Taking off for a month and never used the TM

mcollect · 02-26-2016, 04:14 PM

Well we are taking off and never used the TM before. We got it late in the fall and did not get to use it, There fore I am at a loss as to what to look for. Read the manual but have not done anything to familiarize myself with the equipment. Any ideas on what to do? Trail by fire. It will be cold but we have an oiled filled heater, a Yamaha generator, and a large yetti cooler. So it won't be too bad. But I would appreciate any hints! Leaving from far western MD aiming towards Big Bend Tx.

**Bill** · 02-26-2016, 04:40 PM

Wow! You are brave! Do you have any RV experience at all?

I would suggest that you go to the very first forum here on the board (TM Info You Won't find Anywhere Else) and just start reading. Lots of very compact info there. Look especially at the descriptions of how to use the various appliances, as well as the various checklists that appear there.

Since you are not a Site Sponsor, you can't read any of the posts in the meat of the forum, the Technical section. That's unfortunate.

Good luck.

Bill

Logman · 02-26-2016, 04:56 PM

1. Check your running / brake/ turn lights before leaving each day. Always glance under TM before leaving. Make it a routine.
2. Have good mirrors
3. Make sure the TM is level , fore and aft and side to side before opening it up.

TM pulls so nice, so enjoy your trip.

Goosecreeklarry · 02-26-2016, 06:29 PM

Well we are still newbies at this ourselves, but one thing I have learned from reading this forum is the importance of having good tires. We bought a used 2002 3124ks in mid June 2015 and proceeded to renovate the interior. Once that was done we decided to check on the tires-which looked great-but when we took one off and took it be replaced----- yikes I am so glad we did- they were the original 13 year old tires. How we ever made it from FL (where we purchased it 7 hrs away) and back to SC without a blowout is still a mystery to us. We have heard of people who have purchased used TM's and had multiple blowouts within the first 10 miles. If you haven't had yours checked PLEASE do it before you hit the road. Since we only have camped at places with electric and water so far, the electric and propane issues haven't been a huge issue for us. We used a rolling radiant heater we already had when we camped by the beach in January and we were more than toasty. We have used our interior stove once but prefer to cook outside or use our microwave and toaster oven...yes we know we're not camping purists but since we're in our 60's and 70's we feel we deserve a few creature comforts.
We hope you get to experience what we have already.... Sitting outside under a star filled sky - gazing at the moon above - breathing the fresh crisp air scented by the salt air mixed with smoke from the campfire- with the sound of the surf in the background - a cup of hot chocolate, good wine or whatever. Truly the things that make life wonderful.
This forum is wonderful for helping when/ if you need it. Great people with tried and true advice.

mcollect · 02-26-2016, 06:46 PM

Bill We have never had an RV before. I have read most of the section you mentioned. We are old and old fashioned campers, kayak campers and wanted to get a few creature comforts. Don't know how to use the appliances but we will learn. As we can do without until we learn. The fridge is my concern, can it run on DC while we are on the road, and will the battery recharge while on the highway? After that everything seems like a short learning curve. Am I correct?

tentcamper · 02-26-2016, 07:49 PM

Air up your tire. Check them before travel each day.

I would set it up in the drive or storage area and run all the system. Make sure you you know how to run them and that they work.

**Sterman** · 02-26-2016, 08:43 PM

As others may tell you, join the site. At least for a year, or two. You will have access to information that will be very helpful to you as a TM owner.
It's $12 a year. No distracting ads, just good people that appreciate TMs and are willing to share info.

ChefLamont · 02-26-2016, 09:00 PM

Before going on a month's trip, I would definitely try to get at least 2 or 3 weekend outings at campgrounds close to home. Preferably one that has wifi so you can look/post here when the questions come up.

To me RV preparation comes in 3 tiers:

Tier1 is the critical and safety things. These are things like the tires as mentioned, greased hubs, sanitized water tanks, lights, and if you are in extreme weather where an HVAC failure can be serious to life or death making sure it works.

Tier2 is systems like you are talking about. Is the fridge working and are you familiar with it? Do you know how to dump the tanks? Do you know how to light any appropriate pilot lights? etc etc. When there is a line at the dump station is not the time to pull out the manual and try to figure it out.

Tier3 is especially important for long trips in my opinion and seems to be overlooked or at least not addressed head-on by many. Plus it is different for every single camper, so nobody can tell you how it goes. That is what is your own "system" in the camper. It is things like, where are you going to store specific things in the camper? What things are you going to take and what are you going to leave home? When you get to camp, who is going to do what job when so things can get set up and relaxing or whatever can begin ASAP. It will take way way more than a couple of weekends to tune that to perfection, but it would be better to get the first couple of iterations down (especially to get a handle on what you need to bring), make your personalized lists, and begin the process before leaving home on "the big one".

Just my thoughts. You will enjoy the extra comforts though and can and will definitely learn along the way.

LoveToCamp · 02-26-2016, 09:39 PM

"can it (fridge) run on DC while we are on the road, and will the battery recharge while on the highway"

Short answer - It depends.

Some vehicle have a large enough alternator to charge while on the road, others don't. If you have a factory tow package, you have a much better chance of having a sufficient charging system to run the fridge and keep the batteries charged.

I have just started driving with fridge on battery, and don't have enough trips this way to know how it impacts my batteries and fridge. Used to travel with fridge on propane, but the new (2014) unit does not keep the flame lit. I will know at the end of the summer if it charges while driving, and keeps the fridge cold.

Remember to turn on the fan to cool the space behind the fridge while the TM is closed for travel. Otherwise, the fridge will not cool sufficiently.

Enjoy the trip!

**inghamm** · 02-26-2016, 11:09 PM

Running the fridge on DC is notorious for draining the battery, (and not cooling very well either) so if you are headed to a site without power you should plan on using your generator to recharge your battery. If you happen to be lucky and have a TV that can keep up in charging the battery, great, but that seems to be rare without making some modifications. Standard advice is: run the fridge on AC and pack in cold things before switching over to DC before you leave.