# Picked Up Our New 301Bq!!



## Insomniak

Well, Christmas finally came today and we took delivery of our new 10th Anniversary Edition 301BQ. Had to drive about 75 miles to Colton where it was a balmy 104 degrees. Fortunately, I was able to get a fellow Outbacker to keep me company, and the entire trip took less than 6 hours. We skimmed through the PDI since it was so hot there, and everything looked like it was in order. The only problem was one of the gas struts for the queen bed was broken because Gilligan insists on using screws that are too small to hold the brackets to the plywood decking. One of the techs put the bracket back on, and when we got home we discovered that the other bracket had fallen out. I'm just gonna put them back on with nuts & bolts and forget trying to use screws. Spent the rest of the evening loading up everything that we had teken out of the old trailer, and figuring out where to put all of our "stuff". We quickly discovered that we'll need all new plastic totes because the new baggage doors are too short and our old totes don't fit. We also found out that the bathroom cabinet isn't as deep as our old one, so a bunch of towels had to find a new home. Overall, everything went very well, and the 301 towed better than I had expected. No sway, maintained 60mph most of the way and got about 10.5mpg, so I can't complain too much.

As promised, the first thing we did after getting the trailer was to head to the truck scales. With no fresh water, empty holding tanks, 60lb of propane, one battery, some hitch stuff, and two slide toppers, we came in at 7,440 pounds with 920 pounds of tongue weight. I think I missed my estimate by only about 50 pounds and again confirms to me that Keystone's listed dry weights are right on the money. Now to get a few mods done and head out for the maiden voyage on Wednesday!


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## willingtonpaul

Congrats and welcome to the 301BQ club ! I did notice that the linen closet was changed in the new model, and they made it smaller...

How did you arrive at the tongue weight you listed ? Did you unhook on the scales or use a surline scale ?


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## Insomniak

willingtonpaul said:


> Congrats and welcome to the 301BQ club ! I did notice that the linen closet was changed in the new model, and they made it smaller...
> 
> How did you arrive at the tongue weight you listed ? Did you unhook on the scales or use a surline scale ?


We weighed the entire setup with truck and trailer, then we unhitched and weighed the trailer separately. The truck / trailer combo came in at 13,640 pounds.

LOL, I missed the weight by 10 pounds. I guessed 7,450 pounds and we came in at 7,440! I should forget the camping trip and go to Vegas!


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## duggy

Congratulations!! Enjoy the new Outback!


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## willingtonpaul

Insomniak said:


> Congrats and welcome to the 301BQ club ! I did notice that the linen closet was changed in the new model, and they made it smaller...
> 
> How did you arrive at the tongue weight you listed ? Did you unhook on the scales or use a surline scale ?


We weighed the entire setup with truck and trailer, then we unhitched and weighed the trailer separately. The truck / trailer combo came in at 13,640 pounds.

LOL, I missed the weight by 10 pounds. I guessed 7,450 pounds and we came in at 7,440! I should forget the camping trip and go to Vegas!
[/quote]

ok, thanks for the clarification. that tongue weight is far more than keystone claims, so that is why i asked...


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## Insomniak

willingtonpaul said:


> Congrats and welcome to the 301BQ club ! I did notice that the linen closet was changed in the new model, and they made it smaller...
> 
> How did you arrive at the tongue weight you listed ? Did you unhook on the scales or use a surline scale ?


We weighed the entire setup with truck and trailer, then we unhitched and weighed the trailer separately. The truck / trailer combo came in at 13,640 pounds.

LOL, I missed the weight by 10 pounds. I guessed 7,450 pounds and we came in at 7,440! I should forget the camping trip and go to Vegas!
[/quote]

ok, thanks for the clarification. that tongue weight is far more than keystone claims, so that is why i asked...
[/quote]
Keystone's tongue weight is "dry". We had 60 pounds of propane, a battery, electric tongue jack, and Reese Dual Cam sway components. That's where the difference from the listed weight of 760 pounds and the 920 pounds we measured came from.


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## Bob in Virginia

Congrats, let the modding begin.


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## Insomniak

Bob in Virginia said:


> Congrats, let the modding begin.


Lol, the modding began in the dealer's parking with a Barker VIP 3500 tongue jack. Once home, the WFCO converter was replaced with a Progressive Dynamics 9260. Plenty of room behind the load center, so it just got put on the floor and I swapped the wiring - 30 minutes tops. Next was a pleated shower door because with two little kids and a shower curtain that barely fits, we'd have most of the shower water on the floor. Installed a locking doorknob (Schlage from Home Depot) on the bathroom door, towel holders in the bathroom, and a couple of coat hooks above the shower surround for wet bathing suits and such (thanks to Oregon Camper for that tip). The oil rubbed bronze color is a nice match to the original fixtures. My wife is busy getting plastic containers and wire slide-out baskets for the pantry and cabinet above the sink. I haven't seen them, but I think she bought cafe tension curtain rods for the big cabinet above the sink - the rods from Camping World are too small. A few more little things and we'll be ready for the maiden voyage on Wednesday. If anyone has other 301 mod suggestions, bring 'em on!!


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## Bob in Virginia

Here's an easy but important mod. On the shower, the water wants to stream a little line from the edge of the tub over the side onto the floor. Some fix this with a triangle of plexiglass siliconed in the corner. I fixed it with a bead of silicone at a 45 degree angle back into the tub. Works great and costs about a nickel. I also put a battery cut-off switch mounted to the frame beside the battery. When parked and not camping I turn it off removing any parasitic draw on the battery. No dead battery so far.


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## Insomniak

Bob in Virginia said:


> Here's an easy but important mod. On the shower, the water wants to stream a little line from the edge of the tub over the side onto the floor. Some fix this with a triangle of plexiglass siliconed in the corner. I fixed it with a bead of silicone at a 45 degree angle back into the tub. Works great and costs about a nickel. I also put a battery cut-off switch mounted to the frame beside the battery. When parked and not camping I turn it off removing any parasitic draw on the battery. No dead battery so far.


Our 301 came with a battery cut-off switch, so that's one less mod for me. Last night I installed the same pleated shower door from Camping World that I've used on all of our trailers. It does a great job of keeping water in the shower and I've never had any troubles with leaks. The only problem this time is that the side wall of the shower surround has a big soap dish sticking out, and you end up with very little elbow room. Didn't notice that until I had the door finished, grrr... Also put up an Oxygenics shower head. Lots of good reviews, even if it does sit up a bit high. Had to return the first one because it was missing the little flow adjustment knob. Oh yeah, the MaxxFan that the dealer installed for me works GREAT. I got the remote control model because nobody but me would be able to reach the controls. We're not used to a ceiling that's almost 7 feet high! The new 301 feels so much bigger than our 28RSDS!!


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## Oregon_Camper

Insomniak said:


> If anyone has other 301 mod suggestions, bring 'em on!!


Fireplace

Hide-a-Key

Replace Outside Locks

Power Cord Replacement

Master Bedroom Door Stopper


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## Insomniak

Oregon_Camper said:


> If anyone has other 301 mod suggestions, bring 'em on!!


Fireplace

Hide-a-Key

Replace Outside Locks

Power Cord Replacement

Master Bedroom Door Stopper
[/quote]
Jim, I have the Park Power conversion kit ready to go, but it looks like the large adapter plate is too small by about 1/2 inch. Did Keystone start making the power cord hole bigger recently, or am I missing something? Your outside lock link isn't working - that's something I wanted to look into, given the number of 751 keys running around out there.


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## Traveling Tek

Deff do that bedroom door mod. Your door will be falling off all the time if you don't.


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## Oregon_Camper

Insomniak said:


> Jim, I have the Park Power conversion kit ready to go, but it looks like the large adapter plate is too small by about 1/2 inch. Did Keystone start making the power cord hole bigger recently, or am I missing something? Your outside lock link isn't working - that's something I wanted to look into, given the number of 751 keys running around out there.


Not sure about the size of the opening. As you can see from my pictures, the hole is covered perfectly. The adapter plate in the kit covered the existing hole, then the primary plug/plate attached to that.	Is there a plate from the factory parts that you can use to cover the hole?

Outside Lock Link
http://home.comcast....tside_Locks.htm


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## rdvholtwood

Oregon_Camper said:


> Jim, I have the Park Power conversion kit ready to go, but it looks like the large adapter plate is too small by about 1/2 inch. Did Keystone start making the power cord hole bigger recently, or am I missing something? Your outside lock link isn't working - that's something I wanted to look into, given the number of 751 keys running around out there.


Not sure about the size of the opening. As you can see from my pictures, the hole is covered perfectly. The adapter plate in the kit covered the existing hole, then the primary plug/plate attached to that.	Is there a plate from the factory parts that you can use to cover the hole?

Outside Lock Link
http://home.comcast....tside_Locks.htm
[/quote]

Congrats on the new Outback - Happy Camping!

I installed the Park Power Conversion kit last year and found that the plates did not match up exactly. I ended up having to drill a few holes and all is fine now. I sent the information to the company with measurements in hopes that they will mod it sometime in the future?


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## Insomniak

Oregon_Camper said:


> Jim, I have the Park Power conversion kit ready to go, but it looks like the large adapter plate is too small by about 1/2 inch. Did Keystone start making the power cord hole bigger recently, or am I missing something? Your outside lock link isn't working - that's something I wanted to look into, given the number of 751 keys running around out there.


Not sure about the size of the opening. As you can see from my pictures, the hole is covered perfectly. The adapter plate in the kit covered the existing hole, then the primary plug/plate attached to that.	Is there a plate from the factory parts that you can use to cover the hole?

Outside Lock Link
http://home.comcast....tside_Locks.htm
[/quote]
The largest adapter plate in the kit is the one that's about 1/2" smaller in diameter than what's on the trailer currently. I haven't taken anything apart yet, but it looks like it will just miss the existing screw holes. I may be able to attach the Park Power plate to the one that's already on the trailer somehow. I know I've seen home-made adapter plates on here somewhere - looks like they had the same problem. I believe one of the firefighters had a stainless steel adapter fabricated.


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## Insomniak

Traveling Tek said:


> Deff do that bedroom door mod. Your door will be falling off all the time if you don't.


Our door slides from right to left (if you're in the bedroom and facing the living area). Will the rubber bumper mod still work? I don't think there would be anything to bump up against.


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## willingtonpaul

Insomniak said:


> Deff do that bedroom door mod. Your door will be falling off all the time if you don't.


Our door slides from right to left (if you're in the bedroom and facing the living area). Will the rubber bumper mod still work? I don't think there would be anything to bump up against.
[/quote]

i've never had a problem with our bedroom door (knock on wood).

put an outside shower in between the two slides. it is a perfect place for it. i just tapped off the low point drains and cut it into the aluminum skirting. 
as the range hood is not vented outside, swapping out the vent in the kitchen for a maxxfan is a nice mod, too. i am working on that one now. 
i put fold up drink holders on either side of the bed, as there are no bedside tables to put a cup of coffee or a bottle of water on.

do you dry camp much ? there are a bunch of mods you can do to make that more comfortable......


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## Oregon_Camper

Insomniak said:


> Deff do that bedroom door mod. Your door will be falling off all the time if you don't.


Our door slides from right to left (if you're in the bedroom and facing the living area). Will the rubber bumper mod still work? I don't think there would be anything to bump up against.
[/quote]

When you lock the door down for travel with the little strap, does the back of the door rest against anything?	Ours didn't and about 6 months after we had the 301BQ we found the door off the rail and the rail was bent. Did my best to straighten the rail and attached the 2x door stoppers....no longer a problem.


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## Insomniak

Oregon_Camper said:


> Deff do that bedroom door mod. Your door will be falling off all the time if you don't.


Our door slides from right to left (if you're in the bedroom and facing the living area). Will the rubber bumper mod still work? I don't think there would be anything to bump up against.
[/quote]

When you lock the door down for travel with the little strap, does the back of the door rest against anything?	Ours didn't and about 6 months after we had the 301BQ we found the door off the rail and the rail was bent. Did my best to straighten the rail and attached the 2x door stoppers....no longer a problem.
[/quote]
No, the back of the door is pointing toward the rear entry door. It's only partially covered at the top by the trim around the rail. If the trim was a bit longer, it might prevent the door from jumping the track.


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## bka4tcu

Congrats. What a great trailer. We are in ours as we speak at Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes Park, CO. Enjoy the trailer.


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## Traveling Tek

We found that the strap that locks the door in place stretches allowing the door to move. There is a stopper bolt up in the track, but the slider hit that the door keeps going, knocking the left side off constantly. I tightened the strap and that worked for about 400 miles then it fell off again. I put one screw in stopper in, but I forgot to the latch the door once and it ripped it right out of the wall. I currently have two stick on stoppers and they have worked great for the last 20,000 miles or more. I do have an issue with the plastic thing at the bottom of the door too. Was trying to come up with something better for that.


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