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RE: Quality Decline since Covid
Besides the rush to crank more out, more of the MFGs are using lots of temp labor and new-hires, to replace the workers out because of Covid, or who can't work because of at-risk family. Automakers have reported the same issues. Parts suppliers too, combined with some imported components becoming unavailable, causing parts makers to have to substitute components.
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carringb
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01/17/21 06:05pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Chevy Spark
The Spark is a fun little car at low speeds, but ultimately it's cramped and under-powered, especially in the torque department (94 ft-lbs at 4400 RPM). You might find it dangerously underpowered at high-elevations.
Is new a requirement? Have you ever seen a Ford C-Max? It's one of my favorite toads. Crossover-ish seating position, 40+ MPG, good handling, reasonable power, and with the Energi model; 15 miles of all-electric range. Towing it 4-down is simple. No special programming or wiring needed (other than rear lights). It even has double tail-light lenses, so one can be converted to dedicated tow-vehicle-powered lights without diodes.
Getting one coming off a 2-year lease will cost less than a new Spark.
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carringb
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01/01/21 01:06pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: GVWR (lbs/kgs) 14500
A GVWR of 14,500 pounds would indicate the Ford chassis, which has a GCWR of 22,000 pounds.
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carringb
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12/31/20 05:10pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Conflicting information tow dolly
Most new cars lack a steering wheel lock. They went away with the advent of keyless ignitions.
I towed my Fiesta thousands of miles and never had the wheels move relative to the turntable. I also ran wreckers for a few years during grad-school, and you normally only secure the steering when towing a vehicle backwards. And we did use a seatbelt or strap. The steering locks can't be counted on to resist steering forces. Although there shouldn't be any on a tow dolly.
I don't see how strapping the steering will prevent the fenders from kissing. That's just a simple function of how huge modern cars have gotten. That was why I ended selling my dolly. If I ever dolly again, I'll go with the Acme dolly.
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carringb
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12/31/20 08:20am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Conflicting information tow dolly
I used to tow my Fiesta on a older Stehl dolly.
You just pull it on a strap it down. There's no need to disconnect the battery. That's only for 4-down towing. Likewise, nothing to worry about with the steering either.
The fenders can kiss the doors on really tight turns, so to be careful there. It was actually the lights on mine that would kiss, so you might be able to swap for a lower profile light and gain a little more clearance.
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carringb
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12/29/20 08:15am |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Confirmed 2021 RAM Cummins no CP4.2
Well it looks like only Ford is sticking with the CP4.2 - but no worries Ford stands behind their customers when the pump fails - right?
LOL! At least they've gotten the full repair cost down to only around $8k!
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carringb
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12/23/20 08:30am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Slide out awning
I put toppers on all 4 of my slides because of both debris and snow. Wet leafs in the PNW get all over bare slides, and require sweeping them off each use. They simply fall off the topper when the slide room is retracted.
Same with snow. First ski trip out, I ended up with water everywhere from snow coming in the slides. For modest snow, it just sheds off the toppers when I bring it in. I've only had to broom them off twice ever, both times were because feet of snow fell.
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carringb
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12/22/20 12:46pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: New version of Ford's 9.75" axle?
Looks like the variant they’ve been using on the Transit.
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carringb
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12/15/20 11:16am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Life expectancy of a small C class.... Ex Rental
Not using tow haul is hard on the brakes, and it can affect performance a bit. It’s not really detrimental to the transmission however. The 5R and 6R110 adjust line pressures based on shift speed and slip anyways. So... it’ll compensate for the weight being moved. That’s why rental and fleet trucks can feel too snappy when you first hop in.
Also Intermotive used to make a module to make Tow-haul the default. At some point Ford made that a settings option. At least as far back as 2015. U-haul also has tow-haul set as default.
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carringb
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12/15/20 10:53am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Life expectancy of a small C class.... Ex Rental
If its a 2017 chassis, it should have the V10. That was a gap year where the V10 only was offered. But it may have been built on a 2016 chassis, which should have the 5.4L. Starting in 2018 the 6.2L V8 became the base engine.
Anyways, I wouldn't hesitate to buy one, provided the coach is in good condition. Those miles are nothing for the chassis. The 19G especially seems well-liked by people who buy them.
FWIW - I bought my van from Enterprise with 105,500 miles and I have 495,000 now.
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carringb
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12/14/20 11:12am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Best and worst routes across the Mountains ?
Any of the Interstates will be fine. You'll have some steep grade on I-5, and more on I-84. All doable, just keep right and turn on the 4-way flashers if you're going slower than the prevailing traffic. It helps faster traffic realize how slow you are, and gives them time to get over.
Do be careful with GPS re-reroutes, especially in Oregon and Washington. If a freeway closes for any reason, GPS apps will sometimes re-route you to a Forest Service road, and even if it's open, it might not be remotely suitable for a motorhome.
Be aware that some US-routes are far worse for larger vehicles than some State Routes. For example, US-20 eastbound out of the Willamette Valley will take you up 25 miles of narrow road with curves as slow as 15 MPH, and a good long 7% grade, all with a single passing lane, 2 slow vehicle turnouts, and 2 more very short stretches of 2 lane marked for passing. OR-22, about 25 miles north, it far more gradual, with more passing areas, and decent shoulders.
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carringb
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12/13/20 09:14am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Worth the effort?
Don't forget the front spacers, new front wheels, and a bed. Might be cheaper to keep looking for a real dually.
Front end doesn’t need to change. I originally swapped my front end over to dually rotors and wheels, but the 235 tires were too skinny for my liking for some of the places I go. I switched to 265 tires but they’re a little too wide for 6.5” dually wheels, and I didn’t like the sidewall flex while cornering hard. So ended up going back to SRW rotors so I could run 8” wheels. Hard cornering was much better after that. I carry an adapter to use the dually spare up front.
The rear fenders probably will cost more than axle swap or adapter kit, but dually beds are easier to find used because so many duallies get flat-bed conversions. And there’s options for bolt-on fenders too.
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carringb
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12/12/20 10:25am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Worth the effort?
There’s 2 ways to covert. Buy the Arrowcraft kit and use the existing axle, but it might not have much reserve capacity left. It’s nearly as easy to just swap in a dually axle.
FWIW - I originally converted my can with the Arrowcraft kit. No issues with that kit, but my axle was a Dana 70 and was was still pushing a it 7,800# rating. One trip i spilt my diff carrier in half once when I jumped the van going a wee bit too fast, with a trailer in tow on a hitch extension. Then another trip I sheared the pinion gear, sending my driveline across the highway, when I did a 3rd to 1st WOT downshift with torque management turned off, when I went to pass a Honda Civic on a steep uphill while towing the travel trailer.
So now I have a dually Dana 80 axle. If I break this one, I’ll try the Dana S110 next, since my rear axle weight does top 13,000 pounds at times
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carringb
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12/11/20 08:02pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Shout out to Enumclaw Dodge....for the Wet Side Mopar owners
Grit - Can you smell the coolant in the exhaust at all? My Cummins F650 would similarly lose coolant mysteriously, but eventually I got to recognize the faint smell of rotting cotton candy (imagine throwing your kid's cotton candy in the wife's composter and coming back a day later), because it was crack in the EGR cooler (Cummins part, not the Ford one). It would always pass a pressure test because the crack would only open up at elevated operating temps. It would run like this for months before rupturing in a glorious smoke show.
I would think a radiator leak would leave some white residue around the pinhole.
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carringb
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12/09/20 08:47am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: e450 cruise control problems
2006 is PCM controlled, and simply uses the electric throttle body for speed control. You likely have some stiction in the throttle body, which should trigger the check engine light. It would definitely be useful to pull the codes, in case it’s just a dirty MAF. Although it’s all part of the same assembly. They are not a lifetime item. It’s very common to need to new electronic throttle body after around the 10-year mark.
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carringb
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12/08/20 11:36am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: e450 cruise control problems
There is no Cruise Control Module on the E-series.
Depends on age ! My '98 has a separate module.
Interesting. I wasn't aware of that. Mine does not. The CC is vacuum servo operated with a vacuum solenoid PWM controlled by the PCM.
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carringb
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12/07/20 08:10pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: e450 cruise control problems
There is no Cruise Control Module on the E-series. It's either vacuum-controlled (pre-2005) or PCM controller (2005+, when the TorqueShift came out).
A loss of cruise control combined with a check engine light on a vacuum-servo system would make me suspect a large vacuum leak. It could be the servo itself, but could also be a stuck evap solenoid, or possible even the vacuum hose coming off the intake manifold. Are you able to get air to blow out the dash-vents?
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carringb
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12/07/20 06:34pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: small all-electric travel trailer?
The 4 person Hot Tubs I am seeing online hold 210 gallons. That is 1680#
I think is correct for the one pictured. Since that pic, my sister commandeered it, and I upgraded to a fancier model that holds 240 gallons. I installed power leveling jacks directly under the middle of that room rated at 6,000 pounds, so the load of the hot-tub even with 4 users is not an issue.
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carringb
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12/06/20 10:16pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: small all-electric travel trailer?
That seems like a pretty tall tale.... But then again the inflatable hot tub you use in your TT seems like an even taller tale
Well, I guess the magical propane fairies must follow me around from RV park to RV park to refill my tanks without me knowing. But I'm not sure how to explain the 4 person hot-tub that shows up anytime I park....
https://i.ibb.co/Rg3v77W/FF4-B7-B3-E-4633-4-A7-B-A1-D2-1-F5-E54-EFED9-E.jpg width=600
Sorry you guys all have trailers that can't hold heat.
Note: I do run propane heat also when it's teens or colder, because the furnace heats the basement and fire-place doesn't, and I did wake up once to no hot-water when it was 15F over night. It worked again after running the furnace for an hour. But mild-freezing nights it just isn't necessary. Oh and my trailer stays plenty warm into the negative teens, even without skirting or anything other special measures most people need.
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carringb
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12/06/20 04:21pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: small all-electric travel trailer?
on
Your "comfortable" is most likely not the same "comfortable" for everyone.
There is no way that one single 1200W "fireplace" heater can easily provide enough heat to keep a "home like" temperature of say even 68F anywhere near 32F or below in 400 sq ft space.
I can tell you from experience rebuilding several trailers from 20ft to 26ft (170 sq ft to 221 sq ft) the ABSOLUTE best temp one single 1200W heater was able to get those trailers to was 58F with outside temps at or below 32F. OK for working in, but certainly not "comfortable" to live in. And for the record, neither trailer had slides...
Thanks for the assumptions, but you’re wrong. I keep the trailer at 70 during the day. I do turn it down to 64 at night. Once the trailer is up to temp, the fireplace has zero trouble maintaining the temperature down into the low 20s. I do use the furnace for recovery in the morning, mostly because I like the warm floor. If I kept the fireplace temp steady overnight, the furnace wouldn’t even turn on, but I like lower temps for sleeping
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carringb
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12/05/20 07:41pm |
Travel Trailers
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