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1st trip with 154bh
Just returned from my first trip into the mountains with my 154bh. Here is my brief summary of the trip and comments on some of the trailer's features.
I went without any water in the tank and had no plans on using toilet (obviously) either because we can easily have freezing temps at night. Instead, I used the trailer as a substitute for my tent. I was curious what the single battery life would be like since I only planned on using lights, extending the awning (weather permitting), and the furnace in the morning and night.
The trailer towed well behind my 2014 diesel F350. The height of the trailer proved important on the small and terrain filled two-track trail into our camping spot. Deep muddy potholes and rocks were transited slowly but without problem. Setup in camp was a breeze. We dug a hole for one tire to level the trailer side-to-side, and then the leveling and stabilizer deployment front to back was easy. The stabilizers of course made a huge difference in the stability of the trailer.
Awning deployment went without a hitch, but I was surprised that the motors drained the battery down to 2/3 full from being topped off. So after that I anticipated the same drain on the battery when I retracted the awning at the end of the trip. Unfortunately the awning placement barely covers the door, and anything other than a rain with zero wind will get the area (and my outside carpet) wet in front of the door. I wish they had extending that awning farther forward.
The red tabs on the ends of the two window's (driver's side dinette and lower bunk bed) prop bars is ridiculous! They stick out so far into the trailer, and there is no way a person could sit at the dinette or lie in the bunk with the window open. I will cut the ends just beyond the notch off.
The instructions for the furnace in the trailer manual and the specific furnace operating instructions were a waste. Neither clearly explained how to activate the furnace. The toggle on-off switch for the furnace is inaccessible because the furnace is mounted inside the kitchenette cabinet. So I just made sure the propane was on, turned on the thermostat on-off switch, and after a few minutes I tried moving the thermostat temp up to get some heat. Nothing! So I removed the plastic front cover that also has the vent, and I discovered the furnace hadn't been secured within the cabinette using the two angle brackets mounted on the front of the furnace. At that point I stopped trying to start it and turned off the propane. I used my backup propane buddy heater instead, and I'll address this with the dealership.
The LED interior lighting and the LED awning lights are very nice, and the inside lights are plenty bright. Most of the time I just had one ceiling light turning set to turn on with the light switch inside the door. The bunk bed light is bright enough to read by.
Cracking the middle roof vent was enough to let the moisture leave the trailer at night without letting in rain, which happened a few nights over the week long stay. No water leaks developed over the three hour drive to camp, and as I already mention the rough trail in, but the last dirt road was quite wash-boarded. So I was happy no leaks showed up because I already did a leak test at home with a garden hose.
Don't even try to use the stock bed mattresses! They are weak and suck. I had already added a 2-1/2" foam pad to the lower bunk after I glued and stapled 3/8" plywood to the underside of the thin bunk paneling under the mattress. By the way, I added the same plywood to the paneling under both dinette bench seats too.
I recharged the battery once with my brother's generator after the battery dropped to 1/3 power. I expect had the furnace worked, I may have needed to do so twice during my stay.
Overall I'm happy with the trailer despite the furnace not working and a short list of poor quality control items I had the dealership fix before my trip. The trailer is basic, but it sure is nice to roll into camp pretty much ready to get started with minimal setup.
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