# New 312Bh - Maiden Voyage



## Kevin K (Jan 31, 2011)

We just got back from the maiden voyage in our new 312BH. Took a three hour trip to southern Missouri to Bennett Springs State Park. Beautiful place! The trout fishing was slow for us but one of the daughters managed to land her first one - priceless.

The trip down Thursday made me wish I had spent the money on a Hensley hitch. The wind was gusting to 30 mph and a few times I grabbed the steering wheel with both hands. I could see the back of the camper swaying in the wind... pretty unnerving. Maybe it will take time to get used to the trailer in the wind. The trip home was much less eventful - it was even raining but without the wind I forgot the trailer was even back there. Had it been as white knuckled on the way home I might have ordered the Hensley. Ebay has them refurbished for $1,999 + delivery. I spend nearly $800 for my equalizer with the extra long drop shank. For another $1,500 I could have had a Hensley.

Big fan of the outdoor kitchen. I cooked both dinners outside. Once I figured out which direction to turn the grill knob for high I had it whipped! The stove top even came in handy for cooking the side dishes. This morning it was too cold to cook outside so biscuits and gravy were made on the inside cook top. Will definitely be adding a set of utensils and supplies to the inside kitchen since it was a pain to have to go outside to get everything I needed. The fridge outside was great for stocking beverages we only bought one bag of ice and it was used to mix a fruity drink for the DW.

I had planned on using the new hitch to carry the bikes with but when I tried to hook it up before we left I found the spare tire to be in the way. Considering whether to buy and extension but don't know about hanging the weight that far back. The hitch is only rated for 200lbs.

Spent a lot of the morning inside today before we left. Love the extra room we have now. We came from a 26' hybrid that was really cramped. Compared to that - this is a 5 star mega-suite. The only thing I wish it has more of is a bigger basement. The other trailer for being relatively short had three times the under storage. It all fits now but pulling out camp chairs, grills, hoses and such is through the small side openings is quite the pain.

Oh well, it has quit raining so time to go unpack. Looking forward to a fun filled camping summer!


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## Yukon Eric (Oct 14, 2010)

We love ours as well. Lot's of room inside and the outdoor kitchen is awesome. We use some of the outdoor kitchen storage/cabinets for stuff that would normally be in the basement. Good luck,

Yukon


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## Kevin K (Jan 31, 2011)

Yukon Eric said:


> We love ours as well. Lot's of room inside and the outdoor kitchen is awesome. We use some of the outdoor kitchen storage/cabinets for stuff that would normally be in the basement. Good luck,
> 
> Yukon


Yea, I think it will take a while to sort through what we need and what we don't. Easy trade - more living space and less storage.

I did forget to write the couple of things that need addressing when we came back. The leather trim piece at the dinette came off. Couldn't figure out how to remove the little decorative button to put in a longer screw so added a few from behind. Should be fixed for good. Another just annoyance was the inside bubble for the skylight in the shower was horribly dirty. Someone with greasy hands must have installed it and threw in some wood dust to boot. I removed the 10 screws that were holding it up, cleaned it and then reinstalled. Typical "little" things I suspect.


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## hautevue (Mar 8, 2009)

Inside bubble for the skylight: yep, Gilligan installed it. Grin and keep cleaning!


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## heron (May 13, 2010)

Kevin K said:


> We just got back from the maiden voyage in our new 312BH. Took a three hour trip to southern Missouri to Bennett Springs State Park. Beautiful place! The trout fishing was slow for us but one of the daughters managed to land her first one - priceless.
> 
> The trip down Thursday made me wish I had spent the money on a Hensley hitch. The wind was gusting to 30 mph and a few times I grabbed the steering wheel with both hands. I could see the back of the camper swaying in the wind... pretty unnerving. Maybe it will take time to get used to the trailer in the wind. The trip home was much less eventful - it was even raining but without the wind I forgot the trailer was even back there. Had it been as white knuckled on the way home I might have ordered the Hensley. Ebay has them refurbished for $1,999 + delivery. I spend nearly $800 for my equalizer with the extra long drop shank. For another $1,500 I could have had a Hensley.
> 
> ...


Look into a rear sway bar for that sierra. I've got the equalizer with the 1200 bars. I've been in some similar wind with no issues what so ever. 
The sway bar on the front of your truck is hollow and tiny. There isn't one on the back from the factory.
Big upgrade for that truck would be some bilsteins and front and rear sway bars. Not to mention look at your hitch. Stock hitches are rated at 7500lbs. I did that upgrade last year and the difference is night and day as far as beefiness of the curt hitch compared to stock. It's now a 1500 lb tongue with a 15000 lb weight limit. 
Upgrading all those things will give you a better ride and probably a much better towing experience in rough conditions. Not to mention you'll still spend less than the Hensley.


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## Traveling Tek (Oct 15, 2010)

Kevin K said:


> I had planned on using the new hitch to carry the bikes with but when I tried to hook it up before we left I found the spare tire to be in the way. Considering whether to buy and extension but don't know about hanging the weight that far back. The hitch is only rated for 200lbs.


Not sure how yours is compared to my 301bq, but I just loosened the spare tire bracket and slid it over to the right. It's not blocking my tail light, and that allows my bikes to bit. The first bike does hit the tire, so I had to choose the right bike. My first choice ripped the tire cover, but my wifes bike (now always on first) does not.  I put duct tape over the tear and on down the road.

You can see what I mean here.


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## Kevin K (Jan 31, 2011)

heron said:


> Look into a rear sway bar for that sierra. I've got the equalizer with the 1200 bars. I've been in some similar wind with no issues what so ever.
> The sway bar on the front of your truck is hollow and tiny. There isn't one on the back from the factory.
> Big upgrade for that truck would be some bilsteins and front and rear sway bars. Not to mention look at your hitch. Stock hitches are rated at 7500lbs. I did that upgrade last year and the difference is night and day as far as beefiness of the curt hitch compared to stock. It's now a 1500 lb tongue with a 15000 lb weight limit.
> Upgrading all those things will give you a better ride and probably a much better towing experience in rough conditions. Not to mention you'll still spend less than the Hensley.


Thanks for the info. It's good to know someone has a similar setup and no problems.

Here is some more info about the truck: It has a 6" lift with 35" Toyo tires. I think the tall tires may contribute to the sway. There is a lot more rubber between the wheel and the road over stock. Also higher center of gravity can't help.

The Bilstiens came with the lift but I don't know how long they last. I'm guessing that their effectivness degrades over time. The truck has 150k+ miles. The shocks are warrantied for life. but don't know if Bilstien will warrant them unless they fail completly... hmmm!

I have the upgraded front roll bar, your right, much beefier than the old one. At one time I had the rear sway bar but removed it to put on the 4" MBRP exhaust. It won't fit with that exhaust. I did read some time ago about someone designing one to fit with the upgraded exhaust. Maybe I'll look into that.

I also looked into the new hitch but ended up taking mine off and inspected / cleaned it up and reinstalled. From what I can tell it is an upgraded version from the GM models that were failing but could be wrong. Maybe I'll revisit that.


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## aggie91 (Feb 12, 2011)

We too had our 1st trip in our new 312BH and it was fantastic. We made a list of all the things we forgot to bring (many were just nice to have items) and got back to the house in one piece. Our TV is a 2011 F-250 with an Equalizer E4 setup. I have a 4" lift with 35s and it handled pretty well. Minimal sway - even with some windy conditions on the way back. Economy on the truck average about 11MPG (I was quite pleased).

Things we need to get...

Extra pins for the hitch setup - I managed to lose one at the house after we got back home.
Container for the detachable BBQ grill so I can store it in the outdoor kitchen.
IR Control Cable from the Jensen DVD to the TV. When you turn the TV to the bedroom - you can't control the DVD without it. I would think Keystone would supply this but they did not..
Toilet Roll holder in the bathroom
Flagpole to display my Texas A&M flag (Whoop!)

The outdoor kitchen was the hit of the park as we cooked all our meals out there.

We did find a few cosmetic issues with the trailer - none I am too worried about.

Small hole that was patched quickly on the interior ceiling.
Paneling inside needed retacking...

Going to look to add a bike rack to the bumper (limiting the weight to 150lbs) and then I think we will be set for the next trip.

Overall - a great trip with the family - can't wait for the next trip...


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## rif (Mar 3, 2011)

Hey aggie91, Where did you find a container big enough to fit the grill but short enough to fit under the cabinet in the outdoor kitchen. I have been looking everywhere and can't find one that fits the bill.


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## kmonty1 (Apr 24, 2011)

rif said:


> Hey aggie91, Where did you find a container big enough to fit the grill but short enough to fit under the cabinet in the outdoor kitchen. I have been looking everywhere and can't find one that fits the bill.


Yeah that would be nice to know. My grill won't fit in the outdoor kitchen just by itself, not in anything. Do you have 2 cabinets back there? Here is a picture of mine


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## BritsOnTour (Sep 15, 2006)

Have you tried playing with the equalizer setup, adding a washer or moving the l-brackets can make a big difference. I had a little sway under heavy winds and adding a washer made the difference the next time I did not notice the wind at all.


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## Kevin K (Jan 31, 2011)

BritsOnTour said:


> Have you tried playing with the equalizer setup, adding a washer or moving the l-brackets can make a big difference. I had a little sway under heavy winds and adding a washer made the difference the next time I did not notice the wind at all.


I did adjust the hitch by raising the whole head up one hole to level the trailer and to load the WDH a little more. When I returned it to storage it seemed a little more stable but didn't have the wind or travel the distance to be sure. I have a trip coming on Memorial weekend, I'll check back then.

Thanks!


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## LaydBack (Aug 22, 2010)

kmonty1 said:


> Hey aggie91, Where did you find a container big enough to fit the grill but short enough to fit under the cabinet in the outdoor kitchen. I have been looking everywhere and can't find one that fits the bill.


Yeah that would be nice to know. My grill won't fit in the outdoor kitchen just by itself, not in anything. Do you have 2 cabinets back there? Here is a picture of mine








[/quote]

I didn't find a container, but what I use is one of those floor/exercise mat things that have edges like a puzzle. They're about 2' x 2' square and about 1/2" thick, dense foam rubber. I have a pop-a-plate on the underside of the top cabinet next to refrigerator. I set the mat on the countertop. I put the folded grill stand on the mat, then put the grill on top. It fits real snug with the pop-a-plate over it. So far no problem with it moving around and no damage. That way, when you get to your site, it's right handy where you need it. I'd post a pic if my TT was here, but I dropped it off for service yesterday.


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## Up State NY Camper (Apr 7, 2010)

I wrap my grill in an old sweatshirt, and rest the sharp edge where the hose connects on a bunched up sleve of the sweatshirt so I don't scratch the counter top. It's pretty simple and it works well. I burn off any grease on the last day we use the grill so the sweatshirt doesn't get too dirty.


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