Interior and Exterior Questions - 2002 2619

Hi, I have a number of questions about interior/exterior and general. If I should post separate topics that would be fine but here goes.

1. Cooling fridge night before a trip without opening - at the end of a trip, do you just set the TM fridge to 12v mode with the fan on and then disconnect the battery? I need to be able to cool down without opening due to storage in the garage.

2. The device that holds the entry door open is gone. Can anyone provide a photo or description of the device that holds the door open? It's in the top left corner of the door and attaches to the trailer to the top-right of the door. This was missing when I purchased.

3. Bikes - I see there are some bike racks that are recommended. Does anyone have any trouble with clearance, such as making a very sharp turn or u-turn, while towing the TM and having 3 bikes on the back of the TV? Is a rack on the back of the TM preferable? Do any racks allow you to open the TM without removing the bikes/rack?

4. The plastic bed rails under the beds are worn on one bed - I see some have replaced with aluminum rails. I think I could just flip the rails that are worn so they rest on non-damaged part but are these easy to get? Should I just bypass the plastic and go metal? I can't tell if these are "load bearing" - Why plastic?

5. The electric hookup "hatch" cover is missing - is this a standard part at an RV store or is this something I need to order from TM? It's not the typical round one I've seen on other RVs.

6. Mine doesn't have an awning. How much is it to add one? How hard is it to install?

7. I would like to mount a television but do not have the cabinet above the sink. Does anyone make a TV mount that could be hanged the bathroom wall? What other methods are best for mounting a tv where there is no kitchen cab? I want to be able to watch from the dinette with up to 4 people.

8. Some interior paint is missing due to rubbing - what is the best interior paint and color?

9. Curtain rails are damaged - are those standard parts or do they need to be ordered from TM?

10. What is the best way to fill the water when dry camping so you get max capacity? I sometimes camp where there are no facilities and need to fill up at home. I want to fill the 20 gal tank and then not lose 3 gals to the commode and another 6 to the hot water heater!

Thanks for any help on any of these items.

Matt

Let me take #10 (the easy one). If you don't mind hauling the weight, fill the hot water heater and charge the head before you leave. That way you're set up as soon as you arrive and have 9 gallons of extra water. (By the way - you really don't need 3 gallons to charge the head. Don't fill to the line - just enough that the pump will circulate. This adds some capacity for the last part of your trip. If you're adventurous, try only filling to the point where you think the head is about to circulate in the hope that the first person to make a half pint liquid deposit will push the level to where the pump will work.) - camp2canoe

#1 - I use a battery cutoff switch - easier than disconnecting each time. Use the Search function to see a variety of solutions.
#2 - this is in my tool box.
#5 - this should also be a standard item - but you may have to replace the whole hatch - but still not a big deal.
#10 - agree with camp2canoe - fill the water heater at home and charge the toilet. both are pretty much over or behind the axle so don't contribute much to the tongue weight.

Use the search feature to find posts on the other items - I know I've seen some of them discussed.
Alan

[gmferg]

#1 - Yes, leave fridge in 12V mode, fan on, and disconnect battery. The easier way is to remove fuse from battery. The easiest method, after install, is to install a battery disconnect switch.

[Bill]

Matt -

Good questions. As Alan noted, the search tool will find a lot of the answers.

Yes, generally separate questions should be addressed separately.

I moved the thread here (to Prospective Owners) for the moment. It certainly didn't belong in the Elkmont forum, and will get better exposure here. Since you are a Sponsor (good for you!), you can follow it anywhere on the board.

Bill

[B_and_D]

As to cooling down the fridge the night before a trip, if you aren't hooked up to shore power, you'll wear the battery down if you use 12V to cool down the fridge before you go. You'll need to leave your home with a fully charged battery so your break-away switch works and you will have power when you get where you're going (if you're dry-camping). You might have to rig up some way of feeding power to the TM while it's closed.

On our TM, we didn't have a door latch at the top of the top half of the door, it's at the top of the bottom half of the door, which works for us because when you're putting the door together, the top half is secured while you swing the bottom half parts in and around. Ours looks like the plastic "baggage catch" #48120 here: http://www.rvadenver.com/latches_and_fasteners.htm
but you could probably order it from TM.

We take our bikes in the back of the pickup, some people think it puts too much weight on the back of the TM and causes sway, but there are many threads on that.

Are you referring to the plastic bed rails that the support arms swing in and out through? We got replacements from the TM factory, they were plastic, and they work just fine. The trick is to get all the washers and plastic in the right configuration and adjusted with enough space, but not too much, so that they perform smoothly.

Custom RV in Anaheim has a TV hanger for a flat screen that hangs on the bathroom wall, we won one at the TM rally in Petaluma but I haven't used it because our 12V cube TV still (kind of) works. If you're interested I'll post a picture of it.

What curtain rails are you referring to? The ones on the ceiling, or? I ordered a replacement ceiling rail from the TM factory.

Got to go fix dinner now...

Thanks all, great info. I didn't realize I posted to the Elkmont forum so thanks for moving.

Plastic bed rails - yes, the swing arm supports.

Curtain rails are the ones on the ceiling.

The baggage catch looks like a great solution. It bothers me that there are two screw holes where the latch/catch would have been for the door - one at the top left of the door from the outside and one on the trailer where the door would swing to. Should I fill and paint or try to locate that original part? I will have to check with TM but I welcome any other suggestions.

Thanks again.

[mjlaupp]

Originally Posted by TM_Matt

....The baggage catch looks like a great solution. It bothers me that there are two screw holes where the latch/catch would have been for the door - one at the top left of the door from the outside and one on the trailer where the door would swing to. Should I fill and paint or try to locate that original part? I will have to check with TM but I welcome any other suggestions.....

The hole in the top left of the door was where a small wheel was installed. It's primary use is to keep the sharp corner of the door from tearing the awning when one is installed and deployed. The second hole is where a small rubber bumper was installed to act as a standoff along with the door wheel when the door is open. The wheel, the rubber bumper and the baggage door latch work together to keep the door open and to keep it from marring the exterior of the TM wall. The baggage door latch is installed on the TM wall where it will catch the lower left corner of the door when it is open.
Mike

I added a fridge fan switch under the TM near the HW drain ( added a water proof box ) This allows me to control the fridge ( shells closed) fan without opening. I then open partially close the fridge door and put fridge on AC and close up. The night before, I plug in to shore power and flip second fan switch. I am not a big fan of leaving the fridge closed and not on. You can never get it really dry after returning home and closing it completely may result in mold and musty odor.

Remember all the water tanks( HW, Thetford, fresh) is about 240 additional lbs.

Originally Posted by rumbleweed

I added a fridge fan switch under the TM near the HW drain ( added a water proof box ) This allows me to control the fridge ( shells closed) fan without opening. I then open partially close the fridge door and put fridge on AC and close up. The night before, I plug in to shore power and flip second fan switch. I am not a big fan of leaving the fridge closed and not on. You can never get it really dry after returning home and closing it completely may result in mold and musty odor.

Remember all the water tanks( HW, Thetford, fresh) is about 240 additional lbs.

Good point about leaving door shut. This is my 5th trailer so I should realize that. I actually bungeed the door such that it was stable but partially open when I closed down the trailer. No issues with turning on the night before with the door slightly open?

Also on the tanks, I saw some info that said that there was a bit over 800 lbs cargo capacity after tanks full on the 2619 but I would have to look up the info. On the 240 lbs, are you referring to a potential dangerous overage or weight consideration for the TV? I'm pulling with a diesel so my primary concern is keeping those poor tires and the TM within limits I do love not pushing all that wind as with the prior setup!