My All-Inclusive Newbie Thread: Bullet Crossfire 2430BH

[wborisenok]

Alright, I've begun forming my arrival setup checklist thanks to the extremely helpful information from you all.

I ordered my tow mirrors last night, they'll be here on Monday. In the same purchase, I picked up a tube of Dicor and Happy Campers holding tank treatment. Tonight I purchased my ONESTEP chocks, Rhino sewer hose kit, and matching hose support. The black aluminum ladder I ordered arrived at the dealer on Friday; they should be doing the install as we speak or early next week. Backup camera came today -- 3 days early. Love it. I hope to pick up and tow it home on Tuesday or Wednesday evening pending my plates are ready and dealer gets the ladder done.

In the meantime, I'll be purchasing a set of 4 QuickLevel RV levelers. This device seems pretty awesome and I hope the simplicity of it aids in my inexperience with leveling. We shall see! Also still need to grab my TST 507 but will likely hold off until next month for that -- we will be staying close to home for our first two trips so I'll closely monitor tire pressure before heading out until I pull the trigger.

One other thing I plan to do right off the rip is install a sturdier door handle/lock. I'm eying the RV Lock V4. Anyone have experience with this setup? Amazon's got it for $209 currently. I may have my salesman send me a close-up pic of our handle on Monday so I can verify fit and make the purchase to hopefully have it here by the time I get the trailer home. I'd love to do the install prior to our first outing on May 15th.

I also hope to secure all 4 of our slam latch doors. Anyone have a recommendation for locks? I'd love to have them keyed the same as our RVLock but not sure that's possible.

[wborisenok]

Originally Posted by flybouy

I'm 67 calander years, 17 mentally, and feel like 97 some days Dad? I don’t know and refuse to take a DNA test unless court ordered.

My dad is 63, so I wasn't too far off!! Oddly, makes me feel right at home here!

[wborisenok]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Hey Whitney, might be some older geezers here. Thanks for your pics, and don't know your age, but maybe some of us could be your dad's dad....... well, maybe Marshall.... Looking forward to your participation!

can't wait to see his response!!

I'm the ripe old age of 35 -- most days I feel younger, some days not so much. I hear that's how it goes for everyone, regardless of number! My wife, on the other hand, says she's 22. She's said that every year since she was 22 and will continue to say that for the rest of her days. Glass half full mentality?

[JRTJH]

I would hold off buying a new door lock until you have the RV at home and can compare what's installed to what you can buy. There are a couple of "new style doors" that have lock cutouts that won't accept the "conventional RV door locksets" and on at least one of those "new doors" there are NO compatible locksets.

So, it's quite possible that the lockset you order won't even come close to fitting the door on your trailer....

That said, RV doors are not "built with security as a primary concern"... They are "extremely lightweight", are not much more than a 1" sheet of styrofoam with an aluminum frame around the perimeter and a couple of 1/8" fiberglass or 0.32" aluminum skins glued to the inside and outside of the foam sheet.

You can "literally" punch a hole through the door with a screwdriver and anyone weighing over 150 pounds can easily kick in the door... What I'm getting to is that even if you can find a "high security lockset" for your door that will fit the hole, it won't make the door any more secure than it already is....

[wborisenok]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

I would hold off buying a new door lock until you have the RV at home and can compare what's installed to what you can buy. There are a couple of "new style doors" that have lock cutouts that won't accept the "conventional RV door locksets" and on at least one of those "new doors" there are NO compatible locksets.

So, it's quite possible that the lockset you order won't even come close to fitting the door on your trailer....

That said, RV doors are not "built with security as a primary concern"... They are "extremely lightweight", are not much more than a 1" sheet of styrofoam with an aluminum frame around the perimeter and a couple of 1/8" fiberglass or 0.32" aluminum skins glued to the inside and outside of the foam sheet.

You can "literally" punch a hole through the door with a screwdriver and anyone weighing over 150 pounds can easily kick in the door... What I'm getting to is that even if you can find a "high security lockset" for your door that will fit the hole, it won't make the door any more secure than it already is....

Great input and definitely something I didn't quite consider. I wonder if an upgraded lock would even defer a potential thief.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by wborisenok

can't wait to see his response!!

I'm the ripe old age of 35 -- most days I feel younger, some days not so much. I hear that's how it goes for everyone, regardless of number! My wife, on the other hand, says she's 22. She's said that every year since she was 22 and will continue to say that for the rest of her days. Glass half full mentality?

My oldest grandchild is 32 so pretty close. Not sure but Marshall may have beat me on that..... Just kidding Marshall.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by sourdough

My oldest grandchild is 32 so pretty close. Not sure but Marshall may have beat me on that..... Just kidding Marshall.

I think Danny's deflecting We have 2 daughters in their 30's, 2 grandsons 8 & 11, and 2 grand daughters 7 & 8 and despite what Danny says no matter how long I live I'll never be as old as he is!

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by wborisenok

Great input and definitely something I didn't quite consider. I wonder if an upgraded lock would even defer a potential thief.

In my opinion: HELL NO !!!!! If you think about it, I've never "been inside a crook's head" but I very seriously doubt that anyone sneaking around a RV storage lot at midnight with a flashlight is going to be checking the brand of lock on the door before using a crowbar to pry the door open to see what's inside....

Locks, IMHO, serve only two purposes: 1) to keep honest people honest and 2) to help the lock owner sleep better... Any crook that's determined to be dishonest is not going to be deterred by a "upgrade RV door lock" when all they have to do is pry the cheaply made door frame open to get inside. The lockset won't hold the door closed, so it's irrelevant what brand lock is used. The prybar wins regardless....

Now, if you're looking for convenience with electric locks, etc, that's a different situation, but I'd still recommend waiting until you have your trailer and can take the existing lockset out to measure the cutout opening before ordering a replacement. It's hard to return a lockset, even to Amazon, after the "return window has closed".... If that happens, you're stuck with an expensive lock that won't fit, you can't return and even if you put it on Craigslist, you'll still lose about half the cost....

That old saying, "Patience is a virtue" rings "loud and clear" at least to me....

[wborisenok]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

In my opinion: HELL NO !!!!! If you think about it, I've never "been inside a crook's head" but I very seriously doubt that anyone sneaking around a RV storage lot at midnight with a flashlight is going to be checking the brand of lock on the door before using a crowbar to pry the door open to see what's inside....

Locks, IMHO, serve only two purposes: 1) to keep honest people honest and 2) to help the lock owner sleep better... Any crook that's determined to be dishonest is not going to be deferred by a "upgrade RV door lock" when all they have to do is pry the cheaply made door frame open to get inside. The lockset won't hold the door closed, so it's irrelevant what brand lock is used. The prybar wins regardless....

Now, if you're looking for convenience with electric locks, etc, that's a different situation, but I'd still recommend waiting until you have your trailer and can take the existing lockset out to measure the cutout opening before ordering a replacement. It's hard to return a lockset, even to Amazon, after the "return window has closed".... If that happens, you're stuck with an expensive lock that won't fit, you can't return and even if you put it on Craigslist, you'll still lose about half the cost....

That old saying, "Patience is a virtue" rings "loud and clear" at least to me....

I think you just saved me $209.

I do still want to swap the locks on the slam latch doors - don’t love the idea of every RV owner having a key to my storage areas

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by wborisenok

I think you just saved me $209.

I do still want to swap the locks on the slam latch doors - don’t love the idea of every RV owner having a key to my storage areas

Locks are good at keeping small children in or out of areas, thieves not so much. I changed the exterior locks to the same key. I hate looking like a jailer with a huge ring of keys looking for the "one that fits".

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by wborisenok

I think you just saved me $209.

I do still want to swap the locks on the slam latch doors - don’t love the idea of every RV owner having a key to my storage areas

The compartment slam locks are "keyed like the main door" (not matched to the door on most trailers, but a similar type key series)... The older "cam twist lock" type compartment door is what uses the CH751 key. That's the type that all of us have "on our cam twist locksets"... The slam locks do not use the CH751 key.

As an example, my slam locks are all keyed alike (the main door keys are different) but the key series for my slam locks is "in the same series as the main door lock key"... The only CH751 keys on my trailer are the fresh water inlet door and the battery access door.

What I'm trying to get at is that if your trailer has "slam lock compartment doors" you probably won't have the same CH751 key to unlock those compartments.

[wborisenok]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

The compartment slam locks are "keyed like the main door" (not matched to the door on most trailers, but a similar type key series)... The older "cam twist lock" type compartment door is what uses the CH751 key. That's the type that all of us have "on our cam twist locksets"... The slam locks do not use the CH751 key.

As an example, my slam locks are all keyed alike (the main door keys are different) but the key series for my slam locks is "in the same series as the main door lock key"... The only CH751 keys on my trailer are the fresh water inlet door and the battery access door.

What I'm trying to get at is that if your trailer has "slam lock compartment doors" you probably won't have the same CH751 key to unlock those compartments.

I'm picking up what you're throwing down -- thank you! I'll do a thorough investigation once I get her home, hopefully Tuesday or Wednesday.

[wborisenok]

Speaking of thieves and other bad guys/gals, this may or may not be a bit of a hot topic but I hope to field some input. Those of you who travel with your firearm, do you have a suggestion for storage? I've got an awesome Vaultek biometric safe and my current thinking is that I may mount it inside the nightstand area -- it's two-tiered with plenty of space.

[JRTJH]

I keep mine in a lockbox under the bed. The lockbox is bolted to the floor (through the 5/8" decking and the steel runners under the bed that make up the roof of the front storage compartment. There are 6 bolts total that are inside the box when it's locked. There are 2" fender washers top and bottom and the nuts are tack welded to the bolt, the fender washer and the washer is tack welded to the steel runner.

Anybody that wants to break into that lockbox is going to spend way more time and make way more noise than they'd like to be making... Not to mention having 25' arms to keep a ratchet on the nut outside while trying to turn a bolt on the inside (if they can get the lockbox open). I assure you, they're not prying it off the floor.....

[wborisenok]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

I keep mine in a lockbox under the bed. The lockbox is bolted to the floor (through the 5/8" decking and the steel runners under the bed that make up the roof of the front storage compartment. There are 6 bolts total that are inside the box when it's locked. There are 2" fender washers top and bottom and the nuts are tack welded to the bolt, the fender washer and the washer is tack welded to the steel runner.

Anybody that wants to break into that lockbox is going to spend way more time and make way more noise than they'd like to be making... Not to mention having 25' arms to keep a ratchet on the nut outside while trying to turn a bolt on the inside (if they can get the lockbox open). I assure you, they're not prying it off the floor.....

Great setup. I may actually mimic something similar...

[wborisenok]

Checking in again with another update. My plates arrived on Saturday so this afternoon I made the 1.5 hour trip north to pick up our TT and finally tow it home! I was a bit nervous as I've never towed anything before, but made sure I did all my homework beforehand so I was as prepared as possible. It was the most uneventful trip home in the best way. And the only real butterflies I had were leading up to pulling it off the lot, but then I settled right in.

I quickly felt comfortable changing lanes and I didn't have a single scary/nervous moment. To be honest, if I hadn't driven over a couple of highway bridges I probably wouldn't have noticed it was back there. Going over the bridge bumps I could feel a bit of drag but that was about it. Before I left the lot, I set my truck's brake controller gain to 3.5 and it performed great the entire ride. Truck handled the TT perfectly, I cruised along at 65 and only noticed the weight when the truck shifted down for incline, but even then never really lost speed. Truck never seemed overworked; hummed along around 2000 RPMs and bumped into the 3000s on hills. Equalizer hitch was excellent, I didn't feel a single sway. Not one! Trucks went past me, cars whizzed by, I got sandwiched a couple times -- nothing.

I bought the Snap 'n Zap tow mirrors and they're kinda worthless. Lots of vibration and I didn't feel like they extended my view very much. Likely going back to Amazon and I'll search for something else.

When I got home, I backed it up my driveway and parked her right alongside my garage. Nailed the landing. Neighbors were bummed, they expected a show. So did I. It'll be a nice treat once I get the backup camera installed. The ONESTEP chocks are great, they setup fast and lock into place in a second. I'm definitely going to have to figure out how to secure them so they don't "disappear."

All in all, it was the best first experience I could ask for. Gave me just the confidence I needed -- but that's not to say I won't continue to be cautious. I was riding solo this evening but next time we head out I'll have some very precious cargo to keep safe. Couple of pics below. Please ignore my lawn, we had a crazy windstorm on Friday and I haven't gotten around to it yet. Ha!

[sourdough]

Congrats on getting the trailer and the uneventful trip home!! The good time are waiting.

A couple of things; although the trip home was great there WILL be that time when the trailer whips due to some force. The key is to never get complacent while towing and always be vigilant - watch what's coming at you from front or back as well as weather etc.

Secondly, I've only used the "add on" mirrors one time for towing an RV and I hated them; you just couldn't see what you needed to see. Looks like you have factory non towing mirrors. I've towed with those and the difference between them and actual towing mirrors are night and day. I don't know what options you have but having that additional view from the larger mirrors is worth its weight in gold. Hope you can find some that work well; that shaking and buzzing in the addons drove me nuts. Good luck and have fun.

[wborisenok]

Originally Posted by sourdough

Congrats on getting the trailer and the uneventful trip home!! The good time are waiting.

A couple of things; although the trip home was great there WILL be that time when the trailer whips due to some force. The key is to never get complacent while towing and always be vigilant - watch what's coming at you from front or back as well as weather etc.

Secondly, I've only used the "add on" mirrors one time for towing an RV and I hated them; you just couldn't see what you needed to see. Looks like you have factory non towing mirrors. I've towed with those and the difference between them and actual towing mirrors are night and day. I don't know what options you have but having that additional view from the larger mirrors is worth its weight in gold. Hope you can find some that work well; that shaking and buzzing in the addons drove me nuts. Good luck and have fun.

Absolutely will remain vigilant! In the EMS world, we call this keeping a "high index of suspicion" -- maintaining awareness and concern for potentially serious underlying issues.

I wonder if I could pick up a set of OEM towing mirrors...I actually have a hundred bucks to use on the Chevy website from when I bought my truck in February. Going to look into this!

[wborisenok]

TT's been home for 12 hours and I've already got a couple of potentially dumb questions.

When I plug into my 30A outlet at home, do I only have to turn the fridge off if I don't want it running?

In the same scenario, if I only want running water and electricity for lights/outlets, what else do I have to turn on? I don't necessarily need hot water, so can I leave the hot water heater off and only turn on the pump?

I'm just going to use the water to do the initial cleaning of the RV -- after this, I'll only have to drain the gray tank?

When I unplug, will all of my appliances reset each time so I'll need to set the clocks over ad over?

And finally, how the heck do I get my camper truly level? I had no issue getting it level front to back, but even with my set of QuickLevel RVs, it was still lower on one side. Do I have to use these in tandem with something else to get it level at home?

[MarkEHansen]

I will embed my answers in your post, below...

Originally Posted by wborisenok

TT's been home for 12 hours and I've already got a couple of potentially dumb questions.

When I plug into my 30A outlet at home, do I only have to turn the fridge off if I don't want it running?

It is really a 30A outlet? If it's a typical household outlet, like the type you would plug your lamp or vacuum cleaner into, then it's likely a 15A outlet.

Your fridge is probably set to run on Auto and only when you turn it on. When turned on with Auto, it will run using shore power (120v) when available and propane otherwise.

In the same scenario, if I only want running water and electricity for lights/outlets, what else do I have to turn on? I don't necessarily need hot water, so can I leave the hot water heater off and only turn on the pump?

You can turn on the water heater if you want, or not - it's up to you. You can use the water pump to provide water pressure, or you can connect a garden hose to your city water connection - also up to you. Don't leave any water pressure on (either water pump or city water connection) when you're not at the trailer, as a leak can flood the trailer interior.

I'm just going to use the water to do the initial cleaning of the RV -- after this, I'll only have to drain the gray tank?

You only need to drain the gray tank when it needs dumping. When I run water in the trailer to do simple tasks, like clean while the trailer is in storage - I don't run enough water to worry about dumping the gray tank.

When I unplug, will all of my appliances reset each time so I'll need to set the clocks over ad over?

Those that run on 120V, like the microwave? Yes. If you disconnect your shore power cable, the trailer looses it's 120v power source. However, things like the entertainment center radio should be operating on the 12v DC power system so they should be okay until you remove the coach battery (or turn off the battery disconnect)

And finally, how the heck do I get my camper truly level? I had no issue getting it level front to back, but even with my set of QuickLevel RVs, it was still lower on one side. Do I have to use these in tandem with something else to get it level at home?

If the blocks you're using to raise one side of the trailer are not enough to level it from side to side, then you need more. It sounds like your site is really unlevel. You'll just have to add blocks until the trailer is level side to side.