Posted by: 250ex4now

Posted by: reconranger

Posted by: reconranger

Posted by: BAM2003

Posted by: katstoy

Posted by: katstoy

Posted by: katstoy

Posted by: katstoy

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Originally posted by: BAM2003
How is the quality of these trailiers? With the price being so much cheaper then others I was wondering if they were any good. Any information would be helpful. I live in Las Vegas so it is about a 3 hour drive to go and take a look at them.

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Posted by: katstoy

Posted by: katstoy

Posted by: katstoy

Posted by: katstoy

Posted by: katstoy

Posted by: katstoy

Posted by: katstoy

Quote

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Originally posted by: blown450
Whats up Katstoy, been awhile since we have spoke on here. I see there is another AF hauler owner. Man I love mine. . . . We have a trip planned with so far 9 hauler on the 2nd weekend in October to go to Ocotillo wells if anyone wants to join us, bring it on. we stay just past the store on the other side of the wash.


Hi Blown450! Just aired out the rig about 2 weeks ago. Still waiting for a new rear sproket for my Kawasaki though. As coinkydink would have it we are planning an Ocotillo run that weekend too. We usually camp near the airport on the other side of the ridge from Holmes camp. There's lots of easy ridges for the little ones to ride on, you have a straight view to blow sand (it's pretty cool to watch the headlights go up the hill at night, and it makes it easy to find camp on the way back) and it's in a nice, central area. The last two times (and only times) I've been there it got pretty windy. Have you had the wind issues? I'm wondering if the wind hits all of Ocotillo or just hte airport area as it is a wide open area.

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Posted by: blown450

Hello Funrdad I have a 21 ft. fcb model from American Freedom trailers. I have the same problem with the ladder. Other than that I am really happy with the trailer. Doug who runs the manufacturing end of the company in Riverside is a class act. I have had a few minor problems,and he has is really quick to fix it. There are a few of us on this forum which have purchased this rig. I looked for a long time before choosing american Freedom. The price was right and as far a construction they are built the same as all the competators. I toured the weekend warrior plant and the Thor plant , You are paying for the name. American Freedom has only been makin trailers for 2 years now so not alot of people have heard about them.Usabankrepos is the sole dealership that Doug uses, he and the owner of usabank repos are partners in the business. Like I said its a great trailer for the price sales them cheaper because they have very little overhead like the big manufactuers have.


American Freedom 21ft FCB
Chevy 2500 4 x 4 HD
440 ex
450 ex
500 predator
TTR 90
" shut up and ride it "

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Posted by: blown450

I can not seem to locate the number to the shop, but you can call the Riverside sales lot at 951 788-5546 and they will give it to you. The lot is like 2 miles from Dougs shop. If its minor repairs he will have it fixed in one day. The few times that I have had to take my trailer in I have taken it in on a Saturday morning and they have fixed what needed to be fixed first thing before they start working on the other trailers. So give Doug a call like a day before and let him know what is wrong and when you can drop it off.They are really quick to, I have never been ther more than an hour. I see you are from California, what part, Katstoy and myself are the only ones that I am aware of that have AF toy haulers. My family and buddies ride out in Joshua tree, Ocotillo wells, Hungry Valley. Keep me posted on your trailer and the trips and riding places.



21 ft A F toy hauler
400 ex
450 ex
500 predator tld
2500 chevy HD 4 x4 crew
TTR 90
2 dogs

" shut up and just ride it "

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Posted by: blown450

Reconranger, I have a 21 foot AF itss dry weight is 5000 lbs. I used to pull it with a chevy 1500 with the 5.3 liter in it with no problem. When I ordered mine I also got and additional 65 gallon water tank, it come with one 65 gallon. I haul 2 quads and 1 bike. and on weekend trips about half full of water. water weighs 8 lbs per gallon. I did some figurin and I am pullin about fully loaded about 6500-7000 depending also on the amount of beer I bring.I just bought a 2500 4 x 4 HD crew cab with the 8.1 liter. now I have all the truck in the world and to small of trailer. it works for us, its just my wife and 2 girls ( 3 & 8 ). I looked as well at the superlites and yes they are nice but i believe they are a tad heavier, also they where about 3000 more than what I paid. I got mine for out the door for 18200. I had them put on 2 halogen flood lights on my entry door side, diamond plate across the bottom and front, no tv, microwave, HD 5500 lb axles ( really look at that when you buy a hauler get the 5500 lb ) add a wall plus some other stuff. I have buddies that have WW and there biggest complaint is the customer service and the time it takes to get repairs done. I have had a few repairs done to mine and Doug one of the owners at the riverside plant where they make them is just a class act. I take it in and he has repaired it in a matter of about 1 hour. If its a few fixes he'll put 2 or 3 of his guys on it so he can send you on your way. If you decide to get a AF he doesnt have a problem with you poppin in to watch the progress on it being built either. Oh the website he uses is www.usabankrepos.com . They are the only sellers of his trailers. Happy huntin and keep in touch.



2500 HD 4 x4 crew cab
400 ex
450 ex
500 predator TLD
TTR 90
2 dogs
" shut up and ride it "

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Posted by: blown450

Hello BAM welocome to the forum, the quality of the AF trailer is good. Its really all about what you want in a trailer. The AF is a quality trailer at a good price,just not alot of people have heard of him because they are new to the toyhauler market. I have a 21 ft FCB It can sleep 8 comfortably. 2 queens in the back , 1 in front and both couches are fulls. I have a generator, pump station ( 26 gal. ) 130 gallons of water ( 2- 65 gal tanks ) microwave, ac, ect. for 18,200 . that price will almost double for alot of the name brands. Like I said it has nice interiors, good colors , structurally its built the same as all the others chassis are the same , Doug the owner of AF just does not have all that expensive overhead to pay for like the other name brands. He makes them in Riverside. He does'nt have a problem with people stopping by a checkin out his operation. I highly recommend this trailer especially for the price, he doesnt sacrifice the quality. I dont think it will be a wasted trip for you to come down a check them out. They will also customize your trailer with just about anything. They also have a choice of graphics and other stuff. Keep us posted on the progrees and any more questions you might have.


21 ft AF
2500 HD 4 x 4 crew cab
450 ex
400 ex
predator 500 TLD cross country edition
TTR 90

" shut up and ride it "

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Posted by: blown450

Funny Katstoy we are in the same boat as far as the big truck and smaller trailer. We had a half ton silverado when we got the 21 ft. Now we have 2500 HD 4 x 4 crew cab with the 8.1 liter and the allison trans. We went and looked this weekend just for kicks at the 2006's and man I would not trade mine in for any of them. although there is a really nice 2006 American Freedom at the Beaumont lot ,its 27 ft fully loaded except for a tv . with the same floor plan as my 21 ft with the bed in the front for 21,000 it has the new electric beds and it has the dinnete in it which I am going to talk to Doug about gettinn in mine. You said you like the change in your 17 ft right. Was there a charge for the dinnete.to be swapped. Also that 27 ft has some reallt wild red graphics, similar to weekednd warrior.

21 ft FCB AF
2500 HD 4 x 4 crew cab
450 ex
400 ex
500 predator TLD
TTR 90

" shut up and ride it "

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Posted by: blown450

We have another happy member to the AF toy hauler family he announced it on this forum LIFT350 bought the 27 ft. Just a little fyi. I have a 9 toy box party so far that is going to Buttercup dunes over the President s day holiday if any of you would like to join us come on down, plenty of kids to play with if you have kids and always plenty of good times. We are leaving on Friday the 17 and coming back on Monday.



2500 HD 4 x 4 crew cab lifted
21 ft AF toy box
blown 450 ex
400 ex
500 predator TLD cross country edition
TTR 90

" shut and ride it "

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Posted by: blown450

Buttercup is at the southern end of the imperial sand dune ( Glamis ) You take the 10 to the 86 towards brawley/ el centro and then take highway 8 and go past el centro. I forget what off ramp it is but you will see all the trailers and stuff. Its a blast. Dunes for ever. It takes us about 2 1/2 hours . There is usually a good crowd there, but nothing like Glamis. I like Ocotillo better ,mainly because it has a little of everthing , the place in Joshua tree is just like Ocotillo but not as big.



2500 HD 4 x 4 crew cab
blown 450 ex
400 ex
500 predator TLD cross country edition
TTR 90

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Posted by: blown450

Katstoy, To answer your question on location, my preferance is this place in Joshua tree. But half of the people that are going are from the Yuma AZ. area. And the person who is setting up this trip is one of the Az parties. A bunch of drama. I like Ocotillo because theres alot of differant terrain. This place in Joshua tree is just a little smaller than Ocotillo. And its only 1 hour from my house. Crowds suck though especially when you have little ones like I do as well as friends of mine to look after. I may just make up a little lie and go to Joshua tree or Ocotillo. It gets crowded at ocotillo as well but usually only at the dunes and some of the more popular hills. I have never been to Gordons, its by buttercup right . I'll keep ya posted as to where Our crew lands on Presidents day.

2500 HD 4 x 4 crew
blown450
400 ex
500 predator
TTR 90
21 ft AF toy box

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Posted by: blown450

Take the highway 62 towards Yucca and go thru the town of Joshua tree. Keep a look out for a highway patrol office on the right side, once you see it start looking for a street called SUNFAIR RD. you will turn LEFT. Go to BROADWAY and turn RIGHT go till pavement ends, continue on the rough and rutty road. The hills you see in front are all open riding area. Behind them there are several sand dunes and some good trail riding. You can camp anywhere along the lake bed or for that matter anywhere you want, I follow the road straight and you will see a road keep going straight ahead and up off the lake bed, its got a little home made track for the kids up that road . I have been going there for a couple of years now and have yet to see all of it. I have talked to people there that have been going there for 15 or 20 years, so the locals in the area go there alot. If you go let me know how it was. I am going there the 1-20 to 1-22 nice little weekend trip. As far as a checklist on the trailer lets see.
1. Fill Propane tanks; turn on and check for leaks, stove,hot water heater
2. Make sure fridge works. ( 24 hours to cool down to temperature )
3. fill water tanks, check for leaks
4. Put gas in fuel station make sure the pump works and test the generator. Your pump station is the generators fuel supply.
5. Make sure all lights work, outlets, fill sinks, check for leaks
6. Get locks for loading ramp.
7. Turn on water pump and pressurize line and check for leaks at the fawcets and connections.
8. Fire up the hot water heater, see if the fridge lights up

Just a little check list that I went through with mine because you hate to get somewhere with a new toy and somthing happen. Also because of the vibrations and bangin these rigs are put thru, every so often check the fittings that connect the hot/cold water lines to the fawcets, they sometimes work them selves loose and leak, That is a problem i had ONCE. I usually only pull like half a tank of water up there to Joshua Tree, why pull all the extra weight if you do not have to. Remember water and gas weigh 8 lbs per gallon. just a little FYI.Have fun and if there is something else i can help you with let me know. Maybe we will see you out there sometime.


2500 HD 4 x 4 crew
blown 450 ex
400 ex
500 predator TLD
TTR 90
21 ft AF toy box

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Posted by: blown450

Hello CAMPINMAMA, when I ordered my 21ft front bed they did not have the halogen lights on the porch side so I had them add 2 lights. Also the standard water tank is 65 gallons. I had them add another 65 gallon tank. Its so nice having all that water on those long trips. NO you can not order factory direct, Johnny at the Riverside lot is cool to work with, there really flexible with the thongs you can do with your trailer to. I orderd mine with no TV, or MIcro, really you can by one at Walmart cheaper and do it yourself. I also purchased my own Onin 5.0 generator,but I did have Doug at the factory run all the wiring to a junction box where the generator goes as well as the fuel lines from the pump station. You can save some money doing some things on your own, the markup is a little steep. for those 3 options. American Freedom trailers are a quality built unit at an awsome price, you won't regret that you bought it. let me know if you have any more questions and keep us posted on you trailer hunting.

21 ft AF toy box
2500 HD 4 x 4 crew cab
blown 450 ex
400 ex
500 predator TLD
TTR 90

" shut up and just ride it "

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Posted by: blown450

Whats up Katstoy, been awhile since we have spoke on here. I see there is another AF hauler owner. Man I love mine. I took mine in and had the flag graphic removed and Doug put the new 2007 tribal graphics on it. It looks like a new rig.To answer the other guys question about the battery.You wire it in series, Pos to one battery neg. to other battery and then run a jumper connecting the two.I have'nt seen a hauler yet that comes with instructions. Except for the appliances sometimes, if your lucky. If your having problems just ask us and we will help you out. We have a trip planned with so far 9 hauler on the 2nd weekend in October to go to Ocotillo wells if anyone wants to join us, bring it on. we stay just past the store on the other side of the wash. I sold my 400 ex and bought the new Susuki LTR-450. man what a rocket.That EFI is really responsive.Carburated bikes are a thing of the past in my opionion. Have fun with the new trailer GRHI, like I said if you get stuck on somthing let us know.I have had mine for 2 good years with no major problems. good luck, see ya in the sand.


2003 Chevy HD crew cab 8" lift
23 FCB AF hauler
2007 susuki LTR-450 ( white )
2005 honda 450 ex ( black )
raptor 50
TTR 90
Chest full of the cold ones

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Posted by: blown450

Ok lets word this in simple terms. You should have 2 wires out of the box.Red and black . take the red and put it on the positive ( + ) terminal and the black on the negative ( - ). On battery 1. Get some wire that that is the same guage as the wire coming out of the trailer. Then make a jumper from the positive and negative on battery 1 to the positive/ negative on battery 2. This is parallel . I may have told you series, my bad sorry.A word of advice, if there is gonna be some time between trips take the batterys off and put them in the garage or someplace out of the sun. It really drains them bad. Let me know if this helps you or if you have anyother questions about the toyhauler. See ya.

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Posted by: blown450

I have been very luck as far as the wind goes , I have had it kick up in the evenings on occasion, but the last few trips we have had little or no wind. That spot that you are talking about , I have been near there. It is cool at night to watch all the head lights. I am usually one of them on the hill.

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Posted by: blown450

Nice pic.now i see what you have. SINCE you have two sets NO you do not need to wire the batteries as I previously stated. You are already wired for two batteries. Red to positive and white to negative. and you are ready to go. I would go to an RV place and buy the battery boxes for the Trailers. They are usually white bottoms with a red lid and a strap that will wrap around the lid and under the frame of the trailer where the batteries are placed. they are like 8-10 bucks. Shoot me another e-mail if you get stuck. My trailer only had 1 set of wires when I bought mine. Two batteries are common. I battery wont last to long on a weekend trip. Did it come with a generator. If it did not you might want to pick one up.

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Posted by: blown450

WOW, sorry to her of the problems that you have encountered. But not that it matters i have a few people in our riding group that have the Weekend Warriors and the other big name brand haulers, and they to have issues similar to yours as well, I am not justifying it at all.They are all put together by a less than skilled workforce at all the facilities.When I first got mine I had a few issues.matter a fact I have to go today to Riverside and see when they can fix my leaky sink and replace the roof vent that blew off over the bed in the back.This is the second time that the sink has leaked.Alot of the issues are coused by the vibrations and beatings that these rigs take.I have gotten in the habit of tightening things before trips.It just gets a little old having to take it to the shop.at least they are quick in doing the repairs though. I have buddys with the name brand rigs, and there rigs are shacked up at at a repair place for weeks. At least factory direct service has its perks.I need to get mine ready before this weekend, because we have a trip plannned to Joshua Tree to break in a few new toys that we just bought. Maybe we can hook up and do some riding sometime. there are a couple of others on here with AF haulers and we have hooked up on a couple of trips together.




27 AF hauler
2003 Chevy HD 4x4 lifted crew cab
2007 susuki LTR 450 ( his )
2007 honda 450 ex ( hers )
2005 raptor 80 ( kids )
2005 TTR 90 ( KIDS )

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Posted by: blown450

Joshua Tree is awesome. A friend of a friend told us about it. We live in Banning , so for us its like 45 min drive. We used to a still do every once in awhile go to Ocotillo well and glamis. but for weekend trips or for the day , we go to Joshua tree. We call it coyote lake as do others that have been going to this place for years. Its the same terrain as Ocotillo.Washes,dunes,trails, and a flat dry lake to open your toys up on.Its really nice.You dont have the rif raf and the crowds . Take the 62 off the 10 freeway . The 62 is out by the windmills in palmsprings. You take the 62 and go through yucca and Joshua tree. You will go past the Highway patrol office just outside of town and turn left on Sunfair Rd. Take it to Broadway and go right. follow it till it turns into dirt and continue till you come to the lake bed. Pick a spot anywhere. We continue straight and if its not taken end up on this spot up off the lake bed a bit or we go way down to the left on the north end to stay away from the dust. If you plan a trip let me know and maybe we can hook up. There have been others on this forum that have went there and where really pleased with the terrain and riding.

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Posted by: blown450

AF trailers are manufactured in Riverside Ca. Some are sold under differant trailer names such as Sandstorm. I am On my second one.I outgrew my 23 ft. FCB.and just got the 28 ft front bed. Like all the manufactures, they are gonna have there initial little bugs in them. Its just somrthing we as consumers have to deal with unfortunetly.I had a buddy with a $ 50 K top of the line Weekend Warrior and on his first trip his trailer brakes locked on him due to faulty wiring and and one of the hinges for the back lift gate was broke. So really it comes with the territory. The biggest issue I have had so far is a leaky sink and the cold water line on the sink vibrated loose.not a big deal in my opinion.

2007 susuki ltr 450
honda 450 ex
raptor 80
ttr 90
rhino lifted
28 ft. AF hauler
chevy 4x4 crew cab

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Posted by: blown450

The white switch with red on it is for the HOT WATER HEATER ignition switch.When the hot water heater lights the light will go off.If the light ever comes on after it is lit that means the burner has gone out, maybe due to wind or lack of propane You should be able to hear it make a click ( thats the gas solenoid opening ) then hear the burner ignite.make sure you have water in the holding tanks before you attempt to do this.The timer switch YES is for the fuel pump. It will only operate when this timer is on.This prevents your gas from being stolen when you are not around.There is also a on/off switch at the pump itself under the trailer.It can stay on all the time. but somtimes, it is accidentally turned off at the factory. Hope this will help you, let me know if you need help with anything else.I am on my second AF hauler .


" SHUT UP AND JUST RIDE IT "

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Posted by: blown450

Yes ,,please keep us posted.Mine is gonna go into the shop asap due to the screws coming out of the wall where the couch screws into it.I have had mine for two years know and this is my first real big problem.

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Posted by: blown450

wOOOOW thats all I have to say. I am sorry to hear about the problems that you had.It makes for an interesting trip though. Let me address some off the issues you had and maybe give you a reasoning or an opinion. some of the issues are definetly a factory fix, like the blinds and maybe a bad hot water heater.

1. The issue with the regulator on the tanks is always an issue, mine works weather or not the little green indicator is working or not. Always remember that propane on these or any trailer moves slow through the lines. So when you turn it on it takes awhile to reach certain things. My hotwater heater had similar symtems but without the unsulation on fire. It was because my propane tank was about gone. You have to remeber that certain appliances require a minimum # of BTU's to stay running, that may have been the source of the problem for the hotwater heater always trying to lite . The loose fitting didnt help either.the copper line that runs to the hot water heater is exposed on the outside just below the heater, mine was crimped when I got my trailer.

2.Your brake issue sounds like you just need to adjust the brake controller.The controller should have a knob on it that you can increase or decrease the the amount of braking that ingauges on the trailer. When the trailer is hooked up take it for a spin and apply the brakes, obviously if its locking up , its to sensative, you need to back off the controller a bit.Keep adjusting it till you feel the the brakes ingauge. it is gonna take a few trys till you get the brakes dialed in.

3. As far as a fuse for the hot water heater I believe there is one on the main panel under the fridge as well.
4. As with most haulers space is a concern.except for the higher end models. The cabinet for the clothes is a bit small.That spot barely hold my stuff.the wife and kids just put there stuff in a suitcase.
4. As far as the generators go, I personally dont care for the generators that are in the trailers.I ordered mine without one due to the high markup fora generator.I went a bought a Honda EU 3000, it is really quiet.

5. the tread indention on the back lift gate is what I think you are talking about, I have the same problem on mine,although mine is barely noticeable.I dont have an answer for that one.

Hope you get the issues fixed soon and have a better trip next time.Keep us posted on the fixes and other issues, hopefully you dont have anymore. One more thing, due to the beatings theses rigs go thru and the vibrations I tighten all the srews and copper fittings like everyother trip or so.Thats just a habit I have, stuff is gonna work its way loose.Other that factory problems , we as consumers have to do routine maintenance on them to keep them working.Take care of it and it will take care of you, is my philosophy. good luck keep in touch.


Chevy crew cab 4x4
28 ft AF hauler
2007 susuki ltr 450
2005 honda 450 ex
2005 raptor 80
2005 ttr 90
2005 blue rhino

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Posted by: blown450

I am talking about the controller on the the truck.It should have some sort of adjustment on .so you can change the sensativity.I am assuming that you do have a controller for your trailer in the truck.you have to buy it and usually the trailer place will install it.

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Posted by: blown450

like i said it sounds like the controller is set to sensative or engauging to soon.The trailer brakes should just grab before the truck so that the trucks brakes are not absorbing all the load.It take a little doing to get them dialed in. Good luck.

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Posted by: aceisback

So, where does everybody stand since January on these American Freedom trailers? I had never heard of them until today while I was out scouring six different RV lots looking for some pre-owned toy haulers. Was very impressed with the initial price and after having gone through the majority of thier models I think my mind is made up. Had to come home and use the trusty old internet for information on them and am more impressed.

Here's my predicament, I only have a 2000 F150 Super Cab 4.6 to tow with. I have two Bombardier DS650's that will need to fit. Weight wise it looks like I may be able to go 19.5/20ft. Maybe even a 21ft. Is that correct from your experience? The price of one of these 2007 AF haulers is lower than a three or four yr old WW or Fun Runner.

Look forward to some insight as this will be our first toy hauler.

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Posted by: FUNRDAD

i just bought a sandstorm which is made by american freedom. it is same as the 17cb. has anyone who has this trailer had a problem with bunk ladder not fitting between the bottom fold out beds. the ladder i got is 12" wide but the space between the beds is only 10". if anyone has had this what did you do to fix it.

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Posted by: FUNRDAD

I don't know of any american freedom website. The only web site that I know of that you can see the trailors is usabankrepos.com

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Posted by: FUNRDAD

Well I fixed the ladder problem I went to Home Depot and bought two 8ft long 2x3's and 4ft long 1 1/4 inch wood dowel. I then cut the 2x3's to 66 inches, drilled four 1 1/8 inch holes in each 2x3, cut the dowel into 9 3/8 sections and hammered the dowels into the holes. It is very narrow ladder but in does the trick.
Does anyone have phone number that I could talk to Doug or someone at the factory? I am tired of waitng for the dealership I bought my trailer from to get the things they said they would make right done. From what I've heard everyone say about Doug I'm sure he'd fix my very minor problems.

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Posted by: FUNRDAD

I just took my AF 17cb out for the first time and I loved it. I have '01 Chevy silverado Z71 that is lifted w/ 35 inch tires, a K and N 77 series cold air induction system and a Hypertech programmer. The truck towed my trailer with no problem. It was loaded with 1 full sized quad, 2 kids quads, 1 crf 450 and 60 gallons of water. My next trip out will be to Ocotillo wells on Jan. 13-15.

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Posted by: lift350

were is Buttercup dunes? and thanks for the welcome.

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Posted by: lift350

blown 450 were is the place in joshua tree? my wife loves that area out there. i want to try to get out there this weekend. we are suppose to pick up the trailer friday. any tips on things we need to take with us? or things we need to do to trailer before we go?

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Posted by: campinmama

WOW, so glad I came upon this site, my husband and I saw the AF trailer today for the first time and really liked it but was nervous since we haven't heard of them before! We are looking at the 33 ft FW, nobody had anything to say about it. You said that you put in some special orders for your trailer, did you do that at USA bank repos or did you buy directly from the factory? The guy we spoke to at USA didn't seem that special orders were options, except for the 2nd bed in the back, or maybe the FW already came with most of those options or something....just wondering....any imput would be great....we have been looking for a trailer for a while and this one has really got my eye, just wanna make sure it is worth it....!

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Posted by: fourwheelnmama

I just happen to be on line searching for the new web site to AF and saw your post. We bought a 2006 17 foot Sandblaster in Julyof 05 and have nothing but big problems with it.
Our first run out we got pulled over when our running lights did not work, the handles fell off the cargo door. the kitchen sink leaked, the stove broke and a few other things. By Novembe it was back in the shop with propane reg valve issues and still have problems. The water intake valve broke and flooded the trailer. The toilet continually plugs.
The dealer has fixed them all. Don't get me wrong we love it as a first trailer but it has had more than it's share of issues, and yes our ladder does not fit. We moved it over so that it fits next to one sofa when in the sofa positon without the table.Text

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Posted by: fourwheelnmama

kind of good to hear. We have actually outgrown ours in just the year we have had it and are looking at numerous 07's now so we know what to get next year at the year end sales.
Going for a fifthwheel this time and at least 26 feet. Funny how we can tent it for 15 years, finally get a trailer and then outgrow it so quickly. I'll have to read more about joshua tree. Is this a great place to ride atv's?

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Posted by: fourwheelnmama

thanks for the info. It would be a long haul from Sacramento but maybe on a longer weekend we can plan for it. I'll keep the infor in my files.

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Posted by: fourwheelnmama

did you buy your AF 23ft forma local dealer? If so who?

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Posted by: fourwheelnmama

I wanted to update eveyone onthe situation with my AMerican Freedom Sandblaster Toyhauler. It is a piece of C@#$. I actually wrote AF back adn updated themonthe very very long list of continuing problems we have had and they basically told me that anything that is touched by a human has the chance to be imperfect and that I basically got what I paid for. This was from the operations manager. He said the one year warranty was up and the dealer had never once brought any of the issues to thier atteneiton and there was nothing they were going to do about it. I pulled it out of storage on Mothers Day to find the siding had started popping off. The walls were full fo leaves, bird feathers and bugs. Who knows how much rain water got in there as well. I don't know who was builidng this triler but whoever it was was either having a really bad day or was on something because the list of issues is just endlesss.
Has anyone looked at thier website lately? It talks about quality etc etc. Even thier link in this magazine talks about that.
Well I have not let this one go, I am considering legal action. Hell the Dealer is the one that told me it was a lemon last time I took in for repairs, on my dollar.
Don't buy from American Freedom. I am dumping this one as soon as I can.

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Posted by: fourwheelnmama

Where do I begin?
Our maiden voyage found us spending the first night in our trailer in the Yuba City Walmart parking lot. We were pulled over for having no running lights on the trailer. Nothing we seemed to do made them work. We ended up driving to our desitination during daylight hours. But that weekend the sink leaked, the stove broke and we had propane tank issues, the screen door fell apart and the handle fell off the cargo door. All of the blinds kept falling down and the strut on the rear bunk came off. We went to leave on Sunday only to find that the fuel pump in the truck had beenshorted out. Chevy still swears it was a surge from the trailer issue. That trip cost us over $700 in tow and repairs. We had to abandon the trailer in Lassen National Park and come back a week later to retrieve it. Drove it home to Sac, the dealer found the wriring so bad they could not beleive the trailer had not caught on fire.
Throughout the next year we continued to have propane regulator issues. It was replaced twice, we still have a bad tank. The rear vent handle came off and after it was fixed improperly it broke the first time we opend it,now I have a cracked vent. The blinds continue to fall down. the other handle on the cargo door came off. The city water valve input broke and flooded the trailer leaving water stains on the base of all of the paneling. The toilet has issues and continually clogs. The shelf in the shower was not caulked properly and has been leaking water behind the kitchen cabinets. The outdoor shower broke back behind the valves. All the handles and latches on the cabinets had to be repositioned as the cabinet doors tweeked everytime we opened them. The door on the water input has a striker that is too short and it will not stay closed. Any gust of wind blows it open right up against the refrigerator vent and it is melted. When we pulled it out of storage the siding had started popping off during the winter and the area behind the wall is now missing insulation, is full of leaves, dead bugs and bird feathers.
"Doug" whom everyone talks so highly of , said tough luck ,warranty expired, you get what youpay for. He also said that "They do take pride in thier workmanship and attention to detail while constructing the trailers however with anything built by humans there is always a chance for something to be forgotten or installed improperly, but for the price....."

I can understand that one or two items may go wrong but this is ridiculous. He states that my local dealer had never filed any warranty claims and therefore has no record of my problems.
I am now starting to sink moneyinto this thing that I don't want to. I just want it all fixed but they won't do a thing. I am so ready to dump it.

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Posted by: vmutt

Is it possible to get 4 quads, on the AF toy box?

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Posted by: grhi

I just bought an American Freedom FD221 Sand Blaster at an auction. It's brand new but doesn't have any user manuals on the trailer itself, just all the equipment like the generator, furnace, etc. Does anyone know where I can get any documentation? Or, to start, can someone tell me what the two pairs of wires that come out from the front of the trailer (between the propane tanks and the trailer itself) should be hooked up? I assume they need to be connected to a battery (or two), but I just want to make sure before I do this.

Thanks!

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Posted by: grhi

Thanks!!

Are the two batteries hooked together? If so, how? (Positive to negative or positive to positive?)

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Posted by: grhi

Okay,

Thanks again!

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Posted by: grhi

Thanks for the additional comments blown450!

We're planning on going to Sand Mountain the first weekend in October.

I'm still confused on the batteries and how they are hooked together. Shouldn't then be hooked together just like when you jump start a car? Positive to positive and negative to negative? (Or is that what you are saying?) This would keep the voltage at 12 volts as I think if they are connected negative to positive I would end up with 24 volts. (Or am I just totally messed up on all of this?)

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Posted by: grhi

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Sorry, I should have given more details in my initial email. Right now, I have no batteries installed. All that comes out of the trailer are two pairs of wires; each pair consists of one red wire and one white wire. I assume red is positive and white is negative. Here is a picture of what I have: http://www.autoplus.us/af/cabels.jpg . Now I placed the batteries on the racks and this is what it looks like: http://www.autoplus.us/af/batteries.jpg (I obviously will need to strap these down.)

I guess the first real question is do I even need to connect the batteries together or do I just need to connect the two pairs of wires to each battery and then I am good to go?


Thanks.

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Posted by: grhi

I'll get the battery boxes and then get things hooked up. It did come with a generator but I have yet to fire that up. I wanted to get the batteries first since I assume that is what powers the starter on the generator. I also need to put gas in it and get the propane tanks filled. One step at a time; just as long as I can get everything working before my October trip!

Thanks again!

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Posted by: grhi

I'm taking mine to Sand Mountain this weekend! Our first trip and I hope we don't run into any problems...

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Posted by: grhi

No, I bought it at an auction, but I am sure it came from a dealer. The paperwork is at the office, when I get back next week I'll look it up and let you know where it came from.

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Posted by: grhi

A quick couple of questions that I hope someone can reply to:

What is the white swith (with the red light) for that is directly below the sink in my AF trailer? (It saya "Atwood" on it which I assume is who makes the switch.)

What is the timer switch for that is below this switch? (Could this be for the gas pump??)

Thanks!

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Posted by: grhi

THANKS!!

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Posted by: grhi

fourwheelnmama,

Sorry for the delay. The dealer who purchased my trailer from AF was:

B&L RV
11 Quinta Ct.
Sacramento, CA 95823
http://www.bandlrv.com/

I'll follow up on our first trip. We ran into a few problems too that I really think should not have occured.

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Posted by: grhi

Okay,

I'll try and keep this short. We left last Friday and returned on Sunday. This was our first trip. Overall, the trailer is great, but we realized it has some shortcomings that I should have thought about prior to the purchase. My fault, not necessarily theirs. There is no storage space in the bathroom at all, so no place to store toothbrushes, combs, or even TP. The unit does not have a mirror anywhere, I guess this is to keep you from looking at yourself since you don't have a comb or brush in the bathroom. :-) There is limited storage space for clothes, but this has to be a limitation of most "toy haulers." There are some staples that seem to be pulling out of the wall in the bathroom, but I have not looked closely enough at this to determine if it is anything to worry about. One oddity which I think I would have noticed before, but it seems as if there are two areas on the outside of the tailgate that match the tread width of my ATV. I can't believe that this is due to riding these things in here two times only, but I can't really explain what else would have caused this. Anyway, those are the minor things. The real problems are as follows:

1) The brakes have issues. When I apply the brakes in the truck, on of the rear trailer brakes with grab much harder/faster than the others. In some instances it will lock the trailer wheel up causing the tire to stop spinning and produces a nice gray cloud of smoke. People in other vehicles seemed to give me strange looks when this occurred.

2) At our first rest stop, I noticed water dripping underneath the trailer. This seemed to be coming from a plumbing junction. I tightened a few hose clamps and this seemed to stop the leak.

3) When we got to our destination, I turned on the propane tanks and the regulator didn't seem to want to work. After messing around with them for about 20 minutes, I finally got the little green indicator to pop up on one of the tanks and decide we could switch tanks later if we used that one up.

4) When we first used the heater, it smoked and continually set off the fire alarm. My guess is that this was due to being new and never used before and that after about 15 - 20 minutes of use, this stopped smoking. It worked great the first night. The second night, not so great. It would act like it wanted to turn on, you could hear it clicking, but would not seemed not to want to light. I got nervous after hearing it trying to light several times and decide to turn it off altogether. I may have been overly paranoid about fire, but you will know why later on. We did get it working again the next morning, but it seemed to run very hot and again smoked a little. Not as bad as before, but enough to be annoying.

4) The generator worked great but seems to make a rattling noise when under load. It also seems (to me) to run pretty hot. The instruction decal inside the unit by the switches has all its edged curled in due to the heat. Maybe this is just a defect in the material used for the decal...

5) The hot water heater worked as per blown450 instructions. (Thanks again.) I turned it on and it sounds like it was working normally. For whatever reason, about 20 minutes later I decided to go around to the other side of the trailer to get something out of the storage compartment. When I got there there was an orange flickering light coming from behind the panel that goes over the hot water heater. I opened it up and found that the insulation material around the propane line was on fire and burning its way to the interior of the trailer. I hastily blew the fire out. I could not figure out why this had caught on fire (and was exceedingly lucky that I happened to go back there when I did) so I got a friend to come over an take a look. Unable to figure out what caused this we tried to re-light the heater with a butane lighter. Suddenly the thing lit, but it wasn't the heater, it was the propane line where the fitting attached to the unit itself. It seems the guys at the factory had not tightened the fitting properly and so it was leaking propane and that is what had cught on fire and then caused the insulation material to catch. I tightened it down and that stopped the leak. However, the hot water heater doesn't work anymore and I'm not sure why. None of the electrical wires or components were burned. The red light inside the trailer do not come on any longer now either. There is a fuse inside the heater panel, but it looks fine. Could there be another fuse someplace that I am not aware of??

So, I need to check a few things out. Other than that, it worked great! (The gas fill station is a great option that is really nice to have.) Hopefully I can get them fixed before our nest trip in November...

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Posted by: grhi

One more thing I just remembered, the blinds on the large window come down about 6 inches short of the bottom of the window. Nice oversight from the factory...

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Posted by: grhi

Thanks,

Regarding item #2, is this brake controller on the trailer or are you refering to the one in the truck?

Thanks again!

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Posted by: grhi

Yes, there is a controller in the truck, it was installed by the previous owner. I just wanted to make sure this is what you were talking about.

Thanks again!

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Posted by: cgeminitwinb

I'm noticing that you have an American Freedom hauler. My husband and I are checking out a lot of different types and were impressed with the AF for the same reason most are....the price. We are, however, a little concerned for a couple things. 1) its a fairly new hauler so don't have a lot of feedback about its quality. and 2) it only has a one year warranty, which every other type so far has had a warranty for the life of the loan(10-12yrs). How do you like yours? Any major problems? We have two small children and can't afford to get into a "money pit" on wheels. Please let me know.

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Posted by: cgeminitwinb

Thats good to know fourwheelmama. My husband and I are seriously considering buying an American Freedom. We're pretty hesitant (especially my hubby), so this is definately good info. Everyone else seems to like theirs so much, and except for minor probs. there has been positive feedback. Sorry for your troubles and please update us on whats going on with you.

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