Hello from Tennessee

[Brucewestep]

My name is Bruce Wayne I am new to the camper world .. I just bought a 1988 coachmen 5th wheel camper 28 ft my first camper .. I need advice and input . Where do I even start it is over whelming ???

[TonyDi]

Hi Bruce



Glad to have you here with us.

We have two forums that you may want to check out. 5th Wheels and Vintage RV's. iRV2 General Discussion will help too.

Let us know if we can help you.

[Petro]

Bruce;



We are glad you joined us. Congratulations on the purchase of your first camper. Browse the forums that interest you and don't be afraid to ask questions as our members like to help when they can.

Post often and share your new RV adventures with us. Enjoy the forums.

Don

[Persistent]

"You must ask specific questions if you want specific answers."

Seriously, there are websites that do in depth presentations for first timers. U tube is good for specific issues.

Lots to learn! You may wish to start camping in your own driveway for a couple of nights. Test to see if systems you try are working the way you expect. You can do it with or with out shore power. You can even plug into a home 120 volt outlet to test many systems.

Lots to learn about towing. Is your tow vehicle up to towing your new 5th? How does the 5th hitch work? How about electrical connection to tow vehicle? Hitching and unhitching? Leaveling?

Start by driving slow. Maybe learn to back into small places using an unused commercial parking lot.

City and onboard water systems, 12 volt, 120 volt, 240 volt systems, water heating, air conditioning, electrical monitoring system (EMS) are all important.

Next travel locally to a campground for a couple of nights. By then you may have more specific questions and will understand answers better.

I wish you good luck and happy trails ahead!

[Brucewestep]

I don't have a 5th wheel hitch but I'm planing on buying the bw fith wheel companion or just buying the fifth wheel to turnover ball conversion .. I have a 2000 f350 cclb . I know zero bout camper to even ask specifics don't even know what to ask .. first of all I don't know how to turn any of it on the fridge the stove the heater any of the onboard appliences nothing don't know the maintenance I even need to.do.to these objects before trying to start / turn them on completly and 100% lost I've always been a do it ur self person and I'm a.mechanic but this thing is a different world

[momdoc]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on the new rig.

You are joining a good group of folks here with good info to share. Read the various threads here and ask questions as they come up or add info if you can.

The learning curve can be very long but thankfully only steep in the begining.

Good luck and enjoy the adventure!

[Persistent]

Originally Posted by Brucewestep

I don't have a 5th wheel hitch but I'm planing on buying the bw fith wheel companion or just buying the fifth wheel to turnover ball conversion .. I have a 2000 f350 cclb . I know zero bout camper to even ask specifics don't even know what to ask .. first of all I don't know how to turn any of it on the fridge the stove the heater any of the onboard appliences nothing don't know the maintenance I even need to.do.to these objects before trying to start / turn them on completly and 100% lost I've always been a do it ur self person and I'm a.mechanic but this thing is a different world

To avoid being overwhelmed, start with one thing at a time. I know quit a bit about batteries. That is a good place to start.

Lead/acid batteries need to be stored fully charged. You will get long life from your batteries is you maintain them properly.

First find them. Are they looking clean? Are they connected? Sometimes owners remove a cable to preserve capacity during storage. There may be a battery disconnect switches near the battery. Is it "on"?

Check the water level if the batteries have removable caps. Add only distilled water. Tap water or other sources will mess up the battery chemistry.

Now start exploring the various power systems. It can make things easier to explore if you measure the battery voltage now before connecting shore power or generator.

Get a $15 digital volt meter from your local hardware store. Measure the voltage at the battery terminals. For long life storage you want the voltage to be 12.7 volts or above. If you have 6 volt batteries, they will be connected in series to produce 12 volts. If battery voltage is below 12.4 you should fully charge them as soon as practical. Fully charged means 14 to 18 hours of charging with a high quality battery charger.

Your 5th probably has a 50 amp shore power cord. It could be a 30 amps. You can charge the batteries using shore power. You may need an adapter to plug the cord into a home 15 amp outlet.

Most TT's have a high quality charger/converter built in. A 15 amp outlet will run the battery charger. This will also supply power to lights, water pump and other appliances 12 volt control boards.

Find all the power panels, switches, fuse panels, and disconnects. You may find a disconnect near the door or in a storage bay.

Once connected to shore power, recheck the battery voltage. When charger is "on" battery voltage will slowly rise to more than 13.0 volts. This assures the charger is working and some needed disconnect switch is not turned "off".

See how far you can get with these tasks and report back. There are a lot of other possibilities so keep us posted if you run into obstacles.

Good luck!

[MSHappyCampers]

Hi Bruce! Welcome to IRV2! We're sure glad you joined the gang!

Congrats on the new rig! Sorry for the late welcome. I've been off the forum for a while. Have fun and keep her between the ditches!

Good luck, happy trails, and God bless!