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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: how much to offer
Congrats and we expect pictures...
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bondebond
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06/18/13 01:03pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Largest pop up available
Good to see you here, BigBaron. Where in the world would you store a 23'+ HTT?
The only "wants" I would get over what I have now would be the addition of a slide out dinette and one of those nifty Rockwood slide out outdoor kitchen compartments from like the HW277. As it is, I'm happy with what I have have.
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bondebond
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06/18/13 11:23am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Grease vs silicone
At least from a 2004 Rockwood owners manual, I find the following:
1. Clean and recoat lifter posts externally with a rust prohibitive non-drying lubricant.
2. Grease zerks on front bottom and back top of master tube annually.
3. Lubricate springs annually by cranking roof to up position. At each junction of telescoping post lubricate with 90 weight oil into opening between two posts. Wipe off any excess oil on external portion of post to avoid tent damage.
Page 6 has an excellent exploded diagram of the lifting system in the 2004 Rockwood Owners manual.
Unfortunately, it doesn't expressly say anything about the cable, but following the manual, I would indeed use a "rust prohibitive non-drying lubricant" which sounds an awful lot like oil. A silicone grease should work as well, just not the spray that is solvent-based and evaporates to leave a dry lubricant.
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bondebond
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06/18/13 09:21am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: 2000 Coleman refrigerator/propane issues
You can find the 2000 Coleman owners manual here if you don't have one already.
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bondebond
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06/18/13 09:10am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: 2000 Coleman PUP heater/furnace?
The A/C does not have heat strips in it to provide any warmth. This would be an add-on and have controls for such.
If you do not have a furnace anywhere, then you have a couple of options.
You can add one, and there should be cabinetry that will fit the basic Atwood 7900 Everest series furnace. It's pretty standard for all PUPs for decades. Coleman would have made the cabinets to house one even if it did not come equipped as such.
The next option is, if you camp with 120v AC power, then one or two electric heaters work really well. This is how we cold weather camp. I use two heaters - one plugged into the PUP's outlet and then one directly to the power pole outside via heavy duty extension cord. Technically, now that I've added a second 120v circuit and outlet specifically for a second heater, I don't do that anymore but you get the picture.
With these two heaters in a 14' box (26' + when opened) PUP, I don't have a problem. I do have the onboard furnace set to 50 in case the cold should overcome the rate of heating from the electric heaters but that's never happened with both heaters going. I've kept in the 70s when outside temps were in the 40s.
Other heating options include using a portable LP heater like a Mr. Buddy series heater, catalytic heaters and the such. They run the risk of depleting the oxygen level, produce water vapor, carbon dioxide and even carbon monoxide in poor performing combustion.
Other ways to combat the cold include insulation measures. I've added PopUp Gizmos (PUGs) solar bunk end covers. These things work GREAT for reflecting radiant heat on the outside in the summer, and help retain it on the inside during the cooler times. You can also get the Solar Bunk Liners that go on the inside and further augment this action.
There's using Refletix cut to fit the profile of the windows and place between the clear vinyl and the outside screen. And closed cell foam under the mattresses to isolate some of the cold coming in. I've gone around and installed permanent gap-filling insulation and temporary insulation to plug holes, etc.
And there's more to do to help extend cold weather camping. I just haven't had enough coffee to remember it all.
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bondebond
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06/18/13 09:07am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: 2000 Coleman PUP LP gas tank bracket
Ealy, being from the South myself, robsouth's comments were not meant in a condescending tone at all. In this context, it would read something like "goodness, that's a lot to deal with and I wish I could help more".
Sometimes it is best to get in-person advice if you don't already have a handy resource person for new-to-you stuff. I am getting quite an education in pool chemistry after setting up what should have been a easy Father's Day gift...thank goodness I've got some Go To people around.
At least that's what robsouth's comments sounded like to me.
As such, here is the 2000 Coleman Destiny Series parts book that should list out most all of the options and part numbers to help you track down the parts.
Here's the 2000 Coleman Accessories book as well.
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bondebond
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06/18/13 08:48am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: rebuilding of a roof
I would contact Starlight directly as several members have reported back that their customer service has done things like scanned old documents and manuals to send to customers.
http://www.starcraftrv.com/contact/
I'm not sure what you had before the rebuild but I would have used the existing as a template for the new work, or just come up with it on my own to suit my needs since it sounds like a full redo.
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bondebond
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06/17/13 09:07am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: specs for 2003 aerolite voyager 8ft
I did a Google search of "2003 aerolite voyager specs" and the fourth result was this PDF.
The specs, by exact model number, should be in the lower right corner of the second page.
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bondebond
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06/17/13 08:35am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Canoe
$160 for the work and materials is not a bad deal at all for what you're getting for it.
It should not cause any sway problems as you will be basically evenly distributing the weight to the front and the rear.
See if the fabricator can do some quick reinforcement of the rear bumper though. It takes precious little load to overcome it in a dynamic loading situation. You may be able to put 1,000 pounds statically on the rear bunk end (much of which is not exactly transferred to the bumper) but you get bouncing down the road and a few years of vibrations could break it loose.
Don't forget that the worst that can happen includes something coming off in traffic and causing the vehicle(s) behind you to have problems.
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bondebond
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06/14/13 02:21pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Canoe
To give you an idea of how many PUP roofs are made, look at this How It's Made video. Roof construction is around the 3:25 time stamp.
The above video is for Fleetwood/Colemans but I suspect quite a few others follow similar practices.
As for the front and rear leading edges being "soft", my first PUP's roof was solid construction for the main horizontal area and plywood front, rear and side wall. But the nice curved transition between the horizontal roof and the front and rear side wall was backed by nothing more than a stiff plastic. It was the only support at that transition point for the aluminum skin. With the current PUP, I don't have a good view of what is up under there for that transition.
There's not a way that I can think of that would guarantee that you hit a solid cross member when drilling in. My electronic stud finder cannot differentiate through the plywood ceiling, and there's no nails for a magnetic stud finder to key off of. Just hitting the outside edge where the top mates up with the side walls would be my suggestion. I'm just adverse to putting any new holes in my roof.
Canoes have been carried for decades on the roof of PUPs with the foam blocks and tie down straps. Use more than four blocks if you have a particularly heavy canoe. Avoid any weight and pressure on the front front and rear curved transition places as you've noted why. If I had one, I wouldn't hesitate to do it this way, so long as it straddles my A/C just fine. I would use ratchet straps to the frame across the sides as well as one on the front and rear of the canoe to A-frame and rear bumper respectively.
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bondebond
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06/13/13 07:05am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Folding Trailer Wash
Most exteriors are textured. If not washed occasionally, the roof on mine will collect all kinds of dirt in the little valleys.
You just get a towel with lots of pile or thickness on it to work down into the bottom of that.
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bondebond
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06/07/13 12:02pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Folding Trailer Wash
If we're talking only the hard sides, then you can go either way but washing like a car works well. For truly stubborn stains, I've had to use L.A.'s Totally Awesome slightly diluted or even full strength.
And waxing it is always a good thing.
If it's the canvas and vinyl parts that also need a wash, there are a number of products out there but the one I use is the Camco Full Timer's Choice Awning Wash from Walmart. It's fine for a general cleaning of the fabrics.
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bondebond
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06/07/13 08:07am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Water Damage
Eternabond is a sealant for seams, used similarly to the way you would use caulk.
Unfortunately, roof damage occurs all too often, enough that there are online places dedicated on how to rebuild your roof. Other folks have done it and documented how they did their particular repair. You can check here for a host of methods and possible costs.
I would also take this opportunity to identify the source of the leak since you'll be into the inner workings of your roof. If it was the Eternabond that failed, it would be mostly due to a lack of adhesion to the underlying surface. In my case, that was because of improper surface preparation the first time. I fixed that after removing it and doing all of the steps, explicitly paying attention to the prep instructions.
If the Eternabond was not the source of the leak, consider the roof vent or air conditioner gasket, if equipped. Other sources could be the corner caps and so.
Concerning is the "obscene" amounts of snow, which can be quite heavy. Having lived at the edge of the snow belt on the southern side of Lake Superior, even a foot or two of seasonal snow can be extremely heavy. It could have caused the roof to bow under the weight and when it started to melt, found a weakness in the roof and gotten in. A common failure point is the gasket under the air conditioner, if equipped. After melting off, it is possible the roof returned to normal shape and obscured the path the water found into the interior. That's purely conjecture, but just an idea to help you hunt down the source of the problem.
I know it's not the funnest thing to do after shoveling sidewalks and driveways, but get the snow off of the top of the PUP. As you found out, it can disastrous. I remember having to make the trip up to a church camp a couple of times each winter to help remove snow from the roofs of the structures to prevent damage.
As for insurance, only your agent can answer that question. You would have to have a policy specific to your RV for any coverage to exist, though. Homeowners and tow vehicle coverage would not extend to an RV without an express rider or addendum (probably only available on the house). I have a policy (for a while longer yet until the value of the PUP really drops) on the PUP specific to it that covers things other than liability, which is covered by the TV's liability coverage while being towed.
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bondebond
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06/03/13 09:52am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Largest pop up available
Try doing a search of all Craigslist sites for "high wall pop up". I just tried it at http://www.onecraigs.com/ and came up with 57,000 hits. At least the first three pages were PUPs and not something else that matches the key words.
http://www.searchtempest.com/ seems to have some customizable search options, such as price range and distance from ZIP code. You might see options and something worth the drive.
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bondebond
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05/31/13 11:52am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Pushing your PUP around by hand
If you actually knew the situation I was dealing with, you might not speak so disparagingly.
Once it is in the shop, I move it over out of the way to make more open floor space for other projects. I put the rear of the PUP where it needs to be for the process before unhooking from the TV and then swing the front toward the wall and sometimes need to rock it forward and backwards to get it ever closer to the wall.
There's no possible way a TV could do what I do by hand but thanks for the suggestion. And I'd rather not jack it up to put it on wheel dollies every time so I can slide it sideways. It doesn't take a lot of work to accomplish this - 5 minutes at most. I would rather not have to add a wider door to the shop just so I could back it in right next to an exterior wall.
I am personally aware of people who rotate their PUP 180 degrees to be able to squeeze the PUP in their garage with the tongue pointed into an alcove. I do not think that would be possible with many things anything other than a PUP. I'm just trying to provide a friendly tip for those who do utilize the jack wheel.
With a high wall PUP and an axle flip, I pretty much have the same visibility issues as TTs. The roof of my PUP is taller than the roof of the TV. It is not as tall as a TT but I lost the ability to see over it from the rear view and side view mirrors as when I had a standard wall PUP. My choice, sure.
So, swinging back around, IF you are someone who actually can or wants to use the tongue jack wheel on your PUP, a little lubrication can make the job easier.
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bondebond
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05/31/13 11:32am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Pushing your PUP around by hand
I'll pass on those. I don't really want one even though I play around with the idea. I can't always take it with me and I am into the reduction of "stuff" to haul around. The jack wheel is fairly compact as far as that goes. And as mentioned, I would be making an electric, motorized version of that if I went that route.
Just the little bit of maintenance above has really put the desire for a trailer dolly to bed for now anyway, which was my intended purpose.
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bondebond
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05/31/13 09:16am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Largest pop up available
That's exactly what happened to me - making a compromise the first time that ended up costing me more money than if I had just gone the right way the first time. As is said, buy your "second" camper the first time (as in, buy now what you want to end up with).
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bondebond
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05/31/13 09:15am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Largest pop up available
When I looked at the NADA Guide's price for mine when I bought it last year, average retail was just at $11,000. I paid $7,000. NADA is a start but don't let it box you into thinking you have to stay close to it on an offer.
Out of curiosity just now, my Sequoia has an average retail of $10,400. I wouldn't sell it now unless we're doing an even trade for a newer Avalon and I was taking most of my mods with me :C.
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bondebond
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05/31/13 08:33am |
Folding Trailers
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Pushing your PUP around by hand
I started out with a Jayco PUP that was fairly light-weight with a 10 ft. box. After unhitching it, I was able to push it around in the garage on the smooth, level floor to position it where I needed to finesse it out of the way.
Well, fast forward to today with a PUP that is about 3,000 pounds instead of the 1,700 pounds of the previous unit and that task has become much harder to do, to the point I just about can't do it. I purchased a heavier duty tongue wheel to deal with the increased tongue weight over the included wheel as that was definitely not workable. Still, it was a major effort to move and navigate the PUP around.
However, I decided to take the wheel for the tongue jack apart and to lubricate every contact surface - the sleeve bearing and axle, the ball bearings, where the body pivots on the bolt, etc.
That was a major improvement in how it now works. Night vs. day. I have to actually pull back to stop the momentum now. Technically, I would say that it is easier to move this one around versus the first one, simply by liberally applying grease to the tongue wheel components. I did notice that the heavy duty wheel uses a large bolt to hold it together that allowed me access to the ball bearings and other surfaces and the standard duty wheel had a rivet holding it together, making access more difficult. I fear too many of the standard issue wheels are like the second one.
I finally picked up an old bathroom scale so I can weigh the tongue to see exactly what I'm dealing with. For some reason, the DW doesn't want me using the glass top digital bathroom scale from the house...???
So if you're one who is able or would like to be able to move your PUP by hand without using other methods, try lubricating the tongue jack wheel.
And I am still on the hunt for the rest of the components to make my own electric trailer mover. No rush now, though.
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bondebond
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05/31/13 08:03am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Buying a used Pop-up?
There are a few overarching issues with specific models/years with Colemans and ABS roofs. There are a few gotchas on some other brands and models but it is so specific to mention brands and/or models to avoid is an exercise if futility.
If you find some specific models you are interested in, report back here with the details of each and see if we can line up any concerns about those.
The two most important factors when looking at used PUPs are the floor plan and the condition. When looking, I would look over the floor plan first to see if it would fit our wants and desires, then scrutinize the condition in many of the ways listed above.
Expect to replace the tires unless you have proof they are newer and the brakes, if equipped, and to touch up the caulking as needed.
Sit in them and run through having a rainy day and how the occupants will deal with it cooped up inside.
Buying used will save you some of the financial hit if your intention is to sell in the future.
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bondebond
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05/30/13 10:48am |
Folding Trailers
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