Priority to buy accessories?

[rumbleweed]

You will definitely need the brake controller before you go to Garrett County. If you don't have a full set of real gauges in the 150, you might add a scan gauge to you wish list. It provides access to tons of realtime mechanical data via the ODBII port on your truck.

 

[EAKlebe]

Definitely get the brake controller AND new tires. They're too old. You're just asking for a blowout running tires that old. Buy three new ones before you go anywhere else. Read the posts here about the recommended types, sizes, load range, brands, etc. to buy. Having to deal with a blowout when you're out looking to have a fun weekend camping takes a lot of the "fun" out of it.

We have a Chevy 1500 and we do fine without a weight distributing hitch, but I don't know about your TV so I don't feel qualified to give you an opinion about it.

As the attached photo indicates, there may have been a blowout in the past,
this is taken beneath the sink and the hole in the paneling is behind the refrigerator, It sure looks like something broke through, and the wheel well looks bulged. Also I pumped up the tires. All of them were down about 20 pounds. The spare has only 20 pounds in it. When I pumped it up, it looked fine -- in fact it still had those little rubber whiskers that are typical of new tires, but I just happened to again check the tire pressure and the tire valve broke off. This spare was a Carlisle and had a date code of 298, so it was probably one of the originals.

 

[Scott O]

Be sure and put metal stems on the new tires...

 

[Bill-TMO]

Oh, yeah, that is blowout damage. You should do a Search on this board for the rounded wheel well mod. Many of our members have done it. TM uses rounded wheel wells today. They greatly reduce the effect seen in your picture.

Bill

 

[EAKlebe]

Oh, yeah, that is blowout damage. You should do a Search on this board for the rounded wheel well mod. Many of our members have done it. TM uses rounded wheel wells today. They greatly reduce the effect seen in your picture.

Bill

Yeah, I am already planing on doing that.

 

[EAKlebe]

You will definitely need the brake controller before you go to Garrett County. If you don't have a full set of real gauges in the 150, you might add a scan gauge to you wish list. It provides access to tons of realtime mechanical data via the ODBII port on your truck.

What is that? I assume some type of automotive piece of equipment?
Sounds expensive.

 

[EAKlebe]

An update:
I got the Prodigy P3 brake controller and it is installed. I installed it between the "cigarette lighter/auxiliary power port" and the cup holder (which I can now NOT get to go completely back in.) I got 3 brand new Goodyear HGM2020 14" load range D tires (interestingly enough these tires are marked as being the property of U-haul, but I got a warranty card to register them). They are bias ply tires, but are 8 ply rated and have a 2000# weight rating at 65psi. They give me only about 1 inch clearance to the black metal cross piece behind the curb-side tire. (incidentally see the "frame" forum re a question about this).
I am in process of installing a back-up camera system.

 

[b&pcamping]

Thought I'd post this link from where I bought my controller. We did have a controller on our TV, from towing a smaller popup. It was a Tekonsha Voyager and it failed on our first trip out in our TM. I asked questions about that failure on this forum, Bill and many others urged the purchase of a Tekonsha Prodigy. Our next trip was 2,100 miles round trip with NO troubles!!

http://www.adventurerv.net/tekonsha-prodigy-trailer-camper-brake-control-p-1432.html

Good luck with the rest of your questions. I'm still a newbie in the TM family so I'll limit my answers.
Bruce

 

[OneMoBear]

Hey Bruce,

We also upgraded from the Voyager to the Prodigy and were very happy to see that .c. coming back down the Rockies yesterday from Golden Gate Canyon State Park

Malinda