slightly nose down.

4) How do you load up the camper to insure proper weight distribution. It seems like we don't really put anything in it but i know that the water tank is in the back so if i travel with it filled wont that weight the back down?

Generally, you should have about 15% of the total weight of the trailer on the tongue. You can use a bathroom scale and a lever to get the tongue weight. You can use scales at a truck stop to weigh your trailer and tow vehicle.

You are throwing lots of stuff at us... and that's GOOD! We can take it.

BUT, we're going to throw some stuff at you: Use the 'search' function and grab another cup of coffee. There is a ton of stuff to read out there (like using bathroom scales to weigh your trailer tongue) and maybe more than you ever wanted to know.