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Subject |
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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Class A to Super C
HI,
I have heard that the Super C's have super strong springs, IE very stiff, even when loaded to the GVWR. The reason that class A diesel pushers ride so well is the air ride springs, they flex a lot when crossing normal bumps in the road, that is jarring in the F-53 and most steel spring super C's.
I guess that the Super C passenger seat will be a little more inboard, solving that problem of being near to the bike lane's white line and the ditch beyond it. Yet with the seating still being about 48" above the ground, you can still see a long ways forward, and will look down at the ground and into the ditch that runs alongside the roads. Much different than in a car, where the ditch is not seen at all!
So to get a much softer ride then upgrading to a diesel pusher is almost a requirement. Yet that will not solve the ride height problem. How about her riding in the back?? It is not unheard of, many wives want to stay on the bed and come out when you are parked.
I never had a problem with my wife's driving or her being uncomfortable with my driving. So I have no idea what problems you are having - I can only make a guess. I hope it improves.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/10/12 12:29am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Fifth wheel towing options?
You might be best off contacting a couple of local RV dealers in your area and Dallas, and see what they do to transport fifth wheels. Normally they will have a list of drivers that can tow the trailer for you. Then you will only be out fuel cost and a little more for the driver's time and effort.
You can also scan Craigslist.com for a fifth wheel hitch, you should be able to find a used one someplace!
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/10/12 12:06am |
Towing
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RE: Holy....... WOW!!!!!
Hi,
It is a class 8 truck with two rear dually axles, no doubt rated at 40,000 GVWR or a little higher, GCVWR well above 50,000 pounds, with a heavy golf cart on the back bumper hitch, and the Jeep hooked up to that, with a small trailer behind that. The motorhome's brakes are rated strong enough to stop the whole train! And I bet that the whole train does not exceed the motorhome's GVWR by more than about 2,500 pounds, well within what is considered a reasonable amount of weight to tow with a toaterhome of that size.
With a commercial driver's license, that is a legal rig to tow down the freeway.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/09/12 11:33pm |
Towing
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RE: On a budget and picky - Restoration cost
Hi,
The problem is working on the camper in the typical garage, they don't have 10' ceilings or a 9' door to bring it inside or worse yet get it outside once repaired. (it would be a bummer to repair it indoors, then find it to tall to fit out the door it fit in pieces.)
So a pole barn will work fine, so will a barn for that matter. Yet outdoors in a tent like structure is not a option for most. It sounds like many of the campers will require take off of all the siding and replacing some wood. Yes you might be fine at that, and be able to reuse some of the siding, yet may need to replace a few parts too?
However is it really worth it to spend 150 hours on a camper and then have a model that you could have just bought for about $3,000 more, and not spent $1000 in repairs and more than that in labor?
Just thining out loud. Many find that repairing a camper is not worth it. You end up spending more on the repairs than a reasonable person is wiling to buy it from you for. (you will have so much more in the camper once repaired, it's value will exceed market value). Somehow I think you already know this and are just confirming your decision to spend a little more to avoid spending a whole lot of money fixing the camper. It might be lower cost in the long run to get a loan on a $5,000 camper, and make monthly payments (it should be a modest cost per month for about 24 months) rather than be spending $250 each month for 'More repairs'.
I would take another look at your F-250. While a nice truck, it's curb weight is about 1,200 pounds less than the modest 8,800 GVWR, so it can not legally carry much weight at all. That can be beefed up with overload springs, 265 70/16E tires in the back, yet it still will not increase the GVWR by 1 pound.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/09/12 11:21pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: The one specific suggestion you would make to RV makers...
reduce the size of the black tank, and increase the size of grey tank. Amen to that! What do they think, we dump the grey water on the ground or something?? :h
Umm,
When boondocking in he desert more than a week, I regularly dump the grey water onto the plants that desperately need the water. I like my 59 gallon black tank, and put up with the 42 gallon grey tank. I can transfer grey water into the black tank if someplace like Yosemite, where dumping would be stupid and illegal too. In a crowded campground, dumping water will be dangerous to your health, as well as those camping after you. However when in the dry and sandy desert, the water is quickly absorbed into the ground, and I bury mine about 12" down, so no flies are attracted, and no mess or smell.
Yes it is still legal to dump grey water in dispersed camping on BLM land, Don't know how long it will continue, yet it was OK last time I checked.
What do all these environmentalists think? The deer carry around a bag to go in? Get a life, a little fertilizer will not hurt the soil.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/09/12 12:25am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Why Level?
A ammonia refrigerator relies on being level for the ammonia and water mixture to return to the boiler while parked. When driving, it is much less critical because shifting around usually returns the ammonia mixture to the boiler, however while in a construction zone, a RV.net member reported their RV refrigerator stopped working, they planned on taking it back to the dealer, left it off over the weekend, and tried it once back home. IT had fixed itself on the drive home, I explained that driving while off, the ammonia mixture dissolved any dried out ammonia and it all started working again on it's own.
Your 1970's or early 80's Toyota RV was much more critical to have it level than a 90's or 2000 model year refrigerator. It seems that they redesigned the back end of the refrigerator to slope back to the boiler better than before, and seem to have over temperature shut down on the boiler that should stop the fire for a little while if it gets to warm (like when out of ammonia mixture).
So while you still should level the RV to keep the refrigerator working right, it is much less critical than in years past.
By the way, running on gas, the burner is about 2,200 Btu's per hour, with about 1,800 actually heating the boiler, the rest lost to the flue. When on 120 volts, typical heater size is 300 watts (if you have a 350 or more watt heater, replace it with 300 watt to avoid cracking the tubing that the heater element sits in) that is about 925 Btu's heating the boiler. A typical 12 volt heater is about 20 amps, or about 240 watts, and 800 Btu's to the boiler.
So it really does not matter much if you operated the Toyota (or todays) refrigerator off level on gas or 12 volt electric, the boiler can still go dry (just takes more time on 12 volts). Driving will return the ammonia mixture to the boiler fine, and I run mine on gas all the time while not plugged in at a campground. I do put down my levelers when parked for more than about 20 minutes, and shut off the refrigerator while getting fuel.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/08/12 11:56pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: UV filteration in FW tank...
Hi,
Why a shielded UV light for the tank? The tank is not normally something that one would look at, so UV light within the tank is OK, unless the tank material is not able to handle UV and ozone exposure.
UV light will make ozone IF there is oxygen present, (so not in a full tank, but if any air is in there, it will make ozone). Ozone will not last very long, and in the presence of bacteria, Ozone will kill the bacteria while also neutralizing back into oxygen.
If there is a UV light present in the tank, care should be taken to not breath the vent air, as high levels of ozone are not good for people. Yet don't panic over it either, just don't intentionally breath it in.
I would imangine that a couple of LED UV light can be installed in the tank by melting in a LED halfway into the top of the tank, or cutting a hole about 3" diameter and putting in a patch that has the lights and covers the new hole.
GOogle LED UV lights and I am sure you can find something.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/08/12 11:23pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: length rules ?
So I wonder why in the world the builder of the 42' unit did not tell you that you can not possibly tow a 30' trailer with their truck?
This would lead to the question how long of a trailer do you plan on towing? Then we can only build the truck to XX feet long to stay below 65 feet overall or 5 more feet for a 70' overall length.
I would hope that the truck builder would have known the law a little better, and left their customers better informed.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/08/12 11:03pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Is there a cold weather TT for those ski/snowmobile trips?
Hi,
I don't know what manufacture to look for, other than Horizons that will build you anything you want (for a price that will end up very heavy), yet I know that I would be looking for certain things.
Like the water tanks enclosed, such as tanks that are below the bathroom floor in a fifth wheel, with the fresh water tank up there too, warm and cozy.
I use a Olympic Catalytic Heater to warm my 30' motorhome. The 6,000 Btu's is plenty for temperatures above 30, yet below that amount, I do run the furnace a bit to circulate the heat to the bathroom and bedroom. I have a quick connect fitting under my oven, to tap into the low pressure gas.
I have a large area in my kitchen that I can set up the heater, and it warms the front of the RV very effectively, also heat will go the short distance back to the bedroom while sleeping.
Are you thinking toyhauler to carry the snowmobiles? That will give a large area to sleep in and several visitors can stay there, set up 6' long tables to serve a pot luck dinner, with the heater nearby to keep everyone warm!
Toy haulers also typically have a very large fresh water tank, and generous gray water tank capacity. This can allow a lot of people to take showers - so a 10 gallon water heater might be nice too! This is especially important in your colder area, because your fresh water might be 50F, and heating that to 100F will take more than 60% hot water, so a 6 gallon tank can be used up in only about 4 minutes! The 10 gallon heater can put out 10,000 Btu's per hour, reheating 1 gallon every 6 minutes by 90F, as well as storing more water to provide a 8-10 minute shower.
Then you can get into what kind of truck to tow the toyhauler or travel trailer. Where you also thinking travel trailer and putting toys into the pickup bed? I don't think a pickup bed can carry two snow machines. Yet you would know better than I. A utility trailer would be best, yet unless you have a commercial driver's license, then towing two trailers would be out of the question. With a commercial drivers license, and current medical certificate, you can tow a fifth wheel and then a second trailer behind that. All must have electric brakes, and overall length can not exceed 65' long in most states.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/08/12 10:52pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: 8.1 Chevy class C
Hi,
Most class C's with the 8.1L where built on the larger C4500 chassis, and looked more like trucks with van sized doors rather than the van based class C that Ford made at the time. The good thing is the C4500 chassis has enough GVWR for a diesel engine, and the 6.6L diesel was a popular option on that RV chassis, so they are around.
I had a GMC class C with 350" engine, the largest that GMC offered in 85, and I had always thought that the 454 was to large of an engine to fit into the van chassis, and had never heard of them being mounted in class C motorhomes, with few exceptions where a enlarged van front end was installed, making the class C look like a oddball, and the longer nose more Ford like.
I had not heard of new class C's with a 8.1L yet was not looking at class C reviews in 2001 - 2003, because I owned a 4 year old class A that I am still happy with, not even interested in looking at new RV's today.
I did take a really good look at the class C truck based GMC's in the 2005 - 2008 period, and might have bought one if the overall cost was not so high. I still consider the International based Super C my dream RV.
Weekend Warrior did make some class C RV's that have huge capacity to tow a large and heavy utility trailer or toyhauler just before going out of business in 2008. Some even had a liftgate and ability to carry toys.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/08/12 10:34pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: LP GENERATORS
Are you having a problem with the generator, or just not turning on both tanks at once gives you "Cause" for thinking the generator is somehow broken or using to much gas?
LP gas generators are not really highly recommended by those who own them. It does take a really large LP supply to run one for a few hours. Also LP gas only has 95,000 Btu's per gallon, while gasoline is 115,000 Btu's per gallon.
The one that I know about is on a diesel motorhome, with a large tank (I would guess 30 gallons) and it has two outputs, vapor for most of the appliances, and liquid LP fuel to the generator, where a carburetor heater warms the gas going into the generator.
So I guess the ultimate question is why are you not leaving both tanks open?
Yes you should be able to contact a Onan dealer, ask about the gas carburetor, and they should be able to install one. For a fuel tank, you might want to use a pickup truck fuel tank from a junkyard, with a fuel filler from a bus or truck at the junkyard, (I found one from a 18 passenger bus conversion for my friend's new auxiliary fuel tank in his RV at a junkyard).
Transferflow also sells a gasoline tank that is about the size of a propane tank, yet that option is close to $130. It is designed to be mounted on the hitch of a travel trailer, or you can mount it just about anyplace, including inside your storage space. It is also designed not to leak vapors as much as a normal tank.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/08/12 10:15pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: is this Norcold a 3-way?
Hi,
It looks like a two way refrigerator, and I question why anyone would want one that runs on 12 volt to heat the ammonia?
The refrigerator will use about 10 amp hours per day to run on propane, with the whole RV using about 35 AH per day to run the refrigerator, propane leak detector and CO monitor. So you can expect the battery to last about 2 nights without using any other lights, furnace, or anything else running.
You can expect to need a pair of batteries to dry camp more than a couple of nights in a row, and use a generator if you plan on using the furnace or watch TV, or stay in one place more than about 3 nights. (or solar panels)
The 12 volt heating element uses about 30 amps per hour, requires wires larger than what is in the picture, and will discharge the trailer battery in about 3 hours of run time, even if plugged into the tow vehicle and driving. That is why I would not want a 12 volt element. I could only use it at times that I have 120 volt power to recharge the battery - yet the 12 volt element is less than the wattage of the 120 volt element. So basically the 12 volt element is useless.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/07/12 10:09pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: The one specific suggestion you would make to RV makers...
HI,
Having driven a couple of motorhomes with slide outs, the drivers seat does not have adequate room for a 6' tall driver to be comfortable, that is why I have not bought a slide out room yet.
Also the slide out walls do not need to slide in all the way. Have they never heard of a pocket door? How about a roll top desk?
I can't wait for the 2013 Ford full size vans to come out, perhaps with the 4.6L Ecoboost? That will provide great mileage, and power to climb the hills too! And no worry about power loss in Colorado.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/07/12 10:02pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Food Planning for a month
Hi,
I tend to agree with many of the posts that say to buy food every 3-5 days while on the road. So if you can not make it to Costco, you will be shopping at a local supermarket, not the local 7-11, and will still get good prices on food. I would not want to give up a extra hour to shop at a Costco or Sams Club while on the road. Once you buy a mega meal size package, I end up spending some time dividing that food up in baggies and putting some in the freezer and some in the refrigerator or cooking it for dinner that night.
A good reason to stop at Sams Club might be to buy a 18 pack of eggs and dry camp in the lot overnight. I bought a Rand McNalley atlas of the United States, and they have a list of all Sams Clubs and Wal Marts across the US.
Unless you plan on going someplace really remote, like Grand Canyon, or Zion National Park, or Canyon De Chelly, where there are no supermarkets within 22 miles of your destination, then planning ahead more than 4 days is pretty much useless to me. When going to those places, I would plan on getting enough food for the duration of the time away from large cities, even if I was going to be away for 10 days. Yet it seems like I buy 10 days worth of food, then spend at least 3 of those nights eating out at the lodge that overlooks the Grand Canyon or Monument Valley "Just because".
On my last trip to Albuquerque, I ended up eating a lot of instant oatmeal. It was ready in about 3 minutes, only took running the generator and microwave a few minutes, or just boil water on the stove, make coffee or tea and oatmeal, and be ready to hit the road in about 30 minutes.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/07/12 07:32pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: f650, pretty cool, note the singles on rear
Finally a Single Rear Wheel Ford pickup that will not exceed the GVWR when a camper is on board and towing a 8,500 pound 4 horse trailer!
Great picture!
Fred.
PS: I might want one, but don't know about filling that pair of 45 gallon fuel tanks, it might get expensive.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/07/12 06:48pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Motorhome Tax
I think in Texas there is a requirement to go back home to have the vehicle inspected every two years or so.
Places like California require every two year smog check as well as extremely high reregistration fees, and high sales tax. My friend was paying over $4,500 a year to register a $250,000 motorhome in California. Only about $65 was because of the registration, 2% of the value of the RV is taxed each year, in a scale that will slide downward.
Oregon has a couple of large fees the first time a RV is registered in that state, yet they offer 2 year license fees for a most reasonable rate, only about $35 a year.
Washington was also among the highest registration fees for a time, but they passed a amendment to their constitution, and now fees can not exceed $65 a year without voter approval. So far no politician has bothered to ask if the people want to pay more to register a vehicle. They do have a sales tax, not sure how much, but in the 5-8% range.
Some states it can become difficult to negotiate a good price on buying a RV. In Southern California, with RV sales lots all over the place, it is easy enough to say "I will buy for this price or go down the street and buy from that guy", and get 20% off the MSRP. Yet other places, where it might be 200 miles to the next sizable town, the dealership knows they have a certain number of customers that will not travel to buy at a lower price, and has a somewhat captive sales market, and might not offer such good pricing.
I am sure you will get some great advice on what state to move to when buying a new RV.
Just remember that states like California will ask what day you bought the RV, if you work in this state or own property in this state if you are trying to move the registration into this state. California can get aggressive in collecting in state registration fees from those they consider "Dodging" the fees due in California by actual people who live and work in this state, but try registering their vehicles out of state to avoid taxes.
There are legitimate reasons to move to another state when you retire, such as moving to a state with less sales tax, or lower income tax rates (Washington has no income tax) Oregon has no sales tax, and other states have very low sales and income tax compared to California and some other states.
Just make sure that you follow the laws and not move only the RV to the other state. By moving everything (your drivers license, and other vehicles to that state) you have completed your move, and are no longer working in the state that you moved from.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/07/12 07:50am |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Hilarious Chevy Truck ad!
Dave probably left town during the disaster, and did not come back to see the damage the flying saucer did!
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/07/12 06:32am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Ultraviolet Exposure: what RVers Need to Know
Lucky for me, I had a neighbor that ran a company called "Tint Pro" in Orange County California. They knew the difference between low quality blue tints sold at auto parts stores and high quality tints like he installed in cars and houses.
The higher quality tints look a little more silver in color, and he had some that are only about 15% light reduction (at the extreme) while being 99% UV reduction. I think I picked about 35% light reduction for the rear windows of my Honda CRV, while the van I had at the time had factory tinted windows. All of the tints he sold reduced UV transmission by 99% or more, while light reduction was something like 15% to 95%, you can pick several options in between.
I don't like tinting the driver's windows, as it impairs my ability to see at night. I agree that the windshield has some tinting to it. By using a solar isolation meter, I can tell. With the meter outside the car, the reading was close to 1,080 watts per square meter at 4,500' elevation, and inside the windshield was under 850. So at least 15% to 20% reduction of solar capacity is blocked by the windshield tinting and glass.
For solar heating systems, low lead glass is used to lessen the heat loss through the glass into the heating device. When viewed from the side, low lead glass appears clear, even when looking at 3" or wider cross section of the glass. If you have ever looked at the side of normal glass, it appears green, due to it not being low lead glass. Glass used in microscope slides would be low lead glass, as looking at the side view it appears clear.
A little UV light is good for the skin though. Just in vain we try to get to much sunlight to make the skin look a little tan, and many youth use tanning salons to get much darker skin color than is natural, with results of shriveled up skin in 20 or more years down the road.
I work on rooftops on a daily basis, and do use 15 SPF sunblock in the summer time around my neck and other exposed skin, sometimes on my arms, yet I also let them tan most of the time, and have found no adverse effects of the sunlight exposure other than mild sunburns in the beginning of summer around my neck.
Good luck with your cancer and I hope it all resolves itself. If you want know what the Nobel Prize winning scientist found out about cancer and how to kill it, google Dr. Warburg
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/07/12 05:15am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Leaking roof
This is what I did to my roof.
http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/24993453.cfm
There is a link on the second page that shows a place to buy Eternabond 4" x 50' for $55.
There is a link for a two part roof coating, it can be put on a dry roof, and can allow rain on it once cured for only a hour or two. Yet it only cures above 55F, so it needs a couple of warm days to cure, or being parked indoors a couple of nights above 60F. There is a link with a video on the website.
I put Herculiner on my roof, it soaked in very well, makes the roof very tough, water tight again! and no white streaks.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/06/12 06:46pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Converting my dully to a 10 wheel drive to handle Toyhauler
Hi,
What a neat project! And to find a class 7 with only 2,500 miles on it. I bet the whole truck cost about what you can sell the truck bed for. Even that huge pump can be sold for a tidy sum.
The TV show Monster Garage converted a limo into a fire pumper, and staged a fire at the training center in Long Beach California.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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02/06/12 01:33am |
Toy Haulers
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