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Forum
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RE: Travel Trailers vs Motor Home
I know this has been discussed before, but I am going to bring it up again. I have 2000 Winnebago diesel pusher that needs some work. I am thinking of down-sizing to a 28-foot 2017 Vibe travel trailer. I would appreciate some opinions from people who have made a similar switch. Right now, I am leaning towards the travel trailer. I would like to thank you all in advance.
I towed a travel trailer 32' Holiday Rambler for 10 yrs. and a Big Horn 5th. wheel for 10 yrs. I would recommend a 5th. wheel without question. They are easier to hitch and unhitch and are much more stable with driving down the road. i.e. when strong winds and big 18-wheelers pass you will hardly notice.
Agree with you on stability of towing with one caveat - we towed a 32' TT before purchasing our FW and towed it with a Hensley Arrow. No sway when 18 wheelers passed.
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ReneeG
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09/24/22 09:46am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Best Hitch
With a TrailerSaver hitch, Bd3 or BD5, as noted, the hitch has to be put in the 9 o'clock position for hitching, once it's hooked, not only will you hear an audible locking sound, that wonderful clunking noise, but the hitch handle then moves to the 8 o'clock position and the locking jaws are closed. This hitch as a true Holland Binkley head. We've never done a pull test. Any position less than 8 o'clock means you're not locked and you have to start over.
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ReneeG
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09/16/22 11:10am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Repair Price
If you can fix it, great! If you can't, you pay for expertise, and dealerships are generally more expensive. We had to have the compressor replaced in a 2007 Ford Freestyle. It came to $1200. Luckily we had a bumper-to-bumper warranty, and our deductive was $100. That was our final cost.
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ReneeG
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09/09/22 08:25am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Chirping alarms
Thanks. I was wondering if there was a difference between house hardwired and RV hardwired.
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ReneeG
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09/08/22 05:06pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Chirping alarms
No I didn't. But one more comment is that it is is hard wired, not a battery
Thanks
Even if it is hard-wired, wouldn't it still have a battery as a backup and if it is going bad you would be alerted.
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ReneeG
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09/08/22 02:45pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Chirping alarms
Did we ever hear back from the OP?
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ReneeG
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09/08/22 10:09am |
Tech Issues
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RE: No power
Well, we never heard back from the OP.
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ReneeG
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09/08/22 10:08am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Mini Split A.C. in their fiver
We had one installed in our bedroom. In the 12 years we've had it, we rarely use it because we haven't had the need like we thought. It's definitely noisier than the main, but cools really well. Last time we traveled to an area that we needed both, was Moab, so we're ready for hotter climes and glad we have the extra.
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ReneeG
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09/04/22 09:40am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Preparing to Leave in Hot Weather
Thats a constant for us, to pack in hot weather to go camping in cooler climes. Our reefer is on the shaded side and since our rig is parked at home and plugged in, I run the AC, at least set to 78,to keep all the food in the cupboards as well as helping the fridge, cool. It's always worked for us.
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ReneeG
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09/04/22 09:35am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: No power
He may be busy trying all the ideas.
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ReneeG
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09/04/22 09:31am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: No power
Check the fuses. Is it plugged in or not?
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ReneeG
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09/03/22 10:17am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Chirping alarms
On very rare occasions my alarms will shriek like a dying bird and then nothing for another two weeks or so. I gave up on trying to locate the bird. No kidding.
The sensors used in propane and CO detectors aren't very selective about what they'll detect.
Lots of things other than propane or CO will set them off - Hair spray, nail polish (and nail polish remover), just about anything containing alcohol...
The gases produced by unsealed lead-acid batteries can also set them off, particularly while the batteries are being recharged.
Exactly how we found that our batteries were going bad. One of the alarms kept going off, and I can't remember now which one, even after replacing it because it was old. I kept smelling this strong sulfur/acid smell and opened up the battery compartment. Oh man!!! An inspection of the batteries showed they were leaking, bulging, and bad. Replaced them and no more alarms.
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ReneeG
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09/03/22 10:14am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Chirping alarms
Ditto on all the recommendations. We've had to eventually replace our CO2 and propane detectors due to aging out.
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ReneeG
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09/02/22 07:00am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Best leveler for travel trailer?
Our fifth wheel is a little over 13k and we use the lego like leveling blocks and have had no problems with them shattering. We also have those Anderson curved levelers you back up into and stop when you're level, but don't use them as much as the linking ones.
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ReneeG
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09/02/22 06:56am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Little Joe Rd in Northern Idaho
Some history about the railroad to Avery at this
Hiawatha bike trail page. The section of railroad from I90 to Avery is now a bike trail, complete with trestles and tunnels.
https://www.ridethehiawatha.com/history
This I knew but had never been there. Very interesting article. Thank you.
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ReneeG
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09/01/22 01:53pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Best Hitch
It appears the award for "Best Hitch" has been given to the B&W Companion. I'm late to this thread (been camping), but I would like to nominate the Trailer Saver TS3 which I own.
- The Companion is made in USA, so is the Trailer Saver.
- The Companion uses heavy gauge steel, the TS3 is heavier, 1/4" plate with 3/4" solid steel risers.
- The Companion has thick jaws, those on the TS3 are thicker.
- The TS3 dissipates bouncing forces, the Companion doesn't.
- Due to the high hinge design, the TS3 dissipates chucking forces, the Companion doesn't.
- During panic braking, the TS3 causes the front of the trailer to push down loading the rear truck tires, a safety feature.
- The comfortable tow of the TS3 reduces driver fatigue, a safety feature.
- Shock mitigation of the TS3 protects the trailer's frame and the truck's electronics. The Companion doesn't do this.
The Companion is a good hitch, the TS3 just does so much more. In a "Best Hitch" competition, B&W would rank below Trailer Saver, Road master Comfort Ride, and Air Safe hitches. Due to the high prices, we just don't have as many fanboys.
What kind of maintenance does the TS3 need? What are the failure points...airbags? Which one is easier to remove? Which one cost less? Which one has better customer support?
Maintenance - Zerk fittings for the pivot rod similar to the need to grease the rubber donuts on the Companion. Same for the Hensley TrailerSaver BD3
Failure points - Don't know, never had a failure in six years. Same here, but have not had a failure since installing it in 2010.
Easier to remove - Based on this Criterium, the lightest hitch would then be the best hitch. "Best Hitch" was the question. TrailerSaver BD3 is heavy duty, but comes apart for easy removal.
Cost - You get what you pay for. Pay less - get less.
Customer support - Don't know, never needed to call customer support. My guess is if you are calling customer support, you have problems. Fantastic and prompt customer support from Hensley!
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ReneeG
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09/01/22 08:41am |
Fifth-Wheels
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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.
I assumed it was named after the St. Joe river and mountains.
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ReneeG
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08/31/22 06:24pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Little Joe Rd in Northern Idaho
Avery was an awesome place! Huge burnt out red cedar snags from the fire of 1910 and an absurd number of wooden Burlington Northern railroad trestle bridges. Hope it's weathered the last 40 years better than most places have.
It's definitely on my list to revisit.
Thanks for the feedback!!
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ReneeG
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08/31/22 05:26pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Little Joe Rd in Northern Idaho
From Google Maps, it looks like Little Joe Rd in Montana is gavel - judging by a mix of Streetview and Sat. But on the Idaho side it looks like pavement - that is I can see center line paint in the Sat view (no streetview). The high point is on the stateline.
From the bike route profile, there's about a 3000 ft climb to the pass.
I was thinking the same. Now we won't be going THAT direction! We'll have to go north past Mullan and then come down.
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ReneeG
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08/31/22 03:05pm |
Roads and Routes
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Little Joe Rd in Northern Idaho
Has anyone taken the Little Joe Rd from Regis Montana to Avery, Idaho? This would be Hwy 90 to the Mullan Gulch Rd, to the Little Joe Rd or 282? We want to visit the St. Joe River and will be coming from the Salmon Idaho area. Thanks.
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ReneeG
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08/31/22 02:15pm |
Roads and Routes
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