PopUpTom
Explorer
Joined 20 years ago
User Profile
User Widgets
All Activity
Re: Wheel Bearings on a 7 year old pop-up - Shuld I?
Before I dis-assemble things to repack the bearing, I use a punch to mark 12oclock on the retaining nut. When all is complete, I put that nut back to the same position. There should be no reason for the nut to be tighter or looser after a bearing re-pack. The wheel should spin freely, with just a hint of wobble. My test for too tight of a bearing is if I can't hold on to the hub at the first stop/50 miles, then it's too tight. Been there, done that with the first pop-up - had to repack bearings with fresh grease at the truck stop about 500 miles from home. Having brakes on the trailer will also generate heat, so you would minimize their use prior to checking the hub temp. I have seen more bad bearings from non-use (more motorcycles than trailers). If the grease hardens and moisture builds up on the bearing surfaces, those rusty bearings need replacing. As others have stated, if the grease looks like honey - its full of moisture. A good inspection should be done on the cleaned bearings and races prior to repack. Lastly, I would be worried if the wheel was looser after 100 miles than at the repack - what the heck moved to make it looser? If you don't mark the nut first, standard practice after a repack is to tighten up the nut, then loosen it until you get the little bit of wobble. Do this a second time to see if the rotation of the nut is in the same place when the wheel starts to wobble just to be sure. Sometimes with castle nuts, it may seem that you have a choice between too tight and too loose. Choose loose. Those of you afraid of a hint of wobble have never tried to induce wobble on a spinning bicycle wheel!488Views0likes0CommentsRe: Found it! But CCC looks awful low?
Thanks to all with the informative replies. I have been doing more research on the Jaycos that started with the link about axle issues in the Jayco owners forum. We had been shopping for a new TV, that would spend way more time getting groceries than pulling an RV. A crew-cab truck would pull most anything, but the little woman finally decided on an SUV like her old one. (I would rather pull a popup with my Civic than have something else as my daily driver) We recently bought a Highlander with a 5000lb tow rating. I knew that it would be able to pull both the 17 and 19' Roos and Exps that are just below that rating. We realized the 17 would meet our needs just as well as the 19, layout wize. The 19 adds the towed weight of another axle, but the advantage of more CCC. I just think the 17 at 3500lb would behave better behind the Toyota than the 19 at 5000lb. I could be all wrong as I now little about double axle towing behavior. So the search goes on. I'm starting to think about a used 17' with new 14" tires and a 5000# axle underneath it. I should put new tires on it anyway, right?476Views0likes0CommentsFound it! But CCC looks awful low?
The little woman and I have been thinking about a new RV for a couple years now, since the pop-up left. We found a Jayco X17Z on the local RV lot that seems perfect for the two of us, and dog. The Jayco brochures list an unloaded vehicle wt. of 2900lbs and a GVW of 3500lbs. I noticed a yellow sticker on the actual camper, and it lists an as-delivered weight of 3165 leaving only 335 remaining CCC. Link to yellow stickers Is this typical? Are there really 265lbs of options and propane on the "coach"? (Apparently they call them coaches nowadays) Am I going to get by with only 335lbs of capacity? (I think 2 bikes and a bike carrier are 100lbs) Am I going to run into the same issue if I find a 17' Roo?9.3KViews0likes34CommentsRe: Practical Caravan (British Mag) 2013 Tow Car Awards
I checked into the weights of those caravans tested, and they are very light. Similar to fiberglass egg campers and Airstreams. (Also very expensive by our standards.) The weights are in the same range as our typical pop-up. I was impressed by how well those cars handled the emergency lane-change tests. I bet a lower center of gravity for a family sedan vs. a pickup truck has a lot to do with it. They also loaded the campers at floor level, not in upper cabinets, which should also mimic the handling of a pop-up.369Views0likes0CommentsRe: packing a Fleetwood Niagara Highwall
That "dry" weight does not include any options lke the awning or A/C either. The high-wall Niagara will hold more (by volume) than a low-wall Niagara, so you are correct to be more concerned about exceeding the weight limit on the high-wall. It dosen't hurt to record what you typically pack with a bathroom scale the next time you load up for a trip. Liquids, canned goods, and coolers full of ice and food and are where we should focus on weight reduction. There had been several posts in the past about bent axles on the HW - no doubt due to their ability to hold more stuff than they should carry. There were some changes to the cargo capacity on the Highlanders over the years so keep that in mind too as you shop for a HW.317Views0likes0CommentsPractical Caravan (British Mag) 2013 Tow Car Awards
This is an interesting video of "family vehicles" being tested as tow vehicles. "Practical, easy to live with, and great to drive every day". These are sedans, wagons, and small SUV's - not trucks. This is a British Magazine video, so the vehicles may differ from North American versions. The "caravans" used in the testing are very different single axle hard-sided campers (not pop-ups) from N/A models too - more like fiberglass Airstreams. You will have to go to the website to get actual performance details for the vehicles tested. This video is just an overview of how they were tested. I thought it was pretty cool, but I understand that the "real" tow vehicle (truck) guys and gals would not be interested. I'm OK with that and they don't need to watch it and waste their time. Practical Caravan Testing Video8.8KViews0likes26CommentsRe: Is this WDH and sway control too much
My vote is to go for it! The Highlanders have a boxed tubular frame that is designed for WDH. 10% of your GVWR is about 400lbs, so you will likely be (or should be) around 500lbs tongue wt. Most Fleetwood PUPs need sway control - the WDH will reduce or eliminate the sway- depends on tongue wt., Pup loading, etc. The weight distribution is adjustable - this means you can set if from 0 to max. so overdoing it is intentional and avoidable. The WD amount is typically set by getting your TV to drop the same amount front and back with the camper attached. The amount of TV (Tow Vehicle)rear sag also has to do with spring rate and how much stuff is packed in the back. For me, I don't like to use the WDH to compensate for a lot of weight in the rear of the TV. I put the heavy stuff in the camper. Hopefully, some other Highlander owners will chime in.461Views0likes0CommentsRe: Coleman Fleetwood 12 volt system problem
You seem to have done a good job of pin-pointing the problem. Somewhere between the kill switch and the converter a connection is lost. If the wires are color coded, as in the link below, you should be able to look at the wires on the kill switch and check that that same wire is hot at the converter. If not, it is likely the fuse, or just a connection on the hot side of the fuse - I say this as the other 12v outputs from the converter seem to be working OK. (outside light, water pump, etc.) Link to Wiring Diagram677Views0likes0Comments
Groups
Travel Trailer Group
Prefer to camp in a travel trailer? You're not alone.Mar 12, 202544,028 Posts
