First time Prowler owner

[DeadGreg]

Just bought a brand new 2012 Prowler Sport 23P about a month ago and we absolutely love it. Have a few issues that I have noticed though that I would like to iron out...

1. The end caps on the bumper seemed to always come loose, but I kept an eye on them and pushed them back in. Got to a campsite not far from home a couple of weeks ago and they were both gone and so was my sewer hose.

2. I cannot run the AC and the Electrical Water heater at the same time without tripping the breaker. I was using a 50amp hookup at the site with an adapter to connect to the 30amp cord on my trailer.

3. Some of the wiring beneath the slide out has come loose...two connections with wirenuts are dangling down. I want to zip tie them back to secure them, but I don't want to rip anything out if they move with the slideout. I guess I will have to do a little more troubleshooting.

4. At first, the Grey and Black tank electronic meters inside the trailer worked good. But now, even with both tanks completely empty, they still show about 3/4 full.

5. This is a minor one, but the cable tv connector in the trailer is labeled for the satellite connector and vice versa.

All in all, love the trailer but would love some help addressing these minor issues.

 

[mrcomer]

Regarding item #2, your trailer is only rated for 30 amp regardless of the 50 amp adapter you used therefore you can only run the AC or elctric water heater seperately. Turn one off to turn the other one on and vice-versa. It is jsut something you willl have to work out. The AC, water heaters and microwaves draw the most amps and need to be used one item at a time. Hair dryers and electric skillets also draw a lot of amps and can cause breakers to trip.

Glad to hear you like you unit. You should get many more people chiming in on your other concerns.

Good luck,

 

[cookie]

DeadGreg, welcome to the forum and Heartland Family.
All of your issues are pretty minor and can all be dealt with easily....I hope.
1. The bumper end caps. If you need replacements, just keep an eye out along the highway. I see a lot of sewer hoses laying in the ditch. Bumper caps should not be far away.
Seriously, a lot of people have come up with ways to secure them better. Some use threaded rod and wing nuts, others use an eye bolts and small bungee cords. You should be able to come up with something.

2. AC and water heater draw a lot of amperage, so I would expect tripping the 30 amp breaker. Run the water heater on LP.

3. You are right about the trouble shooting. It would be a good idea to secure those wires but not before watching what happens when the slide goes out and in.

4. Most holding tanks monitors do not work accurately. Mine don't and I don't even look at them anymore. You will learn when the tanks need to be dumped. For the black tank, I will hear it kinda burping when I flush. Time to dump. For grey, when I hear the shower drain gurgling, it's time to dump.

5. Switch the labels or switch the connectors on the back.

Good luck and enjoy your new Prowler.

Peace
Dave

 

[boatto5er]

Try these for your bumper end caps: http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/bumper-hatch-set-of-2/34416

 

[ILH]

There are lots of possible solutions to end caps coming loose, but one of the easiest fixes is to drill a 3/16 hole straight down about 1/4 inch from the end (through the bumper and plastic end cap). Then drop a metal tent peg (the kind with a bend at the end) into the hole. Its simple, inexpensive and easily replaced if you loose it again.

 

[pegmikef]

2. I cannot run the AC and the Electrical Water heater at the same time without tripping the breaker. I was using a 50amp hookup at the site with an adapter to connect to the 30amp cord on my trailer.

4. At first, the Grey and Black tank electronic meters inside the trailer worked good. But now, even with both tanks completely empty, they still show about 3/4 full.

5. This is a minor one, but the cable tv connector in the trailer is labeled for the satellite connector and vice versa.

Item 2. Since most sites always also have a standard 20 Amp outlet we use a heavy gauge extension cord (12 gauge) and use our high amperage appliance (e.g., toaster, electric skillet, coffee pot, etc.) outside whenever we can in the warmer months when the A/C is needed. DW likes to use the electric skillet outside most of the time as it keeps the smell out of the trailer.

Item 4. Mine have been like that for so long (on rare occasions, one level lower) I just assume it means the tanks are empty as they never change with use.

Item 5. Nonproblem for me because my North Trail didn't come with a satellite hookup. I had to run my own.

 

[bighorn3370]

DeadGreg, were you at Pirolli? If so, I was the BH owner that talked you at the dump station. Looks like others have given you great advice. As far as the adapter from 50 to 30 amp, the adapter was only using one leg of the 50 amp. That would only give you 25 amps. Pirolli has been the first campground I have seen that has a 50 amp plug with no other. Glad you came online for some help. Ernie.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Greg, I think the 50 amp plug is actually a 20amp and a 30amp. Not intending to argue but that's what I've read and been told. If your 50 to 30 adapter picked up on the 20amp leg of that connection, that would be the reason for your problem. In the past I've always used the Air and other appliances at the same time. Another possibility is a loose electrical connection somewhere causing heat.

 

[danemayer]

As far as the adapter from 50 to 30 amp, the adapter was only using one leg of the 50 amp. That would only give you 25 amps.

First a disclaimer - I'm not an electrician, but here's how I understand it.

Using a 50 Amp outlet in a campground, with a trailer that has 50 Amp service, each leg of the the pedestal's 50 Amp connector provides 50 Amps 110V.

If you plug a 30 Amp adapter in at the 50 Amp outlet of the pedestal to connect a 30 Amp trailer, you're picking up one leg of the 110V from the pedestal.

The pedestal and the connector are dumb. They don't know anything about voltage or amperage. So the same 50 Amp 110V is available from the pedestal outlet as before, but the adapter wiring uses just one of the 2 legs that each supply 50 Amps.

So in theory, you could pull 50 Amps through your 30 amp cable and adapter (and some of your internal wiring) and overheat them, maybe starting a fire. What stops that from happening? Your trailer has a 30 Amp master breaker. If you turn on too many things and the load exceeds 30 Amps, the breaker trips in the trailer before you have a chance to overload the 30 Amp cable and adapter.

Having said all that: many pedestals have outlets for 50A, 30A, 20A plugs. If there's a 30A outlet, get rid of the adapter and plug directly into that outlet. It will provide 30 Amps at 110V which is the max you can use. If there's a problem with the 50A outlet or with your adapter, you'll eliminate that problem.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Time to taste a little more Crow. I was uninformed or read incorrect information. I found THIS SITE and danemayer has it right!

 

[DeadGreg]

Hey Ernie, indeed I am the one you spoke to! Thanks for the heads up about these forums.

Thank you all for the kind help and suggestions!

 

[bighorn3370]

First of all, DeadGreg, I'm glad you came to the forum for some help. Part of what I said about the adapter was wrong. Danemayer is right, I had a mental lapse. I have 50 amp service that I put in at my house. That is two 50 amp cuircits, each 110v. Dan, at this park they only had 50 amp service. There were no 30 or 20 amp plugs in the pedestal. Ernie