Newbie

Skaling · 07-15-2014, 10:49 PM

Hey all,
I am picking up our 2015 26bh on Saturday.. I am completely new to TT.. I have a 4 day trip booked close to home just to try everything out, then I have a 5 day trip booked @ 7 hour drive away from home..hope everything works right

Any tips/ tricks/ advice that I may need to think about..

Thanks.

bluie5 · 07-16-2014, 07:04 PM

Your doing the right thing with the close to home trip first in case you forget anything. Just have fun and enjoy your new TT.

Phildakota · 07-16-2014, 07:08 PM

Keep a pen and paper handy and start a list of thing you forget,need or want to have to make things easier. Do not hesitate to ask questions on here.oh have fun and enjoy!!!

nevercominhome · 07-16-2014, 07:58 PM

Welcome to the JOF and congrats on the new TT!

Threebutchers · 07-16-2014, 08:39 PM

Welcome to the forum. Happy Camping

RVCamperDan · 07-16-2014, 09:20 PM

congrats!

it will take you longer to get there than you think- plan accordingly to reduce the stress of gotta be there before _________.

Brownie · 07-17-2014, 06:31 AM

Congratulations on the new TT, and Welcome to The Forum! My best advise would be to listen intently and ask a lot of questions during your pre-delivery inspection (PDI)/walk-thru. Then, when you get home, carefully read every piece of literature that comes with your new trailer. An awful lot of "issues" can be avoided/solved if more people would just read their trailer manual. However, if you have questions that aren't covered or are confusing, feel free to post them here. There are an awful lot of folks here with a ton of experience and expertise. They get a great deal of personal satisfaction knowing they've helped someone else out of a jam (or helped avoid one). I know they've helped me immensely. And once you get the hang of things, feel free to "pay it forward" by offering your advise/experience to someone else.

Hope you enjoy your new TT, the JOF, and (especially) the camping lifestyle! Happy camping!

Skaling · 07-17-2014, 07:49 AM

Thanks everyone,
I traded in my 2012 jayco 1007 pop up, so I have an understanding on how some of the appliances work and how to sanitize/winterize.. And I have already read the 26bh manual...
My biggest fear is doing something wrong while using and emptying the black/grey holding tanks. I have watch some YouTube videos for tips, but do you guys have any?
I plan on getting a clear 'elbow' so I can see how clean the black water is during my tank flush. Any other 'tools or accessories' I should get while I pick up my trailer? I see lots of people use hose ramps/carriers to give support and a even decline for the sewer hose, probably a good idea.

KiltDog · 07-17-2014, 09:40 AM

Congratulations on joining the 26BH club. I just picked up my new one last month after years of PUP camping. You'll love the extra features and space.

Before my PDI I watched this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j78Qg7LFzPk

It covers pretty much all the things you'll see at your PDI and gives you a chance to think about the questions you'll want to ask your technician. Any thing else that comes up post it here on the forum. There's a lot of great experience here.

mtkeg15 · 07-17-2014, 10:27 AM

Hi and congrats! First thing I still fail to do at times- when you are doing something- do not engage in conversation with anyone that isn't related to the task!!!

This year, picking up TT from storage- while cranking my hitch base plate to travel mode (it was thankfully already hooked to truck) i was talking with someone. I kept cranking higher and higher and it didn't need to be! There was a "ping" ( I broke an interior pin) and the base plate fell back to the ground. I attempted to crank it back in- But cranking didn't work so I then hooked up the battery to use the power to see if it would "reset itself" somehow back in (obviously a Hail Mary attempt!) and obviously no luck. So I strapped the arm up and drove home.

A week later at $175 for the new unit, I put it on and it was working! But......now I found the TT didn't have interior lights though some electricity did work......? Long story short...not only did I over crank while lost in conversation- but I also hooked one of the battery cables to the wrong post..... So hello reverse polarity! It was an Easy swap and it was working. Frustrating as hell though!

I think we all can forget the task at hand (forgetting to unplug before pulling away happens a lot) but starting out new- do not talk about other things while doing something and triple check everything before coming or going.

Pilots often communicate like this :

Pilot- banking left
Co pilot- you're banking left
Pilot- I am banking left.

A triple check- If you can play that through your head while starting out anyway.

Always take your time and don't feel pushed by someone behind you. It's your investment and pride and not theirs.

Congrats again!

Mike

Iraqvet05 · 07-17-2014, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skaling

My biggest fear is doing something wrong while using and emptying the black/grey holding tanks. I have watch some YouTube videos for tips, but do you guys have any?
I plan on getting a clear 'elbow' so I can see how clean the black water is during my tank flush. Any other 'tools or accessories' I should get while I pick up my trailer? I see lots of people use hose ramps/carriers to give support and a even decline for the sewer hose, probably a good idea.

The clear elbow is a good purchase....it lets you see how close you are to finishing the dump as the water trickle comes to an end. Also, if you have a tank flusher, use it. Remember to always put in a few gallons (3 toilet bows full the dealer told me) before using the black tank and empty the black and grey when they are no less the 2/3rd full. Dump your black first then the grey to flush out any solids from the hose. You may want to make a mental note or mark which valve is which at some point...after the sun beats down on the TT for several months, the plastic handles will fade and look the same color.

I have never used a gravity ramp for my sewer. I always dump at the dump station or just lift the hose up when I dump at a full hook up site.

CountryKim · 07-18-2014, 09:48 AM

Our mistake with our new 2014 26BH. Run your furnace during the day with all the windows open to burn off the stink. Don't wait until the first cold night, turn it on at 3am, set off the smoke detector and wake up everyone camping around you. Ooops sorry

Jeff61 · 07-18-2014, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Skaling

Hey all,
I am picking up our 2015 26bh on Saturday.. I am completely new to TT.. I have a 4 day trip booked close to home just to try everything out, then I have a 5 day trip booked @ 7 hour drive away from home..hope everything works right

Any tips/ tricks/ advice that I may need to think about..

Thanks.

I think I'd plan my first trip in my driveway overnight and check everything over as I do the first overnight every spring when I dewinterize

Upuaut · 07-31-2014, 11:26 PM

It seems obvious, but keep your black tank valve closed when camping. I always fill my black tank up before dumping to get the best flush, followed by grey tank, then put some fresh water and sanitizer back in the black and grey to slosh around while driving - not a lot. I have never used those sewer stand things, just run hose in a nice downward line to dump station. Have fun!

GMC · 07-31-2014, 11:54 PM

Welcome, and congrats!! I'm a new guy too and the folks here have been very helpful. Hope you enjoy your new toy!

reinbeauke · 08-01-2014, 02:26 PM

This is some of the best advice. I want to be left alone when hooking up for a trip. I do things in a certain order...always . It never fails when someone else is around and talking into my ear I overlook something. I actually pulled out and drove a few miles before I realized I didnt put the pin in place that holds the hitch head in the reciever. I was just lucky that the trailer created enough downward pressure that it didnt pull out.

WhiteHawk 2014 · 08-03-2014, 06:11 PM

Congrats on your new TT! I learned to create checklists as there are so many necessary tasks in prep for a trip. Consider hooking up your TT at home and test all the components to get an idea how they work prior to your test trip. Also, don't forget to sanitize your fresh water system. Great advice mtkeg15.

KiltDog · 08-13-2014, 02:43 PM

I've got a good one that just happened to me. The night before I was scheduled to leave on a 10 day camping trip I was getting the trailer ready. I had pulled the pin on the breakaway switch and stored it in the compartment so it wouldn't get lost or stolen. I figured I'd just put it back next time I went camping. DON'T DO THIS. The plug totally melted. I thought I had hooked up my batteries wrong or my camper had been hit by lightning or something serious. Figured out the cause after a little online research. Luckily I was able to buy a replacement breakaway switch and install it the next morning without it impacting my trip, but I was freaking out for a while that evening.

I think I'm gonna post this in the bonehead moves thread too. Hopefully my newbie mistake won't need to be repeated by too many others.

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