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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: OOOPS, it happened again
I think I'd have some real MIXED feelings about the tow driver. That same courageous person who saved your rig also put it in danger in the first place. glad it came out as well as it did.
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skipnchar
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05/14/12 08:13am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: I swapped my ride over the weekend...
If you like it on the flats, you're going to LOVE it in the mountains :)
Good luck / Skip
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skipnchar
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05/14/12 08:07am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: One more tire question
When changing from ST rated tires to LT tires most manufacturers recommend going up one size to compensate for the less stiff side wall on the LT tires. Finding one that is close to the same size would (my opinion) be the wrong way to go. go up several sizes for best results. There is a tremendous amount of lateral forces put on the side walls when turning corners with a tandem axle trailer.
Good luck / Skip
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skipnchar
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05/14/12 08:02am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: ROCKWOOD 2702 AND RAM1500
7,000 lb. trailer with 700 to 900 lb. hitch weight, should be a great towing combination. One thing about the trailer that I'd just file away in the back of your head. the rear door is located pretty far back (like mine is) and makes the steps vulnerable if traveling over uneven ground. I've replaced my rear steps twice from bending them up while traveling over NFS back roads and getting into disbursed camping areas. Good news is they're pretty cheap to replace. If you stay on the roads you will have no problems with them. Good luck with the new rig / Skip
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skipnchar
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05/14/12 07:55am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Towing with F150 EB
Can't answer your question other than to tell you that my 34 foot Rockwood weighs just about the same amount and has a loaded tongue weight of 1,200 lb. I think it will depend on how heavily you generally load the truck BESIDES the trailer and your own fully loaded tongue weight. With the payload option you have no concerns about overloading but without it I'd keep close track of those numbers.
Of course that's true of ANY regular duty half ton, payload is what you run out of first. When I travel I usually have another 1200 to 1500 lb. in the truck.
Good luck / Skip
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skipnchar
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05/14/12 07:47am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: charging unit?
Without knowing the state of your battery it's hard to say if that power draw would flatten the battery but even with NO battery, your converter should provide sufficient 12 volt power to operate MOST things in your trailer when plugged into 120 volt AC power. It appears your converter is not working (which would also account for the battery not being fully charged either.
Some converters have a circuit breaker in the power distribution center (often they do not). I'd check first of all and make sure none of the breakers are tripped and that you had power to the outlet into which the trailer is plugged. The OTHER option is probably one you don't want to hear because it would mean the converter is faulty in some manner.
You can test the converter fairly easily by disconnecting the battery and plugging the trailer into 120 volt power. Then measure the voltage across the positive and negative leads AT the converter. No power means the converter is not working. If it is working correctly it should read somewhere around 13.5 volts
Good luck / Skip
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 03:56pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: My turn to do something dumb
:) just be glad you weren't mounting the TV in a boat :E
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 03:50pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Down shifting with an automatic transmission
I think MOST modern transmissions are designed so you can put it into any gear at any speed but it just won't shift if it will over rev the engine. In general terms downshifting is standard practice for controlling speed on long down grades. If you have tow/haul feature it will do it FOR you when engaged.
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 03:47pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Inverting ball mount
Your trailer needs to tow pretty close to level. If reversing the stinger gets it to the correct height then that's a good option but if it doesn't then you would probably need to purchase one with just the correct amount of drop that it DOES or purchase an adjustable ball mount platform which is really a lot more common with a WD system in use. the adjustable mounts allow you to also tilt the ball to adjust the tension on the spring bars and control the weight transfer. Without the tilt adjustment all you can do is change links in the chain and that is pretty much a MACRO adjustment where as often times only a micro movement is needed.
Good luck / Skip
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 01:02pm |
Towing
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RE: Round Bar play. How much is too much?
If you have proper spring pressure on the bars when in use there should be ZERO lift to0 the bars (at least unless you apply more pressure than the springs are exerting and that's unlikely).
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 12:58pm |
Towing
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RE: Wheel bearings!
If it were me I'd look for signs of grease being lost and finding none would leave it alone. I inspect brakes annually and adjust them and repack bearings about every 25 or 30,000 towing miles UNLESS there are signs of trouble ( loosing grease somewhere or bearings running hot on the highway )
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 12:55pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Magic jack in tt?
Wouldn't you already have unlimited phone service (using your Verizon phone) anywhere you have a verizon signal even without the magic jack? Guess I'm just wondering what actual purpose the magic jack would serve.
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 09:09am |
RV Lifestyle
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RE: New Towing Spec's will make our choice's better.
I'm already betting it will add two or three pages to the warranty disclosures on new trucks also :) In some cases it may mean a manufacturer will have wording saying "the rating is only this much" but we will still honor our warranty if you tow X amount or in other cases "the rating is X amount but your warranty will only cover XY amount of weight.
Not at ALL sure it's a good thing to have that same kind of honesty in towing specs we currently have with EPA mileage figures (we all know how accurate those are) :)
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 08:53am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Fresh water holding tank
No problem at all (with the pump on or off). the ACTUAL water that comes out your faucet will depend on which source has the higher pressure. If the campground water is very low pressure then you may be using the water from the storage tank with the pump on. If the pressure is high enough then the pump should not actually run at all (even if it's turned on).
Keeping chlorinated water in your storage tank is a good idea for yet another good reason. It will prevent bacteria growing in those damp warm (almost) empty pipes so you will have less bacteria build up in the water system if it's always kept full. Just drain and replace the stored water every month or two.
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 08:50am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Forum is nearly unusable
Hi,
Many times it is my internet connection that is the problem, and when I have a weak wi-fi signal, I usually remember to hit CRTL A and C to copy my reply onto the clipboard. Then I can get back to that post, and hit CTRL V to post the same thing a second time.
Fred.
Whenever I'm having the problem I use that same method but after trying a dozen or so times to post the same saved copy I usually say something inappropriate and just close the forum :)
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 08:46am |
Forum Technical Support
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RE: Brake Inspection - Point of "No Return"
What are the signs you're seeing that make you believe the bearings are going bad? If they have grease they should last for many thousands of towing miles if used with adequate dust covers in place and no signs of grease leaking into the drum or onto the wheel. Another sign that bearings might be bad is running hot after a jaunt on the highway and NOT using brakes to bring the trailer to a stop.
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 08:41am |
Towing
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RE: New fridge not cold. What did I forget?
Nowhere near enough information about the fridge you purchased to even guess. Since it apparently is not working on either LP or electric mode (12 volt mode is unknown but usually will not actually COOL a fridge anyway) then I would suspect the thermostat is not working correctly. This guess assumes that a whole LOT of other things are working correctly though and that's not a sure thing either. Might test the fuses on the control board for starters.
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 08:38am |
Tech Issues
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RE: keep from banging?
pipe insulation is probably a good, easy fix but be sure you don't over-do it because you do NOT want to interfere with the main purpose of the window (emergency egress) which means easy to open and quick to use. If it's necessary to remove the padding to use the window it's a bad idea.
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 08:32am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Water heater stink
If the odor you mention is that of sulfur then you probably have some sulfated water from some source. the cure is to completely sanitize your water system then flush with plenty of potable water then perhaps give it a vinegar or baking soda treatment (similar to what you do with a coffee pot). filters or softeners will do little to help with sulfated water.
Good luck / Skip
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 08:28am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: what low temps can you camp in???
I think the coldest night we've spent in our Rockwood was about 5 degrees. The actual ITEMS in each manufacturers cold weather package (regardless of the name) is strictly up to the manufacturer. Typical things include duel mode heated waste tanks (12 volt and 120 volt), heated plumbing parts and drain valves, heated mattress, storm windows, extra insulation and shut off valves for dog shower and sometimes a stronger furnace (higher BTU) but as said before, they differ from manufacturer to manufacture and model to model. I'd keep in mind that what someone else can do doesn't NECESSARILY mean you can and visa versa because trailers are built differently.
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skipnchar
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05/13/12 08:21am |
Travel Trailers
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