przao
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Re: Fifth wheel Hitch troubleshooting
I'm using a Curt 20k (about 10 years old) so it is a bit aged. Lately while hitching, I was periodically having problems with the jaws completely closing, so I asked my youngest, who is a big rig trucker to check my hitch because I thought it was worn out. After examining the jaws and the mechanism, he told me it was fine but that I needed to keep the king pin positioned more to the right side of the alignment slot rather than the left when backing up to hitch or the jaws will fail to close completely - he also confirmed that I needed to let the trailer slide up the hitch ramp (which I was already doing). I watched him doing the examination of the hitch and he manually triggered the jaw closing mechanism with his hands to find the ideal spot to position the pin in the hitch head, which is why he told me to hug the right side of the hitch while backing. I've not had a single problem since I followed his advice. His take home lesson was that you sometimes need to manipulate the particular hitch mechanics to determine it's quirks - even though they are mass produced for uniformity, they change their properties as they age. On an aside, he uses a portable electric grease gun to generously lube the hitch plate every time he hitches his semis, and told me to do the same because he noticed what he called high pressure wear on my hitch head even though I was using a lube plate.405Views0likes0CommentsRe: Stuck Caliper Piston
I second the motion to replace the caliper. I like to RV on the Oregon coast, and often stay right next to the water. I drive a 1-ton Diesel and always applied the emergency brake. A couple of years ago the dealer had to replace all my calipers because the pistons all were rusted to the point where they would not properly retract - never had anything like that in half a century of driving all over the country. The mechanics asked me if I was from Canada with their salted roads! Now I am careful not to leave the truck parked too long with the parking brake applied to reduce the probability of rust building up.556Views0likes0CommentsRe: Same problem as last summer AC leaking inside
I'll second the idea that the four bolts might be the issue. Not only should they be no tighter than specs, but I like to snug them down the same as I do with the lug nuts on a vehicle wheel - a bit at a time to ensure even seating of the seal. I had the same problem and although causes vary, mine was due to condensation leaking past the seal into the rig. Careful attention to the four bolt tightness solved my problem permanently.415Views0likes0CommentsRe: Moving to a 5th Wheel
I'm pushing 67 this year and am always looking for something really new and revolutionary in the RV industry. Sadly I have not found anything that is a fit for me that is better what I have. As far as my fiver, I'm in a Rockwood Signature Ultralight 8288SS, and it is simple to set up solo with no problem whatsoever. One of the biggest advantages of that particular unit for me is that it has dual opposing slides which makes the inside of the rig really large and spacious feeling. The opposing slides in a rear living arrangement is the most important thing for me these days - large windows for view in the parks I favor, which are mostly backing up to the water on the coastline. As to truck, I'm using a 6.7L 3500 Cummins (not that truck brand matters), but I'm fond of having a large heavy powerful truck (way overkill for my 8k dry trailer). I barely feel the rig behind me and average a reasonable 12mpg. I guess the take home lesson is that everyone will have their own idea of the "perfect" truck/rig combination. Ask yourself the important questions like internal trailer space including layout (many of the rigs we see have the television 90 degrees from the seats which makes for a sore neck at the end of the day), comfort towing without experiencing semi blow-by, etc.410Views0likes0CommentsRe: Second A/C
RoyB wrote: I have a 30A system in my POPUP trailer and I bring along an extra 20A Extension cord so I can plug my roof A/C into it and not bother the 30A setup... I use the same technique, but am using a portable heat pump as my second A/C. One caution when using this method if there is no 50A at your site: some old parks will piggy back the 20A circuit on the back of the 30A circuit, so if you are drawing more than a total of 30A in your rig, then the breaker will flip in the park control center (not at the pedestal), necessitating a call to the park people to fix the problem.176Views0likes0CommentsRe: Tire replacement
I'll also say Michelin are my favorite. My truck came with Firestone tires, and I might be the unluckiest person in the world, but for the first time in over 40 years I had a blowout (of any brand). I have had either belt separations or outright blowouts with Firestone. My truck is a 2012, and the last time I used Firestone I was a teenager driving a 1969 Nova SS 396 back in 1972 (all four tires failed at various times) :D375Views0likes0CommentsRe: replacement window shades
We hated the cell shades in all our rigs mostly due to mechanical reasons (strings breaking, etc.) so we decided to replace them with residential drapes chosen to let in as much light as we desired. The "rail" tape to attach the drapes to the wall beneath the valance is inexpensive and easily installed. My wife did the sewing modification as well as the tiebacks. I thought I they would only be okay, but we love them because we can open/close whole banks of windows in seconds versus the cumbersome pull cords with cellular shades. Moderator edit to re-size picture to forum recommended limit of 640px maximum width.270Views0likes0CommentsRe: Fighthing the heat: running a second A/C in a 30A rig
Just to spruce up the temperature control a bit more, I replaced the original analog thermostat with a residential Honeywell digital unit. It was basically plug and play once you get the wiring right - the whole project tool all of about 30 minutes. Note there are thin wires connected to sometimes different color thick wires. The thin wires are off the original thermostat and are the wires that you screw into the new thermostat. The original Coleman Mach compared to the New digital on the right. The digital uses two AA batteries as the power source. After removing the Coleman, these are the original six wires. The new digital does not have a hi/lo fan speed setting, so I did not use all the wires - only four, and capped off the gray and blue. The thin wires are the correct ones to use for the color coding Here the wires are in place, and the rest tucked back into the wall. Red is the original 12V, yellow is the A/C, white is the furnace, and green is the high fan speed. The finished install - works perfectly, keeps the temperature way better, and best of all, I need not futz around with those tiny micro control switches any more!597Views0likes0CommentsRe: Rockwood 2604WS question
I have a 8288SS with a counter extension with tabs that fit into slots on the main counter. Unfortunately having the extension makes it impossible to put out out the sleeper sofa, but of more annoyance is that the counter extension is over the bank of drawers for your utensils. Essentially with the counter extension in place you need to stoop under the extension to get to the drawers. As a consequence I hardly used the extension because it was more of a bother than it was useful. Recently I decided to remove the mounting tabs and replace them with hinges. Then I mounted the extension onto another side of the main counter so it now swings up to mount, and swings down to store. In the store position it is out of the way of the slide and another benefit is that I need not find a place to store it (formerly stuck it under the sofa). Take home lesson for me was to look at the interior of the rig and assess what I would do if I were to redesign the layout. In my case, the manufacturer did a great job of making the interior look good at the expense of function.545Views0likes0Comments
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