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Date Posted |
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RE: Cold weather, water, what to do..
I just disconnected the hose and let their bibb drip. We used the pressure demand pump and no problems at all. By 10am things were thawing out. What I usually do is just not pay attention to the weather forecast and wake up at 4am to no water.
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falconbrother
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12/26/20 09:04am |
Travel Trailers
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Cold weather, water, what to do..
We're out camping at a KOA. It's supposed to be 25-26 degrees in the morning. The campground sent out a text saying disconnect the hose and leave their water bib dripping or, let the water drip in the RV. My plan is to disconnect the hose and let their faucet drip and use the on-board tank for water till things warm back up. My question is, if I let my faucet drip will it not fill up the grey tank and then over-fill it? I'd prefer to leave the hose connected and let my faucet drip. But, having a crisis in the wee hours does not appeal to me whatsoever.
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falconbrother
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12/25/20 07:30pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Thoughts on the Cost of RVing
We don't consider the RV a luxury. DW has health issues and we have dogs. The RV allows us to visit family and have an occasional vacation. Whatever it cost we will have to pay I guess.
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falconbrother
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11/08/20 07:20pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Grease gun/ grease recommendations
I use the EZ Lube feature every year. Never had a problem. I jack up the axle under the "U" bolt. Then I check/adjust the brakes, then I add a few squirts of grease till I see it pushing out of the front, while spinning the tire. Then on to the next axle. All four axles can be done in a half hour easy. I use the grease gun that I inherited from my grandfather. It's probably as old as I am.
Dexter video
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falconbrother
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10/20/20 12:35pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: crank up antenna won't crank up
I take mine partially apart a couple of times a year and lube it with silicone spray. It's a maintenance item.
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falconbrother
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10/20/20 12:13pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Class C Pros and Cons
We went from a motorhome to a travel trailer. Couldn't be happier. Much simpler to own. Not that a motorhome is a bad thing. It's way more maintenance. Would I get a motorhome again? Only if our lives drastically changed. For what we do the travel trailer is far superior. That is, we hook up, go to our destination, stay a few days. Then maybe move to another destination, stay a few days, then head home. If we were going to be traversing the US a motorhome would be the better choice.
It was nice to have all the amenities of home while rolling down the interstate. I do miss the generator, microwave and bathroom. Of course we have bathroom now but, we have to pull over. The front of the motorhome, where the drivers and passenger seats are is mostly wasted space when camping. In the travel trailer we use all the space, and we have a big slideout, which is solid gold. We had an older class A with the huge windshield. I would freeze up there while driving in the winter. The heat would keep the house warm enough but, it was cold in the very front. Two oil changes, big bucks for tires, insurance, other repairs, etc.. Motorhomes cost way more to own. But, can be worth it. It's nice to get to the campground in terrible weather and not have to get out in it till the morning. We pulled into a campground, in the dark, in East Tennessee in a driving rain. I disconnected the toad, backed in the motorhome and called it a night. The trailer requires more work.
There is no perfect. I'd say that if you plan to do a lot of moving and driving get the motorhome. If you plan to get to your destination and spend time there, get the travel trailer. Towing isn't bad at all as long as you have enough tow vehicle and the hitch is set up correctly. In fact, towing the travel trailer is less stressful for me than driving the motorhome and pulling the toad. I don't really feel the trailer back there 95% of the time, and out trailer is 30 feet long. However, backing a motorhome into a tight space is easy. I never had an issue with that, in the dark, and rain. Backing a 30 foot trailer into a tight spot is more difficult (for me anyway).
Either way you'll be OK. I met some kind folks from Canada that were hauling a travel trailer all over the US. My sister's in-laws pulled a travel trailer from the West coast the the East coast and North and South about every year (with a Dodge 2500). If I were traveling that much I'd rather have a motorhome. They preferred the trailer.
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falconbrother
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10/19/20 12:56pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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On the road breakdown stories..
I'd be interested in reading your on the road breakdown stories and how you got back on the road. I'll share two.
I have been RV-ing on and off since 1987. I guess we have been very lucky to have had very few problems out on the road, all things considered.
Every Christmas we take the RV to visit family over the Christmas break (my second career is at a college, if you don't count military time). About eight years ago we were driving the class A motorhome out on I-40 in ten lanes of traffic during 5 o'clock rush hour. We were motoring along minding our own business, when what sounded like a shotgun blast went off in the motorhome. We blew a tire. I seriously thought my wife was having a heart attack. She said "I don't think I can do this RV thing anymore." I called roadside assistance but, noticed a tire store at the top of the next exit ramp. Since it was one of the rear dually tires I limped to the Discount Tire. The motorhome was on a P-30 chassis and had 16 inch wheels. So, I was able to spend a small fortune and replaced all 7 tires. We were back on the road in a couple of hours and made the RV park around 11pm. We sold that motorhome in 2017. It was in far better shape than when I bought it. The new owner hasn't taken very good care of it. The last time I saw it it was parked under a huge tree with a foot and a half of wet leaves piled up on the roof. Nevertheless..
Last year, we went to the beach for a week. We had a terrific week. For about a month before that trip I kept having this nagging feeling that I ought to replace the radiator. There was no indication whatsoever that there was anything wrong with it. I just had a feeling in my gut, that I ignored due to lack of evidence. Leaving Myrtle Beach I had to stand on the brakes and I heard a weird cracking sound. I thought maybe we slid on some sand or gravel or something. I kept on driving, no indication of any issues. We made it to the middle of nowhere on 501 a few miles from Marion SC and started overheating in a hurry. I pulled over, popped the hood and antifreeze was everywhere. The overflow tank was empty. I thought I might add some water and try to make it to Marion so, yep, I unscrewed the cap on the overflow tank..stupid.. Antifeeze came shooting out and lit me up like a firecracker. Burned my hand. Don't ever do that..
It was literally in the mid 90s that day, like 95 degrees. We had dogs with us. I put them in crates and carried them into the tree line to try to keep them cool, and it worked pretty well. I called roadside assistance and they sent us a rollback wrecker, loaded up the Suburban and hooked up the travel trailer. The wrecker driver was this old biker that was amazing. A really great guy. He dropped us at a campsite in an RV park in Florence SC and took the Suburban to their facility. I had a first aid kit that had stuff for burns in it so, for the next two days we just hung around the campground. I didn't feel stressed at all, which isn't really like me. We had a few meager groceries and bought a few things in the campground store. The nearest store was miles away. Lesson, always have some extras for a breakdown. In two days the Suburban was fixed and we headed home. The next time I get that nagging feeling about such a thing I'm just going to replace it. $200 dollars and an hour and a half and I could have avoided the whole thing.
I'd say that with 33 years of RV-ing two breakdowns isn't bad.
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falconbrother
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10/16/20 09:35am |
General RVing Issues
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How often..
How often do you replace your trailer tires?
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falconbrother
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10/15/20 12:46pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Choosing our first travel trailer! Big family
Delete (duplicate)
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falconbrother
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10/15/20 12:42pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Choosing our first travel trailer! Big family
Since you have your truck you know what your weights should be. You have lots and lots of options. There is no perfect. We bought ours new at CW in 2017. Lucky for us I guess we haven't needed any warranty work. Ours is officially a 27foot but a shade over 30 feet hitch to bumper. For two people and dogs it's plenty of room, especially with the slide out.
After towing a lot since 2017 I'd say you should have plenty of truck, weights and power. Just pay real close attention to your weights. Throw in an extra 1000 pounds on that trailer weight and stay well under your max. Get your hitch set up by a pro. If you can have a bedroom with a door you'll be happier. Bunkhouse travel trailers are everywhere so, that will be an easy find.
Think about storage when you're looking. You will run out of that in a hurry. We don't have the outside kitchen. Not sure I'd want that, or the outside television. The bathroom with an outside entrance might be a nice feature though, also a common feature. Get one with with EZ lube style axles. Very easy to maintain. Lippert and Dexter make them. Very common these days. We have had fiberglass laminate and aluminum sided. After 33 years of RVs I prefer aluminum. When laminate starts to de-laminate it's a mess. If you can find an RV with a fiberglass roof that would be awesome. Not sure if that's a thing in travel trailers, it is with some motorhomes. The rubber roof needs to be inspected and cleaned regularly.
The biggest thing. Enjoy the process. It's fun to buying an RV. I think we have bought our last one. When we get too old to tow it we'll store it at the beach so we just call and they can put it on a spot.
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falconbrother
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10/15/20 12:41pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: 2003 Ford F150 4x4 Towing
You'll be fine.
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falconbrother
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10/14/20 02:57pm |
Towing
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RE: onan 4k gen
I had a motorhome that had the Onan 4k. I ran it every two weeks under a load all year. When I bought it it wouldn't start. I didn't want to go through that again.
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falconbrother
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10/14/20 02:36pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: How to tow travel trailer with 2 adults, 3 kids, and 2 dogs
We pull a 30 foot (officially 27 foot) travel trailer with slide with a Suburban. I added Sumo Supersprings to it. My wife does dog shows so we needed lots of climate controlled space to haul dogs. A modern Suburban or Expedition EL would do the trick. I think they come with somewhere around an 11000 lb tow weight rating.
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falconbrother
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10/12/20 06:28am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Compressors
I just leave a cheap HF compressor in my RV all the time. I use it to winterize and top off tires. It's super simple to use. One gauge is the pressure in the tank, one is the pressure you set with the knob.
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falconbrother
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10/12/20 06:22am |
Travel Trailers
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Spendy used tow vehicle
Spendy used vehicle.
It's a 2001 Ford.. Way expensive..
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falconbrother
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10/06/20 11:05am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2021 Suburban. How Much Trailer?
I'm towing with my old 2000 model Suburban, 7200 weight rated. My trailer is just under 5800 dry. I don't usually have very much in the tanks. It's me, DW and pugs. I added Sumo Supersprings to the rear suspension. It tows just fine. The older 5.3 is a bit sluggish at lower RPMs, which is fine for me. I think if you're towing 5000 with a 2021 Burb with the tow package you'll have no issues at all. Just get the hitch set up right.
My one tip. Don't let the transmission hunt for gears. The 5.3 likes RPMs and the transmission gets hot when it's hunting, like pulling up a mountain. Other than that. The Suburban tows great.
We have had this set up since Jan 2017. We have been up the mountains, back roads, interstates, etc.. It does fine. You'll have no problems with what you're talking about.
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falconbrother
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08/28/20 02:37pm |
Towing
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Dex 6 transmission fluid
A couple of years ago I pulled the transmission pan and replaced the filter. Since then I have done a few drain and fills of the fluid. I have found that Dex6 is getting harder to find. What seems to be more common is a Mercon/Dextron fluid that's "supposed" to exceed the requirements of Dex6. So far I have been suspicious and avoided it. However, I think at my next oil change I'll do a drain and fill and go ahead and use the Merc/Dex6 fluid.
Is there any reason I should not do this? I'm quite certain that the Dex/Merc does in fact exceed what came in the transmission from the factory. I'm just not certain about additives that may have been required from the Ford fluid that isn't for the GM.
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falconbrother
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08/28/20 01:49pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: First time tower - multiple questions
What I would do (what I did). I'm towing with a Chevrolet Suburban. I bought it with a travel trailer in mind. Then, I purchased my WD hitch. Lastly we went to the dealership and picked out a trailer that was well under the weight rating. Our limit is 7200. The dry weight of the trailer is 5800. Once we bought it the dealership set up the hitch for free (yea, right).
Lessons: Let a pro set up your hitch for you. I bought the anti sway but, in 4 years of regular towing haven't had any issues that required it. Years ago, before the motorhome, we towed and did have occasional sway issues. Now, none.. Getting the hitch right will solve a lot of problems. Also, I added SumoSupersprings to the burb so it rides flat. I see people towing with their noses pointing up. Boost up that rear suspension. The Sumos are a cheap and easy fix.
When you load up the trailer effort to even out the weight distribution but, really avoid going too heavy on the backside of the trailer. Having a trailer loaded heavy on the back end can really give you some sway grief.
Get use to doing walk arounds. Better safe than sorry. Even if you think you know that you got it all right, walk around before you drive, every time. Here's a biggie.. If you're in the process of hooking up the trailer and you get sidetracked for any reason, mentally start the process over when you get back to it so you don't miss a step. I learned this from pulling a toad behind a motorhome. Big things can go real bad. Double checking as a habit is quick, cheap and easy. I had a buddy whose son hooked his toad up to the motorhome and off he went. When he got to his destination the toad was gone, MIA. He had no idea where he lost it. It was later found by the sheriff down in some woods off of the interstate. Lots of issues there but, the lesson is never trust anyone. Verify for yourself.
The Durango is a short wheel base. Consider in your long range plan getting something with a longer wheel base. Keep your speed down. I see people blowing me off the road towing travel trailers well over the speed limit. My personal limit is 65. I'll get there, I won't have met any troopers, I won't go over the speed limits of my tires, and my bowels will be normal. Just relax. If you can't relax when RVing then when can you?
Have fun with the process. It's exciting to buy a new RV. Don't over expect, as Andy Griffith would say. These things just are what they are. We love RVing. It's all about the lifestyle, not nearly as much about the hardware. The RV gives us a level of freedom we wouldn't otherwise have. In that respect it's worth every penny.
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falconbrother
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07/30/20 07:26am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: OK what you got ?
That's some serious tow limitations. I'd trade my TV for no less than a Suburban, Expedition, etc.. I'm pulling 5800 dry with a big slide out. I can't imagine how you'll stay within a safe hitch weight, much less actual trailer weight once it's loaded and ready to go. Don't risk safety. One big incident or crash will take all the fun out of it.
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falconbrother
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07/30/20 06:53am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Travel Trailer Rubber Roof Blew Off
Been there , done that . Since I lost a roof 12 years ago we have had 5 RVs with fabric roofs . I now check my roof for " bubbles " , when I find one I drive brass carpet tacks down in loose area and cover with self leveling Dicor . Once I sliced with a razor knife and lapped over before the Dicor .
If I found that my roof was bubbling up this is exactly what I would do. I would try to find some flat head brass screws. I would worry that tacks could be pulled out with the bubble. I see lots of 5th wheels flying a bubble down the interstate, and a few travel trailers. Looks like a common issue. I miss they days of tin RV roofs.
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falconbrother
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07/30/20 06:43am |
Travel Trailers
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