Trip to Wyoming in the fall?

[cattleman1977]

This is my first time posting here but I've been "hanging out" for a couple months. We bought a 2012 32BUDS back in early August primarily for using when my young family of 7 (5 kids) goes to weekend horse shows. We take two rigs-one to pull the camper and one to pull the horses. I must say it is absolutely perfect for our needs and we love it. There have been a couple small issues that I might get around to asking about later but they're rather insignificant for now.

What I'm really needing advice on is an upcoming trip that we are going to take to south central Wyoming. To date we've only used our north trail in the summer and even though I've been around campers quite a bit I've never used one in cold weather. From my research I think ours will definitely be up to the task. However, I'm wanting to know if there are any suggestions from experienced heartland owners.

1. I know there is the potential for temps to get down into the twenties in Wyoming in late October. My undercarriage is sealed off so with the heater running I doubt there will be any issues. What about while we are traveling from one stop to another? I plan on draining before each move but I'd rather not have to fill everything with antifreeze as we are going down the road. Is a good/bad idea to travel with the heater on?

2. My trailer came with standard propane bottles (20# I think). We are going to be on the road for 10 days. Will these be big enough to run the heater/appliances or should I buy a pair of the larger bottles?

3. Finally, we've been pulling our trailer with my wife's Ford Expedition EL and have been getting along just fine but we've not gone more than 120 miles. The trailer gets her expedition pretty close to its GVWR. I have a dodge 2500 diesel but can't have seven of us in it legally (not that I'd want to). What is the likelihood we'll have any trouble pulling in the mountains? We live in Kansas so it's been easy pulls so far.

Thanks in advance and I really appreciate the info on this forum!

 

[danemayer]

Hi cattleman1977,

Congratulations on the new-to-you North Trail and welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum.

If overnight temps are in the 20s, daytime temps will be warmer and you'll probably be ok while towing. You might find some useful tips in our Water Systems Winter Usage Guide.

I'm sure other owners will chime in with opinions on propane usage and mountain towing with your Expedition.

 

[Bob&Patty]

Are you going to be hooked up to 120V?? If not you probably going to use a lot of propane. Your water lines in the coach could freeze..maybe. So running the heater at night will be a must. You could save some propane if you use electric heaters but using them won't help to keep the underbelly warm. A catch 22.

 

[RoadJunkie]

I don't think Wyoming has a Fall, they move right into winter...don't they? When I'm in cold conditions I don't hook up to city water, but rather use the on-board tank. A hose line will freeze, that is, unless you have an electrically heated water hose. Unless you're going to a remote area, you will be able to refuel your propane tanks. Just be sure you always have a full one for the transfer. It's a law that if you run out of propane it will be in the middle of the night. A lot of us use light bulbs in strategic locations that will keep water and other items from freezing (be aware of fire dangers, keep bulbs at a safe distance). I keep one in my basement behind the bulkhead and aimed at the pump and water input lines. You can buy a temperature controlled outlet at The Home Depot that applies AC power to the bulb when temps drop below a preset temperature. Do NOT leave your sewer lines hooked, especially up with the valves open. The, humm, ahh, "stuff" will freeze and you will have a hard time thawing out the...poopsicle. Have funnnnnn!

 

[Bob&Patty]

It has already snowed in Montana. So beware.

 

[cattleman1977]

We are always going to be hooked up to electrical. I'm planning on taking a space heater to supplement but dully noted on the underbelly catch 22. So far the weather out there would be perfect but a lot could change in 2-3 weeks. If they're not crazy expensive I think I'll upgrade to the bigger bottles... just good insurance against the "middle of the night law." Most places we are staying (fort Robinson, NE and rv parks in Casper and Encampment, WY) should have showers if we need to dry camp.


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[Domi]

Well I am sure you have already completed your trip and know how it works but for others I will comment. We did a few trips to the Torrington, Wy area in mid to late October. The weather was great and it was a lot of fun (We have a new to us 2011 North Trail bought in September 2015). On one 4 day trip when the temps over night were in the 20's we did use 1 whole 20 lb bottle of propane. We did get a small space heater from Wal-mart that will heat the whole trailer during the day or evening but ran the heater at night to keep the belly warm. We use the space heater to warm up the trailer when we have been out for the day which saves on the propane. I agree with the comments on hoses and what not, but we were pretty toasty warm for the most part. For Propane we just carry a spare 20 Lb bottle from the gas grill in case we need to swap out. Somewhat eaiser than finding some place to file late on a Saturday night (been there done that).

We are hoping to make it to Ogallala, Neb for Thanksgiving if the weather holds. I am sure we will be in the 20's but confident we should stay warm.

Hope you have had a great time with your trailer.

Domi

 

[cattleman1977]

Actually, our trip was awesome! Five kids (ages 9, 6, 4, 3, & 9 weeks) an old blind dog, the camper, 2100 miles in 10 days. Definitely better than a motel room. We stayed 3 nights at Ft. Robinson, one in Casper, and 3 nights in Encampment, Wyoming and a night going out and coming home. Temps were in the mid to high twenties and the north trail never missed a beat. We went through several bottles of propane but other than the inconvenience of having to switch bottles at three am a couple times it was perfect. The standard bottles were the way to go especially due to their availability even in remote areas. I took an electric heater but never took it out of the storage compartment.

We are home now and the camper is put up and winterized. I have to admit though, after we got home it sat in the yard for a few days before I got around to completely getting it cleaned out and ready for winter storage. When I did go back in it I got a little homesick for it after living in it for that long! Looking forward to using it for horse shows next spring and definitely another big road trip next year! Without question the best way to travel with a young family!

Here are a couple pics:

By the way, if you ever get the chance to stay in Ft. Robinson NE or Lazy Acres RV park in Encampment, WY do it; they are great spots! Rivers Edge in Casper was nice and had every amenity, but too many permanent sites and very crowded for me. Just my 2 cents.

 

[buddyboy]

Beautiful family! Looks like all of you had a grand time. We wish you many years of happiness while camping. This forum is a great source of info for first hand experience on what actually works (and doesn't work). Keep posting.