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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / RVs / October 2006Let me know how you like your Fleetwood Bayside.
Hi all, I am new to the newsgroup thing, so i am learning. I just bought a 2007 Bayside and want to hear from others that have the same model and their stories using them. We are from Ontario Canada. Ohcnda > Hi all, I am new to the newsgroup thing, so i am learning. I just > bought a 2007 Bayside and want to hear from others that have the same > model and their stories using them. We are from Ontario Canada. > > Ohcnda Is there something specific you want to know? That's a very broad question. Our Bayside is a 2000 and has about 26,000 miles on it (this is an estimate). It has been set up in 26 states. In all, it has probably been slept in for about 200 nights. We even used it as our home for several weeks when we moved from Massachusetts to Minnesota, while waiting for all the details to close on our home here. We have never had to have warranty work done on it. I replaced the door handle about 2-1/2 years ago, and replace the power converter about three years ago. I added a Resse Mini-250 WDH shortly after getting it. This summer, I rebuilt the outside stove (I don't think your trailer comes with a stove, but a grill). Water had damaged the melamine the stove unit was set into. Most important part: The general design is probably more subject to sway than most trailers of similar weight (but the design was changed several years ago to try to reduce the sway risk). Be sure to load the heaviest items in the front, and keep plenty of weight on the tongue. I would advise a sway bar of some sort. Austin Thats just the type of info i am looking for!! So does my 2007 have the updated design for the sway problem? I am planing to tow it with a F150. I to w lots of trailers with this truck and have never had any problems with sway...but i have seen alot of it on the hwy. Makes me shudder when i see this... i hope i do not run into this issue. The 2007 can come with either the stove or the BBQ... i am leaning toward the stove as i have a bbq already. I am also glad to hear that you have had very little problems with regard to warranty, I pick up mine on Saturday and hope to learn all i can from the tech. You mentioned a reese Mini 250 WDh...what is this? Is the power converter in the trailer prone to problems or is it a wearable item that i will need to replace in the future? You mentioned that you have slept in it over 200 nights...how has the mattress stood up? Have you added any Mods of any sort? Thanks Ohcnda > > Hi all, I am new to the newsgroup thing, so i am learning. I just > > bought a 2007 Bayside and want to hear from others that have the same [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > > Austin > Thats just the type of info i am looking for!! > So does my 2007 have the updated design for the sway problem? I am > planing to tow it with a F150. I to w lots of trailers with this truck > and have never had any problems with sway...but i have seen alot of it > on the hwy. Makes me shudder when i see this... i hope i do not run > into this issue. Keep the front storage loaded and you should be fine. A sway bar is cheap insurance. > The 2007 can come with either the stove or the BBQ... i am leaning > toward the stove as i have a bbq already. he stove might be a better choice. The inside stove is limited in it's output BTU, and we use it only as a last resort. > I am also glad to hear that you have had very little problems with > regard to warranty, I pick up mine on Saturday and hope to learn all i > can from the tech. > > You mentioned a reese Mini 250 WDh...what is this? <http://www.reese-hitches.com/weightdist_lite.htm> is an illustration. Towing with my Astro, I need this to balance the tongue weight so the van and trailer tow level. I doubt you need one with an F-150. > Is the power converter in the trailer prone to problems or is it a > wearable item that i will need to replace in the future? I don't know...I have heard of other people having to replace theirs, but there could be a lot more who never do. > You mentioned that you have slept in it over 200 nights...how has the > mattress stood up? Most people end up enhancing the mattress. We put "egg carton" foam underneath each bunk to make it softer. We're looking at whether we will keep this a few more years or move up soon. If we decide to keep it, the mattresses will be replaced. > Have you added any Mods of any sort? Although I consider myself a handyman, I am also on the lazy side. The biggest mod I made was to put reflective tape (4" long strips of alternating red and white) along the sides of the pop-up. We often pull into a campground well after dark, and the reflective tape significantly increases the side visibility. I have also reinforced the mounts on the drawers (ours has small drawers next to the galley). The mounts have a reputation for breaking, and ours have broken due to rough roads and heavy stuff in the drawers. I added a shim to the wall behind the drawer to reduce the leverage on the bracket that keeps breaking. It broke anyways, and I am doing thought experiments on some approaches that might be a more durable fix. If I had it to do over again, I would buy the same trailer. Austin Hi again... i got my trailer last weekend (yay!) i have had it open and spent a day in it. Here are a few of my observations: 1) it is big! Just the perfect size for us...except for my driveway which already holds a trailer and truck. 2) it tows perfectly...no sway whatsoever. i must admit that was a big worry. we have it fully loaded, with water and were able to go 130kmh no problem 3) the propane cover (hard plastic) that i had put on does not have enough room to remove the tank through the top, i have to remove the 4 bolts in order to refill the tank. not a great design. Installer also mounted the 2 top bolts too close to the storage bin and dented it. 4) i really like the rims, really makes the trailer pop! 5) the water pump is quite loud... like it is resting against a board and really vibrates. 6) the colour scheme is pretty nice (07 model) Over all we are really happy with the trailer. now all we need to do is use the thing!! looks like rain for the next little while. I would like to add a rack for my 2 bikes and possibly a canoe. I am told that it is ready for the yakima system. does anybody have any info that i can use to source out all the parts needed to do this... i am a ebay buyer and would like to source them that way but do not have a catalog. Thanks Ohcnda > > Thats just the type of info i am looking for!! > > So does my 2007 have the updated design for the sway problem? I am [quoted text clipped - 55 lines] > > Austin > 5) the water pump is quite loud... like it is resting against a board > and really vibrates. They will make a lot of noise when there is air in the line. Should get quieter once you only have water in the line. >> 5) the water pump is quite loud... like it is resting against a board >> and really vibrates. > > They will make a lot of noise when there is air in the line. Should > get quieter once you only have water in the line. And, you could try adding some rubber grommets under the mounting 'feet'. My pump is still noisy, though, even with those. > Hi again... i got my trailer last weekend (yay!) i have had it open and > spent a day in it. Here are a few of my observations: [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > worry. we have it fully loaded, with water and were able to go 130kmh > no problem... If my math is correct, 130 km/h converts to 80 miler per hour. Sorry, but NO trailer should be towed at this speed. It just ain't safe!!! Your math is correct, This is not the speed that i would normally go, but if on the hwy our limit is 100 km/h traffic runs at 100-120 and if you have to get around someone you may end up going this speed, so better i test it on a road less used then find out on the hwy! Ohcnda > > Hi again... i got my trailer last weekend (yay!) i have had it open and > > spent a day in it. Here are a few of my observations: [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > If my math is correct, 130 km/h converts to 80 miler per hour. Sorry, but > NO trailer should be towed at this speed. It just ain't safe!!! > Your math is correct, This is not the speed that i would normally go, > but if on the hwy our limit is 100 km/h traffic runs at 100-120 and if > you have to get around someone you may end up going this speed, so > better i test it on a road less used then find out on the hwy! There is really no excuse for doing 80 mph while towing a trailer. Slow down and live a while longer. Thanks for the advice. > > Your math is correct, This is not the speed that i would normally go, > > but if on the hwy our limit is 100 km/h traffic runs at 100-120 and if [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > There is really no excuse for doing 80 mph while towing a trailer. > Slow down and live a while longer. > 5) the water pump is quite loud... like it is resting against a board > and really vibrates. It may well BE resting against a board. Karl Lindholm's brand new Fleetwood popup's water pump was installed improperly in numerous respects, not the least of which was that it was AGAINST the water heater propane line! They also mounted it, head down (wrong), on an interior compartment divider/baffle. It was mounted to a virtual SOUNDING BOARD. Karl went around the block a time or two with Fleetwood, the local dealer and the State of Nebraska bureaucracy that certifies such things. Fleetwood finally fixed it. Good luck!  Signature:) JR i will be going out on the maiden voyage this weekend, i will likely take the kick board off (mine is mounets under the pull out dinette) and have a look at the mount.I do not like the sound of how they handled Karl's, i hope i do not have the same issue...sounds dangerous! > > 5) the water pump is quite loud... like it is resting against a board > > and really vibrates. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Fleetwood, the local dealer and the State of Nebraska bureaucracy that > certifies such things. Fleetwood finally fixed it. Good luck! >> 5) the water pump is quite loud... like it is resting against a board >> and really vibrates. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Fleetwood, the local dealer and the State of Nebraska bureaucracy that > certifies such things. Fleetwood finally fixed it. Good luck! Actually, I didn't have to beat my head against the wall of Fleetwoods seeming indifference. The dealership (A.C. Nelson RV World - http://acnrv.com/) agreed without argument immediately on my pointing out the pump installation to them that it would need to be modified to put it not only in compliance with the water pump manufacturers installation instructions, but with state and federal safety regulations. As you said, Jim, the water pump was installed upside down, and on the baffle between two storage compartments, as well as having the propane line ride against it while towing, or in use. A.C. Nelson went ahead and changed how it was installed before getting an approval from Fleetwood (initially refused) to do so. They said they would fight that fight, and I did not need to worry about it. They were the ones that got the state regulators alerted to this, which I was told threatened Fleetwood with de-certification to sell in the state unless it was fixed. The pump, while hardly silent, is so much quieter than it was before! They mounted it properly, solidly on the floor with large rubber grommets to further deaden the sound of it's operation, and of course rerouted the propane line. It took them half a day to do this. My cost? $0.00. Not only that, but since I mentioned wanting sand pads as well, they threw them in at no charge for my trouble, as well as a free winterizing. It shows how important getting a trailer from a good dealer can be! It's worth it in the long run to buy from them, even if the initial price may be some higher. SignatureKarl & Angela `02 Durango `05 Fleetwood Allegiance Wow. If my dealer had been only a tenth that decent to me I'd still be a proud Fleetwood owner. Instead, I sold off the lemon before I'd even made a year's worth of payments. I also try to tell everyone I know how poorly I was treated. I imagine that they've lost more than a few dollars. The real insult was when I'd had enough I offered to trade the damned thing in on a new ATV (which they also sold) and they offered me 40% of my purchase price on my 10 month old trailer. I'm glad to hear that there are great dealers out there. Nice to hear that things worked out for you. Andrew > Actually, I didn't have to beat my head against the wall of Fleetwoods > seeming indifference. The dealership (A.C. Nelson RV World - [quoted text clipped - 26 lines] > worth it in the long run to buy from them, even if the initial price may be > some higher. |
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