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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Need advice on anchor kit for long term TT lot
I used these pet stakes from Harbor Freight to secure my tarp garage when I was working on the camper last year and they held up to tropical storm Isaias with the severe winds we got on the coast.
https://shop.harborfreight.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/i/m/image_12999.jpg width=440
https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/y134/Burbman/Lance%20811/.highres/20200503_211423_zpsid2h23rc.jpg width=440
I agree with valhalla360, you should ask the park owner what they recommend, I don't know what kind of forces the hold downs need to withstand, or whether they need to be in concrete. High winds from hurricanes/storms wil;l also come with soaking rains, and anchors pull out much easier when the ground is soaked to mud.
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BurbMan
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06/22/21 09:59am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Receiver Hitch for Trailer
These Curt RV Hitches are designed to extend greater lateral distances and bolt to the trailer's frame rails. You'll probably have to drill the TT frame to accommodate the receiver, but you should be able to have it fit below the existing bumper.
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BurbMan
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06/18/21 11:54am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: I hate roundabouts -- but maybe I am wrong
Roundabouts are used extensively here in the Carmel/Fishers/Noblesville area north of Indy. They take a little getting used to, but after living here for a month now we love how fast and efficient they are. Most of these are on suburban intersections and you almost never have to wait to enter, and when you do, your wait time is less than a full stop at a 4-way takes, never mind waiting for a left-turn signal.
It's impossible to speed around one of these so if there's a collision it's only a fender bender with injuries unlikely. Compare that to the guy who is approaching the yellow left turn signal at 50 mph trying to make the light.
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BurbMan
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06/18/21 11:48am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Looking for new tow vehicle
Clicky on Van Ad
The key here on this 3500 van is the 9800 GVWR, that's what you need to handle the tongue weight of the TT and the passengers. My 2500 Suburban had an 8600 GVWR, and we ran slightly over with 2 kids and towing about the same size/weight TT.
https://pictures.dealer.com/a/applechevroletofredlion/1211/308cbcdb3956bc2d00be423f767f22c5x.jpg?impolicy=resize&w=768 width=440
The newer Expedition XL and Suburban have higher tow ratings, but they don't have the GVWR you need to handle both the passenger load and the tongue weight of that trailer. Conservatively, if the TT is 8500 lbs and has 12% tongue weight, that's 1,020 lbs. that the truck needs to carry in addition to 6 passengers + friends and cargo. The problem with kids is that they get bigger every year....LOL...
I would say the 3500 van is the way to go, and the LT gets you the nice trim level for vacation travel. I would suggest you go drive one before you say no to the idea...take the family and make sure everyone is gonna be happy riding in it.
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BurbMan
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06/18/21 11:29am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Still very tempting to buy my totaled TT back
If you have good DIY skills, and are OK with having a permanently blemished RV go for it. Do not try to make it perfect, settle making it usable/livable.
Don't sweat the small stuff and be willing to walk away if there turns out to be major concealed damage.
Do not make any extensive cosmetic repairs, focus on repairs to make RV functional.
Go into it with not a lot of expectation. THere is a risk / gamble involved.
Agree 100% here. I would take the ins co deal all day long. If everything works, you can go camping right away, and when you sell in a few years you'll probably get $4k for it, that camper doesn't owe you anything. If it turns out it has major concealed damage, you can get $2k back just parting it out and then scrap the rest. There is risk here but it's minimal IMO.
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BurbMan
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06/17/21 08:23pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Insurance!
I believe what you are calling a serial number can equally be called a VIN.
Except that VINs were standardized to 17 characters back in the mid 70's, and insurance comnpany systems won't accept anything else....it's like a 9-digit phone number, they keep telling you it's wrong.
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BurbMan
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06/17/21 08:14pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Insurance!
There are insurance companies that know exactly what a truck camper is and will write a separate policy. Fine one of those companies.
Suggestions welcome!
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BurbMan
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06/16/21 09:06pm |
Truck Campers
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Insurance!
This has me hopping mad! I've been a USAA member for a LOT of years (40+) and always had my TT insured through them. Now they're out of the RV segment and have partnered with Progressive for that. Last year when I was finishing the build (and tallying receipts) I thought insurance would be a good idea. I called USAA who sent me to Progressive where I bought a policy for $162/yr.
We move from NY to IN last month and I get everything switched over with USAA, no problem. They remind me to call Progressive and do the same. After 20 mins on the phone getting the new policy written, they ask for the VIN. I tell them there is no VIN, only a serial number. This is not a vehicle, it's a camper. Uh-oh, please hold.
The Progressive guy comes back on the phone and says they can't write the policy since the camper has no VIN. Further, my NY policy currently in effect with Progressive is being cancelled immediately, because it was written by an independent agent, not a Progressive employee, and they made up numbers for the VIN to get the policy boarded. WHAT?? Oh, and you're not entitled to a refund.
So I call USAA back and let them know how well Progressive is treating their customers. I got a really nice guy on the phone who tells me that my camper is actually covered by my homeowners policy like any other personal property.
If you had $5000 worth of expensive furniture in your truck and you were in a crash and rolled the truck and ruined the furniture, the auto policy would cover damage to the truck and homeowner's would cover the loss of the furniture. Same with the camper, it's personal property like furniture, not a vehicle.
The main reason for wanting insurance is to cover it from storm damage while it's parked, not really concerned about collision.
Who do you guys use for insurance? Anyone have a similar experience with Progressive? Anyone get a similar story about being covered by homeowners?
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BurbMan
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06/16/21 11:41am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Dick Trickle Memorial, Rudolph, WI
It's a YouTube Video you have to post as a link, not an image.
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BurbMan
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05/24/21 11:47am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Adding 12V outlet questions (did I do it right)
Short answer is yes...that 12v outlet that you linked to comes with 18 gauge wire, really only enough for cell phone charging and other small current draws. Wiring it into the light fixture is fine for that usage.
Basic electricity: volts x amps = watts. So that 100w inverter that will provide enough power for a flat screen TV and DVD player, or a laptop charger, is delivering 0.83 amps at 120v, but on the other side it is consuming 8.3 amps at 12v.
What you did is fine for what it is, but it's not correct for any kind of inverter, even a small one. The best way to work this is backwards....start with what you want to power with an inverter. Look at the labels on the equipment and add up the total watts, this sill tell you how big of an inverter you need. Use the formula above to figure out how much 12v power that size inverter will draw, that will tell you what wire size and fuse you'll need.
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BurbMan
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05/11/21 07:07am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Calling RAM 3500 owners
Here's the pic:
http://happykayakers.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/RearWheelHub-1024x1024.jpg width=640
Agree with Dodge Guy, you should be able to press studs out/in without taking the axle out and removing the hub.
Get yourself a good ball joint press like this one:
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71JbnmyY9aL._AC_SL1500_.jpg width=640
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BurbMan
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05/11/21 06:21am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: voting and driver license issues with full time
Florida just enacted new voting laws that place additional rules and restrictions around mail-in ballots, so be sure to ask how a forwarding address would be treated under the new laws.
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BurbMan
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05/07/21 08:02am |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Ordered Host cascade today
Very nice! Post some pics when you get it set up on the truck!
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BurbMan
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05/06/21 06:37am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Ugh wet wood in Bigfoot
When I rebuilt the Lance I used 4" Eternabond tape to wrap every corner molding. It's a similar issue: where the two filon panels come together at the corner, the seam is overlapped with an extruded aluminum molding set into butyl tape and fastened with a zillion screws. I found that the 4" tape gives a good 3/4" of sealing surface to the sidewalls on either side of the corner and completely encapsulates everything underneath. Not a crisp looking as a factory corner, but 100% will never leak again.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/y134/Burbman/20200930_140435.jpg width=640
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BurbMan
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05/06/21 06:30am |
Truck Campers
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RE: How to avoid getting blown all over the road
Our 34' TT was 6900 lbs empty and 8500 lbs loaded, and it wasn't even a toy hauler....I suspect you are much heavier than you think you are. You may just need to move the toy(s) forward some in the garage to add some tongue weight.
Sounds like you're headed down a path that many on this forum, including myself, have been down before. The coil springs in the 1500 trucks aren't able to resist lateral forces like the leaf springs in HD trucks. The fact that you added air bags in the coils to level the truck not only aggravates the problem, but is a red flag that the WD hitch is not as "dialed in" as you think it is. LT tires help some but there's only so much you can do there.
Load the trailer and get it weighed, see if you can adjust loaded to improve performance. At the end of the day, I think a 2500 is in your future. BTW, you don't need a diesel, the 6.4 hemi will handle that weight just fine.
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BurbMan
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05/04/21 03:57pm |
Towing
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RE: Owners manual discrepancy.
It's not wrong, that's actually a procedure recommended by some mfrs. Get the TT slightly nose-down, then drop the rear stabilizers. As you bring up the tongue to level the TT, you're bringing some of the weight off of the suspension, so when you drop the front jacks the trailer is more solid than it otherwise might be.
Obviously you don't want to jack the wheels all the way off the ground, so the TT has to be only slightly nose down when you drop the rear jacks.
Also, most mfrs will say to level the TT before you run the slides out, not before you drop the jacks.
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BurbMan
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05/04/21 03:37pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: RV.net Truck Camper Forum for 20 Years
Right there with ya!
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BurbMan
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05/04/21 12:04pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: That Cummins, she’s just a ____ing machine!
When I look at that picture I see a transmission rebuild in your future. And a front suspension rebuild...
Aw, it's gonna need that stuff anyway....
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BurbMan
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05/04/21 06:13am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: That Cummins, she’s just a ____ing machine!
I turn mine off when ordering and then again when at pickup window
Simple......
OK I will admit that it never occurred to me to do that...:S:S:S
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BurbMan
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05/04/21 06:11am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Lance Sagging Cabover
I just rebuilt a 2002 Lance 811 with water damage from leaking windows. The sides of the camper are what give the cabover its strength, the framing is just 1x2 wood. There are also diagonal supports that run in those sides, but when the forward windows leak, those rot away and allow the camper to begin to drop. I had to jack mine up in the front and use a laser to re-square it before I re-installed new framing and siding.
Click the link in my sig for the re-build thread, lots of pics. Mine is fiberglas, but they're all built basically the same. The repair isn't difficult if you have basic handyman and woodworking skills. The main thing is the time and a place to work on it, I put a few hundred hours into my build. Then you have to consider that the fridge and appliances are now 22 years old.
I went all the way with new fridge, new converter, new bed, etc etc and I was all in on the repair at about $4k, but when it's all said and done, have basically a brand new camper.
Get a pro repair estimate. OP can buy a new one for what they will want to fix this one.
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BurbMan
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05/04/21 06:06am |
Truck Campers
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