Carbon 327 First Trip

[RETSEK]

So we picked up our new Carbon 327 on Thursday and took it out for the weekend on Friday. Being the first time out, we went to a local campground. Love the new toyhauler. We upgraded from a 2008 Forest River Wolf Pack. The Carbon is a lot better in quality than our old unit, but there are a few fixes and modifications to be made. The fix was my fault. Moved the slide out and sheared off an open cabinet door. The modifications are a combination of our preference and manufacturing design stupidity. The first item is the light switch for the bedroom. It is behind the bedroom door by the hinge. That’s right, you have to walk into a dark room, shut the door (which removes any light from the living room) and reach behind the door to turn on the lights. What were they thinking? How could a designer be so stupid? I plan on re-wiring a switch to just inside the door. Second modification is the main cabin A/C unit. The unit itself isn’t the problem, it’s the door to my storage building. I need about two more inches of clearance to get the RV through my door. I just ordered a low profile unit to match the one the dealer added to the bedroom. That should give me the needed room to clear the door. If anyone is interested in a never used 15,000 btu A/C unit, let me know. The third modification is going to be building a slide out for the storage bay. We lost some storage space by adding a generator, so I want to maximize the cubes in the bay. And the last modification on my list is making the water pump more quiet.

All-in-all, we love the unit and look forward to getting it out again this fall.

[powerstrokedub]

Glad to hear you are liking your 327, I really like the floor plan on that toy hauler but just had to have more garage. We have been using our 387 more often as of late and have had a few issues surface but overall I'm still enjoying the coach. I agree with the water pump being noisy, mine hasn't bothered me too bad yet but I understand the complaint.

[dirt33]

Dan, enjoy the new toyhauler. Fellow Iowan here, GO HAWKS! Been to Marshalltown Speedway many times.

[CarbonFun]

We are about to take off on a 4-6 week cross country trip in our Carbon. Having the garage make it so easy to bring along the bikes and other toys. I have done some modifications as well and attached photos. I find it crazy that your bedroom light switch is behind the door...ours is on the opposite side of the hinges in about the perfect spot. We have the Onan generator built in and its nice to be able to push a button from the inside to turn it on.

Mods included adding Kobalt metal storage cabinets to the garage. Upgrading the stereo to include an HDMI out to the TV as well as adding a subwoffer, changing out all the crappy speakers for new great ones and powering it all with a 1000 watt amp. Sliding drawers in the tall narrow cabinet and adding a shelf to the big cabinet above the counter. The DW also found a counter top guy who had some of the counter material and we had him make sink covers. And, we also upgraded our tow vehicle...2015 Ford F-350 DRW (440 hp and 860 ft lb torque).

[RETSEK]

Nice modifications. That sound system is awesome.

Does the back light on your fuel gauge always stay lit? Mine does and it seems like a waste of battery. I'm thinking about running the power through a toggle switch.

[CarbonFun]

Yes the fuel gauge light is always lit, even with the battery disconnect in the "off" position the light is on. Its a bit of an annoyance, but helpful in another way. When returning for the night and I forget to leave a light on, I know the inside lighting switch is just underneath the fuel gauge.
Yes, the stereo is amazing! Its nothing that can be fully appreciated while camped in an RV park, but while boondocking and at home, I can take full advantage of it.
I also added a 32 inch TV into the garage and made some tie down points to secure the ladders to the sidewall near the rear door. Just today, we purchased a Fantastic Fan to place into the upper bedroom (I don't have AC there yet).

[RETSEK]

Ladder rack is a great idea. I've started designing my pull out tray for the front bay. I pulled the control panel off last night and un-hooked the light. It does appear to be LED, so it probably wouldn't drain the battery too much. I'll probably hook it back up and see what happens.

Make you a great deal on a never used 15000 a/c unit for your bedroom.

[RETSEK]

Just finished up the pull out tray for the front storage Bay. Need to do a bit of organizing, but I think I'll like the overall function of it.7143

7144

[bpyle311]

Anyone have a patio kit installed on their Toyhauler? The door system is already set up for it from lippert, but I was told the door might be different? I don't know if this is dealer bs or not?

[Signguy71]

Just finished up the pull out tray for the front storage Bay. Need to do a bit of organizing, but I think I'll like the overall function of it.7143

7144

That looks great, care to share some details on how you made it?

[RETSEK]

That looks great, care to share some details on how you made it?

The tray was made from 1.5" angle with a 1/2" plywood bottom. I purchased 60" ball bearing drawer slides. They were a bit hard to find and pricey. I used some 1.5" square tubing to mount the slide to the bay.

That's a brief description. When I get some photos, I plan on posting more.

[dpcrf450]

Great Mods. I really like the latter rack. Can I ask what you did there. I am always looking for a better way to store the latter. Thanks

Dave