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RE: This is our RV electric future. It's the future man!
This is why I say drive a Tesla and you won't see a long term future for those companies either. Note its not just Tesla, all the auto makers have committed to electric and have plans to quit producing ICE cars.
All the scuttle butt, debate and chatter we go through proclaiming are ICE vehicles will be around forever may make us feel better. But forever is about 50 years tops. I imagine Kids born today will witness the extinction of ICE vehicles.
Keep in mind the extinction of ICE does not have to be the end of camping and RV'ing. All vehicles as we know them will carry over and transform.
The gloom and doom of 100 mile limitations etc. will not exist.And that is a VERY BIG bet.
I hear you and agree a lot has to happen, but a lot has already happened over the last 50 years. None of these changes will occurr overnight. The battle over the dollars is bigger than the battle over the technology. Who will win financially in the end is the quesetion.
Right now Elon Musk is the winner,but5 the battle has just begun.
Nevertheless I am not making up these intentions, Car companies have announced they are stopping production of ICE cars.You reported investors are pulling back from fossil fuel companies. Change is underway
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Lantley
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09/24/22 07:00am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: This is our RV electric future. It's the future man!
This is why I say drive a Tesla and you won't see a long term future for those companies either. Note its not just Tesla, all the auto makers have committed to electric and have plans to quit producing ICE cars.
All the scuttle butt, debate and chatter we go through proclaiming are ICE vehicles will be around forever may make us feel better. But forever is about 50 years tops. I imagine Kids born today will witness the extinction of ICE vehicles.
Keep in mind the extinction of ICE does not have to be the end of camping and RV'ing. All vehicles as we know them will carry over and transform.
The gloom and doom of 100 mile limitations etc. will not exist.
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Lantley
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09/23/22 05:24pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: This is our RV electric future. It's the future man!
The battle for renewable and emission free energy initiatives will come down to money. The fossil fuel guys are not going away quietly. There is too much money at stake.
This battle will consist of lots of smear tactics and propaganda.
If just for a moment we assume that all the pipe dreams ideas for emission free vehicles and renewable enery will work.
There will still be a enormous battle for the money.
The battle will be all out corruption and misinformation from both sides.
In the end the winner will be the group that bought/bribed the most politicians.
Which will likely be the group with the most money to sway opinions.
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Lantley
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09/23/22 06:29am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: This is our RV electric future. It's the future man!
Peeps you've got to have a little vision to see the evolution of EV's.
Yes the tow limit maybe 100 miles as we speak. But that is not a concrete limit.
You have to imagine self propelled RV trailers that have their own propulsion, solar panels and batteries. 100 miles is certainly not the forever limit.
Sort of like saying we can only reach the moon, making it to Mars will never be possible. We have managed to land a rover on Mars. A manned mission is certainly not impossible!
The evolution in RV towing is not strictly tied to batteries. There will be new systems and ways we have yet to imagine to get it done.
Who imagined how the computer more precisely "Windows" would change the world?
Then along comes the internet that has revolutionized the way we do things.
Certainly you have witnessed how technology has pushed us forward in ways we never imagined.
To think we are somehow pidgeon holed and reached a dead end in EV evolution is short sighted. Tesla has had cars on the road for about 13 years and they have taken EV's to a mainstream level. Others are now emulating Tesla and will continue to expand EV.
In the 70's when ma Bell and AT&T were broken up into baby bells. Did we ever imagine a world where land lines would be obsolete and every man woman and child would have their own personnal cell phone!
My point is technology happens and it creates change that we simply can't imagine or comprehend. In 1970 we could not comprehend a cell phone or its usefullness.
Much in the same way we cannot envision EV powered RV's. As more and more vehicles evolve to EV so will RV's. We simply are not capable of comprehending what that transformation will look like at this point.
Be assured RV'ing is not going away it will transform into a new and better form much like the cell phone. That evolution will take some time but at some point happen quickly.
Some are throwing up the white flag at the 100 mile travel limit as though that is all we will ever be capable of. Don't worry coast to coast RV travel is not going away....ever
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Lantley
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09/20/22 04:37pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: This is our RV electric future. It's the future man!
I'm not an over the top EV guy. But I am open minded enough to understand one day I maybe towing with an EV vs. claiming that EV towing is an impossible pipe dream.
I've already seen enough game changing technology inm my lifetime to understand change can happen quickly.
Wasn't too long ago the "Dick Tracy" talking watch was far fetched, now it is reality.
When it comes to EV, I don't own a Tesla or have any plans to buy one anytime soon. However I drove a friends Tesla and that experience changed my thoughts on EV. The Tesla is game changin g technology.
The idea of a car withincredible performance with no pistons,crankshaft,lifters or combustion of any sort is mind boggling and transformative.
Experience a Tesla for yourself and your opinion on EV and EV technology will change forever.
If you have not experienced a Tesla,you are thinking old school technology and you really can't grasp what all the EV fuss is about.
However once you exerience Tesla technology you will begin to understand what the fuss is all about.
I'm not suggesting you will run out and buy a Tesla or suddenly become a die hard Musky.
But you will have a much better understanding of what EV technology is about and where it is headed.
Short of a huge breakthrough in battery technology, RVs with similar capabilities are not happening in our lifetime.
"Dick Tracy" was like 80-90 yrs ago. Unless you are 400yrs old, yeah, it was a long time ago.
I had cars without pistons, crankshafts, lifters. Nothing particularly earth shattering about the idea. They were slot cars and solved the energy storage issue by electrifying the track. Electrifying our roadway system is an expensive proposition but technologically it does work.
Performance is a red herring. Modern 4 banger cars almost never use the full performance capability anyway.
Battery Technology is certainly progressing.
To think there will not be significant advancement in batterry technology is very short sited.
While at the Hershey RV show last weekend. There where 4 lithium battery suppliers peddling their products. I don't remember there being any the year prior.
Li batteries are currently changing the way we camp and opening up lots of opportunities to camp off the grid in ways that were not possible just 10 years ago.
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Lantley
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09/20/22 11:11am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: This is our RV electric future. It's the future man!
No one has ever said that EV's are the answer to all needs. The ICE and Diesel will never dissappear in our lifetimes no matter how muck the greenies want them to. It took 40 years for the ICE to replace the horse, the change to EV's will not come any quicker. Nothing to debate folks.
None of us no the time frame but the change is coming. Interestingly enough several manufacturesrs have proclimed they will cease productin of the ICE within the next 20 years
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Lantley
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09/20/22 11:05am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: This is our RV electric future. It's the future man!
Lantley old boy I see you are pulling your fifth with a large gasser or diesel truck. Time for you go EV and pull your fifth with EV sport. Maybe your EV is hidden behind the house.
I'm not an over the top EV guy. But I am open minded enough to understand one day I maybe towing with an EV vs. claiming that EV towing is an impossible pipe dream.
I've already seen enough game changing technology inm my lifetime to understand change can happen quickly.
Wasn't too long ago the "Dick Tracy" talking watch was far fetched, now it is reality.
When it comes to EV, I don't own a Tesla or have any plans to buy one anytime soon. However I drove a friends Tesla and that experience changed my thoughts on EV. The Tesla is game changin g technology.
The idea of a car withincredible performance with no pistons,crankshaft,lifters or combustion of any sort is mind boggling and transformative.
Experience a Tesla for yourself and your opinion on EV and EV technology will change forever.
If you have not experienced a Tesla,you are thinking old school technology and you really can't grasp what all the EV fuss is about.
However once you exerience Tesla technology you will begin to understand what the fuss is all about.
I'm not suggesting you will run out and buy a Tesla or suddenly become a die hard Musky.
But you will have a much better understanding of what EV technology is about and where it is headed.
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Lantley
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09/20/22 06:28am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: This is our RV electric future. It's the future man!
I imagine the cowboys said the same thing concerning horses when the model T was introduced. I'm sure not everyone believed in the flying contraption the Wright brothers were working on.
To think EV won't impact trucking and that the diesel engine is the end all platform is a bit closed minded don't you think?
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Lantley
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09/20/22 04:51am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Upgrade to 5th wheel
I'm not trying to dial in the weights,because for the most part I don't have all the data to dal it in accurately.
I have tools and other stuff in the rear of my truck. Those things are not loaded/placed in the truck to evenly balance the weight. They are simply placed in the truck wherever they fit. As a result my tires are not carrying the same weight.
If I really wanted to use the charts to fill each tire to its corresponding PSI I would have to know the weight of each tire otherwise I'm just guessing.
Secondly we go through all the calculations and then buy a dually truck because it can carry a heavy load. However we then only fill the tires part wat which derates the trucks ability.
Give me full capacity. I did not buy a dually for the soft ride.
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Lantley
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09/19/22 04:41pm |
Towing
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RE: Upgrade to 5th wheel
To get maximum capacity out of the tire.
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Lantley
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09/19/22 09:24am |
Towing
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RE: I thought the RV market might be getting soft. I was wrong.
^^^^That's why many in retirement move to investments with less volatility. The stock market has been propped up by crazy low interest rates for a generation, easy to lose perspective.
I am sure no investment guru. But 2-3% mortgage rates were bound to increase. 2-3% is realy abnormal and not sustainable
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Lantley
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09/17/22 04:32pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Upgrade to 5th wheel
I calculate it this way:
6340-2840=3500lbs. This is your rear axle limit
3500-200=3300lbs. Subtract 200lbs for the hitch
12000 X 0.25=3000. Guesstimated pin weight if the 12,000lb trailer is loaded to the max
3300-3000=300. You have 300lb margin on your rear axle.
I thought the pin weight was taken at 20% of gross weight not 25%.
12000 x .20= 2400 3300-2400=900
Have you ever actually weighed your 5er fully loaded? Many are 25% pin as my last two DRV's have been.
You and I know DRV's are very nice rigs, however they are also heavier than most. I don't doubt DRV's have 25% pin weights but the OP was not referring to a DRV. I also imagine DRV are at least 5% heavier than most comparable size RV's.
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Lantley
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09/17/22 02:30pm |
Towing
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RE: Upgrade to 5th wheel
I calculate it this way:
6340-2840=3500lbs. This is your rear axle limit
3500-200=3300lbs. Subtract 200lbs for the hitch
12000 X 0.25=3000. Guesstimated pin weight if the 12,000lb trailer is loaded to the max
3300-3000=300. You have 300lb margin on your rear axle.
I thought the pin weight was taken at 20% of gross weight not 25%.
12000 x .20= 2400 3300-2400=900
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Lantley
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09/17/22 10:49am |
Towing
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RE: My Coach Net experience tonight.
Coach Net, just like Good Sams and AAA, is limited to the services that are available in the area. Not only that, but the services in the area may be unwilling to work with your provider if they feel the provider won't pay enough. It is not like the provider has these services under contract, ready to go. They have to search for them and contract with them at the time you need the service. Rural area? Few providers. Busy time period? Busy providers. Also, the percentage of providers who have the proper equipment to tow a very large RV is fairly small. If you have a big rig, your wait times will probably be much worse than someone with a modest rig.
I think all of the roadside service insurers are decent, but you can't expect miracles.
(However, I have heard that if you have AAA, but are in an area that doesn't sell AAA RV roadside, then you don't have roadside insurance.)
While I understand your point. GS and coachnet advertise that they can provide 24 hour RV roadside assistance. There are no maybe or if's in the advertisement. The ad does not say we can provide a tow truck if we can find one!
The fine print may have a disclaimer,but that is just salt on the wound when your stranded on the side of the road.
When Coachnet failed to find me a tow truck. I was not in dire staights because I was not too far from home and my RV was in a safe place. The whole situation could have been much worse.
Nevertheless it was a wake up call to not rely on Coachnet.
If I can't count on Coachnet when I am in a jam, why even have roadside assistance? Why pay if I end up on my own anyway?
I've come to realize first hand that GS and Coachnet are just a charade.
Sure they may help you if they can, but they will also leave you stranded if they can't. It's simply the luck of the draw with no assurances or guarantees.
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Lantley
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09/16/22 08:51pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: My Coach Net experience tonight.
Without getting into the details, I also had a poor coachnet experience when I had a blowout in Hampstead,MD.
What agravates and frustrates the consumer is that Coachnet advertises and promotes that they provide towing services for RV's.
However it seems they often have trouble finding tow operators that can tow large RV's.
They collect lots of up front money on the premise they can provide efficient RV towing, however thev reality is they are really not prepared,familiar or equipped to tow large vehicles. My experience was very disappointing.
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Lantley
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09/16/22 06:23am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Repair Price
I would hope most reputable shops are not getting their parts on line.
I've seen Rock Auto and Amazon boxes in a number of dealers shops. The parts that came in them were usually correctly branded unless they were for trade-ins being refurbished.
As opposed to going in to NAPA or AUTOZONE, where you have a choice of one replacement part, Rockauto usually has multiple variations of the replacement part made by several different manufacturers. You can buy the "economy" grade replacement or spend more and get the part that is an exact factory replacement. Getting the parts sooner at a local parts store is usually not an issue. Just remember how long it takes most shops to repair your RV. Very few are repaired in one day and some online parts suppliers do offer next day delivery. Getting multiple quotes from several shops is the best way to determine if this is a good price.
When repairing things for others bargain parts shopping is not as important. Time is more important than money. Sourcing from a local reliable vendor is more important than saving $10.00.
Parts cost are marked up and passed on. If customer can't afford the part they need to find another shop.
Now when DIY'ing a project a penny saved is a penny earned, time is much less critical.
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Lantley
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09/09/22 05:17am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Repair Price
As a comparison, which has nothing to do about labor, I installed a new compressor, new condensing coil, new dryer, new proportioning valve, flushed the system and bought the vacuum pump and gauges to recharge the system. Bought the parts as a complete kit from Rockauto, and bought the vacuum pump, R134a, flushing fluid, and gauges from Amazon. This was for my Chrysler hemi. Total cost for the parts AND the tools to do the installation myself and the total came to about $500.
As far as working on an RV, sometimes removing a tire, engine cover, etc, makes the access not that much different than working on an automobile. It is just that most shops don't like RV's or they think that RV owners are rich so they just pad their bill.
I would hope most reputable shops are not getting their parts on line.
I'd take a lot of the on-line stuff over some of the junk the local NAPA sells. :W
While I do imagine shops buy some commodity items on line. Most need their parts in a couple of hours not a couple of days.
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Lantley
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09/08/22 07:42pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How many of you own an EV?
I don't own an EV but I drove my buddy's Tesla and I was immediately sold!
It instantly and totaly changed my opion of EV after that drive.
It made me realize that the ICE is obsolete. No more pistons, crankshaft oil changes excessive heat etc.
After driving the Tesla I understood why most of the major manufactures have stated that are switching to EV and ceasing production of ICE cars in the no too far off future.
If you have the opportunity to experience a Tesla first hand do so, it is very enlightening.
While you may not be sold the way I was, you will certainly get a better understanding of what the EV fuss is all about
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Lantley
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09/08/22 04:18pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Repair Price
As a comparison, which has nothing to do about labor, I installed a new compressor, new condensing coil, new dryer, new proportioning valve, flushed the system and bought the vacuum pump and gauges to recharge the system. Bought the parts as a complete kit from Rockauto, and bought the vacuum pump, R134a, flushing fluid, and gauges from Amazon. This was for my Chrysler hemi. Total cost for the parts AND the tools to do the installation myself and the total came to about $500.
As far as working on an RV, sometimes removing a tire, engine cover, etc, makes the access not that much different than working on an automobile. It is just that most shops don't like RV's or they think that RV owners are rich so they just pad their bill.
I would hope most reputable shops are not getting their parts on line.
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Lantley
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09/08/22 04:07pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Do you need to sanitize a water tank that's never been used?
Be it just saw dust, dirt, critters or bacteria. Sanitizing is a good idea simply because its not that hard to do. Its cheap insurance vs. ignoring the issue.
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Lantley
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09/08/22 04:05pm |
Travel Trailers
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