DanNJanice
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Re: Do slides block central hallways & baths?
Steeljag wrote: Our past TT was a 26’ Forest River Flagstaff 26RL, that we could access everything with the slide in. The slide did cover the TV but that was no issue for us. DW could use the restroom and grab us whatever we needed while I pumped gas. Ditto for us. In fact one of our checklist items, when we purchased our trailer, was that we could access the refridge, pantry, bathroom and bedroom without messing with the slide. Ours is a 2015 Jayco 27RLS. It has a center bath, so to get from the bedroom to the living area you do have to walk through the bath. We also have two outside doors, which means you can get into the bedroom area without going through the living area. We really like this layout. The double slide Outback that someone else showed in this thread would be a good one too.534Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ram 2500 and F250 heavy duty diesel
vinnydog wrote: For those people who have either truck, what would be the max 5th wheel pin weight you would feel safe with? I have been researching but I'm getting conflicting reports online. I figured I would go right to the source. Thanks, Rocco If you are just now buying a truck and intend to tow a 5th wheel, I would recommend you get a 350/3500 especially if you are planning on a diesel. The price difference is just not that great. If you already have the truck, then look at the door sticker. It will tell you the payload, then you can figure out the maximum pin weight. Figure 25% of the fifth wheel weight will be on the pin.429Views0likes0CommentsRe: Connecting phone to TV (as in television, not tow vehicle)
This may not really address your original issue, but we have the Dish Hopper. We have all kinds of stuff recorded on it. We disconnect it, carry it into the trailer and connect it to our TV. Works great as long as you don't need the latest and greatest episode.616Views0likes0CommentsRe: campgrounds along the Iowa Illinois border
sele wrote: Hi We are looking for campgrounds along the Iowa Illinois border from Quad cities north to Galena Illinois. Either side is fine would prefer full hookups and 50 amp. Thanks for any suggestions. I suppose it depends on how close to the river you want to be. Here are a couple off the top of my head. Can't say about hookups, as we rarely camp at FHU sites. Scott County Park - Ia Loud Thunder Forest Preserve - Il Mississippi Palisades St. Park - Il Wildcat Den State Park - Ia. White Pines State Park - Il. Quad City KOA - Il. Sabula Lake Park - Ia.780Views0likes0CommentsRe: Dry camping and solar power
Tinagtnp wrote: kerrlakeRoo wrote: I guess you can see that solar and batteries dont play well with an AC system. But , do you really need them? Are you looking at moving frequently, or largley staying put? What region will you be in? You may not need much if any AC if you will be moving during that time frame to match the weather to your needs. Elevation as well as moving farther north will give you cooler temps. Just realize that the nice shaded spot in a forest is also shading any solar panels you install and reducing their effectiveness. Give us an idea of what your goals and conditions arer and folks will be glad to offer advice and assistance. I'll be in Wyoming so it doesn't get terribly hot here, but I'll have my dog with me and I don't want to leave her in a hot rv while I go to work. Idk about shade just yet, I haven't had an opportunity to scope out the area. I would even be willing to run a fan, but how does that affect my battery / charging options? Ahhh, that is quite a bit different. If you went with a solar briefcase of about 200-300 watts you could park the trailer/rv in the shade with the panels in the sun. That would probably be fine for the dog. There is a reason God made trees...to keep the sun off, so no need for the AC. We travel with a cat and do this all the time. It is very rare that the outdoor temp is too hot for a pet as long as you are parked in the shade and give them a breeze and plenty of water. If you are parked in the Mohave desert, well, you just need to buy a 3000 watt generator so you can run the AC.672Views0likes0CommentsRe: Record high price for used 2018 Ram 2500?
I would guess some "fly by night" used car outfit. They routinely WAYYYY overprice their stuff, hoping some sucker will walk in and offer a couple thousand less thinking they are getting a deal. If I were you, I would offer him 45K just to see the look on his face.381Views0likes0CommentsRe: Distribution Hitch Preload
ajriding wrote: Here is it loaded using the next shorter chain link. Lots of tension on it, and has raised truck a little higher than without trailer. Not sure if pic is viewable, but bars are loaded and bent. The trailer frame is strong enough, and Class V hitch won't know its there. More concerned just about the receiver and WD components related. Not worried about the ride, or the other details, just the safety of the system. I could tow trailer without any WD help, but rather have weight of truck… Thanks for other related comments, but Im just looking at how much tension goes into this and thinking, wow, thats a lot of stored energy… If the back of the truck is higher with the trailer, than without the trailer, then you are putting too much force on the spring bars. It should be the same height as when unhitched, and most likely an inch or so lower.594Views0likes0CommentsRe: Distribution Hitch Preload
The proper way to do it is to weight your vehicle and trailer at the CAT scale and adjust the spring bars so that you return most of the weight, removed from the front wheels by the trailer, back to the front wheels. In my case, the front wheels without the trailer are 100Lbs heavier that they are with the trailer and WDH connected. I call that close enough. Regarding tension. Yes, it takes a lot of force to engage the spring bars. In fact, most people don't try to engage the spring bars unless they raise the tongue of the trailer with the tongue jack. You might look around on this site and RV.net I have seen some "sticky threads" that explain it in great detail. ajriding wrote: I am wondering how much tension (preload) I can put on the weight distribution hitch "springs". Mine use chains attached to the spring or trunion bar and tension is applied by pulling up on the chains. How much can the hitch typically take? I have along lever tool to set the chains in place and can put the tension on, but at what point do I risk breaking something (springs, hitch cradle etc)? To get the truck to sit at normal height takes a lot of spring tension. I typically have the tongue jack raising everything when I do the WD bars, but still is a lot of force. I understand the hitch, so don't need instruction on how it works, just not sure how much it can handle. Also, when I go through road dips the tension greatly increases, so needs to be considered? Mine is similar to the Curt592Views0likes0CommentsRe: These unreliable new diesel engines!
2015 Ford F250 diesel. At about 10K miles went into "limp" mode while towing, half way between Roswell and Albuquerque. Had to be towed all the way back to Roswell. Dealer cleaned DEF filter, nothing else found. At about 20K miles got a warning about DEF filter saturated, also engine "wrench" symbol. This was about halfway between Austin Nevada and Ely Nevada. Dropped the truck down to 4th gear and ran at about 2500 RPMs for a hour and it eventually fixed itself. At about 25K miles transfer case failed and had to be replaced. At about 30K miles, check engine light came on for a oil presence sensor failing. Replaced under warranty. IMO, modern diesels are not the tractor like engines of ol' that can run for 500,000 miles without any issues. They are no more (and possibly less) durable than their gas counterparts.168Views0likes0Comments
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