FGRV Newbie - Questions Part II

[efawcett]

Hi, Well this is part two of my questions... The Scamp in question is a 1998 13'er Thanks for all your help so far!

Some of these question might be able to be solved through photos by Scamp owners with a keen eye! So I posted some photo's here: http://www.wosto.com/scamper/

Unfortunately I don't have the Scamp yet and it is 5 hours away with no one for me to call to verify things, if my questions can't be answered via photo's or general Scamp knowledge then I guess I'll have to wait until I pick it up...

TOWING:

(these are urgent questions since I need to have a hitch installed within the next 5 days... If you have any suggestions it will be greatly appreciated)

1) I need to have a hitch installed this week so that I can go get it. My TV will be a 2003 Honda Element and I've decided on a Class III hitch. The Scamp specs say the ball reciever height is 18"? But when I measured it I got around 13" which is just about what I'm estimating the hitch height will be on my Element. Does this sound right? I'm trying to figure out if I need a rise or drop on my hitch?

2) I'm assuming it needs a 1 7/8" ball? But I've seen some specs that say 2"? Which is right?

3) The darn harness! I forgot to count the pins when I went to see it! I have a blown up photo on the website... But I'm still corn-fused! I've seen a document somewhere that said it can have either a 7-pin or 6-pin adapter? Can someone with better eyes see what this Scamp has? No matter what I'm assuming I will need to have a special harness installed on the Element that does more than just the standard 4-wire stuff? For instance I need trickle to the Scamp battery for charging don't I? Will the Hitch guy need a wiring diagram or are these things pretty standard? Most importantly, I need to know if I have 6 or 7 pins... Young eyes, help me! If it helps, this Scamp doesn't have brakes.

4) Misc. Question - I didn't see rear leveling jacks, are there supposed to be some tucked up under there?


INTERIOR, EXTERIOR AND KITCHEN RELATED:

1) See that dark stain on the wall (upper right of stove)... What is that? The owner (who is the original owner) said it has never leaked and she had no idea what it was. I just thought it might be common, I hope I can get rid of it.

2) I forgot to see if I have a electric water pump... Does my faucet tell me that it is a manual pump? Looks like a strange faucet so I assumed it's manual. If it is I wonder how hard it is to install a pump? Is the water supposed to be potable, this units been sitting awhile, I'm assuming I'd need to clen the system.

3) It has an Ice Box.... I never used or seen one... But from first glance it doesn't look very useful. I've searched some threads here about fridges and I'm hope to find a reasonable solution where I can have a fridge will connected to campground AC power (I don't care about having it other then when connected to AC). I'd like to have something that fits well and doesn't look too jury-rigged. I'll keep searching the forums but if you have any ideas please let me know.

4) Just as a side note... The furnance thing looks scary. I wonder if they're useful. I wonder if it works?

5) For the life of me I couldn't get the awning to work... Come to find out I should have been using some crazy hook, claw, crank thing? I didn't see one handy, so I hope it's in there. I've checked the Scamp document on this site as well as the awning directions. They seem to differ on how to deploy it, but I could be reading it wrong.


POWER RELATED:

1) Okay this one's REALLY stupid.... There is a big plug that comes out of the side for electrical hook up... It's funky looking, sort of like the 220 plugs, but I'm assuming this is standard campground hookup? Is there suppose to be an adapter for normal 120V connections?

2) I have no idea what a converter is or if I have one... But I'm thinking I really want one! I'm assuming it is some thing that turns AC to DC so I don't have to run off the battery when hooked up to AC. If I read about the Scamp correctly everything runs off of DC except for the AC outlet and the light above the sink? Someone said the rear right storage would have the converter if installed (Idon't recall seeing one there, I could be wrong) but beside the heater under the cabinets was a breaker box of some type, maybe it's a surprise converter?! Probably not. If it isn't where can I get a good converter? Brand, Type, Link anything would help.

3) As far as I can remember this Scamp only had one AC outlet (I could be wrong) .... I can add more, right?

4) the whole thing with everything running off the battery is kind of crazy to me... But I'm hoping the battery gets charged while driving and while hooked to AC?


That's all for now... I'm sure I'm ticking some people off since all of this has probably been answered a million times over. But I am slowly getting the hang og searching the forums and the correct word search algorithms for finding answers!

Your patience and more over your help is very very much appreciated...

Thanks Again,
Eric

[Roger H]

TOWING:

[b](these are urgent questions since I need to have a hitch installed within the next 5 days... If you have any suggestions it will be greatly appreciated)

1) I need to have a hitch installed this week so that I can go get it. My TV will be a 2003 Honda Element and I've decided on a Class III hitch. The Scamp specs say the ball reciever height is 18"? But when I measured it I got around 13" which is just about what I'm estimating the hitch height will be on my Element. Does this sound right? I'm trying to figure out if I need a rise or drop on my hitch?

2) I'm assuming it needs a 1 7/8" ball? But I've seen some specs that say 2"? Which is right?

3) The darn harness! I forgot to count the pins when I went to see it! I have a blown up photo on the website... But I'm still corn-fused! I've seen a document somewhere that said it can have either a 7-pin or 6-pin adapter? Can someone with better eyes see what this Scamp has? No matter what I'm assuming I will need to have a special harness installed on the Element that does more than just the standard 4-wire stuff? For instance I need trickle to the Scamp battery for charging don't I? Will the Hitch guy need a wiring diagram or are these things pretty standard? Most importantly, I need to know if I have 6 or 7 pins... Young eyes, help me! If it helps, this Scamp doesn't have brakes.

4) Misc. Question - I didn't see rear leveling jacks, are there supposed to be some tucked up under there?

Ok, Eric... I can probably help with a few of these...

The ball height is measured to the TOP of the ball when the trailer is level and on level ground, and subsequently to the top of the ball coupler, not the bottom of the frame. If the nearly 10 year old axle has "settled" a little, your measurement lost the 3" height of the ball, and the trailer and/or ground weren't quite level, you could pretty easily have found the 13" number. If you DID measure to the top of the ball and all of the other stuff was right, there's a problem!

All of the early Scamps used a 1 7/8" ball. All of the later ones use a 2". I don't know what year they changed over; it might be worth a call to the factory. If you don't, hitch balls are only $7. Take both sizes and return the one you don't need.

That is a six pin male plug. I'd have a seven pin installed on your Element and take a seven pin male end and swap them before you leave. It'll only take a few minutes, and you'll know you have good connections when you're done.

The little jacks on the bumper (and they're probably tucked up under it) are stabilizing jacks, NOT levelling jacks. You level the trailer front to back with the tongue jack, and side to size by blocking one wheel or the other up. THEN you deploy the stabilizing jacks to keep the trailer from rocking when you move inside. The jacks are not meant for nor are they strong enough to be used as "levelling" jacks.

Roger

[Roger H]

INTERIOR, EXTERIOR AND KITCHEN RELATED:

1) See that dark stain on the wall (upper right of stove)... What is that? The owner (who is the original owner) said it has never leaked and she had no idea what it was. I just thought it might be common, I hope I can get rid of it.

2) I forgot to see if I have a electric water pump... Does my faucet tell me that it is a manual pump? Looks like a strange faucet so I assumed it's manual. If it is I wonder how hard it is to install a pump? Is the water supposed to be potable, this units been sitting awhile, I'm assuming I'd need to clen the system.

3) It has an Ice Box.... I never used or seen one... But from first glance it doesn't look very useful. I've searched some threads here about fridges and I'm hope to find a reasonable solution where I can have a fridge will connected to campground AC power (I don't care about having it other then when connected to AC). I'd like to have something that fits well and doesn't look too jury-rigged. I'll keep searching the forums but if you have any ideas please let me know.

4) Just as a side note... The furnance thing looks scary. I wonder if they're useful. I wonder if it works?

5) For the life of me I couldn't get the awning to work... Come to find out I should have been using some crazy hook, claw, crank thing? I didn't see one handy, so I hope it's in there. I've checked the Scamp document on this site as well as the awning directions. They seem to differ on how to deploy it, but I could be reading it wrong.

The stain looks like cooking oil or some other wonderful substance tipped over and spilled in the cabinet and ran down the wall.

You have a manual sink pump. Electric pumps are not difficult to install. You'll want to clean and flush the system in any event. There are threads here on how to do that.

Get the trailer home. THEN you can worry about the icebox/fridge issues once you get to know it a little better and you've had a chance to use it a while.

The furnaces Scamp installs work fine. It will heat you out.

Don't worry about the awning. They work, but they're not friendly. You can get instructions from the manufacturer on-line. Don't try to get it pullled out without the instructions or someone who knows how to make it work, as there's a real possibility you could damage it.

[Roger H]

POWER RELATED:

1) Okay this one's REALLY stupid.... There is a big plug that comes out of the side for electrical hook up... It's funky looking, sort of like the 220 plugs, but I'm assuming this is standard campground hookup? Is there suppose to be an adapter for normal 120V connections?

2) I have no idea what a converter is or if I have one... But I'm thinking I really want one! I'm assuming it is some thing that turns AC to DC so I don't have to run off the battery when hooked up to AC. If I read about the Scamp correctly everything runs off of DC except for the AC outlet and the light above the sink? Someone said the rear right storage would have the converter if installed (Idon't recall seeing one there, I could be wrong) but beside the heater under the cabinets was a breaker box of some type, maybe it's a surprise converter?! Probably not. If it isn't where can I get a good converter? Brand, Type, Link anything would help.

3) As far as I can remember this Scamp only had one AC outlet (I could be wrong) .... I can add more, right?

4) the whole thing with everything running off the battery is kind of crazy to me... But I'm hoping the battery gets charged while driving and while hooked to AC?
That's all for now... I'm sure I'm ticking some people off since all of this has probably been answered a million times over. But I am slowly getting the hang og searching the forums and the correct word search algorithms for finding answers!

The power cord is an industry standard 30 amp RV cord. Any campground with a 30 amp service will accommodate it. 30 amp to 15 amp converters are readily available at Wal-Mart.

It is likely that if the trailer has a converter, it will be located under (usually) the street side dinette seat. The battery will charge while driving if you have a charging line installed from your Element in the 7 pin connector setup. If it has a converter, the battery will charge from the 120v AC hookup as well. Again, don't worry about the converter if it doesn't have one until you've had an opportunity to use the trailer and see how you do with it stock. If you decide you need one, there's plenty of info available here on them using the search function.

Good luck getting it home! It looks like a nice trailer.

Roger

[Victor Benz]

One additional comment. Try to find out from the owner when the wheel bearings were last inspected and greased. I do mine every two years as a preventative maintenance program, replacing when necessary. If the seller does not know, it is worth getting done for piece of mind prior to the tow home.

Even if it was done recently, when towing, check h9ow the trailer tracks behind you, and stop after say 5 miles and feel the bearing caps. They should be cold.

Victor

[Greg A]

Eric,

Barring any unforeseen issues, that Scamp looks to be in pretty good shape. A little elbow grease and you could be camping quickly.
Roger and Victor have covered most of the issues. I'd add a couple of things that might help.

I had my hitch installed at Uhaul and they put on a combo 7-pin 4-pin connector so I would have the option of either in the future. You only need the lights functioning to tow home, which you could quickly slap a 4-pin from Wally to hook up the lights and then put a 7 pin on later. It would be much easier in the field to deal with a 4 pin and they don't cost much. I had to have Uhaul add a charging line as they don't normally hook up anything but lights so make sure you tell them you want that before they install. They did such a crappy job on it however, it might be better to run that later yourself as I just had to pretty much redo mine. You don't need to charge the battery to tow it home. Slap a smart charger on it later and see if the battery is even any good.

Also, make sure your tires are inflated correctly before towing. Mine require 50 psi which surprised me when I first heard it, but improperly inflated trailer tires are the top cause of blowouts while towing and that is not an infrequent event. I would follow Victors advice on checking the bearing temp after a few miles. Most shops will repack them for about $30-40 and might be worth arranging before you leave just so you know it is done for the season.

Right now you just need to git er home and you can worry about the other stuff then. With the condition that Scamp looks to be in, I'd agree totally with Roger. Clean it up and go camping a few times with what it has and then start tackling the issues. I didn't have a converter in mine and now that I understand things better, I would never put one in.

[Sandra Lair]

Eric,

I have comments about the ice box & heater. We camped once with the ice box and found it to be impractical, so we replaced it with a small Haier fridge we bought at Sam's for $80+. It fits perfectly into the space and works great for us.

As for the heater, we were a little nervous about using it. Since we only camp where there are EL hook-ups, we decided to remove it and use the space we gained under the sink to store the wastebasket. When we camp in cooler weather we just take along a little electric "cube" heater, which heats the Scamp very easily.

I'm sure you will find plenty of help here with your other questions. Enjoy your Scamp!!


Sandra

[Pete Dumbleton]

The power cord is an industry standard 30 amp RV cord. Any campground with a 30 amp service will accommodate it. 30 amp to 15 amp converters are readily available at Wal-Mart.

It is likely that if the trailer has a converter, it will be located under (usually) the street side dinette seat. The battery will charge while driving if you have a charging line installed from your Element in the 7 pin connector setup. If it has a converter, the battery will charge from the 120v AC hookup as well. Again, don't worry about the converter if it doesn't have one until you've had an opportunity to use the trailer and see how you do with it stock. If you decide you need one, there's plenty of info available here on them using the search function.

Just to be picky, the 30A RV connection is at 120VAC, as is the 15A connection. This is NOT the 30A at 240VAC that your dryer uses at home.

Easy enough for an electrician or knowledgeable neighbor to help you add more 120VAC outlets (and 12VDC also). I would use a GFCI outlet to protect all of them in the case of faulty CG wiring.

Also, be sure that the person who does the wiring puts a fuse or circuit breaker on the tow vehicle to protect the battery charging wire.

Check the documents section of this group for 7-pin wiring diagrams (and other good stuf!).