Cardinal RV Club

Something else to check is to make sure the factory warranty and the extended warranty will be honored by Forest River. It seems to me that I remember reading somewhere that the factory warranty was only valid with the original purchaser. Forest River could have changed that by now.

Claude & Carole,

Welcome to club. Hope you'll find that TV before the Jackson rally next spring, You'll meet lost of great folks.
You can't go wrong meeting with Don! He's a super guy and he looks like Santa to boot.
Bill

Hi again Claude & Carole, you don't say where your "bird" is, or I missed it. If you have it at a campground, definitely plug it it. Or at home, plug it in. (it keeps batteries charged up if nothing else) At home: if nothing is on try the air conditioner, probably blow your house fuse, but see if it cycles. After that try microwave (not with ac), run your slides in and out. And finally the refrig. (Remember it takes 24 hrs just to get the fridge cold. The freezer will get cold way before the fridge. Check all the lights, majority of them are 12 volts, but do cost money. Not sure if they are under warrenty or not. Last, hook up a water hose and check water system. Even it a RV service tech comes out, he will want to do all of the above. Check your guage.s for black/grey/gally tanks. Make sure there is no surprise waiting for you. We can go on & on, but don't want to overwhelm you "yet". Oh yes turn on propane and see if fridge works on gas, should be button at top of fridge. May have to "bleed" air out. Just light burners on the top of stove for a little while. Chance to see if stove works at same time. Check oven after get air out of system. Can also check water heater to see if it works on gas. (Just be sure before using electric heater, that tank has water in it) ((switch is usually outside in water heater area)) Only takes a second to burn electic element out if there is now water in the tank. Red switch in house is for gas. This should keep you busy for 10 minutes or so. Let me know when your done, and we'll do some other items. Good luck. John

Yet another question...

Our Cardinal 37RL has a GVWR of 15,500. Does this mean I have to get a non-commercial Class A license in California. how much hassle is that??

Can you place jacks on the sides to minimize rocking when in the park?

After I buy the truck, what recommendations regarding type of 5th wheel hitch to have installed in the truck? Any brand names, types, etc.??? Really do not know what to look for.

Hi Claude,

Claude&Carole wrote:Yet another question...

Our Cardinal 37RL has a GVWR of 15,500. Does this mean I have to get a non-commercial Class A license in California. how much hassle is that??

The message is a reply from a member who is a retired law enforcement officer to a previous question on a similar issue.

Re: RV Drivers License
by tschmalz » Mon Oct 11, 2010 8:43 am

California already has an RV license requirement on the books but like a lot of the laws, it is not actively enforced. Thank God!

So the answer to your question is yes but most people don't get the license!

Jacks for stability in a Campground.

Yes you can use jacks. Once you get the trailer level then make sure you get them under the frame. There are two types of jacks you can use. Here is a link to Camping World that shows them.

http://www.campingworld.com/search/inde ... y=1&Ntpc=1

You can buy them locally at RV dealerships or Auto Parts stores as well.

Hitch to Purchase -

There are several brands to choose from but you were originally talking about a short bed truck so if you do get the short bed truck you neer to get a slider hitch. The weight of your trailer is going to require that you purchase at least a 16k hitch but I would strongly suggest 18,000 lb hitch and suggest you also look at a 20,000 lb hitchand if there is not much differnce in the price going with th 20k hitch. Also you want a hitch that has both forward and side to side movement. There are also hitches that have air ride systems. Trailer Saver and Air Safe both have them.

The are some of the brands Reese, Pullrite. Drawtite, RBW Husky and Valley.

Good Luck in your choices

Don

Thanks again for all the info. We are learning so much. Very grateful for this website. Claude

The freezers are frosting up and the refrigerators have excessive condensation. Any suggestions?? Really clueless here.

I don't know your situation, but, we leave the fridge on all camping season with lots of frozen foods & a few bottles of frozen water. Ours too started to frost up on the back of the freezer. I just scraped the build up off and all was well.

A couple of members have used a internal fan to better control the temperture and set the cooling level at four.

Don

Tks Don....I left that little fact out.....we also use that extra fan in the fridge....yes, I helps.

We also use a small fan in the fridge and it works well. We leave the fridge on all year as we winter in our Bird for 5 months. As for the hitch, we have a Pullrite slider that works very well. We have a short bed pickup and have not had any problems at all. The hitch may seem a little expensive, but well worth the cost and peace of mind.

Okay, another dumb question... how do you put a fan inside the refrigerator? Still clueless here.

Hi Claude,

These fans are small battery operated fans. I have taken the description of one and pasted it below and also included the link so you can check out what they look like and see the types available

Circulate air inside your fridge to reduce food spoilage.
Battery-operated fan cuts initial cool-down time by 50%. Helps maintain more consistent temperature inside refrigerator compartment. Runs over 30 days on 2 D cell batteries (sold separately). Also works in ice box or ice chest, dropping cooler temperature up to 25%. Convenient on/off switch. Not for use in freezer compartment. 3 1/2"H x 2 3/4"W x 2 1/2"D.

http://www.campingworld.com/search/inde ... y=1&Ntpc=1

Don