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RE: Forecast is non-stop RAIN! What should I do?
You're part of a VERY select crowd: Blue Tarp Camper http://www.irv2.com/forums/images/smilies/biggrin.gif
........http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/images/smilies/h45.gif........ Oh, yeah! :B
Haha! That commercial is great! I remember the first time we saw it on TV; we all immediately thought of that Memorial Day weekend trip! Our site looked just about like that and even the two dogs with us looked just as miserable as the one on the commercial. The funny thing was we used one of my old, beat up 4-season tents that had a real rain fly for the dogs, and it was the only one completely dry inside!
We were camped at Oswald West back when they still allowed camping, and it was a 1/4 mile hike to the car, so everything had to be carried in and out. People watching that weekend was fun though, as the site next to us had two seperate groups come in, set everything up thinking they had hit the jackpot scoring a site on Memorial Day weekend, and then quickly tear it all back down to get out of there when they realized just how bad the rain was. A few people in other sites braved the first night only to be rewarded with waking up and finding they were sleeping in the middle of 3+" of water surrounding their tents.
That was certainly one of the trips that got me thinking about an upgrade to a trailer! :B
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OBSPowerstroke
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02/16/12 11:39pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Forecast is non-stop RAIN! What should I do?
Thanks for the input everyone! I think as long as it's not raining sideways when I want to head out, I'll go, as the forecast for the last half of the weekend is starting to look better.
Being from Oregon, I'm used to camping in the rain. I spent one Memorial Day weekend about five years ago with some friends in a couple tents on the coast in a non-stop downpour. We were soaked all weekend long and all the tents had water in them, but we still had fun! The only time we saw the sun that trip was when we packed up on Monday.
The campground at Fort Stevens is pretty nice. The pads are paved and most spots have good drainage since they get a lot of rain there. I have MaxxAir vents installed, so at least I can vent any condensation that builds up in the trailer.
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OBSPowerstroke
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02/16/12 09:36am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Forecast is non-stop RAIN! What should I do?
Been in heavy rain this winter twice. No leaks of any kind even leave vents open with max air units. I slowed down and had zero problems. I am new to this as well. DW and I like going places when it's storming. Nothing nicer than a warm travel trailer in winter. We also love the inside of our trailer and can enjoy it without feeling guilty about "not being outside"! Have fun....
BTW nice trailer!!!
Thanks for the words of encouragement and compliments on the trailer! I have really enjoyed the the trailer in the 1.5 years I've owned it, and I actually like stormy weekends like this so I get a chance to actually enjoy the inside of it for a change!
Last May I was camped in Idaho for a week with my dad. It snowed and rained on us the WHOLE time! He told me that the only reason he stayed out camping was because we could hang out inside and watch movies and fix up meals while looking outside and watch the snow fall. He camps in a tent trailer, and said he would have packed it in after the first night in his rig. :B
February at the beach is too wet even for us webfoots, in my opinion.
I was born and raised in Portland-on-the-Columbia, and this time of year we always camped in the drier country UPRIVER, east of The Dalles and beyond.
Deshutes State Recreation area is a pretty nice campground....
It's probably still a bit cold, but one stands at least a fighting chance of staying dry.
Thanks for the suggestion Francesca! I have determined that February is my least favorite month in the PNW, as the weather is almost always miserable and unpredictable (it can be sunny and 60 one day and snowy and 20 the next).
I have stayed at Deschutes Recreation Area this time of year and enjoyed the dryer weather (cold doesn't bother me at all), but there's just not much to do out there. Also, I can't handle how loud the trains are at all the campgrounds throughout the Gorge; it feels like I'm camped in a railroad depot! At least at Fort Stevens I can drive out on the beach and watch the weather or head into Astoria for some fun, and it's always really quiet in that park this time of year.
I'm going to be spending the first week of March in Bend, so I'll get my dryer weather and snow skiing fix in then, but if you have any other ideas for camping within 150 miles of the Portland Metro area that has better weather this time of the year than the coast, I'm all ears! As a reference, my last trip was a weekend at Dash Point State Park near Seattle in early October.
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OBSPowerstroke
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02/15/12 11:49pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Parking Pad for TT
Below are some pics of the the RV pad I have installed at my place. Basically it's 4" curbing around a section that has been graded, lined with a weed blanket, and filled with 6+" of 3/4-" gravel. I still would like to add a dedicated 35 amp circuit, water, and a cover, but the current setup is already MUCH better than storing the trailer offsite or on the street.
I even built some wood ramps for the trailer to leisurely climb the curb to get onto the pad from the street. The whole pad cost me about $1,200 to have someone install. The cost of the fence and gate was slightly more. ;)
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd160/salaetsj/Komfort%20Resort%20Travel%20Trailer/RVPadPic1.jpg height=640
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd160/salaetsj/Komfort%20Resort%20Travel%20Trailer/RVPadPic3.jpg height=640
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd160/salaetsj/Komfort%20Resort%20Travel%20Trailer/RVPadPic2.jpg height=640
Good luck with your endeavor, and let us know if you have any questions!
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OBSPowerstroke
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02/15/12 11:26pm |
Travel Trailers
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Forecast is non-stop RAIN! What should I do?
So I'm coming up on the 3-day weekend and am getting a major case of cabin fever and want to head to Fort Stevens State Park and Astoria for the weekend. Problem is, the forecast is going from bad to worse each time I look; to the point where it'll probably be raining and raining hard all weekend long.
One of the main reasons I bought my trailer is to be able to go out and enjoy camping in inclimate weather, but I have gotten to the point where I'm totally paranoid about causing water damage to the rig while towing in a downpour.
I have zero problems towing in the rain and am totally confident in that regard, as I've hauled the trailer over ice and snow, but I have nightmares about where the water may sneak in to do untold damage if I'm driving at 60 MPH in a constant downpour.
I know I'll be happy once I'm there and set up, even if I have to take cover inside all weekend and watch movies, but I guess I just am looking for words of encouragement from others that have braved the driving rain to enjoy a nice winter weekend out camping and storm watching with the added benefit of no crowds and having entire beaches to themsevles. ;)
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OBSPowerstroke
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02/15/12 11:10pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Achieving proper furnace operation
I had a similar problem with my less than year old furnace short-cycling over the summer. I thought it was either the limit or sail switch. It got progressively worse, so I took it into the shop before my warranty expired. The limit switch ended up being bad at less than a year old!
The moral of the story? Your limit (or sail) switch might be defective even if it is relatively new.
Good luck and keep us posted!
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OBSPowerstroke
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10/06/11 09:39am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Dexter E-Z Flex Kit
I finally got around to getting the kit installed and I'm amazed at the difference in ride quality! I realize manufacturers are trying to hit certain price points, but I don't understand why something like this isn't installed on all trailers new. It would maybe add $100 in total cost for them during assembly and yet improves the end-user experience immensely!
Just on the short test tow, I could already tell how much better the trailer rides. I no longer hear the suspension popping and banging on tight turns or over bumps and was amazed at how silent it was going over railroad tracks! The kit also seems to have signficantly smoothed out the ride since I can feel a lot less feedback in the truck from the trailer when going over large bumps.
The next test will be to set a plastic cup on the kitchen counter and see if it's still there after a tow. I'm guessing this kit will also prevent any more surprises from happening inside, such as the cabinet doors in the back flying open and dumping all of my food out of the pantry. It only happened once after driving on a REALLY bad road, but it was a mess - both the rice and sugar blew open as they hit the counter, so you can imagine the disaster I found when I opened up the door after arriving at camp at 11:00 at night, and this was after spending 3 hours replacing the starter in the truck in a parts store parking lot on the way there!
I'll admit, I took the easy way out for installation of the kit and paid the dealer to do it. I had the trailer in anyway for them to look at a sewer line rubbing on the frame and they said they could fix it while installing the kit for a total of 3 hours labor. They had it done in less than a day, which was nice!
I just hope I'm done with any more big bills for awhile. The past couple months have hurt between sealing up a few spots on the trailer, replacing the starter and rebuilding the trans and rear end on the truck, and then paying the dealer to install this kit! :E
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OBSPowerstroke
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10/02/11 01:14pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Does anyone do a Sealtech test when buying a new TT?
I am still planning to externabond next year when my warranty expires. Depending on what the sealtech cost is I would be interested in it just for the extra piece of mind.
I plan to EternaBond my roof seams as well now that my warranty is over; probably do it next Spring.
Prices I've seen for the SealTech test have ranged from $100 to $125; cheap enough to where I think I'll do it once a season as preventative maintenance. It sure beats guessing which seals need attention!
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OBSPowerstroke
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09/22/11 08:24am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Does anyone do a Sealtech test when buying a new TT?
Would it be overkill to get this unit tested prior to purchase? Or is Sealtech usually reserved for a situation in which a leak has actually been detected?
I would say it's not overkill at all. I got the test done on my trailer about a month ago, right before my one year warranty was up, and they found a couple areas that already needed some attention; the main ones being all four corners of the roof and the whole right front corner.
The tech thought I was crazy to ask for the test on a one year old trailer that didn't have any known leaks, as he said no one is that proactive. The tech said none of the areas they resealed were of concern yet, but it's better I found them and sealed them up now before they became an issue.
My only regret is not having the test done when I bought the trailer, as Komfort only warranties sealants for 90 days. That meant I walked out with a $500 bill when all was said and done.
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OBSPowerstroke
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09/21/11 12:22pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: New tires Vanco 2's
Nice looking tires! I'm planning on getting the Vancos in that same size this spring, as I'm not going to push my luck with the OEM Chinese tires another season.
I'm not happy to hear about the rubber in the Dexter E-Z Flex kit wearing out in six months, as I just got a kit for my trailer yesterday that I plan on installing this coming weekend. Do you have any pictures of the failed rubber?
Keep us posted on how you like the tires and the results from contacting Dexter for the warranty claim!
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OBSPowerstroke
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09/20/11 11:43am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Need unswitched 12v power for radio presets
Hey Pete,
I understand your frustrations with scanning stations on the Jensen! I'd love to replace mine, but there's not many options out there if you want to keep all the functionality of the Jensen in a new unit.
I added a switch to my Jensen a few months ago, as I had the opposite problem of you; my stereo was wired up to a constant hot, which meant even powering down left all the lights on the radio on and drawing down the battery. The switch I added acts as an "accessory" switch that you'd find in a car, so I still am able to keep the station presets, but now I can fully power down the radio when dry camping or in storage to reduce the current draw. It's worked really well so far. Below is a picture of where I installed the switch (it's hidden from view inside a cabinet):
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd160/salaetsj/Komfort%20Resort%20Travel%20Trailer/StereoIgnitionSwitch.jpg width=480
Since your circuit breaker box is so close to your stereo, hopefully you can find a constant hot that you can tap into without running a new wire all the way from the battery; that would be a pain!
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OBSPowerstroke
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09/20/11 10:52am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Dexter E-Z Flex Kit
The kit was sitting on my doorstep yesterday when I got home. I opened the box and was really amazed at how much more heavy duty the parts are than what's currently on the trailer! I can't wait to get it installed!
I have four 2-ton jackstands (the small ones) at home that I'd like to use for the job, as the platforms are nice and flat and seem like they'd work well on the I-Beam frame of the trailer. Are these heavy duty enough, or should I try to round up some heavier duty ones? I estimate the trailer is about 5,500 pounds with no water in the tanks, and I think I'll just do one side at a time and use the stab and tongue jacks as extra support.
I also only have a 2-ton jack at my disposal, but I can borrow my friend's 2-ton and 3-ton jacks as well. I won't be able to hook up to my truck or steal the bottle jack from it, as it's in the shop for a trans repair and I don't know how long that's going to take; kind of shoots down my plans for a weekend camping trip, too. :(
Thanks guys!
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OBSPowerstroke
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09/20/11 09:14am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Small Trailers at the Portland RV Show
I'm starting a quest for small TT, and since I have a pup, I'm not accustomed to conversion of a dinette to a bed. How much of a PITA is it to convert? Many, if not most of these smaller TT's have a dinette that converts to a bed, but I've not seen anyone actually do this.
Converting a dinette to a bed is really pretty simple on most trailers I've seen. I've used mine for guests on several trips, and it's simply a matter of pulling the bottom seat cushions up, collapsing the table leg, lowering the table down onto the supports on each side of the dinette, then replacing the cushions. Maybe a two minute job. At that point, you can throw some sheets on or just toss a blanket over the cushions and use sleeping bags.
IMO, I'd think converting a dinette might be easier than dealing with canvas bunk ends if packing up in the rain, and here in the PNW, we get A LOT of rain! ;)
Good luck with your search!
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OBSPowerstroke
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09/20/11 09:01am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: All Star RV Repairs in Oregon
Wondering if anyone has had, or knows anyone that has had, work done by All Star RV Repairs in Sherwood Oregon??
I haven't heard of that particular shop, but if you're shopping for options, I've had excellent luck with Hillsboro RV Supply.
Unfortunately they've been closed since Labor Day due to a "family emergency" (according to the sign on their door), so I don't know what's up. I hope everything is okay and they aren't going to close down, as they have been great to deal with for service and I'm hoping to get a quote from them shortly to install a E-Z Flex suspension kit on my trailer this week.
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OBSPowerstroke
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09/18/11 07:57pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: I5 Dump Stations
Most Oregon State Park campgrounds have dump stations. If they do, I believe there is no charge to dump, even if you're just traveling through (at least I've never seen a sign requiring a fee). A lot of municipalities in Oregon have free dump stations, too. There's a very nice one at the Eugene Wastewater Treatment Plant that I've used several times as well as several in my neck of the woods that are perhaps a little further off I-5 than you want to adventure.
Several other (often free or low-cost) options include RV dealers or even private RV parks that may charge up to $10, not to mention many Pilot stations that charge a nominal fee.
Good luck and enjoy your trip!
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OBSPowerstroke
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09/18/11 07:52pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: I think I owe Maddie a big thank you!
As sweet a dog as she is, she can be proctective when needed. Needless to say, she got a nice big hug and a good treat.
http://i53.tinypic.com/zlx7aq.jpg
Maddie definitely deserved a big "thank you!" It's nice having a big dog, as I've heard more than once, even from LEOs (Law Enforcement Officers) that a big dog is better than any burglar alarm at detering break ins.
Just today I got a ring at the door from a solicitor. My dog, Caesar, jumped up and charged the front door, barking loudly. I looked out from my office window and saw the guy, clipboard in hand, quickly walking away. It's nice not to not have to answer the door when you don't want to! :B
Below is a pic of Caesar. For some reason, people generally don't like messing with him. ;)
http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd160/salaetsj/Pet%20Pictures/CaesarinIvy.jpg width=480
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OBSPowerstroke
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09/18/11 06:31pm |
RV Pet Stop
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RE: Your Rig
Our new to us 2008 Sandpiper 345RET and 2002 Ford F350 Super Crew 4x4 turbo:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v256/nanahanna/June2011010.jpg
Nice trailer; I can't believe how many windows are in that thing! IMO, the more windows, the better. I'd love to have a few more in my setup.
I like the truck, too! The last of the 7.3s! My truck is in the shop getting the trans rebuilt right now, which is why I'm stuck at home this weekend instead of out camping. :(
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OBSPowerstroke
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09/18/11 05:20pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Your Rig
Finally got mine all hooked up and on the road.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h232/campswithcritters/Finished%20Gentle%20Giant/DSC00541.jpg
Are you sure that's enough truck for that Fiver? ;)
In all seriousness, nice setup!
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OBSPowerstroke
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09/18/11 05:16pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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Small Trailers at the Portland RV Show
Some friends and I went to the Portland RV show yesterday and the RVs that impressed us the most (other than the HUGE luxury 5th Wheels and $200K+ Class A's that we'd can't afford or even fit into the places we go), were some of the small floorplan trailers.
Fun Finder has a new model out, the X-189FDS. We were really impressed by the roominess of this small trailer, especially with the large slide. Also, the fact that it weighs in at about 3K dry, yet has dual axles, means it can carry A LOT of cargo. Here's a picture of the floorplan:
http://www.cruiserrv.com/admin/floor-plans/full-images/X-189FDS.jpg width=480
My friends currently camp in an Airstream Basecamp, but are looking to eventually upgrade to something that has a few more creature comforts, and were quite surprised that their current SUV could tow this trailer without a problem, as it's not much heavier than their current one. I have a feeling they might be upgrading sooner than expected after seeing it in person yesterday. :B
We were all also quite impressed by the Casita Freedom Deluxe 17. None of us thought of these as a viable option, as they look so small, but once inside, we were impressed. What really surprised us is that people 6 feet tall can still stand up in them! With the side table and chairs, you could keep the rear dinette permanently made into a bed and it could be towed by just about anything! The bathroom was a little cramped, but they made good use of what little space they had.
I was hoping the new Lance 1575 would be there, but I think this is such a new model that they haven't even been rolled out of the factory yet. This Lance has a very similar floorplan to the Fun Finder mentioned above, so it would have been interesting to tour both in person. The Lance is only a single axle trailer, but comes in about 500 pounds lighter than the Fun Finder and has a HUGE dinette slide. I'm thinking this might be another viable contender as a replacement for my friends' Basecamp. Here's the floorplan:
http://www.lancecamper.com/images/floorplan/1575-lg.jpg width=480
We toured a couple of the R-Pods, but frankly were not impressed. Some of the floorplans were pretty interesting, however it just seemed that they cheaped out on some of the materials and the bathrooms looked IMPOSSIBLE to take a shower in. I'm only 5'8" and could barely fit in the bathroom, and that was with my head touching the ceiling! These trailers were quickly marked off the list by my friends looking to upgrade.
Overall we really enjoyed the show. It was nice spending a couple hours looking at all of the newest floorplans out there and come out realizing that I still really like my trailer and couldn't find anything in the same size that I'd readily replace it with. :)
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OBSPowerstroke
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09/18/11 01:09pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Barker VIP 3500 Electric Jack Switch Replacement
Same thing happened to me this summer; the jack would retract just fine, but had problems extending. I would have to cycle the switch several times to get it to work, and it just kept getting worse.
A quick call to Barker, and I was sent a new toggle switch as well as the two micro-switches that are inside the casing, as the tech said the problem is with one of those items, and that they'd send me all the parts free of charge so I didn't have to call them back.
It took maybe 5 minutes to replace the switch, and it was very easy once you take the top plastic cover off. Just make sure you hook up the wires to the same terminals on the new switch, as there are a TON of them in there.
My jack has been working great ever since! You can't beat Barker's customer service!
I do have to wonder why so many of us are having the same problem with the switches not wanting to extend the jacks. Could it be possible the switches are burning out from the extra load of raising the trailer? Or maybe they are getting water in them?
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OBSPowerstroke
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09/18/11 11:55am |
Travel Trailers
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