Johndanielscpa
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Re: Might be buying a Dually....
I carried my AF990 on an F350 SRW (with air bags) for five years. Then one day, I was reading the weight sticker on the camper and realized I was overweight with my SRW. So I traded it in on an F350 dually and couldn’t believe the difference in the handling. Truly, it was night and day. The SRW carried it, but the AF990 was built for a dually.256Views0likes0CommentsRe: Yep.... It hums...
I installed a 50 amp hard-wired in my fifth wheel, and it hums as well. I took it to a local service shop; they were unable to do anything about it. The hum comes from within the unit, not due to vibration on the outside. It drives me crazy at night, because I can hear it sitting at my dining table. Following - in case someone mentions a fix.464Views0likes0CommentsRe: Downshift or exhaust brake?
I live in very hilly (mountainous) country; Idaho. I use my exhaust brake all the time and it really does help alot in cutting down how much I need to hit the brakes going down hills. I also keep tow mode activated all the time. With tow mode on, exhaust brake on, and starting at the top of the hill at a reasonable speed, I almost never have to hit the brakes all the way down. I had a gas truck (Chevy 1500) years ago with a relatively light, Jayco Jay Feather trailer. Coming down the hill from Anthony Lakes, Oregon was a VERY scary experience. I had to keep hitting the brakes. By the time I got half way down that hill, I was certain I was going to burn up my brakes. They sure smelled that way! I have since gone down that same hill with my F350 diesel and 14k fifth wheel, and I coast almost the whole way (with tow mode on and exhaust brake activated).461Views0likes0CommentsRe: Budgeting
An RV is not an investment; it’s a depreciable asset. In short, monetary value is irrelevant. If you are “investing” money to resell it, that is an investment decision which, in this case and as others have said, does not provide a solid return. If you are “spending” money to make an existing asset “better,” that is considered a “betterment,” in which the value is the benefit that comes from the spending. In short, if you really like your trailer, it is solid, and will last you long enough to make spending the money on upgrades worthwhile, ignore the presumed “value” and consider the expenditure as you would any other expenditure that does not provide a monetary return; e.g. a cruise, night out at the movies, two week vacation with family, etc.472Views0likes0CommentsRe: Travel Lite vs. Lance (is quality worth the cost)
The demand for “inexpensive” RVs is at an all time high, and the RV industry is more than happy to meet that demand. Unfortunately, the demand is being served with “cheap” RVs, not “inexpensive” RVs. Given that there is no regulation on the industry, buyers have to be really careful what they buy. Bottom line - you just aren’t going to get anything worth buying and that will meet average expectations unless you are willing to spend some money. Unfortunately, even spending some money does not guarantee a problem-free unit, but you should expect that the problems are fixable oversights in the manufacturing process versus having your RV fall apart on you because the choice of materials was inadequate for the expected use. My recommendation is to walk through the unit you plan to buy, look at the quality of the materials being used, ask yourself if such materials will hold up to how you expect to use the unit. Look at how the wiring and plumbing are installed, open the drawers and cabinets and look at how they are built, look at the hardware, etc. Everyone’s expectations are going to be different. Personally, I would not buy a unit with pressed board cabinets; I know they are not going to hold up with how I use my RV. So I paid extra for solid wood cabinets. On the other hand, your usage may be different; you may be fine with that level of quality. Your original question - is quality worth the cost? No one here can answer that. You have to decide what level of quality you want, then be prepared to pay for it - - - - or not.2.6KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Making the jump from tent camping to RVing
My wife and I have gone from tent camping to a 23’ hybrid trailer to a truck camper to a 30’ fifth wheel. We love the fifth wheel, but we found we missed the “camping” experience; getting into the back country and being away from it all. So, we kept our fifth wheel for our “glamping” trips, but bought a Jeep and a T@B teardrop for our “camping” trips. If you are looking for a somewhat minimalist camping experience, a T@B 320 may work out well for you. As others have mentioned, it’s not an RV you are going to spend a lot of time in, as it is small (and, therefore, easy to get into tight spots)! But we have watched a movie inside while waiting out a passing rain storm. Ours is equipped with a 71” X 71” bed (which can be converted to a dinette if you wish - we just leave ours made up as a bed), toilet, shower, kitchen sink, stove, refrigerator, air conditioner, ALDE (which provides quiet heat and hot water), 12 volt television and stereo. It has fresh, gray and black water tanks, and, although they are rather small, we have yet to have a problem with capacity. But, again, we are “camping.” If we have hookups (which is rare), we have A/C. But most of the time, we are “off-grid,” so we have two six volt batteries and a 120 watt portable solar panel that keeps the batteries charged and runs everything else. To give us a bit more room, we have a “visor,” which is a small awning to keep us out of the sun and rain and a larger awning/room, which is used if we need to spread out a bit more. For the two of us, it works really well, but, admitedly, it is a bit minimalist. But coming from a tent, it will feel like a huge upgrade! I will also say, T@Bs are not cheap. But they are built exceptionally well. We have had ours for two years and have not had one problem with it and don’t expect to anytime soon. T@Bs are made by NuCamp.307Views0likes0CommentsRe: AF 990 feedback requested
I had a 2007 990 for 8 years. Generally, no problems. The bolt in the slide arm broke on one trip which prevented the slide from coming back in. Fortunately, I had a cousin that lived in the area with the right bolt. I carried spares after that, but never had another problem with it. We camped in some pretty cold weather on one trip and the sewer connector froze. But, since the furnace really eats up the battery, we used an Olympic propane heater to maintain temperature and only used the furnace first thing in the morning or to “top off” the temperature. The onboard furnace heats the basement, so I’m sure relying on the Olympic is why it froze. I let the camper go to get an AF Fifth Wheel, which I dearly love, to get more space. But I do miss that camper! I will also say, it’s heavy. I started out with an F350 SRW and eventually changed to an F350 DRW. The difference in handling was significant. My SRW was equipped with airbags, which helped with overall stability, but it still had a tendency to lean to one side if I didn’t add more air to the right side then what I had on the left side. With the DRW, no problem at all. We were able to squeeze in with the slide in, but it was a squeeze. I weigh 190lbs; 6’ tall, so that gives you an idea.487Views0likes0Comments
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