Newbies needing help to get on the road!

[JayColorado]

Hello all,

My LOML and I just purchased our first RV yesterday and we're super excited about our 1995 Jayco 1406 but we have some questions, a lot of questions actually. The previous owner did a very quick run through of the trailer since it started to snow right as he arrived so I did not get nearly enough info.
Going through the vehicle today I quickly became overwhelmed at just how much I don't know about our new little home. I would love to ask my questions here since I can't find a manual online but if there is a resource you know of which walks a total newbie through the 1995 Jayco 1406 and goes over every little step, that is what I need. But here are my questions just in case there are no resources like that, youtube does not have it at least...

The battery.
Today we bough a new deep cycle battery since the previous owner did not have one installed. He told me the white wire was positive and the black was negative. I hooked it up as instructed and the interior lights turned on and it started making a humming noise as well. I have been reading that white is usually negative and black (and red) are positive. Since the camper turned on, I take it my white wire is the positive otherwise it would have blown a fuse or worse, is that correct?

About the humming sound, what was that sound, do you know? It went away after I flipped a switch that was located down by the ground next to an electrical panel. What is that thing down by the ground across from the shower (a battery converter?)? And what was that switch that made the humming stop?

I turned on the furnace and it started to blow air but I'm guessing it will not warm up unless I turn on the propane, right? It did not look like it had a pilot, anyone know if a '95 1406 furnace has a pilot?

Ok, the propane- do I just need to turn the knob on the tank connected to the trailer, I can't remember if there is also another valve on the trailer to turn or what. Does the propane operate the furnace, the hot water heater and the fridge? What exactly does the battery operate then and how does it get charged after a trip?

(Holy moly I know absolutely nothing!)

I think I can find info online on how to fill and drain the water tank, get the pilot light for the fridge, stove and water lit, and how to operate our cassette toilet.

Once the water is in and pilot lit, anything else I need to do to get hot water going in the shower and sink?

When traveling, I want all pilot lights off and the propane turned off, is that correct?

Last question- this one is hard to ask and really shows how newbinski we are:
How do I get my little baby off the hitch?
The camper was delivered by a truck with a hitch that dropped down significantly and I think I need that hitch but I went ahead and put the trailer on our vehicle (a Suburban) anyway. I dug holes in the ground so that the tires would go low enough to place the ball in the coupler and now that we have towed it out to somewhat level ground, we can't get the camper and vehicle apart... If we tow to perfectly level ground should we be able to disconnect or did I screw up attaching it without getting the drop down hitch? I hope I am explaining this correctly.
The thing which lifts the trailer up to fit onto the ball, that thing won't raise the camper enough to disengage.

I'm in over my head here, any body out there able to tackle a question or two and help us get out on the road? We are thrilled to be Jayco owners but oh my do we need some assistance!

Thank you in advance!

JayColorado

[Lolead]

Most of your questions , I am sorry but, I can not answer as I am not familiar with your trailer. The battery should be charged by an onboard "tender". Probably not the correct term but, a converter that changes 120 volt AC current to 12 volt DC. As far as un hooking the unit, I would raise the "foot" of the jack, the thing that raises the trailer, as high as possible then place blocks under the jack. Now extend the jack and it SHOULD raise the trailer enough to unhook. There are several UTUBE videos on how to determine the height of the hitch ball needed. These videos should help you determine what drop you need. Welcome to the Form. I have found all here very friendly and willing to help. Enjoy your new RV.

[sask934]

I would contact Jayco they can answer all your questions.

[emjayuu]

See my comments below on the items I know,,,, hope it helps...


About the humming sound, what was that sound, do you know? It went away after I flipped a switch that was located down by the ground next to an electrical panel.

*** this is your power converter

I turned on the furnace and it started to blow air but I'm guessing it will not warm up unless I turn on the propane, right? It did not look like it had a pilot, anyone know if a '95 1406 furnace has a pilot?

*** you need to have propane... initially the furnace fan will kick in for a minute or two until it produces hot air.

Ok, the propane- do I just need to turn the knob on the tank connected to the trailer, I can't remember if there is also another valve on the trailer to turn or what. Does the propane operate the furnace, the hot water heater and the fridge?

*** correct

What exactly does the battery operate then and how does it get charged after a trip?

*** the battery will charge in the following ways... when hooked up to your vehicle and when plugged into "shore power" (connected electrically)


When traveling, I want all pilot lights off and the propane turned off, is that correct?

*** it is your preference, but my preference is yes.


The thing which lifts the trailer up to fit onto the ball, that thing won't raise the camper enough to disengage.

*** you can use a brick or two to extend the height

[Flapper]

The previous posts have given good advice, so I won't repeat. Especially about calling Jayco to get advice and/or a manual, even if only roughly similar. I'm not a pop-up owner, so can only answer the more general questions.

As far as appliances (furnace, hot water, water pump, etc.), Google will be your friend. These are all made by third parties. You should be able to find a make/model plate on each. Google them, and likely you will find a lot of information about operation/maintenance. Or, of course, Jaco can point you in the right direction.

Black is ALWAYS negative, so you initially got it right. Hooking up backwards is really bad, and fuses will not protect things from being damaged in this case!

Was the humming coming from"the thing on the ground" next to the switch? That may be a inverter/charger (turns the battery volts into 120 AC, if you have any "regular" house outlets anywhere, so you can use small appliances without plugging the camper in). They usually double up as a battery charger when you do have the camper plugged in. If it is an inverter, especially old versions, they very well may hum, as all inverters use electricity, even if nothing is plugged in. The switch probably is there to stop it from draining the battery. If it also charges the batteries, you may have to keep that switch off while plugged in. Jayco will let you know for sure. Again, there is probably a manufacturer's make/model somewhere on it, so you could Google it. You might have to unmount it and pull it out to find the info, though.

Propane - usually just the knob on the tank is all that is needed. If you have dual tanks, there may also be a switch located where the hose from each tank comes together, to be able to switch from one to the other when needed, without having to connect/disconnect. Depends on how "fancy" your model is. Or maybe there is only one that can be hooked up at a time, even if there are two, in which case just opening the valve would be enough.
Remember, the lines are relatively long from the tank to the appliances, so if you are trying to light a pilot, it can take a really, really long time holding the pilot light button before the air flushes out, and gas starts coming out. It will be much shorter after the first time, at least until you change tanks!

Hitch issues: As noted, put blocks, bricks, whatever, under the front jack so that when you extend it, you can raise it off the ball. After it is all apart, first check inside the "cup" that goes on the hitch ball. Try adding a little grease to the inside of the cup and the latch mechanism. That may be all it needs.
If it still is hard to get things apart:There is a nut inside the cup that you can tighten/loosen to make uncoupling easier. DON'T loosen too much, or the hitch can pop off while driving, which would be bad. Do your adjusting on dead level ground. Make sure the cup goes straight on the ball - not needing the trailer to move forward or back just a fraction to get it on. Chock both the vehicle and the trailer. Then crank the trailer up or down, adjusting the nut a little bit each time, until it allows the cup to come off easily, but when locked on you are significantly lifting the rear end of the vehicle (with no popping off!) with the trailer crank.
Ultimately, you want to have the trailer level when hooked up, so using a carpenter's level, figure out how much more up or down the hitch ball will have to be, with the full weight of the trailer on the hitch (your vehicle will sag a bit with the weight, so you have to take that into consideration). Then go buy a new hitch receiver that holds the ball however many inches higher or lower than your current one.

And yes, propane off when traveling (although many leave it on) - you do NOT want an open flame around when filling up at a gas station!

It IS a big learning curve! My fifth wheel scared me to death with all the how-things-work stuff I had to learn about (after only being a tent camper), but honestly even after about the 3rd day of travel, it became much, much easier.

[JayColorado]

Thank you all for the responses, I'm doing better this morning now that I have read through this thread and also I called Jayco customer service, nice folks.

Glad to be here and happy travels everyone!

Jaycolorado

[bedrck46]

Two comments to the above posts.
1. your battery will charge from the Tow Vehicle but you need to use a 7pin connector. If you only have a 4pin connector it will not charge.
2. have the trailer on level ground (parking lot) set the trailer level and measure the distance from the ground to the top of the coupler. then get an adjustable receiver ball mount and set the ball to the same distance


For more information check on youtube as there are plenty of videos that can be of help

[Jmooney]

Congrats on the new TT. You are already 500% more experienced then you were yesterday.

[Jmooney]

Ps. Check out the Colorado Social Forum

[Platinum6316]

Over on PopUpPortal.com there's a section for owner's manuals.
The Jayco manuals only go back to 1997, but there shouldn't be too much differences:


1997 Jayco Camping Trailers