First outing in new RV!

I took delivery of my 2617TT on 9/30/06 @ 1:00 PM. By 6:00 that evening I was backing into a site at Hamburg State Park near Sandersville, GA! I figured this was the best way to get a feel for the TH and discover if there were any possible problems, other than the PDI of course which only turned up a few minor issues. Here are a few things about the trailer I discovered during the PDI and while on its first outing that I hadn’t previously noticed.

First and foremost, the trailer is freaking HUGE! My truck tows it fine but it is definitely more noticeable on the road than my 22’ Outback had been. It is a hair over 31’ so it is substantially longer as well. However, all that size on the road translates to space at the campsite. I will gladly take the extra weight and girth in travel to have large beds, wide pathways and a shower I can actually stand up in while at camp. That being said, I don’t see how anyone can deal with a TT longer than say 35’. That’s just freaking monstrous!

Speaking of monstrous, the “RAPTOR” billboards on the front and back of the trailer have got to go. The smaller decals on the sides are much more tolerable and will probably end up staying but I think I’ll replace to one on the front with a big University of Georgia “G”. The rear door is definitely getting a decal across the top that reads “DAWGHOUSE” because that’s where I’ve landed for buying this thing in the first place. Either way the Raptor vinyl is coming off. I mean, I want people to know what kind of trailer it is and everything but it’s not like Keystone is cutting ME a check each month!

Also, the ladder is not as flimsy as I was afraid it would be. I read a few things about the Raptor ladders after I bought the trailer so I made sure to check it out during the inspection. It supported my weight fine, all 230+ lbs of me, and it felt like it was connected to the trailer at least well enough for periodic roof inspections and repairs. It is not permanently mounted, it attaches to the side via sockets at the top and retaining pins at bottom. I wouldn’t want to use it every day but it was satisfactory and I do like the idea of it being removable so any would be vandals or thieves will at least have to bring their own!

I haven’t run the generator at length yet, only enough during the PDI to know it works properly. There are apparently some issues with some models and the compartment door getting hot and either warping or melting. Hopefully the heat shield my model came with will prevent this.

While we’re on the subject of the generator it made an annoying whine, like an electrical connection buzzing, all night long. I tried cutting of the breaker and unplugging it entirely from the batteries but neither worked so it must be from the shore power connection. This is where it began and ended. Somewhere in the generator something is getting power and causes the sound. I will have to investigate this further as it was rather distracting while trying to sleep. The generator is mounted directly under the main front bedroom area, of course.

I love the control panel with almost everything mounted right there inside the main entrance. The only things not there are the water heater switch, the rear bed lift switch and the A/C controller. The A/C is near the front bed right where it should be and the other two are close to their respective functions. Other than that all the gauges, switches, indicators and fuses are right there inside the door.

The only problem is the indicator lights for the tanks and battery are hard to read. The lights for the fresh tank are the opposite of the grey and black. I guess this is because you want the fresh to be full and the others to be empty but it makes reading the lights take that extra second to be sure. Also, a screw has already worked its way loose and one corner of the panel sticks out about 1/4 inch. I will replace the screw with an molly bolt/anchor type to rectify this. I’m not letting the dealer mess with it or it will end up worse I’m sure.

All in all, the trailer is great. It has a ton of storage, lots of room inside and can tote the ATV which I hope to take on a trip in the near future. I will no doubt be posting more about it in the near future as well.

M@tt