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Old 02-24-2016, 09:13 AM   #1
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Cruise Lite 195BH Owners Thread

Hello all Salem owners. We just purchased a new 195BH. Right after our Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) we camped 4 nights at an RV Park close by our RV Dealer to "learn our trailer" and find any bugs since the PDI. We used both full hookups and dry camped at our site. We found 3 bugs:

1. The plastic (city water) inlet leaked bad between the knob and flange. The brass water pressure regulator was connected to the plastic inlet. Dealer replaced the entire inlet with a better quality one (brass vice plastic female threads). We plan to keep our brass pressure regulator permanently connected to our brass thread water inlet. Brass male water hose to brass pressure regulator to brass female water inlet is the better water connection.

2. One of our interior ceiling lights did not work at the rocker arm switch. Dealer found a loose wire behind the control panel on the wall.

3. The orange and black wires that go with the break away cable were too tightly wedged into the bottom of the angle iron at the battery box. It was like a sharp scissor that would soon cut the wires. Dealer re-routed the wires with zip ties under the battery box.

All Dealer fixes were done at same time in 2 hours. We just towed our trailer back to the nearby RV Park and continued camping for 3 more days. No more bugs found.

We are 195BH newbies. Love our trailer! We hope all you Cruise Liters and other Salem owners find this information helpful. More sharing information to follow. 😆

Camp4two
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Old 02-25-2016, 09:26 AM   #2
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In addition to our thread below our 2016 195BH came with factory 15 inch wheels. Tires are Towmax 205/75/R15 Load Range D. I have seen same 2016 trailers with factory 14 inch wheels (205/75/R14 Load Range C). The 15 inch wheels do not show up as a factory option. Our 195BH was manufactured in July 2015.

Very happy with the ride on 15 vice 14 inch wheels. I assume the Dealer ordered their 2016 195BH trailers with 15 inch wheels. We found the spare tire was a 14 inch and Dealer swapped it for same 15 inch. The spare tire size (optional equipment) is something to check before/during the PDI. Just know 15 inch wheels are available with this trailer when shopping around.

Camp4two
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Old 02-25-2016, 11:02 AM   #3
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If you don't mind sharing, how much did you pay for it?
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Old 02-25-2016, 11:47 AM   #4
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Paid $11,800, OTD $13,140 (tax/license/doc fee). Go to RV Trader website for prices to get your nearby dealer's starting price.

Same 195BH floorplan also comes in FR Wildwood and Evo models so you may want to compare them with the Salem Cruise Lite.
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Old 02-25-2016, 12:10 PM   #5
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Wow, that sounds like a great price! You just can't beat these campers for value.
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Old 02-25-2016, 01:22 PM   #6
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Yes, and easy to tow with our Yukon and a good weight distribution hitch.
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Old 02-25-2016, 10:32 PM   #7
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Thanks, I just bought 195BH myself. I'll check on those issue you listed above.
Haven't used it for long period of camping just yet.
I'm debating if I should use weight distributing hitch or not.
Does it make any difference ?
I just towed for short 25 miles trip, I don't feel a need for WDH so far
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Old 02-26-2016, 03:00 AM   #8
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Congratulations Pawntan on your new 195BH. I'm no expert on weight distribution hitches (WDH) but this link from etrailer may help you decide if a WDH is needed: https://www.etrailer.com/faq-weightdistribution.aspx.

For us, when our trailer was first hooked up to our 4X4 Yukon, there was noticeable sag at the rear (new shocks 2 yrs ago). The WDH equalizes the weight on both your trailer and tow vehicle axles. With the WDH the Yukon's sag disappeared. Here in NV we get occasional strong winds. The WDH significantly reduces the amount of trailer sway when driving in windy conditions. With the WDH, our trailer just tows real solid behind our Yukon. Our WDH is the type that uses two bars as the tow arms, not chains. We will be on long trips out of state several times this year. The WDH will give us a much smoother ride for long trips.

Any other owners of 195BH or small Cruse Lite trailers towing with or without a WDH? Comments welcome.
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Old 02-26-2016, 10:23 AM   #9
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We purchased a 261bhxl (2015 model) in 2014. Here is my shake down list:
1The shower sprayer connection on the tub! The sprayer was not even close to being tight, causing a flood that ran all the way to the bunk in the front. This flood could easily have caused a lot of damage.
2. The tub access panel does not cover the hole in the side wall of the tub. The hole was cut too large. This is gap is over a 1/2 inch and is very long. This is just sloppy.
3. The shower curtain track is not mounted close to the shower head. Water can easily run out. This could be corrected in other units.
4. Had to remount both closet rods next to the bed. Clothes could not be hung because the rods were too close to the door.
5. Minor issue ; drain plug in the shower broken in half.
6. The dinette table is too close to the window which does not allow the shade to close all the way. This could be corrected in other units.
7. The thermostat is located directly above two heat ducts! Temperatures in the main living area are four degrees cooler when the control calls to shut down the heat.
8. The light over the dinette is mounted crooked. Can more care be taken to mount the light to parallel the wall?
9. Our unit does not have the outside kitchen and bumper mounted grill. We don't expect that a extra door be mounted on the outside where the kitchen would be but an entire large storage space, under the double lower bunk goes un-utilized! How about putting a hole in the board under the bunk? As the dinette seat storage works so can the back bunk!!!
Replaced the broken refrigerator access door, replaced the missing bedroom blind and added piston rods to the queen bed to allow easier access to under bed storage.
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Old 02-26-2016, 11:07 AM   #10
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I would DEFINITELY recommend a WDH for anything over 3,000 pounds. I think they are required here in Alabama over 3,000 pounds, actually. The WDH makes a huge difference. I can do a short tow of my 6,000 pound travel trailer without it (with Expedition), but I would not tow without WDH on the highway.
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Old 02-27-2016, 12:46 AM   #11
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I agree Tony. Our 195BH is 4,000 lbs. Our Fastway WDH is rated for 6,000 lbs. (smallest WDH w/ bars Fastway makes). We have towed our trailer at 60-65 mph in some windy weather and it was very stable behind our Yukon.
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Old 02-27-2016, 11:24 AM   #12
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Thank you Bushbunch for your shake down list. Here are some of the things we upgraded/added/changed to our our new195BH:

1. Upgraded dealer provided 24 Group battery to 27 Group. Dealer upgraded it at no additional cost at time of our purchase.

2. Added front stabilizer scissor jacks. Dealer installed them w/o a labor charge. A must have for us. Trailer was too wobbly on just the tongue jack after first night camping. Rear stabilizer jacks (optional equipment) came with our trailer.

3. Upgraded shower head & hose with Camco's bigger head and more flexible hose. Love it!

4. Changed sink and tub plastic drain stoppers with the round fine wire mesh screens. If you need a tub stopper, look for something better. The plastic tub stopper is not good.

5. Changed interior ceiling & outside porch lights to LED..

6. Added 4 inch queen matress topper from Walmart. 2 inches memory foam plus 2 inches support foam. Has to be cut to fit front bed. Works well for us. We use it on top of the "way too thin" factory pad.
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Old 02-27-2016, 11:54 AM   #13
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I do not have a sagging problem since I have a a heavy duty shocks.
However I do feel the sway on windy conditions.
is it possible to just install the sway control without the distributing hitch bars and chains ? Because all I need is to control the sway, not the sagging.
I'm ordering eaz lift, and looking at the following video it seems like the sway control and the weight distributing are two separate independent system
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Old 02-27-2016, 12:19 PM   #14
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Suggest you contact your dealer, an RV service center or etrailer.com. Their technician can best advise you on what setup will best correct your sway. I'm not knowledgeable about independent sway systems or the one that may best suits your needs. Hope this helps.
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Old 02-27-2016, 12:55 PM   #15
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Love my Cruise Lite!
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Old 02-27-2016, 08:37 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Camp4two View Post
In addition to our thread below our 2016 195BH came with factory 15 inch wheels. Tires are Towmax 205/75/R15 Load Range D. I have seen same 2016 trailers with factory 14 inch wheels (205/75/R14 Load Range C). The 15 inch wheels do not show up as a factory option. Our 195BH was manufactured in July 2015.

Very happy with the ride on 15 vice 14 inch wheels. I assume the Dealer ordered their 2016 195BH trailers with 15 inch wheels. We found the spare tire was a 14 inch and Dealer swapped it for same 15 inch. The spare tire size (optional equipment) is something to check before/during the PDI. Just know 15 inch wheels are available with this trailer when shopping around.

Camp4two
No kidding? I just logged in to research the possibility of upgrading my 195BH to 15" wheels/tires, but wanted to know if the larger size would be a problem. There's my answer!

s10texan
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Old 02-27-2016, 08:57 PM   #17
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Our dealer had two Cruise Lite 195BH trailers. Both trailers had 15 inch wheels which surprised me because I was expecting 14 inch. Don't know how they got on the trailers but sure happy we have them.
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Old 02-27-2016, 09:25 PM   #18
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BTW the Tire Information label on side of our trailer confirms the tires are 15 inch so they came from the factory that way.
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Old 02-27-2016, 09:49 PM   #19
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Get a WDH like the affordable Equalizer 4. They can be found used on CL for a bargain. Single axle trailers can become squirrely in a hurry in the right wind/road conditions. Plus, if you get a blow-out on the driver's side of a single axle TT the WDH helps keep the TT in your lane...

A number of years ago I pulled all types of single & double axle trailers for construction-related work & the single axle trailers wandered from side to side the most regardless the tow vehicle.

That said, the 195BH finds a way to fit a lot into a small package & it was one of the TTs we looked at (for our family of 5) when we were considering a SUV as a TV...
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Old 02-28-2016, 12:03 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Nash View Post
Love my Cruise Lite!
X2 I also love my Cruise Lite too!


To the OP - Congrats on your Cruise Lite! I hope you will love it as much as I love my Cruise Lite for five years and counting.

My 2011 CL came with 15" wheels but I had the dealer add stab jacks too. Also I started out towing my CL with a Yukon which worked great until borrowing my sister's Yukon was no longer an option. Her Yukon needed some work done and besides it was time I had my own TV so I brought a truck.

Like you I also got a great deal on my unit ($9,997). This past fall I was looking another a new Cruise Lite but opted to keep my 2011 unit instead. I really like the new CLs but I'm on a fixed budget without much wiggle room.

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Great choice for "Living within my means" and camping for one...

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