Brand new owners! Very lost. Routine help :)

[Sean]

Me and my fiance are 100 percent brand new to the rv life. We are travel nurses and will be on the road for a few years at least in our 2021 Keystone Montana 3791RD. We had the tech walk us through and we did video tape it, but wow, it was a lot to take in. So I suppose my question in a nutshell is, what is your basic routine from the moment you back your truck up and retract your hydraulics to hitch up to the moment you set up camp. I got really nervous about the idea of setting up camp and not doing something in the correct order when it came to anything electrical that should be hooked first, last, not at all lol also filling or draining the water tank. Everything to do with propane. I just don't want to fry anything electrically, flood anything and circulate bad smells, and or blow up anything by not having the proper order of a handy routine. Thanks in advance everyone!☺ also most likely every location we go to will be a full hookup lot

[Daryles]

This forum, Keystone Owners "HowTo's" and YouTube videos are great for learning most things

https://www.keystonerv.com/owners-how-to

If you are on Facebook, there are also Montana groups there.

Welcome to the forum and hope you make many happy memories.
Safe travels.

[NCFischers]

If you can, sign up for the fall rally taking place on September 9 through 16 in Goshen, Indiana. You will get a wealth of information and help with all your questions. Registration closes on the 14th so get signed up as soon as you can. If you want to call me, my number is 252-671-3591. If I don't answer, leave a voicemail and I'll call back.

[R.S.O'Donnell]

First I'd like to say Welcome!!!!

Others that have been doing this much longer than us will undoubtedly have more and better advice than I but here is ours:

We have a checklist inside the control panel door on dry erase board that we both follow together, and to the letter, before we do anything. My big suggestions is to make sure everything is clear of your slides before opening them and even closing them. Ours always have stuff under them after we get setup. You must be sure all of that has been removed before you bring the slides in. If you have a pet secure it before putting slides in or out. Also check that they are clear when putting them out. Be sure there us nothing behind the outer edges.

My other advice is after you get loaded and right before you put your truck in gear, do one last walk around with no distractions checking jacks, hatches, slides, awnings, power cord, hitch safety pin and anything else I'm not thinking of right now. I've seen too many awnings ripped off, hatch doors open and power cords (trailer light) being drug behind.

Most of all take your time. Doing anything regarding your RV is no time to be polite and rushed. True RVers won't rush you and any that do are not true RVers.

Most of all remember that we were all new at one time. One day you'll be smooth and confidant. It just takes time and practice.

[jjwhite368]

Chad & Tara have some great checklists for preparing to depart on their site https://changinglanesrv.com/. Go ahead and subscribe, most every Sunday evening they post new videos of either their travels or doing some maintenance/upgrade project. I have learned a lot (along with constantly checking this forum.

I will try and list out my order for set up, everybody has their own and I am sure others will say I am doing something wrong, but this is mine:

After unhooking from my TV (tow vehicle) and moving it out of the way, I initiated the auto level. Move the TV as most times the auto level will drop the front down all the way first. While the auto level is doing its thing, I hook up power. Make sure your 50 amp breaker is off BEFORE connecting. I also use a surge guard (highly recommended) between the power tower and my 50 amp cable.

After the rig is level and power on, we open up, pull out the steps. My wife then extends the slides and handles the interior.

I then hook up water (including our filters) and turn it on. Then I turn on one propane cylinder And check to make sure the selector valve is set to that tank. Then my wife turns on the hot water heater and checks the stove. I have my reasons for doing the propane this way and I can share them in a PM if interested.

Finally, I hook up sewer (if the site is so equipped). I usually leave the tank valves closed until I need to drain.

Everything else is optional. We usually don't tank water as we go to camp grounds, that way we save the weight.

I hope this helps...enjoy.

[DutchmenSport]

Actually, there are several variables involved with setting up "camp". It depends upon if you are just doing an over-night, or an extended stay. It also depends upon if you have electric, water, and sewage hook-ups or not, some or none. Also, the season of the year can make a difference, and actually, different campsites can make a difference too.

The very first thing you should do is attempt to get the trailer as level as possible (side to side) when parking. If that means putting boards or RV Lego blocks under the tires, the more level you start with easier your leveling jacks will work. So, always attempt to level side-to-side first.


The very next, second thing you should ALWAYS do, even if you are on a perfectly flat surface, is to chalk the tires. .... Always! Any surface, any kind of incline or flat parking space, always chalk the tires.

For me... third is to plug in the electricity, even before unhitching. I have a portable EMS that plugs into the campground shore power. Make sure when plugging anything in or out of the campground plug, the breaker on the box is "off". Once you plug in, then flip the breaker on. And when you unplug, turn the breaker off first, then unplug. This prevents arching on the tips of your camper plug, Arching will eventually ruin the plug.

Fourth, after getting plugged in, I THEN unplug the umbilical cord from the truck, unhitch and pull the truck forward. I always have boards under each Jack first (I always use lumber under each jack).

Fifth, I then hit the auto-level and let the trailer do the rest.

Sisth: Once the auto level system is finished, THEN open the doors and lower the Moryde Steps down and adjust to length. If you lower steps first, you run the risk of bending them, or the frame when the camper raises and lowers from self-leveling. Always change the height of the camper (raising and lowering), with the solid Moryde style steps in the UP position with the door closed, otherwise, you run the risk of bending them and damaging the door. They do not give at all.

Last ... in any order, you can deploy the slides, attach your water, sewer, and anything else.

Welcome to the forums, Congrats on your new Montana, and hope you have great success with many fantastic adventures as you travel around.

[Sean]

Thank you!

[Sean]

Awesome! I'm going to look into that for sure!

[Sean]

Thank you!!! Very helpful info!

[Sean]

Sorry guys, I thought I was thanking you individually hence the multiple posts at the bottom lol anyways, very helpful insight! Thank you very much. So one thing that stood out to me is making sure the breaker is shut off before plugging into the shore. Is there a switch on the outside of the unit that allows me to this, or do I go inside to the breaker box and switch the main to "off"?

[AZ Traveler]

Sean,

Welcome to the forum! Enjoy your new rig.

Download or copy one of the checklists and use it. Be patient and take it slow. Set reasonable timelines particularly early on. Do not let folks distract or push you when setting up or breaking down. We all started at some time and have survived.

Your rig is tall - always look for vertical things you can hit. Stop and look! Walk out routes in question.

If able, try to go west for work early on. The west is much more RV friendly than the east with wider roads, larger and more campsites and taller bridges.

[Richard Blackwell]

Switch at the power pole, for 50amp is usually a double tandem switch, for 30amp, a single switch...usually placed just above the plug(s).

[Sean]

Thanks again for all your help guys! So our rv will be sitting in my dad's front yard for just over two months. We liked the idea of staying in our rv until our next assignment but learned that you can't run air conditioning while being hooked up to a normal house outlet. Any tips or tricks around this? Can you truly not run any ac from a house outlet?

[Richard Blackwell]

Usually the answer is no...with exceptions...if you have two A/C's, try turning one completely off, then be sure you are plugged into a 30amp circuit breaker. If you have only 20amp or 15amp circuit breakers, you won't be able to run even one as the startup amps will exceed those and leave you with nothing. There is the possibility of having "soft start" equipment installed on your air conditioners which does help to keep that initial amp surge down lower...but not guaranteed. Look at the possibility of installing at least a 30amp circuit that you can plug the rig into to be safe.

[rames14]

Sean, you can buy a 30 amp to 15 amp Y on Amazon (or at RV store). You can then run a regular 15 amp extension cord to two different outlets (on different circuits). Without soft starts, you can then run one AC. With soft starts on the AC’s, you can run both.

We wrote a checklist and then had it laminated. One side for setting up and the other for breaking camp. As mentioned, the Fall rally will be a real boost to your learning curve. Imagine having the experts for an hour on every system in your unit to ask questions. Imagine having 300-400 people with the same lifestyle to ask questions. We have been in a Montana since 2004 and we still learn new things from our MOC family. Hope this helps.

[Daryles]

Originally Posted by Sean

Thanks again for all your help guys! So our rv will be sitting in my dad's front yard for just over two months. We liked the idea of staying in our rv until our next assignment but learned that you can't run air conditioning while being hooked up to a normal house outlet. Any tips or tricks around this? Can you truly not run any ac from a house outlet?

Yes, you can run one AC unit on a house receptacle (and that is ALL!!!). Best if is a 20A receptacle.
We bought an adapter to go from a house receptacle to a 30A adapter. Then a 30A to 50A adapter (very useful for Campgrounds that only have 30A). If you use an extension cord from the house make sure it is a 10 OR 12 GAUGE cord. Anything smaller will melt down (personal experience).
Later I installed a 50A 14-50r receptacle in a wall box with circuit breakers.

If possible try to get a 50A 14-50r receptacle with circuit breaker installed on the outside of the house. You will be glad you did. Just make sure the electrician knows what he is doing or he will fry your rig.

[DQDick]

What everyone has said is correct, make a checklist and follow it. Folks will come and try and be friendly when you come or go. Don't be afraid to be rude and tell them you'll come see them when you're done. Most mistakes and particularly the bad ones come from being interrupted setting up or taking down.

[Sean]

Thanks again guys and gals! So this might seem repetitive, but I just want to triple check the process. So it's possible to take the 50amp cord from our 5th wheel and then plug the male end into a 30amp female Y split and then connect a 15 amp 110 volt adapter to each end of the 30amp split. Then use a normal extension cord to connect each spit to two different 15amp outlets from my home. This in theory should give me roughly 30 amps of power to run at least one AC?

[rames14]

Yes, with one caveat. (Sorry, two.) First, make sure the outlets are on different circuits in the house. Second, as mentioned earlier, use a heavy duty (12 ga or higher) extension cord. I saw it on Changing Lanes on YouTube. It is a 50 amp to 30 amp Y with two 30 amp to 15 amp dogbones.

[Marilynd]

Welcome to the forum! Congratulations on your new rig!
You’ve come to the right place for information.
Safe travels!