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Forum
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RE: Which BIG RIG TRUCK atlas do you use?
I use
Rand McNally Motor Carriers' Road Atlas
Rand McNally Road Atlas Midsize (It gets torn apart and stuffed into sheet protectors so I can write my route and notes on the sheet protectors with wet erase markers)
The Next Exit Interstate Highway Guide
I replace every 3 years (not all at the same time). I prefer to run US Highways rather than Interstate Highways. Since US highways cross over Interstates, the Next Exit lets me know what is at those exits. The trucker's atlas let's me know what roads are not good for longish campers. Also easier to see the "truck bypass" for various small towns.
I have noticed that there is a lot of truck traffic on the US highways. It seems that the truckers are going back to the old US Hwy routes. I know I can make better time bypassing Atlanta's Interstates and taking US441. Adds miles but saves me hours. Plus it's not as stressful.
I use the CoPilot app on a cheapie Android tablet (it can go into my different vehicles).
I plot my routes online. I use my own personalized travel maps built in Google My Maps as well as Google Maps. I double check with my trucker's atlas. I outline the route in my sheet protected map. I check the Next Exit for potential stops. I load it into my CoPilot app.
#1 Get out and use a tape measure to see how tall you REALLY are. That not only means the distance from the ground to the top of the roof but also any thingy that sticks up above the roof (including antennas).
If you are in a fiver, hook it up and measure the highest point.
Write the highest measurement down and stick it someplace that you can easily see it without searching for it. You might want to include your loaded weight in pounds and tons as many bridges on secondary roads are rated in tons.
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LMHS
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03/02/23 10:38am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Pets left alone in RV at campground?
Weekenders vs Fulltimers
Fulltime. Current park allows pets to be left inside rigs. Not barkers. Not left out all day and/or overnight. If the park you prefer does not allow pets to be left alone, then change your preferences.
Previous park made a rule that didn't allow dogs to be put in a kennel crate outside, unattended. That was because some worthless weekenders took off for almost a week and left their two dogs in a kennel crate covered with a black cover... in NM summer. No one knew. One dog died, one barely survived. The people were arrested when they finally showed back up.
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LMHS
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02/26/23 07:53pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Filing up DEF
Could you not just go buy a jerry can with a long nozzle, label it as "DEF ONLY" and use that? If the nozzle still isn't long enough, could you buy a clear flexible vinyl tube that fits over the end of the nozzle and fits into the DEF fill? Just wondering. I don't think that there is anything magical about the factory DEF containers. But I may be wrong.
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LMHS
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02/23/23 11:49am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: No place to camp in Florida
Perhaps you need to broaden your camping experience?
Try some of the lesser known, less popular parks. It really depends on why you are going to the places that you are going. If you are hung up on state parks because you think they are cheaper, try the city/county parks. As for private parks, I find that Passport America gets the price to the same or below state parks (which are pricing themselves out of my range for a partial hookup site). I tend to use parks as a place to park my rolling motel room and visit the local area. I don't stay in "destination" parks. There are more things to see than what's inside a "destination" park.
I will give you a tip, there are plenty of parks that are nice but get a bad rating because some people are intimidated by the "permanent" RVers. Or "older RVs". Is that you? People tend to stay long term for two reasons.... price and people. I am a "permanent" in an "older RV". I promise that you and your shiny new RV won't get cooties from me or my older RV. As a matter of fact, I would probably never say anything to you. It's the dreaded "overnighters" that trash and tear our park. And that goes for every park that I have long termed in.
I lived, long term, in one park that consistently got bad reviews for having long term "permanent" rvers who were pushed out of the way, against a wall. That left all the pull-thru sites open. But the pull thru sites were w/e and they used the dump station. The horrible terrible "permanents" who were all in the shortish back in sites had sewer hookups. Some of the reviews got really nasty because the full hook up were used by the long term. Yet, even when there were FHU sites open, they didn't stay over night in them. I think it had to do with being next to a long term "permanent." Did they think they were going to be robbed? Oddly, the only people who stole from us was the overnighters.
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LMHS
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02/22/23 09:29am |
RV Lifestyle
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RE: Best security cameras for travel trailer?
Try looking at visible.com and their "party plan".
Just dont plan on connecting anything else to it. Visible does not state this in their material or website, but you can only connect one device at a time to their phones.
To use the Visible cellphone as a hotspot with multiple devices, you need to use a router. I use a router. My laptop connects to the router. The Firestick connects to the router. When at home, my cellphone defaults to the router. The Switch connects to the router. The printer connects to the router. Etc. The router connects to the phone which sits on a charging pad (came with the phone)
Visible no longer has the "party" plan. It's now $30/mo for the cheapest plan. The cheapest cell phone I could find to use as a hotspot was $100 (Visible Midnight).
I bought a Beryl router https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08MKZXGBY/
I used a someone else's information to set up the router and phone https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jKLcBfdChCghgdHYS7ieGGhlUBfj7qFtSwHvZKb913Q/edit#heading=h.75pz4omwd9ny
I downloaded the document and opened it to edit. I saved all the settings in the document that applied to the phone that I used. This way I can set it up again if I need to. I also changed the sequence in the set up slightly (dim the phone AFTER you get it all set up otherwise you can't see the screen).
Just another option.
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LMHS
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02/22/23 09:03am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Little Rock, AR to Jackson, MS
Could do what I do. I open up Google Maps and drop that little dude onto the highway in several places. Mostly in towns that the US highway takes me thru the middle or and places where there is a left hand turn to see if there is a traffic light and/or turn lane.
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LMHS
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02/18/23 09:37pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Washer issue driving me nuts
Using an HE (High Efficiency) washer is different than the previous generation of washers. You can't just shove dirty clothes in a big wad. You have to use a light hand and run a smaller load of clothes. I used to get stuck in the appliance dept at Home Depot. I learned a lot about HE washers because so many people had problems with them. Turned out they just needed to adjust how they loaded the machine. Kinda like going from a 700W microwave to a 1000W microwave. There will be some adjustments that need to be learned. HE washers just work better with liquid detergents. So do HE dishwashers and the small countertop dishwashers.
I have a Whirlpool Cabrio TOP LOAD HE washer. I find that I need to put clothes in the bottom of of the tub in a single clump, one item at a time. I start out spacing the clumped items, 6 items in the first layer, evenly around the tub. Then I put a second layer, lightly laid on top of the first layer but off set between the first layer clumps. With shirts, I can run a 3rd layer. I add a Color Catcher sheet and about a cup of baking powder on top of the dry clothes. I buy baking soda in 15 pound bags from Sam's Club.
I use 2 TBSP of a low sudsing coconut oil based liquid dish detergent. The brand I use is the PINK dish detergent from Sam's Club. I use white vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser. I don't use fabric softener in the washer or dryer. I have allergies to many of the fragrances used in laundry detergents.
I run most loads on Normal wash/Heavy soil/High spin/cold wash-cold rinse/Deep clean cycle. My daughter works at Harbor Freight and her work clothes are full of dirty mineral oil. They do come out clean. I don't pretreat her clothes either.
Bedding, coats and towels (I have bath sheets which are heavy oversized towels) are washed on Bulky Wash with all the other settings the same. Bulky Wash uses a higher level of water. But it's still not like the non-HE washers.
I used the same settings and methods when I was using my other daughter's front load HE washer. I also wiped out the door gasket with every use since we had dog hair in the laundry loads.
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LMHS
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02/04/23 07:47pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: How to keep a TC from being stolen when not on the truck?
Got a Stabile Lift on the old camper. It would be difficult to keep the camper on the truck with only half of the Stabile Lift system. The other half is attached to the frame under the truck.
Also, while we have done a lot of work to the inside of the camper and upgraded a lot of things that you can't easily see, the outside looks "rough". It looks like a ragged out 1994 Lance truck camper. With a redneck "back porch" added to it. And we like it like that.
I don't mind parking next to a shiny new looking truck camper. They will probably break into the shiny new looking rig before they break into mine.
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LMHS
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02/03/23 05:25pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Washer issue driving me nuts
HE washers, top load and front load, are supposed to have a "cleaning" cycle run once a month (I think Splendide manufacturer says every 30 washes). It should have come with the directions for your washer. My HE top loader has a "clean" cycle (just add bleach) just for cleaning. I find it easier to run the clean cycle on the 1st day of every month. Otherwise you can buy a product called Affresh and run that in a cleaning cycle OR a short cycle (NOT a fill and dump cycle but an actual wash cycle). On a front loader, you MUST wipe out the backside channel of the flange around the door as it will smell nasty and can also make your clothes smell. You may not notice your clothes smelling if you use a heavily scented fabric softener or detergent (do you smell like "Eau de Gain" or a similar detergent/softener?). Don't forget to clean the detergent/bleach/softener dispenser cups.
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LMHS
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02/02/23 09:23pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Anyone awitch to new Visible Plans?
Ticks my daughter off because she has an S22 and they will require that she buy the same model of phone yet again. No 5G anywhere near us nor will we go to Mexico or Canada. So we can't see paying for things we won't use.
Guess I'm not following. Why buy again? You can bring your own Samsung S22 on Visible.
I have been corrected. Her less than 2yo phone is an Samsumg A13 5G. She WANTS the S22. My phone is a Samsung Galaxy S8. It's a few years old. Both phones are unlocked. Both phones were bought outright.
We input her IMEI number. The website says it is not eligible to bring. Neither is my phone. So we will buy new phones YET again. The Visible Midnight that I bought seemed to be a decent enough phone and that will probably be what I get for myself. My daughter wants one that takes good pictures because she is an artist and tends to upload her art.
https://www.visible.com/shop/compatibility
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LMHS
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01/31/23 10:37am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Generator question
May I make a suggestion?
When you are looking at the fuel use of the generators, many manufacturers list it XX hours at XX gallons. What they often do not mention is that those figures are for operating at 50% of running watts.
When I sized for my bus, I added up what I wanted to operate. Upped the starting watts for all the compressors (I doubled running watts to get my compressor start ups). I only figured one AC unit since I would only run AC in the bedroom overnight. Then I doubled all that. That's how I came up with the running watts I needed.
Another thing you have to be very careful about, or ignore it completely, is the decibel ratings. Seems like no two manufacturers use the same distance. I have a cheap open frame contractor LP generator. I can stand at the from of my 40 ft bus and I can carry on a normal conversation with the generator running at the rear of the bus. For that my suggestion is to find youtube videos and listen to the generators.
Since I operate my generator in parking lots, normally next to a semi-truck that is idling all night long, I don't really care a whole lot about the decibel rating.
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LMHS
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01/30/23 10:04pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Anyone awitch to new Visible Plans?
$30 plan for a hotspot. Got the cheapest phone they had at the time ($100 Visible Midnight). No phone we own will qualify to transfer. Never does. Ticks my daughter off because she has an S22 and they will require that she buy the same model of phone yet again. No 5G anywhere near us nor will we go to Mexico or Canada. So we can't see paying for things we won't use.
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LMHS
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01/30/23 10:50am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Verizon Grandfathered Unlimited Plan
I use Visible. Where I live is "rural".
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LMHS
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01/26/23 06:54pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Roadtrip by car vs RV, a couple of thoughts...
I think that how much using a camper costs vs flying has far too many variables to just make a blanket statement. Sounds more like some are trying to validate having a camper while others are trying to validate the decision to get rid of it.
So you people are flying with your dogs? I've never tried that. I don't think the dog would tolerate that. I'm not sure a planeload of people would enjoy listening to her sing the ancient dirges of her people (aka "rooing"). She has a lovely singing voice that carries well... just ask her.
"Paid for" used (cheap) slide in truck camper + "paid for" used pickup truck + a few fairly cheap modifications (to allow parking overnight in parking lots) = cost of fuel to travel. Also it's 3 hours to a major airport on one end of the flight and 1 hour on the other end to visit family (requires a car rental on the destination end) + hotel room + eating every meal out. I know what it costs for the same trip taken in the truck camper (2022).
In Feb, I'll find out what it will cost to make the same trip in a plane (both my daughters cooped up in a plane together, then cooped up together in a rental, for 3 days). And there's also the 3 hours worth of gas in my Jeep to and from the major city with the major airport. I'm losing my jeep for 5 days because it's 4WD and the roads in winter are unpredictable. I'm the lucky one, I get to stay home with a dog that will be freaked out because her "mummy" is gone.
Basically the cost of allowing the dog to go traveling in comfort is priceless.
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LMHS
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01/25/23 11:00am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Bill giving residents priority at booking FL state parks
This was on another RV forum. https://www.rvforum.net/threads/should-state-residents-get-1st-shot-at-state-run-campground-reservations.142012/
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LMHS
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01/23/23 11:34pm |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: RVIA Certificate?
I would just take a pic with my cellphone of any RVIA sticker on any trailer. The RVIA Standards are a joke. The manufacturers dream up "standards" that they don't even need to follow. It says so right in the front of the RVIA's NFPA 1192 Standard on Recreational Vehicles. I know because I bought one of the books back when I converted my bus.
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LMHS
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01/18/23 12:19pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: What part of Unsubscribe don't you understand?
Another reason to use 'throw away email addresses" and save your real very personal email address for close friends and family and such.
I have several "extra" email addresses in addition to my "real" one. I have four "junk" ones (gmail and yahoo) and use one for service billing, one for exclusively forums like this one, etc and one for the "need an email" websites and places I'm pretty sure will sell my email. I just bulk delete about once a month. I do find it interesting how many "banks" and other companies that I supposedly have, use my junk addresses that they shouldn't be using to tell me I need to log into my account. An indicator that those are fakes.
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LMHS
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01/18/23 12:14pm |
Good Sam Club
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RE: Another heated water hose question
This is how I did my (outside) water filters when we lived in an RV thru a few TN winters (Chattanooga & Elizabethton with single digit temps) as well as NM winters (negative temps).Or as long as the electric is on.
I put my two water filters (a spin down sediment filter plus a standard 2"x10" filter housing) inside a 5 gallon bucket and used two water hoses:
First, I built two heated water hoses from a single long potable water safe garden hose (garden hoses have thicker walls than the crappy RV drinking water hoses and can handle the heat from heat tape for years). The hoses were cut into shorter lengths and had plastic hose mender/quick connects on each of the ends.
I used two (residential) heat tapes that were a few feet longer than the cut hoses. Each hose had heat tape that extended at least 18" past each end of the hose. The heat tape was secured to the garden hose with electrical tape every foot in a straight line (do not spiral wrap) to hold it in place.
Then I insulated each of the hoses with (residential) foam pipe insulation (needs to be the next pipe size up from the garden hose outside diameter). The foam pipe insulation is wrapped with black Gorilla Tape to protect the insulation and keep it closed.
This is really a two person job and requires the hose to be laid out on the ground in a straight line. Wrapping it is a PITA. Luckily the tape doesn't have to be one single continuous piece but does need to overlap by at least 1/4 of the tape's width.
I used a hole saw to cut the holes needed to thread the water hose (plus insulation) into the bucket. Hole position is determined by the water filter configuration. Because I used two filters connected in a "U" shape, both in in and out water hoses were on the same side of the bucket. Some 1/4" holes are drilled into the bottom of the bucket to allow any water leakage to drain out.Then a piece of reflectix is cut to lay in the bottom of the bucket. A piece is cut to wrap around the interior sides of the bucket. The holes for the water hoses is cut thru the reflectix.
Both hoses attach to the filters with plastic quick connects. Plastic doesn't freeze as fast as metal does. The 18" excess on the non-plug end on each of the hoses gets wrapped around each of the filters (just laid loosely, no need to tape it down or wrap tightly - the reflectix will keep the heat in).
The plug end on the camper side gets plugged into an electrical outlet near the "city" water connection. The thermometer disc is NOT secured to the hose or anything else. It will sense ambient temps. The extra 18" of heat tape is used to wrap around the "city" water connection before insulating it with some reflectix.
On the park's pipe stand, the excess 18" gets wrapped around the hose bibb and plugged into the nearby(?) power post (in the 15/20 amp duplex outlet). If you need to use an extension cord, use one of the thick heavy duty short cords and make sure the connection is waterproofed.
I make an "envelope" from reflectix that is big enough to fit over the pipe stand and reach all the way to the ground even after the envelope is tied onto the pipe stand so it is closed at the ground level. I do not use tape for this, I use bungie cords, rope or old ratchet straps. The envelope needs to be removable but not blow off in a winter storm. It might be a good idea to use a screw-in-the-ground dog tie-out and attach the bucket to the tie-out so the winter winds don't blow it away.
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LMHS
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01/15/23 07:44pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Roadtrip by car vs RV, a couple of thoughts...
The dog is happier in "her" camper than in a hotel/motel room.
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LMHS
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01/13/23 03:55pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Free Kindle Cookbook - Available for a limited time
amazon.com/Camping-Cookbook-Beyond-Marshmallows-Dogs-ebook/dp/B07RP7LPBL/
Camping Cookbook Beyond Marshmallows and Hot Dogs: Foil Packet – Grilling – Campfire Cooking – Dutch Oven (Camp Cooking) Kindle Edition
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LMHS
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01/13/23 09:32am |
Camp Cooks and Connoisseurs
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