Lessons learned with our new Outdoors RV

[UTTransplant]

This is the 6th or 7th trailer I have had, so please don't take this as a slam at Outdoors RV. All new trailers have something wrong with them, just like all new cars have something that needs fixed. I just thought it might be useful for other new owners to have some specific items to check. The big issues were taken care of by my dealer before we left the lot. I am sure the dealer would fix the little ones, but they easy for us to fix so we will.

Our "big" issues were fairly significant. The venting from the AC to the ductwork towards the bedroom was completely blocked. There should have been a hole but there wasn't. The dealer did a nice repair, and it works fine now. The other big issue was very important - no trailer brakes! The dealer satisfied themselves our TV controller worked fine, but the brakes had not been tightened on the trailer axles. It was easy for us to tell something was wrong since we are used to towing, but it could have been bad for a newbie.

The little issues were that the kitchen fixtures weren't tightened enough and there is a small leak in the shower that needs some caulk.

Good things: refrigerator worked great in 95 degree heat, much better than my previous trailer. The television picked up some channels even though we were close to the middle of nowhere. The bed is comfortable,and the kitchen gear didn't have a problem riding behind the wheels.

Summary: just make sure you check out everything in the trailer before you leave. We had a great shake-down trip, and I really like the new trailer. Oh, and the new Anderson hitch setup seems to work well, and it is much easier to use then our Reese system. I will be able to hook this system up without strain.

[Highway 4x4]

Welcome. Yes, these ORV TT's are not perfect as the many pages here document. But the factory people are some of the best anywhere. Sometimes when you find an issue you just have to shake your head and breath deep, think good thoughts and go to your "happy place". All of us here have found many issues and there is no point in re-listing them. I think I pretty much have things in shape, I just need to prevent new ones and this forum will help with that. Again, welcome.

[MtCamper]

Our Creeekside is only the third new unit we have owned, but it's #14 RV for us. Like everything with wheels it too had issues, but they were very minor and easily fixed by me. Hope you're still happy with your purchase. We are big fans of Outdoors management team, just like Highway 4X4 said, take a deep breath. We all need to realize that this is a passion for us, but just a job for most of the assembly like folks. All in all, these are by far the best units we could find for the $$. Happy camping. Ken

[Lac]

Originally Posted by UTTransplant

This is the 6th or 7th trailer I have had, so please don't take this as a slam at Outdoors RV. All new trailers have something wrong with them, just like all new cars have something that needs fixed. I just thought it might be useful for other new owners to have some specific items to check. The big issues were taken care of by my dealer before we left the lot. I am sure the dealer would fix the little ones, but they easy for us to fix so we will.

Our "big" issues were fairly significant. The venting from the AC to the ductwork towards the bedroom was completely blocked. There should have been a hole but there wasn't. The dealer did a nice repair, and it works fine now. The other big issue was very important - no trailer brakes! The dealer satisfied themselves our TV controller worked fine, but the brakes had not been tightened on the trailer axles. It was easy for us to tell something was wrong since we are used to towing, but it could have been bad for a newbie.

The little issues were that the kitchen fixtures weren't tightened enough and there is a small leak in the shower that needs some caulk.

Good things: refrigerator worked great in 95 degree heat, much better than my previous trailer. The television picked up some channels even though we were close to the middle of nowhere. The bed is comfortable,and the kitchen gear didn't have a problem riding behind the wheels.

Summary: just make sure you check out everything in the trailer before you leave. We had a great shake-down trip, and I really like the new trailer. Oh, and the new Anderson hitch setup seems to work well, and it is much easier to use then our Reese system. I will be able to hook this system up without strain.

If YOU could tell there was something wrong when towing.... I wonder if the transport driver who towed the trailer to your dealer felt the same thing...I would ask your dealer who towed it and what his inspection sheet said. Your may want to ask the dealers for his PDI sheet.
I would inform Outdoors RV ..re brake inspection and their transport drivers.
This is an important issue.
The trailer manufacturing through their records know exactly who built your trailer....hopefully the same person didn't forget the brakes when building the trailer after yours.

Thanks goodness you and your family are safe...

Coops

[Highway 4x4]

Look at the bright side, your brakes are brand new.

[schrod]

Originally Posted by UTTransplant

This is the 6th or 7th trailer I have had, so please don't take this as a slam at Outdoors RV. All new trailers have something wrong with them, just like all new cars have something that needs fixed. I just thought it might be useful for other new owners to have some specific items to check. The big issues were taken care of by my dealer before we left the lot. I am sure the dealer would fix the little ones, but they easy for us to fix so we will.

Our "big" issues were fairly significant. The venting from the AC to the ductwork towards the bedroom was completely blocked. There should have been a hole but there wasn't. The dealer did a nice repair, and it works fine now. The other big issue was very important - no trailer brakes! The dealer satisfied themselves our TV controller worked fine, but the brakes had not been tightened on the trailer axles. It was easy for us to tell something was wrong since we are used to towing, but it could have been bad for a newbie.

The little issues were that the kitchen fixtures weren't tightened enough and there is a small leak in the shower that needs some caulk.

Good things: refrigerator worked great in 95 degree heat, much better than my previous trailer. The television picked up some channels even though we were close to the middle of nowhere. The bed is comfortable,and the kitchen gear didn't have a problem riding behind the wheels.

Summary: just make sure you check out everything in the trailer before you leave. We had a great shake-down trip, and I really like the new trailer. Oh, and the new Anderson hitch setup seems to work well, and it is much easier to use then our Reese system. I will be able to hook this system up without strain.

We were there the day you got your trailer as we were getting ours also! I remember your troubles with the brakes that the wiring was broken.

As far as I can tell we seem to be having only very minor issues with ours except the 30 amp service is not nearly enough. I am going to find out how difficult if it is even possible to switch to 50 amp service. Here at Salt Lake City KOA the main service breaker on their stand tripped out 3 times. You can not run the A/C with the microwave, you can not run the hair dryer with the A/C. Most likely the water heater was running as well along with the refrigerator.

We are still getting use to the friction hinge on the door.
Like you said the fridge is super! Ours is extra large @ 9.5 and we are having trouble filling it!

No leaks from anything that I find so far. I do know that I will try to rearrange or insulate the kitchen cold water line as it always starts very warm. My feeling is that it must pass close by the water heater as in only moments it starts out warm again.

The fantastic fans are to say the least fantastic! The LED lighting is superb! I also love the fact that the kitchen counter is really Corian and not that pressed crap we had in the Cougar High Country.

This trailer trails by far the best of all four travel trailers I have owned. It truly is on a "tuned" chassis. Our rear kitchen does NOT throw things all over while on the road. The trailer wheels are more rearward on the rear kitchen models.

We have 10 times more storage than I can imagine to fill!

[Lac]

Schrod...Glad things are working out for you and congratulations on your purchase. I am not an electrician,however, I do not thinks it's your trailer electrical service that needs up grading. It is most likely that the campground power supply is not large enough or it is marginal at best to supply the 30 amp load to your trailer. Are you hooked up to a 15 or 30 amp service? Has the campground checked their supply? Normally mornings and evenings have the biggest load on the power system and especially in this heat with all the AC units are running.
The whole campground electrical supply may be undersized and may need upgrading. We have a 30 amp service in our Wind River and when hooked up to shore power can run the AC, micro,hair dryer all at the same time with no problem...up to our max 30 amp service. Typically the 50 amp service is used when a washer and dryer are installed.

Hope this helps..would appreciate other comments to see if I'am off base.

Coops

[Cumminsfan]

Originally Posted by Lac

Schrod...Glad things are working out for you and congratulations on your purchase. I am not an electrician,however, I do not thinks it's your trailer electrical service that needs up grading. It is most likely that the campground power supply is not large enough or it is marginal at best to supply the 30 amp load to your trailer. Are you hooked up to a 15 or 30 amp service? Has the campground checked their supply? Normally mornings and evenings have the biggest load on the power system and especially in this heat with all the AC units are running.
The whole campground electrical supply may be undersized and may need upgrading. We have a 30 amp service in our Wind River and when hooked up to shore power can run the AC, micro,hair dryer all at the same time with no problem...up to our max 30 amp service. Typically the 50 amp service is used when a washer and dryer are installed.

Hope this helps..would appreciate other comments to see if I'am off base.

Coops

Exactly. If your TT is not tripping it's breaker then it's the KOA. If you are on a 30A KOA breaker and you trip your 30A on the trailer when running those items then yes your TT is under amped. But since the TT's breaker didn't trip you're good to go IMO.

[schrod]

Originally Posted by Cumminsfan

Exactly. If your TT is not tripping it's breaker then it's the KOA. If you are on a 30A KOA breaker and you trip your 30A on the trailer when running those items then yes your TT is under amped. But since the TT's breaker didn't trip you're good to go IMO.

Thanks to both of you for posting you think it is the campground. However I have a surge protector that reads out exactly what I am drawing voltage and amps. The campground is running 121 to 124 for volts which in my opinion is marginal but the trailer is drawing 17 amps for the A/C, 10 amps for the microwave, IDK how much for the electric hot water heater, IDK how much for the fridge, and when wifey decides to blow dry her hair -----OH MY!!

I checked with Stewarts RV and I can rewire for 50 amps just have to make sure that all 12v DC and converter stay together on one leg and all other things are on the other leg. This I will have my certified electrician cousin do after getting back home.

I just discovered to my dismay that the door was not put in properly and will have to partially remove it. Seems they don't know that a door frame needs shims for squareness and pulled the centers on both the hinge side and the catch side out way too far. I did not notice this until we wanted to just use the screen door without the solid door. This is not noticeable from the outside as the trim is square and the door shuts properly. This was when I noticed that the center of the screen door did not seal properly. Should not be too difficult a fix but it does need to be done to keep out bugs.

[UTTransplant]

Rod, you are actually camped less than 10 miles from my house! If I wasn't working I would come by and say hi.

The brakes on my trailer were the only thing that I would consider a safety hazard. I like the suggestion of the previous poster to contact Outdoors RV and complain about the manufacturing of that. The brakes were connected, but not tightened up at all. As my husband said, it took the same 15 "clicks" has has to do after taking a brake completely off.

The KOA you are at is a bit old, and I would agree they have marginal service. There aren't a lot of alternatives though in the area though. Pony Express is newer, but it sits right off the highway and has to get an awful lot of highway noise. You are close to downtown and right across from a Trax station. Take the opportunity to take a ride on the FrontRunner train to Ogden. They have a great train museum there that is a nice trip. If you are into guns, they have a huge Browning museum too. Cost is $10-11 per person, round trip, on the train. That has to be less than fuel for your truck, plus you don't have the traffic hassles.

Recently we have used our trailer more without any electrical than with it, so we have gotten out of the habit of using the electrical gadgets. Then again, we don't live in Iowa anymore It is a lot easier to dry camp in the lovely dry climate here.

I was worried about things bouncing in the rear kitchen, but things to stay put about as good as my previous front kitchen. I was really happy about that. We also have a lot of extra space in the storage compartments, but that is fine since we aren't doing long trips yet. That will come when I retire in a couple of years.

Glad to hear you are enjoying your trailer. We had a great time in ours last weekend.

[dagmandt]

Originally Posted by schrod

Thanks to both of you for posting you think it is the campground. However I have a surge protector that reads out exactly what I am drawing voltage and amps. The campground is running 121 to 124 for volts which in my opinion is marginal but the trailer is drawing 17 amps for the A/C, 10 amps for the microwave, IDK how much for the electric hot water heater, IDK how much for the fridge, and when wifey decides to blow dry her hair -----OH MY!!

I checked with Stewarts RV and I can rewire for 50 amps just have to make sure that all 12v DC and converter stay together on one leg and all other things are on the other leg. This I will have my certified electrician cousin do after getting back home.

50 AMPS would be cool but I don't think that is your problem. My microwave and AC work just fine with the TV On and lights. Maybe your AC is pulling too many amps? Is it pulling what it is rated for?

[4x4dually]

I feel your pain. It is very disgusting to spend that much money and have parts of the trailer fall apart after the first 3 or 4 uses.

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f254/need...tt-212890.html

[UTTransplant]

4x4dually:
I read your link and feel so bad for you, but I want to re-iterate that the issues I had with the trailer were not unexpected or dreadful. The dealer fixed everything we asked them to do before we left the lot, and we didn't have anything else show up on our shake-out trip last weekend. I really just posted to encourage folks to fully check out their trailer before leaving the lot. For example, if we hadn't checked every AC vent in the camper, we might not have discovered the bedroom one didn't work (but all the others did). As for a bit of caulk here and there, I had to do that on a brand new bathroom built by a quality builder! I could have had the builder out to do it, but it was faster to just do it ourselves.

Best of luck to you in your travails. BTW: I went to grad school in Stillwater >35 years ago, and I have family in the area. Keep cool!

[IdahoBob]

Originally Posted by schrod

I just discovered to my dismay that the door was not put in properly and will have to partially remove it. Seems they don't know that a door frame needs shims for squareness and pulled the centers on both the hinge side and the catch side out way too far. I did not notice this until we wanted to just use the screen door without the solid door. This is not noticeable from the outside as the trim is square and the door shuts properly. This was when I noticed that the center of the screen door did not seal properly. Should not be too difficult a fix but it does need to be done to keep out bugs.

I hobbled out to our rig today to check the no-slam door that we learned to love during our 9000 mile trip earlier this year. Upon close inspection while moving both outside and screen doors, together and separately, I only noticed one anomaly. While opening and closing the screen door, I noticed that the bottom of the screen door moved about 1/2 inch sideways in the door frame. All door seals however are acceptable (if not perfect). The screen door is supported/connected to the hinge by a "Z" shaped bracket. Some adjustment (bending) of that might make a difference. I'll not do this until I study it a whole lot more.

Bob