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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Pigtail not fitting....
I've run into this with a couple trailers. Looking into my socket, I could see where the blades were contacting the edges of the blade-receptacles in the pigtail. Just a very slight nudge to the blades using a screwdriver was all it took to line things up. Note: One time I really tried smashing it in there, and it bent over one of the blades. That one took a bent pick to straighten it.
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carringb
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10/20/20 09:17am |
Towing
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RE: Thor Axis 24.1
As I noted in my OP it looked difficult to access the engine because the dog house was so small. I wanted to go back and see what the access was like with the dog house removed. It only had about 4 screws to remove cover. The salesmen called me back and said the techs at the dealership would not allow the cover to come off. I thought that strange and of course only reinforced my belief of the difficulty of changing spark plugs or adding water to the battery. Was my request unreasonable?
Well, if you decide to proceed, maybe make your offer contingent on a maintenance contract that includes spark plugs, spark plug wires, and batteries for the first 5 years?
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carringb
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10/20/20 09:13am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: favorite tow vehicle for small trailer??
X2 on going with a turbo. But also I do not recommend a CVT (Subaru Ascent). Taking a Subaru actually off-road has caused near-instant belt-failure for some owners (or at a minimum, limp-mode as it tries to stave off belt failure). I imagine a decent steep grade will result in a similar occurrence towing a trailer. Also note that Subaru does not rate their cars to the SAE J2807. Toyota does rate the Highlander to that standard. I also can't find any evidence that Honda rates the Passport to that standard.
Might I suggest an Explorer? The 2.3L EcoBoost is rated for 5,300 pounds with the Class 3 towing package, and is calculated with SAE J2807 method. Plus the RWD-based platform will be better for towing anyways. And it's rated for 27 MPG highway, 23 combined.
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carringb
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10/19/20 11:44am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Brake Fluid Still Milky
Yup. Keep flushing. There's probably a bunch trapped in the accumulators in the ABS pump, but you need a diagnostics terminal to cycle the pump when bleeding. For a DIY, just drive a while then flush again.
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carringb
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10/17/20 02:46pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Thor Axis 24.1
If I understand you post completely I think what you are saying is when both use the chassis certified method the real difference in HP is 125 HP. That is a significant difference, especially if it gets the same or better MPG. Do you know if they went with taller gears in the rear end to increase the mpg?
The Axis/Vegas 24.1 and 24.3 are built on the E350 for 2021, which comes with 4.10 rear end gears. The larger models are still built on the E450, which comes with 4.56 gears. So yes, the shorter ones should use less fuel, but also have a lower tow rating (18,500 combined vs 22,000 combined).
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carringb
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10/15/20 09:14pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Thor Axis 24.1
From what I see most of these smaller C's get about 10 mpgs with the V-10's don't know if 45 more HP in the newer eng will do better but should be much better performance on hills.
The Thor/Axis have the lowest coeffecient of drag of any motorhome. That's what allows them to use a Class 3 (E350) chassis, which has a stricter carbon-emissions limit than the Class 4 chassis. Ford and Thor went through a lot to optimize that sloped front windshield.
Also, the extra power of the new 7.3L is more than the 45 hp on paper might suggest, because the V10 was only chassis certified, and the new engine is dyo certified. For claims both methods are tuned the same, and only the test method differs. The same motor in the F-series is rated at 430 hp using the chassis method. The simplest way to describe the test methods is chassis dyno certified = best load case (no EGR, fan off, A/C off, minimal alternator load etc) and the dyno certified is worst case (will EGR, engine fan maximum engagements, max load of all front-end accessories).
But.... as others have mentioned... Thor's QA program leaves a lot to be desired. Do a very thorough inspection before you buy. You might find some build-quality differences between the same units on the same lot.
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carringb
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10/15/20 08:25am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: NEW TOW VEHICLE ?
Will this be a daily driver too? If yes, I wouldn't recommend the Durango for that. I'd consider it if it'll be a dedicated TV, but only the V8. The V6 can do it, but not well. It seems like it can never find a good gear when it's loaded heavy.
The Pathfinder is NOT a good TV for 5,000 pounds. It's low on torque, and has a CVT. CVT's are prone to early failure when low-speed torque is needed, because of the heat generated by the belt. And when the belt breaks, you have to just replace the transmission. The plates that makes up the "push" design" of the belt scatter all over, and trash everything else in there.
The Explorer is nice, and great for towing with the EcoBoost. My sister has a 2016. Bought with 15k and has 75k now. It's been back to the dealer a few times, but only for improper repairs from a rollover accident that didn't show on it's history. No issues other than those (broken roof-rack trim-clips, leaky windshield, butt-connectors on the rear-seatbelt-airbag system.
The one common issue to watch out is cooked PTU fluid. Changing it should be part of your new-vehicle inspection, and then change it regularly after towing. It gets too hot because of it's proximity to the exhaust, and you can't run synthetic because that would reduce the ability for the clutches to hold.
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carringb
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10/12/20 07:00am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Jack Knife Sofa Fold flat on wall?
Yup. My WW sofa did the same, and even had buckles on the window valence to hold it up. I added 2 more jackknife sofas to the garage, and they likewise folded up flat, but I just secured them with a ratchet strap in the up position.
If your sofa has folding legs, you should be able to do the same. If yours was build on a wood platform, if might need some minor mods to make it work like this.
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carringb
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10/08/20 11:26am |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Blown engine
"Blown" can mean a lot of different things to different people. I'm glad you got the rig away from the dealer. In my experience, some dealers automatically defer to worst-case, because it avoids any problems from bad diagnostics. My local Ford dealer "diagnosed" my last van as needing a new motor because of some intermittent black exhaust, when it really turned out to be a broken wire going to the oxygen sensor.
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carringb
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10/08/20 11:25am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Equalizer Shackles Hitting Frame
The shackles are stronger than the spring-hanger, and that part of the spring hanger doesn't add any strength. The new shackles are just meatier. My vote is just leave it. It's already made clearance for itself.
Also, once the rubber "springs" is the dexter-equalizer get some miles, they'll settle out a little, and you'll gain a tiny bit of eye-to-eye distance.
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carringb
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10/07/20 06:53pm |
Towing
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RE: Spendy used tow vehicle
It's built on an F250. The parts are available EVERYWHERE! Including the 7.3L Navistar built Powerstroke. Couldn't ask for a better used truck/SUV than an Excursion.
From the B-pillar back, it's unique aside from the rear axle. Frame is different, fuel system is different, body is different. Even the back doors are 6" longer than the crew-cab pickup doors. That's part of what's driving up used prices. Good excursion bodies are being up-cycled into "new" excursions using the 2016 Superduty platform.
http://www.customautosbytim.com
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carringb
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10/06/20 01:19pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Spendy used tow vehicle
Simple supply and demand combined with rarity. They didn't sell a ton of Excursions to start with, and the pool of 7.3L PSDs is even more limited, especially good specimens at this point. Will they get that asking price? I doubt it. But I'm sure it won't sell for cheap.
E350 camper vans with the 7.3L are going for double that sometimes....
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carringb
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10/06/20 11:20am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: dometic furnace problem
Try closing the valve on your propane tank and bleeding off the pressure, then open the valve very slowly. It sounds like you might of trip the excessive flow protection valve.
I've had this happen. If you trailer has no propane pressure when you hook up a tank, then you open the tank quickly, it'll do this. Stove will make flame, though it's weaker. Big appliances won't work.
OP - Are you getting airflow? Does the air warm up at all? I've seen some trailers where the intake was blocked, causing the high temp circuit to trip because there wasn't really air moving through the furnace.
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carringb
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10/06/20 07:23am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Suggestions for sagging roof
You might be able to get by for a few more years if you remove the A/C, cover the hole with thin plywood, and glue down a new section of roof membrane. But the rot is already present, and will continue to spread through the structure until it's not even towable anymore.
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carringb
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10/04/20 08:53am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Reflectix on window, long-term?
I used to use reflectix to keep the trailer cool when boon-docking in the high dessert. I came back to the trailer one time, and the sealant on the bedroom, which didn't get any shade that day, was melting. Luckily I only lost some trim, and as soon as I removed the reflectix, the sealant started to set back up before the glass fell out.
So... I still use it all winter, but I'm selective in the summer. I won't use in anymore in very hot weather if the window will be in direct sun all day.
White vinyl on the outside would probably lower the temps enough so it won't be a problem. A window would be small enough to cover with sign-vinyl, which is much cheaper than automotive-vinyl, and you might be able to pick up some remnants for very cheap at a sign shop.
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carringb
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10/04/20 08:49am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Looking for a quality Toy hauler but discouraged.
That said, toy haulers get a premium that I really don't understand. There really isn't a construction reason for them being so much higher price.
The floors are build completely different, plus bigger tanks, heavier frame, ramp door etc. And the biggest difference seems to be the generator and on board fuel station. If you skip those two options, the prices aren't much more than a similar-sized premium travel trailer.
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carringb
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10/03/20 08:59am |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Looking for a quality Toy hauler but discouraged.
There's a few good brands. ATC would be by first choice as well, except it's not a 4-season trailer.
Dessert Fox (made by Northwoods / Arctic Fox) are well built units. Their sister company Outdoors RV has a new line called the Trail https://outdoorsrvmfg.com/trail-series/
For used units, I'm not sure I'd consider anything other than ATC, Dessert Fox, and possibly Eclipse. I'd definitely avoid anything Thor (which now includes Jayco) or Forest River (including Coachmen).
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carringb
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10/03/20 08:55am |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Ford electric truck
How about solar panels instead of a roof or is the smaller area not worth the trouble.
A rooftop solar panel is only good as a battery maintainer, or running low loads like a cabin ventilator to reduce ambient temps when parked (Prius and Leaf have this option). But a bed cover could fit 2x 500w panels. Aftermarket F-150 EV conversions are rated close to 2 miles per kilowatt-hour. That 1Kw bed cover will probably only see full charging about 3 hours a day, but it could be enough to allow most commuters to recharge less often. A bed cover doesn’t increase drag (if its designed right, it can improve it), so onboard solar might have little downside in this application. On a car, you’ll end up adding more drag than an array would make up for, so that’s why you don’t see it.
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carringb
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10/01/20 08:34am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Gen-y torsion hitch and weight distribution adapter
I don't get it. Why have all that extra mass and hitch distance? Besides that being a rediculously overpriced shank (which does the same thing as any other shank), it's adjustable, so why bother with the extra adjustments and hitch slop with the Gen-y platform?
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carringb
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09/30/20 06:48pm |
Towing
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RE: Fuelly mileage of the big three diesels
It sure would be nice if Fuelly hadan option for towing vs solo driving, since the ratio of those driving types can skew data wildly. Without that, how do we know the Ford is any more efficient, rather than more it being a result of more people buying them as family daily drivers? I suspect the lower Ram 3500 numbers are also simply because they are so popular for hot-shotting, especially with the 14k GVWR, where Ford-driving hot-shotters will just opt for the F450 instead. Anyways... sure would be nice if there was a standardized fuel efficiency or CO2 test for light-medium vehicles, under both empty and full GCWR scenarios....
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carringb
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09/30/20 08:43am |
Tow Vehicles
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