Almost Time for our New Landmark!

jjriker

Well-known member
Hello all! Wanted to share our exciting news! In a little over a week, on the 18th, my DH Harry and I will head to TN to pick up our new 2011 Landmark Rushmore! :D This will be Harry's first time towing a fiver, and we are both nervous and definitely very excited!! Any advice that all you experienced rvers out there would like to offer will be much appreciated!
 

jnbhobe

Well-known member
Just take your time and make wide turns, Its all about gaining experience. Watch your mirrors all the time and when backing up have a guide that you can see in your mirrors. Above all take your time and don't be afraid to pull ahead to get straight.
 

boatto5er

Founding VA Chap Ldr (Ret)
Hello all! Wanted to share our exciting news! In a little over a week, on the 18th, my DH Harry and I will head to TN to pick up our new 2011 Landmark Rushmore! :D This will be Harry's first time towing a fiver, and we are both nervous and definitely very excited!! Any advice that all you experienced rvers out there would like to offer will be much appreciated!

Check, check, and double-check to make sure your hitch is locked before you start pulling the trailer. Haven't been a lot of cases of trailers being dropped out of hitches, but it is bad when it does happen. A good practice is to do a "test" pull. Hook up, lift the front legs just off the ground (a couple of inches at most), and pull forward a little to make sure the hitch jaws are locked in place. If they aren't locked, the trailer can't fall far and no damage can occur.
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
Welcome to the Heartland family. If you are wary of your new coach and how to handle the driving aspect. You might want to inroll in a truck driving course. Lots of newbies have done this with great success. As said in a previous post....be looking in your mirrors at all times. Make sure that your hitch is locked in place before you move. Everytime before you leave on a trip do a walk around...check all the lites and tires. Make wide turns as the big rigs do and remember that there is a long overhang behind the trailer wheels. In a tight turn , it can come around and hit things. So always in a tight turn make sure you have the room to make the turn. Practice....practice...practice....find a school parking lot and practice backing up between some plastic cones. Use your mirrors to backup...dont stick your head out the window to do it. You will always turn the wheels the wrong way. Turn the steering wheel slowly...not jerky and lock to lock. Get the back of the trailer headed where you want it and follow it moving slowly. Your not in a drag race to park.

Jessica, if you are going to be the one that stands outside to help DH backup and park. This is my best advice before you and DH come to blows. Make sure at all times you stay on the drivers side of the coach..at the rear. MAKE SURE THAT DH CAN SEE YOUR FACE AND YOU CAN SEE HIS IN THE LEFT MIRROR. Use hand signals or yell loud to direct him. Some people use hand held radio's. You will have to set up a routine that you use everytime. Something else to remember....no matter where you are standing by any vehicle... the drivers side is always the LEFT side.... passenger side is always the RIGHT side. It will take some trial and error but it will come with practice. This is the best advise I can give you as an x-trucker.
 
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PUG

Pug
Bob and Patty have given you some good advice. I am also an X trucker and just turning someone loose with no experience is a recipe for big problems. Unless you have someone that has a trl and will take you out and give you experience, the truck driving school is a good idea. You will find some of the public to be courteous and watchful with the majority ignoring signal lights and generally not watching out for you or where you are trying to go so sometimes you have to get a little forceful and pushy. Look way ahead and if you do get into a bad spot STOP before you do damage and figure out how to get out of it. I have personally stopped and helped less experience people out of jams and in a few occasions backed their rigs out and got them out of trouble. Just ask for help and you will receive.
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
Pug, the OL' trailer whip has always worked for me. Works better with a Pete and a 48' trailer. Hate those pesky little jap cans that think the drive wheels are a place to hide. Ever seen what an 11.24.5 tire can do??? Removes outside mirrors without much effort. LOL

I guess these YO-YO's in cars don't have any idea of how much damage a 22-23k TV and trailer will do at 60 MPH. It just might flatten your jap can with you in it.
 

jjriker

Well-known member
Thanks to everyone who has responded so far. I appreciate hearing your insights. The driving school is on our to-do list, but unfortunately can't be done until next year due to time constraints since we both w#%k. ;) We will be doing the practice in the big parking lot option at this point. We definitely plan to take it slow and easy.
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Another suggestion, BOTH of you learn to pull it and back it, and don't make the driving legs of a trip longer than your patience or stamina. Been there, done that, paid the repair-bills. :p

I still need the find the courage to learn myself.:mad:

Erika
 

Bob&Patty

Founders of SoCal Chapter
Jessica, have you looked into a cushioned pinbox yet??? Trust me...you need it. There are several one's on the market. If and when you look into it..the frame model # is a "1621HD" Lippert frame. They range in price from $600.00 to several K's. Make sure that your dealer gets you the correct size hitch. With a Landmark I would not go below a 18K rating. Again, JMHO
 

hriker

Well-known member
Thank you to all for your very helpful comments and recommendations. We will surely be taking our time and using extreme care returning home with our Landmark Rushmore. I have been reading the RV Handbook Essential How-to Guide for the RV Owner by Bill Estes. He provides a lot of the same kind of information you have all been talking about, but it is great to hear your personal experiences. I have also been reading many of the threads on this forum and have already picked up a lot of very useful information. A case in point, I had no idea about using a torque wrench, but after reading threads on here, I ordered one and used it today for the first time. I am planning on wide turns and taking my time. Others will need to wait if I need time for a maneuver. We are having a B & W Turnoverball and Companion 5th Wheel Hitch installed by our dealer. As recommended it is rated at 18k LB GTW. We considered a Trailair PIN box but our dealer doesn't carry them. However, we plan to upgrade the pin box at some point.
 

jjriker

Well-known member
Well, it's been an exciting week! We took everyone's advice and took it slow and easy. We have stayed in three campgrounds on our way home, and have had to maneuver ourselves through some tight situations. But we made it though, and this morning we will leave our easy pull through site in PA (the only easy one we had!) to head on the final leg of our trip to upstate NY.

034.jpg036.jpg037.jpg038.jpgIMG_4699.jpg
 

camr

Well-known member
Hi Jessica, GREAT choice of trailer. I love how much larger the interior looks with a slide on the door side. Makes the room look twice as big. The silver-grey matching colours of the truck and trailer look super. Have a great summer.
Cam
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hi Jessica,

Congratulations on getting your Rushmore.

Let me mention a couple of things about the entertainment center. First, watch the cables on the back of the TV when raising and lowering it. On some units, including ours, the cables get snagged and rip the antenna connector out of the TV. Inconvenient if in warranty, but very expensive out of warranty. Heartland replaced our TV. I now have the cables tied with velcro ties and taped to the TV, and still watch while operating the lift.

When you get around to piping TV audio to the Panasonic Surround Sound, you'll need some extra cables. Ours came with an audio/video cable connecting the Surround Sound unit to the TV (Yellow/Red/White RCA phono connectors). This is what allows you to play DVDs and route the audio and video to the TV. You'll get a better picture if you install an HDMI cable to connect the 2 units and switch the TV input to the matching HDMI port. If you do that, you can also move the Red/White phono connectors on the TV from the input jacks on the side to the audio out jacks on the back of the TV. Leave the surround sound side alone. Then when you're watching TV with the A/C running on high, you can turn on the Surround Sound, set it to AUX IN and get audio thru the overhead speakers. Finally, if you end up using a Satellite TV receiver, get an optical audio cable to connect the Satellite receiver to the Surround sound and another HDMI cable to connect the Satellite receiver to the TV.

One caution: if you start working on the connections to the Surround Sound unit, be very careful while moving it around. If the coax cable
that attaches to the FM antenna input is stiff, you may find the cable is stronger than the connector mount on the surround sound. It can break the connector off.
 

2psnapod2

Texas-South Chapter Leaders-Retired
I am also interested in what you did for cabling for the surround sound and such. But I could not follow your discription. Right now we only have surround sound for DVD. Can you maybe draw something or maybe explain further what you are describing? I dont have the rear entertainment center but I believe I have the same equipment. Sharp Aquos and Panisonic Surround sound. Thanks if you can, Michael
 

porthole

Retired
Just a simple re-fueling tidbit.

Don't be embarrassed about dropping the trailer to run in and get fuel.

With hydraulic landing gear it takes at most maybe 10 extra minutes to get fuel at ANY diesel pump.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Hopefully this diagram will help with the entertainment center cabling. Click on the picture, then after it opens, click again to get a larger view, then click to zoom in and it should be legible.

Rushmore Entertainment Center Wiring.jpg
 

2psnapod2

Texas-South Chapter Leaders-Retired
Dan that is great. Thanks for the diagram. It should work fine. Now I have to get the tools out and take the TV off the wall. Micheal
 
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