First Outing Success!

Emma62

This being my first RV, I've been holding back deciding if getting a travel trailer was a good decision until using it, just didn't have any idea after decades of tent camping.  

We camped at a nearby county park this week to make sure things were working and practice before a 12 day trip end of this month.  It was a great time!  The days were rainy and cold but two adults and two cairn terriers slept warm and cozy in our T@B 320S.  The first night was tense for everyone as we figured out moving around in the trailer.  

We had an infuriating 30 minutes not being able to get the (feel free to fill in your favorite string of curse words) hitch ball to disengage from the coupler.  Hope I'm using the right terms here.  Lithium grease to the rescue when we left camp today.

And we had a scary moment when the trailer rolled forward several inches when we tried to move it a teeny bit when hitching.  Much easier to move than expected.

Everything we used worked and better yet we were able to work it.  The Lagun table switch-out, doggie gate, and awnings worked too.  We found a few things for our dealer to resolve next week but nothing that makes me question the quality.  Some features we won't use till later this summer so didn't use them this trip.

What I loved:
1.  Alde heater.  WOW can't gush enough about the quiet, effective warmth.  We purposefully kept it a little warmer than needed to see how much propane was used.  Heating 3 nights and 1 entire day on propane with outside temps in mid 30's to mid 40's with cooking some meals inside only used 1/4 bottle. Gives us confidence about camping early or later in the season.
2.  Insulation.  The trailer walls weren't any colder than my walls at home.  Nice!
3.  Large windows providing great views and excellent cross ventilation
4.  Storage space amount and layout
5.  Indoor lighting locations
6.  Porch light
7.  Stereo speakers and placement:  I'd read some people thought the sound was poor but we thought it was fine, at least for evening movies.
8.  Light oak interior.  The light oak looks very classy.
9.  Anderson Leveler
10.  100W Renogy Eclipse solar panels suitcase.  That puppy put out 5.9 amps under a clear sky and 1.7 amps under heavy clouds.

VictoriaP

Love the literal pup tent! Great to hear about your experiences. Would like to hear more about your dog gate, or see a link. That’s one thing I need to get ASAP and haven’t really found anything suitable for such a narrow opening.

Regarding unhitching, I found that if I chocked the trailer, unhooked everything else, and then went back to the car and released the parking brake to just barely move forward, the ball seemed to disengage more easily. One last ditch trick I read about was to pull the reciever pin and then move the vehicle forward, which would cause the insert and ball to fall. Seems kinda drastic, but better than spending eons trying to unhitch!

Emma62

We ended up pulling the receiver pin after one of the county staff was unable to get it to disengage and the dratted ball STILL remained stuck for a bit.  Lithium grease is my new best friend.  LOL

Here is a pic of the gate.  We intend to use it when using the screen door.  Doubt it would work for a large dog but perfect for the girls.  We keep it along the outer bathroom all when not in use  It's half of a baby gate and only 20 oz.  We moved the fire extinguisher over 1/2" and it slots in very nicely.  Here'a link to it on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GUN3Z1W/?coliid=I3NDKV9LNNX7SU&colid=2UIMEDOW8D62H&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1

VictoriaP

Turning the gate sideways and using only half of one is a good idea for your girls! Mine is taller, but using the gate sideways might work anyway. Thanks!

Sharon_is_SAM

@Emma62 - sounds like you were well prepared and good for you!  The Alde is very nice and once you break the hitch in a bit things will be better.  We discovered the inability to latch the coupler when we use our Anderson leveler - the ball must not be perfectly seated.  So, we end up moving off the leveler before we are able to seat/latch the coupler.  Glad you had a successful first!

WilliamA

I wrote this for the T@G forum but the T@B has the same hitch.  Same rules apply:
https://teardrop-trailers.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/319/how-to-unhook-your-ball-hitch-easily-every-time#latest

WilliamA 

dsfdogs

I like your table swap. Can you give me details, such as size and where you bought it? I love the standard table and use it everyday, but it's also cumbersome and heavy. Thanks.

Emma62

@Sharon_is_SAM-Can I ask specifics on what you do with the Andersen level when re-hitching?  Are you saying you drop the receiver onto the ball then pull the car forward a little so that the trailer comes off the leveler before latching the coupler?  

Emma62

@dsfdogs - We bought a 22x16x0.75" cutting board from Amazon, link below.  It was an easy switch.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C61MQRK/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Emma62

@WilliamA - Thanks!  I copied and pasted your advise into an email so I'll have it next time.

Sharon_is_SAM

Emma62 said:

@Sharon_is_SAM-Can I ask specifics on what you do with the Andersen level when re-hitching?  Are you saying you drop the receiver onto the ball then pull the car forward a little so that the trailer comes off the leveler before latching the coupler?  

@Emma62, Yes, because when the TaB is off kilter due to one wheel being higher, the coupler will not latch.  Easy fix, sometimes only requires a few inches of movement forward or backward depending on how you place the leveler.