BubbaChris
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Re: rv extension cord
We mooch-dock at a friend's house about every other year. They are kind enough to let us tap the 15A circuit by their front door. But it is way too far for our RV cable to reach, so I'm adding 12 gauge extension cords to bridge the gap. I still put my Southwire surge guard in line between the RV cord and the 15A extension cords we use. We've had the voltage drop enough to trip the surge guard (not even trying to run the AC). A 25' RV cord sounds like a good length to help you reach but not risk going too far. Best regards, Chris743Views0likes0CommentsRe: We don't need no stinkin 4X4 honey !
All I have to do is look at "Winder Towing Inc" on Facebook or their YouTube channel "Matt's Towing & Recovery" to remind myself why I have the 4WD option. These are local guys working some of the areas I visit. I love shift-on-the-fly and will reach for 4-Auto (really AWD) just about anytime I'm off pavement. And I do the same for 4-Hi the moment things aren't smooth and level. 4-Lo has been rarely engaged as it usually means I'll be getting so far off-level that traction isn't my only concern. Our TT is our home close to adventures. So the TV has to be the adventure-mobile. None of our bush pinstripes have been permanent yet, but that day will likely come. Our adventures may keep me away from gong DRW on the next truck. Prior to getting my Expy, we were exploring in my wife's GX470 and climbed the Hurricane Cliffs via the Honeymoon trail. I'm sure we were the rare visitor not in a side-by-side or Jeep with lockers. It turned out well, but I was starting to regret the idea that the way forward seemed less dangerous than finding a place to turn around. Best regards, Chris498Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ram 2500 - which towing features are best/good/unnecessary?
audiodane wrote: Hi All! I thought I would update everyone on the wonders of a holiday weekend. ;) We have looked at a *lllooottt* of trucks over the past 6 weeks.. CarGurus, CarMax, Facebook Marketplace... you name it. The outcome was almost always the same: 1) Used / Dealership or Private Party; lower cost, but no idea what they've put it through, etc. I'll be pulling my family with this thing cross-country... and the recent sting on our last Used / Dealership purchase is still too fresh for comfort. 2) Used / CarMax: More confidence in the vehicle quality, usually newer and less mileage, but also pretty steep price premium 3) New 2018 Remaining Stock: Fantastic confidence, full warranty, but additional price premium over the CarMax option. Long story short, we bought this weekend! .... ended up with a *NEW* 2018 Ram 3500 SRW that had been sitting on the dealer lot for seven months. Had such a discount on it that it was only a few thousand more than a three-year old Ram 2500 from a nearby CarMax with 20K on it. We spent more than we originally planned, but God is good and we're extremely happy and excited. It's loaded, too. Laramie, leather, 5th prep, air suspension, ... all the "tow" things. Wahoo!! cheers, ..dane Congratulations! I think you'll love it. If I had the green light to buy right now I'd be weighing that same 2018 configuration against a 2017 with only 15K and a CPO warranty. In my case there's still a $12K premium for the 2018 truck (but it's 600 miles closer to home). Best regards, Chris430Views0likes0CommentsRe: Diesel vs gas......................
Hitch Itch wrote: I bought my first 2018 duramax, always pulled our 13k 5er with a 6.0 gasser, no real issues other then it was always at about 3k rpm now with the duramax its always around 1800-2000rpm. I am Very dissapointed in the mpg tho, the gasser would always get 7mpg and the duramax only gets 9 mpg, I was expecting far more then a 2 mpg gain for the additional $10k I spent If it makes you feel any better a 2 MPG gain over 7 MPG is a 28.5% improvement. OTOH, do not do the math to figure out how many towing miles until you've made up the cost premium. Best regards, Chris630Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ram 2500 - which towing features are best/good/unnecessary?
Me Again wrote: BubbaChris wrote: I'm also looking to replace an Expedition EL. I am early in my actual shopping, but I have done enough research to know it will be a 3500 with Cummins for us (if RAM wins the contest). The fiver we currently like the most has a 15K GVWR so I can't skimp. I was originally thinking of a 3/4 ton gasser, but the lighter fivers all have too little headroom for me in the bedroom (and in some bathrooms). Playing off the comment immediately above about the 2018 units. With Ram making major changes for 2019 they dumped a bunch of 2018 units onto the dealers with roughly $10K in incentives off sticker. Lots of brand new Tradesman models available with bench seats if you can get around your other objections. One options I'm following right now to get an honest feel for pricing is to use the Costco Auto Program. A funny wrinkle for me is the nearest participating RAM dealer is 120 miles away. So I won't just be popping over for a test drive. If that works out it will be easier than the 2017 unit I wish I could buy, but that one is 650 miles away for me. My wife knows the local guy who owns RAM, Chevy, and other dealerships and asked him a generic question about 1-ton trucks. He really suggested driving a few and using that to determine what will feel right. All modern trucks are capable and each has high points over the others. PS - "deleted" refers to people who remove the pollution control devices from their diesel trucks. They feel the early technology creates performance and/or reliability problems. I'm in favor of being a good citizen and will keep mine intact/legal. If you want to research the various generations of diesel engine technology used by the big three, drivingline.com has a useful series of articles (use "history" as a search term). I believe there are links to them from elsewhere here on this forum. Best regards, Chris Chris if you are thinking about a RAM 3500 SRW, be sure to pick a 5th wheel that has a dry pin weight of 2500 pounds or less. We tow a 16K GVWR(fully loaded, we full timed with it for a year and a half) with a 3500 SRW RAM and meet our trucks numbers. If you start with a trailer with 3000 of dry pin weight, you will run into the 7K rear axles rating. Our Bighorn 3575el has a dry pin weight of 2435. In my sig line you can click "Our rig" for a picture. We made two round trips to Arizona with this combination and had lots of wind and mountains. Chris Thanks so much for this input. Our favorite fiver right now is the GD Solitude S-Class with a dry hitch weight of 2,150. But you've encouraged me to double-check what I'd have weight wise overall. The 15K I mentioned is GVWR, not a lighter marketing number (I've learned from my TT). So I had been assuming I'd max at 3000 of pin weight if I was loaded at max capacity and 20% on the pin. Best regards, Chris430Views0likes0CommentsRe: Ram 2500 - which towing features are best/good/unnecessary?
I'm also looking to replace an Expedition EL. I am early in my actual shopping, but I have done enough research to know it will be a 3500 with Cummins for us (if RAM wins the contest). The fiver we currently like the most has a 15K GVWR so I can't skimp. I was originally thinking of a 3/4 ton gasser, but the lighter fivers all have too little headroom for me in the bedroom (and in some bathrooms). Playing off the comment immediately above about the 2018 units. With Ram making major changes for 2019 they dumped a bunch of 2018 units onto the dealers with roughly $10K in incentives off sticker. Lots of brand new Tradesman models available with bench seats if you can get around your other objections. One options I'm following right now to get an honest feel for pricing is to use the Costco Auto Program. A funny wrinkle for me is the nearest participating RAM dealer is 120 miles away. So I won't just be popping over for a test drive. If that works out it will be easier than the 2017 unit I wish I could buy, but that one is 650 miles away for me. My wife knows the local guy who owns RAM, Chevy, and other dealerships and asked him a generic question about 1-ton trucks. He really suggested driving a few and using that to determine what will feel right. All modern trucks are capable and each has high points over the others. PS - "deleted" refers to people who remove the pollution control devices from their diesel trucks. They feel the early technology creates performance and/or reliability problems. I'm in favor of being a good citizen and will keep mine intact/legal. If you want to research the various generations of diesel engine technology used by the big three, drivingline.com has a useful series of articles (use "history" as a search term). I believe there are links to them from elsewhere here on this forum. Best regards, Chris430Views0likes0CommentsRe: 7.3L VS. 6.7L PSD
I'd take a current 3/4 ton gasser from Ford, GM, or Ram over the 7.3 knowing it would be my DD. Doubt I could get my DW into the 7.3 more than once. I spent the early '80s driving a 70 Barracuda that cost me 3X purchase price in maintenance costs. The next two times I got into a performance car were a '94 Integra GS-R and then a '98 Lexus GS400. Evolved technology wins every time in my book. I'm noticing a lot of used 6.7's around here for sale as they get close to the 100K mile mark. Then again my radar is up as I hope to be upgrading from my Expy this time next year. Best regards, Chris321Views0likes0CommentsRe: Nearly new GMC p/up
My local RAM dealer has literally dozens of '18 model year 2500's and 3500's he's advertising at about $12K off sticker. Only one is a gasser, and I believe that's a tradesman. The new HD lineup announced by RAM has them dumping the 18's onto the channel. Best regards, Chris311Views0likes0CommentsRe: Finding the right trailer for a couple
wiskeyVI wrote: I'm in the same boat. I'm leaning to the 25' range. I think the bunk areas if there, could come in handy for extra storage. DW doesn't want to go small, but I want something small enough to use boondocking. We've completed 5 seasons with our Heartland North Trail 22FBS (which is a 25' box in spite of the naming). We were lucky to find it used and at a price slightly less than the cost of brand new 20' units. One of the largest kitchens we've seen in a TT and very comfortable rear bath with a window we appreciate. We do some boondocking with it, and lots of dry camping. We average over 50-nights a year. Best regards, Chris587Views0likes0Comments
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