bunch of questions from a 2nd year camper

[kiwi2000]

I asked a bunch of 1st year type questions last year and here are more for this year. We just had our inaugural trip to South Dakota and have complied a short list of questions for our fellow campers.

If the site is not level and I drive up on a board or whatever to level it out this then makes the landing gear also not uniform in distance to the ground. Do I add a shim to the side that is higher so the landing gear goes out together? Or do I leave the gear alone and have it level itself? I have read in the manual that you don't want to put the trailer in a twist position. Which is the proper procedure in this case?

If we are just overnighting I don't see the logic in disconnecting everything and separating truck from trailer. But should I lower the front landing gear a bit to take the weight off the truck in these situations or does it not matter either way to the truck?

Do people use electric space heaters for overnight warmth or just the furnace or a combination of both due to concerns of using electric space heaters when sleeping?

I am getting an average of 10 mph mostly pulling is this an acceptable and normal figure?
What type of MPH improvement can I see with any engine modifications, is this recommended?

Lastly we picked up our new trailer last summer. We knew absolutely nothing about trailers & trucks. The trailer had a remote to control the landing gear, lights, awning, and slides. The dealer said they could not find the remote and would have it sent.

It didn't cross my mind at the time that they had about 1 million units on site and probably one of those had the identical remote. When we got the remote the system did not work. Many weeks of correspondence with dealer and maker LCI ensued. I could not get a dealer in Canada to look at the issue as I purchased it in the US.

We decided to store it in the US for the winter and have the warranty items looked at then. The storing dealer proclaimed all warranty items attended to almost immediately after drop off. It was too far away to check so we took their word.

We picked it up from the US dealer for our trip and the remote still did not work and the smaller items that were also on the list were not done as well.

I am now wondering if this remote system will ever work as this is now our second season without it and am wondering if it is even worth pursuing?

I have made a deal with keystone to have a Canadian dealer look at it, pay them to repair it,( if possible) and have keystone reimburse me.

G&M & Cleo the Dachshund

2010 Diesel F-250 Super Duty XLT Supercab
2010 Montana Mountaineer 285RLD

[Festus2]

Kiwi -

I try to ensure that the travel in both landing jacks is the same. If the ground is uneven, I'll put an extra block/pad under one of them so that I have the same number of holes showing in the lower part of the landing jacks. There are different ways of carrying out this procedure but I want to avoid torqueing the front of the 5th wheel.

For some overnight stays, I have left the two hooked up - except for the connecting cord. If the RV will remain fairly level, I'll raise it up a bit to take some weight off the truck but I have done this out of habit not because it is the "right thing to do". I don't know if it makes any difference to the truck or not.

The possibility of having to use the truck in the night for some kind of medical emergency is always there so leaving the two tethered might not be such a good idea. Might have to rethink this one.

When the weather is cold and we are plugged into shore power, I'll use only an electric heater if it will do the job. At night, we almost always turn the heater off but in the morning it will be turned on as well as the furnace - just to take the chill off the air. We sometimes use our "Mr. Heater" during the day or in the morning if we aren't plugged in.

For us, I don't see any reason to make any modifications to our Duramax. It pulls effortlessly, runs well as is and it seems happy. To be honest, I've never figured out our mileage. It needs fuel to get from A to B and I keep feeding its habit.
If it gets 10 MPG, I guess that's ok. It is what it is.

[MarkS]

Landing Gear - I just take the pin out of the landing gear and let the foot drop to the ground. Then lift the foot to the first hole and put the pin back in. If one foot looks much higher than the other, I might put a extra board under the high one. I don't see any reason to count the holes. As long as the landing gear lifts the same distance on both sides, there is minimal twist.

There is no technical reason to un-hitch the truck. You might get some extra rocking. We typically un-hitch to get fuel for the truck, so we don't have to maneuver the trailer into the gas station. Usually do errands at the same time. Whatever works for you. If you have a med emergency, call 911.

If you are comfortable leaving a space heater on, no reason not to. If you would do it at home, why not in the trailer? Make sure it can't turn over. Make sure you can't accidentally throw a blanket over it.

MPG: I have a 3/4 ton truck, diesel, 11k Lbs trailer. I drive at high altitude. I get 11-12 MPG. Winds or mountain passes can drop me to 9 mpg. Some people get more, some less. I am happy with the performance I get, so I have not made any mods to the truck.

Did you ever get your remote? I ordered a spare remote from ebay. I think it was $30 delivered. There is a training sequence you have to perform. Look on the Lippert site.

[WaltBennett]

Leveling landing gear - Don't worry about having the extensions at different lengths. That's why they're there in the first place. The two will go out in equal amounts because they're gear driven and the extensions are meant to allow for unequal ground beneath them.

We and everyone we know leave everything connected when overnighting. Too much work otherwise. I don't even disconnect anything when running my generator. I put the landing gear and stabilizers down because I've got to run at least the bedroom slide out to use the trailer.

Our fireplace is not usable when the living room slides are in. The furnace vents and thermostat are also blocked when they're in. If it's that cold, I'll run our generator (a Yamaha 2300is carried in the cargo bay, but put on the ground for use) and an electric heater in the bedroom for overnighting. If camping, we usually run the fireplace and furnace. Although we've a Montana with extra insulation, the furnace will use a lot of propane if used by itself only. It's all about how much of that you're willing to use.

Mileage will depend on your truck & engine, how fast you go and how much everything weighs. I've an new/old '06 F350 dually 6.0L turbo diesel with an air deflector wing, and am pulling a 3665 Monty. With both fairly heavily loaded, I can get about 11 mpg at 60 mph. The engine is stock. I'll be putting a cold air intake and filter on it when the filter needs replacing (stock new ones are $90!). My old/old truck was an 8.1L gas guzzler that only got 8 mpg pulling a 27' Cougar. After adding a cold air intake, deflector and performance exhaust system, it went to almost 10 at 60 mph.

Sounds like either your remote wasn't programmed to the controller or either unit is defective. Also sounds like your dealer is really pathetic! I'd call LCI service directly and have them describe how to check things out and the programming procedure. It's not difficult and they're very good. Don't know what to tell you about the dealer other than to talk to the owner or find another one.

[kiwi2000]

Did you ever get your remote? I ordered a spare remote from ebay. I think it was $30 delivered. There is a training sequence you have to perform. Look on the Lippert site.

Yes I had several remotes delivered along with the complete actuator system to go with the remote. I did the programming sequence many a time. Nothing, although the outside light does go on sometimes when the light button is selected on the remote.

So your actually works? I suppose I will soldier on and maybe get it working this season, who knows.

Leveling landing gear - Don't worry about having the extensions at different lengths. That's why they're there in the first place. The two will go out in equal amounts because they're gear driven and the extensions are meant to allow for unequal ground beneath them.

Well that's a 180 from the first reply.

So you lower the landing gear if you use the slides? Makes sense. We use the slides for overnighting and I suppose should use the supports as well for balance.

Can you provide a link for "cold air intake and filter"?

[Festus2]

Originally Posted by kiwi2000

Well that's a 180 from the first reply.

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Re landing gear - As I indicated there are different methods for lowering the jacks over uneven surfaces. Both will work. Use what works for you.

[JRTJH]

Festus is right (as is WaltBennett). If you think about it, if your fifth wheel is sitting on a 6" slope and you back onto 6" of ramp on the low side, the RV would be "level". If you put 6" of blocks under the low side landing gear, it will be the same as extending that landing gear leg 6" further when pinning it. Either way, the frame of the RV will have the same stressors (or lack of stressors) twisting the frame. Both legs touch the ground when the RV is level, so as they are extended to jack up the pin, the chassis remains straight and won't be twisted.

Now, if you are 6" off level (side to side) and extend the landing gear the same number of pin holes, don't use any blocks and then use the landing gear to lift the pin, you would twist the frame. But, that's not what either Festus or WaltBennett stated.

The simple way to raise the pin is to lower the legs, pin them when they touch the ground (or raise to the first available pin hole) and then use the electric motor to raise the pinbox. The RV frame will remain level and won't be twisted. There isn't any need to count holes on the extending legs, level the trailer side to side, then just lower the extension legs until they both touch the ground and pin at the closest hole. You'll be within one inch of level and the frame will not be twisted.

[diugo]

Re landing gear on a side slope, definitely do not set both legs to the same length, as that will introduce frame twist. Re shim vs one leg longer than the other, it makes absolutely no difference.

Re the remote, if the scare light goes on, then you've programmed it correctly; if nothing else works, the control unit is either defective or miswired---maybe wrong polarity? Mine works perfectly.

Re overnighting without detaching, I'll lower the landing gear only if it's windy.

Re overnight warmth, try an extra blanket or two. Run the furnace first thing in the morning.

[lightning79]

Can you provide a link for "cold air intake and filter"?[/QUOTE]

Google names like Banks diesel performance, S&B cold air intakes and Airaid cold air intakes.