The major players in the Dallas area were all there like Blue Compass, United RV, McClains, Holiday World, and Vogt. NIRV center was also there with their motorhome lineup.

I noticed nothing really new or innovative since the last show with the exception of the bathrooms going back to a normal size. A few years ago, it seemed like huge bathrooms were the “In” thing. That’s unrealistic in my view. No one lives in their bathroom.

The sale prices/discounts seemed decent, but not as decent as in September’s 2025 show. This show was smaller than last September’s show with fewer manufacturers, even though they touted it as the largest show of the year.

The long and the short is that we didn’t see anything that blew our socks off.

One thing I found strange was that is that Grand Design didn’t have an Imagine 2970RL on the lot.  That really surprised us as it is a really popular model. The rest of their lineup was really nothing to write home about, putting it mildly. Obviously, with what has gone on with Grand Design in the last few years, that is a brand I would stay away from. That is just my opinion.

When we got home, I decided to look at their 2970RL Imagine online, and wow, they’ve made some changes to it.  They have moved the pantry from next to the TV. It has been moved to the wall that borders the bathroom. That reduced that other counter as a result, which had two long drawers and overhead cabinets. Where the pantry used to be had now been replaced with long space for the Televator TV. That also took away a lot of cabinet storage. This is a huge reduction in storage compared to our old Imagine 2950RL. This newer floor plan has no appeal to me. Remember, you’re probably never going to ask yourself, “why do we have so much storage?”. My opinion is that they just ruined a very nice floorplan.

Alliance Delta was at the show.  They had a nice mix of trailers. We saw our salesman from last year, Chipper, a great guy and he was having a good sales day. On a side note –   It looks like quite a few of the manufacturers are moving to the interior colors that we first saw in the Delta.

Then there were the folks in the exhibitors section:

It was a Carnival atmosphere in the Exhibitors section.  Folks shouting out to you to look at their merchandise. It wasn’t always like this.  My recommendation is to change the atmosphere of that. No one wants to be called out like they are at a carnival. If they want your product they’ll seek you out.

I did stop and talk to the Flex Armor roof folks because at some point I’m not going to want to scale my RV anymore to do roof cleaning and maintenance.  That won’t happen anytime soon, but it will happen at some point. Other than that, we just kept moving.

There may be another RV show at the same location in September, that will be the Southwest RV supershow.  I don’t know this for certain, but it seems likely.

If that show takes place, it will be made up of Texas RV dealers.  Last year it was huge, and that’s where we found the Delta 294RK. An RV show is almost always a good time. Even if you are not in the market, it’s a fun afternoon.

You don’t need a supershow to get a deal on an RV, you just need to do your research and then negotiate.  If you are uncomfortable negotiating, then you will spend a lot more money than you need to.

If we are not camping during the next show in September, I will check it out and let you know what might be new and exciting, or old and boring.

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The complicating factor is Eva. If it was just Tammy and I camping, and it was regular thunderstorms not severe), that would not be a big problem. Eva, however, hates thunder and needs to be in the storm room at home in order to feel safe. It’s quieter in there. If you have watched my videos or read my blog, you know how I feel about Eva, or any of the shepherds we have had. They are family members.

A travel trailer, as you all know, is a loud place during a storm. My job as Eva’s dad is to keep her as less stressed as possible during storms. It is sometimes a very hard job. We spent one night recently sleeping in the storm room. Needless to say, a travel trailer in a thunderstorm is no place for Eva.

As a result, we have cancelled our travel plans for the 12-17 of April at Mother Neff state park and moved it out to early June. The forecast for the original dates shows thunderstorms almost every day. On the 12th, thunderstorms are almost 100% likely. After that, every day is about 60%. Well, that’s a spoiler for sure.

Before I decided to simply move the trip to June, I tried to find another location in Texas where I could avoid the storms. I would need to drive almost to Marfa to dodge the storms. Or I could drive to Roswell, New Mexico. Both are longer drives than I want to take at this point. Although I am pretty certain we will be back in Marfa late this fall.

There are some folks that would suggest just drugging Eva. I really would like to avoid that at all costs. This is why we leave the neighborhood around July 4th. I’d rather drive four hours to avoid the fireworks than sit in the storm room with Eva all night.

I actually have a neighbor who posted a year or so ago, “We are looking forward to neighborhood fireworks…so drug your pups early.” They don’t own dogs. (FYI, fireworks in our neighborhood are technically illegal, though no one enforces it.) That comment really got under my skin. If your child was scared of thunderstorms or fireworks, would your first thought really be “Where’s the NyQuil?” Hopefully not. I’m not trying to be judgmental, but it feels like a very self-focused way of thinking—without much awareness of how stressful these things can be for others.

Dog owners know what I am talking about. I told my vet once, when my dog is sick, I feel sick. Her happiness is very important to me. So, we will happily postpone camping in storms to keep Eva happy. If we are in the middle of a trip and it happens, we just have to live with that. In this case it was avoidable.

Here’s hoping that every dog owner has a camping trip free from storms.

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Let’s quickly talk about how these numbers are calculated. The percentage increases or decreases are a result of comparing shipments from February 2026 to February 2025. And keep this in mind—2025 was already a weak year for the RV industry.

Now here’s where things really stand.

All towable RV categories are now in double-digit negative territory. The only exception is truck campers, which are up 3.6%—but even that is down from last month.

• Travel trailers: down 14.5%
• Fifth wheels: down 13.1%
• Pop-up campers: down 18.7%
• Truck campers: up 3.6%

There’s no way to sugarcoat it—February was a rough month.

And looking ahead, I expect things to get even worse before they get better. Rising fuel prices will likely impact next month’s numbers even more. Add in high interest rates and ongoing quality complaints across the industry, and you’ve got a combination that’s hard to overcome.

If you think it’s not that bad, take a look at what’s already happening—Winnebago Industries and Thor Industries have both started laying off workers.

Even before fuel prices became a bigger issue, this was already a buyers’ market. These new numbers just confirm that reality.  Are you serious about buying right now?  This would be the time to do it.

What About Motorhomes?

The motorhome side tells a slightly different story—for now:

• Class A: down 1.8% They have been struggling for over a year.
• Class B: up 17.2%
• Class C: up 24.8%

But don’t read too much into that yet. Motorhome sales volumes are relatively low—often under 1,000 units per month—so it’ll take a few more months of data to see a clear trend. I predict they will all be in negative territory shortly.

What This Means for Buyers

If you’re in the market for a towable RV, you’ve got leverage—real leverage.

Dealers know what’s happening. Inventory is building. Shipments are dropping. This is exactly the kind of environment where strong negotiation can save you serious money.

Final Thoughts

I’m usually pretty good at reading where the market is headed—but right now, there’s not much guesswork involved.

The trend is clear.

One last thing worth noting: once again, the CEO of the RV Industry Association had nothing to say about shipments. That’s unusual—and it probably tells you everything you need to know about how these numbers are being viewed inside the industry.

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Having owned both a Grand Design Imagine and now an Alliance Delta, I’ve had the opportunity to compare these trailers where it really counts: real-world use. However, when shopping for a travel trailer, most reviews focus on floorplans, features, and first impressions. In reality, what really matters after purchase is the punch list—the issues that show up during ownership. Therefore, how do I measure the Alliance Delta vs Grand Design Imagine? To answer this, let’s compare the punch list I had with Grand Design in 2017 to what I’ve experienced so far with Alliance.

To begin with, let’s break it down.

Punch List: Grand Design Imagine (Entire Warranty Period)

During the course of the warranty period, here’s a summary of the issues experienced:

• Leveling jack failure
• Decal issues
• Entrance door sticking (causing paint wear on upper left door jamb)
• Screen door alignment problems with the main entrance door
• Deadbolt not fully engaging
• Kitchen cabinet alignment needed
• Exterior storage door binding
• Slide foam gasket missing (visible gap to ground)
• Improperly installed/broken slide screw (This later became part of a major recall.)
• Slide wipe seal twisted/warped
• Cosmetic issue on front cap
• Misaligned drip rails
• AC gaskets not tightened
• Electrical short behind recliners
• Ceiling panel bubbling
• Defective front cap lights
• Ultimately a major roof issue (“roof fiasco”)

Takeaway

Overall, the Imagine had a long and varied punch list, including:

• Structural concerns (roof)
• Electrical issues
• Fit and finish problems
• Hardware failures

Therefore, these issues point to quality control inconsistencies during manufacturing.

Punch List: Alliance Delta (Early Ownership, Still under warranty)

Now, lets look at what has come up so far with the Delta:

• Slide cable fraying
• Dump handles hard to pull
• Interior slide trim damage from sticker removal.
• Loose backsplash
• Outdoor satellite connection not working
• Toilet gasket leak (antifreeze found)
• Roof quality (not exceptional, but typical for industry)
• Wrinkled/misaligned exterior decals

However, to be fair, the Imagine list reflects a full warranty period. In contrast, the Delta is still early in ownership—but even at this stage, the difference in severity and frequency is noticeable.

Takeaway – Alliance Delta vs Grand Design Imagine

The Delta’s issues are more limited in scope and severity, and so far, fall into:

• Minor fit and finish
• Component usability (dump handles)
• Isolated hardware issues
• Satellite coax line severed (factory installation issue)

Side-by-Side Comparison

1. Volume of Issues

• Imagine: Extensive list across multiple systems
• Delta: Shorter, more focused list

Therefore, clear advantage: Alliance Delta

2. Severity of Problems

• Imagine:
  • Missing slide gasket
  • Electrical short that caused multiple outlets to lose power.
  • Roof failure and AC gasket
  • Recall-related slide issue
• Delta:
  • Mostly cosmetic. However, the exception being the slide cable fraying and the satellite coax cut in half.
  • A leak (toilet gasket), but easily explainable and fixable.

Therefore, clear advantage: Alliance Delta

3. Structural & Build Concerns

• Imagine: A major electrical short, Slide recall, ultimate roof issues, AC gaskets never tightened raise big manufacturing red flags.
• Delta: The roof is not great from a quality perspective.  The slide cable being improperly installed and the satellite coax being severed and then hidden in the bundle raises quality control concerns.

Therefore, slight advantage: Alliance Delta

4. Fit & Finish

• Imagine:
  • Door alignment issues
  • Cabinet adjustments
  • Ceiling panel bubbling
  • Exterior door alignment problems
• Delta:
  • Backsplash loose.
  • Wood facia damage caused by decal removal.
  • Wrinkled informational decals on exterior of trailer (black tank sticker etc.)

The number of fit and finish items of both units is pretty comparable. However, the Delta issues are more minor and isolated.

Therefore, clear advantage: Alliance Delta

5. Electrical & System Reliability

• Imagine: Electrical short behind recliners
• Delta: Satellite connection issue only – The Delta’s issue is isolated to a non-critical system, unlike the Imagine’s electrical failure that affected core functionality and is a huge safety related issue.

Therefore, clear advantage: Alliance Delta

6. Customer Support

In addition, customer support is another area where these two brands differ significantly.

• Alliance Delta: Support is handled primarily through email. In other words, you cannot immediately connect with a live representative. Responses are promised within 48 hours of receiving the email.
• Grand Design Imagine: Customers can speak directly with a live representative right away.

As a result, the difference in responsiveness is substantial. For example, being able to immediately talk through an issue can save time, reduce frustration, and help diagnose problems faster.

In contrast, waiting up to 48 hours for a response can slow down troubleshooting and extend downtime. This approach will not meet expectations for owners who need real-time support while on the road.

Therefore, clear advantage: Grand Design

Real-World Owner Perspective

Here’s the honest takeaway:

• The Imagine delivered a great ownership experience overall. However, it required significant warranty attention, including at least one major issue.
• The Alliance Delta, so far, feels more dialed in from the factory, with issues that are:
  • Easier to fix
  • Less intrusive
  • Less concerning long-term (with the exception of the roof, perhaps.)

Final Verdict

If you judge strictly by punch list experience:

Alliance Delta comes out ahead. However, keep in mind I still have 8 months left on the Delta’s warranty. We will revisit this if anything changes.

The Alliance comes out ahead right now, not because it’s perfect, but because:

• Fewer issues
• Less severe problems
• No major system failures (so far)

That’s exactly what most RV owners are looking for—less time in the shop, more time camping.

Finally, as many of you know, I loved our Grand Design Imagine. After the initial punch list items (and Roof issue) were resolved, it really was trouble free. There will always be things that fail after the warranty period (like schwintek slide motors). Don’t fool yourself into thinking otherwise.

We had almost nine wonderful years crisscrossing the country in out 2950RL. That says something about the overall build quality back in early 2017.

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There are definitely things you need to think about before you decide that Satellite TV might be great to have in your RV.  Let’s talk briefly through some considerations:

1. Do you have a Direct or Dish satellite service already at home?  This will be the only economical way to have it in the trailer unless your full timers and that is your primary home service. For instance, if you already have dish at home, then your monthly charge to add a Wally to your rig is $5.00/month per receiver.  You can also pause your Dish receiver and stop paying while you store your unit. You can also suspend your service with DirecTV as well for up to 9 months.  DIRECTV is $7.00/month per receiver if you already have it at home.
2. What satellite dish manufacturer will you choose? – This matters because satellite dishes may be exclusive to a TV service provider.  In other words, a satellite might only work for a single provider like Dish or Direct TV. This prevents you from choosing a new provider without buying a new satellite dish.  Our satellite dish works for three different providers., Dish, Direct TV, and Bell.  We started with a Direct TV contract and now have been with Dish for many years.
3. Where are you planning on mounting the dish.  Portable vs fixed location. You need a clear view of the southern or southwestern sky.  If you mount it on your roof, trees and poor orientation toward the southern sky will likely prevent you from always getting satellite TV.
   
4. Are you planning on using satellite tv on more than one TV in your rig?  Some satellite dishes only have one input, others have two.  You might save money by buying a one port satellite, but if you have a second tv that won’t work. You might think you can use a splitter, but that won’t work, at least not with Dish. However, you could buy a second dish, and there goes your savings. It’s much better to pay a little more for a two-port satellite.
5. Auto find vs. Aiming your dish.  Some require manual pointing other will auto find the satellite – sort of.  More about that in a minute.
6. Local channels are a different animal.  Local channels like CBS, NBC, ABC, and local FOX, are only available in your zip code. I actually got my local channels outside my home area code, but I never got them outside of Texas. When I leave Texas, I no longer get my local channels.  Then we use air tv for local channels.  There is a nasty work around for calling and updating your zip code, but it will screw things up at home. That is due to recordings being different in the new zip code than ones you have programmed in your home zip code.
7. Get frustrated easily? There’s a lot of things to remember if you’re having issues.  If you get frustrated easily, this may not be for you.
8. Support from either of these companies (Dish/DirecTV) is not great. I can’t tell you how many different stories I’ve gotten regarding the same technical issues. I’ve had – and you will have them too, if my experience is normal.
9. You will need to refresh your signal if you don’t use your satellite every 2 weeks.  That is done via the dish outdoors section of mydish.app.

Alright so that’s the considerations part of the discussion.  Now lets talk about the reality of hooking up the dish.

First let’s talk about the location of the power inserter if you’re using a Winegard antenna.

The max amount of coax from the power inserter cannot exceed 50’.  Why is this important?  Because if you plug the power inserter at your tv location, the coax from there to your satellite tv connection in your storage area will add to the 50’ maximum and you will not get a satellite connection. That’s why I connect at the outdoor storage location.  Now you can plug in at the tv and then use a 25’ cable at the satellite tv connection in storage.  However, that will limit your flexibility for finding a good clear sky.

Once you have the satellite connected it is just a matter of aiming it fairly correctly to begin with.  Even auto find satellite features like the G2+ require a pretty close approximation of aiming. There are apps to help you aim your dish. There is an App called “Dish Align”. If you have DirecTV, or Dish, you can use this app to aim your satellite dish.

Then it’s time to go fire up the power inserter and go in your trailer. If you don’t get a signal to begin with, lets talk about possible issues.

1. You haven’t used your satellite dish in two weeks. Then you need to access your app or call your tv provider and have them refresh your signal. This is true for Dish, but I have no idea if DirecTV is the same situation. Once you get a refresh of your signal, you should wait 15 minutes before proceeding.
2. If you don’t have your satellite aimed correctly, you will not get any cannels at all either. You may get a message that tells you that you have “Complete loss of signal”. Just make sure you have a nice open view of the south/south western sky.
3. In the case of Dish, if you only get channels on one satellite (110 or 119) but both satellites are checked as being received then the Wally has locked onto only one satellite. You must unplug the Walley, wait a few minutes, and then reconnect and start over.
4. I typically go to the Wally menu to check system switches, if I have an issue. Do that through the Wally menu on the TV by pressing the little house icon on the Dish remote three times. That takes you to the diagnostic scree. Now scroll down to “Dish” on the bottom of the left side and press enter. Now scroll to the top right of the screen and highlight the Test Installation button and press enter. The Dish will now look for satellites again. This process can take at least five minutes to run. When it is finished it will list received satellite signals with a blue checkmark.

If you don’t get any satellites, then it’s back to the drawing board. Check your cable connections. Make sure your power inserter is plugged in and turned on (you should see four green lights if you hooked it up correctly). Then ensure you aimed your dish correctly and keep it free of obstructions.

If you continue to struggle you can call your outdoor service provider and get some support. However, the support I’ve had has been less than stellar. You might get lucky, and they do try to help, but sometimes they don’t seem to understand the basics.

Now for the sake of argument let’s pretend that you have satellite TV working and you want to use the second TV. If you only have one connection at the dish, you will need to disconnect the Wally from your current tv and move it to the second TV. If you have a second connection at the dish for a second Wally in your trailer you will need to do the following.

1. Start up the new wally.
2. Run the test installation procedure on the second Wally. Your primary satellite TV will be unaffected while you do this.

After that runs, it picks up the channels from the satellite that provides the primary TV’s current programming. The primary satellite TV can only read one satellite at a time. So, let’s say you turn to channel 39 and that is on satellite 110. The outdoor Wally can only use channels on 110 and cannot switch to any channels on the other satellite (in my case 119).

If you want to watch channel 40 and it happens to be on satellite 119, then you need to change the inside TV to channel 40, go back outside and run the test installation procedure again to pick up those channels. Confused? Just think of the indoor primary Wally TV as being the brains of the system. The outdoor second Wally is dependent on the primary Wally for programming.

Although this sounds like a lot of work, you can get the outside TV online in just eight minutes after you finish setting up inside.

Remember not all campgrounds are satellite friendly. Trees and other obstructions (like close neighboring trailers) will prevent you from getting a signal. In some cases when there are obstructions you may only pick up one satellite. Then you will need to decide if maybe air tv is a better choice for that stay.

I said this may not be for you if you get frustrated easily, and now you know why.

It’s really nice to have on longer stays at a campground. It may not be worth going through all of this for a two-night stay but that would be your call. We really like having it.

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This is the topic no one wants to think about, but we need to talk about it! A fire can start anytime in an RV – while it’s on the road or just sitting in a campground.

National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA) reports that approximately 2,000 RV fires occur each year.  They also stated that it takes 30 seconds for the fire to burn out of control.  That’s hardly enough time for me to throw tammy through the window and grab Eva.

From 2018 to 2020, these fires resulted in an estimated 15 deaths, and 125 injuries.

It’s interesting to note that some insurance companies put the number of RV fires at 4,000 fires each year.

Here’s just a few recent examples:

April 2025 Shades of Sherwood Campground in Minneola Township, in MN. A cigarette discarded in a campground caused several travel trailers to start on fire and burn to the ground.

Sept 2025 (SC): Acapulco Campground on Lake Murray in Lexington County, SC. Fire destroyed six travel trailers, a vehicle, and a shed. One person was airlifted to the Augusta Burn Center.

Nov 2025 (Kansas City, KS): 11 campers destroyed at a Camping World lot. (there was another camping world a year earlier that also had several campers burn to the ground).

Dec 2025 (TN):  Fire destroyed at least two, and damaged up to four more RVs, displacing several residents just before Christmas. The blaze likely started from an electrical malfunction in one camper, spreading rapidly due to close proximity. No injuries were reported.

December 2025 Chico California – 2 rvs destroyed at a campground.

Jan 2026 (MO): Tall Pines campground saw a camper fully involved in fire. No one was at the camper at the time. 

Let’s talk about how fires can take place:

In route fires:

Mechanical or electrical failures cause roughly 75% of the highway vehicle fires.  This is why I have said multiple times to check your wiring under the trailer, and resolve any internal electrical issues immediately.

Many of these fires while in route were due to poorly adjusted brakes or overheated bearings or electric wiring shorting out.  So, at rest stops get out and check your wheels, I use an infrared heat gun.  My TPMS will also alert me of a temperature rise.

Propane fires can also happen during travel, which is why some states have laws regulation the use of propane while towing your trailer.  We won’t get into if you should or should not travel with your propane fridge running.

I now have a 12-volt fridge so I am a little insulated from the discussion but I always felt uncomfortable with the propane fridge even at the campgrounds, because we do leave Eva in the Travel trailer on occasion.  That being said the propane fridge has a much better track record than the 12 volt at this point, from a mechanical standpoint, not fire standpoint.

Speaking of floor children, it you have pets consider placing a pet sticker on your door or window. Someone may break into your trailer and save your pet in an emergency.

Regularly check your Propane fittings, hoses, and detectors.

Fires while camping:

Never leave appliances or fireplaces/space heaters, or fans running when unattended.

Do not overload any circuit by using power strips or extension cords. Many people plug portable heaters into power-strips that are not rated for that type of current draw, causing the wires to melt. Always plug directly into an outlet and remember not to overload the capacity because more than likely, there are other items running on that same circuit.

On my Imagine, one of the first tec’s said to me that he was surprised how many of the outlets were on one circuit.

Don’t store anything flammable near your cooking surfaces.  Paper towels, napkins, cooking oils, towels, are just an accident waiting to happen.

Keep your outdoor appliances, grills, griddles, torches, lanterns etc. at a safe distance from your RV.  You would be surprised at how many fires have started that way.

Precautions

Make sure your shore power cord is in good condition.

Invest in an EMS system, like progressive industries PT50X or PT30X – it will protect your trailer from power surges and it will provide over/under voltage, open grounds, open neutral and reverse polarity protection.

Make sure your CO2 detector, propane leak alarm, and all smoke detectors work. These will save your life.

Buy at least one extra fire extinguisher. The small ones that come with your travel trailer are probably woefully undersized. Having one in each room is a better, safer practice.  Check them regularly to keep them fully charged and within their expiration date.

Understand how your emergency exit windows operate and how to get out in a hurry. It is probably a good idea to conduct a fire drill.

Have an exit plan for each area of the Travel Trailer. These fires spread quickly, there is no time to come up with a plan once the fire starts.

Know your exact location when you camp, so you can give this info to the emergency dispatcher in the event of a fire.

During the year:

Stay up to date on any recalls. For example, in the last few years there have been recalls on Propane Regulators, Wiring, Refrigerator wire shorts, and fires behind Convection Microwaves. These are not recalls to ignore.

Maintain your mechanical items like brakes and wheel bearings.

Also do the preventative maintenance on your AC Units, Furnace, Water Heater, and Refrigerator. If something doesn’t seem like it is running correctly get it checked out and repaired.

In the event of a fire:

If it is a small fire that you can easily extinguish without placing yourself in danger, then use your fire extinguisher. For any other situation, immediately leave the RV.  Once you have exited, do not re-enter.

Call 911 and give them your exact location. If other RVs are close to you alert them so they can evacuate as well.

In conclusion: This isn’t a pleasant topic and not one I write to instill any fear, just precaution. Your odds of a fire are might be small, and even smaller yet if you keep the above in mind.

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Now, not being able to open the tailgate when hooked up is not a showstopper. However, it makes things much harder at places like the dump station when I’m hauling the poop wagon. Lifting supplies over the tailgate is a pain. Secondarily, it is nice to be able to get things in and out of the truck easily when we arrive at our campsite. I can’t do that when I am unable to open the tailgate.

Obviously, there are some options available. The easiest way would be to have a mounting plate that has the versatility to rotate on the A-frame. The second approach is to allow the power head to be unbolted from the drive shaft, rotated, and then re-bolted into new holes.

The Bastion doesn’t allow for either of those two options. So, what you could do with the Bastion jack is drill a new hole, or two, in the baseplate. Or you could swivel it “as-is,” and then it will be at a weird, back-facing angle. This is because the holes won’t allow for 90-degree mounting. I did see one owner who completely tore the Bastion power head apart in order to reorient it. This involved a lot of work, like removing gears and drilling. That did not interest me.

I don’t think the 3500 lb Bastion is a great jack to begin with. It is by far the slowest jack I have ever had.

Since I had great luck with the Furrion power jack on my last trailer, that’s the option I chose. If you remember from a previous post years ago, I did turn the head on the Furrion. Back then, Furrion supplied additional holes for moving the head, but they needed to be tapped. Running a tap in the unit was not a big deal, but you did need to make sure you didn’t let metal shavings fall into the unit.

The good news is that since 2024, Furrion has threaded the spare holes.

Once the new Lippert jack arrived, I removed the head bolts, turned the head 90 degrees, and reinserted the bolts. Due to a massive storm coming through North Texas, I had to wait a few days before I could get back to the replacement.

Once the yard dried out, Eva and I continued working on the replacement. I cut all power to the Delta and turned off the 12-volt switch. As an extra precaution, I disconnected the batteries. Next, I jacked up the front of the trailer and placed a safety jack on each side of the A-frame.

I had raised the Bastion about two inches off the ground before I cut the power. This was so I could remove the baseplate before removing the jack.

Next, I removed the power wire from the junction box under the trailer, unbolted the jack, and lifted it up and off the A-frame. One thing that was quite apparent was the lightweight nature of the Bastion tongue jack compared to the Lippert. The Bastion is much, much lighter. I think that speaks to the better quality of the Lippert model.

Next, it was simply a matter of reversing the steps to put the new tongue jack onto the A-frame. The hardest part of this job was running the new power wire through the plastic conduit into the junction box. That took about fifteen minutes. If that had gone smoothly, I would estimate this job as a thirty-minute project.

Well, everything worked perfectly, and I no longer have my tailgate blues—and that’s a good thing!

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I’m going to start by saying that on a satisfaction scale of 1–10, I’m at about an 8 for the Delta 294RK. I think that’s pretty good for a new travel trailer. HOWEVER — keep in mind I still have eight months remaining on my warranty.

Today, I thought I’d go through what Alliance did really well and where things were less than stellar. Keep in mind there are always going to be issues with a new rig.

So, let’s dig into it.

What Alliance Did Correctly

• Azdel construction — one less thing to worry about
• PEX plumbing
• Solid-surface countertops
• Really great interior design
• Windows all the way around the trailer — a huge improvement over the GD Imagine
• Slides are the Exact Slide system and a rack-and-pinion slide — much better alternatives to the Schwintek slide system
• Storage — more than you could ever want
• A great open floor plan
• Decent-sized bathroom and bedroom
• Dimmer on the living room light and sensible lighting throughout the trailer
• It really seems like this trailer had a lot of thought put into it from a livability standpoint

I can’t think of anything they really missed from an amenity standpoint.

Where Alliance Fell Short

Some of these issues only apply to our unit, while others seem more widespread.

• The factory cut the satellite wire for the outdoor TV in half, then taped it into the bundle with the rest of the wiring. This was fixed under warranty.
• The Bastion tongue jack is, frankly, cheap. It could have come with a Lippert tongue jack with a rotating head. I suspect the price difference to Alliance would have been about $25. Any Ram owner who wants to lower their tailgate won’t be happy with the Bastion.
• The roof leaves a lot to be desired — like most manufacturers.
• The endless number of stickers in the trailer caused issues, not just for me but for other Delta owners as well.
• The 7-way power cord is far too long. I had to make several loops under the A-frame and fasten it to the trailer. Alliance could easily remedy this during the wiring phase.
• The pantry door cannot open completely due to the position of the slide. This makes accessing the power center and converter difficult if an issue arises.
• The Furrion 12-volt refrigerator may be a short- and long-term concern. If power is lost while it’s turned off and then restored, it will likely restart without you knowing. That has happened to me. The long-term reliability of these 12-volt units is still somewhat unknown, and they don’t have the best track record.
• The Delta has three outdoor shower hookups. It’s hard to imagine why anyone would need three, and it makes winterizing more complicated. In addition, the port fittings are very cheap. I would recommend a single, higher-quality connection.
• The countertop backsplash not being properly glued to the wall is a common complaint, and we experienced it as well.
• Bad toilet seal — not a big deal.
• The dump handles should be much stronger. They are probably the flimsiest we’ve ever had, although they do work.

Lastly, I want to give a shout-out to Tim, probably the best RV technician I’ve ever dealt with at a dealership. As you can imagine, I don’t trust many people with my trailers, but Tim is the exception. He’s just as concerned about getting things right as I am, and that’s a rarity.

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Here are the tools you will need to do this project. A wall Bracket, A 2” Hole Saw, and A 2” Desk Grommet.

First off, let’s talk about Alliance Delta’s support. All I really wanted to know was what the rear walls thickness in the outdoor entertainment area was. That is really where I wanted to mount the wall bracket. 

Instead of getting a direct answer, I got an exploded design view that gave no specifications of wood thickness. Only one piece in the picture, that was not associated with a specific area showed 3/4″. When I asked if that was the rear walls thickness, the Delta Tech answered back “that is my understanding”. As it turns out It certainly was not 3/4″ thick and we will talk more about that in a minute. Here is an example of what was sent:

Here’s the background: The Delta 294RK has an outdoor entertainment center. This came with a number of issues.

1. The satellite cable was cut in half at the factory – it was repaired under warranty. The entire satellite TV connection process that Alliance uses is a terrible idea. They expect you to go behind a panel in the storage area and hook up whatever tv you want to watch to the cable plate. They could just as easily hook up every cable in the rig to a 3 or 4 Port Coax Cable TV( Type- F) base plate. Then just label them Satellite 1, Satellite 2, Cable etc. That’s what I did.
2. The TV completely covers two shelves in the outdoor entertainment area. There is no spot to place a Dish receiver on those shelves, so that you can easily see it. That is a problem because you need to know for certain that the receiver is working in order to trouble shoot connectivity issues. Complicating matters is that all the hookups (Cable and Power) are on the second shelf.
3. The shelves are not deep enough to create a dummy shelf that the receiver could sit on, without overlapping the front framework. If I built a shelf, it would be hard to have the receiver sit on it without sliding off during travel.
4. The bottom shelf has more height than the other two shelves.  That was good for me because it gave me more clearance for the receiver.

So here was my solution to issues 2 and 3 above.

First, we bought a “Universal Wall Mount for Cable Boxes” to hold the Wally against the back of the bottom shelf. Although Delta support told me that the back wall was 3/4″ plywood, I could tell from pressing on it that it was some flimsy 1/8″ pressboard. That is too thin to expect it to hold anything securely. So, I mounted the bracket into the bottom of the middle shelf support. The bracket comes with Velcro straps to hold the unit in place. I ran the screws that hold the unit in place through those straps as well. Since mounting on the lower shelf brace results in the bottom of the bracket being 3/4″ from the back wall, I also put a 3/4″ wood strip behind the lower part of the bracket to keep it from flexing during travel.

Second, I needed to rout the wires down to the receiver. Delta probably should have created a hole in the middle shelf to run wires below. However, it was easy to do with a 2″-hole saw. I then inserted a 2″ cable desk grommet into the hole. All three wires, Cable, Power, and receiver to TV connections fit easily through the opening.

One thing that was a surprise to me was that the shelf is only 1/8″ thick. That does not make for a sturdy shelf. So, I will reinforce it with a center support.

Obviously, I still have some wires to bundle together and vacuum some saw dust, but I am very happy how this turned out.

Total cost of the project was $38.75, but that is the cost of the Bracket, Hole Saw, and 2” Grommet.  If you have a hole saw, you will save 16 dollars. That completed the project and I am really happy how it turned out.

The total Cost = $38.75

Wall mount – $16.99

2″ Hole Saw -$16.98

2″ Desk Grommet – $4.78

Links to products:

Wall Bracket: https://a.co/d/07ycLBvX 2″

Hole Saw: https://www.lowes.com/pd/CRAFTSMAN-2-in-Bi-Metal-Arbored-Hole-Saw/1000593877

2″ Desk Grommet: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-2-in-Plastic-Desk-Grommet/3127763

Overall this was a simple project that solved a frustrating design issue in the outdoor entertainment center. The receiver is now secure during travel, easy to see when troubleshooting, and all the cables are routed cleanly through the shelf.

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#1: Correct Type of Tire: Do you have the right tire on your travel trailer; it should be an ST (Specialty Trailer tire). By and Large they are built stronger than LT (Light Truck) tires.  ST tires are engineered with extra‑stiff sidewalls to control trailer sway and handle high vertical loads. They have higher load capacity, and are more heat resistant than either passenger car tires or light truck tires.

LT tires are really designed for vehicles that steer, brake, and accelerate, not for the unique lateral forces of a travel trailer. Using LT tires may reduce stability, especially on taller or heavier trailers.   ST tires are built to carry more weight than LT tires of the same dimensions.  So if you want to use them on your travel trailer you will need to move up in load range with LT tires to match the trailer’s needs.

#2: Only Buy a Quality Tire.  However, you could buy a cheap POS if it’s just going to sit somewhere for years.  That’s what I’ve done with my motorcycle trailer. It hasn’t moved in four years and will need new decent tires if I decide to use it. 

If you’re pulling your trailer, then get the best tire you can afford.  Think of how little of the tire is touching the surface of the roadway.  That’s all that stands between you and a bottle jack on the side of the road.  That’s not to say that you can’t get a blow out with a good tire – ask me how I know.  You don’t want to end up on the shoulder of the highway wishing you had chosen a better-quality tire.  There are many bad and good tire brands out there – select carefully.

#3: The Age – Should only be five to seven years old.  I’d go with changing every five.  Let’s talk about my VW Beetle.  I’m embarrassed to say how old they were before I changed them.  Even though they looked brand new I knew they weren’t safe anymore.  There are a lot of things that can happen when tires age out.  Braking and maneuverability is affected. Since the rubber is old and hard, it isn’t providing the traction you need to stop or turn effectively.  That was the case with my VW Beetle.  No dry rot, no defects, or cracking, just very, very, hard rubber.

So how do you determine the date?  Look on your sidewall for the letters DOT.  That code ends with a string of numbers and letters, with the last four digits indicating the manufacture date. The first two digits show the week it was made, and the final two show the year. For example:  DOT XXX XXXX 5107 = the 51^st week of 2007. For reference, the Endurance tire failed on October 10 this year and carried a 0322 date code. The third week of 2022. Sometimes bad things happen to good tires.

#4: Weight and Speed rating.  This is easy to look up online by just searching on your brand and size tire.  My Weight rating is 2830 per tire. The combination of those two tires must meet or exceed my axle rating of 4400 lbs.  Which they do.  The speed rating on the endurance tires are 87 miles per hour – I’ll never exceed that for a couple of reasons, the most important being safety.  You are asking for trouble when you exceed your speed rating.  There is no buffer.  87 doesn’t mean 88, 89, 90, etc.  The second being the kind of damage that will cause to the trailer at that speed.  Lastly, and most important, the highway isn’t there just for me – there are innocent people trying to enjoy their travels. Don’t take a chance at hurting someone else on the roadway.

#5: Tire Pressure – Too high or too low will destroy a tire.  Underinflation is the leading cause of blowouts.  Overinflation can lead to that as well.

As mentioned earlier, we won’t go into depth on the recommended PSI for your trailer tires. However, there are three schools of thought on this. One is to weigh your trailer and if the tire provider has a PSI chart based on weight, use that for your psi guide.

Second, If no chart exists, then inflate to the max cold psi on the sidewall.

Third if your travel trailer has a placard on it stating the recommended tire pressure, you should use that. Provided that you haven’t changed to a different type of tire. My placard states 80 PSI.

So do your own research, they are your tires, and you will need to decide how to manage them just like any other vehicle you own.

So, what should you do before each trip

1.  Check the tires for dry rot, nails, bulges, punctures from other road debris, uneven tire wear etc
2. Check inflation, only fill tires when they are cold.
3. Check their age and replace if they’ve reached that 5-year point
4. Check the torque on your wheel lug nuts.

Then have a nice safe trip, not exceeding you speed rating! Additionally, I would highly recommend a tire pressure monitoring system. I’ve seen posts where folks had no idea they had a flat.  That flat tire ended up taking out their wiring and a lot of their trailers floor.

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