Coleman Lantern :: 2016 Coleman/Dutchman 274 BHS - Dutchmen Owners
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Dutchmen Owners > Dutchmen RV Owner's Community Forums > Dutchmen Owners Registry
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Coleman Lantern
jthendersonphd jthendersonphd is offline
New Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Leesburg
Posts: 8
Registry
RV Name Coleman Lantern
Year 2016
Make Coleman/Dutchman
Model 274 BHS
Length 27'
2016 Coleman/Dutchman 274 BHS
Basic Info No slides, full bath, oven, queen bed - perfect for a retired single guy.
Exterior
Fluorescent white and yellow racing stripes were added to the street side when I misjudged clearance two separate times at gas pump islands.

The usable awning length was reduced 2' when I misjudged clearance to a parked semi trailer.

Added backup camera to rear bumper with RF cable running the entire length to a wifi antenna under the propane cover. Still troubleshooting installation, but works great when the rig is parked.

Added security cameras 2 per side hardwired to a DVR controller in laundry room which connects to a 20" flatscreen in living area. Whole system is capable of 12v operation and hard drive stores 1 month of images.

Interior
Removed bunk beds to create Laundry room with plenty of full sized hanger space. Washer (LG combo wash/dry) is located on other side of wall from tub/shower, so hot/cold/drain connections were simple. Installing 110v outlet, not so simple. Living within 30A limit is challenging, but only blew the main breaker once so far.

Installed shelves in the bedroom "closets" and removed clothes rods.

Customizations
Sound system: 1000 watt Crown Amplifier under dining table seat, bedroom and living area speakers plus subwoofer under couch. 30 channel graphic equalizer plus 2 channel compressor/limiter for those pesky movies which are either too soft or too loud. Preamp, speaker selector w/ constant impedance and bluetooth converter round things out. (I used to do professional sound reinforcement which is why I blew a small fortune on a system that can never be fully utilized in a typical trailer park. Looking for a used generator for boondocking...)

The laundry room also has a hydroponic gardening setup for growing hot peppers. This is "in progress" but I have some Carolina Reaper seeds ready to go.

Renovations and Repairs
While installing washer/dryer discovered a leaking PEX connection on cold water side of water heater. Heater is under the foot end of bunk beds only accessible through a panel at the end of the under bed storage. This would have eventually be discovered when the floor rotted through, since I don't winterize the unit (full timer based in Florida).

Installed fan in exhaust tower of fridge since at ambient temps over 90 (half the year in Florida) efficiency was so low that ice cubes had problems freezing. Interior fan really helps temp distribution and recovery - highly recommended. Replaced controller board, as the original wouldn't switch to AC... (neither would the second until I found out how to do a reset. DUH! Now I have a spare, lol.)

The propane reg wouldn't switch over right, nor would its replacement or the other replacement in a different brand. Actually, don't like the auto switchover idea, since when the gas runs out, you are stuck. A couple of nipples, a tee and a simple regulator later, when the gas runs out I close that tank off, open the other and put the empty in the pickup truck. Never run out of gas that way.

Tow Vehicle
The Chevy Colorado is the "small" pickup in the line. It dwarfed my S10 (previous "small" pickup). No bells and whistles to speak of, just the trailer package and a Leer cap on the back. Since the 27' Coleman is rated at 7000 lbs max, the 7000 lb towing capacity seemed to fit. At 300 h, the 6 cyl engine spends a lot of time in the higher RPM range, so I limit the speed to 45-55 mph. Going from Florida to Kentucky last year: 1.) It made it there and back (thankfully I did spend $$$ for a good 10,000 lb rated anti-sway, load leveling hitch!) 2.) Overall MPG was 9.8, and 3.) I only passed one vehicle the whole way, and it was sporting 4 way flashers...

Favorite Camping Destinations
Only been on one trip. Heartland campgrounds in Campbellsville, KY. Since Amazon paid for the FU, I suppose it was OK, though WiFi never worked, phone signal was horrible and OTA TV was limited to but one station. PBS has a way of turning major news into a boring affair.

I like my home base in Florida, Dukes Landing in Fruitland Park. I am surrounded by Lake Griffin on three sides, have a 12' momma alligator living 5 feet off the back bumper that says hello when I come and go, Mrrrf, mrrrrf. A family of bunny rabbits lives next to the alligator nest. I guess the alligator stays well fed from the numerous bass in the lake. Plus I am less than 100 miles from either the ocean or the gulf, or Disney etc.
Comments: 0 / Views: 1617
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Dutchmen RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT. The time now is 09:37 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2020 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.
×