Help deciding on a 195bh

[Golfnbike13]

Hello everyone. I'm currently looking for my first TT and found someone who has a brand new 195bh they need to get rid of due to a family illness. I'm just trying to decide if this is the right choice as the purchaser (husband) isn't available to answer questions, it's just his wife trying sell. We have two toddlers so I liked the bunks. My tow vehicle is currently a midsize truck with a V6 that I believe is rated to tow up to 5,000lbs. So I think I will be okay until we get something better???
Could anyone with this model give me some feedback? Keep in mind I know nothing about trailers. Here are my concerns:
- is that small window AC unit enough?
- is there heat?
- I'm assuming this has a generator to run all the power?
- is the one propane tank enough for this size family?
- do I need any special equipment to tow?( other then hitch)
- it doesn't have a tv but figured i could add that, what about an antenna?
- there's no ladder on the back, can I get on the roof?
- looks like a very small fridge, any way to upgrade?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

[Kaadk]

I can't help too much as I'm not familiar with that unit, but I doubt it has a generator. You usually only find onboard generators in motorhomes and some of the higher end toy haulers.

Instead, most trailers work off a 12v battery (like your car). This should take care of most things like lights, etc... The stuff that won't work without being plugged in is the TV, the microwave, the air conditioning, outlets, etc...

What kind of camping are you looking at doing with this trailer. Most places will have power. You really only need to be concerned about no power if you're specifically looking for places like that.

[Golfnbike13]

Wow that's good to know. We have always done tent camping in campgrounds that had shower facilities. We were hoping this would expand our ability to camp in more places but I guess we would have always look for a power hookup.

So if we camp somewhere without power what about the fridge, would it work?
Is it possible to just get a generator for when needed?

[Kaadk]

1) Yep, the fridge should work. It'll use the 12V for the controls and propane for the cooling.

2) Yes, you can buy a portable generator. But before you do that if you're really looking for camping without power then review some of the threads under the terms "dry camping" and "boondocking". There's a ton of information on this site about how to maximize what you're getting out of your batteries. Based on what I've read, it sounds like quite a few people are capable of making it through a weekend+ with the proper setup without having to worry about using generators.

[Golfnbike13]

What about the water, if there isn't power does it still pump water for toilets, shower, etc?

[Kaadk]

Yep, the water pump's 12v. Only turn it on when you need it to maximize your battery.

[ependydad]

Originally Posted by Kaadk

1) Yep, the fridge should work. It'll use the 12V for the controls and propane for the cooling.

That depends on the fridge. It could be that these fridges are simply 120v dorm fridges and they would require an inverter + stout battery setup (or generator). Based on another thread (see this one) and a faint past recollection that on some models, a 2-way fridge may be an option and not standard.

[Kaadk]

Originally Posted by ependydad

That depends on the fridge. It could be that these fridges are simply 120v dorm fridges and they would require an inverter + stout battery setup (or generator). Based on another thread (see this one) and a faint past recollection that on some models, a 2-way fridge may be an option and not standard.

Oh, yeah, thanks for reminding me. I had assumed a 19' BH would have a 2 way, but now that you mentioned it I do remember reading about some of the cheaper ones going with dorm fridges. We'll have to wait for the OP to tell us what the one (s)he's looking at has.



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[Golfnbike13]

The current owners response was "I have no idea". But on the website it looks like the the standard feature is "4.3 cu ft Electric Fridge". But there is an option of "RV Refer In Place of Electric Fridge."

I'm assuming this means the the standard only runs when plugged in to 120v? But is that option for a 2way? If so how can I tell what it has?

[Kaadk]

Any pictures available?


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[Golfnbike13]

Only the factory photos from the website for the interior

[Kaadk]

Hard to tell then. If we could see it somebody might be able to identify which one it is.

Since it sounds like you're looking to run without power, you'll want to see if you can double check this before locking into a sale. It it's not an RV fridge that runs on propane then you pretty much won't be able to camp without power unless you stick to coolers and not use the fridge. Trying to run a fridge solely on batteries is very quickly going to kill those batteries.

I'd recommend seeing if you can go see it first, and look for things like the word 'gas' on the fridge's controls. If see the word gas, it's a pretty good bet it's an RV fridge. If not, it may or may not still be one, but we'll need a make and model so somebody can validate it.

While you're seeing it, also check for the yellow (sometimes white) sticker on the side of the trailer. This will tell you exactly how much this particular trailer weighed from the factory, which is often different from what you'd see in the factory specs on the website. This will tell you better if your vehicle is close or not.




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[Golfnbike13]

Thanks for the info. It's over an hour away but I'm supposed to go see it tomorrow and will look. I would say about 75% of our camping will be with hookups, I just like the option of stocking the fridge before leaving the house when traveling or being able to dry camp.
If there is anything else I should look for let me know.

[Kaadk]

I remember when we were looking, one of the things I always looked for in a used trailer was water damage. Surprisingly I found it in like 75% of the used trailers we looked at. People just don't seem to take care of things.

And since you've got toddlers (mine are 3 and 4) one other thing we looked at was the height of the beds. We ended up with our quad bunk because I was worried about the kids rolling out in the middle of the night. (Which both have, on several occasions.) On the 195BH it looks like the bunks run next to a wall, so there will be a smaller opening for them to fall out of, but it's something to consider.

Otherwise there's a PDI Checklist (Pre Delivery Inspection) available here on the forums. Might want to take a copy of that. It should be a fairly comprehensive list of things to look into.

Edit: Here's a link to checklist:
http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...do=file&id=112




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[Golfnbike13]

I'll look for the PDI, that would be great.
I am worried about all the bunks we have seen, but was hoping I could rig up something to block that opening on this one. Maybe a bed rail or baby gate.
Honestly I can't find a good trailer to accommodate us all and still weigh under 5,000 lbs. This seems to be the best option so far....

[Golfnbike13]

If I'm getting a used TT do I need something other then a hitch and wiring harness on my truck? Someone mentioned something about needing a device for the electric brakes on the trailer? Here's. Photo of my hitch/wiring setup

[jawga]

Originally Posted by Golfnbike13

Hello everyone. I'm currently looking for my first TT and found someone who has a brand new 195bh they need to get rid of due to a family illness. I'm just trying to decide if this is the right choice as the purchaser (husband) isn't available to answer questions, it's just his wife trying sell. We have two toddlers so I liked the bunks. My tow vehicle is currently a midsize truck with a V6 that I believe is rated to tow up to 5,000lbs. So I think I will be okay until we get something better??? we tow with a ford explorer with a V8 and it does just fine. My tow rating is 7,700 LBS. It's not so much the weight as it is the front area catching the wind
Could anyone with this model give me some feedback? Keep in mind I know nothing about trailers. Here are my concerns:
- is that small window AC unit enough? Ours is the 8,000 BTU, right now its 97 outside with around 80% humidity and the inside is around 65 degrees (wife calls it the ice box
- is there heat? Yes there is a furnace inside, We camped while it got down to 19 degrees and the inside easily got up to 80, so we had to urn it down
- I'm assuming this has a generator to run all the power?It does not come with a generator
- is the one propane tank enough for this size family?We have me and my wife and three kids 13,10,6, We only use about 1 or 2 gallons of propane during a weekend. We also spent a week this past 4th of July and we still have propane left over. Although we mainly use the microwave and hot skillet to cook
- do I need any special equipment to tow?( other then hitch)Would highly recommend a WDH, we use the anderson hitch, also will need a brake controller we have the P3
- it doesn't have a tv but figured i could add that, what about an antenna?Some had antennas, ours did not. We added a TV mounted to the wall and also added cable to the trailer also. Haven't really needed to add an antenna yet
- there's no ladder on the back, can I get on the roof?You can get up on the roof, the easiest way was to climb up on one of the back corners. I went up and installed Max Air II vent and also resealed some caulking issues.
- looks like a very small fridge, any way to upgrade?Ours is the 120V only fridge. There is not room for a bigger fridge. It holds enough food for us during the weekend

The picture of your wiring harness is only a 4 way plug. You will need a 7 round plug to be able to hook up with. Also you were wondering how you could tell what type fridge it has in it. If it has a smaller door next to the main entrance door then it has the 120 V fridge only. If it has vents next to the main entrance door instead of the smaller door then it has the 120V/propane fridge. You can check out some of my other posts on what we have done to the 195BH we have. Ours is a wildwood, which is basically the same as the Salem, just different badging. We love ours and have plenty of room to sleep. The dinette does turn into a bed. On the stocking fridge question, we plug ours up the day before and let the fridge cool down and then stock it full of food, then right before we leave I unhook the plug from my outlet in the house and then when we get to the campground we plug back up first thing. We have travelled up to 8 hours and the fridge was still cold and the food was also. If need be we also carry a cooler full of drinks if for some reason we need more drinks to carry. If you have any other questions just ask. We have had ours for about a year its a 2014 model.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!

Above all enjoy it, we have

[Golfnbike13]

Thanks for all the great info. However I just ran into a towing issue. My midsize truck is a Mazda B4000 King cab with a 4.0L V6. Manual said towing limit was 5,300. But just discovered that's for the auto transmission, and mine is a manual. The limit for manual is only 3,300. I'm guessing it's a really bad idea to pull a 3,000 lb trailer with this?

[Kaadk]

A 2000 lb difference just because it's a manual? That doesn't sound right. That's a pretty significant change. Normally I would expect them to be a little closer. Not to mention that manuals are typically (but not always) the one with the higher tow capacity.

It took me almost 1/2 a year to finally settle on what the right numbers were for my RAM so I know it can be a pain to find your truck's real towing capacity. I wouldn't rule out the trailer just yet.

First, check your truck's door sticker. This will tell you as much as we can that will definitely be the numbers for your truck. If it shows the GCWR (Gross Combined Weight Rating) that would be best, but I've rarely seen that number on a door sticker. If it doesn't, then we'll have to try matching the what you do have vs. the abundance of material out there on the net.

BTW, what year is the truck? That will also help narrow down our search.

[Golfnbike13]

It's a 2002 Mazda B4000 Cab Plus Dual Sport 4.0L 4x2.
I checked the door sticker, doesn't list it. Manual says the GCWR is 7,000 lbs