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RE: Half ton towing
Well 6 pages of statistics and opinions makes for interesting reading.
But I am from the CAT scale school. My 5000 lb. 400 lb. dry weight TT crosses the scales at 6200 to 6400 lbs. and up to 650 lb. on the tongue, when loaded for the road.
I am at or very near the 1411 lb. Max cargo limit on the door sticker of my 2010 F150; by the time I add people, a big dog and stuff I cannot live without in the bed.
After 8 years and 53,000 towing miles From crossing the country three times, through the Rockies and Smokies, desserts, ice storms and high cross winds, our 25 foot Dutchmen has been through a lot.
And yes, towing at, near or above the truck limit does take it's toll on shocks, brakes, suspension, tires, etc. plus seemingly endless tweaking and repairing of the TT.
In all my travels and discussions with other RVer, very few know or care about the truck ratings. If they like the way the rig handles they keep it, if they do not they buy a bigger truck.
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rbpru
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12/29/21 02:08pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Best Four Season Travel Trailer
The bottom line is if you want 4 seasons. You want heated tanks, double glass windows and other weather related changes. They cost money.
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rbpru
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10/02/21 03:45pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Why ? trailer jacks so tall ?
The only reason I can think of is the screw jack has to have enough travel. About half of it is used, just getting from the up position to the ground, then you have to raise the trailer.
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rbpru
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10/02/21 03:36pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Stabilizer blocks alternatives
In 7 years or camping I have never has a situation where the stabilizer would not extend far enough. In soft round a 12" x 12" x 1/4" plywood square would not do the job.
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rbpru
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08/13/21 11:33am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Best Quality Travel Trailers
Thor industries pulled a lot of butts out of the fire during the last deep economic down turn, otherwise you would have a half a dozen established TT companies and a lot of start-ups.
The TT and 5th wheel industry sells about 500,000 units a year, and has for the last 5 of 6 years. They make what sells.
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rbpru
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08/13/21 11:11am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Best Quality Travel Trailers
When you build to a price point you sell trailers, when you do not you go out of business.
They have been making RV's since the turn of the last century the TT industry knows what sells.
If you want an honest to goodness 2x4 and 4x4 suburban home construction and appliances, then buy a tiny home and the semi-truck to pull it.
If you watch the Travel Channel there are folk who will build you a TT you can take to a war zone.
But in the real world, the TT industry is highly competitive, no company is going to build what you want, the way you want it, at the price you want.
That is the job of the custom shops and they are not cheap.
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rbpru
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08/09/21 12:54am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Stabilizer blocks alternatives
If you are talking about the stabilizers that you crank down on each corner of the TT; I use a single 12"x 12"x 1/4" sheet of ply wood on loose ground and I lower the stabilizers down directly on concrete and solid asphalt.
Their job is to simply reduce the amount of bounce in the trailer. They are not intended support the trailer. The biggest source of bounce comes from the trailer suspension springs, supporting frame at the corners dampens the bounce somewhat.
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rbpru
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08/09/21 12:02am |
Travel Trailers
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Altitude and appiances.
On another board there was a comment made about altitude affecting their refrigerator and generator at 6000 ft.
I would not think the refrigerator propane would use enough air volume at that height nor the air be too thin to impact the refrigerator. I also think that at 6000 ft. the impact on the generator would be minimal.
However I could be wrong, I live ay 800 ft. So I wondered if anyone has had issues at higher altitudes?
Perhaps the person was thinking 6000 meters. Now that could be a problem.
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rbpru
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06/02/21 01:52pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Surge protectors and Joules
I must admit when I see the increased numbers of electronic devices in RV use today, a good energy management system seem appropriate.
Fortunately, my 10 year old TT has none of that. The water heater, fans, 12 volt converter, and the world cheapest OEM TV and Microwave are the only 120 volt systems in use.
Proper voltage to the AC could be an issue. However, my wife does not like it so it is rarely used.
So far my biggest issue was incorrect wiring. It was at a State Park. We chose another spot.
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rbpru
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05/02/21 07:44pm |
Travel Trailers
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Surge protectors and Joules
I have been reading about surge protectors and the consensus seems to be the surge protector should have about 1000 Joules minimum and more is better. I have seem some units in excess of 4000 Joules.
I understand how useful a line conditioner can be to prevent over or under voltage, and even my cheap little Camco has detected cross wiring issues.
However, my question is where are you going to get a surge on the line from?
I know lightening strikes will induce an inductive kick on the line but a lighting volt has about 1 billion joules; what percentage of that will reach you RV would seem to be a matter of luck.
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rbpru
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05/01/21 09:02pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Trailer Tongue Coupler Wear?
I can honestly say that I have gotten curious looks from people when I asked if the grease their trailer ball.
I do, yes it is messy and yes I have gotten grease on my pants and hands. At the start of the season I wipe off the old grease and slather on the new. Works for me.
To answer the OPs question, I would replace the ball. It seems to have serve him well and is ready to be replaced.
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rbpru
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04/29/21 01:15pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Some questions on using solar.
Old wizard,
I believe you are correct. Unless the wife wants to commit to a solar friendly camping approach or she really wants to boondock, my best short term solution is my "quiet generator".
I cannot really complain, the wife and I spent the better part of 20 years taking the kids and grandkids wilderness canoe camping in MN. A canoe and tent were our RV and we have many great memories.
When the kids and grandkid scattered about the country and I finally retired, we opted for more creature comforts. Still, it is nice to take an occasional boondock trip to answers the call of the wild.
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rbpru
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04/22/21 09:42am |
Travel Trailers
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Some questions on using solar.
Most of the time we camp with electricity. But a few times a year we go to music festivals or other events that are non-electric, plus and occasional boondock trip.
I am not a fan of generators but the only other option seems to be solar. However, when parked with no shade, the summer sun turns my TT into an easy-bake oven. In the deep shade, fans do a passable job of keeping things cool.
I find solar to be quite a quandary. Solar needs sun, but the typical TT mounted panels are not large enough to power the AC. When parked in the shade the amount of solar energy is reduced, plus the roof mounted panels are not at their optimum sun angle.
I have read a few comments about off-roof panels mounted so they can be moved into the sun and set at a better sun angle. Also, comments on lithium battery packs for more energy storage. Neither seem practical of cost effective, except in a semi-permanent long term installation.
My question is how many people find solar practical for short term vacation travel?
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rbpru
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04/21/21 11:00am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Trailer demand and prices
The RV industry is selling every unit they make. Most go to the bigger dealers. Used units are also available. However, bargain prices are not that common.
Covid has introduced a lot of new folks to RVing, the campgrounds are as busy as ever.
If you know what you want and find what you want, buy it or be willing to wait several years.
Nothing mystical happening, just the response to cabin fever and I doubt it is going to change any time soon.
Good luck
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rbpru
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04/11/21 07:31pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Some Towing Math and Questions
I double anyone can accurately calculate the percentage of tongue weight, just to many variables between the way folks load and what they hall.
You can calculate a fair guess, which is a good start.
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rbpru
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03/02/21 09:16pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Looking for reliable travel trailer
You can do what we did when we first thought of RVing. We took our best guess at what we wanted and rented a similar unit for a week or ten days.
There is a lot more to RVing than just camping, There is the 8 to 9 MPG on gas, traveling about 5 or 6 hours a day, driving 65 MPH and bring passed by everything, making sure you have a place to camp during the busy season.
Renting an RV is not cheap, but it shows you a lot before you spend the big bucks.
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rbpru
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03/02/21 09:03pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Has camper quality gotten any better in the last 10 years?
I think the problem is, people expect home construction materials and construction methods in an RV. They are not, never have been, and I doubt they ever will be.
If you expect a tiny home, just Google the price of one. They built them all the time, there is even a TV show dedicated to them.
RV's are built to a price point. They build what will sell. Materials and construction techniques improve but they are still assembled at a rate and quality level consistent with the selling price.
In general the more you pay the better the product but not always.
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rbpru
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03/02/21 08:45pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Some Towing Math and Questions
As an engineer you can do what I did. I went thought the meticulous calculations. Then with the rig loaded for the road, the day before we left, I took the rig to the local Truck Stop CAT scale.
It is easy to get combined truck and hitched trailer axel weights, then drop the trailer and get the axel weights of the truck alone. You can also get the unhitch total trailer weighed if you like.
I usually just get the truck weight per axel and then the truck and hitched trailer combination weight per axel. With that I can see the change in the truck axel weights when the rig is ready for the road.
I know that the change in truck axel weight is the trailer payload I am hauling.
The trailer payload is the tongue weight, the truck is seeing through the WD hitch.
I know the weight each axel is carrying down he road.
I know the weight of the combo, minus the truck weight, is the trailer weight.
I did this exercise a few time, before I realized that the trailer load varied by 200 to 500 pound between trips, depending the junk I could not live without.
Also gas, water and other consumables varied during a long trip.
The CAT scales do care about your math, they just tell you the weights. we all know, a heavy load creates more tear and tear on the tow vehicle. However, if I was at or near the trucks weight limit, so be it, if my wife thinks it is necessary, it is loaded. That is how it has been 42,000 towing mile or more.
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rbpru
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03/01/21 08:44pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Quality Decline since Covid
I is fine to do a pre-purchase inspection, but many of the issue happen over time. My TT is 10 years old. I have towed over 40,000 miles. A few of the problems encountered include,
+ The screws holding the bottom of the front wall to the floor rusted out and broke free. The front wall separated from the floor.
+ The screws holding the bed to the front wall were unsupported across a 1/2 inch gap as the front wall moved.
+ The pantry shelves collapsed because the wood framing split at the screw holes.
+ Numerous other loose screws and trim typical from heavy use.
My point is many of the thing are occur over time. You cannot see these issues when you buy, so it pays to be handy with tools.
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rbpru
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01/26/21 09:33am |
Travel Trailers
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