Stabilizer and Switching Questions from Vile Newbies

[AgZep]

Howdy,

My wife and I have lurked around this forum for over a year, trying to decide if we could make the great leap to (semi)full-timing when I retire from the USAF in June. To make a long, twisted tale short, we took delivery of our 28' 2005 CCD a few days after Christmas.

I must sincerely commend the collective wisdom of the folks here for pointing us in so many good directions. For example, based on what we learned here, I sold my nearly-new Jeep, and replaced it with an older Silverado 2500HD with an 8.1 gasser. Who needs those stinkin' weight calculations anyway? We also went for a Brakesmart controller, an Equal-I-Zer hitch, and Schefenacker mirrors; all appear to be good choices so far.

We had the dealer make a few "improvements" to our trailer as part of the deal. Most notable were replacing the standard propane cylinders with the aluminum ones that come with Classics, adding awnings all around, and stainless protectors to the A-frame. We considered asking about getting an aluminum step as well, but figured we were probably pushing it at that point...

Now we're studying all the manuals (after having pestered the dealer for almost eight hours on delivery day), but we still have a few questions that don't appear to have simple answers:

1. Can the stabilizers support the full weight of the trailer? Our tongue jack did not come with a foot plate. It quickly pushed nearly all the way through the piece of wood I put under it when we un-hitched. I have a new plastic foot thingy to put under it, but I would rather not have to re-hitch the trailer just for that job. Could I just put down all four stabilzers, and then crank up the jack? The dealer put the fear of certain doom in us if we ever used the stabilizers to level the thing, so I'm being extra careful here.

2. Where are the water heater switches normally mounted? We have one in the bathroom, but my wife thinks it makes sense to have another one near the main sink as well. Seems reasonable to me, but apparently not to the factory.

3. What is the standard arrangement for the lighting switches near the door? We have a row of four, and a higher single switch. The light over the door on the outside is controlled by one in the row of four. Shouldn't the single switch handle that light? Would changing this present an enormous problem?

4. Does anyone else have two shore power receptacles? We have one on the front, and one on the curb side. The dealer got a big laugh out of that one. Both work just fine, although I can't imagine testing to see if you could plug in both at the same time.

5. And now for the completely ridiculous: Does the aluminum body interfere with WiFi Internet equipment? A CCD has so many windows that the trailer ought to present no obstacle at all to a radio wave, but I'm wondering if any of you have experienced issues?

Anyway, thanks again for all the pre-purchase info. Any help on these (probably stupid) questions is greatly appreciated.

The Bakers

[stephen.s1]

You don't seem vile...

I can only answer 2 of your questions:

Don't support the weight of the trailer with stabilizers. Put some blocks under the frame then lift the jack and slip the foot (can't b'lieve you didn't get one) on the jack post.

Wifi works well inside our trailer. Never any problems in that department.

Sounds like a nice rig, good luck with it.

[Pahaska]

My Wi-fi is on a 5' cable that plugs into a USB socket. I find that I can greatly improve reception by hanging it over the curtain rod on the transmitter side of the trailer so that it hangs in front of a window. The aluminum definitely does m ake a difference if you are not close to the transmitter.

Don't use the stabilizers to support the trailer, ever!

My water heater switch is in the bathroom and I see no problem with that. It gets turned on and off so seldom that there is no problem.

It shouldn't be hard to pop the covers off, unscrew the switches, and swap wires. I have always found plenty of excess wires behind every switch in my 2 Airstreams.

I have never heard of a second shore power receptical. Just make sure that only one receptical is used at a time because the unprotected male contacts on the end of a second plugged in cable would be hot and could kill someone.

[john hd]

ag zep

welcome to the forum!

that front power recepticle sounds useful, you could toss a generator in the bed of the truck and run the airconditioner as you drove down the road!

interesting option, i wonder why the factory decided to start doing that now?

john is correct, never plug two cords in at the same time. in addition, if there are children around keep an eye on that second socket. ya never know where little fingers might end up!

in the electrical biz we call that darwins theory of electricity. the uninformed are weeded out of the gene pool quickly!

enjoy your new rig!

john

[Pahaska]

Originally Posted by AgZep

1. Can the stabilizers support the full weight of the trailer? Our tongue jack did not come with a foot plate. It quickly pushed nearly all the way through the piece of wood I put under it when we un-hitched. I have a new plastic foot thingy to put under it, but I would rather not have to re-hitch the trailer just for that job. Could I just put down all four stabilzers, and then crank up the jack? The dealer put the fear of certain doom in us if we ever used the stabilizers to level the thing, so I'm being extra careful here.

The Bakers

Chock the wheels well and use the jack from your truck. I have used my truck jack several tiimes for this purpose. It has plenty of capacity.

Unfortunately, the sharp end of the jack post will probably cut into a plastic foot. You need to jump on the dealer and mke him get you the metal foot that should have been delivered with the trailer. Every jack that Airstream buys comes with a metal foot.

[thenewkid64]

The additional shore power connection is likely a generator prep option. Look for it on the "window sticker". You may also have an extra switch at the control panel labeled Generator. This would be for remote start. The reason the cord is at the front is to keep the genset away from the sleeping area. You could also locate the gen set in the bed of the truck if GCWR would not be an issue.

If it is for the generator, there is likely a transfer switch buried somewhere in the coach. This will prevent the power cord that is not in use from being energized.

BTW, Welcome new member!

[AgZep]

This is an interesting theory. I'll investigate it some this weekend. We'd already bought a Honda EU2000 (but as a reaction to our post-hurricane power loss experiences, as much as for the trailer), so we will probably use the forward port for just that purpose. I don't think the weight will be any problem with our truck, even if we get a second EU2000, but I'll weigh everything to be safe. Guess I'm glad I didn't go for an SUV, which would have made carrying the generator inside the tow vehicle somewhat more dangerous.

Originally Posted by thenewkid64

The additional shore power connection is likely a generator prep option. Look for it on the "window sticker". You may also have an extra switch at the control panel labeled Generator. This would be for remote start. The reason the cord is at the front is to keep the genset away from the sleeping area. You could also locate the gen set in the bed of the truck if GCWR would not be an issue.

If it is for the generator, there is likely a transfer switch buried somewhere in the coach. This will prevent the power cord that is not in use from being energized.

BTW, Welcome new member!

john hd; our trailer was built last July, so this oddball setup can't be a recent upgrade.

Thanks to everyone else too for your helpful responses, and your generous greetings. We selected Airstream for the company they keep, in addition to the appealing hardware.

[53flyingcloud]

AgZep,
Congrats on your retirement and, the new CCD..

We considered asking about getting an aluminum step as well, but figured we were probably pushing it at that point...

It's a good thing that you didn't bother..
FWIW:
I checked into that as well several years ago while at the factory and was told..No way, it's just not designed to take the classic alum. steps..period~ Now, having said that, I betcha someone will go and prove the company wrong..lol

Our tongue jack did not come with a foot plate. It quickly pushed nearly all the way through the piece...etc

Check with your dealer once more..You should have gotten one~! The company sells a alum.one for around 45$ or so..It's the classic design and, quite frankly..A whole heck of lot better designed than the one you see these days..Once you've used one, you agree..
The second shore power connection is for the use of a generator..
I'm somewhat surprised that your dealer DIDN'T know this..
My take is..it's an option that's gonna quietly disappear in the future..
Be glad you have it...lol
Virginia, hmm..maybe we'll see you around as I keep my Airstream at our place in Sandbridge, Va. (near Va Beach)
ciao
53FC

[AgZep]

53FlyingCloud,

Thank you; perhaps we will indeed cross paths.

You bring up a good point. We didn't buy a CCD because we couldn't afford a Classic. We bought it because we liked the way it looked better, and because we thought it would be easier to keep clean.

I want as many aluminum parts as possible, simply because they're often lighter, and they don't rust. Our steel step is already starting to rust in the corners.

I'll probably send a note to the factory suggesting they re-think this strategy of keeping the most durable parts only for the Classics. Some of us have different tastes and requirements, and that's kind of like one of Detroit's shady ploys from the bad old days.

[53flyingcloud]

AgZep,
I understand where you're coming from on the issues of the alum parts, etc.
Speaking on behave of my own issues:

• Things that I'd like to see corrected:
  1. Frames that do not rust~
  2. Floors that do not rot~
  3. No leaks anywhere, period~
  4. No plastic products that react to or breakdown with the sun's UV~
  (This includes all outside parts, compartment doors, and other functions)
  5. Standardization of main door handle/lock thru all models and years~
  (Make them durable to the use that's intended...how hard can this be??)
  6. Centralized control panel that makes winterize your unit a 5 min job~
  7. Your choice.....(left this one up in the air)

It's natural for us to want these units to last~
You might know this already but, the new CCD model lineup accounts for nearly 40% of all of Airstream's sales~
Be sure to let us know what follow-up replies you receive on your inputs to the factory.
Looking forward to the future crossing of path..
ciao
53FC