Our plan is to have a few "shakedown" trips locally and then travel from Oregon to Florida starting in the fall of this year. We are planning to have 2 6v batteries with 2 solar panels for extra power added upon delivery as we might be doing some boondocking but will mostly be staying in state/federal parks with hook-ups.

It looks like the plastic faucets should be upgraded, including the shower head. The pocket door looks like it also needs to be reinforced.  Along with tightening anything loose do you have any recommendations on things that should be replaced and/or modification for a long cross county travel?

Also anything that we should know pros/cons for long term use of this trailer.

We appreciate any guidance or advise you might have. 

Derek & Angela

Congratulations! We've had a 192 since late October of last year, did 5 trips so far, the longest 10 nights, a total of over 5k miles driven. Love the RV! Same setup, 2 6v batteries, one 100w panel. Of the 25 nights we only connected to shore power for 5 days, the rest was boon docking, no power issues at all, the sun topped of the batteries (west coast like you) and the truck charged it when driving. I upgraded the plastick shower head, faucet in the bathroom (low and unusable). Did a lot of cosmetic stuff but happy with it as is.

Jonathan

Nice choice with the 192.  Good memories await and fun times as well.  The battery set up you have will be more than sufficient.  For 10 years we have had 2 12v group size 24 batteries that have served us well - we usually boondock so they get used a lot and we don't have solar or generator either.  Regardless we easily get 3 days out of each battery when night temps are in the 40's or upper 30's.  Important not to let batteries drain below 60% S.O.C or 12.2 volts before swapping out to the other battery.  I would imagine in your case it would be the same 12.2 volts but you would be reading the cumulative for both batteries.

One thing FR has not changed since we purchased our 177 10 years ago is the mattress.  Just replace it and save yourself a lot of grief.  After 3 sleeps (more comfortable sleeping on the ground than the mattress!) it was replaced with an 8" Eurotop mattress.  Ten years later and still just as firm and comfortable as the day it was placed in the 177. 

Not knowing what your TV is you will want to invest in either a friction / anti-sway bar or wdh for better handling.  Our 177 fully loaded with a full FW tank (located behind axle) comes in at just under 2900 lbs and for 8 years was towed by either an '08 or '13 Explorer using a simple $ 50 Curt anti-sway bar.  For the past 2 years we have utilized a newer F-150 and still use that same 10 year old anti-sway bar.  With over 36,000 miles logged in, many of them in the Rockies - no issues or problems.  Enjoy your 192 as you travel this great blessed land of ours.

I forgot to mention that we will be using a WDH with sway control. Our TV is a Hyundai Sante Fe with 5000lb capacity.   We will definitely take the mattress suggestion into consideration. Do you have to buy a special RV mattress or will any queen size mattress work?

Our Sonoma, another FR product, is substantially similar in layout and weight to your 192.  Our TV has a 7800 lbs. capacity and I wouldn't feel safe with anything less.  In fact, we killed our Dakota towing the new trailer.  The Dakota had, like your Santa Fe, had a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.  It was not exactly a great experience having to buy a new truck 500 miles from home just to be able to return.  

It wouldn't hurt, just to be on the safe side, to talk you a Hyundai dealer about your particular vehicle's towing and weight capacity and tell them you plan to tow a trailer that approaches 5000 lbs.  I don't think they'd say it's a good idea.  And if they do, ask them to put it in writing.  Same for your rPod dealer.  Ask him/her to put in writing that your Santa Fe can handle the GVWR of the 192.  You'll see her/him run out the door to get away, yelling that aliens have landed in the parking lot.

Unfortunately, too many trailer dealers tell people that they can tow with seriously inadequate vehicles because they want to sell trailers and if you have to rebuild your transmission or have an accident, they'll deny ever saying anything about whether your vehicle had the needed towing capacity.

Be careful about calculating your weight capacity in your Santa Fe.  You need to look at the CGVWR (Combined Gross Vehicle Weight Rating - the absolute limit for your vehicle and towing load), not the payload.  The payload rating is for a vehicle filled with gasoline, passengers, and their stuff.  It's not an add on to the towing capacity.  

There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on this board who advise not to tow at or near your TV's capacity.  Most will tell you to have a 1000 lb. margin of error between your load and your capacity.  They speak from experience.  No one here want to see this end badly for you or your family.

Pedwards that is exactly our plan, worse case we trade up the TV if we find it's not working. 

Thanks for all the feedback, we certainly appreciate it.