2011 March » tgif: let's RV

New Trailer Is Home

Mar 312011

I was able to get to the dealer today and pick up my new baby.... a Crossroads Cruiser CF285RL Patriot. I got a smokin' deal on it and am excited to go out and give it a shakedown trip.

The CF285RL is a 31' long rear living room 5th wheel with 2 slideouts. One large slide in the living/dining room and one in the bedroom. The Patriot option includes all the goodies like electric awning, 32" TV, larger aluminum wheels & tires, ceiling fan, Corian counter tops, two euro chairs, larger frig & water heater, extra insulation, AM/FM/CD/DVD surround sound, outside speakers and more. It's sweet!

When I got to the dealer they were installing the TV. They said that Crossroads did not send the TV so they took one out of stock. It's a nice 32" Toshiba LCD and I would guess is better then what would have been included from the factory.

Also when I was making the deal I wanted vent covers installed. Vent covers allow you to open the vents when it's raining. Later after thinking about it I decided I didn't want them. The specs says the trailer is 12' 6" high. I was afraid that with the vent covers that would put me over 13' and I didn't want to be that high because it's fairly common to see bridges with only 13' clearance. When I signed the papers for the trailer I cancelled the vent cover install. First inspection of the trailer I noticed the vent covers were installed. I asked the salesman about it and found out they were installed by mistake. We went out and measured and with the covers the trailer is 12' 9" high, good enough for me and they didn't charge me for them since I had cancelled them.

D Day Tomorrow

RV Day to Day Life No Responses »

Mar 302011

Tomorrow I go to pick up my new Crossroads Cruise CF285RL Patriot 5th wheel trailer. Can't wait, really excited to get it home and start packing it up to use. Weather is still a bit cool here to actually go out and use it but I want to be ready for the first decent weekend to break it in. I'll post a report and pictures once I get it home and have a chance to get something put together.

Pulled The Trigger

RV Day to Day Life No Responses »

Mar 252011

After spending a couple of days looking at used trailers I pulled the trigger and bought the 2001 Crossroads Cruiser CF285RL Patriot 5th wheel. I guess these Crossroads hold their value well as the used units I looked at where not that much lower priced. Since I am planning on this being my last RV purchase I figured the few extra $1000 would be worth it. Easier to get a new model to last another 10+ years then one that is already 5 years old.

I will be picking it on Thursday. Once the Flagstaff gets out of the shop I'll have to remove some of the items in it to install into the Cruiser. The main items to move over will be the dual battery bank, inverter, front landing gear stabilizers and LCD lighting.
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New Trailer Shopping

RV Day to Day Life, RV Equipment No Responses »

Mar 232011

Decided to head out and look at new trailers. While out and about I always stop and look at different trailers even when I'm not in the market for one. I have gotten some good ideas on improvements I can do to the one I have and also let me compare features and build quality.

I had come to the decision that Crossroads offers the best bang for the buck in a price range I can afford. The full aluminum frame, hung walls, extra insulation, 5/8" plywood floor and roof plus included standard features are hard to beat. The problem is that unlike most other manufacturers, they do not make the same basic trailer under many brand names. That means there are fewer dealers to choose from.

There is a Crossroads dealer in Grand Rapids so I drove up to have a closer a look at what they had in stock. I've had my eyes on a Cruiser CTX CF27RLX. This is a 29' 5th wheel with a rear living room and single slide. Much like the Flagstaff I currently own. The CTX is the less expensive line of Cruisers, still the same basic construction, just lighter weight with fewer standard features. Unfortunately they didn't have any in stock and would have to order one. Not a big deal as it would take 6 weeks to get built and I really wouldn't be doing any camping until May anyways. I got a price and it wasn't a bad deal.

Update On Trailer Damage

RV Maintenance & Repairs No Responses »

Mar 222011

Just got a call from the repair shop and insurance is going to cover the damage. It appears that the bouncing of the trailer while going down the road caused the screws to pull from the aluminum body framing and the rear of the frame started to shift. The cost to repair is under $1000. They estimate it will take 1 to 2 weeks to repair depending on how long it takes to get parts. Some trim needs to be replaced as it was cracked.

But I now have doubts about the long term durability of this trailer. If this happened after two years of use I am not confident it will hold under this use for many years to come. It may be time for me to look into getting another trailer.

In The Shop

RV Maintenance & Repairs No Responses »

Mar 222011

Took the trailer into the shop today. Initial diagnosis is that it is road damage which means it will be covered by insurance. Won't know for sure until they have a chance to take it apart and should find out in a couple of day what the final determination is. Will keep everyone informed what's happening.

In For Repair

RV Maintenance & Repairs No Responses »

Mar 182011

The insurance adjuster came out today and looked at the trailer. She had no idea of why the damage happened so can't determine if the damage will be covered. I will be taking it into a local dealer on Monday so they can decide why it happened. Hopefully they decide it is road damage instead of a manufacturing defect. It would then be covered. If not, could be a butt load of bucks to fix. Will report back once I find something out.

Trailer Damage

RV Maintenance & Repairs 2 Responses »

Mar 162011

I've had a chance to get a closer look at the damage at the rear of my trailer. Not a lot I could look at since everything is enclosed but it appears there is some internal structural damage to the floor framing. I can see the aluminum studs through the open seam and they are what is pushing the sidewall out.

I have a claim in with my insurance company so I don't want to tear into it until I find out what they are going to do. Claims is suppose to call me tomorrow.

I am not fully unpacked yet. Still have bedding and can goods to remove plus some misc. junk. I can hopefully get that done tomorrow.

Home Again

RV Day to Day Life 1 Response »

Mar 142011

Two days of driving got me back home in Michigan. For the most part the drive was uneventful except feeling the damp cold 30 degree midwest weather when in Terre Haute. And to think I was in 70 degree weather just the day before in Memphis!

I arrived home and after unpacking a few things I winterized the trailer. It is suppose to get into the mid 20s tonight so I figured I better get it done or I'd be sorry later. I'll spend the next day or two unpacking everything else then it's time to check out the damage on the trailer. A quick inspection today and it appears that the rear aluminum floor frame has broken and the rear has shifted over about 2 inches pushing out the siding in the back.

Of more concern is the front bedroom window will not close completely. It appears that something has sprung, the the window will not sit flat in the frame. Add to that one of the basement door now rubs when it closes and I have to wonder if I have some type of frame flex in the front. None of this happened until I traveled the roads in Arkansas which were terrible. I'll never travel through Arkansas again and when going out west I'll go straight south then head west. It'll add a day of travel but I'll avoid the beating I took this trip.

I am now starting to wonder if my trailer will be able to take another year or two of these long trips. I'll know more once I have a chance to see how extensive this damage is. All winter I tossed around the idea of getting a new 5th wheel but just the last couple weeks decided to put a couple thousand into this one to make a few changes and upgrades and keep it. Now I may have to dump it and get new anyways.

Thank You, Thank You Very Much Graceland

RV Destinations No Responses »

Mar 122011

Did the Graceland tour today and it really impressed me. I'm not much of an Elvis fan but once the tour was done you can't help but be impressed with his accomplishments. I did the "Platinum" tour for $35 which includes a tour of the Graceland mansion, his car collection, the Lisa Marie airplane and a couple other minor exhibits.

When touring the mansion you see that while things were fancy, they really didn't seem over the top. But then maybe back then 3 TVs in the TV room were a big considering there was only 3 channels back then. The place doesn't appear to be huge, I would guess no more then 5000 sq. ft. and would pale in comparison to what stars of today have for homes.