# Maiden voyage



## amcdeac (Aug 30, 2009)

Took my camper on its maiden voyage this past weekend. A great improvement over sleeping on the ground, but in all honesty, I found the systems to be confusing. I was also bummed that the toilet mechanism broke so I need to make a trip to a dealer. However, the heater kept us warm and that kept my little girls happy.

Here is a pic of my rig:









A few quick questions:

Are there upgrades available for the mechanical parts? Perhaps the plastic flush mechanism could be improved upon.

Is it hard to replace plumbing lines? I have some concern of freeze damage from water that remained in the lines from the time I bought the unit until my first use.

Is the heater on my unit supposed to cut on and off like a home system? Mine ran constantly.

Is anyone aware of a way to move trailers with mid-size ATVs, such as a Honda Rancher? I can imagine a way that this would work if there was a suitable wheel to hold the trailer weight and I wonder if anyone else has come up with such a system. 

Thanks.


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## l2l (Jan 27, 2008)

Your in luck as one of our members Ruide has one of these units, I am sure he will be along shortly to help you!


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## heruide (Feb 12, 2008)

Amcdeac,

I understand that you may struggle with some of the features of the E3 but I have the same exact model and thus should be able to help you. You may want to look at my photogallery as there are lots of pictures and instructions.

Regarding the toilet - it is made by Thetford. There are replacement parts that you should be able to get from a Thetford dealer. Just confirm the model number. Here is the Thetford web site.

The water lines can be replace. The only issue is that the PEX crimping tool is quite expensive. So I would first see if you can find out if you have a leak. The most expensive would be if water was left in the hot water tank. Next I would check the pump and faucets and then the lines.

The thermostat that comes with PUPs leave a lot to be desired. As you found out it is difficult to adjust. What many folks have done is to replace the thermostat with a digital one like this. 

I can't recall anyone using an ATV but I'm sure it can be done. All you would need is a place to mount a 2 1/16 inch ball on the end of the ATV. I know folks have use lawn mowers to move their PUPs. An alternative is a Trailer Dolly. I got mine from Harbor Freight.

Hope this helps.

Ruide


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## amcdeac (Aug 30, 2009)

Hey, Rudie. Thanks for your help and comments. I will give the trailer dolly a try. I picked one up this morning from my local Harbor Freight but I am having some difficulty finding a 2 5/16 ball with a 3/4 (as opposed to 1 inch) diameter shaft. Do you recall where you found yours? This might be it -- http://shop.torresen.com/ships_store/index.php?p=details&mfc=SEACHOICE&sku=51331 -- I have a call in to confirm and they will call me back Monday.

Great thermostat recommendation. I will get one.

Cheers,

Aaron


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## heruide (Feb 12, 2008)

Aaron,

You are welcome.

I'm glad you caught my mistake regarding the ball size. I think I got my 2 5/16 ball from my dealer as the E2 I traded in use a 2 inch ball. 

Didn't Harbor Freight have one? I would also check the big box stores or hardware stores. If not any trailer shop would have one.

BTW I hope you got the larger trailer dolly 

Hope this helps.

Ruide


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## amcdeac (Aug 30, 2009)

A good friend (with better skills than mine) fabricated this adapter piece for my dolly:










Hopefully, this will help my wife move the trailer just fine.


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## jeffmue (Apr 22, 2010)

Your rig is awesome and I love the fact that you can take it almost anywhere.


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## amcdeac (Aug 30, 2009)

Jeffmue, thanks for the comment -- I think I will enjoy it, too, and the off road features were really the selling point.

I have the commode problem licked (figuratively). Turns out that all the flush parts are connected to the cassette and easily replaced. Great news since I was prepared to remove the entire shower/commode unit. 

I drove 4 hours to Atlanta (Peco Campers) to buy this camper since they had the exact gently used model I was looking for. However, I figured I needed to start using a local dealer for service. No way. Couldn't get an appointment at the local dealer for 3 weeks and nobody was interested in my problem or seemed to know what I was talking about. :thumbdown: Called Peco today and we did some trouble shooting for a few minutes over the phone -- they will send me the part which I can easily replace myself. Platinum level customer service.:thumbup1:

Once I figure out the other plumbing features, I should be good to go. 

My tow dolly works like a champ but even a slight incline is too much for it. However, it pushes into the parking spot very easily with two people -- one to steer with the dolly and one to push on the trailer to get it up the incline. My next mod will be to create (well, have a friend with exceptionally good welding skills create) a ball attachment for the front of my ATV so I can move it up the slight grade. Looking forward to a few other mods, as well.

Cheers,

Aaron


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