The time is nigh

[Mattirs]

I have had my AS just over a year now, and the one thing I wish I had learned sooner was how to care for the batteries. I ended up doing more dry camping than planned and as a result damaged the batteries. To me everything else was learning how to do things, batteries is something you can damage.
Search battery maintenance, you will find a lot of threads, links, and info.

[Troutboy]

Good luck Wave man!!! You will love it, warts and all, and the two year warranty will fix any issues that arise or you miss. Don’t stress, and don’t worry if you missed anything during the walk through. We spent around 4 hours in the unit and still missed a few minor things. My daughter came with me and took a video of the dealer tech walking us through. That was helpful.

[wave man]

Thanks folks, points noted and appreciated!

[DewTheDew]

One thing I thought I would add. Several people have noted that an expired credit card is a good thing to use in order to unstick the window from the rubber seal. I just wanted to add that those little plastic things that stores/gyms give you for their "clubs" or discounts are typically on key rings and work great. Since we got our trailer a few weeks ago I've probably used my Golds Gym tag for that more than actually going to the gym! :-)

[wave man]

Alright! The FC 25 was in great shape to my eyes.. and 2 teens running all over it so I'm happy as a clam.

However the WD hitch they put on is kinda big, maybe ..not sure.

Literature that came with it says it is a 1,200 lb Hitch... it's rated for a maximum tongue weight of 1,400 lbs & max gross trailer wt of 14,000 lbs.

Have seen opinions that with a new 2017 F-250 a lighter WD Hitch may be preferable...

Do you think this WD hitch too heavy for a FC25FB ?

That it will be leading to rough ride or harsh on the FC on the road?

Any possible reasons to not use this one ?? This FC has a 837 lb expected dry and basically empty tongue weight, and I've seen some people talking about maybe 1,000-1,100 lbs tongue weight possible when put into use and loaded.

Any other real world, in use, loaded tongue weights out there for comparison folks?

[gypsydad]

Lots of good advice here for sure! We owned 2 25's before purchasing our first "new" 2012 25FC Twin model back in 2012! The older models all worked well, because the previous owners fixed all the factory issues, no doubt! With our first new 25', we were so anxious to get on the road, we neglected to really "look over" the outside skins, as well as letting the service tech show us how everything worked. We later found a couple scratches and a small "ding-dent" in the skins. Also, the water pump was extremely loud with pipes rattling when turned on. Had we checked the water pump we could have gotten them to show us how to wrap the pipes with insulation, which we learned about later. I agree to run all the systems. if there is no water in the system to test the pumps, add some water while still there...if possible, tell them you want to spend the night to verify all systems are working...some dealers will do this on their lots; others may have a place near by. Problem is, once you sign the papers, it's yours...so get as much checked out as you can. We took delivery of a new 2017, 28' twin in June and had to drive to Oregon to take delivery from dealer. We loaded it with our belongings the day before delivery on the lot, and were able to test out the systems while loading it. Batteries were not fully charged, so we caught that. Everything else worked, however. We did end up having batteries replaced couple months later when they would not stay charged. Interstate detected bad cells and replaced free. Now we just replaced the Converter with a 4 stage model to insure that problem does not happen again. Good luck!

[gypsydad]

Originally Posted by wave man

Alright! The FC 25 was in great shape to my eyes.. and 2 teens running all over it so I'm happy as a clam.

However the WD hitch they put on is kinda big, maybe ..not sure.

Literature that came with it says it is a 1,200 lb Hitch... it's rated for a maximum tongue weight of 1,400 lbs & max gross trailer wt of 14,000 lbs.

Have seen opinions that with a new 2017 F-250 a lighter WD Hitch may be preferable...

Do you think this WD hitch too heavy for a FC25FB ?

That it will be leading to rough ride or harsh on the FC on the road?

Any possible reasons to not use this one ?? This FC has a 837 lb expected dry and basically empty tongue weight, and I've seen some people talking about maybe 1,000-1,100 lbs tongue weight possible when put into use and loaded.

Any other real world, in use, loaded tongue weights out there for comparison folks?

We had a Blue OX Swaypro with 1000# bars on both of our 25's; the 2008 and the 2014 models and had it adjusted properly with our F150 with no issues ever. We now have a 28' with 1100# tongue weight, and went up to the 1500# bars. Thought they were too tight at first, but after adjusting properly and weighing on truck scales, everything is fine. The initial stiff ride has smoothed out considerably over past 5 months and 7K miles pulling with our F250. I would think 1000# bars for a 25 would be the right ones.

[rmkrum]

Originally Posted by DewTheDew

One thing I thought I would add. Several people have noted that an expired credit card is a good thing to use in order to unstick the window from the rubber seal. I just wanted to add that those little plastic things that stores/gyms give you for their "clubs" or discounts are typically on key rings and work great. Since we got our trailer a few weeks ago I've probably used my Golds Gym tag for that more than actually going to the gym! :-)

Unsticking the gaskets from the glass is easy with a piece of thin plastic, like a credit card, but be very careful not to bang the edge of the tempered glass with a metal object of any sort--like the key ring!. Tempered glass will easily shatter if the edges are damaged!

Another good method is to unstick it, and wipe the gaskets with an RV Trailer 303 Aerospace protectant wipe (to leave a thin film of silicone on the gasket). There is also a product called "Window Poppers" that can be installed to easily push the glass open from inside...a quick Google search should get you to both products...

[wave man]

No feedback for my concerns expressed in post # 45 ?

I'm trying an Eaz-lift Recurve (R6) , they suggested it, said local Airstreamers were coming in and switching to it...who knows.

I liked it's simplicity, but the bars seem heavy as I remember people talking about a 3/4 ton TV with stiffer suspension and a FC25FB...needing lighter bars

I don't want to waste time making costly mistakes that will delay me getting to enjoy my Airstream

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by wave man

No feedback for my concerns expressed in post # 45 ?

I'm trying an Eaz-lift Recurve (R6) , they suggested it, said local Airstreamers were coming in and switching to it...who knows.

I liked it's simplicity, but the bars seem heavy as I remember people talking about a 3/4 ton TV with stiffer suspension and a FC25FB...needing lighter bars

I don't want to waste time making costly mistakes that will delay me getting to enjoy my Airstream

Hi

Without experience with that hitch it's hard to comment. Based on posts here, it's not one that many people have. That's in no way to say it's a bad hitch. It may well be the best hitch on the planet. It's just not one that most of us have seen. If the next set of bars on that hitch are 500 lb tongue and 5,000 lb tow then the 1,200 lb bars may be correct ....

Bob

[wave man]

Ahhh I see... a wrinkle to iron out. Swell hehe

[wave man]

I know that these things have models/bars rated max wt 800, 1,200 & 1,400 lbs(which they gave me)

If I understand it correctly I should have the lightest bars that will still handle the heaviest tongue that an FC25FB will get.

And maybe lighter, being a new 3/4t Ford. It's said they may not need as much WD, and the trailer may thank me for lighter bars.

Is my understanding correct thus far here at least?

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by wave man

I know that these things have models/bars rated max wt 800, 1,200 & 1,400 lbs(which they gave me)

If I understand it correctly I should have the lightest bars that will still handle the heaviest tongue that an FC25FB will get.

And maybe lighter, being a new 3/4t Ford. It's said they may not need as much WD, and the trailer may thank me for lighter bars.

Is my understanding correct thus far here at least?

Hi

You don't *need* WD on a F-250 to meet Ford's specs for towing. Put another way, the rear end will not fall off the truck / back axle break if you don't have a WD hitch. On some trucks, you will do damage without WD. That's different from it being a pleasant ride or being safe in terms of sway.

All hitches I have seen like yours are adjustable. You fiddle them to get things "right" in terms of load balance. You then fiddle a bit more to get things right in terms of handling. Not everybody has enough patience (or the tools) to do this. Until you complete the adjustment process to the point of "handles like I want", you really don't know which bars are correct. If you run out of adjustment range, then they are the wrong bars.

I woud see how things adjust out and go from there ...

Bob

[Mollysdad]

I bought mine off of dealer inventory, so I had a chance to inspect it several times.
By the walk through, and having other RV's I thought I knew something. But driving away, I still regretted not asking a million more questions. Like, "Show me how to tell if the propane tanks are full and how do I switch tanks?"
Bring a DVD with you and ask to see how to get audio from the DVD player onto the TV. (It may be super easy, but I don't know even today)
Make hot water, not just talk about it. Is the WH in bypass?
Flush the toilet. It sounds silly, but mine is electric. We discussed it, but I never saw it work.
I don't know how to test the furnace when it's 90 degrees outside during the walkthrough.
Look closely at all the shades and knobs for missing parts. That's the only flaw I found and they fixed it before I got there.
Of course, all is covered by warranty, but I'll be learning on the road. My bad.
Are they selling you a hitch or are you bringing your own? Who's setting it up? Electric brake controller?
Did you remember tow mirrors? I did, then forgot to take them out of the box. Your mind is spinning when you finally pick it up, it's hard to be perfect.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by Mollysdad

I don't know how to test the furnace when it's 90 degrees outside during the walkthrough.

Best advice I can offer for that is, if it's hot outside, use the A/C to cool down the interior, then use the furnace to warm it back up.

If it's cold outside during the walk-through, use the furnace to warm the interior, then use the A/C to cool it back down.

Only way I can think of to test both the A/C and the furnace during the walk-through.

[DewTheDew]

Originally Posted by uncle_bob

Hi

You don't *need* WD on a F-250 to meet Ford's specs for towing. Put another way, the rear end will not fall off the truck / back axle break if you don't have a WD hitch. On some trucks, you will do damage without WD. That's different from it being a pleasant ride or being safe in terms of sway.

All hitches I have seen like yours are adjustable. You fiddle them to get things "right" in terms of load balance. You then fiddle a bit more to get things right in terms of handling. Not everybody has enough patience (or the tools) to do this. Until you complete the adjustment process to the point of "handles like I want", you really don't know which bars are correct. If you run out of adjustment range, then they are the wrong bars.

I woud see how things adjust out and go from there ...

Bob

The problem for some of us who haven't towed much is "what is it that I'm adjusting for?" Does it feel good or bad? I'm not sure; it doesn't pull me all over the road and I don't porpoise too much, but could it be better? Not sure. For me it was the same with adjusting the trailer brakes. I think they are okay but I'm not positive since I don't have much in the way of experience for comparison

[wave man]

Originally Posted by DewTheDew

The problem for some of us who haven't towed much is "what is it that I'm adjusting for?" Does it feel good or bad? I'm not sure; it doesn't pull me all over the road and I don't porpoise too much, but could it be better? Not sure. For me it was the same with adjusting the trailer brakes. I think they are okay but I'm not positive since I don't have much in the way of experience for comparison

Thoughts like this are on my mind too, you aren't alone there!

[uncle_bob]

Originally Posted by DewTheDew

The problem for some of us who haven't towed much is "what is it that I'm adjusting for?" Does it feel good or bad? I'm not sure; it doesn't pull me all over the road and I don't porpoise too much, but could it be better? Not sure. For me it was the same with adjusting the trailer brakes. I think they are okay but I'm not positive since I don't have much in the way of experience for comparison

Hi

That's what the adjustment process is all about. Try it on this setting and see how you like it. Is it better or worse? Are you tossing more around on the road or less? Run for a month or two and then go back and repeat the process.

Even if you *have* towed this and that for decades, every lash up is a bit different. What can be done with one may not be possible with another one. Nobody just hops in and decides "this is fine" on a new TV and trailer. There is a learning curve every time. Caution is a *good* thing.

There is no magic equation that predicts that this or that combo of things is going to work. Trying to find that equation and fit everything into it is a common trap to fall into. It's not bad by it's self and it can be fun. It is bad when it replaces the need to optimize the rig after you buy it. (It fits the equation so it's fine = trouble). Bolting things together is just the start of the process, not the end.

No, I'm not saying numbers don't matter. They matter up to a point. You want to make sure that you are "in the ballpark" numbers wise. I would suggest that you might error on the side of having a bit of margin. Optimizing beyond that point is fun. Again, it's not going to help things a lot and it may convince you that after the fact adjustment is not needed. That's not good .... Deciding that "this bar (or hitch or whatever) is the only one to use" by the equation and not swapping it out later when adjustment suggests it is not ... bad.

Bob