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Old 04-06-2021, 05:24 PM   #21
Urbish
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The forward panel under the queen bed was attached with about 20 screws. There is a fuse for the water pump under there and valves for winterization. There is also a lot of wasted space. So I trimmed the piece of OSB, added some hinges, and a strap for lifting it. Now I can also access the deep bowels of the exterior cargo compartment from the top without having to make a child go in there. While I was at it, I also added some reinforcement to the divider between the water tank and the stowage compartment as a very light touch was enough to dislodge it.
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Old 04-06-2021, 05:27 PM   #22
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I was loading up the TT with my gear so I could go to the CAT scale and get an idea of my weight distribution. In the course of putting stuff in the dinette storage compartment, an item put light pressure on the aisle side of the compartment, blowing the panel 1/2 way off. Tiny staples and no glue. Awesome. So I pulled the entire panel off, removed all the staples, and put it back on with wood glue and my brad nailer. It's probably the strongest thing in the camper now.
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Old 04-06-2021, 05:29 PM   #23
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My overhead cabinets had backing panels in them that cover up back of the tank level gauge on one side and the radio on the other side. Both are flimsily attached and began to fall apart with the slightest pressure. I 3D printed some gussets that are screwed to the ceiling and use plastic pop-rivets through the thin panel. They are a million percent sturdier now.
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Old 04-06-2021, 05:37 PM   #24
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Hmmm, what to do about mounting a spare tire. I've read the horror stories and seen the photos of what happens when you mount the spare on the cheesy rear bumpers on these low-level RVs. I inspected my bumper and it's welded pretty good on driver side, but the passenger side is only half-welded and tacked in other places. I also know that even the best welds in the world are great, but the thin wall of the bumper itself is known to fatigue crack and fall off. But on this TT there is NO OTHER place to mount the spare unless I want to put it inside.

So I came up with a no-weld solution that I think is going to work great. I went ahead and mounted the spare on the bumper and yanked on it to see what moved and how it moved. I then devised a plan. I wanted to bolt a reinforcement to the bumper and tie into two of the frame cross bars. This seemed like a great idea. But upon closer inspection I realized I couldn't bolt through the 2nd cross bar because the flange that I would need to drill through supports my black water tank. So I came up with another option.

I bought two 4"x3/8" U-bolts and cut two pieces of scrap angle iron to length. I bolted the angle to the rearmost cross bar, attached the U-bolts, and because the forward cross bar was raised up a bit, I had room to put two jack bolts with jam nuts between the reinforcement and the cross bar. With this in place, the torgue from the bouncing spare tire is transmitted directly to the frame and it provides longintudinal as well as vertical support to the bumper. I'll pull these back off, clean them up, and paint them for corrosion prevention. I will keep a close eye on this setup when I hit the road. The spare seems to be rock solid and the bumper doesn't creak when I tug on the spare.
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Old 04-06-2021, 05:59 PM   #25
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For whatever reason the 12V solar/trickle plug installed by the dealer at the tongue near the battery is gendered opposite my trickle charger and solar charge controller. I learned this when I plugged in my solar charge controller and let the smoke out immediately. I purchased a similar replacement solar charge controller and 3D printed a dandy holder/mount to keep it out of the weather while allowing air to pass by it for cooling. It hangs on the angle-iron at the battery tray when in use. I think I'll re-print it in a bright color so I don't forget it on there.
Most of the keystone solar ports are zamp brand ..they are reverse port/ proprietary...you can buy an adaptor on Amazon
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Old 04-06-2021, 06:32 PM   #26
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...

So I came up with a no-weld solution that I think is going to work great. I went ahead and mounted the spare on the bumper and yanked on it to see what moved and how it moved. I then devised a plan. I wanted to bolt a reinforcement to the bumper and tie into two of the frame cross bars. This seemed like a great idea. But upon closer inspection I realized I couldn't bolt through the 2nd cross bar because the flange that I would need to drill through supports my black water tank. So I came up with another option.

I bought two 4"x3/8" U-bolts and cut two pieces of scrap angle iron to length. I bolted the angle to the rearmost cross bar, attached the U-bolts, and because the forward cross bar was raised up a bit, I had room to put two jack bolts with jam nuts between the reinforcement and the cross bar. With this in place, the torgue from the bouncing spare tire is transmitted directly to the frame and it provides longintudinal as well as vertical support to the bumper. I'll pull these back off, clean them up, and paint them for corrosion prevention. I will keep a close eye on this setup when I hit the road. The spare seems to be rock solid and the bumper doesn't creak when I tug on the spare.
Be very VERY cautious about having the spare mounted "behind and below the bumper. If you go over a "rise" such as into a gas station, the rear of the trailer tends to "drag much closer to the ground"... You have two "VERY THIN, ALMOST TOO FRAGILE" skids mounted under each end of the bumper extension. They will not support the trailer weight with any forward movement, so when (not if) you drag the bumper on the ground, you'll already be "ripping the rubber off the spare tire and using the wheel as a skid plate" (that is, provided the bumper even stays on the trailer.

If you're intent on keeping the spare tire mounted on the bumper, at least move it up so when (not if) the bumper does drag the ground, you don't destroy your spare tire/wheel by ripping it off the back of the trailer.....

I couldn't begin to count the people who have damaged their trailer/spare tire that way. Too many to even start to count. Don't be the next !!!!!
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Old 04-07-2021, 02:21 AM   #27
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Be very VERY cautious about having the spare mounted "behind and below the bumper. If you go over a "rise" such as into a gas station, the rear of the trailer tends to "drag much closer to the ground"... You have two "VERY THIN, ALMOST TOO FRAGILE" skids mounted under each end of the bumper extension. They will not support the trailer weight with any forward movement, so when (not if) you drag the bumper on the ground, you'll already be "ripping the rubber off the spare tire and using the wheel as a skid plate" (that is, provided the bumper even stays on the trailer.

If you're intent on keeping the spare tire mounted on the bumper, at least move it up so when (not if) the bumper does drag the ground, you don't destroy your spare tire/wheel by ripping it off the back of the trailer.....

I couldn't begin to count the people who have damaged their trailer/spare tire that way. Too many to even start to count. Don't be the next !!!!!
Yes, that is my greatest concern with this setup. I'll see what I can do to move it up in the air.
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Old 04-07-2021, 02:31 AM   #28
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Honestly, that tire would drag going thru a lot of intersections around here. I'd suggest moving it first. I don't think you need a test drive to find out what will happen.
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Old 04-07-2021, 03:39 AM   #29
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Maybe I will ditch or repurpose the mount I bought and weld some vertical members and a plate to the bars that I added, raising it up above the bumper. Then I'll bolt some triangulated bars to it so that the whole thing is still removable.

EDIT: Thinking about it further, I will repurpose the mount I bought but move it above the bumper and forward so that it is much closer to the back of the TT.
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Old 04-07-2021, 11:25 AM   #30
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Alright, I have a plan of attack for relocating the spare tire upward. I will post once I get it mocked-up.
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Old 04-08-2021, 08:13 AM   #31
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Wow, I must have got a good one - I'm impressed by your acceptance of your trailer's problems and your methods to correct them. I got my Keystone Passport 238ML over 3 years ago, and the main fixes I've done were reinforcing the dinette seat back (added 1x4s to the flimsy 1x2s), fixing a bad roof seal, and solidly screwing in the dinette bed supports that had been merely stapled. Fair number of enhancements, but those are improving not fixing.
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Old 04-08-2021, 12:14 PM   #32
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I bought a brand new 2021 Aspen Trail 17BH a couple months ago. This is my first travel trailer, graduating out of the popup camper finally. I know these are slapped together as quickly and cheaply as possible and knew not to expect automotive quality, but I've found a lot of issues that were missed at the factory and my dealer didn't catch prior to delivery. They are as follows:
  • Self-tapping screws that secure the propane tank bracket to the tongue were loose requiring 3-5 additional turns to make tight
  • Rear roof vent unable to be fully closed due to twisted 'catch' that holds it in secured position
  • Interior trim falling off around door
  • Screen door has gaps at top corners ~1/4"
  • Heavy roof caulk glob at front corner of roof did not adhere to the roof
  • Screw puncture through vinyl roofing material above door (driven too far from inside the body)
  • Circuit board on the water heater improperly installed, dangling from wires and hanging outside its enclosure
  • Screws too numerous to count that were driven in and missed studs, making them completely ornamental
  • Although there was a factory installed Winegard Air 360 antenna installed at the factory, the radio antenna was not connected to it and was found neatly coiled up behind the radio, hidden behind a cabinet backing panel
  • Cabinet backing panels barely attached and unsupported so that any item in the storage cubby that leaned on the backing panel would break it loose
  • Several loose crimp wire splices that fell apart when touched (positive lead at water pump, green wire at trailer tongue (right turn signal/brake light wire), and overhead light at sink)
  • Completely unsealed hole through floor behind power center where 12V wires are routed
  • Loose screws securing all window frames
  • Entry door prop falling off (and flimsy design that broke during a slight breeze with door propped open)
  • Incomplete caulking of shower surround
  • Missed welds on frame extension leading to rear bumper (fully butt-welded all around on left side, one of 4 sides welded on the other)
  • Flimsy front shelf that sagged severely with only a few lightweight items on it
  • Spars under queen bed loose/flimsy with only a single screw in the center of each securing them in place
  • Bouncy feeling inside since this model comes with only rear stabilizer jacks and the front is supported only by the tongue jack

This is not intended to be a complaint thread. But I will detail what I did to rectify each of these items and some items I 3D printed or fabricated to make it right. I intend to do some long distance travelling and don't want to be dealing with broken stuff when I should be enjoying camping! More to come...
At the risk of offending Keystone fans what you have found is pretty similar to what I found with a new 2017 Cougar 30RLI I bought in 2017. After haggling with the dealership I asked them if they thought the PDI charge they tacked on the price was worth it to the purchaser.
After a year and a half of enduring poor heat and cool air (yes, I added the second air conditioner) distribution and lack of any meaningful support from Keystone I traded the Cougar for a competitor’s product.
Although there has been minor issues the manufacturer’s customer service readily satisfied.

No RV is without issues but my latest rig had much fewer than what I experienced with my Cougar.

I liked the Cougar but, as I said, some things became too much.
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Old 04-10-2021, 09:14 AM   #33
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Bummer about all of the issues, but I really enjoyed reading through your solutions! Also, now I want a 3D printer. Haha. What level of skill is required to make things such as the cord cap and the remote caddy?
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Old 04-10-2021, 12:05 PM   #34
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Great work on the upgrades and fixes, James!

Now, if I could convince my DW how much we need a 3-D printer....

Take care!
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Old 04-11-2021, 05:18 AM   #35
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Bummer about all of the issues, but I really enjoyed reading through your solutions! Also, now I want a 3D printer. Haha. What level of skill is required to make things such as the cord cap and the remote caddy?
It wouldn't take much to design and print the remote caddy and cord cap. One will need some design software though. I have Solidworks through my employer. There are some free CAD solutions that will export a DXF file for printing.

That said I have been designing in CAD for 26 years and 3d printing for 5.
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Old 04-11-2021, 09:03 AM   #36
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Urbish, thanks for posting. Looks like you may have been bit by Covid and the rush to build for the increased demand. I think all of us have experienced similar issues but hopefully not all at once!

Our unit was actually in pretty good shape when we got it. I also tortured the dealership to make sure I tested as much as I could before delivery and it took more than the 1.5 hours that they had allocated for the inspection. Most of the issues I had ended up being dealer induced.

I am comfortable doing most of the repairs and upgrades myself. I also quickly learned it was way easier to take care of the problems myself than work through scheduling, part delays, management excuses and lack of trained technicians at the dealer. I have since had a sit down with the GM so I remain hopeful that somethings may improve.

I enjoy reading what others on this forum have experienced and the innovative ways they have corrected issues. Hope you can now start enjoying your camper!
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Old 04-20-2021, 11:02 AM   #37
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I noticed that the top of corners of the screen door had about a 1/2" gap when the screen door was closed. I tried adjusting the door but couldn't close the gap with adjustments alone. I also took 10 minutes and actually tightened every screw that holds the door together since they were all a couple of turns or more from actually being tight. I bought some super squishy self adhesive weather stripping and added it to the upper radii of the door itself. Now between the weatherstripping on the door frame and what I added to the door, I have eliminated a mosquito vector.
What type/where did you get that weatherstripping. HAving the same issue with the doors on my passport.
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Old 04-20-2021, 11:12 AM   #38
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What type/where did you get that weatherstripping. HAving the same issue with the doors on my passport.
I threw away the packaging, but I believe it is this stuff. I got it at ACE hardware. Make sure you get really soft stuff so that it can crush to near zero thickness where the gap tapers and so it will easily conform to the radius of the door.

https://www.acehardware.com/departme...ipping/5332085
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Old 04-20-2021, 12:52 PM   #39
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Great thanks
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Old 05-05-2021, 05:11 PM   #40
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So the ridiculous door prop broke for a 4th time and we haven't even been camping yet. This calls for action. I 3d printed a heim joint, a mounting bracket/hinge, and a t-shaped lug. The heim joint and the lug each fit into the ends of a .5" schedule 40 PVC pipe and are pinned in place.

The door can't swing full open because it will hit the awning arm. This holds it open a little over 90 degrees. I relocated the original door prop receptacle to the latch edge of the door.

I am going to 3d print a lower bracket that holds the prop against the side of the TT when folded straight down using a velcro strap looped around it.
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