new Berk 17.5 XL 380 40BH

[Sperbarn]

Hey all,
Just took delivery of our new 17.5 Berkshire XL 380hp 40BH. Loving it so far but we haven't taken it camping yet. Any good suggestions for newbie motorhome owners????

[NO3putt]

Camp close to home for first trip. Try every system a few times and take notes of what you think needs to be put on your list for follow up with dealer. Don't be afraid of asking questions on here if your not sure how something works. Have fun.

[NO3putt]

Your just up the road from us. Were down here in Pueblo West by lake Pueblo State Park. If you decide to take your first trip this way let us know. Where did you buy your Berkshire from?

[Sperbarn]

...I was thinking of sticking with our booked Memorial Weekend for Mueller State park to test it out. Maybe we should go before then to make sure there are no issues??? Although Hubby did drive it back from Grand Rapids MI... (we bought it from Motorhomes 2 go, they were actually super nice to deal with)

[NO3putt]

Don't know if you keep it at home or not, but would try everything you can, put water in tank, check for leaks, run generator, run ACs and heat pumps, run slides in and out a few times. Run jacks up and down a few time then check fluid level. You just want to catch anything that may make you first outing a "why did we buy this?"

[gpalladinob]

I will give you a little punch list that we found wrong with ours when it was new so you will hopefully look this over:

Ice maker line pinched so it leaked on floor, keep looking for any wet spots even if you don't have rain. (Know how to turn off water)
Make sure you check heater out, note in our unit the vents were not cut in the bottom part of the couch
Even if you are not going to use, make sure generator works.
Do yourself a favor and bring all your owners manuals with you, you think you are going to remember how to operate everything and then you have senior moments and forget. LOL

Good luck.

[BamaBob]

X2 on the driveway Camping! Best way to check out all your systems before you head out for your 1st camping trip!

Since you are new, you may want to follow this advice so you will not become a member of Deflated Airbag Gotcha Club! (I think every Legacy, Berk & Charleston driver has had the "Chassis does not air up" bumpy ride happen to them) ​


Here is the fix (I learned this at Camp Freightliner):

1. When you are getting ready to depart, turn on the engine and let your rig idle.
   
   1. In 5 or so Min you will hear a whoosh (or pop) - this is the air system blowing off excess air from the tanks and clearing the lines.
2. Turn Off the Engine and prepare to get underway - levelers up, slides in.
3. Turn the engine on and do your outside walk around & stowage (shore power & water hose)
4. As you do you will see your air bags inflate and the Forest River sweeper rise off the ground.
5. Time to go!

So what's going on? According to Mike, the instructor at Camp freightliner, the air system will retain air in the lines and partially in the tanks after you put your levelers down and your airbags deflate. If you're on an overnighter and you leave first thing in the morning there will probably be enough air in your line and tank to reinflate the airbags. This is not always a guarantee which is why the five steps above are a best practice.

[Rogromo1]

Congratulations, we bought our '17 40BH in February and love it. Had it out for three long weekends now in Hilton Head Island and found no major issues. All main system worked just fine. We have a little punch list already but all of them are cosmetic details. ( Door liner came loose, etc. )
Make sure to give every system a good workout..
Have fun with it! Ronald

[RLHAMILTON]

Congrats, safe travels!

[NO3putt]

As Bob said, our procedure is a bit different.

1. Slides in
2. Water, electric, sewer stowed, awings stowed
3. Put away camping gear, i.e. Chairs etc. (easyier with slide in so not to hit head on slides)
4. Start engine and wait until you hear whoosh.
5. Raise jacks
6. walk around, check to make sure jacks are up, cabinets closed and locked.

When air bags are fully aired up, you should be able to put hand up/down between top of tire and fender. When aired down you will only have room for hand side ways between tire and fender.

Best of luck with new Berk.
Skip

[Sperbarn]

HA! We already became members of the delated club! This is awesome advice! Thank you!

[Harris85]

Congratulations on your new Berkshire. Enjoy!

[BamaBob]

Skip is doing it right

Similar procedures; in both cases the bags inflate.

Skip I am curious - how long does it take for your bags to inflate?

[NO3putt]

Bob,

About 2 minutes for the 1st whoosh, 30-40 seconds for jacks to come up and then about 2 minutes or less for the air bags to fully fill. Our walk around takes longer then the air bags to fill. I usually wait anyway for the engine temp to get off the blue area before taking off. I turn on the power to the jacks when first starting engine, get the buzzing warning for about 30 sec, but it goes off.

Skip

[MarinesWife]

Congrats on your new motor home! We took our new trailer out this past weekend and went close to home.