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RE: Problems unique to Toy Haulers
The only thing I can think of is that a toy hauler will usually have a heavy tongue weight as comapred to a normal trailer. This is for the weight of the toy you nay have in it. My Catalina has a dry tongue weight of 957 lbs. but has come down to 825 with my harley loaded.
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cliffy49
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10/12/20 02:19pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: 6 Volt Interstate batteries
I was considering the Costco/Interstate GC2 6volt battery. After reading the reviews on the Costco web site I will either join Sams Club or look into the Trojan T605 as we have two retailers within 15 miles of hoome.
Sams sells a well rated 6volt battery, you may want to look into that if there is one close by. Duracell Golf Car Battery - Group Size GC2 sells for $89.88. The only possible drawback is you have to be a member.
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cliffy49
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09/29/20 12:41pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Toy hauler pop up campers?
Here is what I found with a quick google search;
https://rvblogger.com/blog/pop-up-camper-toy-hauler-2/
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cliffy49
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08/09/20 12:03pm |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Costco batteries
I want to thank everyone for their help in this matter. I think I will pay the 10% upcharge and purchase batteries from Sams Club.
Probably the same batteries as Costco just different name...go trojan 105 like suggested and done for yrs.
It is really difficult to justify the T-105s at $150+ core charge if boondocking is not something we are comfortable with. I realize that they are probably the top choice but since we have never tried boondocking before I simply can not afford to spend that kind of money on batteries.
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cliffy49
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07/08/20 07:15am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Costco batteries
I want to thank everyone for their help in this matter. I think I will pay the 10% upcharge and purchase batteries from Sams Club.
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cliffy49
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07/07/20 08:03am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Snow Birds ??
I have finally talked wife into spending at least a couple of months in Arizona this winter. About the time I finished making my route, choosing places to stay and when we were going to get there, the southern states I had chosen started to spike.
Since wife and I are both in the "at risk" portion of society we are going to possibly put the plans on hold. I may just continue to make all the needed reservations since most of them are able to be cancelled without penalty.
We were planning on Az. this winter since we have family and close friends in the area. Cant real see driving all that way just to sit in a campground for wo or three months. Guess we will just have to wait and see what Sept/Oct brings as far as finalizing our plans.
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cliffy49
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07/02/20 11:40am |
Snowbirds
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Costco batteries
Just wondering if anyone has purchased the Costco [email protected] 6 volt batteries in the last 18-24 months.
I am thinking about converting my single Marine/RV battery to 2 6 volt deep cycle batteries. Since Costco is about a mile and a half from the house they were my first choice. After reading the reviews for the Interstate GC2 I am not sure.
All the reviews I have read on the Costco site are very bad if not down right horrible. I realize that most reviews seem to be written by some one that has had a bad experience with the product, that is why I am asking for any new users or purchasers to give me some insight on there experience.
Thanks in advance for all the help.
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cliffy49
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06/30/20 01:38pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Batteries
I agree with those that suggest a pair of 6V golf cart batteries as a good solution for replacing a single 12V battery for those feeling their way into dry camping.
That said, if you decide that spending an entire winter in the Quartzsite desert is in your plans, and you want most of the comforts of camping with an electrical service without one, converting to lithium is an option. I went from a pair of 6V Interstate 6V batteries to a pair of 100 amp hour 12V Battleborn lithium batteries, and while I still cannot run my air conditioner, with a 1500 watt inverter I have no problem using a toaster, toaster oven, 950 watt microwave, and making a pot of drip coffee every day. I spent 78 days dry camping last winter, and, with 480 watts of solar, never needed a generator. Here is a journal entry on the conversion.
Actually the plan is to spend 1 week at a full hook-up campground and then about a week in the desert. I will be making reservations at the Quartzite c/g soon. As far as what part of the desert we will be in, I have no idea. As it get closer, I will spend more time researching the area both via on-line research and using the forums.
We are planning on spending about 2 months in the Phoenix area and I have already inquired bout reservations there.
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cliffy49
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06/03/20 09:48am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Batteries
We have had the Interstates (6 of them) from Costco for the past 3 yrs. with no problems. Keep water in them !!
As with any bad review of something, all of the people that wrote a review stated that they took excellent care of the battery.
That being said, all of the reviews were written in the past year or so. I guess it is possible Interstate/Costco got a really large lot of bad batteries. :B Actually , without knowing how many batteries are sold in that time frame, it is impossible to tell if the batteries are actually that bad or not.
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cliffy49
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06/03/20 08:28am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Batteries
Just got back and Costco and the interstate GC2 batteries are on sale for $89.99 each with a $15.00 core charge. At that price they are the same as the Duracell GC2's.
The only problem i have with the interstate is that I havr not yet read a review where the battery has lasted longer than 14 months. Now, I realize that people do not usually post the good stuff but that many bad reviews maakes me a liitle worried. There is some speculation that INterstate may have switched mfg's and that is the reason for the bad life span of the battery. If anyone has any news or comments about this they would be appreciated.
Are the bad reviews for interstate batteries in general oo specifically for the golf cart batteries? The reason I ask is I had problems with their 12 volt starting batteries.
All of the reviews that I read were on the Costco web site. That would make me think that they were all in regards to the golf cart batteries. I would really hate to spend $200 and then find that the batteries only last about 1 year.
Even though I am not a member of Sam's club, I may have to pay the 10% up charge and purchase them there. They do have the best price that I can find on the Duracell GC2.
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cliffy49
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06/03/20 08:22am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Batteries
Just got back and Costco and the interstate GC2 batteries are on sale for $89.99 each with a $15.00 core charge. At that price they are the same as the Duracell GC2's.
The only problem i have with the interstate is that I havr not yet read a review where the battery has lasted longer than 14 months. Now, I realize that people do not usually post the good stuff but that many bad reviews maakes me a liitle worried. There is some speculation that INterstate may have switched mfg's and that is the reason for the bad life span of the battery. If anyone has any news or comments about this they would be appreciated.
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cliffy49
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06/02/20 08:37am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Batteries
I appreciate all the help and suggestions I have received. As stated in my op. we have never done this type of camping before so I dont want to get into an expensive solution to this. I agree that solar would be nice and lithium or agm bateries would be better than the lead ones.
If we decide this is somoething we would like to pursue, I can then look into the other options.
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cliffy49
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05/28/20 11:48am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Batteries
In this case, would I be better off getting two new Interstates and wire them to double the amp hours?
Depending on your goals, yes. Cheaper batteries won't last as many years, but they will last as many hours as similarly rated ones. What will you do after this trip?
I wouldn't dream of going to Quartzite without a generator or lots of solar. Remember that lead acid batteries take hours to charge. Without a generator you would have to drive somewhere and spend time to get charged.
Actually we are not sure what we will do after this trip. As I said, this will be our first try at boondocking so we are not real sure we will like it. I would not have a problem but the wife may be more comfortable with all the comforts. That is why we will be taking the 3100Champion genny.
This is also why I don't want to go out and spend a whole lot if I am not sure we will be doing more of this. Got to admit, I don't think there are a lot of boondocking opportunities in central Ky.
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cliffy49
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05/25/20 07:41am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Batteries
Agree that for two nights you are fine -- IF you just use them for lights, a little furnace and perhaps charging some phones etc. Just pay attention to your usage. If you or the family screw up and use too much you can usually find a friendly neighbor with a generator to get you over the hump. Enjoy.
Actually the new Champion 3100 generator is on the way. Supposed to be delivered this Wednesday. I had planned on taking it with us but just to use for the time at Quartzite.
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cliffy49
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05/24/20 07:44pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Batteries
Nothing wrong with those.
But if you're thinking of a short term or temporary solution there might be better choices. Golf cart batteries are good at charge cycling. They do far better than standard lead acid being deeply drained. They often come in high capacity too.
For a single trip, total amp hours is what you need. For my first long trip I got some cheap Walmart 'deep cycle'. Under $100 each! Granted I abused them and killed them in a season. I did that because like you I wasn't ready to spend big bucks on a long term kit. After that I was ready and just finished a lithium conversion. It's all in knowing your goals!
In this case, would I be better off getting two new Interstates and wire them to double the amp hours?
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cliffy49
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05/24/20 07:41pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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Batteries
Wife and I are thinking about spending a couple of days at Quartzite this Jan and were going to try spending it in the desert. I know the battery that have now is not really the best for this(Interstate 24 SRM Marine/RV) so I was thinking about two of these;
https://i.imgur.com/oBXy9gyl.jpg
https://www.batteriesplus.com/productdetails/sligc110
Would the work for a first attempt at boondocking. I don't really don't want to spend the money on a Trojan battery or something even more expensive since this is our first try at this.
Thanks for all your feedback.
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cliffy49
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05/24/20 02:55pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Hard start capacitor
In your original post you mentioned getting a generator. A hard start cap, or a soft start device may allow you to go with a smaller generator. BUT as already pointed out, if you spend a little extra to get a generator that doesn't need one of those devices, your overall experience will likely be better because you will have plenty of power for anything else that may arise. We purchased a 3400 watt generator that allows us to use our RV pretty much any way we wish without worrying about power.
Also as was pointed out, the place those devices really shine is on questionable shore power.
Actually, the 3100 watt Champion is on my short list. Looking at Amazon, they are currently on sale for $549.00. I just may pull the trigger today.
That's a very good deal. Free Shipping too
Well ordered it yesterday. Should be here by sometime next week. Got the genny and ordered an hour meter for it. About $600 with tax. Best price before the Amazon sale was $775. I did find a refurbed unit for $569 but figured the new one for the same price was a better deal.:B
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cliffy49
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05/14/20 09:44am |
Tech Issues
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RE: New and looking for a generator
Thanks for the replies. I've been looking at the Honda generators, which are nice, but PRICEY. I'm not saying they're out of the question, but how does this Champion match up? https://www.amazon.com/Champion-3100-Watt-Portable-Inverter-Generator/dp/B00JZQUSAC/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=champion+portable+generator&qid=1589425137&s=lawn-garden&sr=1-10
I have this generator and love it! Not loud at all. A little on the heavy side but manageable. Although I have no experience with them, I hear the Harborfreight Predator generators are ok as well. You don't need to spend a fortune just to have the Honda name on the side. Any generator with decent reviews will do the job nicely.
How well does this genny run everything you need it to run? I realize that it wont run the a/c and the microwave at the same time but other than that how is it? I have the 13.5 a/c and wondered if it will struggle at all.
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cliffy49
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05/14/20 09:35am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Hard start capacitor
In your original post you mentioned getting a generator. A hard start cap, or a soft start device may allow you to go with a smaller generator. BUT as already pointed out, if you spend a little extra to get a generator that doesn't need one of those devices, your overall experience will likely be better because you will have plenty of power for anything else that may arise. We purchased a 3400 watt generator that allows us to use our RV pretty much any way we wish without worrying about power.
Also as was pointed out, the place those devices really shine is on questionable shore power.
Actually, the 3100 watt Champion is on my short list. Looking at Amazon, they are currently on sale for $549.00. I just may pull the trigger today.
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cliffy49
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05/13/20 09:41am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Hard start capacitor
I have this posted on another forum and don't seem to be getting any answers to the question.
Okay guys, my knowledge of electricity does not even make me dangerous. I have been doing a lot of reading in regards to getting a generator for my toy hauler and came across the term "Hard start capacitor". From what I could gather this works the same as a soft start kit.
If that is true, why would you use one versus the other. The only reason I can find after doing very limited research is that the soft start kit is $300 versus the $10-$15 for the capacitor. If some one could please explain the difference and also the pros and cons for each, I would greatly appreciate it.
Please take it easy on me, as I stated I know nothing about electricity other than don't stick a butter knife in the wall outlet. Thanks for all your help.
I may have been involved if the other forum. Hard start Cap and soft start are tow very different things. Soft start ramps up the voltage slowly. It is best for a low voltage situation on newer equipment and marginal impassivity on 30 amp services. Hard start is just a larger "Kick in the ass" on start up usually used of older compresses. That being said, I am an electrician and use a Hard start on my 2011 A/C because I have a constant low voltage problem in my camp ground and I am cheap. If you have a newer unit on 30 amps I would go with the Soft Start. If say 5 years or older go with the hard start. Neither will do damage to your unit.
Cavie, thank you. This is the simplistic type of answer I was looking for.
As for some of the others, I am sorry I took up your time with my question. Going forward, if all you have for an answer is search, I would prefer that you don't even take the time to respond. If I had enough knowledge about electricity a search would have been sufficient. As my knowledge is very limited I was hoping that I could get an answer here. Yeah, I know this is a little harsh, but I always thought that the ide of the forum was to help those of us that needed it. Sorry for the rant but sometimes you just got to unload.
Mods, if this is inappropriate I apologize and you can do as you see fit with this post.
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cliffy49
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05/13/20 07:35am |
Tech Issues
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