All ActivityMost RecentMost LikesSolutionsRe: A very good reason Not to scrimp on surge protectors.Hardwired are better for several reasons, but if you don't have access to the wiring in order to install one, or have an electrician who can wire one, then the pedestal mount is the way to go. I had one in my last trailer, a 30 amp Surge Guard, and it worked perfectly. Since I can't access the wiring in my new trailer, or I should say, there isn't room for one in my new trailer where the panel is located, I opted for the pedestal mounted version of the watchdog. PI was a good name when they were American made, but has been sold to another company that makes them in Mexico now and quality has slipped a bit. The Hughes Watchdog was rated tops last year, and they aren't as expensive as the PI and Surge Guard models, which BTW come from the same company now. way2roll, there are different types of protection, so read them carefully. You won't get full protection with the $150 model, it will just alert you when you plug in if the wiring is bad and protect from surges, but if the line voltage drops or spikes, your trailer can still be damaged. The one you want is the one with Electrical Management System, AKA EMS. Those run between $240 for hardwired to well over $350 for pedestal mount. I just bought a pedestal mount Watchdog for $239 from Tweety's RV.Re: A very good reason Not to scrimp on surge protectors.Well, I don't know how safe it would be, but to splice it together you would need these Splicers and this Heat shrink Only reason I know this is because I had to repair the underground cable to my barn that got damaged repairing the water line. The above parts will seal the cables, and the splices need to be staggered far enough apart so they don't rub against each other. The downside is once shrunk it becomes very stiff.Re: A very good reason Not to scrimp on surge protectors. philh wrote: Stupid question, can I buy a 50a unit and use it with a 30a trailer? Longer term plans have us upgrading to larger 5th wheel If pedestal type that plugs between the pedestal and RV cord, double check with the manufacturer, but it should if plugged into a 50Amp socket. If the permanent installed type, it might not. Pretty sure it needs to see both legs in order to activate. I just bought and brought home an Arctic Wolf 3660SUITE. It is 50 AMP, runs fine on 30 amp and surprisingly enough both AC's will run at the same time, they must have soft start kits already installed, the second one started up without issues and the running one didn't even give a grunt when it did. Of course that was just a test and I am running on just one AC. However, my plan was to install a fixed 50 Amp Surge/line condition unit, but after looking where the line comes in, it is sealed up, so not going to touch it, so looking for the pedestal mount one instead. Suggestions?Re: SRW vs DRWWhen to consider a Dual RW is when the trailer is an ultra wide 101". Usually trailers that wide are also over the 16K GVWR and for stability purposes a Dually is a better choice. The trailers are wider than the SRW trucks. Tomorrow I pick up a brand new 3660SUITE that will be towed with my 2012 F350 SB. According to the manufacturer, the UVW and pin weights, plus what we normally carried in our last trailer puts the trailer ~12628 pounds. @ 18% pin that gives me ~300 available payload. The empty pin weight is ~15.5%. Even if it jumps to 20% pin weight I am still OK, within ratings. Here's the only thing I am a bit leery on, it is 42.5' long. I don't foresee issues, but would be more comfortable with a LB truck. The extra 18" of WB just gives it a bit more stability. I don't see it as Dually territory though. Wider, Heavier, and over 42' and then I would consider Dually.Re: 5th wheel for Reese SidewinderAfter all the research and reviews, getting the weight of the truck with all passengers, finding my available cargo capacity I kept it light with a CURT A20. Less than 130 pounds for the hitch and works with the Sidewinder. Picking it up tomorrow. The fun part now will be balancing the load to stay under 2500 pin weight. The "dry" weights have the pin at only 1655 pounds with a UVW of 10828. Thats just a smudge above 15%. From our last trailer the most we carried with a full FWT was 1800 pounds, so unless the empty pin weight is wrong, we will be under the 2500 by a couple hundred pounds.Re: A very good reason Not to scrimp on surge protectors.Nice, about the same cost as progressive without the remoteRe: Paid Caravans to Alaska Worth it?I can see a caravan for traveling through Alaska, some roads get pretty rough, and having buddies along in case of a breakdown is a plus, but $10,000? That seems pretty steep.Re: Constant Convertor?The fan is load driven, when the load is minimal, say floating the fully charged battery, the fan stays off, but when it is actively charging, the fan will kick in to keep it cool. First thing I would do is disconnect the battery to remove the load. If the fan remains on, then you probably have a faulty unit. If it goes off, load test the battery, might have a bad cell.Re: A very good reason Not to scrimp on surge protectors.Installed a hard wired one into my Coleman, 30 AMP. Measures voltage high and low as well as surge, and polarity. The following year was in the trailer doing some cleaning, plugged a vac in to clean up the floor and Bang, power out. WTH? Check the breakers, none tripped, then about 3 1/2 minutes since bang, click, power back on. OK now I am scratching my head(I had forgotten I installed the guard unit). Start the vac again and bang. This time I heard it more clearly, coming from behind the power panel and the lightbulb came on in my head. So I go out and look at the extension cord. Sure enough the cord was corroded causing a line voltage drop. DOH! I went and bought 100' of 6/3 outdoor cord, two 30 amp plug/socket, a UL box with 30 amp outlet and 6/3 indoor cable and wired in a dedicated 30 amp supply to feed the trailer. No more issues after that and could run the entire trailer. Going to do the same with my new trailer, though it is a 50 amp, and this time put a readout in so I can see the actual voltages.Re: harbor F replacement jack also recalledJack sku listed above is included, 3 Ton Jack Stand 56372 56373 Link is at the end of the first post. HF is ok for some lightly used tools, but for anything that requires precision and strength, I would pay the extra for, especially if it is something supporting over 5000 pounds like the front of my truck.
GroupsBucket List Trips Bucketlist destinations you just can't miss. Which spots stick with you?Jan 18, 202513,487 PostsFifth Wheel Group Interested in fifth wheels? You've come to the right spot.Feb 16, 202519,006 PostsFull Time RVers Thinking about becoming a full-time RVer? Ask the experts.Dec 28, 20241,587 PostsRV Families Activities, advice, and destinations for those traveling with kids!Oct 09, 2024501 PostsRV Newbies We all start out new. Share lessons learned or first-time questions!Jun 15, 20174,026 Posts
Bucket List Trips Bucketlist destinations you just can't miss. Which spots stick with you?Jan 18, 202513,487 Posts
RV Newbies We all start out new. Share lessons learned or first-time questions!Jun 15, 20174,026 Posts