2018 Voltage 3705

[Badger-DUTCH]

Hello, I'm so glad I found this forum. We recently purchased a 2018 Voltage 3705 toy hauler. Doing some minor upgrades, getting it cleaned up and figuring it all out before we go full time this fall. Looking forward to learning all I can about our new home.

 

[persistent]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[dsol]

Badger, suggest you take a good look at the suspension and tires. Leaf springs that Lippert supplied are cheap, Chinese steel that flatten out and no longer support the trailer and the hangers are thin metal that will elongate and can break. Those of us with two axle trailers as opposed to the three axle trailers are especially vulnerable as each axle supports significantly more weight than the three axle trailers.

You are especially vulnerable if you carry toys in the garage—probably less so if you don’t.

Some of us have replaced components and ditched the factory stuff.

And the oem tires are cheap China bombs. There are very few options you will have for replacement in the quality range because your tires require such a high load rating but Goodyear has a brand called Endurance that are pricier than most but made in USA and seem to hold up.

Good luck.

 

[Badger-DUTCH]

Thanks for the info. This was one of my concerns recently when I was under there to mount a biker bar to secure my Harley. I saw that the metal was thin and quite corroded for only being a few years old. The previous owners only had kennels for their two dogs in the garage. Can you by chance give me a little bit of info on the replacement? This RV thing is new to me. I have some repair skills, mostly limited by lack of proper tools and equipment. The other confusing thing to me is where to get parts and if I'm unable to make repairs myself, who and where to go. From everything I read, the dealerships all take forever to get into and/or they do shoddy work. I do have one place in town that does rv work and I'm going to discuss some of my issues with him shortly. My recent mistake was overfilling my battery and it boiled over. Cleaned everything up, got it to the right levels, hooked it up and plugged it in. It charged up but died shortly thereafter. I'm researching batteries now. Can you tell me specs to look for in shopping for springs and brackets? Again, thanks for the info.

 

[persistent]

Suspension Parts

There are lots of on-line sources for suspension parts. Here is a good company for all kinds of trailer parts. They have experts and are willing to give good advice.

https://www.etrailer.com/trailer-suspension

 

[persistent]

RV 12 Volt System.

Here is a good source for RV battery information.

Battery University https://batteryuniversity.com/articles

How does the Lead Acid Battery Work?
https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-201-how-does-the-lead-acid-battery-work

How do battery chargers work
https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-401-how-do-battery-chargers-work

How to Charge and When to Charge?
https://batteryuniversity.com/article/bu-415-how-to-charge-and-when-to-charge

 

[Badger-DUTCH]

Awesome, thank you Persistant. I have to call e-trailer today actually regarding the slide toppers I just put on. I will do a little research on suspensions first in case I have more questions for them. There was a problem with the shipping of my slide toppers and they were on top of it and seem to have some pretty good customer service. Again, thanks for the info.

 

[Badger-DUTCH]

Can either of you tell me if this Moryde came stock or if it was aftermarket?

 

[dsol]

That was stock and I replaced. In my situation they were not sufficient for my trailer. Probably not designed for the loads that they have to handle in this application. Too bad because they likely would give a better ride than otherwise.

I got my Leaf Springs from a manufacturer called Triangle based in Fontana, CA.

https://www.triangleusa.com/

I had them installed with new hangers (shackles) and hardware at a place in north county San Diego that another member mentioned. They are a truck and trailer suspension shop so this was right in their wheel house. Mine are 7 leaf and they even make 8 leafs. I was told the 8 leaf would be too harsh by the installer and a couple of years later I am still great.

Etrailer does not carry them.

I would encourage you to buy from the installer so if there is an issue they will stand behind them. Let the installer size them for you too. Might cost a little more but in my opinion you don’t want to skimp on suspension, tires and brakes on a 16k lb trailer.

 

[dsol]

And batteries you might consider AGM as they are sealed and tend to last longer. More pricey but no maintenance.

Regardless if you run your generator monthly for an hour or so with a load on it (air conditioner , microwave, etc.)then you will be topping off batteries AND giving your generator the exercise it needs to perform best.

 

[llokensmi]

Hello, I'm so glad I found this forum. We recently purchased a 2018 Voltage 3705 toy hauler. Doing some minor upgrades, getting it cleaned up and figuring it all out before we go full time this fall. Looking forward to learning all I can about our new home.

I have an older 2016 Dutchman E-Series 3605 voltage. I believe your RV has a glass door on your garage judging by the picture you provided. If you have a name or company that installs them I would appreciate it very much. My RV toy hauler only has a retractable screen.

 

[harleyfrank]

Have a biker bar myself. Have not installed it yet, let me know how it go's. Really do not want to leave the base plate on floor all the time, tripping hazard, thinking of welding an angle iron on between the frame with the nuts tacked on so I just have 2 holes in floor! Let me know how you install your's, good luck !!!

 

[RV Dave]

We are fulltime in a 2014 V3605. No toys the garage is laundry coffee craft area. I read this and other forums and am always checking our Home top to bottom. On advice from a forum I looked at my shackles. One stock set was broken and the spring was riding on the frame. I had them replaced with larger aftermarket shackles. This year I replaced the FLATENED springs with 3500 lb, 7leaf springs, Dexter solid equalizers and HD shackle kit with wet bolts. I also upgraded to disc brakes. Be careful backing up though. I was backing into a site up a little rutty hill on a gravel road. The area was tight and I was not to jack knife but pretty tightly turned. Trailer was creeking and moaning and truck was pushing pretty hard. After saying sorry we cant get in we left and eased away and to an easier site. I checked and had bent the welded to the frame spring/equalizer brackets on the passenger side. A repair shop fixed it and we are back on the road. Keep an eye on all aspects of your rigs

 

[Ponderer]

360Dave, that's a helpful lesson, thank you for sharing. I'll definitely be present when my new to me 2011 Voltage 3900 arrives at my reserved spot, from the dealership. I'm a newbie and don't have a tow vehicle yet. So much to learn.