Archive - Aluminium Camper Forum

I'm a newbie to travel trailers and towing, so anything that seems slightly out of the ordinary while towing our new CampLite 14DB sparks instant concern. So perhaps this is a non-issue. Here's the facts:

We're using a "Reese Brakeman Digital" model 83500 electronic trailer brake control in our Honda Pilot TV. I've now towed the brand new trailer a total of ~300 miles on very flat roads, mostly on the highway and city streets. I haven't noticed any lack of control, or severe jerkiness when stopping -- Just a little roughness when coming to a stop, or when backing the trailer into its storage location, all at slow speeds.

Recently when picking up the trailer at the storage unit, I glanced at the sideview mirror while braking at ~5 MPH, and noticed that one of the trailer's wheels was locking up. (It could have been more than one wheel, but my view was obscured.) It happened repeatedly on gravel, and on smooth dry asphalt as well. The digital controller "output control" was set to [b style="text-decoration:underline;"]3[/b] (on a scale of [b style="text-decoration:underline;"]0[/b] to [b style="text-decoration:underline;"]10[/b] with [b style="text-decoration:underline;"]10[/b] being maximum), and I found that by setting the output to 1 I was able to prevent the lock-up from occurring. But at the 1 setting I don't think that the amount of trailer braking would be adequate when 3 seemed about right when the technician tested my setup at time of delivery. BTW - The digital controller's "sync control" setting was set to "minimum aggressiveness" when the lock-up was occurring so I don't think that was the issue. There are no other controller settings mentioned in the controller manual.

The dealer, after listening to my description but without observing the lock-up behavior, told me that the low-speed lock-ups were normal, and nothing to be concerned about provided that the brakes were behaving normally at roadway speeds. Is that the experience of others on this forum?

When I get the trailer back I'm planning to test the brakes more carefully by taking a video of the braking behavior of all the trailer's wheels while slowing to a stop at various speeds. Our next trip is planned for the mountains, and I want to be confident that the brakes are working correctly before we go.

Due to a short, steep driveway and a small yard, we are forced to store our CampLite trailer at a storage facility. Outdoor uncovered storage goes for $45 a month. Covered RV storage goes for $170 a month and up. Clearly uncovered is the economical route. Living in central North Carolina I think rain and high UV will both be elements from which the trailer would benefit from some protection when stored outside. I think that a quality breathable cover might be just the ticket to provide some protection without promoting external mold growth.

I wonder if anyone on the forum might have recommendations or advice regarding the best choices for RV covers in terms of protection they afford, and their ease of use? Also, any experience with choosing the best size: do they run large or small? Should the A/C affect one's cover size choice? Any gotchas to be aware of when using them?

After spending months researching campers, and years dreaming about swapping our tent for the relative luxury of a TT, we finally purchased a new 2015 14DB CampLite from a local dealer just yesterday. The dealer is installing factory-provided shelves above the queen bed, a microwave, and the black tank flush kit - features we wanted that were not included by the factory. We are scheduled to take delivery in a few weeks. The dealer has a very good reputation, and has been in business for many years, so we are optimistic that all will be in good order when we pick it up.

We are totally new to TT camping, so we've got a lot to learn. What did folks do in the days before on-line forums and YouTube? We would love to receive any advice from other CampLite customers regarding things to look for or ask about when we do our delivery walk-through. Of course we'll be scouring this forum for ideas as well.

The tow vehicle we plan to use is a Honda Pilot (4500 lb towing capacity). Hopefully it will be up to the task of hauling the 14DB. We live in central North Carolina, and are looking forward to trailer camping along the NC coast and in the mountains this spring. Hope to meet lots of other happy CL customers during our travels.