New member. New owner. 3023 rejuvenation questions

Thanks for the notes. Yes. Battery and brake test is on the list. Will get those done.

Next is Bluetooth receiver. Our TM has speakers but no stereo. I figure whatever we do, we'll do via Bluetooth.
1. Is the trailer wired for a stereo?
2. Are there any recommendations for head units with blue tooth?

As I undersgand, it mounts above the fridge?

I gotta tell you guys, I never thought about camper trailers before this and I'm learning there is ALOT that goes into these things.

Z

[funpilot]

The latest TMs come with Blue tooth stereo so there is a good chance if you get the same brand that it can just pop right in.

Padgett

Thanks for the reply. I'll check mine today.
What rear view camera are you running?
I'd love to get a wireless one.

[Bill]

Originally Posted by Zartoon

Door latch that thise metal rods go into (metallic piece). One is broken. What are those called and where do I get a pair?

Any substitution ideas for those lamps ar the end by the bed? Not a lamp shade kind of family.

Is there a way to have the fridge on when towing?

You are learning fast! Good questions., and the Search tool will find detailed answers for you when you get time.

When you first open the entry door, there is a vertical pin sticking up from the folding apparatus on each side. This pin is supposed to slip into a more-or-less-U-shaped springy metal clip, one on each side. I gather that one of the clips is broken. I know of no source for these clips other than TM, but they are common, and commonly need replacing, so they should not be hard to get from a "stocking dealer". It is also possible that a non-stocking dealer would have a couple extras, since they do require replacement now and again.

Those end lamps came to be called "elegant lights", and TM put them into all their trailers for a long time. They looked good in sales photos, but were a horrible idea in practice. The shades came off, the bulbs unscrewed themselves and died often, the sockets broke, the switches failed, and everybody hated them. TM finally gave up on them, and substituted surface-mount fixtures, eyeball floods, and a couple others. There is no universal substitute, so use your best judgement.

As for running the refrig on the road - yes, it is a good thing to have an isolator in the tow vehicle, as cycleguy notes, to protect the tow vehicle battery. Padgett has discussed his preferences for isolators. I prefer a simple $5 relay, but as was noted, it can have its problems (never experienced one, but ...). A bigger problem can be the size of the wire in the tow vehcile that provides battery charge to the 7-way Bargman connector. Some vehicles have a nice fat wire that is capable of supplying the needed 10 amps or so to run the refrig. Some vehicles have an undersized wire - both of my Explorers did. I don't know where your Jeep stands. Bottom line, though, is that the refrig wants about 10 amps of operating current, and if it can't get it from the tow vehicle, it will draw it (at least some of it) from the TM battery. The result is that you reach the campground with a dead TM battery. The most common "Band-aid" solution is not to power the refrig on the road. If the frig is fully cooled when you leave, it will still be in pretty good shape after 4 or 5 hours on the road. The most common real solution is to run new wires - #8 or #10 - through your tow vehicle from the alternator to the rear bumper connector. A couple of our members have implemented an elegant solution involving a DC-DC converter. Works well, not too hard to install, but a bit pricey. Again, a Search will uncover all of this - pages of it!

Bill

Thank you for the answers.
I had the 7 pin installed and insisted on heavy gauge wire so we're good there.

I just need to call them back and ask why they didn't wife the backup lights.
Is the center pin on the 7 pin the backup light?

Thank you for the input on the elegant lights. They will go soon.

That etched glass is also a thorn on my side. Will be looking at replacing those soon. The rest of the TM is retry good with the exception of the couch cover pattern but I'm not changing that.

Wife is getting in board. She told me today she is pretty excited about our first trip. Was thinking of driving down to Docweiler for a night. My boy and I are airplane fans so we can sit outside and watch the planes fly over.

[Padgett]

There are a number of BT receivers around now in the $100-$150 range, all are single DIN, some have CD and others dont. (CD slot is handy for a place to put a cell phone). Some have remote control. Kenwood and Clarion seem the most used in the forums I inhabit.

I have several Clarions to fit different cars (Marine with chrome surround for Crossfire, black with adjustable color display for Reatta, minimal one to fit the Judge glovebox...) That brand mainly because I know where the hands free phone buttons are (usually on the left side of the knob) a seperate microphone is available and some come with a remote. They also can provide enough gain for the convertible.

My latest is a $35 ASIC tuner that fits in a DIN enclosure for TV. Couple that with a 1920x1080p monitor and it becomes multimediat capable. See my other thread on that.

Warning, some seem to feel it heretical to technologically enhance a campiing experience.

ps I used to have a curoff relay for use a Peltier cooler in a car. Votage drops under 11v and it would shut down. Only good for about 10A though. The Cole-Hersee isolator I mentioned is good for up to 200 Amps.

Great wealth of information. The last couple of weekends have been full of family functions, so I havent gotten alot done on the TM, but I need to kick it up to high gear.

Next on the list are the following:

1. Battery: I will purchase a group 27 battery, and need to wire it up.
the owners manual has written the wiring spec in a strange way, so I'd like to double check with everyone.

My understanding is, I wife up the negative to the trailer chassis, and the black (fused) and the white (non fused?) wires go to the positive tab. is this correct?
My uncertainty is the white wire.

2. Detail/steam clean for the inside: any recommendations for a los angeles based company on this? wife wants this done to feel "comfortable".

3. mattress covers. I heard there are mattress covers (not toppers) which seal in the mattress. Wife wants these to feel "comfortable" on sleeping on used mattresses.

4. Tires: I need to get new tires. How does one do this? tow the camper to a tire shop?
is it possible to suspend the trailer on the outriggers on the 4 corners and take the tires/wheels off and run them to the tire shop?

Thank you for the wealth of information. We truly appreciate the support.

-Z

[Bill]

Z -

Re battery wiring. The black wire, with the fuse in it, goes to the battery positive (+) post. The white wire goes to the battery negative (-) post. In addition, there may be a green or bare copper wire that also goes to the battery negative post. From there, the green or bare wire goes directly to trailer chassis/frame ground.

Re mattress covers. They are often sold as "hypo-allergenic covers", and occasionally as "bed bug covers". Most any store such as WalMart should have them. Nothing special to the TM.

Tires. You can drive the TM to the tire dealer and let him dismount and remount the wheels. Or you can jack up the TM, lower the corner jacks, remove the wheels yourself, and take them to the tire dealer. Either way works. Either way, be sure that no one (you or the tire jockey) puts a jack under the axle. The TM MUST be jacked under the frame. Beyond that, be sure that the tire shop uses metal valve stems, not rubber. And be sure that the tire shop balances the wheels once the new tires have been mounted. A few extra bucks, but don't take NO for an answer on this.

Don't even think about steam cleaning the interior. Or the exterior. I think live steam would do serious damage in either place. Same comment for pressure-washing anything except frame members. Good ol' soap and water and elbow grease and Mr Clean Magic Erasers are your best bet.

Finally, you have made quite a number of posts, asked for a lot of advice, and gotten some very good and complete responses. Your 30-day free trial membership has expired, so when I move this thread into its proper location, you will lose access to it. Time to pony up a Sponsor fee.

[YNPKing]

Originally Posted by Bill

Z -

Time to pony up a Sponsor fee.

Bill,

Re: Post #22

Z said he paid. Could there be a problem registering?

[kikeehn]

Bill,
Z needs to contact Chris Tretta @ www.trailmanorowners.com/forum/payments.php
and check about his payment that he supposedly made.
Chris will check and see what the problem is.
Another problem my be that he never activated his membership, that particular e-mail might of went to his spam folder, instead of his inbox.
Just a thought
Kerry