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Messages - donws

#1
I'm considering upgrading the MORryde CRE3000 suspension system on my '19 21RBS with the MORryde Heavy Duty Shackle Kit which includes thicker plates and wet (greaseable) bolts. I may also at the same time add one or more of the MORryde X-factor cross-members to provide additional lateral support between the frame mounts:

http://www.morryde.com/products/70-heavy-duty-shackle-upgrade-kit?return=%2Fproduct-category%2F7-running-gear
http://www.morryde.com/products/108-performance-crossmembers-by-morryde?return=%2Fproducts%2F70-heavy-duty-shackle-upgrade-kit%3Freturn%3D%252Fproduct-category%252F7-running-gear

If anyone has performed either of these upgrades on their livin'lite, was it worthwhile and were there any issues with the installation?

Thanks,
Don
#2
Quote from: donws on July 22, 2018, 10:04:06 AM

At this point, my biggest concern is in regards to the overall quality of the trailer's aluminum frame construction especially after seeing Midwestman23's cracking welds. I believe I read elsewhere too of someone's trailer dropping a water tank due to cracking welds on a support member. While I am not a professional welder, I do own both MIG and TIG machines and have tinkered with steel and aluminum in my home hobby shop. To my eyes, the aluminum MIG welds on the camper are extremely poor -- lots of soot (insufficient shielding gas coverage, poor base metal prep, etc.). Some of the welds look cold with no penetration and others too hot with undercut. Comparing the welds with an older Camplite on the lot as well as another brand of small aluminum frame trailers, the quality difference is clearly evident. I'm not sure what to do at this point other than to ask for a certified aluminum weldea r to look the construction over, assuming my dealer doesn't have one on staff.

Hopefully these issues will all be resolved so we may become excited again about our new camper.

It seems my concerns regarding the quality of the welds were unfortunately warranted. We just received safety recall notice 18V-643 stating that the drawbar could crack and separate from the trailer frame resulting in a crash, property damage, or personal injury. The "remedy" is to inspect the welds and add an additional tube to reinforce the drawbar. The spare tire is also to be moved to the rear bumper which is certainly not a welcomed change. And to be quite honest, I do not know if I can in good conscience trust my family's safety to a field "repair" of this consequence. We will be canceling the next trip we had planned for mid-November and considering next steps.

I believe I read that 154 total units from 2017 to 2019 are impacted so I empathize with those in a similar situation.

Don
#3
Regarding wheel lug torque, there was a KZ Maintenance Manual included in our new owner packet. It states that lug nuts should be tightened in stages to between 85 and 120 lb-ft with 95 lb-ft preferred. No differentiation is noted for steel vs aluminum wheels, nor any mention of specific wheel sizes so the information is probably just generic.

In the Camplite owners manual, torque is specified as 75 lb-ft for 13" wheels, 90-120 lb-ft for 14 or 15" wheels. I'll stick to the 90-100 range. To me 120 lb-ft seems somewhat excessive.

Thanks,
Don
#4
We picked up our new '19 21RBS today. Ours also has the off-road option with the larger tires and aluminum wheels. For tire pressure, I'm planning to start with the side-wall stated pressures but does anyone know the proper torque specification for the lug nuts with these aluminum wheels? 

Thanks,
Don
#5
Hi David,

Thanks very much for your reply!

It turns out my dealer did actually a technician with welding experience on staff (nice guy and formerly certified). He looked over some of the welds with me. He agreed that the welds were not the best looking he's ever seen but he felt they were sound enough and should hold up fine. The dealer also took care of most of the other minor cosmetic issues as requested, so we are excited to have taken delivery today!

We're looking forward to our first trip in a couple of weeks.

Best,
Don
#6
My wife and I are scheduled to take delivery of our '19 21rbs with platinum package in a couple of weeks. It arrived at our dealer late last week so we visited to give it a first look. We did find several, mostly cosmetic issues on the interior that will hopefully be addressed by our dealer when prepping the unit for delivery.

A couple of other things I noticed:
The friction door hinges on the entry door are very stiff presumably by design to avoid the use of a gas strut. This causes quite a bit of flexing of the door frame and stresses the fasteners (rivets) fastening the hinges to the frame. I can see where the factory drove an additional screw through each hinge into the frame which was probably intended to provide additional support. But then it seems the factory decided to remove these screws, leaving the holes vacant, and I'm not quite sure why. Does anyone else have these new friction hinges and have you noticed any issues with the hinges coming loose from the door frame over time?

At this point, my biggest concern is in regards to the overall quality of the trailer's aluminum frame construction especially after seeing Midwestman23's cracking welds. I believe I read elsewhere too of someone's trailer dropping a water tank due to cracking welds on a support member. While I am not a professional welder, I do own both MIG and TIG machines and have tinkered with steel and aluminum in my home hobby shop. To my eyes, the aluminum MIG welds on the camper are extremely poor -- lots of soot (insufficient shielding gas coverage, poor base metal prep, etc.). Some of the welds look cold with no penetration and others too hot with undercut. Comparing the welds with an older Camplite on the lot as well as another brand of small aluminum frame trailers, the quality difference is clearly evident. I'm not sure what to do at this point other than to ask for a certified aluminum welder to look the construction over, assuming my dealer doesn't have one on staff.

Hopefully these issues will all be resolved so we may become excited again about our new camper. 

#7
CampLite Travel Trailers / Re: 2018 CL 21 RBS review
April 25, 2018, 09:10:13 AM
Quote from: donws on March 20, 2018, 08:05:27 AM
Hi,
What type of termination is on the trailer's battery harness, i.e. does it clamp onto battery posts or fasten to battery screw terminals?
What is the spacing between the battery support rails on the trailer's frame?

I checked out a 21RBS in person recently (and in fact we ordered one!) so here is what I found. Like most trailers, the 21RBS has ring terminals on the battery cables which should work with the typical 5/16 threaded battery studs or M8 terminals. The spacing between the battery rails is ~8.5 inches and the length of the shorter rail closest to the propane tanks is ~ 28". There appears to be sufficient space to install two GC2 batteries end to end using either one long battery box or two separate battery boxes. There would most likely not be enough clearance for a dual GC2 battery box in which the GC2 batteries are held with their long edges butted.

I'm also considering one or two 12v LiFeP04 batteries such as the Battle Borns as an alternative to 6V GC2s. In this case, it may be possible to fit one or two of them beneath the kitchen cabinet much closer to the converter/charger and perhaps a small inverter can fit there too. It would allow for shorter, heavier gauge wiring than what LivinLite likely runs to the tongue of the trailer. I'll know more once the new trailer arrives. We're counting down the days!!! :)

Don
#8
CampLite Travel Trailers / Re: 2018 CL 21 RBS review
March 20, 2018, 08:05:27 AM
Hi,

My wife and I are considering the purchase of a 2018 21 RBS so this thread has been most helpful.

I was wondering if any 2018 owners might answer a couple of questions about the battery setup?

Is one 12V battery provided by Livin'Lite or the dealer and is it a BCI Group 24?
What type of termination is on the trailer's battery harness, i.e. does it clamp onto battery posts or fasten to battery screw terminals?
What is the spacing between the battery support rails on the trailer's frame?

The reason I ask is that I may want to install either two Group 24 Exide Edge AGM Marine Batteries (FP-AGM24DP) in parallel which I purchased not too long ago for my existing camper. Or I may opt to install two GC2 6V (e.g. Trojan T105) batteries in series.

The typical Group 24 dimensions are 10.3"x6.8"x8.9" (LxWxH) while a Group GC2 is a bit longer/wider plus a couple of inches taller 10.37"x7.18"x10.87".

I'm wondering if I can purchase a battery box holding two Group 24s and/or two Group GC2s and fit it on the standard battery rails.

Thanks,
Don