A Newbies Cheat sheet

[B Paradox]

Hello everyone,

My wife and I jumped into the Airstream Interstate world, with both feet, this weekend and purchased a 2013 Airstream Interstate Twin (Protagonist would approve).

What we would like this Thread to focus on is "how to get up and running" from scratch.

We gave away a good portion of the Camping gear years ago, and the Boating stuff left with the first wife, so we are starting Class B life as rookies with a clean slate.

Does anyone have a good Checklist for the bare minimum necessities for stocking the Coach, and the bare minimum Tool Kit, for this new AI owner.

At this point, we will mostly be doing weekends by the Ocean or in the Mountains (until it snows) and have two week long trips from WA to CA to visit the college boy.

All hints and cheat sheets appreciated

- B Paradox

[FlyFishinRVr]

Here's something I wrote for someone on another board who is just starting out, never having owned a RV before:

For full hookups, you're going to need a few extras.

- Fresh water hose, up to you if you also get a filter. I did as I'm picky about my water quality.
- Pressure regulator so you don't blow out your plumbing. Model, price, etc., vary based on quality and features, but be sure you use one. (Note: this advice was given to a non Airstream owner....our rigs have a built in pressure regulator so this isn't needed)
- Black water rinse hose, separate from fresh water hose!
- Disposable rubber gloves for the "dirty job" of hooking/unhooking sewer hose.
- Surge protector for electrical hookup to prevent spikes and drops from wrecking your new electrical system.
- 50A -> 30A adapter in case you can only find a spot w/ 50A service.
- Not sure if your rig has a macerator or gravity dump. If gravity, get one of those collapsible stands for the sewer hose to make sure it flows downhill. (again, this doesn't apply to your rig as I believe it has a macerator).

That should get you started.

When hooking up the water, be sure your inside faucets are off before turning the shore water on. You don't want to be outside fiddling with connections and have water running in your sink only to realize you had the drain closed and now your new rig has water all over the floor! Seen it happen, don't let it be you.....

One last note. When connecting to park power, make sure the breaker on their box is OFF before hooking up the surge protector and house power. Once everything is connected, then flip the shore power on.

[LB_3]

In addition to the basic RV accessories, add a first aid kit, multi-meter (or at least a 12v and 120v circuit tester), 2 adjustable end wrenches, screwdrivers, alen wrenches, star tools, multi-tool (leather man), electrical tape, duct tape, a couple feet of wire (to tie things up or jumper a bad circuit), assorted tie wraps, spare fuses, a spare fuel filter (because bad fuel can happen), nitrile gloves (because sh!t happens), epoxy putty stick, tire pressure gauge, flashlight, flip-flops (for when showering in campgrounds), bubble level....

[badmonkey]

Congratulations B Paradox! My wife and I also just purchased an AI the week before last and took our first "shakedown" cruise last weekend. We learned the following:
1. We needed a thicker pillow-topper for the fold-down sofa area.
2. Showering like a normal person is impossible - but doable.
3. Our 2014 Ext. Lounge drives beautifully, gets great mileage.
4. While personal space disappears (with the two of us and the dog), there really is plenty of space for all you need for short trips of a few days.
5. We must keep a full LP tank, since so much depends on it.
6. We can't wait to get back out there, and have planned a long trip in a couple of weeks.

[73shark]

Welcome to the AirForums.

Check the Small Space Living thread for lots of ideas on ways to use the limited space efficiently.

Channel Locks. Be sure the tire pressure gauge is a double-ended one so you can check the rear duals. Avoid bio-diesel even tho MB says 5% is OK. If the front tires show excessive wear on the outside rib, get a front-end alignment and request the camber be set as close to 0 as the specs or camber bolts allow. Be careful backing up near curbs or rising ground as the LP fill in the box behind the curb side rear wheels hangs down close to the ground.

[Kwils25]

You will also want to have some leveling blocks. You can buy the interlocking type or make your own. Just make sure if you're using levelers under the rear wheels to put them under all four of the dual wheels.

[InterBlog]

Welcome to Air Forums!

I realized personal success on the checklist front only after I split them into "what to do" and "what to take".

My "what to do" checklist is actually a magnetic do-done list and is described in this blog post.

My "what to take" is an all-scenario generic paper list. I print out one blank copy for each trip and check off those items that apply to the specific trip scenario as they are loaded into the Interstate. My trips are variable in their intent, so that's really important for me (work trip vs. non-work trip, short trip vs. long trip, urban vs. wilderness, with husband vs. without husband, with dog vs. without dog, socializing vs. not socializing, hot weather vs. cool weather, boondocking vs. hooking-up, etc.).

[badmonkey]

Also being a Newbie, I also have questions and hope y'all don't mind me horning in on the thread. We seem to be planning on using our AI every 2 to 4 weeks, so I'm leaving it plugged into shore power at our house, but not cutting DC power. Does that sound O.K.? Also, should I start the MB engine at some regular interval? I'm sure I'll have winterizing questions, but also sure that's another thread. Thanks.

[cjrdad]

Electric space heater for when plugged in to minimize LP use and a fan to circulate air.

[Titus]

In other posts I have seen 60-65 psi as the recommended tire pressure and also recommendations to align the front end if the outside of the front tires wear. I went to an alignment shop and was told that it looks like I was running too low of tire pressure. He said that the Continentals like to 80psi stated on the tire BUT the rubber stems on the rear rims don't like 80 psi. So they installed metal stems, rotated the rears to the front, and set them to 80 psi. 6000 miles later I can see no outside wear on the now-front tires. I am sure that mis-alignment can cause outside tire wear, but so too can too low of pressure.

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by badmonkey

I'm leaving it plugged into shore power at our house, but not cutting DC power. Does that sound O.K.?

Yes, that's fine, and per a discussion that I just had with an Airstream tech on this subject, connecting to shore power is the best way to keep the batteries fully charged.

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by Titus

In other posts I have seen 60-65 psi as the recommended tire pressure and also recommendations to align the front end if the outside of the front tires wear. I went to an alignment shop and was told that it looks like I was running too low of tire pressure. He said that the Continentals like to 80psi stated on the tire BUT the rubber stems on the rear rims don't like 80 psi. So they installed metal stems, rotated the rears to the front, and set them to 80 psi. 6000 miles later I can see no outside wear on the now-front tires. I am sure that mis-alignment can cause outside tire wear, but so too can too low of pressure.

Here is a cut/paste from my owner's manual on my '17 AI Lounge:

Tire Size with Maximum Inflation Pressure
Cold
• LT 215/85 R16 - 61 psi

If your tires state 80 psi max cold psi, I guess that's what you should run, but doesn't that make for a really harsh ride?

P.S. I see there is a lot of debate about what pressure to run the Conti tires at. You may want to read some of the other forum posts about it, but the consensus seems to be that 80psi is well beyond what's necessary for the size/weight on our rigs, and running at that pressure will result in lost grip/handling and a harsher ride......

[cazual6]

Here is one I did when I bought mine.

http://www.airforums.com/forums/f48/...ed-144940.html

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by FlyFishinRVr

Tire Size with Maximum Inflation Pressure
Cold
• LT 215/85 R16 - 61 psi

If your tires state 80 psi max cold psi, I guess that's what you should run, but doesn't that make for a really harsh ride?

That's not right. "Max cold psi" is a "do not exceed" value. You should always inflate to…
the calculated inflation based on load tables;
the vehicle owner's manual maximum; or
the tire manufacturer's maximum,
whichever is least.

[Caroyl]

Thanks for this list... Bookmarked ����

[badmonkey]

Same here. The dealer told us that the best situation is when the front end had a good alignment and max pressure, as indicated on the tire, is used in the front.

[FlyFishinRVr]

Originally Posted by Protagonist

You should always inflate to…
the calculated inflation based on load tables;
the vehicle owner's manual maximum; or
the tire manufacturer's maximum,
whichever is least.

Personally I'm going to run the pressure that is stated in my owner's manual (61psi) because as you state, it appears that is calculated by Airstream as the correct pressure given the max vehicle load, but if someone wants to run the max cold pressure as stated on the tires, other than loss of performance, what's the downside? Just curious as I'm new to RV ownership and it seems there's something new to learn about them every day.....

[Boxster1971]

Originally Posted by FlyFishinRVr

Personally I'm going to run the pressure that is stated in my owner's manual (61psi) because as you state, it appears that is calculated by Airstream as the correct pressure given the max vehicle load, but if someone wants to run the max cold pressure as stated on the tires, other than loss of performance, what's the downside? Just curious as I'm new to RV ownership and it seems there's something new to learn about them every day.....

The 61 psi is not from Airstream. It is from Mercedes. Running your tires at the max pressure marked on the sidewall won't hurt anything, but will give you a very rough ride.


- - Mike
2013 Lounge EXT on 2012 Sprinter

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by FlyFishinRVr

Personally I'm going to run the pressure that is stated in my owner's manual (61psi) because as you state, it appears that is calculated by Airstream as the correct pressure given the max vehicle load, but if someone wants to run the max cold pressure as stated on the tires, other than loss of performance, what's the downside? Just curious as I'm new to RV ownership and it seems there's something new to learn about them every day.....

Not anything specific to RV ownership, more related to motor vehicle ownership in general… The ideal inflation pressure for the load provides a flat contact surface with the pavement across the entire width of the tread for best traction. Under-inflation causes the edges of the tread to wear faster. Over-inflation causes the middle of the tread to wear faster.

Whatever pressure you use, every couple thousand miles or so check the tread depth at each groove in the tread. If the depth is less near the edges, you're under-inflated. If the depth is less in the middle, you're over-inflated.

As for the MB-cited 61psi, that would be the ideal inflation pressure if the van was exactly at GVWR. Since presumably you're running less than GVWR by some amount, the ideal inflation pressure for you should be slightly less. I routinely run 58psi all around with no problems.

Over-inflation and under-inflation both also have a direct effect on vehicle handling, because your ABS, BAS, ESP, ASR, EBD and the rest of the alphabet soup of braking and traction assist features all rely upon the tires being at the correct inflation. Over-inflation and under-inflation each degrade the effectiveness of these systems and put you at greater risk of loss of handling.

[alphamale49]

Knee pads. Useful for getting on the floor and fixing small water leaks, getting under the Airstream. Put a block under the bottom step to reduce wear and tear. Put highly visible orange duct tape on the hitch ball and cup for easier backing up.