Freedom Express 282BHDS

[spatterso911]

The 282 BHDSLE arrived, and I managed to get the pro pride hitch on without any difficulty. This means we are ready to take our maiden voyage. The PDI process only identified a couple of very minor cosmetic issues but on the whole, the trailer looks to be very well built and, although I haven't tested the AC or microwave, everything appears to be functioning just fine. The features on this thing are outstanding in value, and the fit/finish is better than I expected. We are doing a short trip to a nearby campground for the maiden voyage so that we can figure out the trailer, sort out what we need to get in terms of comfort items, and to get the kids excited. I will post again after the first trip!

[4mula1fan]

Wow! Nice one!!

[spatterso911]

Sorry for the long post, but since we get sparse posts for this model, I'm making up for lost time!

The maiden voyage went very well and the hitch performed flawlessly. The trailer was very tame during the drive to the campsite (no winds, mild traffic conditions). Our camp site was nearly perfectly level and made setup a breeze. The electric stabilizers did a very good job of keep the trailer stable, but I did use x-chocks as well, so hard to tell if they contributed or not. An experiment for another trip, I guess.

The challenges were in figuring out how to get the water heater to work. I received the trailer already winterized, and I had to flush the system, but I wasn't aware of the valves that direct flow to isolate the water heater. I had to find the access (under the bottom bunk, you can lift up a plywood support) and open top and bottom valves, keeping the middle valve closed. After about 10 minutes, I had nice, hot water flowing from the 6 Gal DSI water heater. I was on shore power, so we did electric only. I probably should have tested the gas portion, but yet another experiment for another trip!

Fridge, A/C, microwave, stove, oven, worked flawlessly, but the furnace vent in the master bedroom is weak and very little heat comes out. There is flow, but it is weak. Don't know why the heat dissipates before getting to this vent. I think I need to have it looked at. The furnace does a superb job of heating the rest of the trailer/bathroom though. The "fireplace" is ideal when hooked up to shore power, and I worked out a system to have the fireplace space heater function during the evening until about 5 AM (you can set the heater to operate automatically via thermostat and set it for x number of hours up to 8 hours). I set the temp on the thermostat to higher than the one on the furnace, so the furnace never came on while the fireplace heater was working. When the fireplace heater timed out at 5AM, the furnace would take over, heating the coach and warming the bathroom up nicely for the early morning risers. Worked so well, I want to make it my routine. Saves a lot on propane too, since most of the heating is done by the electric space heater in the fireplace.

As we emptied the tanks, I discovered the black tank vacuum breaker valve issue. It remained closed and still remains so. I hooked up the hose to the flush port, but as the hose pressurized, there was no flow into the tank whatsoever. Coachmen gives easy access to the valve via the bottom bunk with a panel on the wall that is closed with a couple of philips screws. I had to order a replacement vacuum breaker valve, and based on recommendations, went with the brass fitting for durability and to prevent valve failure. I'll report back on the fix when it is done.

TV is permanently mounted to the bracket, making it difficult to add any peripherals such as a game machine, or wifi video (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku...) unless you remove the rear panel using square torx bits.

I plan on replacing this with a swing mount so the TV can be moved and swiveled if needed.

Return trip was a bit hairy, as Santa Ana Winds kicked up to about 15 mph with 45-50 mph gusts. The pro pride hitch worked well to prevent sway, but it's impossible to have a white knuckle moment when you get a 40 mph side gust that just moves you AND the trailer simultaneously. Overall, the Yukon XL handled the load well, and stayed pretty stable, all things considered.

We've generated a great list of things to do to the trailer and items to acquire. We're excited to hear any tips or tricks you have.

[mikefradette]

Hi, I just purchased the 282 BHDS last month and the only complaint I have is that the master bedroom furnace vent seems to blow cool air. I'll have to have a dealer look at it. There is pressure, weaker than the other vents, but it definitely blows cool air and not hot air like the others.

[spatterso911]

Originally Posted by mikefradette

Hi, I just purchased the 282 BHDS last month and the only complaint I have is that the master bedroom furnace vent seems to blow cool air. I'll have to have a dealer look at it. There is pressure, weaker than the other vents, but it definitely blows cool air and not hot air like the others.

That is exactly what I noticed. Not sure how to address the issue, though, other than to have it looked at.

[stallsmi]

We have a freedom express 322RLDS with a similar problem getting heat to the bedroom. We found the duct was crushed by the factory when they routed it over a support beam then lowered a floor panel onto it. The problem was plainly visible when we peeked underneath the underbelly covering. We re-routed and spliced and it works fine now.

[spatterso911]

That sounds like a more involved repair, or was it fairly easy to re-route and splice?

[stallsmi]

It was surprisingly simple. Just like running a clothes dryer duct. First we removed some screws from the underbelly to give us room. Then we got some aluminum tape and a piece of aluminum ducting for a splice. We cut the old duct at the point it was crushed, and slid the ends over the new piece of ducting and secured it with the tape. To re-route, all we did was run it UNDER the support beam (instead over between the floor and beam as the factory had done). We secured the new duct with zip ties attached to the support beam. Then re-attached the underbelly. Once we procured the materials, it took about 20 mins.

[mikefradette]

Pictures are worth 1000 words

[stallsmi]

Sorry, I re-secured the underbelly, which covers the duct, and I don't want to undo the repair for purposes of illustration.

[stallsmi]

You know, a comment like "is it possible to provide pictures?" is less snarky.

[mikefradette]

I apologize, my intention wasn't to be snarky.

[kevingeiwitz]

My 292 has the same cold air problem, thanks for the tip since its inside I can do that one over the winter.

[spatterso911]

I took a look inside, but since duct passes along where the electric jacks mount, I couldn't get enough exposure to see clearly were the problem was. The duck does seem to hang freely as it travels to the bedroom, but I will have to take a much better look after the holidays.

Thanks stallsmi for the tip, and I will keep everybody posted

[stallsmi]

Good luck. I hope you can find the problem, and, I hope it's an easy fix!

[jayjay73]

I like the new noise on the 2015's, our dealer told us too that they now have a full size queen bed, glad we waited the extra year. We are looking at factory ordering one in the new year. Only thing left is to decide on the decor? spatterso911 what did you go with? We where thinking the cobblestone, but our dealer told us that we have to get one of the upgraded decor's since we are getting the Maple Leaf edition. Right now we are thinking Autumn, but it looks a little on the dark side.

[spatterso911]

We chose the Autumn decor, and we love it. It does have a dark edge, but the sunset was a little too brown, and the stone was kind of contrasted with grey fabric and brown wood. The nose cap is only one of the big changes!

There is now a full length LED strip in the pass-through storage that does a great job of lighting up the space, and the queen bed is full queen size. The wood on the cabinetry has a mildly distressed look to it. It does come with the outdoor drink fridge and outdoor Coleman grill as well.

I wish it came with a quick-connect propane hookup to connect a separate grill to the propane tanks. We are probably going to add a quick-connect valve at the tanks to do this, but it would have been nice to have it built-in already.

We have a little regret with ordering the electric stabs. They are really slow-moving

We installed the Pro-pride 3P hitch and it fits well.

Let me know if you have any more questions! Good luck with your ordering!!

[Coachmanjk]

Hello fellow rvers. I just wanted to give an update on the 282BHDS camper my wife and I ordered in Hershey this year. Delivery time was expected to be 6-8 weeks from the factory. At 4 weeks and 5 days I got a call from the dealer saying it was on his lot. My wife and I quickly got our RV emptied and cleaned and were at the dealer a few days later to take delivery. We were a little leery of buying this camper without actually seeing one first. (this model wasn't at the show) We did our homework and looked at other Coachman's, but there was still some uncertainty. After walking around and in the 282 we knew immediately that we made the right choice. This camper is great! The layout is exactly what we wanted and were very pleased to see little extras that we didn't know we were getting. The floor plan is very spacious and works well for a family of 4. There is an unbelievable amount of storage inside and out. I told the dealer on the phone that because we were coming from two hours away I wanted a very detailed pre-delivery inspection to try to limit any returns for warranty issues. They were very understanding and had all systems hooked up and working when we got there. This included water in the tanks, sewer hook up, gas turned on to all appliances, etc. We only found a few minor issues and those were taken care of immediately. We then drove home and packed for our last trip of the season a few days later. Again on this trip we realized that we made the right choice in rv for our family. We hated when the weekend was over and knew we had to put it away for the winter. I did make one modification to better utilize space. I added a drawer on bearing slides under each bench seat and both doors under the jack knife sofa. Other than that I don't think we will be changing much else. The outside fridge is nice and eliminates the cooler of drinks we used to keep outside the camper. The built in Coleman stove is a nice feature that I will probably use eventually but for now I like using my liquid fuel Coleman. The light weight table stored in the front pass thru also eliminates the one we used to tote along. If anyone was thinking of buying this unit I highly recommend it. I did add pictures of the drawers. I did these myself for less than $150. If anyone has any questions, send them my way.

[mikefradette]

That looks great wildwoodJk and a great idea too.

[Coachmanjk]

spatterso911,

You said you used the xchocks on your trip. I was looking to get a set of theses but I wasn't sure that they would open up far enough. The distance between the tires on this model seems pretty far apart. How well did they work?