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RE: Lance 830 Window replacement
I had the same problem with a sliding double pane camper window…Found that it was no longer made, but I removed it (incl. frame) from the camper and took it to a local window shop who disassembled it, traced the glass pattern and ordered new glass (actually, DOT required Safety Glass) and reassembled the unit…Kinda pricey at about $300 but worth it…
3 tons
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3 tons
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11/15/23 11:44am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Need RAM 5500 flat bed height
Back home - PM’ed you…
3 tons
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3 tons
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11/08/23 05:33pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Need RAM 5500 flat bed height
Thanks for the feedback. I am planning to lift and add some big tires, probably using the Buckstop kit...which will add 7" of height. With a Host Yukon or Mammoth and a low profile A/C unit, to stay under 13'6" I think the bed needs to be no more than 42" high stock.
Bedlam -thanks for the measurement. if 42" is right, it will just work!
3 tons - thanks for the info. let me know when you get back in town - would love to bounce some more questions by you.
Has anyone had the Buckstop kit installed?
https://www.buckstopinc.com/single-wheel-conversions.html
Will do…
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3 tons
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11/07/23 12:59pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Need RAM 5500 flat bed height
Does anyone know the height of the flatbed on a stock 2022+ RAM 5500?
Doing a new build and considering the Backstop kit, but want to stay under 13'6" if possible, so trying to figure out how high the stock RAM 5500 is.
I have a 2023 Ram 5500 4x4, 60” C/A with a 9’-4” skirted steel CM bed (90” width) and Eagle Cap 995 with basement…While I can’t provide you the exact number at the moment (I’m currently overseas for another week or so…), it’s just under 13’-6” to the top of the air conditioner, and the CM bed installed rest about 6” taller than my previous rear edge of truck-bed, a 2016 3500 4x4 LB DRW - my garage door is 14’ (13’-10” with moulding)..
Feel free to PM me if you like…
3 tons
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3 tons
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10/31/23 12:44am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Lifepo4 battery charging confusion
For the uninitiated, Solacity.com has a fairly decent primer on the subject:
https://www.solacity.com/how-to-keep-lifepo4-lithium-ion-batteries-happy/
3 tons
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3 tons
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10/09/23 11:32am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Furnace Issue
This is a great conversation, I would only add that the distance between the igniter and it’s contact should be about 1/4”…I had the same problem as OP and found that over a time this distance had spread due to vibration - after narrowing this gap, problem solved!
3 tons
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3 tons
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10/08/23 09:09am |
Tech Issues
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RE: How much squat?
I have a 2022 Ram 3500 CCLB dually with a Northstar 12STC that scales at 4800# fully loaded to travel, full water, propane, fridge, clothes, etc. The rear wheel arch of the RAM drops about 4" when I load the camper, so very similar to yours. Not sure if we hi beam folks or not, nobody has flashed their lights at us, and we have over 25,000 miles on the combination so far.
One thing you want to check is as you lower the camper onto the truck and the bed is dropping, at what point do the overload springs make contact? On my truck, the overload springs just make contact as the bed stops dropping. That's where you you want the truck to sit. So in my case, if I were to add airbags to level it, the airbags would lift the bed off the overload springs. You absolutely don't want that, as it will make the truck more tippy side to side. So my only choice, if I want the truck bed to sit higher with the camper loaded is to install something like Torklift Upper or Lower Stableloads. They make the overload springs contact sooner as you lower the camper into the truck bed, so they should reduce the bed drop as the camper weight is applied.
Like I said, I'd like my truck bed to sit a couple inches higher just for looks, but it's not worth the $400 to me.
Exactly!!
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3 tons
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10/04/23 05:13pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: DEF fluid
hmmm I guess this toping that went to 6 pages of nothing in the tow vehicle forum (where it should be…)
But doesn’t this assume that everyone who has a RV uses it to tow as well??…I very much doubt that that is the case…
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3 tons
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09/25/23 04:33pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: SuperSprings
I see air bags as more of a quick fix band-aid for what in actuality ends up requiring a more robust spring pack - naysayers aside, looking at the rear spring pack on our 5500 chassis cab RAM makes me realize there ain’t no such thing as a free lunch…
3 tons
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3 tons
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09/25/23 12:41pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Exhaust manifold question
When you install a new exhaust manifold you have to use new OEM bolts…
3 tons
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3 tons
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09/20/23 04:33pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: water at base of toilet - temp fix good idea or bad?
It may be the nylon water control valve rather than the flange - feel around the water supply hose for wetness…Either way, the toilet will need to be removed
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3 tons
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09/11/23 02:12pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Ca emission control starting 2024
Enough of this, no resolution is possible…:)
3 tons
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3 tons
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09/09/23 10:00am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Ca emission control starting 2024
“As of now it's just a proposal and they are only targeting big rigs”…Really??…Your continuing non-factual based opining kinda reminds me of Voltaire’s renowned satirical classic, ‘Candide’ :)
https://rvtroop.com/californias-war-on-out-of-state-diesel-motorhomes
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Candide-by-Voltaire
3 tons
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3 tons
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09/08/23 08:19am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Ca emission control starting 2024
Well, all I can offer to those who opt for abject disbelief is, the trucking industry sought and got no such elusive workarounds as they were forced to drill holes thru their engine blocks and this had zero to do with smoke - but as long as it’s the other person’s Ox thats getting gored, I suppose all then is well :), (SOP)
3 tons
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3 tons
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09/07/23 12:42pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Ca emission control starting 2024
California regulations have no exemptions or lower standards for older rigs.
Actually yes, they do, the testing is based on the output of that model. so, a 2008 car doesn't have to meet the same standards as a 2023 model, they test to the design and laws of the year.
I know with big rigs there were companies building brand new rigs with older rebuilt engines (called gliders) that would get around the emissions laws and testing as they technically were registered as a 1990ish due to the motor. in fact, all vehicles manufactured before 1976 do not even require a smog check in California. and there is a bill looking to change that to 1983 I believe.
Got it, so the thousands of diesel engines were not needlessly destroyed and replaced by regulatory fiat, correct- lol!!…,So I suppose (based on cherry picking) that we’re to believe these folks replaced their engines merely outta good will…
On the other hand, maybe news of this event didn’t make it above the 45th parallel ??
“Move along Sir, there’s nothing here to see”…
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1138461_california-ban-diesel-big-rigs-pre-2010-engines
3 tons
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3 tons
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09/07/23 10:29am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Ca emission control starting 2024
I'm not aware of any CA regulations that required upgrades more than the mfg equipment for cars and pickups. Regulations to meet mfg levels did occur.
Don't know about OTR trucks. However if heavy black smoke is a factor then clearly regulation needed to be a option.
I had my ups and downs with CA regulations. For me it was in part about costs which we all pay for.
Had zero to do with visible smoke - just wishful thinking going on…
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3 tons
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09/06/23 11:34am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Ca emission control starting 2024
California regulations have no exemptions or lower standards for older rigs.
Even in Calicrazy, it doesn't work this way. Older rigs get grandfathered in. You can't create laws retroactively. Doing so in this case would be a violation of the taking clause and would be struck down in court.
Ha, this might be true if it were a law, but it’s NOT - now go try and defeat an agency ‘regulation’ whether * State or Federal - even the ‘deep pockets’ trucking industry was unable to - and YES IT WAS RETROACTIVE…
* Agency Regulation making allows politicians to escape their proper law making duties, meaning a form of extra-constitutional governance…This is why it’s done…
3 tons
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3 tons
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09/06/23 08:49am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Ca emission control starting 2024
Volvo states that building an EV produces 70% more carbon pollution (whatever that means, kinda funny, was taught CO2 was a plant fertilizer!!) than an ICE vehicle…. “Diesel Bad”, don’t ya know - repeat the narrative!!
3 tons
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3 tons
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09/05/23 05:48pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Ca emission control starting 2024
California requires a smog test for diesel RV registration starting 2024. I called my local Cummins dealer and he had no suggestions on how to bring an old design into compliance.
Have you heard of any?
and why are you worried about this? they wouldn't have to meet any more strict guidelines than what they were designed to....
The issue is going to be what legislation is going to follow to newer models and how is this going to affect people that have ‘modified diesels’
away from the design spec for that year. so unless you have modified it and it is running well, you should have an issue.
This might be true if it applied only to modified engines, and we opt to dismiss the fact that California has a history of banning perfectly good diesel engines (arbitrarily beyond a certain year of manufacture) and requiring a hole be drilled through their engine blocks - FWIW, this is all done by agency regulatory fiat (overreach) rather than by representative law making, this the basis of Huxley’s ‘Brave New World’ - though the excepted new normal…
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3 tons
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09/05/23 02:00pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Educated guess !
Or S.W.A.G. !
With a 12V LiFePO4 200Ah battery bank and a "typical" inverter and no solar, how many hours of use can I expect running only a 11,000BTU-13,000 BTU A/C before the inverter shuts down ?
Assume a 24' TT and outside temperature about 85° and inside set to 75°.
*********************
So for a baseline, I’ll provide my own brand real world estimating method, though without concurrent harvest…My 11k btu Coleman typically uses 90-95a depending on ambient temperatures…
Since you’ve suggested an ambient of 85df this means only a 10 degree difference which is fairly easy to resolve, but which can be impacted by region and humidity…. Since you mentioned ‘inverter’ and the possibility of a 13kbtu air conditioner, I’d assume a 3kw inverter (most likely a PSW pass-thru inverter-charger type)…I’d also recommend a soft-start to limit start-up voltage sag, along with robust battery cables to reduce voltage drop feeding the inverter (I use 0004 AWG, for about 6-7’ R/T to inverter)…
Since you’ll be running an air conditioner, you’ll want to pick an inverter with a high surge rating ‘and’ duration - cheaper inverters are often rated at a high wattage, but of a lower surge duration…Recall that old adage, get what you pay for!!
Also consider duty cycle - for thumbnail calc’s, I generally use a compressor-run duty cycle of about 60%, though for the first hour’s initial cool-down I’d plan on 80%- this method with the fan on low speed continuous operation…
Since you’re using lithium, you’ll want to consider a battery’s continuous amperage and surge rating (often 1C and 2C respectively), and it’s allowable time duration spec while in a surge condition…
Now you’ll want to decide on your initial SOC and your acceptable DOD floor, this will tell you how much power your willing to commit to the air conditioner…
So hypothetically speaking, let’s say (assuming a full 200a/h charge…) you have 120a/h available for air conditioner usage before arriving at an acceptable lower battery limit of say 30% SOC meaning a reasonable 60amp/hrs being held back in reserve…
Now, back to duty cycle: Let’s assume a 13k btu air conditioner uses about 12amps AC (TBD… this, a combination of both compressor and fan running amps…due to various parasitics, and to be conservative I’ll skip the fine tuning of this math…). We can convert this to DC by using a multiple of 10, thus 12amps AC = 120 amps DC (as measured via metering…)
(Note, compressor amperage gradually increases a bit once at the early to mid 90 degree weather).
So, starting out at 200a/hrs x first hour at 80% duty cycle at 120a DC = 96a/hrs consumed, with 104a/hrs remaining, yet only about 44 remaining available amp hours to the target SOC of 30% (of original 200a/hrs)…
Beyond this initial cooldown period, lets assume a 60% duty cycle per air conditioner run hour, thus 72a/hrs per hour of operation…
So it’s relatively easy to see how you can extend air conditioner run times, and optimize next morning’s all important battery recovery times (e.g. non-air conditioning hours) with concurrent solar harvest…For this calculation, it’s important to consider the 4-5 ‘peak harvest hours’ and beyond, and what is a relatively rapid re-charge characteristic of LiFePo4 batteries…JMO
3 tons
for us the issue would be the duty cycle. Ours is a large trailer and to get it cooled down even if the inside temp is say 85 will take several hours of run time to get it to the mid 70's. That's assuming an outside temp of around 85. Once outside temps are in the 90's that AC need to run 3-4 hours for much effect.
Now on my small trailer (14ft cargo) with a coleman 9K BTU AC an hour cools the trailer down even in the high 90's outside, so it would make practical sense. and it only draws about 9A, another big advantage.
I wish I could cool my trailer down enough in less than an hour to have a 80% duty cycle!! The disadvantage of larger trailers, 30Ft double slides. Even a 24ft seems like it would be unlikely to do enough cooling in less than an hour even at 100% duty cycle.
Makes perfect sense - quite naturally everybody’s situation can vary…Being primarily off-grid desert campers we also have the ability to deploy an additional 460w of ground deployable solar, but for times when that’s not so feasible (brief layovers, or no rec-trailer in tow), I’m kinda leaning towards adding a third 200a/hr battery - In today’s world (ugg…) might also provide some extra confidence as a home ‘green power’ UPS, the ‘road show’ ending up as just a bonus…
3 tons
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3 tons
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09/01/23 09:36pm |
Tech Issues
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