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Old 09-11-2021, 05:04 AM   #1
Opa 1
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Very New

We will be picking up our new Keystone 30RL and ordering a f250to pull it.
I have a friend who owns a 10-12 year old 5th wheel, when he is at home he plugs the electrical up opens the sliders and runs the fridge and AC all the time. He believes this along with a yearly check up and service at his favorite RV center is the reason he has very little trouble with his trailer and components.

Does anyone have an opinion as to is it better to leave your trailer plugged in and running all the time or to let is sit idle between camping trips or does it matter?
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Old 09-11-2021, 05:37 AM   #2
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Others will have perhaps wiser responses but we left our most recent "last" camper plugged in all the time with the one slide out and we never winterized it- Eastern Shore of Virginia- as we keep a 100 lb propane tank hooked up to it and run the heat PRN all winter. It was 16 years old and still used regularly- no issues. Our new one is being treated the same.
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Old 09-11-2021, 05:44 AM   #3
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Either way, doesn't hurt them. It really depends on how you use your camper when not on-the-road traveling and camping. If you are parked at home, you may want to leave the camper plugged in 24x7 so you can keep stuff in the refrigerator. You may want to go out use it for a portable office. You may want to sleep in it over night, you may want to use it for a guest room, or just to get "away" mentally from your daily grind.

We use ours 24x7, plugged in all the time. But we use it 24x7 also, event at home, in the driveway. I think, the last time we actually spend a night in our house was last December.

If you are putting the camper in a storage facility, you might not have access to electricity. Think about it? All those campers sit for week and months in storage facilities too. And they continue to function perfectly fine when pulled out of storage.

The only thing you need to keep an eye on is your RV battery. Plugged in full time or unplugged long term, you need to maintain your battery and make sure it doesn't discharge completely or over charge and burn out.
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Old 09-11-2021, 05:52 AM   #4
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To the OP, do yourself a big favor and skip the F250 and get an F350 SRW, it will likely save you money in the long run. Be your plans be gas or diesel.
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Old 09-11-2021, 07:19 AM   #5
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Hello and welcome to the forum!

We are fortunate to be able to park our Alpine at home, and we leave it connected to shore power all the time. I do check the batteries once a month and add distilled water as needed.

And I would agree with Russ--skip the F250 and buy the F350. You won't regret it!

Take care and have fun!
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Old 09-11-2021, 07:49 AM   #6
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Hello and welcome to the forum!

We are fortunate to be able to park our Alpine at home, and we leave it connected to shore power all the time. I do check the batteries once a month and add distilled water as needed.

And I would agree with Russ--skip the F250 and buy the F350. You won't regret it!

Take care and have fun!
X3!
The cost, fuel mileage, size & ride differences between the 250 & 350 are minimal so go with the 350 for the giant leap in payloads.
You'll notice I said "payloads" not towing capacity!
Towing capacities mean nothing in the rv world.
BTW, Welcome to the rv family!
We were also fortunate to be able to store ours at home where it was plugged in 24/7, the grandkids loved to "camp" in it when they came to visit.
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Old 09-11-2021, 08:23 AM   #7
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Ditto the above. Ours is also parked at our home. For the few months of winter we leave it plugged in to shore power but everything is off, batteries disconnected, all water drained, slides in, trailer covered. I do run a small ceramic heater in it throughout the winter to keep temp above freezing inside and prevent moisture.

The rest of the year, whether at a park or in our driveway, it's plugged in, batteries connected, fridge running, slides out.
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Old 09-11-2021, 09:29 AM   #8
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Thank you all

This is a great help. We will be building a covered area and can have shore power ran from my barn. By your replies I think this is what I will do even if it is for the grandkids to enjoy. I will certainly look into the F350 I already priced and is only $1500 more than the f250. The only thing that worried me about the f350is I was told the ride was much rougher than the f250. I will look into this further for sure
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Old 09-11-2021, 10:20 AM   #9
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Some thoughts on your plans;

Make sure when you run the power from your barn you run it to a ped/plug for a 50A rv connection (assuming the 30RL is 50A). Sounds like you want to hook it up and run it like someone is in it all the time, if so you have to have adequate power to run those things. Plugging into a regular home type 15/20A outlet will cause you problems...and probably so will a 30A rv plug if you have 2 ACs. Electricity in an RV can be a juggling act if you don't have enough incoming power.

As far as trucks; don't even blink about the 350 over the 250. I was in the same boat and convinced a 1 ton was going to liquify my liver...but it didn't/doesn't. When I went for 3/4 to 1 ton I could actually tell very little difference. When either is aired up to 80 psi they both feel the same harshness. Air them down when not towing and they feel the same as well. Go for the 350 and you won't regret it.
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Old 09-11-2021, 12:13 PM   #10
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Really good advice, surprisingly the 30RL comes standard with one ac living in South Alabama makes me nervous 😀 my wife is not a fan of being unnecessarily hot. I will definitely put the correct 30 amp RV to plug into.

Very interesting in the f350 ride. I just did some more research, one thing I noticed is no one said go with the 250. I am going to the dealership to order late next week, pretty confident it will be the 350

Again, I thank al y’all for your feedback and really good information.
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Old 09-11-2021, 12:36 PM   #11
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Really good advice, surprisingly the 30RL comes standard with one ac living in South Alabama makes me nervous 😀 my wife is not a fan of being unnecessarily hot. I will definitely put the correct 30 amp RV to plug into.

Very interesting in the f350 ride. I just did some more research, one thing I noticed is no one said go with the 250. I am going to the dealership to order late next week, pretty confident it will be the 350

Again, I thank al y’all for your feedback and really good information.

Is your Sprinter 30RL a 2021? The Keystone website says they come standard with 2 ACs which would equate (or should) to 50A service. I watched walk thrus of it and they indeed had 2 ACs. Also, if you live or travel in the south a 5th wheel almost 34' long will NEED 2 ACs for you to be happy unless you like to sweat a lot. Heat really likes to "go up".....straight into the bedroom.

On the truck you need to go with the 350 for yet another reason; that trailer gvw is 12,400lbs. You need a 1 ton to carry that load, a 3/4 is going to be stretched too thin on weight capability. Figure 21% of the trailer gvw (2604lbs.) - that will come very close to overloading (or will) a 3/4 depending on configuration....and that's just the trailer weight, you still have to figure in passengers, tools, and all misc. that goes into the truck and truck bed.
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Old 09-11-2021, 02:16 PM   #12
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I second the two A/Cs are a MUST HAVE in Ga where it gets a tad warm once in awhile with a bit of humidity. I got a speeding ticket once outside Claxton and I think the state patrolman made me sit there in the car (no A/C) to double punish me. With all those pines and virtually no one on the road I still wonder where that LEO was hiding!
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Old 09-11-2021, 03:31 PM   #13
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Luckily I found I was mistaken. I have a friend who by coincidence was at the dealership where the 30RL is at and by chance he and his wife asked to look at it and he did verify it has the two ac units so you are correct we will wire for 50 amp service.

Y’all 100% sold me on ordering the 350 once I figure the color I will be all set. Problem is. We will pick the camper up at our local dealership in 2 weeks and have to wait on the truck 8 to 12 weeks according to the Ford dealer. I guess it will give us plenty of opportunity to yard camp and figure everything in the trailer out.
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Old 09-11-2021, 03:34 PM   #14
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Yeah that is rough summer time in Georgia in a car without ac. At least y’all’s pines are nice to look at ��
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Old 09-11-2021, 03:59 PM   #15
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Luckily I found I was mistaken. I have a friend who by coincidence was at the dealership where the 30RL is at and by chance he and his wife asked to look at it and he did verify it has the two ac units so you are correct we will wire for 50 amp service.

Y’all 100% sold me on ordering the 350 once I figure the color I will be all set. Problem is. We will pick the camper up at our local dealership in 2 weeks and have to wait on the truck 8 to 12 weeks according to the Ford dealer. I guess it will give us plenty of opportunity to yard camp and figure everything in the trailer out.

Have you got a way to get it home? Maybe the dealer could bring it or offer assistance/ideas?

On the 50A RV outlet install have them put in a breaker for it at the ped/pole similar to an RV park that way you don't have to plug/unplug into a hot outlet.

If you can get it home there will probably be a lot of "stuff" you want to do to it to make it yours as well as get acquainted with it. Time will go by pretty quickly but you will still be chomping at the bit to get it out I'm sure. Some things to consider as you wait (you did say you were new to this right?);

First tires. I know that sounds funny on a new trailer but first off it says it comes with ST225/75R15LRE tires. At 2830lbs. each they would support up to 11,320lbs. vs a trailer GVW of 12,400lbs. Some follow the rule that you subtract the pin/tongue weight from the loaded weight and use that for the tires to support. IMO that's not enough capacity so I put tires on my trailers that will support the gvw plus leaving some reserves. Also, look at the tire brand, if they are Trailer King, Tow Max etc. you should think about replacing them....they've had lots of problems.

Some must have items would be 1) a 50A power EMS for your incoming power. It is an electrical management system that protects your trailer from questionable power....which you will encounter in RV parks eventually. Most popular brands are Progressive and Surge Guard by Southwire. 2) Get yourself a tire pressure monitoring system for the trailer (TPMS). Trailer tire failures can be catastrophic and the TPMS gives you a heads up on a possible failure. I use a TST 507 (Truck Systems Technologies). 3) An adjustable water pressure regulator is essential IMO. Water pressures vary wildly as you travel. Don't get the generic straight reducer regulator from Walmart, get a good one that is adjustable and has a dial on it to show the pressure.

Now, some things to think about while you wait on that new truck (pics are mandatory upon arrival ).
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Old 09-11-2021, 04:12 PM   #16
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Yes I am very new and wow that is a lot of good information I would not have thought about. I do know the tires are trailer king brandE rated. I was thinking of having them changed right away to Goodyear, should I jump up to G rated tires?

I do have a friend that will pull the trailer home for me very fortunate there.

I will sure send photos when I get the truck and trailer together.
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Old 09-11-2021, 04:41 PM   #17
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I think you will have 6 lug 15" wheels. I'm not aware of a LRG tire for a 15" wheel off the top of my head. Not many load range F tires either in brands I would recommend. The Carlisle CSL 16 in load range F in your current size would probably be the easiest and cheapest way to upgrade your tire capabilities. Going any bigger and you're going to have to move to a larger wheel (16"). The CSL 16 225/75R15LRF has a 3080lb. load rating at 95psi so make sure the wheels on your new trailer will support that much pressure. Hopefully either the weight, pressure or both will be on the back of the wheel.

Before the advent of LRF tires for 15" trailer tires they pretty much stopped at LRE and 80psi so don't know if the wheels you have will go up to 95psi. If not you will be relegated to 80psi and LRE tires....just get GOOD ones.

If you have to stick with the LRE load range due to psi rating for wheel there are several brands of tires that are far better than Trailer Kings, Carlisle Radial Trail HD and Goodyear Endurance come to mind.
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Old 09-11-2021, 05:37 PM   #18
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Thank you. Will definitely be upgrading the tires per your suggestion(s)
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Old 09-12-2021, 02:14 AM   #19
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Everyone who replied gave you solid advice.Speaking from experience when I am thinking about purchasing anything not just RV related I always try and think about the future. Sometimes just getting the minimum you think you need to save a few $$$ ends up costing you many more $$$ down the road. When we first started RVing I told the DW this is not gonna be cheap and I was right but, it has been worth it. Sometimes you just need to take the plunge.
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Old 09-12-2021, 03:17 AM   #20
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