What did you do to your RV today?

[mbi777]

Needed a bit more countertop space. Bought a bracket and cutting board which makes a huge difference. Folds out of the way when not using.

Farberware Rubberwood Cutting Board with Trench, 14-Inch x 20-Inch

Folding Shelf Brackets 12 Inch, Pynsseu Heavy Duty Stainless Steel Collapsible Wall Mounted Shelf Bracket for DIY Table Work Bench, Space Saving DIY Bracket, 2 Pack,

[Weldon]

Originally Posted by Jonahex2099

Today being relative -

- Reinforced the dinette booth
- Installed more usb chargeable magnetic motion lights in various crevices.
- Installed 115v/USB outlet in the dinette booth.
- Added a cap seal to all windows (evidently they don't do this anymore?)
- Installed MaxxAir vent covers on bathroom and bedroom vents.

To date I have tried at least twelve different hinges/struts/braces for the overhead cabinets since Keystone doesn't use lock in place hinges (and apparently has no idea what they are per the support person I've been emailing back and forth with) - so far nothing that works. Ideas at this point (any viable short putting hooks on the ceiling...) are more than welcome...

Jonah, I use a bungee cord on our 4 doors above our sofa when traveling. Above our sink, we have 2 more doors. I use a baby lock on those. On one our first trips, we arrived back home and our dishes were on the ground. Thankfully most were plastic and metal.. but my wife's copper pans we're dented...she wasn't a happy camper. I've found bungee and child lock the easiest ways to avoid that..

Here is something like our baby lock

QT BABY Baby Proofing Cabinet Locks | Adjustable U Shaped Baby Safety Latches for Drawers, Fridge, Closet |Modern Baby Proofing Cabinet Lock with Extra Secure Lock Buttons (Pack of 2, White) https://a.co/d/2HZFzE9

[wiredgeorge]

Decided to make my old Cougar more modern and ordered one of these:

https://www.oreillyauto.com/flux-500.html?q=121g

[sourdough]

Better check the speed rating on your tires....you need at least 88mph!

[LHaven]

Doof! Those are only for MOTORHOMES!

[LHaven]

Got Ace to match the cabin ceiling "paint" (actually, a plastic film), then used a touch of drywall mud and that paint to repair the gouge our slide made in the ceiling when one of the cables popped off. Installed some washers on our badly cracking shower skylight bezel (need to replace it someday, the screw-on design for this thin plastic part is ridiculous). Did a propane leak test, false alarm. Began a multi-coat 303 treatment to the tongue jack head and propane cover (the transparent plastic parts have already gone brown).

[Brentw]

Well..... noticed a couple of cracked straps on sewer pipe, replaced them. Then was going to foam the gap where pipe came thru corplast. Corplast hanging a bit and felt like loose dirt up there when I banged on it. Okay, drop the back end and scrape a shovel full of loose dirt out of there, BTW...there is no insulation in the floor area...blizzard package my arse. Resecure and add a few more tech screws on the xbars, nice and secure now.
Okay... why is that spring looking funny, shoot, a broken leaf. So no I am changing all 4 leaf springs.
Holy moly.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Brentw

Well..... noticed a couple of cracked straps on sewer pipe, replaced them. Then was going to foam the gap where pipe came thru corplast. Corplast hanging a bit and felt like loose dirt up there when I banged on it. Okay, drop the back end and scrape a shovel full of loose dirt out of there, BTW...there is no insulation in the floor area...blizzard package my arse. Resecure and add a few more tech screws on the xbars, nice and secure now.
Okay... why is that spring looking funny, shoot, a broken leaf. So no I am changing all 4 leaf springs.
Holy moly.

Brent,

Did you determine where that shovelful of dirt came from? If it was actually dirt, how did it get in there? On the other hand, if it was actually "dried dust collected from condensation or a holding tank leak"..... Hmmmmm ??

Any idea why dirt was inside the coroplast ???

As for "blizzard package, arctic package, polar package, cold weather insulation" or any other "buzz word catch phrase" they use, it's usually not much more than a layer of bubble wrap above the coroplast. That said, if you remove the coroplast enough to see the underside of the floor decking, you'll probably find it's wrapped in DARCO and the actual fiberglass insulation is above the DARCO, where it can stay dry and do its job. If the fiberglass (or sometimes foam) insulation was exposed next to the coroplast, it is "almost guaranteed" to get wet and mold/deteriorate. So, it's up, above the frame crossmembers, wrapped with DARCO in almost all Keystone trailers. That said, there are some models that don't even have a coroplast lower barrier. On those, the bottom of the holding tanks are exposed to the elements. On that type "build" you can lay under the trailer, see the DARCO and in some of the cutouts for plumbing/electrical runs, you can see the insulation "fuzz" around the cutout.

While this photo is not your specific trailer, it shows what I described above. Item 14 is the foam insulation, #16 is the "bottom luan layer", #17 is the DARCO wrap and #18 is the coroplast. Between #17 and #18 you'll see the 2" heat duct (#19) and not shown is the bottom half of the holding tanks that the heat duct is supposed to keep warm..... On many brands, Keystone has replaced that 2" heat duct with 12 volt heat pads on each tank.

Anyway, I think if you look further, you'll find the actual insulation "above the DARCO, hidden from view.

As for the springs, I upgraded my axles from the Lippert 5200 GAWR derated to 4400 pounds (to install the smaller tires) to "real 6000 pound axles. The springs on my smaller axles were "beat to hell and bent/warped" when I removed them and they were "not loaded by the trailer weight". I'm glad I decided to upgrade springs while I had the axles removed. The old ones probably wouldn't have lasted long the way they looked, but at least I didn't find a broken leaf, just "bent to hell and back" ones.....

[sourdough]

Brent as John mentioned, look at those springs/axles. Back in 2015 they were underbuilding the suspensions on these rigs IMO (still are to me). A broken spring could well be an indicator that they just aren't up to the job. I replaced my axles and suspension just as John did simply because I didn't think they were stout enough for the job at hand. If you're going to replace the springs I would suggest going heavier and if you do make sure the axles are rated to carry them. And if you are going to do it might as well do the whole shebang and be done with it. JMO

[Moneyslinger]

I agree, just upgraded to heavier axles last year (could not get OEM luckily), that included larger brakes. I hardly use my truck brakes now. Feel way safer. I just added solar panels and battery and inverter, so upgraded to heavier springs too. Cheap if you do it yourself.

[JRTJH]

We just towed for the first trip with the new axles, from northern Michigan to Mt Airy, NC, through the mountains (hills in WV). The trailer tracked better than it did in the 40K+ miles on the old axles. Smoother towing, less bounce, less "creaking" and less wavering on the road.

The 6K Dexter axles are, IMO, far superior to the 5.2K Lippert axles. and the springs rated at 3K each vs the 2.6K on the OEM springs give the trailer a "more sure footed tracking". It may just be my imagination or my expectation that the trailer performs better, but with the axles, springs, wet bolt kit, CRE3000 equalizers and the Morryde cross member bars, the suspension just feels better when towing.

If you're going to replace the springs, I'd also (I think it's mandatory) that you also replace the U-bolts and nuts. If you're doing that, why not step up to the next spring capacity to get better support for the axles ???

[Brentw]

I did see some fuzzy insulation protruding where a duct went thru the floor, just expected more. The dirt came in from a droopy corplast under the rear steps and many miles on a gravel road in the rain, road wash I expect. Got it flattened out and tightened up with some extra metal screws.
The springs, 5000 miles a year on I'm sure barely adequate springs and our great roads, I was expecting to find a broken leaf eventually. And yes, new ubolts installed as well. The heavy greasable shackles paid off as they were in great shape. The axles are stamped at 7000 lbs, so went with the same springs. Would love to go to a independent and disc brakes, maybe next one.

[Brentw]

Is it worth trying to install shocks on these things?
Not to start a big debate or anything, so many come without ( $$$ I assume) and so little suspension travel.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Brentw

Is it worth trying to install shocks on these things?
Not to start a big debate or anything, so many come without ( $$$ I assume) and so little suspension travel.

I think you'll find as many "yes, shocks should be on every trailer" as you will, "Nope, why put shocks on it, especially since nobody even balances the tires?"...

Back in the day, EVERY luxury trailer brand had shocks. Airstream, Boles Aero, Silver Streak, Silver Stream, Avion, Holiday Rambler all had shocks on every model. Through the years, many components were eliminated as "not really necessary" and as many excuses were used for why they weren't needed as there were parts dropped from the standard trailer build.

Today, Airstream, even with torsion bar suspension (no springs) still installs shocks on all wheels. There are a couple of other "luxury brands" that custom build trailers and they all have shocks.

In the Keystone brands, I don't think any of the trailers come standard with shocks, but they are optional on some of the "top level fifth wheels".

What specific problems or issues are you having that would cause you to consider installing shocks? There may be alternate solutions to a specific situation that is cheaper and/or more effective than installing shocks on an axle with limited clearance, not a lot of axle movement and virtually no way to actually install shocks in a vertical (same plane as the axle movement) due to the way the suspension is designed.

[Brentw]

Originally Posted by JRTJH

I think you'll find as many "yes, shocks should be on every trailer" as you will, "Nope, why put shocks on it, especially since nobody even balances the tires?"...

Back in the day, EVERY luxury trailer brand had shocks. Airstream, Boles Aero, Silver Streak, Silver Stream, Avion, Holiday Rambler all had shocks on every model. Through the years, many components were eliminated as "not really necessary" and as many excuses were used for why they weren't needed as there were parts dropped from the standard trailer build.

Today, Airstream, even with torsion bar suspension (no springs) still installs shocks on all wheels. There are a couple of other "luxury brands" that custom build trailers and they all have shocks.

In the Keystone brands, I don't think any of the trailers come standard with shocks, but they are optional on some of the "top level fifth wheels".

What specific problems or issues are you having that would cause you to consider installing shocks? There may be alternate solutions to a specific situation that is cheaper and/or more effective than installing shocks on an axle with limited clearance, not a lot of axle movement and virtually no way to actually install shocks in a vertical (same plane as the axle movement) due to the way the suspension is designed.

Thanks for that.
No specific issue, just thinking to reduce suspension wear and perhaps reduce road shock to the cabin. Sounds like a bunch of work for minimal gain.
Sometimes I have solutions looking for problems.
Appreciate the replies and suggestions. Getting ready to head down to AZ 1st part of November.

[JRTJH]

I was concerned with the heavier springs and larger axles that I would have some issues with "rough, shaking ride". I found just the opposite. Upgrading to a heavier spring set actually eliminated most of the lean in curves and stopped the majority of the "rear end bounce" that we previously had. Things stayed in the rear kitchen cabinets and those cabinet contents actually stayed in place during this trip. DW commented that this is the first time she hasn't had to duck and dodge falling plates and boxes when opening her kitchen cabinets after towing. Hmmmmm

I'm not sure which equalizer brand you have on your trailer. The Lippert RoadMaster seems to be the current product Keystone is installing on upper end trailers. When ours was built, it was the CRE3000 system and mine is still in use almost 9 years after the trailer was built in May 2013. I just cleaned it up, sent photos of the rubber bushings to MorRyde and they told me it was still serviceable and that I didn't need to replace it even though I was replacing everything else under the trailer. So, I believed them and found they were right.

Your "bouncing/bobbing trailer" may be caused by the "too weak springs". Maybe a test tow after the springs are upgraded to see how it handles. It may surprise you (and save you some money to boot).....

[sourdough]

I will agree with John. I upgraded my axles from OE 6k Dexter to 7k Dexter along with the springs etc.. I replaced the new Road Armor suspension with an LRE4000 MorRyde. I was warned about "harsh" ride; beating things to death etc. from some. The exact opposite is true. That includes upgrading to steel belted LRG tires from LRF non steel and 110psi vs 95psi.

Logic tells me that the manufacturer uses the cheapest, lightest weight anything to get by. That is proven day in and day out. In my last trailer just going to LRE tires from LRD made the cabinet doors stop popping open. In your case with a 16,500gvw 7k axles and springs are at that marginal point IMO so just keep in mind upgrading those axles and springs if you are going to keep it. If not, wait till the next one and throw it all on it....with disc brakes!!

[Brentw]

Agree, everything is marginal. It pulls okay, and generally stuff stays on the counter.
Dexter 7k axles, wet bolt kit, dexter ez flex equalizer, Hercules 901 tires, moryde pin box.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by Brentw

Agree, everything is marginal. It pulls okay, and generally stuff stays on the counter.
Dexter 7k axles, wet bolt kit, dexter ez flex equalizer, Hercules 901 tires, moryde pin box.

I would "test tow" with the upgraded, heavier spring packs, see what you think about how it performs with only that upgrade before adding anything else. Over the years, I've found that when you "throw it all on at once" and see an improvement, you really don't know which component or which set of components are what caused the improvement. Doing things "one at a time" gives you the added insight about how "that singular upgrade" performs.

That said, you may feel the need for upgrading again, but on the other hand, if the trailer towing performance meets your expectations with the spring pack upgrade, you've saved quite a bit of money that stays in your wallet. I'd play this one on the conservative side and see what improvements you have on this next trip and whether you feel more upgrades are needed before doing anything else.

[Brentw]

Sorry for any confusion, this is what is currently on my rig ( and now new spring packs).
But absolutely, always good advice to do and check-1 item at a time.

Dexter 7k axles, wet bolt kit, dexter ez flex equalizer, Hercules 901 tires, moryde pin box.