A Pic of our last trip of the season and our new Camper Sign

[Rob63]

Well, our first year of camping in our 2014 Trail Runner was fantastic. Although we didn't get to go as often as we would have liked, we sure had fun when we were able to go. Unfortunately, here in the North East, the weather gets pretty darn cold by the time November rolls around so we put our camper to bed for the winter. Over Columbus Day weekend, we took our final 3 day weekend and went to Allegany State Park with close friends. We had a blast and I was able to display our newly made Camp Sign that I made in my shop. The leaves were at peak color and it was beautiful there! 60 degree days and cool crisp nights. The post is Pine and the base and two signs are Ash. A Solar light is on top. The graphics I did on my Computer. I then sprayed clear lacquer over the whole thing. I think it turned out pretty well and look forward to proudly displaying it each time we go camping for years to come.

 

[slborba]

Rob, Outstanding job on the post. Great looking rig and camp site.

 

[JohnD]

Sweet!

I do like the new colors on the 2014's . . .

 

[pegmikef]

Very nice. Great job on the sign!

 

[TravelTiger]

Really great sign! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[SilverRhino]

Nice job on the sign! We sure do miss the fall since moving away from the Midwest.

Travel Safe!

 

[Lana]

Your RV looks similar to ours. Is it a 27RKS? If it is I'm just wondering how was it to tow? We got ours in September and only used it once. We only towed it about 50 miles. We are leaving for Florida in January.

 

[Rob63]

Lana, yes it is a 27RKS. 2014 model year. When we bought it in November of 2013 we had a Ford F150 with the regular tow package. The dealer installed a Husky weight distribution hitch and one anti sway friction bar. The tow home from the dealer (50 miles) was ok but we were rocked around a little because of the high winds that day. It sat all winter and then this past Spring, we took our first trip. Where we went camping, the route was mostly secondary roads with a lot of hills and turns. Not really the best for us to determine how our set up was. On our second trip we went to Pittsburgh. A 2 1/2 trip. It started out fine and then near disaster happened. We had exited off one interstate onto another and the on ramp was a loop style. When we got straightened out and began accelerating to merge into the driving lane, the trailer started swaying really bad. It was all I could do to get things back under control but with letting off the gas and manually applying the trailer brakes, I was able to get the sway to stop and the rest of the trip was fine but it sure was a white knuckle experience that I never wanted to have happen again. So I began researching how to help my situation and ended up buying a Propride P3 hitch which eliminates trailer sway by its design. Since I've had the new hitch, I have had no troubles whatsoever. the hitches aren't cheap but you can't put a price on safety! Then in September of this year, I traded in the F150 and bought a Chevy 2500HD. I knew when I bought the trailer that I would be upgrading my truck because although the Ford had plenty of engine, I was near the limits with the 27RKS and a half ton pickup. After loading everything up for camping, I was over the payload limit. Now I think I have a pretty good setup with the 3/4 ton truck and a Propride hitch and travel without the worry of sway or payload issues. It's a much more pleasant experience. I hope your trip to Florida is a safe and good one and that my experiences and explanations helped.

 

[JohnD]

Rob63 . . .

We started out our 2013 Heartland Trail Runner TR22RK with a Dodge Ram 1500 4x4, but we found out (as you did) after a couple of white knuckle experiences that if I were just towing around the neighborhood, the old truck was fine.

But since we live 20 miles from the Rocky Mountains, and that is typically our destination, we upgraded to a 2015 Chevy 2500HD . . . and what a huge difference!

I'm amazed at how many RV's I see every day being towed by underated trucks!

 

[Rob63]

I know John. Since we were new to owning a camper, we believed the dealer when he said "no problem pulling this camper with your Ford". Live and Learn! I agree with you about the Chevy 2500HD. Ours is very similar to yours. 6.0 L gas. It tows the Trail Runner very good!

 

[Lana]

Hi Rob. Thanks for getting back to me about towing your trailer. We bought a used Silverado with a tow package. We had an equalizer hitch plus anti-sway bars installed. We hope it will do the job. We are not planning to travel in any mountains this year. If this truck doesn't do the job then we will have to get a different one next year. We really love the Trail Runner and are looking forward to spending time in it. We just love the layout of it and all the windows. I hope the winter goes by quickly for you and you will be once again spending time in your Trail Runner.


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[JohnD]

As for the swaying issue mentioned above, it is really important to not go faster than 65 mph with the Trail Runners.

For starters, the tires are only rated for 65 mph, but also because (and this is just my theory) the trailer axels and tires are so close together.

Even with WD and sway bar setup, our Trail Runner starts swaying when I go too fast...especially if the fresh water tank is full!

 

[Lana]

Thanks for your input John. We will be keeping it at 55 for safety reasons and for fuel economy.


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[Rob63]

Lana, the selling point for us was the large counter top with the large storage area underneath it with the tray that pulls out. The big window by the door is also a huge plus. We've done some mods to it but overall we were happy from day one. The mods we did were to change all the C-921 bulbs with LED bulbs that were brighter, added a door handle to the screen door to grab hold of to close it easier, replaced the terrible mattress with a memory foam mattress, added a camera to the back of the camper so I could see what's behind me when towing and for backing into camp sites easier, added a hand towel rack in the bathroom by the sink, added a bath towel rack above the toilet, added an LED light strip on the camper just below the awning, installed an LCD TV and replaced the Jensen interior speakers with Polk speakers.

John, 55-60mph is plenty fast enough. Besides the obvious reasons of fuel economy and safety issues, the journey should be part of the experience too so we take our time and have fun. My wife and I also play a game of counting campers on the way. Kind of silly but it helps pass the time while driving.