2018 Hummingbird Shakedown

[hummingbird75]

We had our shakedown trip this past weekend and it went flawlessly. We have the 2018 Hummingbird 17RK. My tow vehicle is a 2017 Tacoma double cab with short bed and factory tow package. I added the Tekonsha P3 trailer brake controller (to the factory wiring) and decided to go with the Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch (and built-in sway control). I also added the Toyota OEM roof rack to haul the 9'6" paddle board (SUP, didn't know they were called that until now..). The Tacoma did great, though I'm not going to win any speed races. The winds were gusting to up to 30mph opposite the direction we were heading. So it was a good test of the strapping down of the SUP and getting some good wind resistance on the trailer. Averaged about 10mpg, not great but I'm not upset about it.

As far as the function of the trailer, we love it. Everything was where it needed to be as far as user friendly and functional. It looks great too.

If I had any complaints at all they would be:

1) why are the gray and black tanks on separate systems? My previous RV's (Lance camper, SixPac camper) had them combined (drain the black, close it, drain the gray), but this trailer requires moving the sewer line between the two. No big deal, but didn't realize it early on. I just left the gray hooked up to the provided sewer receptacle and left it open. When we were packing to leave, I moved it to the black, drained it and hooked up our 2nd water hose to flush the black tank. Not a big deal, but extra work.

2) the included BBQ and quick connect receptacle are lacking a critical component that I assumed would be in the brand new/unopened box with the BBQ inside: the missing component, you ask? The STINKING quick connect hose to connect the BBQ to the LP. I'm still researching this one, I just assumed it was included - my bad. I'll find the right one and PUT it in the box for the next trip.

All-in-all, we really/thoroughly enjoyed our quick trip and couldn't be happier with our purchase. I know stuff is going to break, this isn't my first RV, but I was pleasantly surprised that nothing was broken on the first trip out.


Thanks for reading!

[RufusBC]

Get your dealer find the stinking bbq hose! It does come with it. Our did. 17RB

[hummingbird75]

Originally Posted by RufusBC

Get your dealer find the stinking bbq hose! It does come with it. Our did. 17RB

Dang, yeah, I'm gonna get on the horn with those guys. Doesn't make sense at all!

[hummingbird75]

Originally Posted by RufusBC

Get your dealer find the stinking bbq hose! It does come with it. Our did. 17RB

UPDATE: Guess WHAT?? I reached out to the dealer again. Asked them to go look in other Hummingbirds and SURE ENOUGH there was a hose in the others, so they offered me the one from another unit! Just picked up. Thanks again for encouraging me to ask again!

[RufusBC]

Originally Posted by hummingbird75

UPDATE: Guess WHAT?? I reached out to the dealer again. Asked them to go look in other Hummingbirds and SURE ENOUGH there was a hose in the others, so they offered me the one from another unit! Just picked up. Thanks again for encouraging me to ask again!

Sweet and congratulations on your new Hummingbird! We love ours.

[01tundra]

Congrats!

We're still loving our 17RK and have no plans on replacing it anytime soon.

[North55]

Congrats on your Hummingbird! Glad to hear you got your BBQ hose, it should have been included, ours was. We have the RB model of the Hummingbird, and it has one combined black and grey tank drain line, so we don't have to move the sewer hose when we drain it. Must be different plumbing for different models I guess. We pull ours with a Tacoma as well. It does pretty well, but it sure drinks the gas.

[TCNashville]

Originally Posted by hummingbird75

If I had any complaints at all they would be:

1) why are the gray and black tanks on separate systems? My previous RV's (Lance camper, SixPac camper) had them combined (drain the black, close it, drain the gray), but this trailer requires moving the sewer line between the two. No big deal, but didn't realize it early on. I just left the gray hooked up to the provided sewer receptacle and left it open. When we were packing to leave, I moved it to the black, drained it and hooked up our 2nd water hose to flush the black tank. Not a big deal, but extra work.

You could get one of these and combine into one.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/CAMCO-39812...AAAOSwKM9ZqVQz

[davenkc]

What's your first impression of the Anderson hitch?

[01tundra]

Originally Posted by davenkc

What's your first impression of the Anderson hitch?

We've been using ours for about 1-1/2 years now and still love it, just upgraded it to the new parts that were developed and haven't had a chance to try them out, but I can already tell I'm going to like the updated triangle plate.

We used the Andersen with our FJ Cruiser and now with our 2500HD and it's worked great with both.

[hummingbird75]

Originally Posted by North55

Congrats on your Hummingbird! Glad to hear you got your BBQ hose, it should have been included, ours was. We have the RB model of the Hummingbird, and it has one combined black and grey tank drain line, so we don't have to move the sewer hose when we drain it. Must be different plumbing for different models I guess. We pull ours with a Tacoma as well. It does pretty well, but it sure drinks the gas.

Yes! Drinks the gas for sure. I keep it in 4th (via the manual shifting mode) and turn on the ETC., trying to keep at 55mph for fuel. Very very happy though.

[hummingbird75]

Yep, might just have to do that. The place we went for Memorial Day weekend had 2 dumps at each site, guess it is common to have 2? Oh well, not a big deal.

[hummingbird75]

Originally Posted by davenkc

What's your first impression of the Anderson hitch?

I’m really liking it. Sometimes it is a pain when you disconnect from the trailer at an angle, need to either hookup at the same angle or follow their tips for straightening out when the fin is twisted. Overall it rides very smooth and level, no sway at all.

[01tundra]

Originally Posted by hummingbird75

I’m really liking it. Sometimes it is a pain when you disconnect from the trailer at an angle, need to either hookup at the same angle or follow their tips for straightening out when the fin is twisted. Overall it rides very smooth and level, no sway at all.

The update fixes that issue.

[Seabrat]

Originally Posted by hummingbird75

Tekonsha P3 trailer brake controller (to the factory wiring) and decided to go with the Andersen Weight Distribution Hitch (and built-in sway control).

Averaged about 10mpg, not great but I'm not upset about it.

why are the gray and black tanks on separate systems?

We have our 17RB for 1 /2 years now with many warranty repairs. We also have the Tekonsha P3 which works great but we do not have a WDH or sway control. Our first year out we also had poor gas mileage (10-12) and it swayed easily so we stayed mostly under 62 MPH towing with a Jeep Grand Cherokee V6 and towing package. After about 4000 miles our brakes locked up when we put on the brakes. The second attempt at a repair by a second dealer was successful when they changed out both brake systems including drums. Now the brakes are better than ever and we get 13-14 MPG on flat ground with no traffic and no wind at 65 MPH. Often I drive at 70-72 MPH with no sway!

Both dealers attempting brake repair said when they raised up the trailer the brakes were dragging. You might check for dragging brakes.

Our black and gray tanks merge together for dumping.

I noticed that the fuse for the TV and radio draws 0.4 amps with everything turned off and is the biggest draw on the battery. So I pull out that fuse when we have a camp site with no power. We also have portable solar panels we pull out when staying longer with no power.

Best wishes in your travels!