First FW Trip!!! (Pre-trip Report)

[Chkysbak]

So Saturday night I picked up my dads 2006 Ford F-150 and picked up my camper from storage. I spent an hour adjusting the weight distribution hitch to his truck and then towed it home. It was late so the only thing I did that night was level it and went to bed.

Sunday afternoon, I washed the RV and replaced the incandescent bulbs with the LEDs I got from Amazon. They were great and seem to work well with no issues. Further testing is required, but I will keep you up to date. I did noticed when I washed my roof (Simple Green and Car Wash Soap) that some parts are showing wear and I need to coat it soon. Some of the roofing is black in spots..minor but need to repair this soon.

This afternoon I will remove the old mattress, and install the new foam mattress that we also purchased from Amazon. I will also change out the turn signal and stop lights as they are apparently not working. I also found a leak in the bathroom that I will fix, but it was caused by my own doing... Oh well.

Getting excited because I am only 10 days away and starting to prepare for the trip now

 

[tiggerdad]

Sounds like a lot of work, but you seem to be enjoying it so carry on!

Let me know how the LED bulbs work out. I had debated on converting for better light inside and out of the camper.

As far as travel goes, I typically pull my camper at 72 mph, this seems to be the sweet spot for maximum fuel economy for my f250. According to my tire specs I'm still good. I usually come in on the Western Way where it brings you into Disney at Coronado Springs Resort. There is still an overhead Disney welcome sign from that direction. The traffic is much easier to deal with, especially pulling the 35 footer. I typically pull straight through from Mississippi to Disney, so it's a 12 hour run. By the time I get there I want the least amount of traffic to deal with.

I'll keep reading, you keep posting...

P.S. Be sure to take some snacks for the squirrels.

 

[Chkysbak]

9 Day and Counting

Ok, dancing aside have to give a little background. My typical work day begins @ 0600 until 1700 then I go to the gym for an hour. Therefore I don't get to the house until 1830 or 1900. So as you can tell my workdays are tight on time, but I still found time to repair the water leak , replace the mattress, and replace the tail lights. While I was in Autozone, I picked up an LED marker light to replace the light beneath the camper at the steps. Easy fix, I admit but it took some time to wire in the ground.

On the agenda for today, well my wife is going to start first with cleaning. She is going to remove stuff inside the camper that we won't utilize at Disney, (ie beach gear) to make room for more stuff... I will be checking the tire pressures, greasing the bearings, and checking the brakes. I will also remove the propane tanks and get them filled up. Hopefully by the end of the day, I will have all my mechanical repairs/check list completed and the packing of the trailer will commence

Now were did I put my Goofy hat

 

[articfox676]

I mostly run Goodyear Marathons on my bunk house and toy hauler. The tire specs have a 60 mph "limit", but there is a disclaimer that said for speeds in excess of 60 mph, inflate tires an extra 10 psi. I think I still have the form on my laptop at home. I'll try to find it and post tonight.

I have always done this and not had issues towing at 75+. I also tow over 10,000 miles/year between camping and the race team.

j

We us and E load tire. What load tires do you buy for your heavy trailers?

 

[Teamubr]

We us and E load tire. What load tires do you buy for your heavy trailers?

My bunk house only has 15 in wheels. They are "D"s. I wish I could find an "E" in a 15 inch, but the trailer only weighs about 9000 lbs loaded.

The toy hauler has 16 in wheels and triple axles. Those are "E"s and the car hauler has triple 7000 lb axles. We run "G"s on it. Those aren't Goodyears.

j

 

[articfox676]

Ours are Hercules st225/75R15 load E. Purchased 4 from Tires Plus. Actually the one located on 192 in Kissimmee (after a blow out on old Ds).

 

[Chkysbak]

Ok grease the bearings, and inflated the trailer tires to 50 PSI, they were at 32 PSI. While my dad said that he just had his truck serviced and they checked the PSI in this truck tires I checked anyways for good measure. Good thing I did as they were all low. I also filled up the spare tire

Now that all the mechanical stuff is done we move on to packing Thankfully, this is where my wife come is

Luckily for me, I just have to make room for everything that she packs...

8 More days

Below is what I already have in the TT:

lantern
flashlight
repellant
charcoal
extension cords
rope
axe
trashbags
plates
cups
silverware(plastic)
ziploc bags
cooler
paper towels
sheets+blankets
pillows
matches
batteries
tarps
knife
chairs
dishrag
dishpan
rubber hammer
extra stakes
broom+dustpan
tablecloth+clips
small rug
grill brush
tape
cell phone chargers
alarm clock
clothespins
power strips
Camping stove
Spatula
extra mantles for the latern
air compressor (mini)
clothesline
toiletry bags to carry to comfort stations
Halloween lights
Propane for the lantern
Lysol
Pizza cutter
TV & Remotes

Boy, I sure hope that I'm not missing anything...LOL

 

[Chkysbak]

Ok I have to admit, I feel like I have been ran over and left for dead. I had drill this past weekend and it was a long weekend. Needless to say, I'm exhausted.
Well my wife, being the trooper that she is, did all the laundry so this afternoon we are officially packing the camper. Its a later start than I wanted, but life waits for nobody. Everything is mechanically ready, just need to pack the clothes, toiletry items, food, etc. Wait... Food we still need to go to the store and stock up on food.
Ok, well maybe we can do that tomorrow. We should have plenty of time for a Wal-mart run for groceries and other supplies.
Everything is coming together. On Thursday, I will finish up everything while my DW works and hopefully have everything ready to go when she gets home from work. Well I need to get back to work and at least pretend that I am doing something for the next couple of days...lol

 

[Chkysbak]

Everything is packed ready for the wife to come home so we can be Disney bound.

 

[Dreamer & Wisher]

I love that feeling when everything is packed and ready to go! Have a great trip️

 

[2goofycampers]

Everything is packed ready for the wife to come home so we can be Disney bound.

 

[jbrostek]

Everything is packed ready for the wife to come home so we can be Disney bound.

Safe travels and have a magical trip!

 

[lookingforthemagic]

Your pre trip report has been very helpful. We are Disney fanatics--AP holders, DVC members--but just started camping. We have a fifth wheel we bought a month ago, and are still trying to learn everything! We have a week booked at FW in January and can't wait!
Have a wonderful trip!