Yeah, that really happened.

[TINARACHELLE]

So, we picked up our 2009 Bighorn 3385rl today. Everything went perfectly, except my big surprise for my Husband was ruined. I had ordered a new TV with ROKU already built in and a soundbar and subwoofer. I had it sent to the dealership and the techs installed it for me. I agreed to pay a fee for their services. Well, we were finishing up the paperwork and the woman goes, "Now I need payment for the installation of the TV." Too bad I didn't get to see his face when be saw his new TV. All the techs kept asking me how it went amd I feel like they were disappointed too.

Anywho, My Husband backed onto the hitch like he had been doing it all his life. We have never had an RV before. We set the gain and proceed to travel in the Virginia hills. We never got above 3500 rpms, even on some decent grades. We stopped and got gas, no issues there.I took over driving and I ended up driving thru the Portsmouth, Va tunnel which was terrifying. I did well on the interstate and the truck towed like a dream. We arrived at the campground and I was still driving. I don't know why I did this but I went thru the right, smaller side of the dump station. I misjudged my turning radius. I curbed it on the left side and scraped from the furnace vent all the way back. So, today wasn't my day. It could have been worse but it's still frustrating to already need body work.

 

[jbeletti]

Congrats on bringing the camper home. Sorry to read about the boo boo. How did hubby like the new TV?

 

[jdamude]

So, we picked up our 2009 Bighorn 3385rl today. Everything went perfectly, except my big surprise for my Husband was ruined. I had ordered a new TV with ROKU already built in and a soundbar and subwoofer. I had it sent to the dealership and the techs installed it for me. I agreed to pay a fee for their services. Well, we were finishing up the paperwork and the woman goes, "Now I need payment for the installation of the TV." Too bad I didn't get to see his face when be saw his new TV. All the techs kept asking me how it went amd I feel like they were disappointed too.

Anywho, My Husband backed onto the hitch like he had been doing it all his life. We have never had an RV before. We set the gain and proceed to travel in the Virginia hills. We never got above 3500 rpms, even on some decent grades. We stopped and got gas, no issues there.I took over driving and I ended up driving thru the Portsmouth, Va tunnel which was terrifying. I did well on the interstate and the truck towed like a dream. We arrived at the campground and I was still driving. I don't know why I did this but I went thru the right, smaller side of the dump station. I misjudged my turning radius. I curbed it on the left side and scraped from the furnace vent all the way back. So, today wasn't my day. It could have been worse but it's still frustrating to already need body work.

Congratulations on your new trailer. You are much braver than my wife. Pam has no interest in even trying to pull the trailer. Sorry about your little mishap. It happens to some of the most experienced.

 

[TINARACHELLE]

Congrats on bringing the camper home. Sorry to read about the boo boo. How did hubby like the new TV?

He loves it!! The Sound Bar is fantastic too.

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Congratulations on your new trailer. You are much braver than my wife. Pam has no interest in even trying to pull the trailer. Sorry about your little mishap. It happens to some of the most experienced.

It sounds like Pam is just plain old' smarter than me!! I just broke it in for us, lol. I got upset and my Husband was very sweet about it.

 

[TINARACHELLE]

So, we had dinner and took the pups to the for a nighttime beach walk. The beach is right behind us. We are cozy and warm with the fireplace on, now. Despite some hiccups we are blessed to have the opportunity to enjoy our new rig. My Husband's Travel Nurse assignment ends on Dec 26th. We will travel to our sticks and bricks and be home for a week. Our next assignment is in Pueblo, CO. We are going to be at a KOA between Colorado City and Pueblo from January to April.

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So, we had dinner and took the pups to the for a nighttime beach walk. The beach is right behind us. We are cozy and warm with the fireplace on, now. Despite some hiccups we are blessed to have the opportunity to enjoy our new rig. My Husband's Travel Nurse assignment ends on Dec 26th. We will travel to our sticks and bricks and be home for a week. Our next assignment is in Pueblo, CO. We are going to be at a KOA between Colorado City and Pueblo from January to April.

We only have overnight for our maiden voyage. I don't want to go back to our rental. We are in a lease until we leave.

 

[Dean-Pam]

Congratulations and hope to see you at one of the rallys. Since this is your first RV, you will find the folks on this forum are very helpful in answering questions and providing advice. I have learned a lot, especially on how to prepare the camper for cold weather.

 

[TINARACHELLE]

Congratulations and hope to see you at one of the rallys. Since this is your first RV, you will find the folks on this forum are very helpful in answering questions and providing advice. I have learned a lot, especially on how to prepare the camper for cold weather.

My Husband wants to know if you installed your Ride-Rite or if you had someone install it.

 

[TINARACHELLE]

So we got the RV to the storage lot. We got some practice on some nice hills with a steady grade. The truck did will. We scaled it at the weight center and we are good. We travel with two vehicles. We weighed with me, the dogs and some extra things we are not taking. I will be driving with the dogs in my car so we are going to weigh again when we leave for Colorado. We are going to get some airbags for the axle too.

I got over my mishap. Thank God, I didn't hurt anyone or us. We had terrible weather today. We camped at First Landing Park in Virginia Beach. The wind was gusting and blowing rain. It was very chilly today. We didn't turn the furnace on and used the fireplace. It was warm and toasty. The bedroom is going to need a small heater. We need a better mattress too. We met two people that had just bought their RV's. My Husband did an amazing job hooking and unhooking. I am finally relaxed and excited for our new adventure. I hope to meet some of you guys and swap stories at an actual campfire.This yesar we we have lived in Texas and Virginia. We have to rent a stick and brick and rent is completely outrageous. Now, we are paying for something we own and get to live in our own space. We still have a permanent home in Arkansas.

 

[Dean-Pam]

I installed the Ride-Rite myself, with help from a friend. It took me twice as long as the company estimate, but I am very picky about where I drilled holes to install the air lines from the compressor to the airbags themselves. I installed the gauge/switch in the center storage compartment and the air compressor under the back seat (it fit perfectly).

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[TINARACHELLE]

I installed the Ride-Rite myself, with help from a friend. It took me twice as long as the company estimate, but I am very picky about where I drilled holes to install the air lines from the compressor to the airbags themselves. I installed the gauge/switch in the center storage compartment and the air compressor under the back seat (it fit perfectly).

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And then you air them up when needed? My Father-in-Law is a retired John Deere Mechanic and he taught his boys how to work on vehicles. We can take it to his Dad's house and have him help Mark install it. I wonder if that voids the warranty though? Sorry to keep bugging you. Thanks for helping us!

 

[Dean-Pam]

"And then you air them up when needed? My Father-in-Law is a retired John Deere Mechanic and he taught his boys how to work on vehicles. We can take it to his Dad's house and have him help Mark install it. I wonder if that voids the warranty though? Sorry to keep bugging you. Thanks for helping us!"
"
Yes, you can inflate or deflate as needed. It doesn't state DIY install voids warranty. I have not had any issues with mine and have had them going on 2-years.

 

[avvidclif]

My 2 cents worth. I installed the bags with the help of my son. It wasn't a big deal. I didn't get the air compressor but ran the air lines to back by the license plate. I bought a decent bicycle jack (with gauge) to air it up. The unloaded pressure is 5 lbs. When hooked up it takes about 8-9 strokes on the bike pump to get to 45 lbs where I run it. For me it was simple $20 for a bike pump or $250 for a compressor plus the extra install time. Either way in your case it wouldn't be used very much with not moving around a lot.

 

[jmgratz]

We have the Firestone air bags with the Air Lift wireless controller on our truck. Love it. I like the controller so we can change the air setting while on the move if needed. Some roads require a stiffer suspension than others. (Drive I10 in Louisiana)

 

[TINARACHELLE]

"And then you air them up when needed? My Father-in-Law is a retired John Deere Mechanic and he taught his boys how to work on vehicles. We can take it to his Dad's house and have him help Mark install it. I wonder if that voids the warranty though? Sorry to keep bugging you. Thanks for helping us!"
"
Yes, you can inflate or deflate as needed. It doesn't state DIY install voids warranty. I have not had any issues with mine and have had them going on 2-years.

Thank you so much!

Sent from my SM-T817V using Tapatalk

 

[TINARACHELLE]

My 2 cents worth. I installed the bags with the help of my son. It wasn't a big deal. I didn't get the air compressor but ran the air lines to back by the license plate. I bought a decent bicycle jack (with gauge) to air it up. The unloaded pressure is 5 lbs. When hooked up it takes about 8-9 strokes on the bike pump to get to 45 lbs where I run it. For me it was simple $20 for a bike pump or $250 for a compressor plus the extra install time. Either way in your case it wouldn't be used very much with not moving around a lot.

Great tip. I was wondering if we needed them air compressor since we will only be moving, at the least, every 13 weeks. I was thinking air compressor at the gas station for tires.

Sent from my SM-T817V using Tapatalk

 

[Shortest Straw]

A small "pancake" compressor would work for you. It is cheaper than the air system you may install on your tv and it is portable.

 

[IronJ]

Or even a cheap 12v cig lighter type inflator works
...not a lot of volume in the bags so it don't take much

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk

 

[ILH]

Or even a cheap 12v cig lighter type inflator works
...not a lot of volume in the bags so it don't take much

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G925A using Tapatalk

The compressor from Lowes runs on both 12V and 110V and is small for storage.

http://www.lowes.com/pd_146781-40883-KL12120___?productId=3522750&pl=1&Ntt=cobalt+compressor

 

[wdk450]

Tina:

If you DO buy an external compressor, you would probably want it to have enough pressure (PSI) to air up your trailer tires. My Bighorn tires are rated at 110 PSI, and most gas station compressors don't go anywhere near that high. Checking your trailer tires pressures is a standard pre-trip safety inspection. The sort of high pressure and tire sized volume compressor you need for the 110 PSI trailer tires is also very hard (and expensive) to get on a 12 volt DC compressor. I have a 110 volt pancake compressor rated to 120 PSI (I wish I had bought and even higher pressure compressor), and have both a 1500 watt inverter system on the trailer and a portable 1500 watt generator I carry in the truck bed. Almost always when I am preparing to get on the road, I am in an RV park with 110 volt electricity.

 

[GregP]

Gas station compressors are often difficult to access when towing a trailer. Also, you would likely have driven the vehicle for some distance to get to the station and the pressure readings would not be taken when cold, as is usually recommended. A portable a/c compressor is a choice, but can be heavy. There is a 12 volt portable unit available (Viair 450P or Viar 450P RV) which will handle the pressure requirements of both the trailer and the tow vehicle tires. It is a bit pricey, somewhere around $200+ on-line,but would allow you to air up whenever needed. I carried an a/c compressor with me this year that would pressure up the tank to 120 lbs, but had difficulty getting anything over 100 lbs into the tire once the tire and compressor pressures started to reach an equal level. It seems that in order to get 110 lbs of air into a tire, you might actually want a compressor capable of putting out 125-150lbs. Could be wrong, just a guess.