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RE: How wide do mirrors need to be for a TT?
You have a big TV and a big trailer. You will get used to it. I did find this when looking for your vehicle.
Tow Mirrors
I was not sure about the year of your Toyota but they have some options here.
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aftermath
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10/28/20 04:24pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Daylight savings time !
I taught with an exchange teacher from England. I also carpooled with her to work. As Daylight Savings time approached I asked her if they had DS in England. She looked me with a bewildered look. I explained the concept and she brightened. Yes, they have it in England, she said. They call it "The Changing of the Clocks".
I am for doing away it this silly practice. I don't care if we go to just Standard time or Daylight Saving time. Just stop with all the fuss.
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aftermath
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10/28/20 08:59am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Heating Cost: Electric vs. Propane
Please remember exchange tanks usually don't have 20# in them! More like 15#.
Before I get to this statement, I have a big question.
The place where you are staying, do they meter your electrical usage? If not, then use the electricity. If not, use the estimator provided earlier in this post.
When I hear how people across our nation are charged for propane usage, it sometimes makes my blood heat up. In my state, and most places I have filled my tanks, propane is charged by the gallon. I pay for what I use. Those who pay a flat fee for an exchange tank are paying much more in the long run. If the service at this place fills your tanks on site that would make a difference to me. Had this done once in Wisconsin. It was a nice service. Fair price too.
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aftermath
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10/28/20 08:48am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: How wide do mirrors need to be for a TT?
Stepnwolf, glad you found a solution. I pull an 8.5 ft width trailer with my Tundra. Years ago I towed a smaller trailer with a 4Runner and had to get some tow mirrors. I went with some Cipa mirrors and hated them. Of course, to be fair, this was many years ago so I have no reason to doubt what others say about the new ones today.
I went with OE tow mirrors from Toyota. I really like them. They have two mirrors on each side, a large one that is adjustable from inside and a shorter fixed one for a wide angle look. I can see down the sides of the trailer and really have good visibility when it comes to changing lanes. I can see 200 ft. behind the trailer but what I can't see is anyone who pulls up close. I leave the curtains pulled so I can see through the trailer but not all the clearly. If a police car turns on the lights, I will be able to see that. :B
I prefer the OE mirrors mainly because I don't like the idea of having to add on a mirror before a trip. Over time my 4Runner showed some scratches and nicks where the mirrors were put on then taken off, then put then taken off.....then.....
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aftermath
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10/28/20 08:36am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Winterizing queston
I use air only and have been fine for these last 11 winters. Blow the lines then run your pump dry. Blow the lines again and all the water that came out of your pump will be blown out.
IF you have a bypass, putting some antifreeze in your water pump isn't a bad idea. I don't have one and have little usable space to install one. I follow the suggestions by my local Airstream dealer, air only. This is how they winterize all of their trailers and all of their customers trailers.
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aftermath
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10/17/20 10:35pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Pine trees and slides ??
I had a slide on my small hybrid years ago. Went fishing in Montana one late fall and we had a little snow the first night. It warmed during the day and then we got another inch or two. It warmed again and didn't snow any more. When I got ready to leave I had an ice block on top of the slide. Warming and freezing over a few days was the trouble. No ladder, but we did still have a few rounds for firewood and that worked. Sold the trailer shortly after that but if I hadn't, I would have installed a slide topper.
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aftermath
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10/15/20 05:32pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Goodyear Endurance Tires VS Carlisle Trail HD Tires
Sorry, can't help myself.
Here is another clip to check out. This one comes from a tire dealer.
ST description
Now, I am done.
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aftermath
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10/10/20 11:36pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Goodyear Endurance Tires VS Carlisle Trail HD Tires
Guys, take a deep breath. I am not attacking LT tires. They are very good. My issue is what I stated before. ST tires are built as "speciality tires" for trailers. Because there are not as many produced as LT tires you can get some pretty bad ones. Lots of poor manufacturers jumped in and sold them cheap. Trailer companies bought lots of them and put then on their products which produced a lot of problems as you are all aware.
Today ST tires are much better, maybe not as good as your LTs but they are better. ST tires have stronger sidewalls. I am not saying that they are stronger overall, or better or anything like that. The sidewalls are stronger.
I tried to find a statement by Tireman9 about this and couldn't find one. I have always respected another tire engineer, CapriRacer and after many minutes couldn't find a post of his discussing this. I did find this though,
Trailer manufacturer description
I am done. Believe it or don't, that is your decision. Again, LT tires are good. ST tires work in some situations too. You get to decide.
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aftermath
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10/10/20 11:21pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Sticks and bricks house pipe freeze protection
I have a lot of questions.
What did you do with these pipes when you left for the winter in previous years?
Do you have neighbors? What do they do?
Was your house built to code? I live in a much colder climate and houses around me were built in the early 1900's. Some have basements but others do not.
My first reaction is to insulate the pipes. Add insulation between the floor joists in addition. Running the water, to me, is a last ditch emergency plan.
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aftermath
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10/10/20 05:38pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Goodyear Endurance Tires VS Carlisle Trail HD Tires
...
That is the marketing pitch for why you should buy ST tires, but have you checked the sidewall on them? I had a Marathon, Hercules, and GY Wrangler all side by side not mounted. The Wrangler was much tougher to the touch than either of the other 2. All E rated tires, you could flex the others very easily - the Hercules was bought to get me out of a bind, but very soft side wall. The "steel" belts in an LT tire run crisscross to each other, where the ST tire runs around the tire. The side wall on the LT tire is much stronger and the overall tire weight is more - don't you think taking a truck off road and over rocks is harder on a tire than straight down the highway?
With that said, I have a heavy horse trailer, gooseneck, that has has LT tires on it from new. I jack knife the trailer all the time to park next to my barn, have never had an issue. That trailer gets way more abuse as far a driving circumstances than the RV due to the nature of the use. My first set of original tires went 10 years (I didn't know as much about tires as I do now). I replaced due to dry rot... The GY Wranglers on them now have almost 5 years and look new.
If you do a search on ST vs LT tires for towing trailers you will get an awful lot of information. Some of course, will come from trailer forums and be of questionable reliability. Read some of the others, from tire dealers/manufacturers or RV technicians. After a while you will get a "feel" for what most people believe.
Here is one that is relatively honest.
ST vs LT tires
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aftermath
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10/10/20 05:20pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: truck/trailer sway
Great news allkidd. Happy for you and glad that you found a solution.I was one of those who thought your weight numbers were good and thought that your hitch might be the problem. Enjoy all of your future trips but be careful about the speed. I aim for 65, will hit 70 now and then but reel it back when going over 70. Too many things can go wrong in a very short time. All it takes is an exciting blow out on a hot day at high speed to make you a believer.
Also glad that the "get a bigger truck" crowd didn't jump into this thread. You have a very workable combo.
Best wishes.
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aftermath
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10/09/20 09:30am |
Towing
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RE: Goodyear Endurance Tires VS Carlisle Trail HD Tires
...
Talking to the Goodyear guy today about LT vs ST - ST tires are designed to go straight. Never get much abuse and only designed for rolling resistance. AN LT tire will not roll as well so might increase fuel cost, but a way better built tire. Whenever I have asked a tire professional about LT vs ST they can't tell me why one should buy an ST tire. And, if you need the extra few pounds of added load range, then maybe you should step up a load range anyway.
From everything I have heard or read, this statement is in error. The advantage of an ST tire is in the strength of the sidewalls. They are designed to stand up to the lateral loads produced by sharp turns, like when you are backing into tight camping spots. There are many arguments why an LT tire might be better, but this isn't one of them. Remember, when you talk to a salesman about any product other than what he is selling, be prepared for a sales pitch. Sounds like he hit pay dirt.
Another issue that needs to be discussed is the "China Bomb" label many are quick to attach. Just because a tire is made in China doesn't automatically make it bad. True, there are many that are but my main issue is with the company who sells them and the manufacturer that puts them on their trailers. I purchased a new Starcraft Hybrid that had Carlisle tires, LRC. These tires just barely met load standards and sure enough one blew within months of service. Carlisle paid for the replacement of all 5 of my choice.
Today, there are many tires that are improved and quite capable of carrying your trailer. I suggest that you buy from a reputable dealer who will stand behind their tires and that you get a load range that will easily meet the weight requirement. Marathons were junk. I had Marathons with early signs of tread separation. Put a set of Maxxis on that proved to be very good. Now have a set of the new Carlisle HD and they are even better. 5 years and over 24K miles and they still look new and require almost no additional air through the season. The new Goodyear is very good by all reports. Marathons were produced in China but only for a short time. They were bad before and bad after.
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aftermath
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10/09/20 09:00am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Curious: difference between a WD hitch and Hensley Arrow
To the OP,
1. There are WD hitches out there that distribute the weight between the trailer and TV. They level things out and return weight back to the front end of the TV.
2. A WD hitch by itself does not reduce sway. The first level to help this is the add on friction sway bar.
3. Today there are hitches that combine WD with Sway control at the same time. Andersons, Equalizer Brand and Reese hitches are examples of this.
4. The Hensley or Pro Pride are different, have an entirely different design and suggest that you will never have to worry about sway....ever. People who own these are high on them but this thread is the first time that I have heard an owner actually claim that aside from all the miraculous claims, they will increase MPG too! Wow!
I have been towing for over 20 years now and have ONLY used an Equalizer. Back in the day I had to get a hitch, I was looking for a quick and easy set up. I did not like any of the spring up chain type hitches for they were problematic when backing up. You had to disengage these before backing into your spot upon arriving. This has changed and is no longer an issue. The Hensley is heavy, and you have to back the truck into the stinger. Most owners say this is not an issue after you have sufficient experience and I will accept that. I only knew that after watching two different owners struggle with hooking up in a camp that was a bit off level, I decided that this was not for me.
I went with the Equalizer and have yet to experience any issues. If I did have trouble with WD or sway episodes I would look at a different hitch. But since I now have over 50K miles towing my current trailer without any issues, I am not in a hurry to get something "new". That and the cost of a new Henlsey keeps me happy with my setup. Hensley is a very good hitch, not question. The best? Perhaps, but.....is the extreme cost a justification to drop a hitch that works for me?
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aftermath
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09/27/20 10:50pm |
Towing
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RE: Equal-I-zer spring bar question
RE: Bent Clips
My Equalizer came with my trailer when I purchased it in 2009. The clips were also bent and it made more noise than I was used to. We had a smaller Equalizer on our previous trailer. I got it home and reset the whole thing. Following the guidelines, I noticed that the L brackets were too close to the ball. I moved things around to where they were designed, got new clips and it hasn't caused any trouble these last 11 years. I don't know why they put them where they were as there was nothing in the way to install them correctly.
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aftermath
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09/20/20 09:33am |
Towing
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RE: Flying Floating Flooring
Just sent you a PM.
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aftermath
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09/14/20 01:50pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Flying Floating Flooring
Here is my two cents. Just had my floor replaced in my trailer by a company that does this and who often work on Airstreams through our dealer. We went with an interlocking plank that is glued down. It gets above 100 degrees inside the trailer during the summer and close to or below zero in the winter. A floating floor will expand and contract and I believe would cause issues over time.
I do think that many of the horror stories you hear about are caused by people not knowing what product to use. Buy a cheap product that is meant to float and then glue it down is asking for trouble. I shouldn't use "cheap" because the product we went with was very reasonable. Talk to a professional installer who has done trailers and they will give you the information you need. Putting a floating floor in a house that only varies slightly in temperatures is not like doing one in a trailer.
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aftermath
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09/14/20 09:05am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: RV Water heater
Did you ever describe the "noise"? If it is popping and crackling then I agree you need to flush it out. If is roaring like a jet taking off, follow Old-Biscuit's recommendation. Make sure it has cooled before you get your hand on that sleeve. Ask me how I know.
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aftermath
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09/14/20 08:50am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Fed up with tire blow outs!!!
To the OP, glad you got this figured out. You will be happy with the New Goodyear tires.
In the first 5 or 6 replies no one talked about the load range of your original tires. They were quick to talk "China bombs" as if this was the issue. I purchased a new Starcraft hybrid back around 2005 and it came with LRC Carlisle tires. The maximum payload of the tires was just slightly above the GVW of the trailer. Very close, almost no cushion. I lost a tire soon. It was NOT the country of origin that was the issue it was the poor match of tire to trailer.
When people say "air them to the max" this only is true if you have a low payload capacity. To get the maximum payload you have to have the max air pressure on the side of the tire. Anything less will cause the tire to flex which builds heat which weakens the tire which....well you know all about what happens next. I now have an Airstream and run LRE tires which might be a bit of overkill. They are the Carlisle HD Radials and have been fantastic tires. Over 20K miles on these and after I set the PSI to 70 in the spring, I usually don't have to adjust them. The LRE gave me tires with speed rating of 81 MPH, with max inflation of 80 PSI. I will never go 81 and I don't inflate to 80 but I do like the cushion of safety.
I prefer ST tires. They are designed for trailers and have stronger sidewalls which help deal with the flexing they get when turning tight corners and backing up. Dragging tires in camping spots does stress the sidewalls. Again, the most important thing when it comes to tires is to make sure you have a load range sufficient to carry the weight of the trailer with a good amount of cushion. Best wishes.
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aftermath
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09/13/20 09:47am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Motor Home/Trailer Life Magazines Cease Publication
I suppose all good things come to an end sooner or later. Frankly, I feel that Trailer Life hawks Ford trucks and CW too much already. It would be nice to get an honest magazine with honest reviews. Won't hurt me to non renew if it turns into even more of a sales rag.
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aftermath
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09/13/20 09:09am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Teaching Your Spouse How to Pull a Trailer
This is a good thread. My wife and I agree that it is pretty important that she knows how to pull the trailer. We know of a couple who had a medical emergency while far from home. If it were me, she would HAVE to drive. That said, I agree with the last couple posters. She does not like the idea of driving in small confined spaces and even now, backing up is not something she would do. So, I started by having her drive an hour or so at a time on the freeway. She caught on quickly and is actually a very good driver. Next was having her pull into a gas station. Pull wide, so slow and watch your mirrors. Again she is pretty good at that. If we have to get into town, I take over. That will be our next challenge. So, be supportive, go slow and don't do the mansplaining thing.
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aftermath
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09/03/20 11:17pm |
Towing
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