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Old 11-13-2015, 09:12 AM   #6
Bill
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The mountains of Scottsdale, AZ, and the beaches of Maine
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Good answers.

The coupler height will run around 18 or 19 inches after it is hooked up and the tongue weight is on the ball. In other words, if you set up the tow vehicle so the ball is at 18 or 19 inches, and then drop the coupler onto the ball, the sag in the rear end of the tow vehicle will change the ball height, upsetting your plan. The best way to answer your question is simply to put your TM, uncoupled and closed, on a level piece of ground, level it, and then measure the coupler height.

As previously noted, all road lights are powered by the tow vehicle through the Bargman connector. This also applies to normal operation of the electric brakes. You lose all of this if the Bargman is pulled out of the socket, at which time the TM's onboard battery is the only source of emergency power for the brakes. And this emergency breakaway capability is required by law in many (all?) states.

In most RVs, you can drain the water heater, but then you need a "bypass" so that you can pump antifreeze through the rest of the plumbing without filling the water heater with expensive (?) antifreeze. That is what your friend with the Laredo is referring to. The TM is different. As noted in your owner's manual, the entire TM water system, including the water heater, will drain by gravity, so no antifreeze is needed. That's what the four drain valves under the TM are for. Just open those valves, turn on all the faucets, and leave it that way for the winter. Result? You don't need antifreeze, or a bypass kit.

Having said that, there are a few exceptions to the "drain by gravity" statement. One is the inside and outside shower heads. Pull the hoses out straight, open the faucets, unscrew each shower head, shake it out, and store it in the TM. Same thing applies to the kitchen sink sprayer if you have one. The fresh water tank will have a bit of water left in it, but the tank is quite flexible so no harm will be done when that water freezes. Unscrew the aerator from the kitchen and bathroom faucets. And finally, after draining the system, run the water pump for a couple seconds to expel any leftover water from the pumping chamber. As noted in previous answers, some people go further, and connect a low-pressure air compressor to the water system, to further ensure that all water is blown out of these devices.

As for cleaning the fresh water tank. The traditional answer is to pour in a few gallons of bleach and water solution, let it sit for a while, and turn on the water pump to send the solution through all the pipes and valves. Drain the remainder of the solution through the underfloor drain. For a real cleaning, you can install a cleanout port in the top or side of the tank. This lets you reach inside with a cloth or sponge.

Use the search tool on the term "winterize" for those first questions, and on the term "cleanout" or "port" for the latter.

Bill
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