Well, here we go...

[stephd203]

Newbie here....getting our used RV ready for cross country travel!
We have a 2012 Keystone Bullet 215 RBS. Family of 4 so it will be tight.
Towing with our Tundra.
Any first timer tips?
We have rented very small trailers before through military bases. Veteran on board!

 

[chuckster57]

Welcome to the forum. Thank you for your service. Lots of good information and loads of great people here. When we did our cross country trip in ‘09 we left the house with a low balance, high limit credit card and a large amount of money in travelers checks.

Lots of things have changed, but I would still say take your time.

 

[sourdough]

Welcome to the forum! What year Tundra? The trailer is about 6400lbs. gvwr and depending on what year the Tundra is their towing capacities can vary a lot.

 

[stephd203]

Welcome to the forum! What year Tundra? The trailer is about 6400lbs. gvwr and depending on what year the Tundra is their towing capacities can vary a lot.

It's a 2016 double cab SR5 5.7 with towing package...

 

[sourdough]

Good. It's a later model. From what I'm finding you're in good shape weight wise. The condition of both the units will be critical for a cross country trip. Make sure you get/have a good quality weight distribution hitch with 4 point sway control.

With the truck about 9 years old tranny, drive train, shocks, springs will want to be in good shape. Same thing on the trailer. Of particular concern; look at the equalizer/spring hangers to make sure they have not wallowed out bushings, equalizers are in good shape etc. Tires - RV tires age out, they don't "wear" out by mileage. Check the born on date on the tire - if it's over 5 years old I would replace them. Roof - do a complete sealing/inspection of that roof. They REALLY want to leak at the seams when the sealant dries out.

Those are some of the basic "get ready to go" things to look at. A cross country trip can be so much fun.....breaking down in the middle of nowhere isn't. Good luck and we have so many knowledgeable members so just ask away with any questions.

 

[DutchmenSport]

Welcome to the forums and hope you have a great time with your new camper.

We also rented a pop-up from AAFES (If that's still the name of it today), when I was in the Army, stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. We towed that little pop-up from Washington DC area to Norfolk, VA and stayed at (then) Fort Story, which today is First Landing State Park. We went from there, straight West and drove the Appalachia Trail route Northward, and then straight back to Washington DC. It was a fantastic trip and still have great memories.

Funny story if I may relay. We were at Fort Story, it was dark, a few other folks camping there, but really, really dark. We had a cat with us who figured out how to crawl out of the camper by climbing under the canvas wall where it snapped to the body of the box. When I realized the cat was out, I jumped out of bed and started softly yelling, "Here kitty, kitty, kitty", hoping to NOT wake up neighboring campers. My wife was inside laughing as I could hear here, even some distance from the camper. Believe it or not, I found the cat and retrieved it. Once back at the camper and the cat was safe again, I asked her why she was laughing so much. She said, ..... do you even realize you were running around that entire time with nothing on but your underware! ... um .. I knew I was barefoot, but didn't think about anything else! .... Nope!

 

[wiredgeorge]

Look at your tires. What brand? On the sidewall is a a small oval with four numbers. This is the date code. MMYY. If the tires are more than a couple years old, replace and if the tires are a certain brand with the word "king" replace. ASAP. Tires age out and will not look like worn car tires that need replacement. The tires will have plenty of tread but they weaken with age and certain brands are known widely for blowing up.

 

[flybouy]

I would just add this advice before departing on your first trip with a 13+ yr old trailer. Pull each hub and inspect bearings and all brake components. Clean replace any defective parts and re-pack bearings with a quality grease. Replace the grease seals in the hubs even if they "look good". This isn't difficult butIf you're not familiar with this sort of work take it to a shop. Note the bearing numbers and buy a spare set, pack them in grease and.store in a zip lock bag or sealed container.

Heed the tire advice, replace the spare, it's likely to be older than the other 4 tires. If you can swing it buy a TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system).

 

[stephd203]

Good. It's a later model. From what I'm finding you're in good shape weight wise. The condition of both the units will be critical for a cross country trip. Make sure you get/have a good quality weight distribution hitch with 4 point sway control.

With the truck about 9 years old tranny, drive train, shocks, springs will want to be in good shape. Same thing on the trailer. Of particular concern; look at the equalizer/spring hangers to make sure they have not wallowed out bushings, equalizers are in good shape etc. Tires - RV tires age out, they don't "wear" out by mileage. Check the born on date on the tire - if it's over 5 years old I would replace them. Roof - do a complete sealing/inspection of that roof. They REALLY want to leak at the seams when the sealant dries out.

Those are some of the basic "get ready to go" things to look at. A cross country trip can be so much fun.....breaking down in the middle of nowhere isn't. Good luck and we have so many knowledgeable members so just ask away with any questions.

Thanks a bunch! We have had the truck checked out, some particular fluids changed, new front brakes, and nearing 100,000 mi on the odometer.
Giggling about the roof....we knew there was a leak. Previous owner said he attempted to patch it. Looks like he did find it, but more developed since the alumatread front had 4 holes in it. So, that's my next item to do. When I covered it for winter last year, I noticed some cracked sealant. Bought some Dicor to hit the bad spots after I wash off the roof. There was also some DIcor UV protectant that was left over. Squirrels found their way into the AC and stored their nuts, so a replacement Dometic dome cover is waiting. We were going to put hardware cloth around it to hopefully fend those pesky rodents off. Also had to plug up around the water pipes coming up from underneath with tomcat foam and steel wool.

 

[stephd203]

Welcome to the forums and hope you have a great time with your new camper.

We also rented a pop-up from AAFES (If that's still the name of it today), when I was in the Army, stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia. We towed that little pop-up from Washington DC area to Norfolk, VA and stayed at (then) Fort Story, which today is First Landing State Park. We went from there, straight West and drove the Appalachia Trail route Northward, and then straight back to Washington DC. It was a fantastic trip and still have great memories.

Funny story if I may relay. We were at Fort Story, it was dark, a few other folks camping there, but really, really dark. We had a cat with us who figured out how to crawl out of the camper by climbing under the canvas wall where it snapped to the body of the box. When I realized the cat was out, I jumped out of bed and started softly yelling, "Here kitty, kitty, kitty", hoping to NOT wake up neighboring campers. My wife was inside laughing as I could hear here, even some distance from the camper. Believe it or not, I found the cat and retrieved it. Once back at the camper and the cat was safe again, I asked her why she was laughing so much. She said, ..... do you even realize you were running around that entire time with nothing on but your underware! ... um .. I knew I was barefoot, but didn't think about anything else! .... Nope!

Sounds like something my husband would do too!

 

[stephd203]

Look at your tires. What brand? On the sidewall is a a small oval with four numbers. This is the date code. MMYY. If the tires are more than a couple years old, replace and if the tires are a certain brand with the word "king" replace. ASAP. Tires age out and will not look like worn car tires that need replacement. The tires will have plenty of tread but they weaken with age and certain brands are known widely for blowing up.

We will do that! The spare is the older tire and doesn't match...

 

[spicercars]

Welcome from northern MN.

 

[Jawzs2]

I'll suggest these f you don't have them already; not all campgrounds are maintained equally and although not 100% foolproof, they may help mitigate potential problems. They did for us when we went cross-country. We were at a campground close to Meteor Crater in Az where the water pressure was around 70 PSI if my memory serves me correctly.

And some sort of surge protector - this is a budget model, you can get more expensive\features models

Surge protector

Electric pedestal tester

Water pressure regulator

 

[stephd203]

I'll suggest these f you don't have them already; not all campgrounds are maintained equally and although not 100% foolproof, they may help mitigate potential problems. They did for us when we went cross-country. We were at a campground close to Meteor Crater in Az where the water pressure was around 70 PSI if my memory serves me correctly.

And some sort of surge protector - this is a budget model, you can get more expensive\features modelsWe

Surge protector

Electric pedestal tester

Water pressure regulator

 

[stephd203]

We do have a surge protector, but not the pressure regulator or pedestal tester, so thank you!

 

[{Tpc}]

I didn't see this mentioned but wheel chocks and leveling blocks should be on board. Maybe they already came with the trailer. You can buy Camco ones or Lynx ones at just about any walmart. While your there grab some RV TP, RV Toilet Treatment stuff, and maybe some gray tank treatment stuff. Of course only if you don't already have it on board.

 

[stephd203]

We do have a surge protector, but not the pressure regulator or pedestal tester, so thank you!

Got a pressure regulator....

 

[NH_Bulldog]

Got a pressure regulator....

Hopefully it is one of these:

and NOT one of these:

 

[stephd203]

Hopefully it is one of these:
View attachment 1315703

and NOT one of these:
View attachment 1315704

Right! I read about the straight ones....not going there.

 

[stephd203]

So, I'm reading about inlet drinking water hook ups. I used to be a Certified Drinking Water operator....So well versed on plumbing, wells, and sanitizing. But, how long do we need our water hookup hose to be? I don't think is has to be too long, but parking close to the hookup may not be an option at times. Thinking about getting a long hose and cutting it into portions to addon if necessary.