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RE: 4wd for towing stability?
I remember years ago I tried to run my pickup in 4x4 on a very hard packed icy road. I actually had better control with it in 2 wheel drive than 4. No matter what, the front and rear wheels when in 4x4 will not be turning at the same speed. Tire wear difference will prevent this from being so. Thus 4x4 will cause loss of traction due to the tires trying to turn at different speeds due to the wear difference.
Now in a snow covered road where the tires are going to spin due to resistance from the snow 4x4 will help. I am talking about a hard surface road where the tires do not have to push anything such as snow to make a path. This would apply on a bare asphalt or concrete surface and ice packed highways.
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RCMAN46
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05/16/12 10:36pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Verizon kills unlimited data plans for existing subscribers
There is always a way for a company to get out of an agreement. I had a battery I purchased from JC Penny years ago that had a lifetime warranty for the life of my truck. Well after 20 years had gone by and they had replaced several batteries they got out of the contract by simply giving me back what I had paid for the original battery. There was fine print that covered their action. I am sure there is fine print that will cover what Verizon is doing.
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RCMAN46
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05/16/12 10:23pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: EZ LUBE bearings
I am getting my camper ready to go and just curious how much grease do you put into the ez lube bearings? I hate to put too much grease in as it can get messy however to little causes other issues. Checked the bearing and they are good shape.
Thanks for the input
How did you check the bearings? If you removed them cleaned, inspected and repacked with new grease seals then there is no need to add grease to the EZ system at this time.
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RCMAN46
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05/16/12 10:28am |
Tech Issues
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RE: How much sway is normal - Reese dual cam round bars @ 60mph?
If you look at the physics of towing two things have to be before a trailer will tow well. First it has to have tongue weight. Travel trailers 15% or more is good. 5th wheels 20% or more. The more tongue weight the better as long as the TV can handle the weight. The big guys that we have pass us every day have about 40% pin weight. Second the trailer has to be level. Travel trailers a little nose low is OK, 5th wheels as close to level as possible.
A year or so ago Ford did a television ad about their sway control. To get the test trailers to sway they simply loaded the trailers so they were tail heavy (light tongue weight).
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RCMAN46
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05/16/12 10:18am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Tucson to Seattle
When I go north from Yuma I take 93 from Kingman then 166 167 169 168 then back to 93. This will bypass Las Vegas. Just South of Overton there is an area that many use for a boondocking overnight (36 28 51.9 N 114 27 16.22 W). There is also a RC campground in Alamo to the East of a gas station (37 21 54.02 N 115 09 44.25 W). There is also a campground in Ash Springs North of Alamo just before you would leave 93 for 375 if that is the route you are taking.
The bypass will take you through a Lake Mead National Recreation Area a fee area. If you have a National Parks Senior pass or equal no charge. Good road and light traffic.
I just come across Nevada from Bishop to Twin Falls. Used the Nevada highways. So far I have found Nevada highways in better condition that the Interstates in most of this country. They are two lane very little traffic and for the most part no cell service. So a breakdown could add problems to your travels.
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RCMAN46
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05/16/12 10:03am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: How much sway is normal - Reese dual cam round bars @ 60mph?
I notice just a slight back and forth sway in the mirror. Nothing that moves the TV just can see the rear of the trailer moving back and forth.
If you can see the trailer sway in your mirror with the WD system you have you may be near a disaster. There should be no sway that you can see in your mirror under normal towing conditions.
I have beat this to death in other posts but you need to get your system on a set of scales. I suspect you are tail heavy and possibly beyond the capability of your TV. Real world weights is the only sure way to find out.
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RCMAN46
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05/15/12 10:22pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Tongue weight and hitch selection
I will be accused of beating the CAT scales to death. But after you get your new bars set up I strongly suggest a trip to a CAT scale. Get the weight of TV only. TV and trailer with and without the WD bars active. This will give you much valuable information. You will know what your tongue weight is in the real world when you are in tow configuration. You will know if the WD distribution is where you want it. You will know if your tires are within their ratings. You will know if the TV axles are within their ratings. I would also try and get individual weights on the trailer axles when the WD system is active. This will let you know if the trailer is balanced correct. It will cost a few dollars but I believe it is money well spent. Just be sure to take advantage of the $1.00 reweighing.
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RCMAN46
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05/14/12 04:50pm |
Towing
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RE: EZ Lube Bearings
I found out something a little different. My trailer is going on it's fourth season so I decided to pull the wheels and repack the bearings. In the past I have just greased them per Dexter's instructions.
All the wheel seals were fine, none leaked but one of the outboard bearings showed some scuffing and maybe a little pitting. I replace both the inner and outer races. As I was doing this my son came over and we started talking about it. When I got to thinking about it, I remember the preload on that one axle was very tight. Dexter gives some pretty specific instructions about setting preload and this one was too tight.
Bottom line is that I think out of the gate on a new trailer I would pull the wheels and check the bearings, preload and make sure they are greased. Then I would use the EZ Lube feature. If I hadn't checked mine this year it would probably have failed sooner or later.
I rest my case. If you had pulled the wheels for greasing and not used the EZ lube you may have found your problem years ago. I also like to look at the brakes and make sure nothing has gone wrong there.
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RCMAN46
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05/14/12 04:28pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: I can not Post
I am now in Woodall's and the fact this posting will go my problem has been solved. I was in rvnet.
Thanks for the help.
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RCMAN46
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05/14/12 04:24pm |
Forum Technical Support
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RE: Front seems like it is drifting, went to CAT scales
There is hardly anything in the front of the TT. It is slightly nose down. Seems like a heavy tongue weight to me. Would putting heavy items all the way in the back make a difference?
You have 16% tongue weight. That is in the ideal range. Your problem is not with your WD setup. As for you barking up the wrong tree about WD that is totally wrong. You need to get that right and you can not be sure where you are until you get on the scales.
I would recommend looking at tires next. P tires are not made for towing. If you go to LT's be sure to find out what your wheel rating for pressure is so you do not have a wheel problem from too much pressure.
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RCMAN46
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05/14/12 04:22pm |
Towing
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RE: EZ Lube Bearings
Most boats use the bearing buddy system. Very different than the EZ Lube. My bearing buddy system on my boat worked without problems. When I inspected my brakes on my new 5th wheel trailer after having problems setting up my brake controller I found two wheels where the seals had failed. I prefer to just remove the drums inspect the brakes and pack the bearings by hand and install new seals.
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RCMAN46
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05/14/12 07:53am |
Travel Trailers
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I can not Post
When I try to post to a posting that I have subscribed to I get an error message. If I post to a posting that I have not subscribed to things work OK.
Anyone know what may be wrong?
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RCMAN46
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05/14/12 07:46am |
Forum Technical Support
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RE: 3G vs 4G...AT&T
I have verizon and only in the very large cities do they have 4g. When we were in Long Beach we got very fast speeds. Near 25 megabit. But in Tampa is was only in the 9 megabit range. But still much faster than 3g in the smaller cities.
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RCMAN46
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05/13/12 10:33pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: Bolting Alaskan camper to bed of the truck - good idea?
This is an Alaskan camper. When lowered for towing you do not have the large leaning moment that you get with a traditional camper. One of the plus features of the Alaskan. I would recommend double nutting the bed bolts.
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RCMAN46
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05/13/12 05:16pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Long grades in and out of San Diego on I-8
4200 ft will make you think this can not be much of a grade. But on the East side you start below sea level and the West side is sea level.
100 degree weather. But on the other side of the coin I had about 6 inches of snow to deal with in January a couple years ago.
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RCMAN46
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05/12/12 04:46pm |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Tires in Idaho or Montana?
The main problem I can see is finding someone that will have 4 tires in stock in your tire size and weight range. Also most tire shops do not stock the quality brands like the Maxxis.
I would recommend new tires before you leave and not have to settle for a cheap off brand that may not have the weight range you need.
Cheap is not always the best way to go with something as important as tires and brakes.
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RCMAN46
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05/10/12 09:10am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Another TPMS thread
Still cheaper then repairing your MH if a tire goes out on you and you don't know it. A flat will break apart and tear up everything in its path. Just think of it as insurance. You have it but hope you never have to use it.
X2 X2.
On one of my trips back from Yuma my 5th wheel trailer picked up a 3/8 x 2 inch bolt in a tire. It was losing air slowly that my Pressure Pro alerted me to. It gave me time to slow down and exit the freeway. I even had time to find a level shady spot to change the tire. I was able to do this as the Pressure Pro gives you the tire pressure and as long as it was above 30 psi I felt safe in going on at 25-30 mph. If it had not been for the Pressure Pro I know the tire would have come apart damaged the trailer and I would have been on the side of the very busy I40 which has many many trucks going by you at 70+ while you are trying to replace a tire.
Checking air pressure every morning or at every fuel/potty stop (I question how many actually do this) will not protect you from what happened to me. A TPMS is on duty 24/7.
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RCMAN46
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05/10/12 08:59am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Further information on Balancing Tires
If you look at a brake drum from the older cars when they had them you will find an area that has been machined to balance the drum. You will not find this on a trailer. Thus they are not balanced. I take care of this problem by balancing the tires then use the Dyna beads to take care of the drum and any change from the tire in time.
As for large trucks. The reason you do not see the tires bouncing up and down is the physics of the mass involved. The tire can not produce enough force to bounce the tire against the mass of the truck. But it can still be out of balance and cause tire damage. As the tire tries to bounce the energy is absorbed by the tire side wall by flexing. This will not be very visible. This will increase the heat in the tire and stress the tire sidewalls and may result in tread separation. This can lead to early and catastrophic failure long before the tread wears out. I see tire treads that have many miles left on them all over our highways every time I drive any distance.
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RCMAN46
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05/10/12 08:45am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Tire pressure versus tire age
If you are concerned with tire age time to replace them. Reducing tire pressure will most likely cause problems not extend the life of the tire.
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RCMAN46
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05/09/12 08:04am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Bolting Alaskan camper to bed of the truck - good idea?
I have had two Alaskan campers. A standard 8ft and a cabover 8ft. I bolted both through the floor to the truck bed. I took those campers into some very rough country on Elk hunts in all kinds of weather. I loved those campers as I could almost take my 4x4 anywhere I wanted to go. There were times I was chained up on all four going through deep snow. Make sure you have good seals on the sides to the bed rails and the front. If any water gets into the bed you will have problems with the floor rotting and damage to the truck bed.
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RCMAN46
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05/08/12 11:11pm |
Truck Campers
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