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Old 03-25-2016, 09:27 AM   #21
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Hi Mark,
Well, I'm not as seasoned winter Trailer camper as some, but we just spent a few weeks in the high desert regions south of Tucson, and Congress, AZ. I was born and raised in the high desert region south of Tucson, AZ. The elevations of the 2 camped ares ran at: Arivaca at ~3650 ft; and Congress at ~3000 ft. The days were really nice in the high 70's and 80's, but the nights can really drop in comparison to the days and dropped to the mid 40's to high 30's. We ran the hot water heater (for warm water) and propane heater at night to keep the inside trailer temps in the low 60's. I had a full fresh water tank, but used shore water, elec, and sewer connections.

The way home was much colder with the nights as low as 22 -26 and days in the low 40's. We plugged in electric, but used the trailer sewer and fresh water tank. I was concerned about something freezing, but all went well. We followed the same procedure of running the HW heater (for warm water) and heater at night to keep the inside trailer temp around 60 - 65. And again, no issues. I realize this was not a long test, but a test just the same... Something learned, the trailer needs floor insulation and I would feel better with the water hoses wrapped... maybe by next year...
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Old 03-25-2016, 09:33 AM   #22
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Quote:
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John C

Good thought to run over a set of scales to get the true reading.

I did that with my unit when fully loaded and also with just the TV fully loaded.

One may be surprised at the actual weights.

You probably know some truck stops have scales as do grain elevators...but often charge to weigh a unit. I went to the local landfill and got weighted at no cost.
Hi Eagle,
There is a set of scales here at a landfill, but I need to catch them at the right time.
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Old 03-25-2016, 09:49 AM   #23
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John_C, that's great information. I doubt that I would ever camp in temperatures colder than what you described in the high desert (and I can almost guarantee that I would never intentionally camp in temperatures below freezing like you experienced on the way home), so it sounds like it's manageable with some minor preparations and planning. My friends and I occasionally boondock in southern British Columbia and southern Alberta up in Canada when we're fishing in the fall and it's been in the high '30s and low '40s at night so as long as I can manage through that I'm all set.

Thanks again for all the information and advice,

Mark
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Old 03-25-2016, 09:52 AM   #24
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Speaking of fishing in Canada, has anyone had any problems with the clearance on the fun finder. We go up some forestry trunk and logging roads and run into some pretty big potholes and washouts from time to time. Does anyone have any experience pulling their fun finder over rougher roads?

Sorry if I'm going to the well too often, but everyone's being very helpful,

Mark
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Old 03-25-2016, 07:15 PM   #25
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John_C, that's great information. I doubt that I would ever camp in temperatures colder than what you described in the high desert (and I can almost guarantee that I would never intentionally camp in temperatures below freezing like you experienced on the way home), so it sounds like it's manageable with some minor preparations and planning. My friends and I occasionally boondock in southern British Columbia and southern Alberta up in Canada when we're fishing in the fall and it's been in the high '30s and low '40s at night so as long as I can manage through that I'm all set.

Thanks again for all the information and advice,

Mark
Hi Mark,
In reviewing my post, I want to make sure one area was not confusing...
The way home was much colder with the nights as low as 22 -26 and days in the low 40's.

22 -26 was meant to be 22 to 26, I only saw one point on the way down that dropped to -1, but we were driving south about an hour north of DeMoines, IA. We continued to drive on and finally pulled into a KOA somewhere near Kansas City. Most of the trip the night temps were in the the 38 to 40 deg F range, but there were a few that dropped as low 22 to 26 for a few hours when we were camped south of Tucson at 3,600 ft. and then 2 nights coming back fell into that range... Flagstaff, AZ at ~7,000 ft. (22) and I think around Oklahoma or Kansas (26)... ... Going down, we went dry and the water lines still contained antifreeze. I flushed the lines and filled the tank when we got to AZ, and then, I drained them again when we got back to MN Monday night.

I just didn't want to confuse anyone...
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Old 03-25-2016, 07:55 PM   #26
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Hi all,
The question regarding cold weather camping brought forth a number of responses and I thought the following article Surviving the winter in your RV by Mark S. Nemeth and the associated links would be interesting for those thinking about extending their camping season...

Link: Surviving the winter in your RV
I sometimes have issues attaching a link, so here is the address: http:/www.marxrv.com/skp/survive.htm

There were a couple of the associated links (in the above article) were interesting and some may not apply to us trailer users, and I had trouble getting some to open.

Happy reading and of course, when it gets real cold, you can always go dry, carry water, and use the camps facilities...
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Old 03-26-2016, 03:06 PM   #27
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Mark-
I have a V8 2006 4Runner with a 189FBS. I am OK with how it tows the 189 which is shorter, narrower and a little lighter than the 210. However, if you are like many and want to be able to tow mountains and headwinds at normal speeds, the 4 Runner may not be the ticket for the 210.
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Old 03-26-2016, 05:59 PM   #28
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jbfunfinder,

Thanks for that information since it is specific to a tow vehicle with the same specs as mine. It sounds like I would be better/safer to think more along the lines of a 189 without slides so I'll start looking more closely at those models.

Thanks again,

Mark
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Old 03-26-2016, 06:03 PM   #29
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Looks like the 189FBR will be the one that will meet my needs.
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Old 03-26-2016, 08:40 PM   #30
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A few minutes ago, I just got back from four nights of camping in the snow -- no hookups -- temperatures in the high twenties every night -- we did not need to do anything to protect against freezing.

But when camping in the teens, we have had to develop a clunky work-around to heat the water tank. I will try to post a link -- I sometimes mess up the link:

The LMIC (Look Mom I'm Camping): Manual fresh water tank heater: just a hose from the hot water faucet to the tank, but it keeps the pipes from freezing

Anyway, if you are interested in very cold weather camping, the system described in that link really works. I doubt it would work below zero.

I am very, very impressed with the insulation built in to our Fun Finder -- thick styrofoam in the walls and ceiling, pink fiberglass underneath. I also added reflectix around the water tank -- not sure it accomplishes anything, but it made me feel like I did something.
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Old 03-26-2016, 09:29 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Longmark999 View Post
jbfunfinder,

Thanks for that information since it is specific to a tow vehicle with the same specs as mine. It sounds like I would be better/safer to think more along the lines of a 189 without slides so I'll start looking more closely at those models.

Thanks again,

Mark
Our first FF was a 2006 X189FD. We had lots of fun with it but several things caused us to upgrade to our current 2012 X189FBS...not all of which are reasons everyone would agree with.
The most important reason for us, bar none, was because CruiserRV finally caught up with most of the rest in the industry and started crowning the roof sometime in the early 2010s. This causes water to shed rather than puddle...and we know it always puddles in the wrong places. You can read lots of past forum entries regarding water damage.
The next reason was because we wanted a flush-floor slide-out to give us more room. We love the slide and it is especially helpful on a 7' wide TT. We tend to be in the minority in that we prefer the jackknife sofa in the slide rather than a dinette. If we were dinette people, we would likely have upgraded to the raised-floor side found in models around 2008-2011. These models have the distinct advantage of riding much lower (maybe as much as 10" lower?) because the raised floor slide goes over the tires. Our 2012 has over-slung axles which raise the height of the trailer considerably but make it possible for the flush-floor slide to roll above the tires.
Back to the 4Runner. I will likely upgrade to something with more torque once my 4Runner it too old to be reliable. Maybe even a used Lexus GX460. It has the same V8 engine but is a high output model with more torque plus a six-speed tranny.
Happy camping!
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Old 03-29-2016, 02:16 PM   #32
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I'm late to this, but thought I'd add my 2¢ anyway. We have the x210 and pull with a F150 6.4 L engine. For most driving, it is great, but the Ford does struggle up big hills. We love the trailer and have a done a lot of mods to it. We didn't want a slide because of the weight, but that is my one regret. One of these days, if all goes well, we are going to upgrade to a trailer that has a shower tall enough for dh to stand in upright, and we'll trade pickups then too.
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Old 05-12-2016, 03:52 PM   #33
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New question: While searching for a used 210 I've noticed in several of the pictures of the front of the trailer that the surface appears to be "wrinkled" almost as though it is delaminating. Has anyone noticed a similar situation on Fun Finders and if so is it cosmetic or something more serious and to be avoided?

Thanks again,

Mark
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Old 05-12-2016, 07:52 PM   #34
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Mark-
You might do a search on that. I recall that others have discussed the delaminating front sheet in posts at least a year or two ago. Our former FF (2006 X189FD) developed an orange peel bubbling on the front panel which did not seem to worsen during the six years we had it, but others reported such bubbling getting increasingly worse. Our 2012 came with what appears to be a one piece cap made in a mold similar to how they do fiberglass boat hulls. It is completely different than the old way where they just took sheet material and bent it flat around the aluminum structure. So far, four years later, it looks as clean as a baby's bottom. Good luck.
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