Re: [A/S] New 34' suggestions

["Maurice Riggins" <maurice.riggins@xxxx>]

Hi Tom! We've only had the 34 out four times since we've had it, 
but have also spent some time in it here in the driveway. Here are 
some comments. 

I AM a bit concerned about only having one AC/Heat Pump if we wind 
up down south, from what others have said. A friend of mine has a 03 
Winnebago Brave with two high-efficiency ACs and the coach only has 
30A power. His electronic thermostat will not try to start both 
compressors simultaneously. Seems like Airstream could do something 
like that. My Duo-Therm electronic thermostat can control several 
zones simultaneously, but I don't know if it has that feature. So 
far, the AC has done the job here on 90+ degree days. I'd sure hate 
to have to handle a 50A power cord all the time.

I can also attest there's heat gain through the skylights. Closing
the shade gets rid of most of it, but you can still feel some. I don't 
think I'd give them up for that... certainly not the one in the 
dressing area, and probably not the one in the front either.

My wife is a "from scratch" cook, so we couldn't be without the gas
oven. Two of our  outings have been with 15A or less power, and one 
was boondocking. I have two  paralled Honda EU2000 generators, but 
prefer not to run them when I don't need them for battery charging 
or AC. They would run a convection oven though. 

We don't feel like we've lost any space with the gas oven. In it, 
we store the Camping World nesting pots and pans set in a cast iron 
skillet, on a airbake cookie sheet, on a non-stick perforated pizza 
pan. In the broiler area is a pie pan, pie crust protector, and two 
cake pans. I'm sure there's more in there, but I forget the rest.

The Limited Package was a great option. The electric stabilizers 
compliment the electric tongue jack. The 40 lb LP bottles are a gotta 
have with a trailer this large. It can go through a lot of propane in 
cool weather. The screen door protector is really necessary for pets. 
Probably one of the nicest parts of the package is the No-Fuss-Flush 
black tank flush. It makes it so easy to add water before and after 
flushing, as well as to clean the tank after a dump. The brass trim 
in the bathroom and furniture handles really look nice, and the Moen 
filter faucet in the kitchen matches the Corian. The wood with the 
Limited package is the best feature though. It's beautiful.

I think the two Fantastic Vents come standard, but I could be wrong 
about that. You can move a LOT of air through the trailer even with 
the door and windows closed up for security and privacy, by setting 
one to blow IN and one to blow OUT. In fact, when boondocking, you 
can open both, but only run one to save battery power. One on medium 
uses less current than two on low. Both of ours have the rain sensors 
which in our case works as advertised, and the one in the bedroom has 
a wall thermostat.

OTOH, I don't care for the cheap bathroom vent setup. It's a standard 
vent, with a small fan off the to side, while it may exhaust some 
through the fan blades, it sure pulls a lot of cold air in through the 
screen that isn't covered by the fan. I want my wife to use the vent 
when showering, but can't blame her for not wanting to. Maybe I'll put 
a plexiglas plate on the inside that only allows air to flow where the 
fan blades are.

The overhead bedroom flourescent is on a wall switch, as is one of the 
two in the living room. I really wish one of the two in the kitchen and 
one of the two in the dressing area were also wall-switched. My wife has 
to use the awning tool to turn them on and off. That should be standard. 
The dimmer for the lamps over the table is sweet. I've also run 20' of 
white rope lighting on top of the living room window  valances and 
overhead cabinet. I have it on an in-line dimmer to get the light just  
right.

I have a 158" wheelbase extended cab/long bed F250, and still wouldn't 
tow without the Hensley. The truck tracks straighter towing than it does 
solo.  The 34 manuvers and backs nicely with that truck and hitch setup. 
I typically tow at 57 mph because that's the 7.3L PSDs torque peak, but 
I did take the rig up to 85 mph once to see how it handled. Stable as a 
rock.

In 3 of the four outings, we've been off-pavement, and the Low Range of 
the 4WD sure has come in handy. Not only for the torque and traction for 
pulling the trailer out of the little depressions the tires make, 
especially on wet grass, but just to keep the engine speed up and the 
fan moving more air through the radiator and tranny coolers.

It's a big trailer, and takes room to manuver. The rear swings pretty wide, 
so if possible, I straddle two lanes when turning right OR left, so the 
rear doesn't hit an adjacent vehicle. I wouldn't even think of making a 
right turn from a two-lane road onto another two lane road if I couldn't 
use both lanes on one of the two roads. I found delivering RVs years ago 
it's better to go straight and find a place down the road to turn around 
and come back to make a left turn, OR see if you can make 3 left turns and 
come back across your original line of travel.

Hope this helps,
--
Maurice
WBCCI 5446