Carla's Camper

[user 22017]

I'd get a standard Class-3 receiver like we all use. It's a 2" receiver and not a 1-1/4"

Don't believe everything you hear and read online.

Who said 1-1/4? Not me. Is that what a Class 2 is?

I didn't read it online. The guy at U-Haul recommended the Class 2. That is why I am asking here... to be sure.

 

[Camper]

All the class 2 receivers I've seen are 1-1/4", but there could be some larger... wouldn't hurt to ask. The class 2's are usually on small SUV's, etc.

 

[user 22017]

All the class 2 receivers I've seen are 1-1/4", but there could be some larger... wouldn't hurt to ask. The class 2's are usually on small SUV's, etc.

E-Trailer has several pages on hitches. Wonder why the guy at U-Haul said Class 2. That wouldn't work at all.

You are right about Class 2 being 1 1/4

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-hitchclasses.aspx

 

[LargeMarge]

...I called U-Haul and the [rental clerk] recommended...

.
If I was me, I might visit a hitch shop.
Fact is, I would probably visit at least a couple-three specialty shops for recommendations...
...as long as I understand I -- alone -- am responsible for any alterations using 'other than factory-stock' parts engineered for my specific rig.
.
Also...
If I was me, I might install the stoutest hitch to allow for 'up'-grades to different trailers.
A stouter hitch might offer greater resilience in the event of unplanned departures from straight-n-level.
.
But, that is just me... the Over-Builder.
I tend to plan for:
* a tsunami during
* a typhoon while
* full-throttle through contagious rioters.
Weird, eh?
.
.
Here is a portrait of the hitch I built on our ExpeditionVehicle.
Thrown together from scrap laying around the shop.
It is bolted and welded, pretty much permanent.
Much of it is half-inch steel plate.
Good grief, what was I thinking.
.
You might notice two receivers.
I had the bright idea of towing the Dodge Cummins 4x4 with the left hitch so:
* I could watch the Dodge driver-side, plus
* reduce scratches on the Dodge from curb-side branches on the rough tracks we prefer.
Didn't work.
The off-set from center pushed the rig going around curves.
Well, I suppose it worked... just not swell nor up to my usual standards.
.
This portrait also shows our latest shower room on the porch.
Cotton canvas-duck tarp plus rat-**** straps to reduce billowing.
.

 

[WanderingRose]

But, you just never know what a day might bring.

 

[user 22017]

If I was me, I might install the stoutest hitch to allow for 'up'-grades to different trailers.
A stouter hitch might offer greater resilience in the event of unplanned departures from straight-n-level.
~~~~~~~
This portrait also shows our latest shower room on the porch.
Cotton canvas-duck tarp plus rat-**** straps to reduce billowing.
.

Thanks Marge.

I thought about doing that very thing. Getting a Class 4, since my truck can tow 10,000 pounds. But since my truck is a 1995, I won't be towing anything super heavy with it. Won't that make my truck last longer? If I baby it?

I'll check the price difference between a class 3 and a class 4.

Nice shower setup. Similar ones sell for $300.00 : http://overlandpros.com/product/ultra-privy-shower-room/

 

[maki2]

If you go to etrailer.com the site has a list explaining the different classes of hitches. You can also enter your own vehicle and get recommendations specific to your vehicle for hitches of different classes that will fit onto it. Then choose among those for the class rating you need for the load you are towing. Plus they also sell wiring for towing and trailer brake units too if your trailer has brakes on it.

From Etrailer I ordered a Curt Class 3 hitch to fit my Honda Element and it was an exact fit for my vehicle. The identical Curt hitch sold by U-Haul for my vehicle but at a better price!

My travel trailer is light enough for a class 2 hitch but I wanted something a more robust as I knew some of the roads would be bad and that is exactly what I have experienced, some very, very, bad roads. . You have to plan for worse than average road conditions when doing boondock camping. The hitch and the ball on it is going to frequently get stressed a lot. In the past three year even though I am not doing remote camping in 4 wheel drive territory I have experienced a lot of very bad roads including an interstate 60 mile long stretch of “highway-from- hell” between Kingman and Flagstaff Arizona. There are also transitions from main forest service roads into camp sites across the runoff ditches that will put a lot of stress on an undersized hitch, the ball and the receiver. Go with a class 3 rather than a class 2. It is wise to have that extra margin of strength.

 

[user 22017]

Don’t skimp on the cost and risk getting into a situation where a marginal amount of capacity is involved. You have to plan for worse than average road conditions when doing boondock camping.

Thank you, Maki.

I didn't think about that: towing on rough roads. I was thinking the only consideration with hitches is if it can tow X amount of weight. I'll go back to e-trailer and read up.

I'm really tired from moving everything into the trailer. Found a dead mouse in a cabinet Won't be the last mouse I find in my trailer (dead or alive). Note to self: order snap traps.

I think I need to winterize the trailer... or ask the seller if it was already winterized. Do you know what is involved in winterizing?

I want to leave ASAP, but my truck will be in the shop for at least 6 days. Plus I have doctor appointments coming up. I don't want anything to freeze while I am waiting to leave. I may not get out of here until after Christmas. Idk.

One more question (for anyone): I ordered an RV extension cord, but it is not here yet. Is it safe to run an orange extension cord to my trailer? Found a 15 to 30 amp adapter in the trailer. I just want to run a small space heater and a few lights. Or just a few lights.

The cord should be here tomorrow, along with the adapter I ordered.

 

[bullfrog !]

What temperatures do you think you will be in? Will you be staying in it? Is your trailer a 4 season trailer? Did the previous owner install tank heaters or extra insulation? Keeping the inside of the trailer around 50 degrees with cabinets open where water lines run should help prevent freezing. With a rear bathroom in my trailer the first thing that starts to freeze is the water supply line to the toilet mainly because it cannot be slightly opened to keep water flowing which also helps prevent freezing but you will need to keep an eye on the grey and black tank levels. Since I have full hookups I can just keep my grey tank dump valve open. Most trailers you can bypass the water heater and drain it through the drain plug in the outside access panel. If you are winterizing the complete trailer and shutting off all water then you can open all the faucets and attach a air hose adapter to the city water fill water hose fitting on the side of the trailer and use compressed air to blow out the lines, otherwise you will need to find the hot and cold water low point drains either inside or under the trailer and unplug or open them to drain. Dump the black and grey tanks and drain the water storage tanks via the drains either inside or under the trailer. Finally pour a little RV antifreeze down the shower and sink drains to insure the traps don’t freeze. Full hookups make it easier to keep a trickle of hot and cold water running, grey tank draining and electric ceramic heaters to keep everything warm till it gets really cold like in the teens. If it is going to be colder than that you probably would be better off to fully winterize. Some day I’ll tell you of my failed attempt to keep the black tank from freezing by melting a hole in it with a heat lamp and what fun a “**** icicle” is to deal with! Lol!!!

 

[user 22017]

What temperatures do you think you will be in? Will you be staying in it? Is your trailer a 4 season trailer? Did the previous owner install tank heaters or extra insulation?

Thanks Bullfrog, Lows of 28, 33, and 39 this coming week. I doubt it is a four season. I didn't ask about the insulation or tank heaters. You know how unpredictable the weather is in the midwest. I don't want to have to heat the trailer every day for weeks.

 

[bullfrog !]

^^^probably best to fully winterize it. Empty all the tanks, lines and water heater. Get the adapter to blow out the lines ( be careful not to use too much pressure til you are sure everything is open ) and open low point drains, then fill the drain traps with RV antifreeze. If you have a fill hose drain it and put it away as well as the black tank drain hose. Welcome to RV life! Lol!!!

 

[user 22017]

^^^probably best to fully winterize it. Empty all the tanks, lines and water heater. Get the adapter to blow out the lines ( be careful not to use too much pressure til you are sure everything is open ) and open low point drains, then fill the drain traps with RV antifreeze. If you have a fill hose drain it and put it away as well as the black tank drain hose. Welcome to RV life! Lol!!!

Thank you. Wish I was in Quartzsite where there are teachers and helpful nomads. But, you explained it well

 

[NctryBen]

I don’t know if you can get an extension cable… but I paid a lot less for light hookups… I’m not a u haul fan.
Class three is adequate… I go higher myself, but I had a class three fail… I tend to run heavier… my enclosed work trailer was my culprit…
You must have a break controller if they had it set up for a fifth wheel… I have both too. I think I could have moved the one in the box down and just got a bracket for it…
I’ll try to get on chat tonight… I took off Tuesday and drove the 1900 miles home to shut my house down… I’ll blow out the lines in the morning. But I think on my return I’ll take more than the less then 48 total hours to get back. I’m still feeling zombie ish today.

 

[user 22017]

I don’t know if you can get an extension cable… but I paid a lot less for light hookups… I’m not a u haul fan.
Class three is adequate… I go higher myself, but I had a class three fail… I tend to run heavier… my enclosed work trailer was my culprit…
You must have a break controller if they had it set up for a fifth wheel… I have both too. I think I could have moved the one in the box down and just got a bracket for it…
I’ll try to get on chat tonight… I took off Tuesday and drove the 1900 miles home to shut my house down… I’ll blow out the lines in the morning. But I think on my return I’ll take more than the less then 48 total hours to get back. I’m still feeling zombie ish today.

That was a LONG drive back. You can rest easy now, right?

I'll call my mechanic and see if he can put a Class 4 hitch on for me. I need to apologize to him anyway for complaining about the odometer module. I had told him to fix EVERYTHING he could find. He found it, lol.

Yesterday my doctor made a bunch of referrals for me. I will be here until January 13. So maybe I should plan on heating the trailer, after all. How much would that cost and how often would I have to refill the tanks? They are 25# tanks.

I ordered a RV Extension cord (12 AWG) from Amazon, but it won't be here until Tuesday. Can I use a regular orange cord until then? I want lights and heat in the trailer.

TTY tonight

 

[maki2]

For a heater you might need 10awg depending on the length of the cord and how many watts of heat your unit is producing. There are online charts for determining the wire gauge needed. You enter the watts your appliance uses and the length of the cord and it will tell you the minimum gauge of wire that is required.

 

[user 22017]

Darn. Another thing I didn't know. Thank you.

 

[NctryBen]

12 gauge is what a house 20 amp circuit uses. Should be enough for a heater. But if your running multiple heaters... you should consider the 10 gauge. That wire needs to supply multiple circuits. Then your better off using propane... and maybe one heater. I turn mine on low... 1300 watts vs 1500... then I feel I can justify running the propane forced air as the blower/ fan uses a fair amount. I’d make sure your refrigerator is happy too. If your battery isn’t holding up, use the propane more for the fridge also. But reality... a camper is going to cost a lot to heat as the temps get colder. That’s when you get down to Arizona... and winterize the camper until you can go south. But like camper said in chat... be careful with how much load you put on your campers circuits... it’s not as robust as your house. That’s why I put in a good twelve volt system. And use 12 volt specific appliances and such. Then when I’m using the 110... it’s only really just charging batteries besides running the heater.

 

[bullfrog !]

I have “cheated” by running a heavy duty extension cord all the way into the camper by passing the camper wiring when I had a weak breaker or possible circuit problems.

 

[user 22017]

12 gauge is what a house 20 amp circuit uses. Should be enough for a heater. But if your running multiple heaters... you should consider the 10 gauge. That wire needs to supply multiple circuits. Then your better off using propane... and maybe one heater. I turn mine on low... 1300 watts vs 1500... then I feel I can justify running the propane forced air as the blower/ fan uses a fair amount. I’d make sure your refrigerator is happy too. If your battery isn’t holding up, use the propane more for the fridge also. But reality... a camper is going to cost a lot to heat as the temps get colder. That’s when you get down to Arizona... and winterize the camper until you can go south. But like camper said in chat... be careful with how much load you put on your campers circuits... it’s not as robust as your house. That’s why I put in a good twelve volt system. And use 12 volt specific appliances and such. Then when I’m using the 110... it’s only really just charging batteries besides running the heater.

Thanks Ben, I only want one heater. The trailer itself is only 22 feet. The tongue is 3 feet.

I just PM'd the seller to ask if it has already been winterized. 26 degrees this morning a 7 AM. You must be freezing where you are, lol.

Edit: I asked the seller if it was winterized and the lines blown. He replied that it has been winterized and there is pink RV anti-freeze in the lines. He didn't say that he blew the lines. Just that the pink stuff is in it.

 

[WanderingRose]

And many of us winterize with the pink stuff, only, so you should be good.