Travel_n_Wrestl
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Re: champion 100263 3400 watt inverter/generator question
We just got back from our first boondock where we were testing out our 3500w dual fuel champion inverter, water and gray/black tank management before we leave this Monday for a 4 day country music festival where we will be staying in a fair ground parking lot in 90 degree heat. Since we are newbie RV'ers we needed to see how far we could stretch our tanks and how much propane we would need to haul with us as a family of four. Off a 30 lb propane tank the generator failed to start my 13.5 btu AC, the first time, 3 out of 6 times. Nothing else in the trailer was on. Each time it failed to start the AC, I shut down the generator, restarted and it fired the A/C no problem. I suspect I was trying to fire up the a/c to quickly after turning on the generator because when we shut down the AC to use the microwave or for my wife to blow dry her hair, the AC fired up no problem when she was done. We were camping at about 5400 feet and it was around 90-95 each day, but the generator was partially shaded so I can't see heat being a factor. Other than those three hiccups the generator performed well. I used about 3/4 of a 30 lb tank for 16 hours of run time ( I installed an engine timer on mine and yes it now reads 21.2 so I did my 5 hour break in ) Ran the a/c, a string of lights my wife made me put up, and the occasional light here and there. We ran the WH and fridge off gas. No other overloads no other problems. As for noise I have nothing to compare it to. There was a lot of room behind us so I parked my truck across the front of my TT and chained ther genny to the aFrame to deflect sound away from my sister and brother in law whose camp ring was about 25-30 yards from the generator, and toward us. wife and I were very pleased with how quiet it was. Asked my SIL about it at her site (they were tent camping) and she said you can hear it, but barely. I did hear some very loud generators running in the campground, obviously not inverters so I wasn't the biggest DB on the block;) I too read up a lot on the big boys versus the champion generators...though I don't know why, I couldn't afford one anyway! I feel like I would sleep better with the red or blue box sitting in my garage, but that will have to wait. Hopefully the yellow box treats us well.573Views0likes0CommentsRe: 12 volt fans
How do you guys plug these in? Or have you hard wired them? I don't want to hard wire mine so I ordered some adapters https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01LX5LRP9/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1but they are ac to dc so will only work when plugged in to shore I believe. But we need them to work off just 12v. DOH! I can't seem to find a female DC adapter to plug into the socket to power the fans. We only have one 12v socket in the trailer which is great for one fan, but I would like to put a fan in each of my boys' bunks as well. Looking a little further in to this...seems like that converter should work?593Views0likes0CommentsRe: A word of warning about weights
coolmom42 wrote: The trailer is 5000 even on the tongue??? Does not compute. But with the tongue at 11 percent it might be a little light. If you could move some gear forward, that might help. Weight was 5,000 lbs exactly while attached to the TV is what I was referring too. Then disconnected from TV and it weighed 5,580.302Views0likes0CommentsA word of warning about weights
Trailer is finally loaded up for the maiden voyage this weekend and I have been able to make the modifications I wanted to make before we leave. Still have some to go but the important ones are done. Every time I think about tomorrow my stomach does a little flip...but I think I have everything we need thanks to posts on this forum. We went with the lightest of the models we were looking at and I am glad we did... Went to the scales yesterday to see where we were at. The trailer is 5,580 pounds, 5000 even on the tongue and is about half full of water. Truck is 6600 with the trailer, all my firewood, full tank of gas and a bunch of baseball gear to simulate what it will be swapped out for after our final playoff game tonight so we are ready to roll tomorrow when the kids get out of school. GVWR on my truck is 7200. The trailer has a GVWR of 7000...and we would never be able to get there with the payload on my truck. If you are looking for your first trailer and you have a half ton or less...do your research! Question: With only 11% on the tongue right now, would you move some gear around to get a little more on the tongue? Or would you call it good? Had to drive to the dealership yesterday and she handled pretty good considering it was a little windy. Got passed by a couple semis on the highway and felt it, but it was pretty stable.3.4KViews0likes8CommentsRe: Sewer Hose Cleaning and Storing
four22 wrote: LarryJM wrote: cpaulsen wrote: rhagfo wrote: Nodaker wrote: Clarryhill wrote: time2roll wrote: Flush with grey water, short rise with fresh water. Then slide it into the 5" vinyl fence post carrier under the trailer. X2 X3 X4 :) Dump black...kitchen grey....then shower grey.....slide it in my fence post holder. :B X6 :B X7 Just bolted it on last night x8 5 X 5 vinyl fence post strapped to the bumper with metal pipe hanger last night. Planned on painting it black, but doesn't look terrible white. May leave it the way it is. Drilled holes in both end caps for ventilation. As for cleaning them...well, maiden voyage is this weekend :E429Views0likes0CommentsRe: Surge protector
rbpru wrote: From all this discussion I have ascertained that there is no way to know if my surge protector is working or not. Also if it is over stressed there is a chance it could over heat and become a potential fire source. So I guess I will just leave my inexpensive unit plugged into the box safe outside the TT. Since my unit still determines proper polarity and the chance of a surge damaging my non-electronic gear is just slightly more than my chances of being carried away by giant condors the next time I visit California; I will put it in the "unexplained" files and go fishing. If I worried about all the what-ifs, I would have stopped camping years ago. Sage advice. Found out an easier way to access the cord by removing a panel from under my sink from posters on the jayco forum. Gonna enjoy sweating my ass off in my rig this weekend putting it in, and fishing the next. Maybe I'll share a drink with a wise man who will tell me about these dang Condors I gotta watch out for.364Views0likes0CommentsRe: Surge protector
Just purchased our first TT and ordered the PI HW30C. I am a little concerned hearing that the grounds could shake loose. Especially considering in my Jay Flight 26BH my only access to the junction box and power cord is behind the fuse box...which is under the fridge :E I won't have easy access to the unit to check those grounds. What exactly did you do to shore them up?363Views0likes0CommentsRe: Travel Trailer: Making a decision based on value, first buy.
drsteve wrote: Don't make me pull this car over... Well what's the payload on that car? You can't pull anything with that and you are a danger to the rest of us sir! How are you going to control sway? Your engine is going to be struggling when you drive up the peak of Mt. St. Helens dontcha know? Just finished purchasing my first TT Aero. I have received a bunch of great advice from members of this forum as well as the Jayco owners forum. Like someone already posted, don't feed the trolls. I would echo the sentiments of whoever told you to look at Northwood. I researched trailers for quite a while and wish I could have afforded/pulled a Northwood built trailer of some kind. They have a great reputation. And your money will stay in Oregon. But until then...Jayco it is! LOL Good Luck.284Views0likes0CommentsRe: When is an RV purchase final?
westernrvparkowner wrote: ..Remember, it is the job of the dealership to sell you a rig at the best profit they can achieve. They aren't obligated to offer you the lowest price possible. Keep it civil and professional and you should either get your money back or get close to the price you want. Absolutely. They are running a business. I don't fault them for trying to turn a profit. Like I said, not my best effort as a consumer. Just trying to figure out where we stand. And I operate by the old saying "You get more with sugar than vinegar"354Views0likes0Comments
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