Coachmen freedom express 292bhds

[steeleshark2]

Yes, adding washers will move more weight to the front axle. I think I read somewhere that a guesstimate is about 75lbs is transferred per a washer. You really need to do the wheel well measurements to verify once you add a couple washers. I have 57.14% of the total weight on the Armada with trailer attached on the rear axle for comparison. You have 59.48% on yours (A bit high I think). Looking at the math, try 2 washers to get right around 57% like I am. If you are really that light on the front end, you will definitely notice a positive difference when driving on the highway once it is tweaked. It may need more. You just do not want any squat (wheel well lower then it started) on the front end and want the measurement to have 1/2 inch or less rise. The wheel well measurements will tell one way or the other. All this without the auto leveling engaged between trailer hooked and not hooked. As for lowering the camper, you drop the ball on the shank down one hole. Easy way to find the correct amount. Have the trailer on a level surface on blocks not attached with the at the level height. Measure from the ground to the top of the casing that holds the hitch ball. Now do the same with the TV after auto leveling is done. You will measure from the ground to the top of the hitch ball. Move the hitch ball as needed on the shank to get it as close as possible to the casing height. If you make any changes, make sure your bars are level when hooked up. Take a gander at the install directions in the owners manual on the Equalizer site if needed. http://www.equalizerhitch.com/Equal-...structions.php

If you do not have the Equalizer, the height adjustment is the same on most if not all hitches.

[Hornswoggle]

Thanks for the tip!

[Hornswoggle]

I have 5 washers now and I just lowered the hitch set up to get the nose of the camper lower. If my thought process is right, this adjustment will be like I raised the L brackets and I should get more WD on front axle.

I'm going to head out to Home Depot to see if I can find some washers the same size and go up to six washers to see if I can get even more distribution to the front axle.

How many washers do you have on your equalizer hitch for the Armada/Coachman set up?

[steeleshark2]

6 is perfect for the Armada with this trailer for me. I just did a nice long trip to Disney and it is a world of difference from my old standard wdh and friction bars.

[sledhead77]

Originally Posted by mtl4

How do you like your trailer to date?

Would you have bought the trailer if you had to do it all over again?

Sorry for all the questions but I've seen a couple posts about issues on them and was a bit concerned.

Not sure if you decided to get one or not but we have been less then satisfied with ours. Every time we took it out last summer we had issues, from something breaking to leaks! Coachmen has been nice enough to give us an extended warranty at no cost and even took our unit down to their factory to do some updates to it. I sure hope this summer goes much better then last!! Good luck with yours if you bought one!

[sledhead77]

Originally Posted by Hornswoggle

Here are a couple pictures from when we picked it up...VERY, VERY happy

Congrats on the new unit! I hope you have much better luck with yours then what I did with mine last summer after we bought it! Must have been made on a Monday morning or Friday afternoon!! lol

[Hornswoggle]

What kind of problems???

Here's things I've noticed about ours:
1 - We came home the other day and smelled a lot of gas around our house. It turned out that the propane tanks were leaking.
2 - When I try to open the slide out, it seems to really stick and it concerns me that the windows will break eventually

We're taking it for a long trip next week. We have a six hour ride to St. Louis on 7/5 and then a few more hours to Branson Missouri on 7/7. Heading back for ~ 8 hour drive on 7/13.

Time will tell if this is a good unit or a lemon.

I will let you know how it goes.

[steeleshark2]

Originally Posted by Hornswoggle

What kind of problems???

Here's things I've noticed about ours:
1 - We came home the other day and smelled a lot of gas around our house. It turned out that the propane tanks were leaking.
2 - When I try to open the slide out, it seems to really stick and it concerns me that the windows will break eventually

We're taking it for a long trip next week. We have a six hour ride to St. Louis on 7/5 and then a few more hours to Branson Missouri on 7/7. Heading back for ~ 8 hour drive on 7/13.

Time will tell if this is a good unit or a lemon.

I will let you know how it goes.

Get some slide rubber conditioner for the rubber around the slideout. It will help with the stickiness.

[sledhead77]

Originally Posted by Hornswoggle

What kind of problems???

Here's things I've noticed about ours:
1 - We came home the other day and smelled a lot of gas around our house. It turned out that the propane tanks were leaking.
2 - When I try to open the slide out, it seems to really stick and it concerns me that the windows will break eventually

We're taking it for a long trip next week. We have a six hour ride to St. Louis on 7/5 and then a few more hours to Branson Missouri on 7/7. Heading back for ~ 8 hour drive on 7/13.

Time will tell if this is a good unit or a lemon.

I will let you know how it goes.

We had two major leaks with our unit, one our first trip out with it last year! The skylight was not sealed and leaked pretty bad, soaking the couch cushions and even leaked through the wall! Second leak water leaked through the slide out while towing in the rain. The seal was improperly installed. The whole floor was soaked! The rear electric jacks fell apart, radio was replaced twice (we now have the nice Jenson unit!) and some other small things like misaligned doors and cosmetic issues. All has been addressed by Coachmen so hopefully we will have a good unit now!

[mtl4]

Originally Posted by sledhead77

Not sure if you decided to get one or not but we have been less then satisfied with ours. Every time we took it out last summer we had issues, from something breaking to leaks! Coachmen has been nice enough to give us an extended warranty at no cost and even took our unit down to their factory to do some updates to it. I sure hope this summer goes much better then last!! Good luck with yours if you bought one!

I didn't get one but a buddy we camp with just bought a Coachmen 320BHDS Maple Leaf Edition and has only had a few minor issues so far but some of the slides are crooked which damaged the roof on one of them so I'll be watching to see how those pan out. I went up on the roof to inspect the main body and it looked like they sealed up those quite well. Time will tell.

[ppat]

Just purchased a 2013 Ford Expedition w/tow package (9000 lbs.) Considering a 2013 Coachmen Freedom Express (292bhds Liberty Edition) (dry weight + capacity = 6800). Anyone else have this setup? Thanks.

[ehorn]

When we had ours we pulled it with an 08 Lincoln navigator. We had a Hensley arrow but it seemed to handle the trailer better then the 1 ton. It's a great match if you ask me.

[steeleshark2]

My Nissan Armada handles it well. If you live in the mountains, I would get a 3/4 ton. Otherwise, enjoy the Expedition and get a good sway control hitch like a Reese Dual Cam or Equalizer E4 brand hitch at a minimum.

[Ft W crew]

I had the same set up but since upgraded to the 3/4 ton Yukon xl. The difference was night and day. The old set up was ok at best but my new set up is much better.

[Hornswoggle]

I have a 2012 Nissan Armada (9000 lbs capacity) with the Equalizer 4Pt Dual Sway control and you can tell that your pulling something heavy, but after three trips and some hilly terrain, I have not had any white knuckle experiences.

The last trip we took was to Branson, MO and ot was hilly!!! Again, I did not have any white knuckle experiences, but I did get a whopping 7.2 mpg on that section of the trip.

We had 7 people and a lot of stuff for a 10 day trip and after weighing it on the CAT Scale, we came in at 14,300 pounds and by GCVW is 15,100. That is pushing the limit and I won't do that very often, but the Armada did surprisingly well.

I would prefer a three-quarter ton Yukon XL, but my wife does not want to drive that as a daily driver.

Net net, you're going to fell the camper behind you, but it is worth it, because this is a roomie TT and you will creat a lot of good memories!

Good luck and have fun!

[sledhead77]

Got 12 nights in the unit so far this year and I have to say, I think Coachmen came through! No leaks, power jacks seem to work better, slide seems to seal better and it looks like they either recaulked the whole unit or maybe there was no caulk to begin with as I don't remember seeing all the caulking last year! So far it's been an awesome camping season free of any issues!

[sledhead77]

Oh and I almost forgot to add! Best mod one can make to this unit, queen pillow top mattress!! So much better to sleep on then that rock that comes from the factory! The mattress fit like a glove! Doors are a little tight to close but not bad. SOOOOOOO much better to sleep in now! Plus a happy wife = happy life!! lol

[Hornswoggle]

Was it a standard size queen topper or did you get a modified one?

[sledhead77]

It's a full size pillow top queen mattress. Fits right in there. It was kind of a pain to get it in there but once it's in, it sits right in there, just barley pushed up against the doors.

[steeleshark2]

Yeah, I got a pillow top short queen. Definitely agree that it is one of the best upgrades.