portablevcb
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Re: Full time w/ motorcycles?
The tricky part is the Can-Am. Many folks have the hydraulic lift on the back of a big Class A with large motorcycles (HD, BMW, Gold WIng) and then tow a car behind the MH. I have also seen trailers with a bike and car inside. With the Can-Am you would need a double deck trailer to have the bike, Can-Am and a car. Limitations are that you have a long rig. That limits where you can stay and where you can drive the thing.449Views0likes0CommentsRe: Tool boxes that full timers carry
Yep, everyone is different. I do my own maintenance so have a pretty complete tool set. I also have a couple of hobbies that also require certain tools. I have a 5 drawer tool chest top section that is pretty full, plus more stuff. Probably 100lb worth of tools. That does not include my small air compressor, 8T hydraulic jack, jack stands.384Views0likes0CommentsRe: Living in an RV Park?
We've only been doing FT a year so far, with many years of long term travel. As you can tell space prices vary a LOT. For example, we want to stay outside Seattle for the summer. If you can find a space, they go for around $1000/month plus electric. We usually end up in the KOA paying by the week ($1200-1500/month including electric). That is the most expensive we have had to put up with. Currently we pay $600/month which includes electric. Propane depends on the trailer and weather. I went through a 30lb bottle of propane in three days when the lows were in the teens and high was low 30's. During the summer in South Carolina a bottle has lasted us over a month. Electric is also season and area dependent. Southern NM our power bill was $150/month (running 2 AC all day, $0.14/kwhr). Also check about tow vehicles. Some parks require you to have a tow vehicle on site that can move your trailer. They also require that MH's be operational. One park explained that it was due to any park maintenance requirements that would require moving the RV. We have been asked to change spaces when they had to dig up a water line to fix a leak. Trailer. Whatever is comfortable for you. We (wife and I) picked a 35ft bunkhouse model. We use the bunkhouse for our hobbies. It has a workbench with his and her tools (weaving, quilting, modeling, reloading, etc). Also makes a really nice extra storage area. charlie706Views0likes0CommentsRe: Generator Questionds
For additional info. When we had our old trailer with 13k A/C I used a Yamaha 2400 generator to run it. The newer A/C's have bigger capacitors for starting so use less surge. I did have to set the fan to on rather than auto. Trying to start the compressor and the fan at same time was too much for it. Needless to say, not much else could be turned on when the A/C was running. Refrigerator and water heater set to run on propane. The other nice thing was, at 75lb, I could lift it into the back of the truck (barely). For our current trailer am looking at dual Champion 2000's or Ryobi 2200's.557Views0likes0CommentsRe: Fifth Wheel/Diesel mpg
We full time and our truck is our only transportation. I did not want a dually for that reason. So, we just kept our 2500 and I added overloads (Timbren in this case but airbags would work too). The trailer GVWR is 11,000lb and we are over 10,000lb ready to travel. We do not want a bigger trailer (this is our third RV). Diesel vs gas. If you are using the truck as a daily driver and towing less then I'd recommend a gasser. We almost traded the diesel for a gasser this summer. If you tow a lot of miles you will like the diesel. Mileage. Interesting topic. When towing our old 24ft fiver we got around 12mpg. When we got the new fiver we were getting about 11mpg (Western states, higher altitudes). So, had to have a turbo replacement and in doing so upgraded it and deleted emissions stuff. Now we get about 13mpg at higher alt and 14mpg nearer to sea level. As a kind of comparison, when we towed the little fiver with a 2nd gen Toyota Tundra we only got about 8mpg (at altitude). My recommendation if you get a gasser is to make sure you have a bigger gas tank, eg 35gal or more. Why? Gas stops are a PITA in a lot of places. Last, maintenance for a diesel is higher than a gasser. They hold a LOT of oil :) I'd not worry about mileage and buy the truck you want after test driving them. charlie419Views0likes0CommentsRe: Fifth Wheel Brands / Reviews
We have the 29.5BHOK. Living in it for 7 months now and a few tows. Does very well with our 3/4T diesel. We did find that we got near the upper weight limit with all the stuff we brought with us. Probably won't be that bad if you are just weekending in it. Like most RV's there have been a few little things to fix along the way. Had to tighten a couple of water fittings. Drawer bottoms at the back of trailer failed when they had some weight in them and we hit some good size bumps on the road. I did put Goodyear tires on it (I think all Jaycos come with Goodyears now). We also replaced with fold out couch with theater recliners and added a rear camera. charlie878Views0likes0CommentsRe: Additional spring leaves or airbags?
I had airbags on my Tundra. It needed a LOT of help with our old fiver and the bags worked really well. Onboard aircompressor was REALLY loud but worked well. If I used them again I'd probably just air them up with an air hose. Timbrens. Our Dodge needed a bit of help with the new fiver so I installed Timbrens. They are too easy. Four bolts without even needing to jack up the truck or remove the wheels (for my truck, YMMV). The Timbrens are usually not noticed at all. But....when riding without a load and you hit one of those big 'whoops' bumps you will feel when the axle hits the overloads. So, if you want a perfectly stock ride without the load, go with the airbags. If you want simple...and save money...get the Timbrens.280Views0likes0Comments
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