All ActivityMost RecentMost LikesSolutionsRe: Mountain towing - Ram 1500 ecodiesel (3.92 Rear Axle Ratio) AlmostAnOldGuy wrote: Good advice on managing your speed on downhill runs. You are on vacation and should have a good time. Part of that is being comfortable with the drive. With that in mind double check your trailer brake controller settings before you go to ensure the trailer brakes are doing their share. And when you are on the road don't sweat having a few cars backed up behind you because you will be going slower in the turns. You are responsible for driving safely and will be handling a larger rig. It does not help anyone if you feel pushed. Just drive comfortably for your rig and use the slow lane or pull outs when reasonable to be courteous to other drivers. Have a great trip. Stu Great advise, thanks!Re: Mountain towing - Ram 1500 ecodiesel (3.92 Rear Axle Ratio) mordecai81 wrote: ... I found the slower I crest the pass the easier time I have on the downhill side. That way you are not starting out on the wrong side of the potential energy curve. Very sound advise, thanks!Re: Mountain towing - Ram 1500 ecodiesel (3.92 Rear Axle Ratio)Like others mention, my query is mainly aimed at tips while going downhill since that is where things can go awry. STANG23L wrote: Set tow haul and try to keep RPM's at or around 2000. It will pull hills with ease with minimal gear changes and give best MPG. That is what I was also thinking. I have noticed in the short amount of time for which I have owned this truck (bought in December 2017) that is does a good job of down shifting when going down a slope (in or out of tow/haul mode). I live in the Charlotte NC area and so far my camper trips have been to the beaches on the east, this will be my first trip to the moun...err...hills :-). Short jabs at braking for meaningful slowdown is also good advise, thanks! I do have a WDH with sway control, so that should also help. Plz keep the comments coming. It is good for me to hear about experiences others have had on such trips.Mountain towing - Ram 1500 ecodiesel (3.92 Rear Axle Ratio)Hi all, Planning to take my first trip to the smokies in a couple of weeks. My TV is a 2017 Ram 1500 ecodiesel (3.92 Rear Axle Ratio). My trailer is a 2016 Shasta Oasis (4300lbs dry weight, add another 700lbs for cargo + 500lbs fudge factor, net weight is around 5500lbs). And yes, in the truck will be my wife, son + myself, so lets say 400lbs. This will be my first trip towing in the mountains with a trailer, so looking for tips on do's/don't for a safe trip. Plz let me know if I am missing information, will be happy to provide. Thanks for reading and comments/suggestions in advance!Re: Shasta Oasis 25RS - Solar Panel anyone? westend wrote: If you're shy about drilling holes for the mounting brackets, use VHB tape. Interesting idea...so you are suggesting using VHB tape to fix the mounting brackets of the solar panel to the roof. I did not think about that, definitely worth exploring...anyone else on the forum try that? westend wrote: I'd steer clear of flexible panels. There is some risk in quality and electrical harvest is going to be less because of thermal characteristics. I have not come across any research suggesting quality issues with flexible panels, but I did come across a comment from a user that with no space between the roof and that back of the panel, the heat buildup can reduce efficiency. is that what you mean? thanks for the advice though, will keep in mind.Re: Newbie travel trailer buyer question - to slide out or not gmw photos wrote: There are several good videos on the slide mech. Do a search for it and check out the factory videos. And get yourself a spray can of CRC power lube with teflon. It's what the factory reccos for lubing the gibs. good tip, thanks! gmw photos wrote: Main thing about Schwinteks is when running them in or out, don't stop part way. Hold the button until they run to the end of travel, then continue holding the button for a second. This will ensure the two motors are in sync with each other. funny you say that, I saw exactly that on a video yesterday :)Shasta Oasis 25RS - Solar Panel anyone?Hi all: I recently bought a new to me Shasta Oasis 25RS, 2016 model year camper. It is NOT pre-wired for solar. I am planning to install a 100W kit that can be expanded upto 400W in future. This is a link to the kit. I am thinking of replacing the panel that comes with the kit with a flexible panel, like this. My intention is to not have to drill holes in my roof to install the panel, and I think a flexible panel will make an easier install - use eternabond/dicor to stick it to the roof. My intention behind installing solar initially is to only ensure batteries remain topped off while the camper is parked between trips. If I like it, I will expand to increase capacity. Has anyone on this forum installed solar on this camper, or a similar model? I am more interested in understand the wiring, how best to carry the solar current from the panel to solar charge controller to the battery in a clean, professional manner. any tips/suggestions will be greatly appreciated. thanks for looking!Re: Newbie travel trailer buyer question - to slide out or notFinal Update - I ended up buying the Shasta Oasis 25RS (the one with the slide out). On with learning more about the Lippert Schwintek slideout mechanism :-). Thanks all for the vigorous debate and all the ideas and suggestions!Re: Newbie travel trailer buyer question - to slide out or not DiskDoctr wrote: ...at least it is for this IT fellow ;) Ha, nice! DiskDoctr wrote: Make sure no broom handles or things are in the way when you do (I have my daughter spot from outside to make sure it is coming in smoothly and evenly, no hidden branches or other surprises) ...and that is a very good pointer, thanks! DiskDoctr wrote: Either way, let us know what you have gone to look at and your impressions. Nothing beats eyes and butts when looking for a camper :C Will do and agreed, thanks!Re: Newbie travel trailer buyer question - to slide out or not DiskDoctr wrote: People often buy what they prefer and have a reason for that preference. There is great benefit in pointing out those reason, which others may concur or disagree. ... ... Have you found any of the discussion helpful? absolutely! This is a spirited discussion and I am learning a lot in the process. I love the outdoors and have enjoyed hiking in our state parks over the past 10 years now. And while I really like the idea of camping, I was never exposed to it as a child, and the one time we rented a pop up camper (a couple of years ago) for a week long trip, wife, younger son and myself enjoyed a lot. My teenage daughter, not so much :). I have been dreaming since of buying one so we can do this more often, and got the truck late last month as step one towards that dream. I am a DIY kind of a guy, IT by profession but I do my own oil changes, changed the brake pads on my subaru the one time I had to, swapped out the front bumper on my honda odyssey for a new one off of ebay when it got ugly, repaired my microwave (replaced a defective magnetron and HV diode) on my own - all by watching youtube videos, google research and good old elbow grease :). while doing all this, i have come to realise that simplicity of design is a beautiful thing...it is hard to achieve, but once done, it makes the life of the user immensely easy, and is very enabling for the DIY'er in me. Reading all the replies has been educational - facts and opinions, both. And I truly appreciate the time everyone has taken to educate a newbie like me. Given what I mention above, I know I want to be able to take on most repairs on my own and feel like I can do it. And just purely from that perspective, I am tilting towards the simplicity of no slide as my first toe dipping experience. Some on the forum have mentioned the time they spend in the camper and hence it being worth having that extra space, but in my case, the best I can hope for over the next few years is 1/2/3 days trips about 6 to 8 times a year to state parks in the 200 mile radius, and maybe one week long trip over the summer. Hence, I am not too concerned about that lack of space (as long as I can get the wife to agree :)). Once I hit retirement, and am more on the road, then yes, absolutely. And by then, we would have more experience under my belt. But hey, this is not done yet...going over this weekend to look at the camper with slide - the one I mentioned in the original post...once we do that, we should be able to do a real one on one compare, and go from there. Keep it coming plz!
GroupsTravel Trailer Group Prefer to camp in a travel trailer? You're not alone.Jan 13, 202544,029 Posts