Tools & Gadgets for Trailers

I'm slowly reading thru the messages posted here. What a wealth of info!!! It has made me realize that while I'm reasonably well-equiped with camping gear (having camped and backpacked since childhood) and basic household items, I will need special tools or gadgets to make trailer life easier and/or safer.

I've started a list based on the messages I've read thus far:
1. spare bulbs for various lights in trailer
2. allen wrench fitting for my electric drill for levelling jacks
3. torque wrench (1/2 in. click type) for lug nuts
4. multimeter for testing battery
5. tire pressure gauge
6. water pressure regulator

What else should I have on my list of tools/gadgets? What do you think are essential tools/gadgets I should have on hand before my first trip (this Thursday) and what can I gradually add to the tool box(es)? I already have a basic household tool box with screw drivers (both kinds, various sizes), pliers, wrenches, hammer, drill, etc. Never knew I needed a torque wrench. So, please, what else do I need???

I'm going on a shake-down camping trip this Thursday in my used 1999 2720SL. Since I've been working so much and haven't had the time to figure everything out ahead of time, I'm going to a campground with hook-ups and within 30 miles of Camping World and hardware stores, if I need anything. I plan on spending the trip (re)reading the TM manual, cleaning the unit, figuring out where to stow the household gear and how to operate the appliances. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

Thanks for your suggestions!

You'll get lots of suggestions from the TM owners that read this site regularly and with tools and gadgets, the imagination is your only limitation.  I keep a tool box with the standard items in my truck at all times but in 3 yrs of TM camping I've never needed anything exotic.  You will undoubtedly want to carry spare fuses for the toilet and the electrical panel.  I've blown several toilet fuses and, on advice of the manufacturer, went to a larger fuse.  The power TV antenna has also blown a fuse.  You will also benefit from a level of some type in setting up the TM.  Some use the stick-on levels.  I carry a torpedo level and it serves the purpose.  Enjoy your TM.

I throw a bottle jack and a 4-way lug wrench in the back of my truck, in case I have a flat on my trailer. I'm not so sure that the jack and lug wrench for my truck would work. I also carry a 12 volt air compresser, and one of those 12 volt spare battery/power supplies. Again, just in case.

Mack

[arknoah]

Collette,

I don't think your weekend sounds boring at all - you'll still have plenty of time to sit back and enjoy your time, so I would first recommend bringing a nice comfy lawn chair.  Staying close to home and near Camping World is also a good idea -- we did the same thing during our first weekend out.

I would recommend that you do all the cleaning of the unit at home, as some campgrounds get a little annoyed when people clean their units on site.  A few things I would especially recommend you get would be an electrical plug adapter (30 amp to 15 amp) rubber gaskets for hoses, in case some get lost.  Levelers (like Lynx) are helpful as well as is a tarp for the ground in case it rains, and you want to avoid mud inside the unit.  And truth be told, we bought an attachment for our sewer hose just to ensure that it stayed in the hole and didn't pop out when we dumped the black water.

Good luck, and please share on the board how your first weekend went!

F. J. & Ellen

Collette,

I have a three page list of `stuff' we carry in our RV plus a checklist for closing up the trailer prior to hitting the road which I will be glad to send to you if you let me know your email address directly to: [email protected]. The lists are in Microsoft Access query format which I can convert to Excel if necessary. I can probably fax it to you if I had your fax number.

Dick B
2001 2619

Don't forget:

- FIRST AID KIT!
- an inline buss style fuse for the main battery feed,
- a flashlight,
- a 50amp to 30amp electrical cable (about $20) - one of the first RV campgrounds we visited didn't have 30amp power receptacles, only 50amp,
- I carry a 4-in-1 screwdriver and needle nose pliers.  Other tools are great to have and I usually carry more stuff than I probably should,
- stick on levels on the side and front of the trailer (there was another posting on this) so you can level before opening the trailer,
- some 5mm or 6mm utility cord...

Collette, I just returned from my shake-down cruise and am anxious to see the results of yours--I second the votes for the extra fuses and the extra power cords and adaptors.  When I picked up the trailer from our dealer, Super 1 in Atlanta, I added a longer fresh-water hose, extra sewer hose and heavier duty fasteners as well as 20 more feet of 30 amp cord but when I got to the private property where I camped in Michigan, I ended up having to get  a 50 foot 30 amp cord  (expensive but well worth it--my only complaint is the weight and the space it takes up.)  And I also added a 12 v. truck air compressor so I can keep my tires at the proper cold psi pressure--and I check this faithfully!  Like you, I have camped and backpacked, and we have owned a popup camper before, but this new, "hi-tech" way of camping does require a different approach and I am convinced that having the proper tools and materials is of prime importance if we are to enjoy our new Toys!  (My husband saw me prepping the TM for my trip and remarked with a smile that I looked like a little girl happily "playing house" and that was the way it felt! :)  

Several of you have asked for a report of my first trip. So, here goes:

First, I want to thank Hal VERY MUCH for the brochure he has written about setting up/taking down the TM. It was invaluable!!! Then, I want to thank all of you for your suggestions and various lists. All were helpful. Thank you!

OK, to the trip: The start was a comedy of errors, I must say.

I pulled into the storage lot to hear a loud beep-beep-beep in the trailer. Quickly checked that the propane tanks were off and there was no odor of propane. Then, I flipped to the propane detector part of the TM manual and started troubleshooting. This involved a trip outside the storage lot to the nearest public phone [is a cell phone in order?] to call the TM plant to ask if the 2720SL's are equipped with smoke detectors since I couldn't see one in the unit. Apparently the 1999 models don't have smoke detectors, so that is on the list of things to buy before the next trip. Determined that it was the trailer battery that was low. Then, I started the take down procedures. But, it wouldn't close properly!!! At this point, Hal, it was especially helpful to have your directions and illustrations. Was able to get it closed and latched after redoing everything, except for the latch on the off-door side. When I couldn’t get the last latch to catch, even after taking down the trailer a couple of times, I decided to let the trailer "settle" and to hitch the trailer to van, which I'd been dreading. Because the weight distribution (WD) hitch is so heavy, I can't lift it and get it into the receiver at the same time. This part actually went better than expected; I'd found a block the same height as the receiver to rest the hitch on while I maneuvered it into the receiver.  But, I couldn't fit the sway bar on the WD hitch. So, I moved the trailer and van to a part of the storage lot where they could be in a straight line and tried to put on the sway bar and to latch the trailer. Luckily, a staff person was able to help me latch the trailer. Then, I tried again to put the sway bar on the hitch. Oops--discovered that the sway bar is actually in two pieces that detach--when it fell on my shin and cut it...luckily it only required a tetanus shot, but not stitches.

After 4 hours, some swearing and a lot of laughing, I was ready to hit the road.… Whoever said you need to be able to relax and laugh about all this stuff was right on target!

The rest of the trip went relatively well. I drove over 200+ miles round trip. Had a good time cleaning the unit and figuring out how some things work. If I can just fix the problem with (not) latching the unit at takedown, I’ll be very happy with this used TM. I already have 2 more trips planned….

Collette and the Manchester Terriers (happy with their new dog house on wheels!)

[arknoah]

Collette,

Being able to laugh shows how well balanced you are!  I can assure you, had that happened to me I would have been swearing up and down the highway for hours.  (And that's a hard admission for a Quaker to make!)  Of course, since our kids would have been waiting and whining to get moving, that would have only added to the frustration.

Our hats are off to you!

- FIRST AID KIT!  ;D

There is a reason I put this first on my list!

My way of looking at it is, It'll only get better!

No one suggested a square head screw driver. I believe that about 95% of the screws on the TMs are that type of screw. And if you want to dismantle the converter you need a #15 torx driver. Phillips and slots would have made life simpler.

Everett

I added a flexible drive for my battery powered screwdriver with S2 bit (square drive) because when trying to remove the wheel covers sometimes the arms get in the way of some of the screws that hold the cover in place.
Another way is to determine which screws cannot be removed without such a drive and re-angle them so they can be reached.
Dick_B

[Happytrails]

Everett and Dick.........yes, you're right on there with the square drive! That is an essential if something really strange happens.......the screws are of the variety that can be turned with a phillips, but the square head gives a much better "bite" on the screw.........Stuff screwed down really hard will cause you to strip it out in a heartbeat using a phillips (it is a square bit for the most part after all).............

[Happytrails]

Another note on the square drive. I purchased a small tool which is a racheting screwdriver with a bit set. $4.50 well spent. What makes it so good is it is angled like a socket rachet allowing it to get into tight places where you simply can't get to with an ordinary screwdriver. It even came with the correct size square bit!  ;)

Happytrails.....

Hmmmmm....Looks to me like the square headed screws on the wheel skirts are just standard metal screws with a funny head. Why not replace them with a phillips and throw a couple of spares in your tool box 'cause you know you are gonna lose one if you have a flat.
Dave

[Bill]

I carry a small tube of Lubriplate grease, a small can of 3-in-1 oil, a roll of paper towels, and a box of Baby Wipes in a box in the tow vehicle.  The hitch ball is supposed to be greased each time you couple up, and the stub ends of the spring bars (the ends that go into the sockets on the WD hitch) are supposed to be oiled each time you couple up. The paper towel lets you clean off the old lube and the accumulated grit first. And the baby wipes let you clean up your hands.

BTW, this is the same box in which I carry the lift handle for the spring bars, the cordless drill with Allen wrench, a 30A-to-15A electrical adapter, a 6" level with a magnetic strip, and a coupler lock. These are all things that I seem to need before the trailer is up, or after it is down.

And inside the trailer, I keep one of those little electrical outlet polarity checkers plugged into the outlet next to the TV amplifier, where it is easy to see. I haven't yet encountered a mis-wired campground power system, but you hear stories ... Such a situation would be extremely dangerous.

Bill