Update on new 2013 832 IKBS full timing - Page 3

woody9 · 08-01-2013, 07:48 AM

Well, these ARE 'campers'.. and supposed it depends on your activity schedule and 'rainy day' options. (and possibly other addictions like NASCAR & NFL??!?) We got along years without.. till that sat night, by the lake, with the race on ours (only reason we brought it).. and the game on the neighbors. We kept jumping back and forth, as did they, but made for a great evening!

this far north, not too 'year round' seasonals.. and not many of those parks allow skirting unless a park model or similar. Haven't been down that road myself, but 1 guy i know has. and know he chewed thru a bunch of propane. Added a 100lb'r, an extra 30 and spent a mint in fittings/hoses for all of it.

Badlands · 08-10-2013, 07:26 AM

This has been an interesting thread to follow, and thank you to all the contributors. Excellent first impressions and follow-ups. Wife and I purchased a 2014 Flagstaff 832IKBS (platinum package) on Wednesday of this week. Left home at 7 in the AM, drove two hours to dealer location, and was on the way home by 10 am. Got home, packed everything from the former trailer (Puma 29RKSS), and was on way to campground by 3:00. We had everything 'staged' and ready to load, having sorted out the non-essentials that always seem to find a way of accumulating. Here are my very limited impressions.

Unit was a dream to pull and very easy to position. My pickup, from brush guard to end of equalizer hitch, is a bit over 23 feet, so overall, the truck/trailer is just over 60' in overall length. I'm convinced the trailer pulled easier than the Puma, and was easier to park, but this could have been my bias from having the new trailer. Set-up was a snap, and the electric awnings and stabilizers have spoiled me forever. We've had only three days now to evaluate the unit, but overall, workmanship seems to be excellent. The fridge in this unit makes absolutely no fan noise, so perhaps the factory has addressed the hum issue. Honestly, you can't hear it running. We got the latest interior package available, called the Monterrey, I believe, and went with cherry wood.

We wondered prior to purchase if cherry would be too dark, and nearly went with the hickory, but so glad we choose cherry instead. With all the windows in this unit, the interior is bright and inviting, but in low light, is seems rich and warm.

Mattress comfort is a subjective thing, and everyone is different in how they interrupt comfort. But for us, the mattress is excellent. I'm a tad over 6'2", and no feet hanging off the end as with prior units. The bathroom has the Fantastic Fan, and we were hopeful it would function like a whole-house-fan, as advertised. And it did! The trick is just as stated in the instructions. You open only one window, about three inches wide, and we ran the fan on high. We choose one window behind the Lazyboys, cranked it out two or three inches, and the amount of air being pulled in and moved through the interior was just like a whole-house-fan in a home.

For us, the interior is perfect. The children are long grown and it's the two of us, but we wanted room for others to visit. The short couch is very comfortable, and we have the table and chairs for added seating. So far, everything on the unit has worked just fine, and we pulled home yesterday to 'do peaches'-- the crop is ripening, and it's time to can and freeze. We'll pull out on Monday and head to a different campground, but our baptism was very successful. Like many of you, experience has conditioned me to expect small issues on a new unit, and likely, something will show up in time.

I would be interested to know how 'large' a TV any of you have installed in the bedroom. We have two 25" flat screens that aren't being used elsewhere, and I'm hoping to add one of these, if it's not too large for the area. Haven't had time to measure yet, but will do so today. I'd really like to use what we already have.

Thanks for any ideas, guys and gals, and have a great weekend!

Badlands

wilsonseattle · 08-10-2013, 08:23 AM

Badlands, glad to see you are enjoying your unit. I also dont have any noise from the frig. Wonder if this was just a manufacturing issue with some units? Making ice in the freezer seems to be a bit iffy depending on how much food we have in there. So we ended up buying one of these little counter top ice makers.
We installed a 24 LED TV in the bedroom above the curb side window. I went with a standard mounting bracket from a hardware store rather than the ones you can get from Camping World that lock in place. There was no really good way to secure the TV to the wall while traveling with this type of mount. So we decided to remove it while traveling. I keep the TV in the closet while traveling. (I unscrewed the last hinge point just before the TV)
We have noticed the bouncing issue as well, heard this is very common issue with the new "flex frame" trailers. I switched to the x-chok tire locks, didnt seem to make much difference to me. Have also considered another set of blocks/jacks closer to the middle of the unit to take more load off of the suspension and tires. I would be interested in seeing pics of anyone that tries this mod.
We had planned to pull our trailer with our 2010 Dodge Ram 1500, the trailer is pretty close to the max capacity of the 1500, so we decided to upgrade to a Ram 2500 w/6.7 Diesel. I also upgraded our WD to 1400 pound bars and added a second sway control bar. I think it tows pretty good now, I dont feel any sway issues when passing truckers. Of course side winds make it pretty interesting no matter how tight I go on the sway bars.

We ended up putting a cover on the bed of the truck and bought some plastic storage boxes, all of the outside stuff now goes in the truck.

The AC works pretty good here in the NC heat. We dont have any shade here in our camping spot (no trees) so its direct sunlight all day long. We tend to close off the bedroom during the day to reduce the need to cool that area. In the evening just before bedtime we direct all the AC to the bedroom and cool it down. Seems to work well.

We added a two inch mattress topper to our mattress. Have been considering going to a sleep number bed but will have to put some thought into how to power the pump.

Badlands · 08-18-2013, 07:39 AM

Thanks for sharing your experiences, Wilsonseattle. I did end up mounting a 25" flat screen in the bedroom, using one of the standard mounts from a 'big box' store. I have to admit, though, drilling the two mounting holes in a new unit was one of those 'oh my gosh' moments! Sure didn't want to mess anything up. The dealer assured me that 1" mounting screws into the backer board would be perfect, so that's what I went with. The mount came with 2"+ lag bolts, which would likely resulted in coat hooks on the outside of the trailer!

Like you, we take down the TV and store it during travel. Even if the mount had a dozen screw holes, I wouldn't risk it staying up there on crummy roads. Since you lift the TV onto the bracket, and then lower it a half-inch or so to engage the bracket rails, there's still some up and down play after the lock is set into position. No more than flat screens weigh, I just feel better seeing it stowed.

We pull with a Ford Super Duty 3/4 ton. It has the 413 CI V10 and 4.10 rear end, and except on long hills, you wouldn't know the trailer is back there. Our hitch is the Equalizer brand, and it was on our prior trailer, too. Even on interstate, we don't experience any surprises when semis blows by, and 15 to 20 mph side winds don't move it around.

We head out again in the morning, and will likely camp for ten or twelve days this trip (the joy of being retired!). While we are a far cry short of being full-timers, between the months of April and October, we do spend most of our time camping. Speaking of which, October will be here all too soon!

Badlands

wilsonseattle · 08-18-2013, 06:17 PM

Badlands, we had our kitchen faucet handle break the other day. The handle mounts to the valve via a formed plastic part. The back edge of this part broke off and jammed the valve. In trying to get the handle off I ended up breaking the little retainer clip off in the process. Took it down to the dealer to have it replaced under warranty but it was going to take 10 days to get a replacement, so we ended up just putting in a residential kitchen faucet. The replacement one will go into storage for a rainy day I guess.

Sounds like you have a good towing rig, curious to hear what kind of mileage your getting with that V10.

Badlands · 08-18-2013, 07:10 PM

Hey Wilsonseattle,

Thanks for the info on the faucet. The Ford is a 2010 (3 valve engine) with Super Crew cab and long bed. We live on gravel, so I have a full width Rock Solid Tow Guard across the back end, and that cuts my mileage, but really protects the trailer.

The truck bed is always packed for camping, since the truck is used exclusively for towing. As such, I average 14.9 mpg without the trailer. In hilly terrain and with average winds (10 to 15 mph is average for us), I get 8.9 pulling the trailer with everything on board. On flat highways, and without a headwind, we average 11-12 mpg.

Have a super week!

Badlands

billb800si · 02-23-2014, 01:43 PM

We are considering a 832IKBS unit but I have a question about the frig. Looks like a 6 cubic foot unit. Is it available with a 8 cubic foot??
Wife won't accept a 6. We've had 8's for over 7 years now and somehow always fill it up with stuff- even with just the two of us.. :-)
Happy trails,
Bill B. (Michigan)

woody9 · 02-23-2014, 02:09 PM

think it's the 6 (6.2 formally?).. while i wish it had a bigger one! We were in ours sept - nov last year and it wasn't a big issue. Part of that might been that i tend to kept my adult beverages (& Mt dew).. in a cooler we had in the truck or i put on a bench outside the trailer. Still LOVE the trailer!
See you're from MI. Looking @ Westland? that's where we got ours.

wilsonseattle · 02-23-2014, 04:39 PM

Woody9, I think it is a 6 as well. Its up at the camp lot now so I cant pull the specs. We lived in it for 8 months and felt it was a little too small for full time living, our next RV will have a larger one. We also kept beverages outside in a cooler, we also had our own ice maker so we didnt have to use room in the freezer to make ice.

woody9 · 02-23-2014, 04:58 PM

didn't see it on a quick glance thru the FR specs.. but did find it in this dealers listing Flagstaff 832IKBS Classic Super Lite Travel Trailer (I like their page on this unit as well! nearly identical to mine!)

wilsonseattle · 04-10-2014, 09:42 AM

Just to give a quick update we sold our Flagstaff recently and upgraded to a fifth wheel, my employer is relocating us and we decided to go fulltiming sooner than we expected. The dealer gave us an outstanding deal on the trade-in for the Flagstaff, far better than I would have expected so the depreciation hit wasnt as bad. I see that as a measure of the quality of a trailer is how fast it depreciates in value. The salesman told us they sold it within just a few days of being on the lot. Hope the new owners enjoy it as much as we did.

Doering · 04-10-2014, 09:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wilsonseattle

Just to give a quick update we sold our Flagstaff recently and upgraded to a fifth wheel, my employer is relocating us and we decided to go fulltiming sooner than we expected. The dealer gave us an outstanding deal on the trade-in for the Flagstaff, far better than I would have expected so the depreciation hit wasnt as bad. I see that as a measure of the quality of a trailer is how fast it depreciates in value. The salesman told us they sold it within just a few days of being on the lot. Hope the new owners enjoy it as much as we did.

Cool! Happy trails in the fifth wheel. I will be de-winterizing this weekend. Checked the inside of the trailer a few days ago. Looks good! I put 3 of the Dri-Z-Air dehumidifiers inside over the winter and I would estimate they pulled out about a liter of water (combined). These things really work. Not a speck of mildew in sight.

woody9 · 04-10-2014, 10:27 AM

Interesting u say that WilsonSeattle.. when we traded in our old one (Rockwood8314SS) for the Flagstaff 832IKBS.. the dealer had it SOLD before we took delivery on the new one. and I'm SURE he had quite a margin on it! Good luck with the 5th wheel!

Orion · 04-24-2014, 05:33 PM

I am getting ready to mount a 24" Vizio led tv in the bedroom. Just how much of that area has a backer board. I really don't want to drill into air..

snormaniii · 05-02-2014, 05:26 PM

Super write up. We have the same exact rv. I guess I missed the electric portion of the gas/elec water heater. How do I turn on the electric portion so as to not use up my propane?

Orion · 05-02-2014, 05:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snormaniii

Super write up. We have the same exact rv. I guess I missed the electric portion of the gas/elec water heater. How do I turn on the electric portion so as to not use up my propane?

There is a switch on the panel on the wall in front of the entry door. Do not turn this on if there is not water in the water heater. The element will go poof.

cyclepuck · 05-02-2014, 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snormaniii

Super write up. We have the same exact rv. I guess I missed the electric portion of the gas/elec water heater. How do I turn on the electric portion so as to not use up my propane?

Should be a switch on the water heater that you access from the outside. Just make sure it has water in it to not burn up the element.

Sent from Droid Ultra

snormaniii · 05-02-2014, 05:39 PM

I've been using that switch on both trips this year. When that switch and it's light is on does that mean I'm not burning propane?

Doering · 05-02-2014, 06:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by snormaniii

I've been using that switch on both trips this year. When that switch and it's light is on does that mean I'm not burning propane?

With the light on, the propane will only be used when heating the water. You can hear the burner when it is on. It does not come on very often after heating the water. We usually turn the switch off when going to bed and then turn it on first thing in the morning. The water heats up very quickly.

snormaniii · 05-02-2014, 06:39 PM

Good to know. Thanks

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