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RE: SunnyBrook TT's
I did have the problem of the crack above the door, but they took care of it even out of warranty. The catch was, I had to take it there, but it was a great trip and I got to see the "new" Winnebago operation. If the qualily I saw first hand on the assy line was representative of their current product, you should expect it to be very high in comparison to many others on the market. Obviously, that judgement is made comparing finished quality on a visual perspective, since I haven't owned every other trailer brand or seen them built. Speaking solely on Sunset Creek's that I've seen, it's safe to say they are likely several steps above the average of the market.
Other than the crack in the siding, the only other issue I can grumble about is the execution of the rather substantial frame on my unit. It is a Lippert product and I've been to the mat with them on it to no avail. The Lippert frames I saw on the line at Winnebago appeared to be of much better quality of construction. Fit and finish and weld quality were much better than mine, so it's my guess that Lippert is stepping up to the plate a little more also.
Overall, most trailers come down to the execution of the assembly of largely "industry standard" components. I believe Winnebago are probably some of the best out there, FWIW.
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mosseater
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05/23/12 08:34pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Argh- totally screwed up!
Well, I don't know what your normal camping routine is, but if you like the outdoors, hiking, biking, history, etc., I recommend PA State Parks. They have a pretty good web site and you can likely still find something open if you start looking now. We do PA State Parks exclusively and I always book ahead, because they do fill up depending on the park and how far you want to drag it. If you have any specific questions, you can PM me. Good luck and hope you stay out of the dog house.
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mosseater
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05/19/12 12:19am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Does slight damage to w/d bar render it unusable?
Pics would help.
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mosseater
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05/18/12 10:47am |
Towing
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RE: leveling...1 or 2 tires?
On a tandem axle trailer, blocking only 1 tire will only raise the rig half the height of the block used. If blocking both tires is too much, and not blocking both is too little, you block only 1 and it will get you in the middle. If you are only blocking 1 tire and you are stacking them pretty high, you can bottom out the axle spring assembly on the frame and over load the axle and tire as you will be unloading the unblocked tire.
X2. The Lynx levelers raise a tire in 1" increments. So you can raise one side in 1/2" increments by using them under both wheels without overloading anything.
x3!
Also, unless one wheel is completely off the ground, you are not overloading the other one. As long as they are both on the ground, they are sharing the load.
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mosseater
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05/18/12 07:38am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Removing Silicone Tip
I tried several mechanical methods to remove the Dicor around my vent when I installed my Maxxair fan and I had no great luck with anything I tried. That stuff is amazing! I tried a piece of wood, credit card, putty knife, pocket knife, sheet metal, etc. Really tenacious stuff. At some point, good enough was good enough.
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mosseater
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05/17/12 06:23pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Jack Knife Couch
I took our jackknife out and replaced it with a Flair air hide-a-bed. It came as part of the deal, so I wasn't out any extra cash, but to buy one new is about $700 I think. Other than that, you might find a cheap, lightweight regular sofa at a discount furniture outlet. Just be ware it might not fit in the door. Our Flair didn't. I had to partially disasssemble it to get it in, but well worth the cost and effort. Nice to have the extra bed in addition to a comfy sofa.
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mosseater
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05/17/12 06:16pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Would like your thoughts on my WDH measurements
In addition to what the manual says, I'd weigh it. IMO, measuring gets you close. Weighing will leave little doubt. Also, keep in mind, as you already noted, how you pack and variations in passengers and other additions/subtractions effect what the hitch does. It's never the same any two times you pull out in my experience. Close is probably close enough. I try to hit an average.
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mosseater
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05/11/12 09:02pm |
Towing
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RE: Chain links on Reese Dual cam look to be pulling apart
Thanks for sharing that. Excellent catch! Just when I thought I could take something for granted. Now, even chain is suspect. One more thing on the inspection list.
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mosseater
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05/04/12 12:18am |
Towing
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RE: Question on .177 Co2 pellet gun
IT's not trapping or hunting. It's extermenating. I follow the don't ask/don't tell policy on this, and an air gun with enough terminal velocity to get the job done is fine if it's accurate enough. Aim small, miss small. Watch your backstop. Discretion and common sense are your friends. I have been a licensed hunter for almost 40 years and IMHO, thinning the herd of these filthy, destructive little tree rats must be done. Law or no law. It doesn't exactly make you John Dillinger.
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mosseater
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05/02/12 08:55pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Total noob question regarding tow capacity
Based on the numbers you listed, I think you'll be fine, assuming your payload rating and receiver can handle the weight of the tongue. As you may know, "1/2 ton" trucks suffer from inadequate payload-itis more than heavier trucks. Having a tongue scale is a must for us 1/2 tonners, IMO. I upgraded my receiver some time back and it was like day and night. Just be aware that putting a 1200 lb receiver on a truck with 1000 lbs of payload doesn't automatically give you more capacity, it just means your receiver will hold up as you break the springs on your rear axle. I routinely put 1050 - 1200 lbs on my tongue and the flimsey OEM receiver which was technically rated for 1100 lbs simply wasn't up to the task. My new one rated for 1200 lbs is solid as a rock. It also removed another 60 additional lbs from my avalable 2200 lb payload allowance because it's much heavier! Can't cheat physics. Can't get something for nothing.
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mosseater
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05/02/12 09:58am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Movie flubs
In Road to Perdition (a great movie, BTW), near the end when Tom Hanks' character gets shot by the Jude Law's character, the bullet passes through Tom and massive blood spatter on the picture window in front.... but no bullet hole in window! If the bullet came through and caused the spatter, how did it not hit and break the window???
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mosseater
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04/26/12 12:47am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Breakaway Switch Testing
I also err on the side of having the lanyard slightly longer than the chains. Just makes more sense to me to be able to use the controller in an emergency to modulate the braking.
I think the point of greater emphasis should be on making sure the lanyard is attached to the frame of the tow vehicle rather than any component of the hitch, including the hitch receiver. If the whole mess comes loose (catastrophic hardware failure, granted not likely) you want your last ditch effort to include brakes on the trailer fully on. If the lanyard is attached to the truck frame, it should guarantee the brakes will be applied even if everything else lets loose. It is called the "breakaway switch" after all.
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mosseater
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04/26/12 12:34am |
Towing
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RE: Water Hookups Far From Camper
We do state parks only, so no water hookups, only electric. I have four of the green, 6gal cheapo jugs that I've been using for 4 years. The plastic spout is tapered and fits nicely in the FW water fill port of the trailer. With the vent plug removed from the jug, I can dump one in the trailer in about 45 seconds. Takes longer to fill them than dump them.
I know I'll need them at some point on an average weekend, so I fill them at the first opportunity and keep them under the trailer. Nothing worse than hearing that empty tank sound late at night when you're ready for bed. If they're already full, just go out and dump them in. Two minutes and you're done. Very seldom need to fill up twice in a three/four day trip. Some folks don't like to mess with lifting the jugs, and I understand that, they are heavy. I consider it exercise.
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mosseater
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04/26/12 12:12am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Expandable 5 Gallon Water Jugs
If you are talking about the collapsable clear plastic jugs don't waste your money. After they have been folded/collapsed a few of times they develop small holes where the plastic is repeatedly bent and leakers are useless. The 7 gallon blue plastic jugs from Wally World seem to hold up pretty well, ours are several years old and holding up nicely. :C
Ditto! MY blue 5 gallon jug has worked perfect for me the last 15 years. Nice and solid for laying on a picnic table with its own spigot.
This for me, too. I keep a bucket under the spigot to catch the water so the ground doesn't get muddy and use the water to put out the fire when we leave. Nice to be able to wash outside and not have to run inside all the time.
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mosseater
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04/25/12 11:53pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: When to replace bearings ?
Any idea how much grease I should go through to re-pack a set of 4 wheels?
Started going through the process and have two wheels back on, though seems like I'm pumping a TON of grease into the zerks. Just guestimating it looks like I'll go through an entire tube of grease (one of the large tubes, that goes into the large grease guns)
Does that seem right? Figured I'd see grease pushing out the front after only a few pumps. Concerned it might be coming out the back where I can't see or something
Below is one of my prior posts that I documented with pictures when I did my first brake/bearing repack on my new 2007 HR:
Here is how much grease was on the inner bearing and grease seal and notice even the cavity in the grease seal wasn't full.
http://inlinethumb57.webshots.com/43000/2822165210035848260S600x600Q85.jpg
http://inlinethumb15.webshots.com/398/2341870890035848260S600x600Q85.jpg
I've read several comments on this one or two pumps is all you need so I took and cleaned both the bearing and grease seal and reinstalled them dry and then applied two good pumps to the grease fitting on the end of the axle and below is how much grease got applied and I did not rotate the wheel either during or after pumping the new grease in.
http://inlinethumb13.webshots.com/28172/2738284780035848260S600x600Q85.jpg
Also be aware that until you fill the cavity in the hub/axle between the inner and outer bearings no grease will be applied to the outer bearing until you pump enough grease in to fill that cavity. I gave up after about 20 pumps and took the outer bearing out and squirted grease directly into the cavity and this was after I had filled the new grease seal up with grease in it's cavity also.
IMHO on these type systems, there is absolutely no way to use the "number of pumps" to lubricate both bearings. You have to keep pumping while rotating the tire until the cavity if full and you see grease being expelled from around the outer bearing and axle spindle nut.
In these type axles, the concept is good and does work after doing two wheels I'm somewhat concerned about just the amount of grease it takes to get it where it's working as designed. I'm estimating almost 1/3 or more of a standard tube of grease to fill things up on just one wheel. :E At $6/tube that might approach $9 in grease. After doing one side of my trailer recently I dumped filling up the hubs on the other side and just did a manual repack and after installing did about 5 or 6 pumps after reassembly and plan to do the following:
1. Doing a complete tear down for brake inspection, new grease seals that are required if the hub is removed every 5 years or 15K miles whichever comes first. I'm not recommending this, but having maintained and repacked TT wheels for over 25 years, IMHO this yearly requirement is overkill especially if you use the newer greases that also are more impervious to attracting moisture.
2. On the side of the trailer where I have filled the hub, I will follow the instructions once a year. On the side where I didn't fill the hub every two years I will w/o removing the hub remove the outer bearing, and remove what grease from the hub I can easily get to. I will manually repack that bearing, reinstall and once I have the hub adjusted will pump in 5 or 6 pumps to relubricate the inner bearing. This will save me the cost of 4 new grease fittings (~$15 at current prices) and around $7 or so in un-needed grease sitting in that inner cavity.
Remember, I'm not recommending this type of maintenance schedule, but IMHO it seems a more reasonable approach and a good balance between using some of these type axle features and still lubricating both bearings every year or so and at least inspecting the outer bearing when lubing the wheel. I'm also not looking forward during my next complete tear down in digging all that grease out of the hub on the side where I filled the hub.
FWIW, the following are the Dexter directions from their service manual for the E-Z Lube axles:
1. Remove the rubber plug from the end of the grease cap.
2. Place a standard grease gun onto the grease fitting located in the end of the spindle. Make sure the grease gun nozzle is fully engaged on the fitting.
3. Pump grease into the fitting the old displaced grease will begin to flow back out the cap around the grease gun nozzle.
4. When the new clean grease is observed, remove the grease gun, wipe of any excess, and replace the rubber plug in the cap.
5. Rotate hub or drum while adding grease
It's also important to use a grease that meets your axle manufacturer's recommendation and what I used was the Valvoline Dura Blend synthetic grease that is moly fortified when I did mine and based on the skimpy amount of grease from the factory am glad I did mine early on.
What he said. You will put a lot of grease in a hub that wasn't full to begin with before you see any out the front. At least a tube per wheel isn't out of the ordinary. I've gone to packing individually and checking things out while it's apart. Makes more sense.
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mosseater
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04/25/12 01:59am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Wheel bearings
If they don't show any signs of excessive wear, scoring, spalling, pitting, blueing, corroding, dragging, galling, skidding, or the heartbreak of psoriosis, then by all means, clean and repack. They start wearing on day one, and stop when you decide to replace them. Let your conscience be your guide.
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mosseater
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04/25/12 01:50am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: black streaks
I keep posting this and I will continue to until everybody on the planet agrees with me. Reliable brand RV cleaner. Spray on, wipe off. Really! I had a guy at work try it on his fiver last month. He had NEVER cleaned off his black streaks in over five years of ownership. He was speachless at how well it works. And, no, I got nothing in it. It's just a good product that makes a tedious job ridiculously easy. Awesum works, but not as well, and I don't trust it on my RV finish.
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mosseater
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04/21/12 12:31am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Cleaning TT
Stop playing with black streaks. There may be other products that work, but I doubt any work as well at Reliable brand RV cleaner. Spray on, wipe off. Literally! You can also mix it with your wash water if you want, but I find it more effective to use straight. Once the rag gets saturated, just wiping usually takes most of them off.
After I get the streaks off, I use Turtle Zip wax car wash and a soft brisle RV brush to wash the whole thing. Additionally, I try to get at least one good coat of wax on per season. Rain X or Turtle make two easy spray on, wipe off waxes which can be used even when the trailer is still wet after a wash. My system has been pretty effective and quick, and keeps the shine going. Almost five years of continuous weather exposure, even over winter, and it still looks pretty good (except the decals, of course)
Washing out the roof gutters, gutter spout extentions, and a good wax job now and then, go a long way to making black streaks a thing of the past.
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mosseater
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04/21/12 12:12am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Water Pump
Has anyone here noticed that when on city water instead of the FW tank,the gray tank fills up twice as fast? Could it be you don't have that constant reminder every time you open a faucet? BRRRrrrrr....BRRRrrrr.....BRRRrrrr..:B
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mosseater
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04/21/12 12:03am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: State parks??
Here in PA State Parks, alcohol is banned and they will ask you when you arrive if you have any Alcohol, Pets or Firearms. Pets must be in pet areas, firearms must be concealed (state law) and alcohol is no allowed.
We camp mostly at state parks because they do ban it, while I have nothing against alcohol, our experience has been that camping plus booze equals people getting get stupid, loud and disturb others.
Uhm...not exactly. Although I believe it is the statewide policy for no alcohol at state parks, we've never been asked, nor has anyone we know. No searches, no intrusive questions.
Same with firearms. Here in PA we are fairly gun-friendly (at least in legislation) with pretty strong preemption laws preventing such laws. As a matter of fact, a number of state parks and such have recently updated their signage to be in compliance with PA laws.
State law cannot require concealed carry, but they can make exemptions for LTCF holders to carry- PA does not have a 'concealed carry law or requirement. (I won't get into it here, but PM me if you want to know more)
Now, all that being said (in defense of our generally very nice state parks), I respect the 'keep it to yourself' attitudes in our parks. Whether it is alcohol, firearm, your 'music', your trash, or your pet, it's all the same. There's a time for neighborly sharing, and there's a time for good fences ;)
Not trying to step on your toes, for sure. Just want to fairly represent the friendliness of our state parks to our neighbors not so fortunate to live in PA :B
And I do completely agree with the second half of your post!
- JC
Yeah, this is what we've found also.
We camp at PA state parks exclusively and the ONLY place we've ever been asked about alcohol was at Gifford Pinchot, only ten miles from home and one of our favs. In fact, going there next weekend. We all know there's the letter of the law and the spirit of the law. The law is in place to be able to hassle those who need hasling. I have to say, I see plenty of red cup/blue cup, but in four years of state park camping, only two issues I can remember, and not sure alcohol was even involved.
Act like an adult and get treated like one seems to be the mantra here too. Last year, we were camping at Pinchot, early summer, had some friends visiting, sitting around the fire making pies and sipping some wine from the red cups. About 9:30 pm, out of the darkness, two rangers walked right into our site and struck up a conversation. We were being quiet, civil and polite and they could not have been more friendly. I'm sure they must have smelled the wine, but never mentioned it. We chatted for about 15 minutes then they left. The key to life is not compliance, it's moderation in all things. I have explained this to my kids in hopes of raising responsible citizens instead of blithering Neanderthals. We all know the reason laws like this are in place. And it's not to create a totalitarian regime as some would have us believe. Punishing all for the actions of a few never works for me. Zero tolerance is mobilzed stupidity.
As I was told by the owner of Corsair distillery in Bowling Green, this country was born on alcohol and is still the grease of politics. Does anybody remember prohibition? Prohibiting use of a legal product on State-owned ground doesn't sit well with me. The law would be better worded to provide for punishment if caught legally intoxicated or drunk and disorderly, instead of banning the use/possesion of the product.
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mosseater
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04/20/12 11:57pm |
Travel Trailers
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