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Old 06-09-2014, 12:28 AM   #1
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Aspen 2710bh

Hello all. Im new to this forum. And new to rv camping. Im hoping some of u can help guide me or provide me with important information about this particular trailer. I have not bought it yet. I don't own a rv. But am lookin to buy the aspen 2710bh. The salesman was talking like this is a excellent trailer. But I don't quite believe him he said it also has the new style material roof. Suppose to b way better. Bfore I pull the trigger n buy this thing...could I get some feedback on this particular trailer if anyone knows anything bout it. Its new from vuerinks in grand rapids mich.
btw..I own a 2013 Silverado crew cab 1500 z71 with factory electric brake controller. 3:42 gears.
Any info would be greatly appreciated. ...asap cuz im looking to buy this in the next few days or week.
Thanku all in advance. .
im excited yet scared at the same time. I read warranty issues n problems people have with rv's all the time.
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Old 06-18-2014, 03:03 AM   #2
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Hello,

I purchased a similar model, the 2811BHS over a month ago. I'm pulling it with a 2014 Ram 1500 w/ the 5.7L V8 using weight distro hitch and sway bar. The Aspen Trails have, to me, a very nice interior and traditional aluminum exterior. Kind of a budget exterior but near-premium interior. A notch below Kodiaks, but better than any others in this price range. I purchased mine from Bent's RV in LA, they are listed there for $15,995. 2014 DUTCHMAN ASPEN TRAIL 2811BHS | Bent's RV

Seemed like a really good deal. Good luck.
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Old 06-20-2014, 05:31 PM   #3
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Did you get it? Sorry for delay, wife and I have been on a 3 week trip in our Aspen Trail 1900 RB. We got it two years ago, use it often and have never had any issues yet. Replaced the crap china bomb tires with kumhos and all inside lights with LEDs. Everything else is original. We have camped in 0 degrees and over 100 with no issues.

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Old 06-20-2014, 06:15 PM   #4
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We own this model of TT that we bought new at the end of 2011. I'm not really sure what your questions are, but we have no major complaints about the trailer. Initially it did not come with a bathroom vent/fan which baffled me. I believe it was supposed to but for unknown reasons did not. I installed one myself. It also came with a spare tire that was not the same size the others; the dealer warrantied that. The curtain valences are annoying and I've pretty much ripped them off all the windows, they just get in the way and the shades are what is important. There some cheap feeling and lousy interior installation things like loose or missing screws, but my impression is that the RV industry as a whole is known for this so this is par for the course. I don't know anything about new roof material. Our's does not leak, even with the modifications of the fan and solar panels that I've put on. I used lots of DICOR! We love the separate bedroom with door. The bunk beds are nice and large, but it doesn't come with an easy way to access the top bunk. Our kids aren't old enough yet to use the top bunk, so we haven't had to come up with a solution yet. The couch bed is too small for anyone but a child or pet to use as a bed. Same with the dinnette. We do wish it had more interior storage cabinets and closets.
My opinion is that this is a light trailer for how long it is. It also rides low to the ground, we did an axle flip on it right away because we 100% boondock and primitive camp and I didn't want it dragging on the ground all the time. I would think your truck could handle it no problem. I wish I had more truck for it, my '04 Tundra (1st gen with the 4.7L engine) is just marginal for hauling it around.
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Old 06-24-2014, 03:55 AM   #5
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aspen 2710bh

Yep.. pulled the trigger and picked it up last Thursday. Nice but feels cheap. And ur rite...it does ride very low. Im afaid ill beak the waste tank tubes on the back. How did u raise it? Curious to kno cuz id like to raise mines too. Have not used it yet. Will be taking it to Tawas point camp ground next month july 16. I am brand new to travel trailering so theres a ton of info I dont kno. This is a first for me. No one in my family has ever owned a TT. Almost seems like alotta work tho. I still need to get all my hoses...Everything pretty much.
Anyway...just wanted some opinions on this trailer. Being I am bbrand new to this. And when I say brand new...I mean literly...wet behind the ears brand new. Thanks for the info guys n gals.
Btw...my brothers n sisters camp in tents in the national forest here in MI...so will also be dry camping too.
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Old 06-24-2014, 04:18 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by bowtech251 View Post
Yep.. pulled the trigger and picked it up last Thursday. Nice but feels cheap. And ur rite...it does ride very low. Im afaid ill beak the waste tank tubes on the back. How did u raise it? Curious to kno cuz id like to raise mines too. Have not used it yet. Will be taking it to Tawas point camp ground next month july 16. I am brand new to travel trailering so theres a ton of info I dont kno. This is a first for me. No one in my family has ever owned a TT. Almost seems like alotta work tho. I still need to get all my hoses...Everything pretty much.
Anyway...just wanted some opinions on this trailer. Being I am bbrand new to this. And when I say brand new...I mean literly...wet behind the ears brand new. Thanks for the info guys n gals.
Btw...my brothers n sisters camp in tents in the national forest here in MI...so will also be dry camping too.
Welcome to the forum.

You can gain some height by "flipping" the axles, in other words mounting the axles below the springs rather than over.

If you plan on doing a lot of dry camping you are going to want something that will keep your batteries topped up. Either solar or if you want to run your AC a generator. Batteries are impotqnt part of your system, they supply the power to start your DSI hot water heater, refridgerator, furnace and provide lights. One of the first upgrades alot of people do is to change from the 12V battery(s) to 2-6V golf cart batteries, this gives you about double the reserve power.

This is pretty much a learn as you go thing, so go out enjoy and figure out what you need to make it work for you and your family. What you take and where you store it will change from trip to trip, until you get your system down.
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Old 06-24-2014, 05:21 PM   #7
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Welcome, take a means of writing down a what we need, or to do list. That way when you come upon something you can ask questions here when you get back. Most important thing is to have a great time & remember all of us started out as newbies. If you haven't seen it get the DVD RV with Robin Williams. It will show you all kinds of things NOT to do RVing.
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Old 06-24-2014, 06:12 PM   #8
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Axle Flip on 2710BH

The axle flip lifted the TT about 4". I didn't actually measure before and after, but the following pics demonstrate it. If you look in the wheel well, you can see where the dividing line between the white and black colors is compared to the top of the wheels. It definitely makes for a big step in and out of the TT. We bring along a step stool to put under the fold out steps to help with that.

After


Before
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Old 06-24-2014, 07:16 PM   #9
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If you do flip the axles you should then flip the drums back down. Having them mounted upside down will effect their operation. They need to be mounted with the wiring down.
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Old 06-24-2014, 08:47 PM   #10
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Actually the axles aren't literally flipped. The axle is just removed and mounted below the springs rather than above them, as hddecker said. So alignment, brakes, camber, etc remains the same. The shop did mine though, I'm certainly not handy or motivated to do a job like that myself!

Here are some pics before the flip where the axle is mounted above the springs. I don't have an after pic, but you can imagine those U-bolts and other brackets flipped around the other way and the axle moved to below the springs. I believe they also have to weld a new component to the other side of the axles for the bracket to attach to. It was in the neighborhood of $400 for the dealer to do this.

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Old 06-24-2014, 08:52 PM   #11
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Im gonna look into it. Im a mechanic for a dealership. I have all the tools.thanks.ill post pics of my TT as soon as I get a chance. Rig looks nice. Im jelly.
And one more question.....when backing my TT up...I get all kinds of creaks and pops...is this normal for trailers? while turning....
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Old 06-24-2014, 08:55 PM   #12
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I have the equilizer hitch...1000 lb bars. I back rite up with the equilizer still on. Should I remove them bfore backing up?
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Old 06-24-2014, 09:37 PM   #13
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If you do flip the axles you should then flip the drums back down. Having them mounted upside down will effect their operation. They need to be mounted with the wiring down.
That should be wiring needs to be mounted not down. Leaving out one word sure makes a difference. Guess I should have worded it different. Drums need to be in same orientation as before flipping.
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Old 06-24-2014, 09:51 PM   #14
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Im gonna look into it. Im a mechanic for a dealership. I have all the tools.thanks.ill post pics of my TT as soon as I get a chance. Rig looks nice. Im jelly.
And one more question.....when backing my TT up...I get all kinds of creaks and pops...is this normal for trailers? while turning....
The sounds are pretty normal. My bars have grease ports at the insertion point in the hitch. I also occasionally grease the ball. This does cut down on the creaks and groans, but doesn't eliminate them. You've got moving metal parts under a lot of strain, so some noise is expected. I back up with my tension bars on, but I'll take the sway control components off if there will be tight turns.
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Old 06-25-2014, 12:43 AM   #15
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Thanku. Was kinda unsure bout backing up and turning. I just figure if I can turn that sharp forward. ..I can go backwards too. I dont have swaybars....should I get one or two? My equilizer seems to do pretty good...but every once in a while ill feel a slight sway if im behind a semi. Or is this normal? And how the heck do u put pics on here??
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Old 06-25-2014, 04:24 AM   #16
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Thanku. Was kinda unsure bout backing up and turning. I just figure if I can turn that sharp forward. ..I can go backwards too. I dont have swaybars....should I get one or two? My equilizer seems to do pretty good...but every once in a while ill feel a slight sway if im behind a semi. Or is this normal? And how the heck do u put pics on here??
Creaks and groans come from all sorts of things besides the hitch, you'll get it from just about any that is under stress like the spring shackles and saddles rubbing a bit.

I pulled an Airstream for years without any sway control and never had a problem, but an Airstream is a whole different animal when it comes to towing. Crosswinds don't have the same effect on a Stream.

If you do go to a sway control, go with a dual cam system if it can be adapted to your hitch. The dual will add a couple more creaks and groans, but they work better than a friction sway control. If I remeber correctly you don't have to disconnect the dual cam set up to back up.
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Old 06-25-2014, 11:32 AM   #17
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This place is a wealth of knowledge. I thank each and every person who has input for me....now and in the future....as I will have lots of questions to ask. Anyhow...pulled my TT only twice....once from dealer to home (bout 30min drive) and another 20 min to store at my buddies house. I have never pulled anything this big before in my life....and boy does it feel different. Kinda makes me nervous when on the road with this thing. I just do 55-60 on the highway. It's 70 mph here in MI. People are giving me dirty looks as they pass..... the look that says..." c'mon dumbass...why u so slow? Ur holding us up!" But I dont care...I still drive slow n cautious.
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Old 06-25-2014, 12:01 PM   #18
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I was rereading my post from yesterday, which apparently I can't edit after a day, and I should have said my HITCH has grease ports at the insertion point for the bars. Anyway...
55-60 mph is a good speed, that's all I do in my truck either. The trailer will feel even heavier when you've got that sucker loaded up with gear and water. Just take it easy and accept that the slow speeds are part of the travel trailer experience. Along with 9 mpg fuel efficiency.
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Old 06-25-2014, 04:25 PM   #19
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This place is a wealth of knowledge. I thank each and every person who has input for me....now and in the future....as I will have lots of questions to ask. Anyhow...pulled my TT only twice....once from dealer to home (bout 30min drive) and another 20 min to store at my buddies house. I have never pulled anything this big before in my life....and boy does it feel different. Kinda makes me nervous when on the road with this thing. I just do 55-60 on the highway. It's 70 mph here in MI. People are giving me dirty looks as they pass..... the look that says..." c'mon dumbass...why u so slow? Ur holding us up!" But I dont care...I still drive slow n cautious.
There is nothing wrong with driving at the pace you feel safe and comfortable. Too many people get themselves in trouble by driving too fast for the road and traffic conditions.

I usually sit at about 60-62 and keep between at least a 5 second gap between me and the vehicle in front.

Showing a little courtesy goes a long way when your dragging a brick around. I pay just about as much attention to what's in my mirror as what's out front and try to stay out of everyones way. Nothing gets other drivers hackles up faster than jumping over to the passing lane and the not going. Don't know how many times I seen that but man you can see the little whiffs of smoke going out of the ears of the guy that got cut off.

You will pick up the pace a little as you gain experience and confidence, just remember drive to your and your TVs abilities and you will be fine.
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Old 06-25-2014, 08:18 PM   #20
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I usually tow in the 60-65 mph range. Just as a side note trailer tires (ST) are only rated to 65 mph. With my Airstream it was easy to get above 70 mph without realizing it on flat ground or slight downhills.

I use the right hand lane, if anyone wants to go faster they can go around.

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