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Forum
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RE: Ordering F-350 7.3 CCLB SRW - how big of camper can I get?
I had a Fleetwood 11' TC with a sticker that said it weighed 3120 pounds WITH water. Loaded and ready to camp it was around 4,000 pounds. I carried it on a 2007 Chevy 3500 SRW. With me, the wife, and the dog in the cab the whole rig was about 11,150. The truck was rated with a 9,900 pound GVWR. I added air bags and good shocks. I was not over axle or tire ratings. It handled fine for several years thru many thousands of miles.
I then put he same camper on a 2005 Chevy dually. Now, with some children and more stuff we came in at 13,100 pounds total on a truck with a 11,400 pound GVWR. Again, I wasn't over axle or tire ratings but added air bags and good shocks. Drove it for many years thru many states, sometimes also pulling a 5,000 pound boat behind us.
The dually was night and day better in terms of handling and stability. It had much less sway and much less bounce. I highly recommend a dually for a TC.
We had about 500 pounds of people and dog. 40 pounds of propane, 325 pounds of water, and who knows how many pounds of chairs, grill, firewood, food drinks, pots, pans, clothes, toys, firewood, tools, etc.
I miss my TC but with the birth of our 3rd child we decided it was just too small.
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KD4UPL
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12/05/22 05:19pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: not another solar question ??
I'd put the controller in the truck, that way you only need one instead of in each trailer. I'd connect the output of the controller to the charge line going to the 7 pin on the truck. If you're not towing a trailer it will keep your truck battery charged up. If you are towing a trailer it will keep your trailer battery charged up.
To make this work your charge line has to be hot all the time like on a GM truck, not switched off with the ignition like on a Ford. SOME charge controllers can be damaged if the panels are hooked up with no batteries.
Also, you will need to have very similar batteries in all your trailers and truck or you will have to be changing the absorb and float settings on the controller for each trailer. If they are all flooded or all AGM of similar brand it should work fine.
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KD4UPL
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12/02/22 03:22pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Electric Jack Issue/ Battery Storage
Did your truck ever charge the batteries? The wire is unhooked under the hood from the factory and the fuse comes in the glove box.
If you have a quality converter (charger) in the camper just leave the batteries in with it plugged in. If you don't have a good 3 stage converter then vet one instead of toting heavy batteries.
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KD4UPL
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11/17/22 06:30pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Diesel crisis ahead
I haven't seen anything below about $4.50 in VA all year. I filled up both of my tanks Friday for $4.99 which was the cheapest I could find. This morning that same station was at $5.10. I'll probably top it off again tomorrow and maybe a 5 gallon can.
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KD4UPL
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11/01/22 07:06pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Dry cell Batteries while in storage
A dry cell battery is a flashlight battery. You have either maintenance free flooded lead acid (not a good choice), AGM (likely), or Luthium.
Only leave them plugged in with a good 3 stage charger. AGM won't freeze.
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KD4UPL
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10/22/22 07:36pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Dumb question
What's the maximum current you can draw from those batteries? A 3,000 watt invverter will draw 30p amps at full load. Those batteries won't support that for even 20 mimutes I'd guess.
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KD4UPL
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10/16/22 07:29pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: 36" Hitch Extension for 2" Receiver - Are they Made?
I used to run a 48" extension but that was with a 2.5" receiver. It worked but had a lot of slop. I'd guess it would be worse with a 2". I moved to a Super Hitch and 48" Super Truss. It's a much better solution.
You might as well do it right the furst time. A 36" 2" extension will be unsatisfactory.
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KD4UPL
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10/16/22 07:26pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: 2009 Adventurer 950B on 1999 Dodge 3500 Diesel LB Dually
You will be over GVWR. Just be carefull about not exceding tire and axle ratings. I carried a TC on my 2005 Chevy Dually rated 11,400 GVWR. I was at 13,000 with the boat hitched up. Thousands of miles in many states and never a problem.
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KD4UPL
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10/14/22 07:34pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: braking problem
I don't of any possible way trailer brakes can disable truck brakes.
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KD4UPL
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10/10/22 06:25pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Driver's License for over 26,001 lbs.
If you aren't driving / towing for commercial purposes, that is, where you could be paid or win prize money of some kind, then you don't need a commercial drivers license. If you are towing around a toy hauler with dirt bikes and racing them where you might win something then technically that is considered commercial.
This is how the federal DOT looks at it.
Now, states may have a requirement for a non-commercial license of some kind for that weight even if for recreational purposes but you will have to ask your state DMV.
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KD4UPL
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10/01/22 07:51am |
Towing
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RE: Both blinkers flash for right and left
Do your other lights come on? Do they all blink? I'd bet you simply have a bad ground connection.
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KD4UPL
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09/18/22 07:02pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: inverter not charging the battery
You couldn't run the slides until you turned the battery on? Of course not. You should have had the battery on anyway. Slides take a lot of power and usually need the battery to help out. Further, the battery probably won't charge with the disconnect off.
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KD4UPL
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09/12/22 07:30pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: AGM batteries & solar battery tender
Charge them up and unhook them. They'll be fine.
If you really want a maintainer that will work to but you will still need to unhook them or the LP detector, stereo, etc. Will still drain the battery with a litle panel. You could put in a real solar panel and have use of it for camping.
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KD4UPL
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09/11/22 01:32pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: New Superduty gas engine for 2023.
Seems a little ridiculous. 6.8 vs 7.3? Ford should just put one gas motor in, the 7.3 Godzilla, which, so far has proven to be a great engine. That way, they could use economy of scale to keep costs in line.
Are you talking about the old Ford plagued 7.3 Power Stroke. Thanks to my research I saved myself from buying one many years ago and instead went with a real winner. Cheers to the good guys.
No, he's talking about the 7.3L Ford gas V8 that was introduced just a couple years ago.
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KD4UPL
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09/11/22 09:44am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Battery charging question.
Charging one of a series pair will never charge the other at all.
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KD4UPL
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09/10/22 02:37pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: WDH needed?
Have you read the manual? I'd start there. I personally din't think it sounds like you need one but it may tow nicer with it.
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KD4UPL
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09/02/22 06:31pm |
Towing
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RE: Motor vehicle laws. Complicated jurisdiction question.
Some things are reciprical. Some aren't. Nobody cares about a Florida inspection except Florida.
Something like double towing is different. Double towing is not legal in VA, it doesn't matter if it's legal in your home state or not, you can't do it here.
We'd have to know exactly what you were ticketed for, where. And exactly what the laws are. I'd just call a lawyer if I were you.
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KD4UPL
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09/02/22 06:29pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Purchasing a Jackery or something similar....need help....
Save your money on any of those "solar generators". Buy some more solar panels and a good inverter for the RV. It will be money well spent, far more convenient than toting something else around, and likely less expensive.
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KD4UPL
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08/31/22 06:18pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Little Joe Rd in Northern Idaho
In case you care, I suspect that Little Joe road is named after the electric locomotives that the Milwaukee railroad used to run thru that area back in the 1960s and 1970s. They were originally built to be shipped to the Soviet Union but never went because of political reasons. The railroad crews knew their history and named them Little Joes after Joseph Stalin.
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KD4UPL
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08/31/22 06:16pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: no noise generators
I build off grid solar systems for a living. I have a few customers who have tried these types of things. They must not have been satisfactory or they wouldn't have called me to put in a full scale permanently installed system for their cabin.
Your right, it won't run an air conditioner for more than an hour or so. I would focus on improving the system build into your RV. Get a larger battery bank, some solar panels, charge controller, inverter, etc. It will cost less than the portable unit, be more convenient, and probably be more effective if designed and installed right.
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KD4UPL
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08/21/22 01:45pm |
Tech Issues
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