New Tiffin Ordered??

[reubenray]

Now that we finally made the decision to move from a fifth wheel to a motorhome I am trying to centralize what I need to get and/or do when it comes in. It is supposed to take about 8 weeks to build and be delivered. We cleaned out the fifth wheel today. About the only thing I do not think I can use with the Tiffin is the 30A Surge Protector, the X-chocks and wheel chocks. I figured that the plastic yellow levelers/pads may come in handy with the motorhome. The Tiffin has a 50A surge protector as standard equipment.

I have seen some motorhomes that have rock guards and some that do not. Will I need this right away? I cannot order it early being I do not know the height of the rear bumper.

I also know I need to setup my Equinox as the toad.

Now for the handling concerns. I have read on the Tiffin forum that I could request the Safe-T-Plus to be added during the build process, so I will try that. I also plan on doing the cheap handling fix. The sway bars are not as cut and dry as the CHF. I have been told by several dealers to wait until I drive the motorhome for a while before doing the sway bars.

I do have a weigh station (CAT) close by to weigh the front and rear axles. I do not know if they will do each tire separately. This will tell me what air pressure to put in the tires.

So what else do I need to plan on doing or getting prior to our first trip which will be about 2 weeks after we get it? We do plan on doing a night at the dealer to check out any issues and may do a night or two at the house prior to the first trip.

[Coaster1]

Safetplus will have to be adjusted later, cause there ain't no straight roads in Red Bay......lol

[reubenray]

Will I need to get a front end alignment done? I remember reading somewhere that this may need to be done.

[Medico]

Have fun with the new rig once it's done.

[John H...]

Congrats on the new rig. Have fun with it, you'll get the bugs worked out one at a time....

[Selah]

Our 36la seems to handel OK without any modifications. It came with front and rear track bars and sway bars. I cannot do the CHF as the sway bar is at 45 degrees. I would need to add adjustable hangers ( cant remember actual name). Unless you have some handling issues I would wait for an alignment. I read some where that the alignment should be checked at 10K miles, after everything settles in.
Drive it for awhile before doing anything. You might be surprised that it is just fine as it is.

[62_inrightlane]

Congratulations on the new MH!

"I have seen some motorhomes that have rock guards and some that do not. Will I need this right away?"

Not essential if your driving on well traveled paved roads. Without one you will get an occasional rock chip.

[luvlabs]

I went through the same things you are 7 months ago when we transitioned from a fifth wheel to the motorhome. Let's take your questions in order:

1. You can sell or give away your 30A surge supressor, your yellow leveling blocks, xchocks and possibly your wheel chocks.

2. Your motorhome will have a transfer switch that doubles as a surge supressor, however, that's only about half the protection you need. An EMS system (like a Progressive Industries HW50C) will protect you from all of the other electrical gremlins (high & low voltage, mis-wired pedestals, etc.) and provide an additional level of surge protection.

3. Rock guard. Your coach should have mud flaps but if you want something more, you can add an UltraGuard flap (Camping World) for about $130. BTW, there is no rear bumper.

4. Handling upgrades - your dealer is actually correct on this one. Don't spend your money until you have a few thousand miles under your belt. The Safety Plus is not a normal factory option on the Ford chassis units. It was used on some of the earlier Allegro Breeze models. The new Ford chassis are actually pretty good and I think you will be surprised.

5. Getting your Equinox set up is pretty easy. You will need a baseplate, tow bar, wiring system, and a braking system. If you are going to do the work yourself, you will save about $500-1000 in labor charges. Parts alone will set you back $2000-$2500. A good source of information is the RVUpgradestore.com

6. Individual wheel weights are difficult to obtain on many CAT scales. The easiest thing to do is the axle weights Take your axle weight, add 5%, divide by 2, and get the tire inflation pressures from the manufacturers tire charts. You will be close enough. You can ask Tiffin for the individual wheel weights they got during manufacturing however, once you load up, they won't be accurate.

Before setting off you your first trip, get some driving experience. Most of the camping stuff you know. Most of the systems in the motorhome are the same as your fifth wheel with the exception of the electrical system. Driving is very different and will take real time before you are comfortable and confident. Practice you backing skills as well although backing is much easier than a fifth wheel.

Good luck and do join the Tiffinrvnetwork.com where there are tons of Tiffin owners waiting to help you.

[Coaster1]

You might want to go to the factory. They bought the old airport in town and made a campground. There is no charge if your having work done. Hopefully, the dealer will be able to handle nit picky items.

The above post was full of good advice. Don't be in a rush to spend your $$$$ on gadgets and do dads. Find out what you want/need and look around for deals.