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RE: Can I use any 50 amp extension cord?
Building a 50A RV extension cord can be a bit tricky, mostly because the "receptacle" part is not easy to find.https://www.progressiveindustries.net/14-50r
Like I said, not easy to find. Go out to Home Depot, and search for one. Not there. They exist, but you have to look for it.
Nine in stock here for a population of 30,000 in the entire county. They just made it a little hard to look them up.
14-50R at Home Depot
My coach only has 30 amp breakers in it so you can make a good case that it doesn't require 6 awg wire. In fact, it has been connected to 8 awg wire for the vast majority of it's 8 years I have owned it with no trouble. Sometimes when camping it is hooked up to a single 120V 15amp circuit using 14 gauge wire if that is all that is available. I just have to know what power is available and manage the load accordingly.
Now if your coach really can draw all fifty amps and you only use 10 gauge wire for the extension you might start a fire but it would be extremely unlikely.
You should watch the voltage from a barn outlet at first to be sure that the wiring is adequate for the power that you a pulling, especially if you don't have automatic low voltage shutoff.
I recently ordered an 8 awg custom length cord from these guys. I haven't used it yet but have no doubt that it is adequate and it sure is easier to handle than a 6 awg cord.
8 awg 240V extension cord
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Groover
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06/17/21 01:02pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: F150 Lightening
Texas already has more wind power than any other state. Number 2 in solar.Good time to install the cold weather pack on these for the next winter. No reason to watch them freeze up while Norway can operate year round.
From what I have heard the cold weather pack is largely insulation for holding in heat. It can be very much in the way in hot weather which is what Texas is having right now.
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Groover
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06/17/21 06:37am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: F150 Lightening
Before a new argument over generator fuel gets going…
Isn’t a watt a watt regardless of the energy source that was converted to generate it?Of course.
Unfortunately the calculated need for electricity is coming from converting the about of crude burned instead of the EV miles driven.
I question the main assumption of that calculation saying that the typical efficiency of an ICE drive train is 35%. I have tried to look it up for cars but have struck out, that is why I resorted to using the Honda EU 7000 as a base for my calculations.
Fuel Capacity 5.1 gallons
Run Time 6 hours @ rated load
AC Rated Output 120/240 5500W
1 btu per hour =0.29307107 watts
5.1 gallons/6 hours = .85 gallons/hr
.85 X 130,000btu/gal for gasoline = 110,500 btu/hr input
110,500 btu/hr X .293 watts/(btu/hr) = 32,376 watts input to the generator
However, the generator only puts out 5,500 watts.
So its efficiency is 5,500 watts out/32,376 watts in = 0.17 or 17%
Even only using 17% thermal efficiency of conversion it is still more efficient to pump that energy into an electric car than an ICE vehicle so I don't think that it is too low. Either the 35% efficiency estimate for an ICE engine is 100% too high or the electric car is much more efficient at using its power available. Either way, it looks we would only need about 7 power plants instead of the fifteen that was calculated by noteven.
Still a lot but cut down to size quite a bit.
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Groover
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06/16/21 12:22pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: F150 Lightening
This calculation is based on the EU 7000 generator producing rated output of 5500 watts for 6 hours while using one 5.1gal tank of fuel vs the Tesla needing 250 watt/hrs per mile.
Yeah right!
There is no such thing s economy of scale and we all don't know that these plants all along have been using regular gasoline to run their generators.
Huh?
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Groover
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06/16/21 08:52am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Ram 2500 CTD and GM 2500 Dmax up the Ike.
If the standard output Cummins was able to maintain speed, wouldn't it be reasonable to assume that the HO Cummins would use a similar amount of fuel, as it would not need to make more power to do the same speed?
Honestly I'm surprised these trucks are able to do those speeds up the hill. My 350/800 Cummins won't pull my 12,000 pound 5er eastbound to the tunnel at the speed limit. I'm somewhere between 35-40 MPH at the very top. My best friend's 2013 PSD pulling a very similar trailer is the exact same. Does the higher profile of the RV really make that much of a difference?
At 40 mph the added wind drag that might be on a 12000 lb high profile fiver is negligible compared to a 12000 lb equipment trailer. At 75 mph the difference in drag might be a factor. When you’re foot to the floor doing 35 - 40 mph your using all the power your engine can make and yet the power required to overcome drag at that speed is going to fall between 30 and 40 hp no matter what kind of trailer your pulling.
That does seem to be awfully slow. I went through the pass a few years ago in my motorhome equipped with 300/600 detuned Cummins and running about 28,000lbs GCWR. I may not have been doing the speed limit but I don't remember being particularly slow either.
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Groover
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06/16/21 08:28am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: F150 Lightening
I figured 35% efficiency for combustion engines. 337,000,000 gals x 35%
What percentage did you use for the electrical side of the equation?
I didn’t - I’m electrically challenged.
If a generating station is “1000 mega watt” is that the same as saying “1000 MW per hour” ?
I took a look at the gas vs electric issue from a different angle. This is the worst case scenario. I don't know why I bother to say that because several people here want to act like it is the norm rather than a rare exception. Anyway, if I were to use a Honda EU 7000 to charge my Tesla Model Y it would get 25 mpg. My wife, who is a bit of a lead foot, only got about 20mpg from her much smaller Kia Optima. Even under this worst case scenario driving the Tesla reduces her carbon output by 20%.
The reality here is that most of our power comes from hydro and nuclear with a fair amount of solar mixed in. TVA does still have some coal plants but they are being phased out so our real carbon output is reduced much more than 80%.
This calculation is based on the EU 7000 generator producing rated output of 5500 watts for 6 hours while using one 5.1gal tank of fuel vs the Tesla needing 250 watt/hrs per mile.
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Groover
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06/16/21 06:43am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Ram 2500 CTD and GM 2500 Dmax up the Ike.
14-3" high?!
My motorhome is 17" shorter and I have to dodge things with it on back roads fairly often. And that is a LOT of air drag. I don't understand why they don't make low side pickup beds for 5ers so that the front room can be lowered. Every inch counts when you are that high.
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Groover
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06/16/21 06:29am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: How critical is axle ratio?
Interestingly, in prior years to get the highest tow rating on the F150 you had to order the 3.55 gears instead of the 3.73. In 2019 it was 13,200lbs for the 3.55 gears vs 11,700lbs for the 3.73 gears.
For 2021 the 3.55 and 3.73 are tied at 14,000 max.
While looking that up I noticed that the 2022 Ford Towing guide is out though not yet complete.
Here is the link for those interested
2022 Ford towing guide
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Groover
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06/15/21 09:34am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: How critical is axle ratio?
And all that goes right out the window as soon as you back up. Only the lower rear gear helps in reverse.That is what low range is for.:B
For the transmissions that I have looked up gear ratios for reverse gear ratio roughly follows first gear. So buyers of those transmissions do have a much lower reverse gear than was previously offered with a 4 speed transmission and the lowest axle ratio combination.
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Groover
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06/15/21 06:47am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: How critical is axle ratio?
Bottom line is that drive shaft RPM is irrelevant. What really matters is whether the engine is in its power band when you need it to be. Back when truck transmissions only had a 2.5 to 1 spread between high and low axle rations where much more important than they are with the newer transmissions that have a 7 or 8 to 1 spread.
The op is correct, unless you find yourself in first gear wishing that you had a deeper gear or in 10th gear wishing that you had a higher gear you get the same effect by simply changing gears.
I do suspect though that axles built with higher ratios may also be built to handle higher torque to the wheels, at least in some cases.
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Groover
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06/14/21 05:54pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Ram 2500 CTD and GM 2500 Dmax up the Ike.
Not much info there to base any decisions on. I have been disappointed with TFL tests recently. They seem to be more about entertainment than anything else.
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Groover
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06/14/21 11:09am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: New Truck!!
I haven't used posted a picture in a while but for me the hard part is finding the link to the posting program.
Here it is: http://photoposting.is-great.net/?i=3
clicky version, your choice
I like to open the link in a separate window beside the one that I am using for this site so that I can transfer the info more easily.
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Groover
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06/12/21 09:05am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: When to change oil
This thread gets funnier by the day!
It really does... :B
And the irony is that the vast majority of people change the oil (or more likely have it changed) when the vehicle tells them it is time.
Except 4x and that other guy who posted he goes double. I don't do UOA's. Don't care. I change on time or a little early or whatever my spidey sense says. Since the oil I'm "wasting" by not extending due to UOA or the 4x4ord theory costs me maybe 5 hundredths of one percent of my annual income. Or 0.0005/100.
Serious question. If Ram says 15k and Frod says 10k miles OCI, is the additional wear on Ford oil really 33% more, IE are Fords really 33% harder on the oil?
My question as well. Although unlikely, one possibility is that the Powerstroke runs at hotter temperatures which could conceivably cause oil to deteriorate quicker. Another possibility that I think might be more likely is that Ford comes up with their oil change interval based on automotive standards whereas Cummins comes up with Rams oil change intervals based on industrial standards. Industrial powered equipment often has 600 hr change intervals. These engines are used at about 80 to 110 % rated load all day long and often run in extremely dusty conditions. My spider sense tells me that North America car manufacturers make a lot of money off the service department and if they were to recommend extended oil change intervals they would loose out on a lot of money.
I hate it when I go into a car dealer and they have big signs in the service department saying that they recommend changing oil ever 5,000 miles, regardless of what the manufacturer says. That proves to me that your theory them putting profit ahead of need is correct.
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Groover
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06/12/21 08:57am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: GRRR Ford Dealer - 2022 SD
Would y'all please move this discussion over to PRIVATE MESSAGES?
The rest of us would appreciate that.
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Groover
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06/11/21 04:18pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Tesla Semi truck unveil & test ride set for Oct 26th !
"Is the Space X rocket engine option already available?"
I am pretty sure that is going to be reserved for the sportster.
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Groover
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06/11/21 11:53am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: When to change oil
I generally change mine around the 80% mark on the computer. I trust the engineers that program the computer but would rather err a little bit to the safe side when an oil change is $20 and a new turbo could run in the thousands when labor is included.
I would assume that you must have an F150 3.5 ecoboost,as I can't see getting 3 gallons of oil and a filter for $20! It runs about $74 for oil and filter for our CTD.
I do have the Ecoboost and I use the 6qt box of oil from Walmart. You can get 6qts of a name brand synthetic oil for about $15.47 so it is about $20 by the time you add a filter. By far the least expensive way I know of to buy a good oil.
Chevron in a box.
My daughter went to an oil change place in San Antonio a while back and they charged they charged her about $65 to change oil in an Ecoboost. Their advertised special only included 4 qts of oil and they insisted that she had to have high mileage oil at an extra 2 or $3/qt in addition to gouging her on the two extra quarts. She only had 75,000 miles on the truck. I have to question the value of high mileage oil anyway but it is definitely not needed at 75,000 miles. And, as you can see from the oil in the link it is not even that expensive. An absolute ripoff! She was too far away for me to help but she did learn a good lesson about the way some businesses work.
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Groover
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06/11/21 09:09am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: When to change oil
My F350 is used so little that the last time I changed it at 5000mi it had been over 2 years. Worries the dealer to death. It sits out there in the garage but I start it and let it run awhile every now and then.
I once bought a new truck that had been on the dealer's lot over 6 months. I suggested that they should change the oil since the oil change interval was 6 months. They made it clear that time on the dealer's lot doesn't apply to oil changer intervals.
I wouldn't crank the one in the garage unless I planned to get it well warmed up. You really want to cook out any condensation before putting it back in storage.
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Groover
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06/09/21 12:42pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: GRRR Ford Dealer - 2022 SD
Don't be so quick to throw the salesman under the bus. Orders are not placed by the salespeople -- they're placed by management. A little common sense tells you that a salesman doesn't get paid until the vehicle is delivered, so where's his incentive to see that it goes anywhere but to his retail buyer? I notice on this forum that people jump on salesmen a lot, and deem them mostly dishonest. Spending 30 years in the automobile business prior to retiring and going into Real Estate in 2012 showed me otherwise.What's your impression of realtor honesty? My daughter has a low opinion. She has had bad experience after bad experience with realtors. On her recent home purchase the realtor and inspector seemed to be in cahoots and tried everything possible to get her to sign a new contract with less advantageous terms than the one already in place. And now she's found additional rain damage from the bad roof (it was sold as is) that the inspector didn't "find."
Oh my, so comparing ONE experience of ONE person trumps 30 years of experience with salespeople? Oh well, guess all Realtors are crooked as well, based on your daughter's experience. BTW, there's a Board of Realtors and a Real Estate Commission in every state. Maybe you should suggest she press the "up" button to escalate matters if these issues are that severe. Dishonesty amongst real estate professionals as well as home inspectors is not taken lightly by the governing bodies. But weren't we talking about car salespeople?
It is not just one person with one bad experience with one realtor. This isn't the place to discuss that but you seemed to need to know that there is more than one person frustrated with more than one realtor.
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Groover
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06/09/21 10:25am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 7.3 twin turbo Godzilla
Not going to go into the fuel type argument other than to say the current 6.2 only recommends premium, not requires. It is in the article you referenced.
And the argument of the 3.5 using more air/more power than the 6.2 isn't accurate either. The only place the 6.2 lacked power of the EB was up the passes. And while a lot is made of the Ike runs, all 3 or 4 steep grades where the EB has an advantage on my trips amount to less than 20 miles. So there shouldn't be THAT much of a difference in fuel economy. It would balance out in the rest of the trip, and certainly after fill ups. But it never did/does. The worst MPG I've experienced was towing the boat from Grand Junction Colorado to Bullfrog UT. Not high elevation, no long hills, grades that any V8 could maintain speed at returned MPG of 7.07 MPG. The tank before was 7.82. The tank after was 7.95. Also, when towing my Ranger (3000ish pounds), I was 10.68 MPG in that stretch. 12.44 the tank before, and 10.59 the tank after. The 6.2 pulling the Malibu never pulled less than 8.83 MPG. And towing the little boat I don't think it ever got less than 12 MPG.
I just filled the Ex from our trip home over the weekend. 8.47 MPG towing 72 MPH from Sterling CO to Denver CO (part of the loop that FLT does for their MPG tests). Yes there was some wind and rain, but the truck pulling the 5er still pulled down 10.75 MPG.
My buddy just bought a PowerBoost, and is towing a 26' trailer. He gets 5 - 7 MPG towing (no idea how fast, but he is a retired county sheriff, and never seems to be in a hurry).
The moral of the story is you won't convince me that, overall, while towing, the EcoBoost gets comparable MPG. Solo might be different, but that isn't what we are arguing. And if Ford ever considered giving the same treatment to the 7.3, people would be DREAMING about getting 7 MPG. It would more likely be considerably less.
That is not what we have seen in our fleet although this is in comparison to the Ford 5.0L and GM 5.3L. As I said, the 6.2L does require a premium to achieve its advertised numbers according to GM (LINK), is a different animal since it actually gets better fuel economy than the Ford 5.0L and GM 5.3L.
How much of that is due to it being tuned using premium fuel I have no idea. I would love to see a test using regular fuel in both(which is what the standard Ecoboost is tuned for). The high output 3.5L Ecoboost found in the Raptor and Lincoln's with larger turbo's and more fueling does require premium fuel and is not very fuel-efficient.
From the 2021 Silverado owner's manual, page 283:
"Recommended Fuel (6.2LV8 Engine)Premium unleaded gasoline meeting ASTM specification D4814 with a posted octane rating of 93—(R+M)/2—is highly recommended for best performance and fuel economy. Unleaded gasoline with an octane rated as low as 87 can be used. Using unleaded gasoline rated below 93 octane, however, will lead to reduced acceleration and fuel economy. If knocking occurs, use a gasoline rated at 93 octane as soon as possible, otherwise, the engine could be damaged."
That is much stronger wording than Ford uses. 2021 F150 owner's manual, page 223:
"For best overall vehicle and engine
performance, premium fuel with an octane
rating of 91 or higher is recommended. The
performance gained by using premium fuel
is most noticeable in hot weather as well
as other conditions, for example when
towing a trailer. See Towing a Trailer
(page 375).
Do not be concerned if the engine
sometimes knocks lightly"
Also, note that Ford defines premium as 91 octane where GM says 93.
I have seen many more remarks from 6.2 owners than Ford owners saying that they have premium to control knocking, even though I don't see many 6.2 engines on the road. Also, what do you do when you have filled your 6.2 with regular for just driving to work and you get a sudden urge to take your boat to the lake but you know that might lead to the destructive knocking that the manual describes? That doesn't sound like a good position to be in.
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Groover
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06/09/21 08:09am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: When to change oil
I generally change mine around the 80% mark on the computer. I trust the engineers that program the computer but would rather err a little bit to the safe side when an oil change is $20 and a new turbo could run in the thousands when labor is included.
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Groover
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06/09/21 07:03am |
Tow Vehicles
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