All Windjammer Owners

[D_B Travelers]

Originally Posted by Rivasiuk

We purchased a 2014 3008w last spring towed it with a gmc sierra 1500 crew cab 5.3 to the trailer park about 30 km. Towed OK but knew it was there and had some bounce in the rear going over uneven roads. We are at the max of of payload without much cargo and just the two of us, gas and essential tools. If I got into a emergency situation I would be scared of losing control and the trailer being heavier than the truck taking me for a ride. We plan to drive from Ontario to Texas this November so order a new 2017 gmc 2500 Denali duramax. It should handle the 3008w much better and I like the exhaust brake feature. Now my truck is equal in weight to my dry weight tt.

I think you now have the perfect combination. We pulled a 3001w with a 2013 GMC 1500 5.3 with little difficulty, but after switching to a 3500 HD GMC Duramax CC DRW it was like night and day. When pulling with the 1500, we didn't realize how marginal we really were because we didn't have anything to compare it to. We too were at the top limit of capacity for the 1500, but felt we were fine (at that time anyway). As the saying goes: "You don't know what you don't know." A 3/4 ton diesel is perfect for any of the Windjammers IMHO.
BTW - we didn't buy a dually for the Windjammer, we bought it so we could pull a 40' FW which we just bought; and the Windjammer is for sale now.

[Rivasiuk]

That is thinking ahead, if I go to a fifth wheel it will be the smallest. We don't need a lot of space. We spend most of our time outside. Also sorry my last thread said 2014 windjammer it is a 2017. So planning to keep it for a while. How did it tow over long distance with hitch you used. Any tips. I am using a new Husky centerline with spring cam anti sway system.

[D_B Travelers]

Originally Posted by Rivasiuk

That is thinking ahead, if I go to a fifth wheel it will be the smallest. We don't need a lot of space. We spend most of our time outside. Also sorry my last thread said 2014 windjammer it is a 2017. So planning to keep it for a while. How did it tow over long distance with hitch you used. Any tips. I am using a new Husky centerline with spring cam anti sway system.

We pulled the 3001w from Texas west through NM, AZ, NV, CA, and up to Oregon where we stayed for a week. Then we pulled across NV to Wyoming to visit the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone for a few days. Then back down through CO and KS to home. The 1500 GMC 5.3 pulled just fine as I had added a K&N cold air intake and custom exhaust that boosted me about 25 HP and as much torque. We could top the mountain passes at 50 MPH (faster if I wanted to buy the gas) which was keeping up with the 18 wheelers. I used the manual shift mode to downshift on the grades which worked pretty well, and let me be easy on the brakes, just not as handy as an exhaust brake on a diesel. We had a Equalizer 14K hitch which did very well for the most part. At the scales we had a tongue weight of 1080# so I could have gone with a 12K hitch for a bit smoother ride. The only issue I had was going across Kansas we had a 25-30 MPH direct cross wind which kept me gripping the wheel for several hours. The 2500 would not be as easy to wiggle as the 1500 because of the extra weight, so you would be better handling. The Equalizer is highly recommended by many of the forum members for weight distribution and sway control, I do not know how it compares with the Husky but I wouldn't change unless it proves unsatisfactory.

[deltazulu]

Thanks MC Troy. We will get some pictures posted up after we take delivery on Saturday.

After doing much research on towing, payload, tongue weights and trucks I decided to go ahead and upgrade my truck so we would have some more safety margin. The F150 3.5EB would have pulled the WJ but I didn't want to go on a diet and my wife said we couldn't leave the dog behind...SO, I went out and bought a new 2017 F250 Super Duty Platinum 6.7L Turbo Diesel and I have to say I love the truck already...it is a beast and drives like a dream!! Really can't wait to pick up the trailer!!

I have been soaking up all the information I can find on hitches and I can't seem to find any really good reasons to switch off of my Reese Straight Line Dual Cam (since I already own it). I'd hate to drill all of the holes and then switch to something else but when I used it on my 2 axle 7x16 cargo trailer (at 7K gross) the hitch was great.

Any other feedback on the Reese Straight Line DC would be great (before I drill the holes!).

[deltazulu]

...and forgot to mention this is my first Diesel truck ever so really enjoying reading up on diesels, etc.

[D_B Travelers]

Originally Posted by deltazulu

...and forgot to mention this is my first Diesel truck ever so really enjoying reading up on diesels, etc.

Congrats on the new truck! You will be amazed at the difference in towing the WJ. The one warning I got and will pass to you is NEVER, NEVER, NEVER want to run out of fuel. I have heard upwards of 2 hours to get it primed and running again.
I don't have any experience with the Reese so I can't help you much there, but I had a Trekker 10K hitch for a while, which I thought had better sway control than my Equalizer 14K hitch, just wasn't available in 14K. Still the Equalizer does a great job IMHO and you don't have to drill any holes, it clamps on the frame.

[nc-canuck]

Originally Posted by Windjammingnc

Two questions. First, we plan to tow with a 2500 Burb... How did your do before it died and was it the WJ towing that caused it to die? Second, what things did you find during pdi?

The 2500 Suburban did fine. And Windjammer did not cause the issue. We had been having problem with a piston for months before we got the jammer.

See post linked below on the PDI. All things we found were minor and fixed before we left the dealer. In the ensuing 18 months we found a few other minor issues:
- fold out couch kept falling down. Install was done wrong and had to undo and re-install
- fridge handle broke. Dealer fixed
- replaced all tires after a flat last November on the China bombs


http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ist-90998.html

[deltazulu]

Originally Posted by nc-canuck

- replaced all tires after a flat last November on the China bombs

http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ist-90998.html

nc-canuck - were your China bombs the 'C' or 'D' rated tires? We are picking ours up on Saturday. It has the 'D' rated tires and I'm wondering if new tires need to be on the short list. I have read about, and seen many of the photos of damaged WJ's, from the 'C' rated tires but not sure how exposed we are the the D's.

Thanks much! DZ

[TimVWulp]

Hi my 2015 trailer came with C tires. First stop was discount tire for new E load range tires and valve steams. With D tires I would keep an eye on them. With good care and due diligence with tire pressure they will last several years then replace with E. If they lose more than a 2 - 3 psi pressure in a month Have the tire checked out for where it is leaking. My E load range tires lose less than 10 PSI in a year. valve stems are not the best quality and would be my first suspect for a leak. TPS works well to monitor the tires and a good investment.

Hope This Help Tim

[nc-canuck]

Originally Posted by deltazulu

nc-canuck - were your China bombs the 'C' or 'D' rated tires? We are picking ours up on Saturday. It has the 'D' rated tires and I'm wondering if new tires need to be on the short list. I have read about, and seen many of the photos of damaged WJ's, from the 'C' rated tires but not sure how exposed we are the the D's.

Thanks much! DZ

It had the c rated. I did everything you are supposed to do on tires. Checked them before and during travel. Had the tire monitoring system. But one just blew with no warning. When we went to discount tire they showed me where 2 others were bubbling on the backside.

We went with the e rated Carlisle. Personally I will always immediately upgrade tires from now on. The $500 deductible I had to pay would have almost paid for the tires.

[Windjammingnc]

Looking at the GVWR of the WJs and the load rating of most of the Load Range C trailer tires out there, it would almost be criminal to put LR-C tires on a WJ - you are literally at the max rating of the tire when you are at GVWR (which is not very hard on a WJ).

Personally, I hope that our WJ comes with LR-D and I fully intend to replace those with the new US Made Goodyear Endurance tires within 2 years just to be safe. Not sure if I'll go to LR-E but we'll see. I will get a second spare like I did with our current TT, after we experienced a flat on a trip to the coast and lost the second tire on the way home from the trip (on a Sunday no less).

Thanks to a good Samaritan who stopped in his Mercedes convertible offered to take me and the rim from the back of the trailer to a shop that was actually open.

It always seems that the remaining tire on the side of the blowout ( or in the case of our Maxxis tires, the tread flew off, damaged the other tire and undercarriage but the tire never blew) gets tread damage.

The other thing that most people don't realize is that many trailer tires are Speed rated for 65 MPH max (70mph if you are at rated PSI and more than 10% below Load Rating of tire).

The Endurance Tires (LR-D and E only) are Speed Rated N (87 mph) although I would never recommend towing a trailer that fast :-)....

https://corporate.goodyear.com/en-US...iler_tire.html

[Rivasiuk]

The only issue with going to an E rating is you may have upgrade the rims. According to FR rep the stock rims don't go beyond the stock tires by very much.

[TimVWulp]

when I was at 2015 Goshen rally the rim manufacturer was there I asked him if I could go up to 80 PSI. He said that there was no problem with the rim but the valve stem must be upgraded for the higher pressure.

There are several threads on this every one who talks to the manufacture will give you the same response.

I have run 80 PSI for 2 years with out rim failure.

Tim

[M&K Hoffman]

Originally Posted by Rivasiuk

The only issue with going to an E rating is you may have upgrade the rims. According to FR rep the stock rims don't go beyond the stock tires by very much.

IMHO If the rep. can't tell you exactly what the rims are rated at, their opinion is worthless. But it would surprise me if the rims are beyond what is "legal" as they put the C rated tires on and the combined gross of the four tires is less than the gross weight rating of the camper.

[Rivasiuk]

I know that is the same situation I have. Gvwr of trailer is 8900 lbs but each axel is rated at 4000 lbs each. Their calculations are 1000 lbs tongue weight.

[nomad297]

Originally Posted by TimVWulp

when I was at 2015 Goshen rally the rim manufacturer was there I asked him if I could go up to 80 PSI. He said that there was no problem with the rim but the valve stem must be upgraded for the higher pressure.

I was told the exact same thing by a tech at etrailer

Bruce

[Tbates]

New Windjammer 3029W owner, upgraded from a Mini Lite.

Love the room, taking out for first trip this weekend.

Any issues we need to be aware of?

[D_B Travelers]

Originally Posted by Tbates

New Windjammer 3029W owner, upgraded from a Mini Lite.

Love the room, taking out for first trip this weekend.

Any issues we need to be aware of?

Only that your teeth will dry out from smiling so much!
Enjoy the WJ, they are great units.

[Tbates]

Originally Posted by D_B Travelers

Only that your teeth will dry out from smiling so much!
Enjoy the WJ, they are great units.

Thanks, I am sure we will

[MainelyUS]

Originally Posted by Tbates

New Windjammer 3029W owner, upgraded from a Mini Lite.

Love the room, taking out for first trip this weekend.

Any issues we need to be aware of?

Congratulations with your new WJ.
I'm sure you have done this but just make sure everything is in working order before you leave the driveway....LP, Elec, slides, AC, heat, tire psi, hitch, tools, etc.

Do you have a pre-trip "check-off list?

Make sure you are well stocked with your favorite beverage and have fun. Post some pics of maiden voyage.

Happy Trails