CJ97
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Re: Anti-Sway Broken--How Serious? Need Help!
Again, thanks for all the info. We pushed on, even drove over the pass north of Mammoth with snow flurries and some wet roads. No problem at all. I'm going to look into getting a sway arm here in Reno and attaching it to the eye hole on the left side. (Right side hole is stretched a bit.) Hopefully I can install myself with the tools I have with me.653Views0likes0CommentsAnti-Sway Broken--How Serious? Need Help!
OK, I am a total newbie who did very a bad thing on the very first day using my new travel trailer. Long story short, I sheared the forward ball on the anti-sway friction arm. We were 13 miles shy of our day's destination and stopped to refuel before finishing for the day. While stopped, I put another quarter turn on the sway bar handle. After pulling out, I made a left turn at a stop light, heard a pop, then heard something dragging on the ground. When I got out I found the front end of the sway bar dragging and the ball still inside (lower part was sheared off). So if you are ever wondering, yes, you can adjust the friction too tight. In hindsight I can see my error. There was a sticker on the bar that said to tighten the upper bolt (the one with a handle, and marked ON/OFF) all the way until the metal made contact. There is a lower nut that is for setting the tension. When I put it on, I got the handle part pretty tight and yet the metal had not made contact. I didn't realize that the dealer who installed it was probably using the upper (handle) bolt to set the friction, instead of tightening it all the way (with the lower bolt loose) and then tightening/adjusting the lower bolt for setting the tension. I just figured that more is better and that there wasn't any way I could set that tension too tight. Anyway, what is done is done and I can't unbreak it. The "eye" (or hole) on the side of my WDH is also a little stretched where I sheared the ball, so there was some really massive force being applied there. Anyway, we are outside of Barstow now (it is Saturday night). We were planning to drive up 395 tomorrow, stay for one night at a lake, and arrive in Reno on Monday. We have a very important appointment in Reno on Tuesday that we can't really miss, then we plan to stay there in Reno until Saturday. My question is how much risk would I be taking to drive it up to Reno as-as (WDH but no anti-sway), and then get it fixed (probably will have to get the hitch replaced) up in Reno? I had to drive the 12-13 miles on I215 just to get here, and honestly, I didn't notice any difference in sway. (Maybe I had it already set so tight that it was not working properly?) There's a dealer about 40 minutes south that opens at 10 AM tomorrow, but there's not much detail on their website so I don't know if they would be able to do the service anyway. If it is adequately safe to drive, what steps can I take to mitigate the risk, if any? BTW, I am driving a 1997 F250 HD (7.3L Powestroke), and the trailer is a '17 APEX 300BHS (Max weight ~7500#). The truck is supposedly rated for a maximum combined gross weight (truck & trailer) of 20K pounds. Thanks for any advice or experience with this that would be helpful. Should I only go as far as I have to, or am I relatively safe as-is as long as I keep it slow (I don't go over 55 mph anyway). People towed a lot of trailers without anti-sway bars in the past, right? Blessings! CJ9.8KViews0likes23CommentsRe: A/C Overloading My Generator
UPDATE: Success! (Or at least significant progress.) -So yes, according to the AC manufacturer (Dometic), they recommend a 3500W generator to handle the peak loads on my model (which is 13.5K BTU) -I installed the Supco SPP6 hard start kit (http://www.supco.com/web/supco_live/products/SPP6.html) -I also ran the fan on low for a while, waiting a little bit before I changed the setting to "cool" With all that, the generator did not fail! I didn't watch the generator to see if it flashed the overload light or not, but the good thing is it kept providing power. I tested this three times. However, things that may yet prove troublesome: -How it performs in hotter weather -How it performs in higher elevation I'll get to test all of these soon, as we leave for a 3-week "shakedown cruise" next Saturday, going up to Reno and then NorCal (coastal), then back down through the valley, Pismo, then back to SD. I'll update you all when I return. One more thing, in my research I found a couple with an RV that ran their AC completely off solar. You can see their blog & videos here (http://www.gonewiththewynns.com/off-grid-solar-rv-air-conditioning). The piece that interested me is the component that they eventually installed, which is called a "soft starter" (this may be what you were referring to, DSteiner51), as opposed to a hard start kit (like the cheap one I installed). Here's the website for the soft starer (http://www.microair.net/main/products/product.php?id=20). Has anyone out there ever installed one of these? It looks like it retails for about $350 (plus installation), but if it can really reduce the peak start watts as much as it says ("up to 65-75%"), then that could really be worth it. Blessings to all of you, CJ1.5KViews0likes0CommentsRe: A/C Overloading My Generator
Alright, so an update for everyone: -Battery was fully charged earlier (I even tried it with the converter CB off) -The only loads going at the time were the 12V ceiling fans -I'm at sea level and the temp is in the high 70s -Generator ECO mode was OFF -Water heater was OFF -Generator is brand new -I did not try running the fan first then starting compressor (I may do that next) -I did confirm that there isn't a start capacitor (I already ordered a SUPCO SPP6 from Amazon--for $10 it is a cheap possible fix) Was there a running joke about start capacitors that I am missing? ("Worst answer yet.") Also, the dealer said that "a 3500W generator is required to run a 13500 BTU air conditioner." That is counter to what I see most other people saying on all th forums, right? (I see people saying they get their A/C running on a 2000W under good conditions.) Hopefully this isn't a bad generator!348Views0likes0CommentsA/C Overloading My Generator
First time TT owner here--so I'm hoping I'm just doing something wrong that is very simple. We have an Apex with a 13500 BTU A/C. The generator is a Honda EU3000i Handi (Max: 3000W, Continuous: 2600W). I hooked up the generator to the TT and was getting power to the TT. However, when I tried to turn on the A/C, the overload light on the generator went on after a few seconds and cut the power output. I have tried it a couple more times, always with all the big items turned off (frig, microwave, etc.). I have even tried it with only the Main and A/C circuit breakers on. Each time I get the same result. Everything I've read seems to indicate that my generator should be sufficient to run a 13500 BTU A/C. Does anyone have any suggestions? What are the troubleshooting steps for this?9.7KViews0likes27Comments
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