A128S Converted from ALINER Ranger

[Yukon Don]

Originally Posted by thehamguy1

The only thing I can think of is not to drag the tarps off your roof. There might be abrasives that have worked in there over the winter (dust, sand, dead moose, the usual) and you wouldn't want to scratch the skylights. Might be best to bring the sides of the cover up and then roll up the cover on top before lifting it off.

[thehamguy1]

YD! You're alive! Ain't seen you around these here parts much lately, Sheriff.

[ko777]

Originally Posted by thehamguy1

YD! You're alive! Ain't seen you around these here parts much lately, Sheriff.

I think Manitoba is still buried with snow, his rig is lost in it lol. Looks like this coming long weekend I could unwrap my rig, thanks for your tip I'll gently remove the cover. Yes, I was wishing for a dead moose but no luck lol; I could have use the head for a trophy.

[Yukon Don]

Been hibernatin'.

ko -I envy you if you can start unwrapping things this weekend.
I'm anxious to get at mine if for nothing other than sheer curiosity how she weathered the winter.

[ko777]

Well it looks like the start of the long Easter weekend is perfect for unwrapping and getting my trailer ready for this season. It is still cool about 10C or 50F but nice and sunny in my place.

Too bad for you YD, I hope your rig survived the mean weather in your area.

I was hoping to camp at my friend's lot out there this weekend but it is still buried with snow.

Before unwrapping pics:


Most of the snow at my place has melted.

Happy Easter Weekend!

[ko777]

Finally after 2 gorgeous days, nice but cool weather, my A128S is unwrapped and parked on the driveway. There were no surprises found in the trailer. It actually still smells new.
I was a bit nervous moving it but I managed to get it out my front yard and parked on my driveway smoothly, all that practice last summer helped.
The tarp cover survived the sharp corners of the trailer,no scratches on the rig's surface and bubble windows. I think I'll use this cover again this winter.
Lol the smoke alarm was still beeping so I removed the 9 volt battery. I had to install the main battery for the electric brakes but removed the fuse after it was parked on the driveway.
The tires lost some pressure especially the spare was down to 40 psi, so I inflated all of them to 65 psi.
The stabilizer jacks were not easy to crank up with the cordless drill so I had to do the old fashion manual way. I'll have to spray them jacks with oil soon.
I tested the front tongue weight without the propane tanks and got 340 pounds, wow not much to spare from the 350 pounds max my TV can handle, not happy.
Opening and closing the trailer was still smooth and easy, I just have to get use to the order, I mess up the first time with the doors.
Oh my gosh so many keys to choose from, looks like I have to try 2 or 3 times before unlocking those locks. I have over 9 locking things...lol
Here are some of the pics I want to remember from this experience:

First time unwrapping, still looks new


Tarp cover and straps to be reused


No surprises inside, smells new and open with ease


Tennis balls and peg to hitch precisely


A128S is front heavy, boo


All parked and just waiting for my first trip this year

I actually enjoyed unwrapping my trailer for the first time. I found no problem with it but I still have to test the water system and see if the blow out winterizing process worked.

Happy unwrapping 2013!

[thehamguy1]

Congrats on having done a good job of winterizing it. I'm getting anxious to do the same here. I had an idea about testing the water system for the first time after the winter. I'm going to take some thirsty towels and put them under the sink area on the shelf and on the floor inside the cabinet before trying the system. And I suppose it might be a good idea to have the compartment under the portside dinette seat open then too, since there's a couple of water lines that travel through that area. If there's a leak I'd hope to catch it right at the start rather than after the floor's flooded.

I started the cleanup of the tongue and underbody area, which were badly dinged up by all the travel on gravel last summer. I used a wire brush to clean the rust as much as I could, then some black gloss Rustoleum spray paint, and it looks almost like new. Nice to know that a little elbow grease can have such good results.

[ExTenter]

Would part of the spring ritual include sanitizing the water system? The manual recommends a bleach treatment before first use and after extended periods of non-use. Or is this overkill or what seems to me to be a tendency these days to error in the extreme on the side of caution? I suppose if there was some standing water in the system for a while or a hook-up to a questionable supply it would be good reason, but otherwise?

[ko777]

Since I do not drink the water from the tanks, flushing a couple of times should be good enough. On my trips I use the water tanks and drain most of the water by leaving the thingy spout open on my trip back. Chlorine is another way to kill those bacteria.

Good idea about checking all the waterline for leaks and using lots of towels just in case. I plan to keep the glass/plastic filter container intact and just make sure it is tighten well. I still have the original filter and I have no plans on using it anytime soon.

THG1/Lee after all the mileage you put in your rig, what else got loose besides your microwave oven cabinet? I want to have a routine tightening up all the screws, nuts and bolts of the trailer every after a long trip. Luckily I caught a couple of screws loose on my bike carrier but unfortunately lost one. To make sure this does not happen again I wrap electrical tape on all the screws.

I did check the nuts/screws of the spare tires front/back and the nuts behind the main tires, they were still secured. I plan to use my digital torque wrench to tighten the tire nuts to 100 pounds soon.

I checked all the trailer lights too. Electric brakes are working fine. How do you check if our LP/CO detector is working? Is there a test button like the smoke alarm, I'll check this out tomorrow since my trailer is unwrapped already lol.

Propane lines needs checking too. I got three empty propane tanks, so far Costco is the cheapest place to refill that I know off. Did you know you don't have to be a member to buy things there. Just ask one of your friends that is a member to get you gift cards, $25 is the smallest, and you could buy more than that and use one gift card at a time. Lol I still have two $25 cards left. I was a member before but go there less than 6 times a year, so I cancelled it.

There are still a lot of checking and testing before my next trip. I plan to camp like my trip#4 on the last weekend of April for 3 nights. I'll get to use my new 2k generator which I have not test yet.

[DGrissom]

Originally Posted by ko777

... How do you check if our LP/CO detector is working? Is there a test button like the smoke alarm, I'll check this out tomorrow since my trailer is unwrapped already lol...

I don't know the correct way to test the detector. We had a mildew problem in the refrigerator this weekend. The door closed itself after our last outing and it was pretty nasty. We cleaned it out and decided to give it a quick shot of spray disinfectant to sanitize it (only thing we had at the campsite).

The next thing we know a detector alarm is blaring away! I jumped up and jerked the battery out of the smoke detector and the sound kept coming?! I had never messed with the CO/Propane detector. I felt around it in desperation, as the noise was waking up the folks in the neighboring campsites, and found a recessed button that shut off the alarm. I don't know if the detector will properly check carbon monoxide. I do know its a whiz bang Lysol detector.

[ExTenter]

This has been a great thread to follow for a new owner. Or almost a new owner, when delivery day finally arrives.

I've seen other comments about loosening nuts, bolts, screws, etc., but can't recall a suggestion about using something like Lock Tight. As a former vintage British motorcycle owner (I.E. those things could rattle and shake) I can tell tell you that stuff keeps those things tightened down. You should be able to find it at most auto parts suppliers.

[thehamguy1]

Ko, I realized I hadn't answered your question about what else came loose inside. Every screw inside the microwave cabinet into the wall had either pulled out or loosened. Since I have a couple packages of matching screws I pushed the cabinet back up against the wall (it'd moved less than a cm.) and drove new screws in spots adjacent to where the original ones were. I reused the original screws where I could.

Then I checked the sink/stove cabinet and found that it had pulled away slightly along the top edge. I had to take out the stove and its enclosure below it to get at the cabinet frame. I had my wife push against the outer wall while I pushed the cabinet against it from the inside and drove screws in new locations, plus added screws to some places where there weren't any before. Things are tight now I'm happy to say.

The sandwich construction of the sidewalls means there are only a few mms of wood to hold the screws. That's probably sufficient if there are enough screws and their threads are aggressive enough. I exceeded the design assumptions by going up the Dempster Highway and later over the Top of the World highway, so most users won't shake their units apart like I did. But it's easily fixed--less than an hour's work--so ultimately not a problem. These units are warranted so you probably could/should have the dealer fix it. As a former remodeler I trust my own work more than others'.

I found no loose welds or frame bolts. These frames are solid. Even the spare tire bracket stayed rock solid. One set of bolts did loosen, though: the small screws and nuts that hold the roof latches on. I'm talking about the two snapdown latches you close as the last step in closing the camper. They loosened enough that they could be moved up and down by hand. It took only a few seconds to retighten them, though it takes two people--one inside to hold the nut and one to turn the screw outside. I suppose I could have done it myself by taking out the window screens and reaching in from outside.

[ko777]

Thanks Lee for the detail information, these will be helpful for us in maintaining our A-Frame before it comes apart. It is too bad that I'm not as handy as you but I will try or attempt what you have done to maintain your rig. FR did a good job hiding all the screws inside because I can't find them...is it possilbe to illustrate how to get to them and where you tighten/added more support with pictures, this will make it easier for me/us to do the job.

Welcome Extenter to our A-Frame forum, your smart to get information here before picking up your A122, good luck and have fun with your new toy, when are you expecting it? I too is still new in RVing, only 6 trips under my belt and still learning a lot from everyone here. Thanks for the Lock Tight idea, do you just spray that on the surface or you have to unscrew first then spray? Don't forget to start a thread and post pics of your travel, we love that here, also post any questions.

[ExTenter]

Thanks for the welcome ko777. I didn't get the product name right; it is actually Loctite. Here's a link to the product website:

Threadlockers from Loctite Products | Threadlocking / Mechanical Gasketing | Loctite Adhesives

I used the equivalent of what they now call Threadlocker Blue which is applied beforehand. I never tried the Red version on the bikes but on an RV there may well be applications where this more permanent 'lock' is suitable. I have no experience with an RV but would use the Red only after careful consideration.

We are enjoying a run of beautiful weather on the BC south coast and I'm itching to get at the A122. I'm chasing down the salesman.

[ko777]

I was concerned earlier in this thread if we have a CO gas detector in our A-Frame and worry no more I found evidence that we have it for sure:

We just have to test it after a long storage:

I still have to do a lot of testing of my rig before my next trip.

Question:
My current ball mount has a rise of 2 5/8 In. and the length is too short. After mounting the rig, it needs a raise of approx 1.5 inch to make the rig level. My plan is to get a ball mount with a rise of 5 In. with a longer length. This will now be the reverse after mounting the rig, it will be over an inch up from level. Will this be a problem?

[gregory]

Raising the camper tongue a little more than an inch shouldn't adversely affect towing in any way, or create sway.

The positive will be in that the camper jack won't be as prone to drag. The fridge will be fine as well.

Campers and trailers are built tongue heavy. Your TV will still have the same "squat" as before.

Are you having concerns other than what's mentioned above?

Deb

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by ExTenter

We are enjoying a run of beautiful weather on the BC south coast and I'm itching to get at the A122. I'm chasing down the salesman.

I have had two of them chasing me today and one that I expect to hear from Monday morning. Two in Houston and one away. The out of town guy has had the best price. Low enough to make it worth a long day to go get the trailer. Or a weekend trip including a night of camping for a shakedown. He will only give me a verbal quote. A firm written deal will require a deposit. It looks like Monday or Tuesday will be the day.

[gregory]

Originally Posted by Pooneil

I have had two of them chasing me today and one that I expect to hear from Monday morning. Two in Houston and one away. The out of town guy has had the best price. Low enough to make it worth a long day to go get the trailer. Or a weekend trip including a night of camping for a shakedown. He will only give me a verbal quote. A firm written deal will require a deposit. It looks like Monday or Tuesday will be the day.

Dave is looking to sell his 2012 A122. Contact him and I bet you could get a good deal w/o paying "new" price.
Check this link:
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ice-37400.html

Deb

[ko777]

What is better for the stabilizer jacks, grease or spray oil?

[thehamguy1]

I used white lithium spray lubricant, went on easily and kept the jacks running smoothly.