I've had the water heater show an error message as well. Try pulling out the kitchen and lighting a burner first, then attempt to start the water heater. I've found I have to "recharge" the propane lines, otherwise the water heater attempts to light multiple times on ambient air and I get the error message.Hello all,
I would like to write my experience (first experience with any camper) with the Dweller 15 as a new owner from Houston Texas. My wife and I, plus 3 dogs, drove to Arizona to purchase our D15 because it was about $10k less than what I had been seeing everyone else sell it for on RV Trader and we had already looked at a D15 at a normal RV Dealer. It was also a 2023 model instead of one of the 22's that had been sitting around for a while. We picked up the camper on June 17th in Mesa, AZ and had already booked our first 3 parks to stay at on the way home. However, our first stop was Costco to stock up on some food, etc.
Next stop, Lost Dutchman State Park. Now, the two main reasons to get the camper were for AC and a shower. However, AC cannot keep up with 110 degree direct heat. I think on the peak of our first full day we decided to come inside but it reached around 93 on the inteior and we decided it was time to go drive around and do some shopping back in Mesa until it was getting into the early evening. We also had 3 small dogs with us so we had to be careful with them as well. (We ended up at Home Depot and pushed them around in two shopping carts to stay cool). It was beautiful here and our campsite was great. I would reccomend it if it's not the middle of summer in your D15.
Second Campsite was Bluewater Lake State Park in NM. This was amazing and the elevation gave us great weather. We actually ended up booking an extra night since we had only intended to stay two nights at each stop. On our extended night we had to change sites to somewhere without water or electric connections which ended up being fine because the weather was so great. Our only issue was we didnt know how to use the water out of both tanks. We found out later there was just the knob under the bed that you had to turn.
Last campsite was back in Texas but it was amazingly hot again and we ended up cutting our trip short at that park because of the heat and the dogs being with us. Plus the lake was low and didnt want to try to venture out into it.
The 4th of July we also went to Lake Sommerville State park which was a close drive for us at around 1.5 hours. We had a great time here with the dogs and they enjoyed the lake even though it was a bit low. We also came prepared with an EXTRA 14k BTU AC unit and put it inside with the exhaust hose blowing out one of the top zip down windows. I wish I had taken a picture of this since it was pretty thrown together. It was also hot here but we had partial shade which helped with keeping the camper cool until the sun was directly overhead. Once the sun was overhead the temps started rising, not even the extra AC and the camper AC could keep up. I believe we still saw 85 inside the camper during the peak part of the day. Needless to say, there is a lack of insulation in this trailer and I thought we could manage this a little better. As a side note, we had run the electrical cord for the portable AC out to the electrical hook-ups so we didnt trip the breaker box so we had an electrical cord running out the door the whole time. This did create a very minor gap when the door was shut but not enough to let much air out. The door would still lock completely. Also, the ICECO cooler also has trouble keeping the set temps in hot weather. If we did not have the cooler pulled out for air flow without direct sunlight, it would freeze on one side and warm up on the other. This happened in Arizona and Texas. Typically during travel it wasnt a big issue because I think it was getting enough airflow from moving. (yes we also had the little fan inside the compartment on the entire time as well)
Tow rig: 2020 RAM 1500 4x4 5.7 non E-torq with ORP and Heavy 34.5" Load range E tires
- MPG 10-11 without much wind or with tailwind (65-70 MPH)
- MPG 8-9 with heavy wind in North Texas doing 65 MPH
Lessons from the first 4 stays in the Dweller:
- If in hot weather, make sure you will have shade if you plan to stay cool. On our next trip, I am going to attempt a sun shade with tent poles and rope on the next trip out
- Buy "Misto" fan from Costco. This was a life saver
- I would max out at 70 mph typically because sway would be set off very easily. 65 mph was much more comfortable. I did try multiple things with water in the front tank and taking the rear tires off the back. I learned to use the trailer break controller a lot and that you really dont want to go above 70mph unless you have everything dialed in or you like white knuckling it. I think I will do a shock upgrade in the future at some point
- I did about bend in half the included breaker bar trying to get the lugs off the back to remove the tires. Some were far too tight... I had to wait until we got back to Texas to get it off.
- there is tons of storage in the D15 which was great
- I never got the hot water to work which meant for some shorter showers. Still need to figure out what is wrong there. (kept getting an error on the control panel)
- the bed was great since the dogs sleep in the bed with us and a king is a must
- I had never used a casette toiler before and it was easy to use and nice to be able to throw in the back of the truck and take to the dump station
- Get some "LEVERLOC" suction cup accessories to hang stuff. These things were perfect for hanging towels and putting toiletries in
- Get a mattress protector. Luckily I had thought of this and had one but one of the dogs did end up peeing in the bed and we didnt have an extra change of sheets. This was the last night of staying in the camper which was another nail in the coffin to end that trip.
- buy the "over the tank toilet paper holder" from Amazon as seen on ROA
- get bungee cords to hold the cooler instead of those stupid straps
I probably have more info but that's enough for this post!View attachment 792003View attachment 792004View attachment 792005View attachment 792006View attachment 792007View attachment 792008
OBI Dweller Review and Discussion
- Thread starter gendlert
- Start date
I've had the water heater show an error message as well. Try pulling out the kitchen and lighting a burner first, then attempt to start the water heater. I've found I have to "recharge" the propane lines, otherwise the water heater attempts to light multiple times on ambient air and I get the error message.
Just got back from a trip with the D15 down in the Southeast US and experienced cooling issues with my ICECO VL90Pro. The first day when the temps outside were about mid 50's F, the fridge didn't get past 42 F when set to 27 F. Then as we got further south and temps were closer to 65 F, the fridge hovered around 56 F.
I checked the connection (I've rewired to an Anderson plug) and the seals on the doors an everything looked to be in good condition. I even dropped the battery monitor to the low level since we were on shore power the whole time.
When I got back home, I attached the fridge to AC 110 power and it chills fine, so it doesn't appear to be a compressor/coolant issue.
I'm wondering if my Anderson plug isn't able to supply the amperage needed for the fridge to efficiently cool when running off the batteries.
Thoughts/suggestions?
I checked the connection (I've rewired to an Anderson plug) and the seals on the doors an everything looked to be in good condition. I even dropped the battery monitor to the low level since we were on shore power the whole time.
When I got back home, I attached the fridge to AC 110 power and it chills fine, so it doesn't appear to be a compressor/coolant issue.
I'm wondering if my Anderson plug isn't able to supply the amperage needed for the fridge to efficiently cool when running off the batteries.
Thoughts/suggestions?
Last edited:
gendlert
Well-known member
Just curious...did you pre-cool the fridge before the trip?
Yes, 8 hours before loading it with refrigerated food, I got it down to mid thirties.
A short story.
My wife and I live in Whidbey Island Washington. This year we finally replaced our well traveled 01' Nissan Xterra that had towed everything from my 22' C-Dory, popup trailer, to a Dirt track race car. We had a 23' Chevy Colorado Trailboss built to our liking, put a camper shell on it and have really enjoyed running it up the mountains.
While on a three week work trip to Fallon Nevada, I had just about seen everything there was to see in that small town by about day two. On the third day, after driving by this cool little trailer in a car lot I decided to swing by and have a look, if nothing more than to kill some more time...Turns out the small trailer was a Dweller 13.
The salesman was a nice younger gentleman who actually had done his research on the trailer. He took his time, opened everything up, talked over all of the details and let me crawl all over the thing looking for issues.
I have owned everything from a big name popup to a 33' 5th wheel that my wife and I lived in for three years in Dallas Texas. I have a CDL and haul my excavator with a 1 ton on a gooseneck. Most trailers are junk, period. You kinda get to know it is what it is and accept that it's going to need work. My 5th wheel had to go all the way back to Indiana for warranty work to have a new slide put in, front cap pulled and new wall built, and the other slide pulled for a repair on its wall. That's an extreme example, but not uncommon..
I was impressed on the build quality. That's what got my attention. China built or otherwise, its built far and above any other large scale manufacturer. The wiring was run through clamps, not just laid out like spaghetti. Nothing was haphazardly thrown together hiding behind a door or cabinet. It was a nice looking, solid built little trailer.
I thanked the salesman for his time and went back to my hotel room and began to read and devour every bit of information about OBI and Dweller the internet had to offer. Which brought me to this site. I read all 72 pages, waited to be approved by the Mods for a few days, then went back and looked over the pictures I couldn't see..
- No manual, fine...
- Change shocks maybe, fine...
- Dealer and manufacturer communication issue, no suprise there either...
-some folks dont like the hitch, fine...
No rot issues, no major leak issues, no screams of "I'm getting a lawyer" talk.. I'm in!
It's a trailer. And this one was marked down to 29k. Do I need it, no, but we had discussed getting another one if the price was right and it fit the tow profile for the Colorado.
So now I call the wife and send her the hour long video from ROA. She listens to my rambles and then says nothing about it for the next three days, so I figure it's a pass from her. On the fourth day she asks when I'm buying the trailer! So back to the dealership, another two hours crawling over the camper looking at everything. Made the dealership test tow it with a small 1/2 ton to make sure it tracked well enough. Then offered 25k to which they happily took.
This last Thursday I flew out of Reno at 6am, got home and loaded the truck with gear, tools to swap shocks if I thought it was needed, waited for my wife to get done with work at 2:30pm and down the road we went back to Fallon.
Hitched the trailer. Made three stops for 30lb propane bottles, a fill of the front water tank and a Wally World stop for some other trailer essentials..
Though Hwy 80 to 199 pointed the loose direct of the coast, then north..
To be continued...gotta go to work to pay for my bad habbit of buying trailers in other states out of boredom...
My wife and I live in Whidbey Island Washington. This year we finally replaced our well traveled 01' Nissan Xterra that had towed everything from my 22' C-Dory, popup trailer, to a Dirt track race car. We had a 23' Chevy Colorado Trailboss built to our liking, put a camper shell on it and have really enjoyed running it up the mountains.
While on a three week work trip to Fallon Nevada, I had just about seen everything there was to see in that small town by about day two. On the third day, after driving by this cool little trailer in a car lot I decided to swing by and have a look, if nothing more than to kill some more time...Turns out the small trailer was a Dweller 13.
The salesman was a nice younger gentleman who actually had done his research on the trailer. He took his time, opened everything up, talked over all of the details and let me crawl all over the thing looking for issues.
I have owned everything from a big name popup to a 33' 5th wheel that my wife and I lived in for three years in Dallas Texas. I have a CDL and haul my excavator with a 1 ton on a gooseneck. Most trailers are junk, period. You kinda get to know it is what it is and accept that it's going to need work. My 5th wheel had to go all the way back to Indiana for warranty work to have a new slide put in, front cap pulled and new wall built, and the other slide pulled for a repair on its wall. That's an extreme example, but not uncommon..
I was impressed on the build quality. That's what got my attention. China built or otherwise, its built far and above any other large scale manufacturer. The wiring was run through clamps, not just laid out like spaghetti. Nothing was haphazardly thrown together hiding behind a door or cabinet. It was a nice looking, solid built little trailer.
I thanked the salesman for his time and went back to my hotel room and began to read and devour every bit of information about OBI and Dweller the internet had to offer. Which brought me to this site. I read all 72 pages, waited to be approved by the Mods for a few days, then went back and looked over the pictures I couldn't see..
- No manual, fine...
- Change shocks maybe, fine...
- Dealer and manufacturer communication issue, no suprise there either...
-some folks dont like the hitch, fine...
No rot issues, no major leak issues, no screams of "I'm getting a lawyer" talk.. I'm in!
It's a trailer. And this one was marked down to 29k. Do I need it, no, but we had discussed getting another one if the price was right and it fit the tow profile for the Colorado.
So now I call the wife and send her the hour long video from ROA. She listens to my rambles and then says nothing about it for the next three days, so I figure it's a pass from her. On the fourth day she asks when I'm buying the trailer! So back to the dealership, another two hours crawling over the camper looking at everything. Made the dealership test tow it with a small 1/2 ton to make sure it tracked well enough. Then offered 25k to which they happily took.
This last Thursday I flew out of Reno at 6am, got home and loaded the truck with gear, tools to swap shocks if I thought it was needed, waited for my wife to get done with work at 2:30pm and down the road we went back to Fallon.
Hitched the trailer. Made three stops for 30lb propane bottles, a fill of the front water tank and a Wally World stop for some other trailer essentials..
Though Hwy 80 to 199 pointed the loose direct of the coast, then north..
To be continued...gotta go to work to pay for my bad habbit of buying trailers in other states out of boredom...
Obsessed2findARuggedHybid
Well-known member
Congrats! 25 k is a great price!! Some of these new off road rigs charge that for the battery bank and solar. You have tons more experience towing then I but just wondering if your Colorado has the 6,000 lb tow capacity rating?
gendlert
Well-known member
OK, I got nothin' then. I don't have the ICECO and haven't had cooing issues with my SnoMaster that weren't solved by pre-cooling.
Has anyone had issues with the city water pressurized inlet being cracked? Any idea how hard it is to change out? I found this Valtera inlet which is the same size but seems to be higher quality and hopefully won't break in a year:
Any better options?
Any better options?
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
The Tow Vehicle.
2023 Chevrolet Colorado Trailboss
2.7L Turbo High Output Engine with 310 HP and 430 lb-ft of Torque
I selected the Trailboss version to keep the Tow rating high at 7700 lbs.
GAWR FRT 3500
GAWR RR 3600
GVWR 6250
-I do not intend on wheeling this truck!- I've destroyed enough nice rigs in my younger years. It'll mostly run DNR/Forrest Service logging roads with the occasional "I'm pretty sure I can make it moments" when I'm dumb..
The Trailer.
2022 Dweller 13
New enough that the control panel is to the left when you enter the door on the side of the settee. The batteries are under that same seat.
The dealership bought a few at auction, not sure how many but they did say they had a 15 that was sold recently as well but the 13 I bought was the last of it kind on the lot. It had been stripped of the feezer and outside shower curtain setup, but the dealership had replaced the cooler with a ICECO model. They weren't moving well and it was likely heading back to the auction block again had I not purchased it. Everything else looks to be pretty standard to what I have read.
How it Towed.
The first stretch of road leaving Fallon is a max speed of 65. The road is well maintained and 65 was what I towed it at. For a "Mid Size" truck, this trailer is the perfect size. I had plenty of power pulling power and on this section it track well without any sway or wheel feedback. The mirrors on the truck are adequate, though I'm interested in a camera setup for the back of the trailer.(I had a semi pulling a corner at an intersection that needed more room and I had to have the Mrs jump out and have the car behind me back up and then signal me how much room I had to reverse..) I dont need it, but man it would it be nice! The new full size Silverados have ghost trailer camera setup but I dont think its doable on the Colorado...
The squat on the truck is more than I like(see picture below) and the truck canopy, tools and amout of gear I had in the back of the truck didnt help. I have a set of RAS(road active suspension) helper springs on the way that get here Tuesday that should address that issue, however in truth, I was 80lbs over the GAWR for my rear axel and within 170lbs of GVWR. I found a set of scales along the way that I could peek in the scale house and see my weights. Front Axel 2400, Rear Axel 3680, Trailer Axel 4800.
I did not disconnect to see trailer stand alone weight. Could I have lightened the tongue weight or repositioned the load in the bed and been within, probably. Two 30lb bottles full, generator, bottle jack and Jack stands in the front box, only the front water tank full. In my opinion theres room to adjust. Moral of the story is, if you're running a mid size truck just know you cant load er' down like the Clampetts!
After a long drive from Washington and getting the trailer loaded we didnt make it much further then the far side of Reno, and ended up staying in the Cabelas parking lot for the first night. Early the following morning, after a short run on I-80 we headed off onto 89 north through Sierraville, the back side of Lassen, Hat Creek and made the turn west at hwy 299. That stretch of road was perfect for this setup. Most is 55 mph, windy roads with little traffic. We setup the trailer for lunch and a nap on a dirt trail somewhere around Hat Creek. The trailer is great for that. Simple, fast setup. Easy to whip into a side trail, without worrying if you'll be able to turn around and easy enough to bounce over a rock or two to get it into position. The bed is super comfortable in my opinion, and a bathroom that is always available (my popup had the same cassette toilet setup but was inaccessible without setting the whole thing up) is amazing! The room inside the trailer is adequate. It's just my wife and I and we're used to dancing around each other in our little c-dory boat for days on end.
We stopped at Wisky Town Lake, specifically Brandy Creek Campground for the next night. Weather was rainy the whole day and only got worse as we passed through Redding. The campground spots are a bit wierd, think wide parking lot spots.. It was only us and the camp host in the place so I parked how I pleased across 2 spots and left the truck attached which in hind sight was helpful. We had a nice quiet dinner and were really hopeful for just a relaxing night to finally unwind..Then the wind started... 50 MPH winds slamming the side of the trailer. Lightning, lighting up the sky and trees over the top of the trailer swaying like crazy..We lowered the top but left the bed extended, I put on some rain gear, jumped in the truck and repositioned the trailer into the wind, and as clear from the trees as possible. Disconnected the truck and parked it sideways to help block the wind and called it a night with the top lowered down just incase. Three trees were down in the park the next morning, but luckily none near us.. Looking back, we could have left the top up, it handled the worst of it, but the unknown was enough to error on the safe side..
The next morning we pushed up the coast to the 101. Got a photo with Paul and Babe, hiked a spot along 199 in a redwood grove and decided since we were running low on time we would continue out 199 to Grant's Pass then north on I5 home.
It was getting late and with nothing but a couple of DNR road possibilities for the nights stay, we swung into a gas station for fuel around Obrian Oregon and noticed a restaurant across the street that was still open on a Sunday night. My wife hurried across the road to get us a table incase they were closing early while I finished fueling. As luck would have it, the glass of wine I ordered happen to be the brand owned buy a couple that walked in the door minutes after. The owner Reggie, asked what I was drinking, then clued me in that it was his wine, a local vineyard two minutes down the road. They were great folks to talk with, asked where we were staying for the night, and when we replied we hadn't quite figured that out yet they suggested their winery, complete with RV hookups on a beautiful ranch. Sold! It was dark when we rolled in but an amazing place to wake up to in the morning and I'd highly recommend them if you're in the area. https://augustinoestate.com/
Towing continued to be good the next day through hwy 199. Once back in Washington on I-5 is where it took a little more concentration. Nothing I would concider "white knuckle", but the ruts from the heavy trucks that run the interstate + traffic + higher speeds of other vehicles required more attention and speed control then before. Sometimes I'm doing 65, sometimes less. Nothing that made me feel unsafe, but I could see how some folks that dont tow alot could worry. We got home late that night after a ferry ride (total vehicle length barely less than 40' for those of us that use the ferry system).
Things we'll look at improving on.
-RAS suspension added to truck.
-Monroe shocks swap on the trailer.
-Addressing the workload/power distribution of the AC shore power when connected. I didnt see a voltage increase to the batteries anywhere near the gain when on solar. (The solar worked great, but we do live in the PNW and my honda 2000 will be used for battery charging and I dont want it to run forever..)
-Load distribution. Where stuff goes and how to balance it out a little better.
Things we loved.
- The bathroom and water pressure(although at a cost to hot water duration) .
-The Truma heater. The ducting bed side is amazing, its quiet, and pumps out the heat on cold nights without issue. (Need to figure out the INET or a remote to turn it on while still in bed!)
- The bed is super comfy. (I spend alot of time backcountry on the ground, this is a nice break from that!)
It truly is a nice little trailer packed in with alot of nice features. I'll be taking it hunting out of Forks WA (read wet) next week so more to follow on condensation issues and cold weather ops.
Sorry so much about towing, that just seemed to be the sticking point so many are worried about....
The Tow Vehicle.
2023 Chevrolet Colorado Trailboss
2.7L Turbo High Output Engine with 310 HP and 430 lb-ft of Torque
I selected the Trailboss version to keep the Tow rating high at 7700 lbs.
GAWR FRT 3500
GAWR RR 3600
GVWR 6250
-I do not intend on wheeling this truck!- I've destroyed enough nice rigs in my younger years. It'll mostly run DNR/Forrest Service logging roads with the occasional "I'm pretty sure I can make it moments" when I'm dumb..
The Trailer.
2022 Dweller 13
New enough that the control panel is to the left when you enter the door on the side of the settee. The batteries are under that same seat.
The dealership bought a few at auction, not sure how many but they did say they had a 15 that was sold recently as well but the 13 I bought was the last of it kind on the lot. It had been stripped of the feezer and outside shower curtain setup, but the dealership had replaced the cooler with a ICECO model. They weren't moving well and it was likely heading back to the auction block again had I not purchased it. Everything else looks to be pretty standard to what I have read.
How it Towed.
The first stretch of road leaving Fallon is a max speed of 65. The road is well maintained and 65 was what I towed it at. For a "Mid Size" truck, this trailer is the perfect size. I had plenty of power pulling power and on this section it track well without any sway or wheel feedback. The mirrors on the truck are adequate, though I'm interested in a camera setup for the back of the trailer.(I had a semi pulling a corner at an intersection that needed more room and I had to have the Mrs jump out and have the car behind me back up and then signal me how much room I had to reverse..) I dont need it, but man it would it be nice! The new full size Silverados have ghost trailer camera setup but I dont think its doable on the Colorado...
The squat on the truck is more than I like(see picture below) and the truck canopy, tools and amout of gear I had in the back of the truck didnt help. I have a set of RAS(road active suspension) helper springs on the way that get here Tuesday that should address that issue, however in truth, I was 80lbs over the GAWR for my rear axel and within 170lbs of GVWR. I found a set of scales along the way that I could peek in the scale house and see my weights. Front Axel 2400, Rear Axel 3680, Trailer Axel 4800.
I did not disconnect to see trailer stand alone weight. Could I have lightened the tongue weight or repositioned the load in the bed and been within, probably. Two 30lb bottles full, generator, bottle jack and Jack stands in the front box, only the front water tank full. In my opinion theres room to adjust. Moral of the story is, if you're running a mid size truck just know you cant load er' down like the Clampetts!
After a long drive from Washington and getting the trailer loaded we didnt make it much further then the far side of Reno, and ended up staying in the Cabelas parking lot for the first night. Early the following morning, after a short run on I-80 we headed off onto 89 north through Sierraville, the back side of Lassen, Hat Creek and made the turn west at hwy 299. That stretch of road was perfect for this setup. Most is 55 mph, windy roads with little traffic. We setup the trailer for lunch and a nap on a dirt trail somewhere around Hat Creek. The trailer is great for that. Simple, fast setup. Easy to whip into a side trail, without worrying if you'll be able to turn around and easy enough to bounce over a rock or two to get it into position. The bed is super comfortable in my opinion, and a bathroom that is always available (my popup had the same cassette toilet setup but was inaccessible without setting the whole thing up) is amazing! The room inside the trailer is adequate. It's just my wife and I and we're used to dancing around each other in our little c-dory boat for days on end.
We stopped at Wisky Town Lake, specifically Brandy Creek Campground for the next night. Weather was rainy the whole day and only got worse as we passed through Redding. The campground spots are a bit wierd, think wide parking lot spots.. It was only us and the camp host in the place so I parked how I pleased across 2 spots and left the truck attached which in hind sight was helpful. We had a nice quiet dinner and were really hopeful for just a relaxing night to finally unwind..Then the wind started... 50 MPH winds slamming the side of the trailer. Lightning, lighting up the sky and trees over the top of the trailer swaying like crazy..We lowered the top but left the bed extended, I put on some rain gear, jumped in the truck and repositioned the trailer into the wind, and as clear from the trees as possible. Disconnected the truck and parked it sideways to help block the wind and called it a night with the top lowered down just incase. Three trees were down in the park the next morning, but luckily none near us.. Looking back, we could have left the top up, it handled the worst of it, but the unknown was enough to error on the safe side..
The next morning we pushed up the coast to the 101. Got a photo with Paul and Babe, hiked a spot along 199 in a redwood grove and decided since we were running low on time we would continue out 199 to Grant's Pass then north on I5 home.
It was getting late and with nothing but a couple of DNR road possibilities for the nights stay, we swung into a gas station for fuel around Obrian Oregon and noticed a restaurant across the street that was still open on a Sunday night. My wife hurried across the road to get us a table incase they were closing early while I finished fueling. As luck would have it, the glass of wine I ordered happen to be the brand owned buy a couple that walked in the door minutes after. The owner Reggie, asked what I was drinking, then clued me in that it was his wine, a local vineyard two minutes down the road. They were great folks to talk with, asked where we were staying for the night, and when we replied we hadn't quite figured that out yet they suggested their winery, complete with RV hookups on a beautiful ranch. Sold! It was dark when we rolled in but an amazing place to wake up to in the morning and I'd highly recommend them if you're in the area. https://augustinoestate.com/
Towing continued to be good the next day through hwy 199. Once back in Washington on I-5 is where it took a little more concentration. Nothing I would concider "white knuckle", but the ruts from the heavy trucks that run the interstate + traffic + higher speeds of other vehicles required more attention and speed control then before. Sometimes I'm doing 65, sometimes less. Nothing that made me feel unsafe, but I could see how some folks that dont tow alot could worry. We got home late that night after a ferry ride (total vehicle length barely less than 40' for those of us that use the ferry system).
Things we'll look at improving on.
-RAS suspension added to truck.
-Monroe shocks swap on the trailer.
-Addressing the workload/power distribution of the AC shore power when connected. I didnt see a voltage increase to the batteries anywhere near the gain when on solar. (The solar worked great, but we do live in the PNW and my honda 2000 will be used for battery charging and I dont want it to run forever..)
-Load distribution. Where stuff goes and how to balance it out a little better.
Things we loved.
- The bathroom and water pressure(although at a cost to hot water duration) .
-The Truma heater. The ducting bed side is amazing, its quiet, and pumps out the heat on cold nights without issue. (Need to figure out the INET or a remote to turn it on while still in bed!)
- The bed is super comfy. (I spend alot of time backcountry on the ground, this is a nice break from that!)
It truly is a nice little trailer packed in with alot of nice features. I'll be taking it hunting out of Forks WA (read wet) next week so more to follow on condensation issues and cold weather ops.
Sorry so much about towing, that just seemed to be the sticking point so many are worried about....
Attachments
Last edited:
Dweller Feller
Active member
Contact iceco, they have been pretty helpful with issues.
After testing the amperage coming from the Dwellers Anderson connector, I rewired the Anderson connector on the fridge supply line: I got two new leads and did a proper flood solder instead of a crimp. I also noticed that the Anderson connectors weren't "clicking" together when plugged in. I found that the Dweller's connector was screwed into the wall so tight that the other side couldn't travel all the way up. Loosening the screws gave enough play for it to click into place. I did a test at an outdoor temp of 35-45 F and got the fridge down to about 17F. So I'm thinking i had some kind of poor connection to the supply.
I just got back from a 2K mile trip down south and I'm getting better at speed control in interstate traffic: I only had a few rocking situations that I had to tame.
What really requires my attention now is going over rough patches when traveling at 60mph or higher. The bridge overpasses in South Carolina on I95 seem to be designed like ski ramps and the resulting convulsions of the truck and trailer were..."exciting".
lostoldtruck
New member
I had a leak on the city water side connection it turn out to be the first elbow on the inside of the trailer.
This weeks mods!
-Monroe shocks✅
-RAS Suspension for truck✅
-Made a quick hose disconnect for the gray water✅
-Fix rear tank hose so it doesn't dump gallons of water into the trailer when you go to fill it!🤬😡🤦♂️🤣(my reactions by the minute) . Cant catch everything! Dang hose wasn't connected at the fill, thank goodness I wasn't multitasking😂.✅
The Joy's of owning a trailer!
As far as the city water connection is concerned, mine is a no go also. Leaks like a sieve. I'll have to dig into that one later!
-Monroe shocks✅
-RAS Suspension for truck✅
-Made a quick hose disconnect for the gray water✅
-Fix rear tank hose so it doesn't dump gallons of water into the trailer when you go to fill it!🤬😡🤦♂️🤣(my reactions by the minute) . Cant catch everything! Dang hose wasn't connected at the fill, thank goodness I wasn't multitasking😂.✅
The Joy's of owning a trailer!
As far as the city water connection is concerned, mine is a no go also. Leaks like a sieve. I'll have to dig into that one later!