My wife and I drove over to Vermont today and pulled home my new-to-me 1991 16'
Casita Freedom! Here it is at the Quechee Gorge Visitor's Center, where we stopped so I could check the hubs, hitch, and
tires. While we were there we checked out the gorge (and one of the gift shops, natch).
I cannot believe just how well this thing tows compared to my '83 12-1/2' Scotty. While the
Casita is longer, it's also slightly more narrow, shorter, and more rounded, all of which makes it more aerodynamic. I think it weighs considerably less, as well. On top of all that, it also does not transmit nearly as much shock to the truck through the hitch when going over bumps. I was able to maintain 65-70 mph up all but the steepest hills on the interstate, most of the time staying in 5th gear. On the 2-lane roads, the steepest hills required 3rd gear, but the speeds were also much slower, usually between 30-50 mph. My little S-10 (2.8 V-6, 5-speed manual, 155K miles on it) really struggled to pull the Scotty at highway speeds - it felt like I was pulling a parachute all the time unless I was drafting a semi.
I love it!
When I got home, I took the
propane tanks off and got them filled, as they were both empty. The stove,
refrigerator burner, and water heater burner all work. I pulled the cover off of the
battery box and filled the
battery cells with water before plugging in to shore power - I'm sure the
battery is toast, but I've got it charging now just to see if it will come around before I replace it. The interior
lights, radio, water pump, exhaust hood fan, and
microwave all work. The A/C fan comes on but the compressor didn't start, so it might be dead.
I still need to make sure the
refrigerator actually works, and check out the water system, but all in all, not bad. I'm also going to pick up one more new tire that matches the one I just put on and I'll put that on the
axle and return the spare to the spare tire holder on the back. The side marker
lights look like they're burnt out, but the taillights work, so I'll have to check them out, too.
Pretty close to being ready for camping!
the GDec
Good for you Lee...looks like a keeper 
ET-19
Linear Mode
