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RE: Good or Bad DIY? let me have it.
You stole all my good ideas!
(They do make those door wedges out of a composite material something like 'masonite'.)
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Atchafalaya_man
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05/25/12 03:09pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: extend frame instead of hitch?
Leave your current receiver, but attach two additional 'bolt-on-type' receivers, outboard of it, welded (or bolted) to each frame rail. Now you have a 'triple tube' receiver hitch.
Onto 3 flush-faced inserts, weld (or bolt) your frame and use three 5/8" hitch pins to hold it all in place.
Your truck remains the same, with the exception of the additional small receivers attached to the frames.
Those bolt-on receivers can be bought for probably 15 bucks each at Harbor Freight, Tractor Supply, or a similar type of place.
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Atchafalaya_man
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05/25/12 08:56am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Two generator questions
My 2000 runs the 11k BTU A.C. under some conditions.
1) I installed a SUPCO 6 hard start capacitor on my 11k a.c. unit. 20 bucks...
2) Turn fridge to gas.
3) Switch the genny off of eco mode. (It will not start up the a.c. in eco, but will run it in eco mode after a.c. startup. HOWEVER, the first time it cycles because of the thermostat, you're in trouble. It will bog the genny and the a.c. and you're at risk of burning up something.)
4) You might have to throw the breaker to the converter/charger to eliminate amp draw. Also maybe some other 120vac breakers, depending on what is being run on 120 in your camper.
If you want to skip all this 'turn off' procedure when running your a.c., get at least a 2400 watt genny, such as the Yamaha 2400 inverter. It won't labor like the 2000's do.
SO, to respond to my own posting, today it was 92 outside. I went out, started the 2000 genny, shut down everything in the camper...and the 2000 WOULD NOT START the 11k DuoTherm. I tried 3 or 4 times..and nothing. Back to shore power, the A.C. fired right up.
SO, over to the Arctic Fox with the 9200 Coleman Low Profile. It started the A.C. with hardly a hickup. The 11k is an old a.c., and the 9200 is brand new.
Go figure. I now recommend you get at least a 2400 watt genny for the 11k BTU. The Yamaha is a nice unit, and is the same size as the 2000, except for being a lot wider. It also weighs about 75 pounds versus the upper 40's for the 2000, and, it can be bought for about 1/2 the price of a Honda 3000, not to mention being 1/2 the weight.
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Atchafalaya_man
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05/22/12 06:08pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Two generator questions
My 2000 runs the 11k BTU A.C. under some conditions.
1) I installed a SUPCO 6 hard start capacitor on my 11k a.c. unit. 20 bucks...
2) Turn fridge to gas.
3) Switch the genny off of eco mode. (It will not start up the a.c. in eco, but will run it in eco mode after a.c. startup. HOWEVER, the first time it cycles because of the thermostat, you're in trouble. It will bog the genny and the a.c. and you're at risk of burning up something.)
4) You might have to throw the breaker to the converter/charger to eliminate amp draw. Also maybe some other 120vac breakers, depending on what is being run on 120 in your camper.
If you want to skip all this 'turn off' procedure when running your a.c., get at least a 2400 watt genny, such as the Yamaha 2400 inverter. It won't labor like the 2000's do.
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Atchafalaya_man
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05/21/12 10:54pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: A/C install. How much should gasket be compressed ?
On the gasket itself, or at least the one I just installed (new) on my camper, are some little plastic tabs about 1" x 2" The instructions are to compress the gasket until the tabs are even with the roof.
Just a guess, but it leaves about 3/4" of gasket uncompressed.
If you buy a new gasket, the compression marking-tabs will likely be on it. Or, just for a lesson, go to a A.C. place and look at a new one.
By the way, when I removed my old A.C. from the Arctic Fox, the gasket stayed stuck to the rubber roof. That's because they had run a bead of some sort of sealant down the middle of the square gasket, on the interface between it and the roof.
I repayed the technique with a single strip of Butyl sealing tape around the perimeter of the roof opening, onto which the new gasket sat. There was no mention of doing this in the instructions, but I figured if A.F. did a sealant job, so would I. I just used something else that was sticky and would fill any voids; butyl window sealing tape.
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Atchafalaya_man
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05/11/12 06:14pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Truck camper for Truck
When you go shopping, about 5 percent of the campers you see will work on a 1/2 ton, so the answer is 'Sure, you can find one that works.'
But, you're going to first fall in love with all the bigger and nicer ones that won't.
Life's a compromise, and for you with a 1/2 ton, a 95/5 compromise.
Go out there and shop for a smaller on, but don't kill the thought of getting a bigger truck.
For example, the "Fleetwood Angler" was a cute little camper that would make it on a 1/2 ton.
Here's a few:
http://rvs.oodle.com/used-rvs/rayne-la/?q=Fleetwood+Angler&oldq=Fleetwood+Angler&inbs=1&r=country
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Atchafalaya_man
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05/11/12 02:08pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Which roof air conditioner is best for Truck Camper?
So my question is, are the advantages of the lower profile and the lower BTUs worth it for my limited summer use? Does one run significantly quieter?
See my other comment about the quietness.
Air conditioners 'condition' the air as well as cool it, thus their name. They are not advertised as air 'coolers'.
Conditioning means removing the humidity so our skin feels better in the drier environment, (as well as cooling the air).
Your skin in 72 degree air, saturated with humidity doesn't feel that great, but 72 degree air void of most of it feels crisp and comfortable.
If you installed (jokingly for example) a 5 ton a.c. in your camper it would drop the temperature quickly and the thermostat would shut off, having done its job.
But the effect of removing the humidity takes a long while. Therefore, a 'matched' size unit, (in our case, as small one) will take its time about both getting the temp down, and during that longer process, remove more humidity, than a fast acting, larger unit that shuts off quickly after reaching it's set temp.
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Atchafalaya_man
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05/10/12 12:29pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Which roof air conditioner is best for Truck Camper?
There are a couple of more reasons that the newer 49201 is quieter. (With the 'green gas' change, the 9200 is no longer available and the 49201 is the only one available after 2010)
First, 11k and 13.5 units blow a rated 350 cubic feet of air per minute; the 42901 blows a max of 200 CFM. Moving less air makes less noise. There's no jet-engine roar by comparison.
Second, the 49201 unit operates under much higher pressures so the manufacturer had to build the unit with heavier components, particularly the copper tubing up inside of it.
It also has a beefed up compressor. The result is that less mechanical noise comes out of the unit in operation because of the thicker tubing and heavier or thicker parts.
I just replaced the 13.5 BTU in my T.C. with a 49201. I couldn't be more pleased. I equate the new noise level to about that of a running microwave oven. Actually I can't tell much difference in noise between low and high speeds.
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Atchafalaya_man
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05/10/12 08:05am |
Truck Campers
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RE: first time pulling the boat behind the TC
Where was that go-fast boat event in your picture?
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Atchafalaya_man
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05/07/12 09:18pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Coleman vs. Yamaha
Specs on the red one and the blue one are identical. 1600/2000 watts. 16.7 amps max, and 13.3 amps running. I have the blue one.
The Yam 2000 had a bit of difficulty starting a 11k btu I had so I added a hard start capacitor (Supco 6). (20 bucks, 2 wires, 2 screws.) After that, it started the a.c., but with some 'starting' difficulty, but ran it ok. Forget the Eco mode. It needed full throttle (which isn't that much faster than Eco).
For what you were asking about, I also have a 9200 BTU Coleman Lo Profile on another camper and the Yamaha 2000 works just fine, out of Eco mode. I only need the refrigerator turned to gas to eliminate it needing 120vac from the genny. A few lights and the charger/converter will continue to run from the Yamaha.
Now a happy camper. It should work for you too. I like the Yamaha one reason. FUEL SHUTOFF: Turn it while the genny is still running and the carb runs dry. When you stop the Honda, the fuel is shut off, but the carb is still full.
In retrospect, I really wish I would have bought the 2400 inverter, just for the extra amperage it provided. FOR SURE there wouldn't be anything iffy with a 9200 and a 2400. 20 amps max, 16.7 running for it. But, it's about 30 pounds heavier (75 versus about 45) and it's 8 inches wider, the other two dimensions, length and height, being about the same. One can be bought for about 1300 instead of 900 for the 2000.
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Atchafalaya_man
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05/07/12 09:06pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Honda generator and A/C
The 9200 has been replaced by the new 49200. It has a different gas in it, (EPA requirement) and while it draws a little more power than the old 9200, (pre-2010) it will work with your 2000 watt generator just fine. That is not the only difference though.
One thing that will impress you is how quiet it will be. We all know how noisy our old AC's are, but the new 4920x will be about as quiet as a running microwave oven. There is no roar of air, as the volume coming out of the same size vent is 1/3 less at only 200 cubic feet per minute for the smaller unit instead of 320 CFM for the 11.5 or 13.5 models.
It will run you about 700 dollars for one with shipping from one of the supply houses. How much is comfort worth?
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Atchafalaya_man
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04/26/12 08:00pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: RV length and finding a campsite
How's this one for length? It's so long, I had to stop for fuel while backing in. National Forest CG, for $8 a night and I was the only person there.
My rig is over 25 feet long. It must be a 125 foot slot, and there were lots of others this size.
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z134/atchafalaya_man/CaneyLakesRVSlots.jpg
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Atchafalaya_man
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04/23/12 10:27pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Okay, I was wrong....bought a dually
Well, I have a DIFFERENT reason for driving a dually.
A good looking woman drove up to me at a service station, rolled down her window, and said...
"There's nothing sexier than a grey hair'd man driving a Red Dodge dually!"...
and then she sped off. I was just left there, looking around, holding the nozzle, before I realized she was talking about me.
You can bet your A$$ I'm going to keep driving a dually. (And a RED DODGE one at that) I need all the help I can get.
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Atchafalaya_man
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04/23/12 10:18pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: deck for truck camper
Porch/deck
http://s195.photobucket.com/albums/z134/atchafalaya_man/Camper%20Modifications/Camper%20Porch/#!cpZZ1QQtppZZ20
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Atchafalaya_man
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04/23/12 09:52pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Pantry Mod
Turn 12" or 16" wire closet shelves upside down and you have a lip that will keep the plastic shoe boxes from sliding off of them. These are 12" shelves, mounted on a piece of angle-aluminum screwed to the walls.
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z134/atchafalaya_man/Camper%20Modifications/IMG_4700.jpg
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Atchafalaya_man
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04/20/12 10:07pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: So tell me about your Lance 1055 (no slide)
They created the 1055 in 2006, and it was no winner. No basement, etc. In 2007, they made the better version with improved bath, basement, etc.
However, one reason I don't like the 2007 model is that the windows are all side-sliding windows.
In 2008, they went back to the crank-out windows, which allow one to open them during rainy weather, without having rain blow inside.
A little thing perhaps, but it would keep me shopping for a 2008 or 2009.
They discontinued making the 1055 as there is no 2010 model, but replaced it with the 1050 in 2011. The 2011 1050 also comes as a slide as the 1050S.
Here's what I mean about the better type windows, as opposed to those that slide sideways.
http://i195.photobucket.com/albums/z134/atchafalaya_man/General%20stuff/IMG_5100.jpg
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Atchafalaya_man
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04/19/12 11:38pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: propane tank question
From the picture, your tank HAS an OPD on it, based on the triangular valve knob. So, it's a pretty modern tank, but, the tank is merely expired past its original 12 year certification.
Any major filling station will recertify your tank by placing a metal sticker on the top of it, which should give you about another 5 years before needing to do it again. AmeriGas did mine for free, and refilled the tanks immediately.
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Atchafalaya_man
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04/18/12 10:11pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Lance 1181 bumper hitch
Those older Lance's you describe with the hitch mount beneath the bumper had bumpers made of steel and not the modern aluminum ones. They had a sticker that read "200 pound tongue weight max'.
I towed a small boat and bent the bumper attachment. I know I didn't have anywhere near 200 pounds of tongue weight, but the roads were rough at the time.
After that I quit using it. The most I'd do with one is use it for a receiver type bike-rack, BBQ pit or perhaps a custom step to get into the camper.
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Atchafalaya_man
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04/08/12 05:42pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: home dump station ?
I added a new 3" septic line right into my septic tank. It did require some digging and trenching, and boring of a new hole in the fiberglass septic tank for a dedicated line. The resulting sewage line is about 50 feet long. I also have 30 amp and water, so I have full hookups at home.
We probably dump at home 75-80% of the time.
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Atchafalaya_man
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04/03/12 08:53pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Accepted Etiquette For State Maps in Signature and on TC
That world globe indicates that you are obviously a "free spirit" when it comes to traveling. :B
Frank
Hey Frank:
If you look carefully at my travel map, a few times I tried to leave earth and swing around the Moon. But, I couldn't quite build up enough speed to break the effect of gravity. Besides, it was scaring the wife and the cat.
Those water crossings were bad enough for the cat. (You know how they hate water!) LOL
:)
Doug
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Atchafalaya_man
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04/02/12 12:45pm |
Truck Campers
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