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Forum
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RE: How level?
Per the Dometic Operator's Manual:
"Leveling is one of the requirements for proper operation with
absorption refrigerators. To ensure proper leveling, the vehicle
needs to be leveled only so it is comfortable to live in (no noticeable sloping of floor or walls))." (Emphasis added)
Does not need to be dead level, most folks cannot detect an inch or two in any direction. If it is comfortable to live in, according to Dometic that is level enough, no need for a lot of angst about "I am I level enough..." An inch or two, given the lengths involved in a trailer's dimensions is well within the operating perameters that the manufacturer's build into these units.
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webslave
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05/06/12 10:50am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Dodge front driveshaft lube (R+R)
I'm pretty sure they all have them... The first time I went to lube mine, I gave up; "No darned zerk that I can see!" It wasn't until a couple of months went by and I was under there for something else and happened to look up and thought to myself "there's that grease fitting". It isn't really a "fitting" (zerk, which is what I was looking for), it looks more like the end of a pop rivet and it can be very, very difficult to find. One you find it, it isn't difficult to hit it with the needle, but, finding it is often frustrating, the drive shaft has to be in just the right position for seeing it and hitting it with the needle.
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webslave
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05/05/12 05:32pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Roof vent covers
At a Rally we had the Fantastic Fan converted with rain sensor. Fantastic does not reccommend a cover over their fans. (according to the factory rep)
Actually not the real deal any longer... Fantastic Fan now makes their own vent cover and it is designed to work with their own fans. I just installed one on the Cougar. I had been to the Fantastic Fan site and watched their demo of their cover and figured I'd give it a go. On a previous trailer, I had a Fantastic Fan and a Maxxair II cover over it. I never had any issues, but, the fan did sound different with the Maxxair II on it and the lid wouldn't open anywhere near all the way. The Fantastic Fan cover I just put on...? Can't tell any difference at all by sound of the fan or how the lid opens (it does hit the top, but, I don't think there is half a turn left on the knob), if there is any restriction in air flow, it would be minimal, based on the "ear" test. I don't know if I would rush out and get one if I already had a Maxxair over a Fantastic Fan or a lesser "performing" fan, but, if I had a new installation Fantastic Fan or if my "other" cover ever needed replacing, I'd certainly spring for the Fantastic Fan vent cover.
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webslave
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05/05/12 05:15pm |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: How level?
I routinely set up with the trailer ~1" lower on the street side and ~1" higher on the nose (based on dead flat level). This keeps the A/C condensate running off the street side rear corner...if there is going to be water running off the roof, let it be the area least likely that my head and feet are going to be in. :B
Can't feel one inch... As most have said, if it is comfortable enough to "live" in, it is level enough. By the time your rig is so unlevel as to be detrimental to the operation of the refrigerator, you won't want to spend a lot of time trying stay in the trailer...
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webslave
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05/05/12 10:34am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: safe preasure
My water pump is rated at 65 psi. I have my Watts set for 60 psi. In fact, I've always run the Watts at 60 psi and on three different trailers. No issues for any of the equipment and DW is happy. Now, if I could only get 60 psi from the CGs... Some are higher (I have an inlet pressure gauge also), but, far too many are between 30 and 45 psi with an average of around 40 psi.
This from the RV Water Filter Store:
"RV plumbing is normally rated at 125 psi, but you certainly don't need to use that much. However, 60-65 psi is a very comfortable pressure for faucets and showers. Parks don't always have that much, but when they do, having a regulator designed for good flow and pressure adjustability will allow you to take advantage of that better pressure without creating a problem with standard RV plumbing systems. Many higher end RV pumps that come on RVs have 65 to as much as 85 psi. New RVs often have their plumbing systems tested to 100 psi, or so, during the manufacturing process, but we recommend regulating incoming pressure to around 60-65 psi to provide a very nice operating system."
I've been buying water supply equipment from them for years; very knowledgeable and more than eager to impart their experiences and lessons learned, I've always taken their advice and never regretted it.
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webslave
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05/03/12 12:14pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: National Park Passport - FYI
It isn't anything new... We've had them since the late '70's. In fact we are working on our 3rd "Passport" books. Everywhere we go when sightseeing, we ask at the information desk if they have a "stamp"...doesn't matter what kind of stamp, we'll even take "For Deposit xxxxxx" stamps. Stickers, too. Doesn't matter, just so that it is an indication of "been there". At the end of the trip we cut them out (we carry brightly colored card stock for the stamps) and paste them in the appropriate area of the Passport. Sure, we could haul out one of 37 photo albums documenting our travels, but, leafing through the Passport is just as much fun and refreshes our memories of where we've been. We also collect patches, they have their own albums and hat pins. Got hundreds of each. Just another form of momento to log our journeys. The wife got into scrapbooking a couple of years ago and now we collect the "walking stick" curved plates if they have them...when we get back, I flatten them out in the shop and she adds them to the scrapbooks on the appropriate pages along with the pictures and interesting receipts (like when we take a train ride (we are addicted to old steam engines) or a day trip scenic cruise up a river or on a lake, etc. On each page (sometimes over several pages), she "tells the story" of that particular day; we actually don't print near as many photos as we used to (though we still take 1,000s; love that digital camera); she can do a great job of the highspots of each day of our trip in the scrapbook. We also, about 10 years ago got into the smashed pennies; just another keepsake.
Just another way to "enjoy" our travels, the Passport doesn't have to be just about National Parks.
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webslave
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04/29/12 10:55am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: No more guessing how much water I put in
It seems to be hose thread, not pipe thread. Right?
Hose thread. The original purpose of these devices was for gardening...that is actually when I got my first one; eons ago when we did more gardening and less traveling. Now we do more traveling (retired now) than gardening and I moved it from my gardening tools to my RV tools and then had to buy another for my gardening...:? I couldn't keep track of where it was and though we aren't around long enough to grow all of our vegetables since we retired, we still have lots of berries and a nut tree orchard (Walnuts, Pecans, Heartnuts, Hicans and Hazelnuts) that we tend to when we aren't on the road. :B
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webslave
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04/28/12 04:04pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Coupler Lock - what do you use?
When I had a bumper pull, I used a long hasp MasterLock resettable combination lock. Correct, with a WDH, it won't come off the ball, but, I used the lock anyway so that I would know where it is since I always locked the coupler when unhitched; a side benefit with the long hasp is that the 7-pin umbilical cord also fit into it...no way for the cord to get pinched or drag the ground.
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webslave
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04/28/12 03:39pm |
Towing
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RE: Did you settle or ?
Depends... If anybody made "our ideal RV", I'd wait until I could get a deal on it. For us, however, short of having a "one off" custom unit made, that "ideal" doesn't exist... Nobody makes a floor plan that includes a separate kitty box area with exhaust fan :) In fact there are very few that have any suitable area for a kitty box at all, short of keeping it in the living room (not going to happen). Any RV for us will be a compromise...at least our old FunFinder and our new Cougar have space for it in the bathroom; most don't even have that.
We settled for "good enough" and bought when the deal was right and have no regrets whatsoever.
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webslave
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04/28/12 11:41am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Do you OPEN carry while camping with others?
It is quite possible the person the OP saw normally carries concealed. That's what I do in the states that honor my out-of-state carry permit. There are many states, however, that don't have a reciprocity agreement with my home state of PA, but, do however, have an open carry regulation. Most open carry regulations require no permit, so, while I can't carry concealed because of the lack of reciprocity, I can carry open because no permit is needed and no "residency" requirement is in place. Those are the times I would carry "open"; out of necessity, not desire. New Mexico, for instance, does not honor my CCW from PA, however, I can carry openly in that state. So, if I carry in New Mexico, it must be open. My preference; concealed, that is why I have a permit. By law, I carry in the manner left open to me and I spend as little time as possible in those states that don't allow carry of any sort.
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webslave
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04/28/12 11:31am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: No more guessing how much water I put in
The question I have, Is the water safe to drink from the meter?
No, it's not.
:@
Unless you are one of those that will only drink bottled water, it is certainly as safe to drink water that has gone through it as it is to drink the water that has gone through pipes, water pressure regulator, hoses, and if using your tank, sat in a tank for a few days, then gone through your pump, etc. It is no more dangerous than your water pump, in fact the principle is the same. A water pump uses a motor to spin an impeller to propel water. This device uses the motion of the water to spin an impeller that turns a gear to register volume.
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webslave
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04/28/12 09:32am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Do you OPEN carry while camping with others?
Wouldn't bother me a bit. I carry openly, I carry concealed (legally). Has nothing to do with "fear" or "hey look at me". Has everything to do with taking a proactive stance in the safety of one's self and those around him. No offense to LEOs, they do an admirable job for very little pay and in increasingly tough times, but, they are basically "clean up" after the fact. Remember, when seconds count, they are only minutes away. If he was from the country, it is probably quite likely that most of the folks carry in some fashion or another. The police in my neck of the woods, are nearly an hour away...dial 911? Most of my friends, from those in their 20's to the little old lady in the public library carry...
As for the silly "maybe he should strengthen...". I'm 60 years old and have RA; there is no "strengthen" and even Arnold Schwarzenegger would be at a loss against a rampaging bear or drug crazed, quite possibly armed himself, bad guy. Most all "massacres" have occurred in "Gun Free Zones"...what better location to commit such a heinous attack than where they know that nobody can shoot back?
As for touching the holstered weapon? I don't know of any state that construes that as "threatening" or as a form of "assault". Most states with open carry, and there are quite a few, have very specific regulations concerning what constitutes an implied threat or terroristic form of assault...merely touching your open carry weapon does not constitute a threat and shouldn't be construed as one.
As for leaving it in the FW? If you are going to carry, whether open or legally concealed, you should carry all the time. A gun is a tool and with all tools, familiarity breeds safety. In order to be a useful tool, you have to have access to it when you need it. In the FW is not beneficial, no more so than a home defensive weapon being unloaded, with a trigger lock, locked up in a safe. I've carried for years and with God's grace, I've never pulled my weapon, but, it is there if needed in defense of myself or others. It doesn't matter where I go, however, when I go out the door, it goes with me; I'd no more leave home without it than I would leave without my wallet.
I've never understood the phobia with guns. Those that carry legally are the least of my concerns. It is the criminal that carries that concerns me and no amount of "laws" against gun ownership or carry will prevent the criminal from having a gun...only the law-abiding people obey the law and by definition, a criminal will ignore any and all laws regarding any weapon be it a knife, gun or the "weapon of choice" in gangs: aluminum baseball bats and chains.
If I see someone with a gun carried openly and we happen to make eye contact, I smile, wave, and get back to whatever I was doing, just as I would do with a person carrying a large knife headed for the grill, or the guy with a hiking stick or cane, or a chainsaw; it is just a tool.
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webslave
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04/28/12 09:09am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: No more guessing how much water I put in
I have a similar one, made by a different company, but, filling my freshwater tank is not its primary duty, although when I carry any fresh water I do use it. I don't want a full tank...I stay at FHU sites and the only water I want to carry is a few gallons to flush the can and wash hands for "roadside pit stops" and I don't need nor want to haul around 60 gallons for that. Anything more than 5 or 6 gallons and I'd just have to drain it out on the ground at the end of a trip. Not all of us boondock nor do all of us desire to carry a full tank when not needed, for any number of reasons which really isn't the only reason to have one of these.
My primary use for it was in flushing the black tank. My trailers have all had black water flush devices, either they came with them or I installed them. If, after my first emptying, I want to close the valve and use the flusher to fill the tank for another dump to get the most flow pressure out of the tank, I don't need to "guess" how much water I've put in the tank or have my wife standing inside checking the gauge (which may or may not work) or have her standing around looking inside the toilet while holding the valve open to see how much water is in the tank or trying to "guess" based on time and hoping I don't get distracted (did I start filling at 9:41 or was it 9:42...and what is my flow rate at this CGs pressure...?). My tank holds 38 gallons (black tank). I use the volume gauge to pump in 32 gallons...virtually full, allows some safety margin and I don't have to worry about an overfill. Turn on the hose, watch the meter, and then open the valve; maximum flow and a good "rinse".
There are any number of reasons that this device might be "handy". How much water do you use in a day? How much in several days? Fill your tank, then hook the device up and refill...it will tell you in gallons exactly how much you used instead of "somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 since that's as accurate as my built in gauge reads..." I also use the same device around the "homestead"...it takes 260 gallons each to water the blueberries, blackberries and raspberries adequately to develop deep roots, you don't want to water too shallow, that leads to inadequate resistance to droughts (shallow root development), nor, being on a well, do I want to over-water. Lots of uses for it and not all have to do with RVing :)
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webslave
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04/27/12 03:41pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Inexpensive bed saver
Looking at the two different photos--JMHO but, in the first one I can picture what those bolt heads would do to the plastic lube plate most of use on our pin box when it slides up over during hitch-up. The second install looks way better with mounting brackets below the fifth plate tabs and with the round head Allen screws.
Nevertheless, the device looks like less bang (very desirable) for not to much buck.
On my B&W, the plate(s) won't fit under the hitch plate...there is webbing under the edge as reinforcement for the hitch head. The bolts are actually low enough down the slope of the hitch head that unless you are hitching really low or don't have near enough leg down when unhitching, the pin box and lube plate don't come any where near the bolts or plates. I guess it would depend on the length of the "wings" on your plate...the hitch head on my B&W is quite generous in that regard. I've yet to hit them with my rig...
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webslave
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04/26/12 01:46pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Inexpensive bed saver
Here's mine installed on a B&W Companion hitch...:
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt360/yobo17170/Cougar%205th%20Wheel/Hitch%20Lock%20Photos/1BWCompanionHitchpostingsized.jpg
For less than what a lot of folks spend at Star(big)bucks a week, it IMHO, is a nice addition to the hitch that may prevent a 1 in 1,000,000 mishap. Light weight, compact, rugged in design and simple to use.
Did yours come from butch services, too, or does B & W have one for their hitches? I didn't see one on their site, so I'm assuming you got it from butch services, too. What modifications did you have to make to it for the B & W? Thanks.
Butch Services... One of his early customers.
They didn't have one listed when I bought mine, but, I figured I could get it to fit. His instructions called for putting the brackets on the outside edge. I had to line mine up so that the bolts for the brackets straddled the web under the edge of the 5th wheel plate. That places the brackets, as you can see in the photo, along the inside edge. Still more than enough room for the pin to slide into the hitch. I also had to move the roll pins on the brackets (there are three holes under the bracket, but, only two are used) to allow for the alternate position, but, they pull out easy enough with a pair of vise grips. If you get the "kit", you'll see how they handle the alignment and can move them to fit the "inside edge" as opposed to the "outside edge".
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webslave
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04/26/12 01:28pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Duro Tires.
Had Duro ST radials on my old ('08) FunFinder. When I traded the trailer in on my current 5ver, the tires had 48,000+ miles on them and still looked like new (dealer asked me how long ago I had replaced the originals). Kept them covered when not traveling, always at 50 psi cold and kept speed to less than 65 mph. Never a moments problem with them and wear, what there was, was even across the tires and equal on all 4.
If the inside and outside edges are wearing "funny", that usually indicates an "underinflated" condition. Depending on the gauge you are using, and a +/- of 5 to 10% is not unusual for a Walmart "cheapy", at 47 psi, you could actually be underinflated by almost 8 psi. Get a good gauge and always run the sidewall pressure on an ST tire...
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webslave
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04/24/12 12:29pm |
Towing
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RE: BatteryMINDer Results on Two Trojan T105's
I have 14 of the Minders in use around our property. On everything from my John Deere tractor with loader and backhoe, to the ATVs and antique cars. I use them as primary charging devices...as soon as I'm done for the day with any of the pieces of equipment, it goes back on the Minder. The battery in my tractor (diesel) is 11 years old and still cranks the Deere over effortlessly. The ATVs are 6 years old and still working on the original batteries. While I have several heavy duty chargers, I can't remember ever using them on any of my equipment since I began using the BatteryMinders a dozen or so years ago. They are "left overs" from when my son was still at home and he'd, every now and then, need a "jump boost" to start his car. Now they just gather dust...
As for a primary charger on the scooter...not sure. If a minder charges at 8 amps, then 10 hours worth of charging is 80 AH. I know they make a 2/4/8 amp version, but, all of mine are the smaller 1.3 amp style which is quite sufficient for my batteries since virtually all of them are installed in motorized equipment that have alternators to "charge" them while in use and I only use them for "maintenance" charging... If you are using a 20 amp charger for just a couple of hours (2x20=40 AH), then I suspect the 2/4/8 version, overnight, would be more than enough and you would only have one charger to deal with and you would gain a top-notch trickle charger and desulphation.
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webslave
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04/24/12 09:53am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Inexpensive bed saver
Here's mine installed on a B&W Companion hitch...:
http://i627.photobucket.com/albums/tt360/yobo17170/Cougar%205th%20Wheel/Hitch%20Lock%20Photos/1BWCompanionHitchpostingsized.jpg
For less than what a lot of folks spend at Star(big)bucks a week, it IMHO, is a nice addition to the hitch that may prevent a 1 in 1,000,000 mishap. Light weight, compact, rugged in design and simple to use.
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webslave
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04/24/12 09:13am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: HOW do you do it?
El Centro last August... 114 to 118 degrees at 3:00 pm cooling off to a "balmy" 96-102 degrees at 3 am... :R
I don't think anyone gets "used to it" when it is that hot, but, mornings and late evenings are good for sightseeing if you dress in light colors and wear a wide brimmed hat. Take it slow and easy, plenty of fluids. From 12:30 to about 5pm, retreat indoors, twin A/C units; good for reading and naps. Would we have preferred upper 70's, lower 80's? Sure, but, wasn't going to happen. We felt the sorriest for the field hands (never seen so much hay in my life and we live in dairy country) and road workers.
Didn't have to deal with as many "tourists", that's for sure! :C
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webslave
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04/23/12 08:30am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: rv cards
We used to have a boat and had cards for our 33' "7-10 Split". After becoming GS Lifers (years ago...) we found that they provided "RV Cards". We carry them and pass them out when appropriate. Has the GS Life logo and all of our contact information. Never encountered anyone on the road though that had their own and have gotten several "raised eyebrows" when giving ours out...my guess is that there aren't very many of us with pre-printed cards out there.
We have all of our contact information on them. Since we don't just hand them out to everyone we meet (only those that we get to know well enough to earn "trust"), we don't have any qualms about providing all of the information necessary to "look us up" if they are in our home area, or to give us a call if an emergency arises and we are close enough to be of help. It is no different on the road or at home...you acquaintances and you have friends. Acquaintances get the basic name, rank and serial number (very basic information) while friends are allowed the whole nine yards.
It is hard to tell how many folks out there have the cards, probably fairly few... However, if you fall into the acquantance category, they may have a card, but, you haven't crossed the "threshold" into the "adquate trust" category to get one, so, you wouldn't know. We have them, but, 99.8% of the people we meet won't know it...they get the usual, verbal, name, hometown and travel chit-chat. Friendly banter, but, the kind of information that folks "passing in the night" routinely give when there is no desire for future contact, but, want to remain "friendly RVers".
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webslave
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04/17/12 08:44am |
Beginning RVing
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