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RE: Upgrading your Shocks?
Ranchos (on the rear only) made so much difference for me that I did not have to do any other upgrade. Highly recommended! No only could I remove the sway with them adjusted to a stiff position, but being able to turn them down when the camper is not in the box will also help you save dental fees (you teeth won't be rattling with every bump on the road when empty)
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Chuck and Di
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09/09/10 02:39am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Water Purification
We never got sick, so I'm assuming it works as advertised.
Not to pick a fight or anything but this doesn't prove anything, unless someone else in your group used the same original water source and did get sick. You could wear a hat every time you drank and not get sick, concluding the hat prevented sickness.
That's a faulty argument. Hats were not invented for that purpose. Ceramic water filters were invented to purify water, are tested on known bad water sources, and like Chuck and Di said, they never got sick. Further, they had reasonable expectations of that outcome based on science.
Rick
I think you missed the point. I was only pointing out the fallacy of the comment in that post. Simply not geting sick is not a good reason to assume a product works as advertised. Test results and science I can believe. Trust me, there are plenty of "products" that claim all kinds of things. Lack of an outcome is not proof of anything.
I don't have any idea whether these products work or not.
This is fun.
You are of course correct in pointing out the logical fallacy - it's the same one religions have used for thousands of years. The world would be a better place if everybody studied “Logical Thinking 101”.
However, a quick search online will find a statistically significant number of data points, sufficient (in my estimation) to conclude UV sterilization does work. I won’t use another fallacy by stating municipalities usually use the method. I was merely pointing out that my experience aligned with the published data (using parochial language) and I did not mean to imply that my experience on it’s own was sufficient to prove the functionality.
I chose this method because published research concludes it is effective on viral contamination and bacterial contamination. Ceramic filters can only remove bacterial contamination. This is generally sufficient in North America, but less so in other parts of the world.
There was also a comment about what I meant by clear water. UV radiation can be blocked by particles in water, so it needs to be “clear” to start. If you can see particles, running it through a coffee filter is sufficient. If you choose the Steripen method, follow the directions carefully. This is sound advice for any method, really - it's easy to accidentally re-contaminate.
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Chuck and Di
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08/11/10 06:04am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Water Purification
I couldn't imagine treating the small quantities of water that hiker filters are designed for. I have them but I don't normally use them while close to my TC. I wanted to treat ANY questionable water I put into my freshwater tank, particularly when I camp next to nice looking streams while boondocking. I'm aware that Giardia, etc. are prevalent in these clean looking sources, so I spent some bucks. Here is my my solution for filtering stream or lake water. It outperforms hiker filters in all respects.
I had an extra 12v pump after upgrading my stock flojet. I purchased a 3 filter system consisting of a prefilter for dirt and mud, a carbon filter for taste (or chlorine if present) and a ceramic filter for biological critters. I took a 12v plug and modified it to accept a 120v socket. Now I use a 50' extension cord to get the setup closer to the source. The system will fill a 5 gal bucket in around 2 minutes. I've used it successfully once while boondocking with relatively clean stream water. Peace of mind outcome.
Rick Johnson
That's a nice setup. I assume you are not worried about virus contamination?
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Chuck and Di
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08/10/10 10:27am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Water Purification
Not sure if this is the right place but figure the TC bunch goes off the beaten path the most..
Has anyone had any experience with this water purifying system:
http://www.steripen.com/
The price looks cheap and not much gear to haul around.
or do you have experience with a different system to get good drinking water from brooks etc.
I have used the Steripen system on a 9 week trip to Central America. We always started with clear water and purified 4 or 5 liters per day for drinking. It takes about a minute per liter. We never got sick, so I'm assuming it works as advertised. It's nice and light, easy to use and carry, but I would not have wanted to try to sterilize much larger quantities. A set of batteries lasted about 2 weeks at this quantity, and they are not cheap (or easy to find in remote areas). Nevertheless, I would highly recommend the Steripen for drinking water if the water is clear to start. You might want to run it through a coffee filter first if there is any doubt.
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Chuck and Di
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08/10/10 04:51am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Recharging Camper Battery
Thanks for all of the good suggestions. There is alot to follow up on and I will looked at the TC University as duhutch suggested to learn more. The lights and water pump are the only 12v used.
Are you absolutely sure of this? My propane / CO detector will kill my battery over a weekend. Since I disabled them I can go a couple weeks using lights and water pump only. With 75W of solar, this would extend to pretty much forever. Also, depending on the brand, the fridge may draw a fair amount of current just to decide if it should be on 12V or propane.
One other thought... if your solar charge controller is not functioning properly, solar panels can consume electricity when the sun goes down.
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Chuck and Di
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08/06/10 04:29am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Replace CO / LP Detector
It is possible to have a combo smoke/heat CO detector since these are all placed up high,close to the Ceiling. BUT a propane/LP detector must be placed close to the FLOOR since that gas is heavier than air!
Actually, CO is heavier too.
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Chuck and Di
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07/31/10 04:56am |
Truck Campers
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RE: T/C (new p/u) or small MH
One other consideration - a MH limits where you can get service done as many places won't be able to get it on a hoist or even in the door. The specialized places tend to be more expensive. If you need a tow, you don't have the option of dropping the camper and using a regular tow service.
Also, any vehicle needs regular exercise, so if you have a time of year where it is unused for a couple months, you end up taking the MH to the grocery store just to keep the fluids moving. Of course, if you never take off your truck camper, you have the same situation.
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Chuck and Di
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07/18/10 05:17am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Insulated and heavy TC vs not and light. First camper.
A couple other thoughts: The smaller one is considerably older and its 3 jack system will give you grey hair. Also front facing windows tend to make the bed area colder when the temperatures drop and they have a reputation of developing leaks. If you can live with those things (the jacks would be a deal breaker for me), I think you'll be happier with it.
As to the larger one - depending on layout, the extra 6" length won't make a lot of difference, while the extra 900 lbs certainly will. Even if your truck is up to the task, the extra weight will make driving less pleasant and fuel economy will suffer.
Interior layout is important to consider. I bought mine thinking about camping, but we also use it on road trips a lot. When travelling, a closet to hang up clothing would be nice, but we live with wrinkles and dig for rain jackets when necessary.
How about appliances? Besides working order considerations, the older one might be old enough to have a heater that needs no fan (a plus for boondocking). Good luck - you will enjoy either a lot more than a tent!
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Chuck and Di
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07/18/10 04:58am |
Truck Campers
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RE: sun-lite eagle rk
My Sunlite is held on with tie downs made by Billis Billis R.V.E. They are similar to Torklift in design, but much cheaper - I think I paid about 1/3 back in 2003.
The stake pocket stuff really should be avoided for this application. The camper might be light, but it's still going to be between 3/4 and a full ton when loaded with food and water and gear. The stake pocket approach just won't cut it. Why risk bending up your box - or worse?
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Chuck and Di
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07/11/10 04:49am |
Truck Campers
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RE: New owner electrical question
The noise you hear is the sound of an overloaded converter (that may only be a transformer in something this old) which is why the breaker won't stay on.
I think we'll need a bit more information to help. What does the writing near the switch and outlet say? Is there a battery installed? If not, are there leads for one, and if so, are the leads well isolated from each other? Have you tried removing all those fuses to see if it will stay on?
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Chuck and Di
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07/08/10 04:02am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Anyone seen this truck bed mod?
On most utility bodies, you lose inside bed width, as the whole bed is 48-49 inches wide all the way down, instead of having wheel wells that protrude into the bed area 48-50" apart and bed rails spaced at 60-65" apart. A standard utility body precludes carrying a camper due to the 48" bed width.
Correction: Precludes carrying SOME campers. It would carry mine just fine, as it would many other models I've seen. Not all campers are the same.
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Chuck and Di
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07/01/10 04:29am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Electrical question
Campers, like trailers, come with a 30 amp male plug, usually on a long cord. If it is not hiding behind a circular panel somewhere, then somebody has modified the electrical system. It would be extremely unlikely to come with a 30 amp female outlet (it could have a 15 amp duplex recepticle on the outside).
Some designs have a recessed male without the cord so that a 30 amp extention cord can be used.
Maybe you should post some pictures?
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Chuck and Di
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06/24/10 05:47am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Cell phone amplifiers
88lover - A roof mount cellular antenna would work in either location - at home or on the camper, assuming you don't live too far from cell service. You may need to put a large metal plate under it to act as a ground plane.
If you only use the cell when the camper is parked, and can take a few minutes to aim the antenna, then a yagi will work in either location as well.
The antenna provides gain before the signal reaches the amplifier. Since the amplifier will amplify noise as well as signal, you want the signal as strong as possible before the amplifier. A yagi offers considerably more gain than a roof mount omnidirectional antenna, at the expense of being highly directional. This is why it is usually recommended for homes - you get a ton of gain and only have to aim it once.
So it really depends on your use. If you are worried about calling for help from the middle of nowhere, get a yagi and take the time to aim it when you are setting up camp. If you want to surf the net while driving, use a roof mount.
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Chuck and Di
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06/16/10 05:12am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Inverter Type
All of my gear works happily on a small MSW inverter. This is usually 2 computers and cell phone chargers, but once in awhile it also includes a radio or a TV and satellite receiver. Pretty much any gear has a switching converter (either inside like a TV or outside like a laptop) to create the DC voltages it was designed for. I have not come across any piece of electronics made in the last 20 years that had an issue - YMMV. If the label says something like "100-240 VAC, 50-60 Hz" on your toys, there will be no issue.
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Chuck and Di
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06/13/10 02:52am |
Truck Campers
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RE: what to do against slipping camper ?
It may be that your suspension is a little too solid. I had some side to side movement on washboard roads before I tried setting my Ranchos at 7 instead of 9. After than, no more motion, and no more scattered cabinet contents.
I can't help feeling it's better for waterproofing and the frame too.
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Chuck and Di
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05/30/10 06:03am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Owner survives explosion of camper
In you last example, I see the buyer at fault for not having a safety check before driving. You will not be able to come up with an example I'd agree to, so I guess we'll have to agree to disagree.
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Chuck and Di
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05/26/10 04:16am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Owner survives explosion of camper
If the situation is that the previous owner sold the trailer with an open propane line, that he knew about, that would be a case of negligence. Dont you think? The seller has an obligation to imform the buyer about something like that , not just pocket the $$ and run.
And if he did not know, or did inform but the buyer forgot, he gets at best a huge legal bill and at worst loss of home and income through somebody unable to admit they were too stupid to inspect an old gas system before using it.
Sorry, I'm not buying that position. This is no different than lawsuits that put the responsibility on the bartender to decide when a client has had enough, or lawsuits against ski hills because somebody fell. We've become a nation of litigious blame seekers passing nanny laws at every turn where every unfortunate accident is somebody elses fault, no matter what we were doing.
The expression used to be "buyer beware". Now "seller beware" is usually more appropriate.
(Time to turn up my collar - my sunburned neck seems to be showing :))
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Chuck and Di
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05/25/10 04:16am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Owner survives explosion of camper
Well he has some time on his hands so to speak while his hands heal so I'd be using that time to have a long talk to the previous owner and then a lawyer.
*sigh* remember when people took responsibility for their own actions instead of trying to find someone else to blame? You know, back before you could turn any unfortunate incident into a payday? I sure miss those days.
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Chuck and Di
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05/24/10 05:01am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Turnbuckle question
Most have chains and do not have springs, so no springs are needed, and yes you can use a piece of chain to lengthen the ones that are too short.
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Chuck and Di
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05/24/10 04:40am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Cell phone amplifiers
A word of engineering caution: The 400 cable in the link is not RG-58. RG-58 will not work for this purpose as the per foot losses at these frequencies is way too high. Use the recommended cable even if you buy it somewhere cheaper. Forget about using the camper TV cable and connectors - even if it wasn't extremely high loss it is the wrong impedance to start with. Keep the length between the antenna and the amplifier short and with no connections if at all possible - at these frequencies the gain of the antenna can be lost in the connectors or in the cable in just a few feet.
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Chuck and Di
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05/20/10 05:42am |
Truck Campers
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