2Years In: Wolf Pup 16FB

[tgarson]

Remarks on our 2014 Wolf Pup 16FB after 2 years of regular, albeit short term, use:

The Bad. It came with tires too small to handle the rated 3500 lbs, although it had the 3500lb axle. It had a lower rate weight sticker.
The Good: When I pointed this out, our dealer swapped out the tires and wheels for the larger size required for the 3500 lb rating at no charge and FR printed up a new sticker that reflected the 3500 lb rating.

The Bad: The stock mattress (probably standard in all similar trailers, is a SHORT queen. I'm a bit over 6 ft tall and that just doesn't work. Also, the mattress was a block of of single density closed cell foam. My bottom side sweated like a pig in a roaster while its lowest point hit bottom.
The Good: There was JUST enough room to wrestle a full size queen mattress into the 16FB, but it was well worth it! I gave the stock mattress back to the dealer and moved on.

The Bad: We got one of the defective Dometic 300 toilets. The dealer was no help.
The Good: We were able to reach a Dometic customer service person (thanks to RV forums like this one) who was aware of the issue and got us a new toilet pronto, once we contacted her. Installation was easy.

The Bad: There was no easy access to the space under the bed.
The Good: FR had framed in for installation of an exterior side hatch to access that space. I was able to cut out the hole and fit a hatch.

The Bad: The Dometic fridge didn't work for ____. Gas or electric didn't matter, it never got cold. The dealer replaced it and the second one worked better but not much.
The Good: The dealers tech mentioned to me that he installed baffles to help divert air flow around the heat exchangers which were the main source of the improvement. This inspired me to learn more than I previously cared to about ammonia cycle absorption refrigeration. The stock installation had all components of the cooling system in one poorly ventilated chamber. This does not work! Subsequently, I added an exhaust pipe to the boiler to rout the waste heat outside, insulated baffles to create separate chambers for the boiler and condenser and a coupe of computer fans to blow cool air over the condenser. Finally, I replaced the stock thermostat with an after market adjustable type. My fridge now works superbly.

The Bad: The water tasted pretty bad.
The Good: An aftermarket ice maker filter at the cold water tap took care of that problem.

The Bad: 16FB trailer is just too short to leave enough room in the bathroom to close the door when I'm sat on the throne. This is nobodies fault but mine. I should have checked. I should have gotten a 17FB, except I don't think they exist. Oh well.

Do I wish I had gotten a different trailer? Not really. The trailer tows straight. It's a perfect match for my 3.8L powered Dodge Caravan tow vehicle. It's easy to park and drive around. It's built well enough, considering the price. Mileage is very respectable, averaging about 11mpg. It was a good choice for me and wife for our hop scotch travel style.

The Good: I'm sitting here typing this in my 16FB parked in a wonderful RV park on the Oregon Coast on the day after memorial day. It's been a beautiful weekend and a fine day. I'm happy I pulled the trigger on the trailer.

Tom G.
Oregon

[bakwoodj]

Good read! I have a 2015 16 bhs that I pull with a Jeep wrangler unlimited with the same 3.8L V6! I'll have to look into the fridge upgrade. Mine came with the door cut out for the under bed compartment and it is great for hitch parts and chairs and such.
I recently had a blow out. My tires are only a C load rating (1760#, I think) so that leaves not much wiggle room. I'm upgrading it to a D load rated tire to carry up to 2080#! I think the passenger side weighs a little more. Not a lot but just enough to overload the c rating.
Mine has a built in head board that prevents the full Queen mattress from fitting so we added a 1" foam pad and love it! Hindsight, measure the spot BEFORE you move the mattress into the trailer! Doh!
Glad your still enjoying it! We're in ours a year now and love it for weekend trips. 5 days is our max with us and our 2 kids and the dog! That's a lot of together!

[mbCik]

Great post! Where at Oregon coast? We went to Newport earlier this year and it was nice, though it rained the whole time.

[Prof and Agate]

Thanks for the overview. We've just started using our new Wolf Pup 16FQ. Pretty smooth on the first two trips. We didn't like that the cabinet doors didn't stay up on their own so we cannibalized the spring loaded struts from our 1997 Aerolite 25FK.

We are planning on adding a medicine cabinet with a mirror to the bathroom. We are also planning to add drawers under the foot of the bed to make better use of that space.

[tgarson]

Originally Posted by mbCik

Great post! Where at Oregon coast? We went to Newport earlier this year and it was nice, though it rained the whole time.

Coos Bay, but back home now..
Stayed at Midway RV Park (An A+ park. A lot of full timers are living there, so its often full)
Sorry to hear about your wet down. It's not unusual on the coast, especially outside of June through August. The weather in Coos Bay over Memorial Day weekend was beautiful.

[tgarson]

Originally Posted by Prof and Agate

Thanks for the overview. We've just started using our new Wolf Pup 16FQ. Pretty smooth on the first two trips. We didn't like that the cabinet doors didn't stay up on their own so we cannibalized the spring loaded struts from our 1997 Aerolite 25FK.

We are planning on adding a medicine cabinet with a mirror to the bathroom. We are also planning to add drawers under the foot of the bed to make better use of that space.

I thought about drawers like that, or cabinet doors, but decided to go with the outside hatch and I'm glad I did. I have a long plastic tub that fits through the hatch which contains all manner of needed stuff, including water hoses, electrical power cable, rope, extension cords, string lights, manual water pump, etc. There is also room in front of the tub (between it and the front of the trailer) for a small ladder, spare tire and jack, extra sleeping bag, wood blocks, etc. Way better than drawers. If you aren't a seasoned DIYer, a full service FR dealer should be able to install a hatch for you. FR probably framed for a hatch when the trailer was built.

Ditto on the overhead cabinet doors, although I used friction struts from the hardware store.

I made a wire basket that attaches to the back wall well above the toilet that holds all of my wifes bathroom stuff, and mounted a TP holder on the side wall at about head level.

I mounted a long mirror to the front of the bathroom door, using #6 steel "moly" screws. It made the wife happy, makes the trailer seem bigger and reflects light.

I also replaced all light bulbs with high out put LED lamps: As good or better light with less heat and reduced battery power drain

[tgarson]

Originally Posted by bakwoodj

Good read! I have a 2015 16 bhs that I pull with a Jeep wrangler unlimited with the same 3.8L V6! I'll have to look into the fridge upgrade. Mine came with the door cut out for the under bed compartment and it is great for hitch parts and chairs and such.
I recently had a blow out. My tires are only a C load rating (1760#, I think) so that leaves not much wiggle room. I'm upgrading it to a D load rated tire to carry up to 2080#! I think the passenger side weighs a little more. Not a lot but just enough to overload the c rating.
Mine has a built in head board that prevents the full Queen mattress from fitting so we added a 1" foam pad and love it! Hindsight, measure the spot BEFORE you move the mattress into the trailer! Doh!
Glad your still enjoying it! We're in ours a year now and love it for weekend trips. 5 days is our max with us and our 2 kids and the dog! That's a lot of together!

Wow. Parents + 2 kids + dog = CLOSE family!
We've got a dog (50lb Kelpie) and feel like that's max.

We tow with a mini van into which I built a bunch of those plastic drawer cabinets for extra storage. I made a plywood "plate" that sits on the floor to which the cabinets bolt through. Glued on Velcro strips to keep the drawers from sliding open were found to be a must. We also keep a cooler in the mini van.

[Prof and Agate]

Originally Posted by tgarson

I thought about drawers like that, or cabinet doors, but decided to go with the outside hatch.

I mounted a long mirror to the front of the bathroom door, using #6 steel "moly" screws. It made the wife happy, makes the trailer seem bigger and reflects light.

Our bed is a walk around, actually more of a skooch sideways around, so it is not against the outside walls. There is a lot of storage under the foot of the bed but you need to tip up the end to get to it. Agate prefers I not do this while she is still in bed, so drawers it is.

The mirror sounds like a great idea for opening up and brightening the space which is smaller and dimmer than our previous camper.

[Toniwj]

My husband is tall, too, and had trouble with our bathroom (which is why we upgraded to the 16fq yesterday). This sounds funny, but he got a "Squatty Potty" and could close the door more easily.