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RE: Escalade/Denali or Suburban 2500
I tow my travel trailer with a 2000 Suburban, 5.3, Sumo SuperSprings. It's 5800 dry. I figure, without water, I'm still plenty over 6,000 Lbs. Yeah, it's slow going and I drive it easy. I have looked at 2500 series Suburbans, Avalanches, etc.. With the 8.0 they are a little cheaper but, I don't want that engine. The 6.0 versions can be quite expensive, considering year and mileage. I keep kicking myself because I saw a 1996, 2500-454 V-8, 4x4, low miles on a lot a couple of years ago reasonably cheap. And it was as shiny as a new penny. I passed on it. That 454 is a hoss and would have been a great vehicle for towing. Not much of a daily driver mind you.. I keep passively looking. And I haven't ruled out a 3/4 ton Chevy or GMC van with the 6.0.
BTW, the chassis does fine. No complaints with the WDH. And, if you could ride around at 3200+ RPMs the power would be fine..
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falconbrother
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04/07/21 09:41am |
Towing
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RE: Poop in outside sink
Sinks drain into the grey tank. How is it possible for black tank contents to enter any sink or bathtub? The black tank sits under the pooper.. Nothing else runs into it.
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falconbrother
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04/07/21 07:55am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Water Damage - Is it worth restoring?
It's a big DIY job (ask me how I know). You're going to need to be real motivated and the new rubber ain't cheap. I'm not saying don't fix it. I do believe that unless you enjoy this kind of thing it's not worth the effort or expense. I'd sell it bloody cheap to make it move fast and don't look back. If you think this kind of thing is fun then I'd say go for it. If you do it yourself and get a good deal on the supplies you need it might be worth the effort. If you do it don't try to use anything other than exactly the rubber and coatings required for that job. Nothing else will last very long and next year you'll be doing it again. And, however you think it will take, times three...
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falconbrother
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04/07/21 07:41am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Unable to use park tv hookup
We go from camping at dog shows with minimum hookups to full hookups at campgrounds. I have just decided that I always have to set up the booster and the TV for every trip. Otherwise it's as you describe. Try getting channels over the air and make sure that works. Then try the cable. It will require pushing the button on the booster and rescanning under the cable setting on your TV.
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falconbrother
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03/30/21 02:22pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: TT Brake Service
I usually lube the axles and adjust the brakes once a year. It's easy to do both, especially if you have the Easylube (or similar) axles. In my mind adjusting the brakes is more important than lubing every year. I suspect that I lube them more than they need. Now, even adjusting seems a bit over done because they really don't need much of that either. We always take a two week trip over Christmas break and I do all of that before that trip.
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falconbrother
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03/30/21 02:18pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Old Vs New Rig
If it's reliable I'd keep it. You can buy a newer rig and end up with a lemon and be sore. I can't speak to the power. Perhaps a Banks kit would get you where you want to be. Me, I'm just not in a hurry and I don't mind kicking up the RPMs to climb a mountain. I pulled my Harley behind my old rig but, it had the GM 454. It did just fine as far as power goes. I understand that the V-10s were built to get their power at higher RPMs.
Really, it comes down to what you want to do. Me, if I knew the one I had was trustworthy I'd stick to it. I have known a few folks that bought new/newer and ended up mad because the one they traded was good and the one they got was a tub..
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falconbrother
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03/30/21 02:06pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Anybody still tow with an old GM?
2002 Chevy 1500HD LT, I bought it new in Aug of 02 when we found out we were pregnant. My son is now a senior, and I’m still driving the truck he came home from the hospital in.
It has 249k miles, and still is my daily and totes the camper.
In all that time it has been towed one time when the fuel pump went out 6 miles from our campsite. It’s been a great truck, and earned the nickname Ol’ Faithful.
I know every part on my Suburban, except the fuel pump. So I have one that I keep so that when it goes I'll just replace it. Rockauto..
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falconbrother
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01/28/21 05:26pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Anybody still tow with an old GM?
My 2000 Suburban is my daily driver and tow vehicle. When I think about trading it seems like a bad idea. Everything works, it drives perfect and when I talk to friends with newer Suburbans theirs tows like mine. The engine was replaced in 2016 with 219,000 on it.
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falconbrother
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01/28/21 05:23pm |
Tow Vehicles
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Mattresses
I'd just like to state the obvious: Factory RV mattresses are really, really,
bad.
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falconbrother
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01/28/21 11:20am |
General RVing Issues
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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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