Finally, got to camp in our 2014 Black Rock TT

[Nick B]

Folks, please don't laugh at me....after a YEAR of ownership, finally, finally, my wife and I were able to find the time to take our Black Rock TT out camping. This past year, things just kept cropping up, and were weren't able to go RVing. This past weekend, we made the time. it was cold and raining the first day, then the next two were cold but clear. This gave us the chance to try everything. Ain't it nice when a plan comes together! We loved the fridge. Lots of room, quiet. The furnace worked well, not too noisy...and we LOVED the fact that the heater vents came out the walls, and not the floor. Toilet worked well, but there;s a problem with the hand basin design. Lean over to wash your face,and water splashed behind the taps. Great way to start mold if not dried immediately- Outdoor RV take note - this is a design deficiency - take the backsplash to the wall!

The power awning and the power tongue worked well. The stabilizers were also good, liked the hex nut that we could - and did - put a drill to. Power stabilizers!

The factory four inch foam bed is too thin. We had, and needed, an extra four inch foam topper (from Costco). Hint - to trim foam, use a jigsaw with a long metal cutting blade....what a great job that amkes of trimming!

There is not enough storage in this model, despite the factory ad! Weare having to cut back on the sort of stuff we would normally carry. Loved the big tanks. The water pump is OK at 3 gallons per minute, but doesn't anyone make a quiet water pump?

Didn't care for the dining table being on two pedestal legs. Going to replace them with four table legs.

Oven and stove worked well. Liked the electronic ignition on the top elements - what can't we have that on the oven too?

Thought the blinds were fiddly to raise and lower, and the material to cheap. I think we'll replace them with regular blinds.

The trailer tows well. The manufacturer's hype on their frames and axles seems accurate. And we liked how the floor was solid to walk on.

The two inch walls definitely make the trailer quiet on the inside.

Overall vote on the Black Rock? Thumbs up! Well designed and constructed, with high quality appliances. Only disappointments were on the smaller items mentioned. It would have been nice to have had factory options on these, but then, you don't what you want until you try it out!

Hope this is of interest to folks considering and Outdoor RV product....

Nick B

[L.C.Gray]

+1 on the drill on the stabilizers. I carry a drill motor with a 3/4" socket and a 25' cord just for that. My drill has a torque setting on it and I use that to get fairly even pressure on each leg.

+1 on the oven as well... I wish there was a better way than having to turn on and light a pilot each trip. We rarely use the oven for that reason alone.

I like my 2 pedestal leg dining table, but I wish there was an easy fix to how wobbly it can be. I'm still working on that one. Maybe an angle iron wall bracket(s) with a hole(s) in it and a corresponding pin(s) in the bottom of the table top?

[chaps2018]

ORegarding the bath sink issue- we had the same issue and I could hardly get my hands under the faucet. I replaced the faucet there and in the outdoor kitchen with a rv 4in bar faucet.

The water flow is up and out in the middle of the basin which keeps the splash in the basin vs the counter.

http://www.rvwholesalers.com/catalog...Sk0aApu88P8HAQ

[Cumminsfan]

Water pump can be quieted down by firming up the plumbing around it. Some times the plastic pipes will rattle against the surroundings or themselves. Wrap them with pipe insulation to separate them from surroundings.

[09 harley]

I have a Northwood trailer and I replaced the bath sink with a Kohler Pennington oval sink and it is great. I installed a Price Pfister Ashfield faucet and it is the way it should have been from the factory.
I also installed a Moen Indi kitchen faucet, single handle, pull down and with the higher arc of the faucet it makes using the sink much easier and the pull down sprayer is great for prep or clean up.
Hope you enjoy the trailer more each trip, it's great to just pick up and explore. We were gone from June 5th to Oct 15 and it was wonderful.

[Nick B]

L.C. - curious on the table. Mine is rock solid on the footings, so possibly a change of fittings will cure the wobble?

Nick B

[L.C.Gray]

With enough downforce and wiggling the posts will more firmly seat in the tapers and be decently stable. I just think that there's got a better way. My last unit had the table hinged to the wall and it felt way more solid. The only reason we even break the dinette down at all is to store one of the rockers there when the slide is in and still be able to access the kitchen.

[monkey]

Nick,,, A VERY good report on your TT !!! Thankyou,, and please keep us informed on further use... I hope to sell the class A someday and buy a TT,,, so I'm reading all these posts... Yours was very informative.... Monkey

[Nick B]

Thanks to all for great feedback.

Only other gem I can pass along was something I saw on another TT in storage, where the owner had put a trash container upside down over the powered hitch post. Not only protects the electrics a bit better, it gives an instant garbage can when you set up camp!

Nick B

[Traxless]

Hello Nick B. While searching for your Black Stone, did you consider any of the Northwood trailers (Arctic Fox or Nash)? And if so, what helped you decide on the Black Stone, which is high on my short list. And finally, which model Black Stone do you own? Thanks in advance.

[Lac]

Originally Posted by Traxless

Hello Nick B. While searching for your Black Stone, did you consider any of the Northwood trailers (Arctic Fox or Nash)? And if so, what helped you decide on the Black Stone, which is high on my short list. And finally, which model Black Stone do you own? Thanks in advance.

It's a Black Rock NOT a Black Stone...yes the names are confusing.....a stone is a rock and a rock is a stone

[Nick B]

Traxless, Lac's following comment is worth mentioning....my model is a Black Rock, not a Black Stone. You impart too much wisdom to me, my wife and I had done no research at all, prior to our purchase. We were visiting the October local Snowbird show, and were just cruising to look at generators and other accessories, and discovered the dealer who had sold us our existing trailer was present at the show, and had a couple of Black Rocks on the floor. It looked interesting, so we hopped inside, and found it had an island queen bed (compared to our current irritating small double bed) and the dining area was at the back, complete with three windows around it. Much better than our current design, which had the bathroom at the back. That piqued our interest, and we gave the trailer a hard long look. We found solid construction and good design, and it was clearly much better quality than our current trailer. It didn't hurt that the factory had a price incentive on the Black Rock line, which was being launched late that year, and the dealer was happy to accommodate some horse trading on different aspects. So, we did the deal!

In addition to finding an island bed, and the dining area in the "right" place, these are the things that sold us: heavier frame, higher capacity axles, quality tires. Quality appliances, 2X2 aluminum framing, with stryofoam insulation. It just had the look, feel and design for the promise of a long ownership. There are certainly other trailers out there with more luxurious fittings, but this one was priced right with excellent basics.

I know anyone can talk themselves into convincing themselves they made a great purchase, but we've had lots of time to think and re-think about it, and without hesitation, we'd make the same decision again today.

Have fun with your deliberations, and let us know what you choose!

Cheers,
Nick B

[Highway 4x4]

A rolling stone gathers no moss.

[Traxless]

Nick B Question. As I understand the construction of the Black Rock sidewalls, it is 2" bonded aluminum frames with some kind of high density foam. Is that your understanding? Is the roof insulation a double layer of fiberglass insulation with wood trusses? Can you tell me the material used to cover the roof? Is it some kind of plastic membrane or a rubber membrane? Finally, which model do you own and do you have any reliability updates? As always, thank you for your information.