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Forum
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RE: Steep Off-Road Grade with Truck Camper
.060" thick EPDM commercial roofing membrane works great for friction under the bed without adding any significant weight. That's what I use. You can get scraps free from your local commercial roofer if you ask nice or bring him a 6 pack.
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Hemi Joel
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06/03/23 08:18pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Goodbye CH751 key!
When I was a teenager, I knew plenty of juvenile delinquents who would go around checking every car door, garage door, anything else to see if it was locked. If it was locked, they'd move on. If it was open, they would go thru checking for money, cigarette, booze, or anything of value. They would steal stuff they had no use for, just for fun. Or sometimes just do malicious mischief. Cheapo locks won't keep out serious thief's, but they will help keep some of the mischief away. I always lock my stuff.
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Hemi Joel
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06/03/23 08:11pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Laser printer/scanner recommendation?
Well, I spent way too much time searching for something that met all of my criteria. I don't think it exists. So I pulled the trigger on a Cannon imageCLASS MF3010 VP. It doesn't have wireless, or a document feeder, and it prints in black only but scans in color. But it is very compact at 10.9 x 14.7 x 10 inches, and only weighs 14 pounds. And it was only $120. It will be easy to stow away, and dig it out and put it on the table only when needed.
Thanks for all the suggestions, and the time you all took to answer! Joel
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Hemi Joel
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02/11/23 11:51am |
Technology Corner
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Laser printer/scanner recommendation?
Hi, I would like to add a color laser printer/scanner/copier to my pickup camper. Looking for recommendations/experiences on what to get or what not to get. Sometimes I have to do work from the road that involves printing and scanning. Quality scans of documents are important for my business, I can't use my cell phone for that.
Since I am in a pickup camper, compactness is important. Up to a 16" x 18" footprint would be preferred, smaller being better.
Rugged enough to survive the rough roads.
Is there something that I can print wirelessly directly from my laptop PC, or do I need to buy and set up some type of network equipment?
I want laser because my ink jet kept drying up from lack of use. Separate color and b&w cartridges would be a plus.
A (reliable) document feeder would be a big plus.
I used to have an HP inkjet that was constantly doing popups and was trying to sell me stuff. The HP software was like a virus that I couldn't get rid of, and was consuming my computers resources in the background, slowing it down. I don't want anything annoying like that.
I want something that does not connect to the cloud or the web unless I tell it to, and will function completely off line.
When I have to interrupt my vacations for work, I like to jump in, do it, jump out. No time for fiddling for hours with unreliable software/connectivity snafu's.
I have a 2000 watt pure sine wave inverter for power.
I'm hoping to stay under $600ish.
What do you recommend?
Thanks, Joel
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Hemi Joel
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02/10/23 01:09pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: DC to DC charger
If I wanted to run a fridge while on the highway and not on propane, I would mount an inverter under the hood close to the battery, then run a 110 volt cord back to the fridge circuit.
Or you could plug the whole camper into it and the built-in charger in the camper would keep the camper batteries up.
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Hemi Joel
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11/28/22 10:00pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: DC to DC charger
I agree that the really expensive batteries need more expensive fancy equipment to try to help keep them alive as long as possible.
I don't see that the original poster ever said what kind of batteries he has.
I am assuming he has FLA batteries, but that could be wrong.
I have found that the FLA batteries I use will handle a lot of abuse. I never bother to check that they are charged to 100%, I just know they are charged enough to do the job for me. I don't babysit them. If they fail in 3-5 years, I don't care, they are cheap. I'm road trips for fun, not to think about batteries.
For some people, the electrical system of their camper is an interesting hobby. The more gadgets, the more enjoyment. I get that. Those in that group, you know what you have to do.
And then there is another group, that I am not going to attempt to describe. They should just buy the 12-12 charger.
For me, I just want to have electricity when I want it. I am willing to spend money where it makes sense, but I don't want to waste it, or make things over complicated. So for me and like minded people, a pair of heavy gauge wires is fine.
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Hemi Joel
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11/28/22 09:57pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: DC to DC charger
I just use a pair of 8 gauge wires from the truck battery to the camper batteries. That eliminates the voltage drop of the 7 pin and puts a nice charge into the camper batteries whenever I drive.
It has been proven 100s of times, that with modern vehicles, large gauge wires will NOT give you a 100% charge on your auxillary battery bank.
Some charge, yes. Just not 100%.
That makes no sense at all. The alternator doesn't know how many batteries are connected to it. It senses voltage. Batteries that are connected equalize over time.
Regardless, it has been working for me for over 10 years. If you want to buy a device to charge your 12 volt batteries better than a 12 alternator that was designed to charge 12 volt batteries, that's your call.
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Hemi Joel
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11/26/22 01:28pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: DC to DC charger
I just use a pair of 8 gauge wires from the truck battery to the camper batteries. That eliminates the voltage drop of the 7 pin and puts a nice charge into the camper batteries whenever I drive. I use a 200 amp blade switch that is mounted on the truck battery to isolate the truck battery when the situation calls for it, but that is rare.
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Hemi Joel
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11/17/22 11:23am |
Truck Campers
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