My All-Inclusive Newbie Thread: Bullet Crossfire 2430BH

[vampress_me]

Originally Posted by wborisenok

Finally, I've got some questions. Might as well just rip the band-aid off and ask the fun one right out of the gate:

1. Tampons...what to do with them when RVing?

This one, I can help with. Having watched “Man, Woman, Wild” on TV, I have it on great authority (from Mykel Hawke on the program) that US tampons can be used as fire starter much better/ easier than U.K. tampons. He once stated he tried a bunch of his wife’s tampons to see which would work best as fire starters, and US tampons won hands down. Don’t ask why I remember that, I’m a fount of useless info. But this makes me chuckle every time I try to start our campfire and have a problem getting it going. Sadly, I have not experimented yet.

On the serious side, as has been stated, do not put tampons (or their wrappers) down the camper toilet. Just like if you live on a septic system at home. Bad idea either way. Wrap them in toilet paper and put them in the garbage and change the garbage often.

[wborisenok]

Originally Posted by vampress_me

This one, I can help with. Having watched “Man, Woman, Wild” on TV, I have it on great authority (from Mykel Hawke on the program) that US tampons can be used as fire starter much better/ easier than U.K. tampons. He once stated he tried a bunch of his wife’s tampons to see which would work best as fire starters, and US tampons won hands down. Don’t ask why I remember that, I’m a fount of useless info. But this makes me chuckle every time I try to start our campfire and have a problem getting it going. Sadly, I have not experimented yet.

On the serious side, as has been stated, do not put tampons (or their wrappers) down the camper toilet. Just like if you live on a septic system at home. Bad idea either way. Put them in the garbage and change the garbage often.

Thank GOD you stayed!!!

It dawned on me the day after I posted this that it could be a great idea to put our daughter's dirty diaper pail in the bathroom and utilize that for tampons as well. Two birds, one stone!

[flybouy]

Tampons make great corks for gunshot wounds. Stick it in the wound and it swell up and stop the leak. If you want to find out why you should never flush one down the toilet just take a quart can or jar (they are approximately 3" dia.) and place tampon inside. Then fill with water and watch the water dissapear while the tampon swells like prize fighters' eye.

[Garbman]

ALSO, we have our PDI tomorrow morning at 11AM. Our salesman told us to plan for it to take 3-4 hours which made me feel pretty confident that they intend to do a thorough job. I printed out the long PDI checklist that is floating around the forums, so I'm ready to go with that. I also called the dealer today to confirm that we'll do the walkthrough BEFORE signing on the dotted line. You don't buy a house before the home inspection, same should apply here. They confirmed they do it that way 100% of the time. They also confirmed it will be completely de-winterized so we can test all systems.

Just an FYI - not sure if your unit is new or used but ....we were also told by the sales people they would de-winterize and empty all tanks on our preowned unit. When we got it home, we heard liquids sloshing around. checked the levels and found the fresh water tank was completely full and gray water and black water both were at about 25%. Not sure why, but had a hard time draining the fresh water. I ended up having to turn the pump on and off, several times, to get it to drain. I am sure they thought it was drained because they opened the valve and the water quickly stopped flowing. Assume they did not bother to check the levels at the monitor.

[JRTJH]

Originally Posted by wborisenok

Knew I forgot something. Would love suggestions for your favorite lightweight camping chairs. The lighter the better! Main use will be for around the campfire. I checked out L.L. Bean's Packlite chairs and they were super comfortable and super light, but they're pretty pricey at $69-$79 each -- especially when I'm hoping to grab a set of 4.

Lightweight is OK, but if you can "easily pack it to the firepit but can't sit in it more than 2 minutes until having to get up and ease the pains from sitting in it"......

I'd much rather have a COMFORTABLE chair that I can use than a "easy to carry chair that sucks to sit in".... YMMV.

As Javi said, the aluminum folding chairs at WalMart for $20, the ones "grandma used to have" are significantly more comfortable than the "folding nightmares that never go back into that canvas sack, but sure look nice around the campfire"... I'd suspect the reason you notice all those engineering marvels around the campfire is because NOBODY sits in them because they "suck as comfortable places for a butt".....

Yeah, I know, but too many companies are trying to build a better mousetrap and too many of them have actually built chairs that are as comfortable as a mousetrap.....

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by flybouy

Tampons make great corks for gunshot wounds. Stick it in the wound and it swell up and stop the leak. If you want to find out why you should never flush one down the toilet just take a quart can or jar (they are approximately 3" dia.) and place tampon inside. Then fill with water and watch the water dissapear while the tampon swells like prize fighters' eye.

And here we have a man of incredible knowledge and wisdom... thanks for bringing that wonderful insight!

[Canonman]

"Would love suggestions for your favorite lightweight camping chairs. The lighter the better! Main use will be for around the campfire. "

I would suggest looking at "Director's Chair" style. Not lightweight enough for backpacking but easy to use and certainly light enough for campground use. I find these quite comfortable as well. Weight load can be up to 400# so very sturdy and they fold up compact enough carry 4 in minimal space. Prices can vary but around $30 will get you a good quality chair at Sam's or Amazon.

[B-O-B'03]

Originally Posted by wborisenok

Generator: Champion 4650-Watt/3650-Watt Remote Start Gasoline RV Ready Inverter
https://www.homedepot.com/p/4650-Wat...0993/315272388

EMS system: Progressive Industries PT30X 30 Amp EMS with Surge Protection
https://www.campingworld.com/progres...8l-102484.html

Extension: Camco 50' PowerGrip
https://www.amazon.com/Camco-Extensi...dDbGljaz10cnVl

Adapters: Camco 15A Male to 30A Female, 50A Male to 30A Female, 30A Male to 50A Female

Sewer hose: RhinoFLEX 20'
https://www.campingworld.com/rhinofl...%27-87749.html

Chocks: Fastway ONEstep
https://www.campingworld.com/fastway...B&gclsrc=aw.ds

Water pressure regulator: Renator Brass Lead-free Adjustable Water Pressure Reducer with Gauge for RV Camper, and Inlet Screened Filter
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7JZTYX...v_ov_lig_dp_it
I think that covers my potential purchases. Would love any feedback on these or other recommendations, especially if you have first-hand experience with anything I listed or found something comparable that you love. Also seeking recommendations for:

- Water filter
- TPMS
- Solar power
- Flat top griddle
- Super lightweight camping chairs (mostly for use around the firepit)
- TV: I haven't bought a TV in a number of years, but from my quick research you can get a good bang for your buck compared to 8 years ago when I bought my 55" Samsung. Deciding between putting a smaller TV in the bedroom or just doing one 32" TV in the common space. Is there any benefit to a Roku TV versus your standard smart TV with Netflix, Hulu, etc?

Finally, I've got some questions. Might as well just rip the band-aid off and ask the fun one right out of the gate:

1. Tampons...what to do with them when RVing?
2. I have a general understanding of how RV power works, but would love a bit more clarity. Can someone explain what I WILL and WON'T be able to run on shore power vs. generator vs. 30A hookup?
3. What's the best way to charge my batteries before a trip?
4. Can batteries alone operate our slide? What else?
5. How many gallons of water should I put in my fresh water tank before we head off for a trip? Not looking to add too much weight, but just enough to be able to use the bathroom or sink if we need to stop.
6. My TT (Bullet Crossfire 2430BH) comes with a solar battery charger hookup right at the front, adjacent to where the battery sits. I can't seem to find the product that I'd plug in here and wasn't sure if it was just a standard solar hookup or if there's actually such thing as a solar battery charger. In my head I imagine a solar battery charger to be on the smaller side and specific to charging batteries, not powering anything else. Does this exist?

I think that covers everything I've been thinking about for the last two weeks. If not, I'll be sure to edit and add! Thank you all for your awesome info thus far, this community is bottomless when it comes to helpful info.

Whitney

I have the items in your list that I copied above in one form or another, the extension is only 25 feet and it now lives in the garage and has not been used.

a 2800/3100 Champion inverter generator that is coming into our 7th season and it has been great. I also used it to power our house when we had "stormagedon" in February and it kept everything from freezing, we had 1 gas furnace, lights, cable, TV, phone, internet, 2 fridges and a deep freeze running + a 150 watt shop light under some blankets and a tarp to keep the pool equipment from freezing.

The generator you specified would provide a constant 30 amps of power, so you can basically run everything on it that you could run on shore power, which will not be everything in the trailer, at the same time.

Shore power or the generator will keep your batteries charged up through the converter in the camper.

Batteries operate all 12 volt items in the RV; slide, tongue jack, furnace fan, igniters/control boards/gas valves for fridge, water heater & furnace and lighting. If on shore power or generator they will also provide 12 volt power, through the converter and keep the batteries topped off.

We generally keep 10-12 gallons of water in the fresh tank and have the black tank charged and ready while on the road, if we are going to be boon-docking we will fill the fresh tanks as close to our destination as possible.

For black tank charging we use "Happy Campers" and have been very happy with it.

Speaking of holding tanks, never leave the valves open, if you have full hookups, you need water in the black tank to prevent the dreaded "poo pyramid" and water in the grey tank to flush out the slinky after draining the black.

We currently have a 100 watt Renogy solar panel and charge controller and 2 X GC2 6 volt golf-cart batteries.

I use a Weber Q 2200 gas grill, modified to use the camper's gas quick connect, with the optional griddle for cooking breakfast and dinners.

I installed the hard-wired Progressive EMS behind the load center in our trailer and it is a great thing to have.

There a several pictures in my 22RBPR Mods album here on this site.

Welcome, have fun with your new camper, ask lots of questions and share lots of pictures.

-Brian

[vampress_me]

Originally Posted by flybouy

Tampons make great corks for gunshot wounds. Stick it in the wound and it swell up and stop the leak. If you want to find out why you should never flush one down the toilet just take a quart can or jar (they are approximately 3" dia.) and place tampon inside. Then fill with water and watch the water dissapear while the tampon swells like prize fighters' eye.

Way off subject, sort of. But this would be why the guys who pumps our septic system out call them septic flowers. When they spread the “stuff” pumped out in fields, he says the tampons look like giant dandelion flowers on the field....

Back on subject, for the OP I, like others, would recommend the TST507 TPMS system. Ours has worked great for 6 years and is still going strong.

[wborisenok]

I am THRILLED to report that our PDI went amazingly. Our tech, Ken, was super thorough and knowledgeable. He answered every single one of our questions, showed us how to operate all of the systems at a nice pace (sometimes twice), and didn't mind me video recording him as he did it. He was completely content and patient as I tested every appliance, opened every window, looked over every screen, pulled open every cabinet, used every shade, flushed the toilet a dozen times, ran both hot and cold water through every orifice and looked for leaks, tested every outlet for power, ran my fingers over all seals and seams, investigated all of the finish work, practiced with the black and grey tank valves, broke down and built the dinette back up, flipped on every light, powered all the fans, almost got baked alive by the furnace but was saved by the AC, extended and retracted the awning, practiced with the leveling jacks, etc., etc., etc. 120 minutes of pure inspection, question-asking, picture-taking, checking and double checking. The results? A couple of small exterior areas that needed to be re-sealed, a nail that poked through in a tiny corner between the pantry and the slide, a window that needed to be re-screened due to a small hole, and one piece of loose trim on the right side of the slide. Everything was addressed today with the exception of the nail -- Ken wanted to touch base with Keystone on how they suggested he address it before he just yanked it out. I go back at some point in the next week and a half with our plates so I can tow it home; he plans to have a fix in place by then.

Anyway, IT'S OFFICIALLY OURS! We signed on the dotted line about three hours after we got there. Pics or it didn't happen:















Disclaimer: I only practiced hitching up but didn't tow it, hence the slide being out.

I'm hoping to have an exterior ladder installed before I pick it up, so I'm on the hunt for a black one. They said I could have one shipped there and they'd install it; I didn't like the silver ones they had in house. Other than that, my next steps will be to finish gathering up the few odds and ends I need before our first trip and then make plans for pickup. Can't wait to get her home, clean her up, and load our stuff in. I plan to weigh every single item that we put in it because I'm a crazy person and I like to know the numbers until I can get to the CAT scale!

[flybouy]

Congratulations on you're thorough PDI! Sounds like you found a good dealer and have a proper delivery. Let us know how that maiden voyage goes.

[vampress_me]

Congrats on the new camper! And the dealer sounds like a good one! Now, go out, have fun, and make memories!

[wborisenok]

Couple more questions! Is there a checklist floating around for beginners that might assist with campsite arrival/setup tasks? Kinda like a list of things to do from the time I'm done pulling into our spot i.e. leveling, hooking up, things I'll want to turn on right off the jump? If not, I'd love a little help creating my own checklist.

I think I'm also a little confused on how to level it out upon arrival. We have power stabilizers but I see that lots of people also utilize levelers underneath those. Some insight here would be appreciated too!

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by wborisenok

Couple more questions! Is there a checklist floating around for beginners that might assist with campsite arrival/setup tasks? Kinda like a list of things to do from the time I'm done pulling into our spot i.e. leveling, hooking up, things I'll want to turn on right off the jump? If not, I'd love a little help creating my own checklist.

I think I'm also a little confused on how to level it out upon arrival. We have power stabilizers but I see that lots of people also utilize levelers underneath those. Some insight here would be appreciated too!

Important to remember that the stabilizers are just that - to stabilize the trailer. You need another means to level it. I used wooden blocks for many, many years. Nowadays you can buy the little yellow "lego" blocks that you can build into a ramp to raise one side. Another option, and the one I prefer, is Andersen levelers. You just place it under the tire and drive up on it until the trailer is level then chock it in place (comes with a chock for it). After leveling side to side then use your tongue jack to level front to rear.

So, learn how to back it somewhat proficiently (it will get easier and easier) so you can get into a site if required. Keep the slide in mind and don't park it where there is an obstacle to prevent it from coming out. Try to place the trailer where your utilities will all be within easy reach.

Once the trailer has been put where you want it use a level on the floor of the trailer to check side to side. At some point you may want to attach some outside bubbles so you don't have to use the level. Use whatever you have to adjust the side to side by pulling the tire on the low side up on a block etc. When it is level then chock the tires. Always chock the tires before unhooking from the truck. Once off the truck place the level lengthwise in the floor and use the tongue jack to get it level. Put down your stabilizers. If they're electric put them down until you hear them start to push up on the trailer. Now is when I usually hook up my power cord.

Go inside, deploy the slides and turn on the AC/furnace if required. Go back out and hook up the utilities then go inside a start a pot of coffee and start having fun.

Using the Equalizer you will find that it is far easier if you use the tongue jack to raise the trailer and put on the bars. When disconnecting and pulling them off do the same thing. Also, when mine was brand new those bars were heck to push in/pull out. I had a 5' cheater bar that I wedged on the ground or pavement to push or pull them in/out. After a while they loosened up so that wasn't necessary. Keep the hitch ball lubed along with the hitch as indicated in the owner's manual. Don't remember if you bought the little jackets for the L brackets but if you didn't, they are a good investment IMO and sure cut down on some noise.

That's sort of a quick rundown off the top of my head. If I forgot something someone will chime in.

[MarkEHansen]

Stabilizers are just for stabilizing, not for leveling. If you don't have an automatic leveling system (like Ground Control, etc.) then you need to level the old fashioned way.

To level, you push/pull the trailer wheels up on to blocks (either ones you can purchase at the trailer store, or just 2x6 planks) until the trailer is level side to side. If the spot is already level side to side, then you can skip this step.

Next, you level it front to back using the tongue jack.

Once the trailer is level you stabilize it using the stabilizing jacks.

I have an automatic leveling system, so I don't worry about this anymore - others will likely have better advice on how to get the trailer level.

As for the checklists, I use my own, which are specific to my trailer and equipment. They help a lot If you would like to get a copy of mine, just send me a PM with your e-mail address and I'll send it to you. It won't fit exactly, but will give you something from which to start.

[flybouy]

It was good to see that they corrected the backwards "Bullet" \decal on the front cap in the first picture.

I would suggest doing some You Tube watching first. There are many, many videos out there by dealers and owners on leveling, setting up, connecting electric, water, sewer, etc. most of setting up the trailer will be generic and some things will be trailer specific. There is no correct or incorrect order other than common sense items like chocking the trailer tires before unhitching, fill the water heater before you turn it on, etc.

The order you do most things will be a personal choice i.e. connecting the fresh water hose before the drain lines or connecting the electric first before anything else. Here's a short list that I use:

1. Check the shore power connection for correct wiring and power. No need to waste energy setting up just to have to break it back down because the electric doesn't work. Same with the water hydrant or faucet.
2. Level the trailer side to side (I don't have a self leveling system) then chock the tires and install X-Chocks.
3. Extend the stabilizers. If the ground is soft or uneven I'll put the plastic blocks under the stabilizer pads.
4. Run down the tongue jack comes off the hitch ball THEN remove the WDH bars and then the safety chains. Move the truck forward about 2' so I can walk in front of the trailer. Then adjust tongue tack until level front to back.
5. Connect electric (make sure the breaker is off first) then turn the breaker on. The EMS has a 2 min delay so it won't come on inside immediately.
6. Unlock doors and extend steps so DW can get inside.
7. DW will go inside and turn on the air conditioner and run the slides out while I watch the slides to make sure they don't hit anything. She will then deploy the awning.
8. I open the outside kitchen and turn on the fridge, connect the LP hose to the stove.
8. I connect the water hose, pressure regulator and water filter, then connect to the trailer city water inlet.
9. If the site has cable I connect the cable.
10. Connect the sewer drain hose.
11. I go back around to the other side and wash my hands in the outside kitchen sink.
12. Spread out the ground mats, set up chairs, outdoor grill, etc.
13. Put the flagpole in the holder on the front A frame and raise old glory and plug on the spot light to shine on it at night.

I store the necessary hoses, shore cable, X-chocks, etc. in the driver side front compartment in the order that I use them I.E shore cable first, water hose behind that etc. The wheel chocks I place in the bed of the truck with the lift bar for the WDH bars. These are the last thing to be put away when hitching up anmd the first thing to come out when unhitching.

I May have forgotten something in this list and I intentionally omitted certain things like stopping to light a cigar, stopping to relight the cigar, getting a drink, and all the cussing in between.

[wborisenok]

Damn, you guys are good!!! I am going downstairs to hit the Peloton for a workout while it's still nap time for the little one, but I can't wait to read through these responses. From quick glance, I should be able to develop a nice little checklist for myself AND get a decent handle on leveling. Thank you!!

[wborisenok]

Originally Posted by flybouy

I May have forgotten something in this list and I intentionally omitted certain things like stopping to light a cigar, stopping to relight the cigar, getting a drink, and all the cussing in between.

I have no idea how old you are so please don't take offense to this, but....dad? Is that you?

P.S. - thanks!

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by wborisenok

I have no idea how old you are so please don't take offense to this, but....dad? Is that you?

P.S. - thanks!

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.

[sourdough]

Originally Posted by wborisenok

I have no idea how old you are so please don't take offense to this, but....dad? Is that you?

P.S. - thanks!

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!