17FQ Modifications

[BC.campr]

Hey La Plata View, how much did it lift the trailer...4” or so?
Any difference in handling after doing the lift, no extra movement going down the road?
I agree that there is not much ground clearance the way it sits now.

[La Plata View]

Yes, I'd estimate about 4" higher - but I didn't take any before & after measurements. I do see I'll need to put a removable extension foot on the tongue jack. Bit more of climb up to the entrance step. I recall someone here mentioning replacing theirs with a two step model.

Haven't had the trailer on the road since flipping the axle but will test it out this coming weekend. If I notice any problems I'll let everyone know.

[Ky-N]

We did the axle flip so the 13" tires could find another home and replaced them with 15". After that we did replace the entry step with a 2 step model to make it easier for the short one of us to get into the trailer. As far as any difference in towing... not one bit of difference that I can tell after over 5000 miles with the changes. Well other than feeling better about the tires. One thing that did make a difference in towing was the addition of shocks, NOW that did make a difference.

[Homersimpson]

My 17fq came from the factory with 14 inch tires and aluminum wheels.

Amazing! Discount Tire beat Amazon for price. And if you can find cheaper, they will match prices.

[BC.campr]

Ky-n,
Any info you can supply on the shock setup would be much appreciated.
Was it a kit or DIY? I can see with the single axle that the shocks would be very beneficial....

[Ky-N]

Originally Posted by BC.campr

Ky-n,
Any info you can supply on the shock setup would be much appreciated.
Was it a kit or DIY? I can see with the single axle that the shocks would be very beneficial....

Here is a little more info on it: http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...ip-116799.html

[Homersimpson]

Wanted to take our 17fq for the first overnight of the new season, but tinkered with it instead. Temps in Idaho are reliably above freezing at night, so I'm finally dewinterizing it. When I reinstalled the two group 27 batteries, I added a fused, waterproof SAE outlet to one of the plastic battery boxes. It is same as the Zamp Solar connector, but without their proprietary reverse polarity so I can use it to power 12 volt accessories, if desired. Or I could buy solar other than Zamp and plug in directly at the battery box. I have options now.

When I replaced the original 6 ply Castle Rock tires with 8 ply Goodyear Endurance, I examined the wheel clearance on my 2017 TT. Fully loaded, it had 2" of vertical clearance to the frame and 4" in the wheel wells. I briefly considered 15" tires, but stayed with 14" only to reuse the original aluminum wheels. Better than 13".

Went scouting for destinations. We recently took a day trip thru Yellowstone, which is partially open and beautiful. Remains closed for snow in half of the park, but we still saw numerous animals. We also checked on a heated pool/RV resort in Idaho that we enjoy, which opens by Mothers' Day. Over the winter, we visited both Arizona and southern Utah, spotting several camping locations for next winter.

[clearn4]

I purchased an adapter that plugs into the Zamp solar connector which corrects their intentional reverse polarity allowing me to plug in many other makes of solar units. I purchased a Harbor Freight solar kit for $129.00 . Haven’t had a chance to get it out of the box yet. There are a lot of good YouTube videos for the Harbor Freight unit.

[BC.campr]

The way the water tank comes supported from factory has always bugged me, so I finally changed the straps to some angle to flatten the bottom that bugles out from the weight of the water. We often need to travel with a fairly full tank so I feel a little better now that this is done. I used 4’ of punched angle for each support (6” for each vertical and 35” for the under tank bit).

[BC.campr]

Couple more pics to finish up the job...
The biggest caution if you do this mod is to ensure you know exactly where the support lip of the water tank is when drilling the front mounting bracket. You could penetrate the water tank if you drill into the upper portion of the cross member!

[Ky-N]

The water tank is something I have been planning to work on.

[BC.campr]

I had the axle out and was gathering parts for the flip...was just too easy when I had it jacked up and nothing in the way...lol.

[3xplor3r]

Originally Posted by clearn4

I purchased an adapter that plugs into the Zamp solar connector which corrects their intentional reverse polarity allowing me to plug in many other makes of solar units. I purchased a Harbor Freight solar kit for $129.00 . Haven’t had a chance to get it out of the box yet. There are a lot of good YouTube videos for the Harbor Freight unit.

Have you got a link to where you got the adapter? I'd love to run Solar panels but just don't want to pay what Zamp is asking.

[clearn4]

I found the adapter on a YouTube video that was showing the Harbor Freight Solar panel kit. I can check my records but it will be awhile as my elderly mother is having surgery tomorrow and I will be tied up with that. There’s many YouTube videos to look at but they are all helpful.

[3xplor3r]

Thanks for the reply. I'll do a search. Hope all goes well tomorrow.

[clearn4]

https://youtu.be/LShSQeddlgk

I put in Zamp Solar for YouTube search.
I also found the following link.

http://www.naturepowerproducts.com/product-details.php?id=221

Thank you for the well wishes.

[3xplor3r]

Awesome that is exactly what I'm looking for! Thank you.

[Homersimpson]

I just installed a Slim Shade to replace the window in my door. The included glass is see thru, but lightly tinted to match the other windows, so now you can see who is at your door. The coolest feature is the sliding window blind contained in the window frame such that it does not protrude or interfere with the screen door. Installation time was reasonable.

DW might not always feel the "need" for some of the mods I might want to make (she tolerates my tinkering), but she was really pleased with how this one turned out. Happy wife=Happy life.

[WNY_Clipper]

Originally Posted by Homersimpson

I just installed a Slim Shade to replace the window in my door. The included glass is see thru, but lightly tinted to match the other windows, so now you can see who is at your door. The coolest feature is the sliding window blind contained in the window frame such that it does not protrude or interfere with the screen door. Installation time was reasonable.

This is something I want to do on our new trailer. Is this a one or two person install? Any pictures?

[Homersimpson]

The Slim Shade instructions suggest using tape to hold things in place during removal of the old window and installation of the new one. DW was excited about this mod and wanted to help, but it can be done alone. Will get pics later.