A Long Overdue Shake-Down

[GrampaKilt]

Despite having our 14DB for almost 4 years, we hadn't taken it out for any length of time or a proper shake-down trip. That all changed in early April as we took on a tour of the great canyons of Arizona and Utah. In no particular order, here is what we found out.
•   A Camplite may be light weight, but towing it seriously reduces gas mileage. I suppose we should be happy to get 14 mpg keeping speed at 60 mph. It seems that aerodynamics is more important than weight. I was also disappointed how often our GMC Sierra with its 5.3L V8 shifted down at the slightest incline. Our former TV, a Jetta TDI, performed better than that while getting 25mpg!
•   Bumpy roads, toilet bowl water on the floor. Hmmm...
•   Why didn't I know that RV fridges running on 120VAC were nearly useless in outside temps over 80 degrees F. Why no built-in heat exhaust fan, Dometic??
•   Though insulated, the CL got cold and warm really fast. That surprised me. On the plus side, the heater was quick to warm.
•   It bothers me that by 2014, CL was still installing cheap ceiling fans in a premium trailer. Fantastic Fan, here I come.
•   I installed the HOTT electric heating rod in my HWT. It was a great propane saver.
•   Speaking of propane, it must be a very efficient fuel for, after 3+ weeks, we are still on the primary 20lb tank.
•   Heavy rain for the first 3 days. All our gear in the bottom storages got soaked. CL could and should have done better with sealing the wheel wells.
•   One shouldn't let the GPS do all the thinking, all the time...
•   The microwave/convection oven is awesome, after a steep learning curve...
•   On our last day, as we bumped along a Canadian 'freeway', the storage compartment over the couch crashed down. (It was lightly loaded!) Looking at how it was attached, I'm not surprised. As for the dinged up aluminum wall panel, we're thinking of grass cloth wall paper, or gluing on a large canvas print of a scene from the canyons.
•   Wherever we stayed, there seemed to be at least one other RVer who came over to admire our 14DB. It will never rust...GK

[DavidM]

Most of your experiences are fairly typical for a trailer like the 14DB. Some thoughts:

Fourteen MPG at 60 mph pulled by a full size pickup is very good mileage. As you note, it is the wind resistance that counts. Weight is far down the list of things affecting mileage.

Always turn off the fresh water and flush the toilet to empty the bowl before towing. Everyone learns this lesson the hard way ;-).

That is the way absorption fridges work- more heat input=more cooling. Propane provides the most heat, electricity is a distant second and if you have 12V capability it is almost useless. It takes ours overnight to cool down on electricity and that is with 65 deg outside temps. A fan will help.

We get two seasons, about 40 camping nights, on a propane bottle, with little furnace use. Furnace use in subfreezing temps will use a lot of propane.

After years of owners complaining, LL still doesn't seal the wheel wells. Remove the wheels and caulk the narrower gaps and use expanding foam to fill the bigger ones. And with the wheels off it is easy to grease the axles. Use a grease gun- any wheel bearing grease will work, and pump up the bearings until grease oozes out. Do this every 10,000 miles or so.

LL probably missed the aluminum "studs" when they screwed in the cabinet that fell. You can find the studs by tapping or some stud finders will work. Or leave it off and cover it as you suggest.

LLs do bring out admiring lookers.

David

[ADR]

Always turn off the fresh water and flush the toilet to empty the bowl before towing. Everyone learns this lesson the hard way ;-).

Yeah what's up with that toilet self dispensing after the flush? 
First time I've had a ceramic toilet in a camper- never had the old plastic style do that.
Being an older male I do #1 often.   Seems a shame to throw away a pint of water with each use- it really can add up especially when dry camping.

If I can figure out a way to defeat that self filling thing I will.

[Paul]

Always turn off the fresh water and flush the toilet to empty the bowl before towing. Everyone learns this lesson the hard way ;-).

Yeah what's up with that toilet self dispensing after the flush? 
First time I've had a ceramic toilet in a camper- never had the old plastic style do that.
Being an older male I do #1 often.   Seems a shame to throw away a pint of water with each use- it really can add up especially when dry camping.

If I can figure out a way to defeat that self filling thing I will.

Oh my 2015 13QBB had the ceramic toilet and it wasn't self filling. Not sure about my 2018 21BHS since it was winterized when I picked it up. Will find out soon!

[Entropy3XD]

I'd say your MPG is pretty good.  I have the same truck, extended cab with full bed and tow a Quicksilver 10.0.  I get about 14-15 MPG.  I have a tonneau cover and the trailer sits a few inches below the top of the bed, so there really isn't much wind resistance.

[whitefish]

A Camplite may be light weight, but towing it seriously reduces gas mileage. I suppose we should be happy to get 14 mpg keeping speed at 60 mph. It seems that aerodynamics is more important than weight. I was also disappointed how often our GMC Sierra with its 5.3L V8 shifted down at the slightest incline. Our former TV, a Jetta TDI, performed better than that while getting 25mpg!

Yeh, I have the same beef. Its a tall camper, so wind resistence is an issue.  Amazing you got 25mpg with your TDI!  I'm still flirting with the idea of a GMC Canyon with the little 2.8l duramax.  I'm sure it would get much better than the usual 10-14 mpg I get.

[GrampaKilt]

Inexorably, LL (pre-Thor, no less) is slipping off the pedestal I've put it on. Actually, the upper sofa cabinet falling off is worthy of a big downward slide. The only screws biting into any aluminum stock were into the framing of bathroom wall, that is, only the end of the cabinet was attached. Moreover, it looks as if no attempt was made to find backing since all the other screws weren't even close to any roof or exterior wall framing.

The cabinet fix—the rear upper frame is 1½" angle facing inwards in order to create a channel for wiring behind the unit. It's a perfect location to glue and screw 2x2 backing to the ceiling corner. With my stud finder having no difficulty locating the roof trusses, this cabinet is now secure++ (like how it should have come from the factory)!

There is a silver lining (or paprika) in this case. We were needing a little color to offset the ambulance-like sterility of the interior and tone out the outdated upholstery LL was still using in 2014. A vibrant swatch of upholstery material now covers the gouges and holes in the bathroom wall caused by the cabinet drop. (Memo to myself—use top quality spray glue the first time...)

[whitefish]

Hmmm.....cabinets falling is not good.  My cabinets haven't moved an inch.  You must of got a Monday trailer 

[Whipfinisher]

We just got back from our longest trip with our 2014 14DB.  Our experiences are similar.   I'll post a full report soon.

However, I want to post here that the cabinet over our couch also fell while traveling on the interstate.  Fortunately, the cabinets were lightly loaded and the only damage was a couple of minor dings and scratches to the Azdel along the walls. 

Mine wasn't even screwed into the framing of the bathroom wall!  Only one of the self-taping stainless steel screw was properly biting into a truss.  The six other self-taping screws were only attached to the composite ceiling panel. 

I'm still thinking about the best way to remount the cabinet.   

[ADR]

re: stripped screws > I took all of my window surrounds off to flip the screen/shade over as many do.
EVERY one of the corner screws were stripped.  They appeared to all be in the Al sq tubing but had been overtightened.
Had to replace them all with the next size up.  Was just a matter of time before the surrounds starting falling off.