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Forum
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RE: Slide topper recommendations
ive had both. In my experience, theres little reason for a slide awning unless the slide has a raised outboard lip that would make you sweep out leaves or snow to close it. Even then, debris will find a way to get under causing you cleaning issues and water infiltration concerns.
No reason if your slide does not have a raised lip as closing it will sweep off all the debris and snow.
Theres some $ pennies advantage for shade during cooling season, then theres the noise of it flapping on windy days or nights. Money poorly spent.
Its a looks great salesmans pitch. use your money better.
max. 42 years no longer a camp owner
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SDcampowneroperator
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09/06/20 07:35pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: tire changing jack
Heres a tip. When the bottle jack, or whatever you have is too tall to fit under the axle, use your leveling blocks to drive the good tire up onto or even under the flat to raise the axle enough to get your jack in place. Got the T shirt
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SDcampowneroperator
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08/08/20 06:12pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: New TT bargaining...
Saw no to extended warranty, put that where the sun doesnt shine. Absolutely refuse to pay for 'documentation fees' Stand your ground on out the door price.
A wdh hitch is a good bargaing point, forget the nickle and dime incidentals like hoses
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SDcampowneroperator
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08/07/20 09:13pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: RV extended warrantee
This is where an ' all hazards' clause could apply. The contract you entered into must have a n exempt clause to road hazard.
Thats the exemption they are trying to imply.
Fight it. No road hazard caused the failure. A bout with a sanctioned construction zone is not an unexpected road hazard,
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SDcampowneroperator
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08/06/20 06:07pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Help A Newbie! what weight RV's should I be shopping for!?
Thowe GVWR ratings do not take in many factors you should consider. An Rv trailer is a huge windjammer behind your truck , vs a low cargo flat trailer.
What the weight ratings really try to do in my opinion is how your truck can carry and safely stop that load , not how well you can keep up with traffic on a hill or in a headwind.
The handling of the load where in a x wind may push a high profile trailer all over the road but little effect a low trailer of the same weight. Longer wheelbased trucks handle this much better
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SDcampowneroperator
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08/04/20 07:10pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Carriage Cameo
Tom ,
Do not put a carrier on a Cameo. We put on a hitch for our boat we bought in Dryden,On. with a tongue wt. of 75kilos, had severe frame troubles and moreryde equalizers failure.
Carriage advertised 3/16 2x6 frame tubing, but over axle its 1/8 The 7k dexter axles are at limit, as are the 12" by 2" electric brakes.
Read my previous posts
Max
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SDcampowneroperator
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08/02/20 09:46pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Newbie shopping - need advice on C vs small A
Scott, it depends on many factors only you can answer when you look in the mirror. I hazard to guess that a shorter diesel A will give you the best bang and value over time. Fuel cost will be less with diesel over gas, that depends on mileage driven. Many do not drive more than a few k's / yr. The more miles, better to go diesel.
For dispersed camping you want high capacity tanks, batteries, a genny, maybe solar, Propane or Diesel powered heater and genny.
Also you have to consider your itinerary. To follow the seasons in prime areas camp fees will be higher.
A couple weeks dry camping at the Q (if you are new look that up as Quartzsite, Az.) soon teaches value of hookups unless you are a handy, proactive person.
Rv live is not cheap. It is freedom. it is a new sunrise or sunset wherever you decide to be that day.
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SDcampowneroperator
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08/01/20 06:23pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: The Way “All” 5th Wheels Frames Should Be Built
There are MFGRs claims about frame strength that are not entirely true. Our Carriage 5er boasted 3/16 wall.(.188) 2x6 Turns out 3/16 was only used in the front portion, under the load over axle portion was 1/8 wall (.125)
Yes we bent the frame there while following their load recommendations because of a massive (unmarked construction bridge ) bump in the road. A spendy fix. It also tore out the rubber morryde equalizers
I belatedly determined the thinner wall tubing by the radius of the corners of the tubing. When rectangular tube is formed, the wall thickness creates a more square corner depending on wall thickness. It does not take an engineering degree to see the 50% increase in strength from the difference, or the maybe $20 in cost to them and the extra 50 # to make a frame that can take all the road may throw at it.
So look at the frame. If you see any portion that looks different, like squarer corners on tubular, or narrower or thinner flanges on I Beam frames. Question it. they are lighter, thinner than the more radiused corners of heavier tubing.
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SDcampowneroperator
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08/01/20 05:54pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Tested your LP detector lately?
You can test them easily by spraying some thing like hair spray or holding your bbq lighter without flame close.
Yes, i have had to replace a couple because they chirped without an issue, when they work right they scream like a smoke detector.
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SDcampowneroperator
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07/31/20 08:15pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Need damage advice
I have seen this before, hard pulling to unstuck a 5er bent the frame where the pinbox is mounted to the members under the overhead floor. Yes you have a problem.
This is why its not advisable to use a gooseneck extension on most 5ers, because of the added leverage. I hope you have comprehensive ins.
A truck frame repair shop is the place to go, not an rv shop.
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SDcampowneroperator
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07/31/20 08:07pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Kind of a dumb question, but I'm new
Adding the hitch is a simple and quick deal. Camping World might not be your best choice of shops to do it. Buying from the dealer you buy the camper from is good advice. CW has a less than stellar reputation.
No matter which dealer does it I'd double check their setup, measure the wheel well front and rear, drop the trailer on the ball, measure, then attach/engage the WDH and measure a third time. The third measurements front and rear should be roughly halfway between the first and second. THIS
wdh hitches are all about distributing the weight . Wheel well or bumper height measurements are critical. when done properly. WDH bars must match the loaded tongue weight to be effective.
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SDcampowneroperator
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07/27/20 10:00pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: RV repair btwn Green River, Wy and rapid city south dakota
Rapid City hose makers I recommend and have used.
Adams ITP Deadwood ave.
Whisler bearing, Maple st.
G& H distributing 1151 plant ave.
Theres Dakota RV just north of these at I 90 exit 51 ( Deadwood ave.) for the install.
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SDcampowneroperator
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07/27/20 09:16pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: where 2 get water for RV before you reach your destination?
The cost of providing safe drinking water is a few pennies per gallon, city or private . . . Initial cost of drilling wells, coupled with power , EPA quality testing, and other costs amortized over 20 years works out to a very minor cost.
The cost comes in the disposal of the wastewater and refuse. Wheather city or private waste treatment and disposal by far exceeds the cost of quality water production.
OP asked a valid question to which they have recieved many valid answers, however the topic does not address the larger issue of wastewater disposal.
Filling fresh water is limited in many places due to the fewer places to dispose of the wastewater.
Consider Custer State Park SD . 5 camps scattered over 20 miles each with a entry water fill tap power but 0nly 1 wastewater dumpstation , 450 sites total There is 1 dump station at the Game Lodge camp ground. This is by design and necessity as other Black Hills soils are difficult to absorption.
Its a simple question to ask about quality drinking water. A much more costly and difficult one to consider the waste treatment.
Educate yourselves about the transport and proper disposal of waste. Theres the cost and difficulty.
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SDcampowneroperator
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07/26/20 07:39pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Best quality 4 season trailer
You can bulid up the infloor heat and insulation to make it a cold weather unit, not the walls or roof.
We turned a '97 Holiday Rambler 32 WFS tt into a true cold weather unit, not much cost just thought and work.
The HR was already a high end tt with a 4 season rating, Harumph ! . it lacked dual pane windows, infloor heat other than that provided by the propane furnace.
Beware of MFGR claims of reflective films or any other nonsense that increase R value. Thickness of the insulation is the only true value.
To make our HR into a cold weather unit, ( working winters in Canada) I dropped the aluminum underbelly lowered the axles( raised the trailer) ,screwed 1 1/2" PVC brickmould to the frame heattraced all the waterlines with 5w' heat cable and put old thermostatic waterbed heaters on the tanks. Routed the wiring to the inverter so that when on the road the tow powered the inverter, when parked switched it to shore power.
Adding 1 1/2 " to the frame allowed 1 1/2 high density foam and a new underbelly of coroplast.
Windows we dealt with by having a local shop cut 1/4" plexiglass to fit, secured them with foam tape and mirror turn buttons, Next was a dehumidifier because you must never allow humidity from cooking, showering, breath to condense in the walls. We did it through 3 -40f + winters without freezing
Theres so much more ,as in is there a campsite open, can you use a heated fresh water hose, or just fill your fresh tank as needed from the camp freeze proof hydrant? will the cost of propane and elec. save you, will your proactivity be up to snuff.
It was for us Still is.
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SDcampowneroperator
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07/23/20 07:44pm |
Full-time RVing
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RE: Arctic Fox and frameLess windows
Frameless windows have the plus of easy cleaning and exterior look the disadvantages of opening and in our case over 12 years and 50k+ miles 2 broken ones because tempered glass cannot take an edge strike from road debris.
We would go back to framed.
The Heir frameless awning style also has been troublesome with the rollers disengaging from the track if the window is opened to full which placed too much arc stretch on the rollers.
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SDcampowneroperator
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07/15/20 08:37pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: where 2 get water for RV before you reach your destination?
must fueling stations large enough for an RV have a water tap. Every public or private we have ever visited did, We always add a couple OZ. bleach
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SDcampowneroperator
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07/14/20 05:42pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: New to RV’ing....and might not last
You said that you run the 50 amp to the side of the house. Please make sure you have a correctly wired 50amp plug. 220 house outlets are different than the RV outlets. If you use the 220 house power you will destroy many of your RV appliances per my understanding.. no. 220 v wiring is standard on all outlets and inputs.
120v left blade, 120v right blade, top 1/2 round is ground, bottom center blade is neutral.
A multimeter will show correct voltage 238-248v when testing right to left, 118 -124v from right, left to ground or neutral.
Amperage load is another matter, with the RV connected and systems operating an amp clamp meter is used to measure the amperage load on each 120 v leg, a difference is normal depending on the service demands.
Research the wattage demands of each of your units systems and how they are split in your on board supply panel. When on 50 A service this is usually moot, as mfgrs usually do a good balance splitting load across the 120v legs.
When you plug into 30Amp. power both legs are powered by a single 120v.
On 50A 240v you have potentially 12000watts. thats 12 KW of power available.
On 30 A 120 v you have one 120v 30 A leg. 3600 watts Makes you a power miser, no 3 power hungry devices on at any time. Thats when you switch as much as you can to alternates like propane. Millions of rvers get along on even less plugged into home, a friends driveway, on batteries solar or generator for nights or months
You have started the adventure . When you get the hang of it, you will not want to hotel it again.
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SDcampowneroperator
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07/09/20 08:06pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: New to RV’ing....and might not last
An Rv is a vehicle and a house in a very compact package. The learning curve is challenging, not overwhelming.
You are starting out big and complicated so you are going to have a lot of the little curves thrown at you that we who worked our way up over years and up in size grew our knowledge a bit at a time take in stride.
I agree with your better half, give this some time, think through the challenges and do not feel reserved in asking for help or advice.
The Rving community is the safest most helpful group of travelers you will ever encounter.
Ask that of someone in the hotel room next door.
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SDcampowneroperator
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07/07/20 07:27pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Is a stabilizer jack for fifth wheel hitch worth the money?
We use one, with our electric jacks it helps a lot. . what we do is lower the front several inches below level front to rear, run the rear scissor electric jacks down tight until the motor cuts out , then lift the front with the jacklegs to level which places more weight on the rear scissors then set the tripod under the pin and lower until it has good weight on it. Maybe not as stable as JT strongarms, but a lot easier and cheap. Set the tripod with one leg straight forward the others to the rear sides.
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SDcampowneroperator
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07/07/20 06:49pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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rbw slideout parts ( orphan ) gears again
Last year we had a off side slide crown gear strip because it was not fully engaging the rack, a new gear only available from Liesure Coachworks who bought out the defunct RBW stock was $150. My previous posts describe how I rearranged spacers and bushings to fix that to full engagement.
This spring it was the door side kitchen slide. The 12 tooth motor drive gear was stripping, not fully engaging in depth the about 40 tooth main gear that drives the crown to rack gear.
Again, a new 12 tooth gear is only available from Coachworks for $149.99 .
Now We are home and handy. This time I took the gear into my shop and with my mig welder turned down low built up the stripped sprocket teeth then with grinders, drill press and files rebuilt the sprocket . The wear issue was exascerbated by a loose bushing in the front aluminum housing which allowed the shaft to push down away from the driven 40 tooth gear when under load. That I fixed by epoxying the bushing into the al. case.
Gear is described as 1.25 dia. on defunct RBW website, and in current Coachworks site. I fitted in my home rebuilt gear at 1.300" to engage the main gear deeper. An hour of time
If you have an orphan with RBW slide out systems or landing gear, options are few and costly for parts. Consider a mechanic or welder with talent to fix yours. 2009 Carriage Cameo 36 fd3
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SDcampowneroperator
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07/04/20 07:03pm |
General RVing Issues
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