marininn
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Joined 20 years ago
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Re: Converting from a suburban water heater to on demand heater?
Seems people who like the tankless are always at a water hookup. Tankless is terrible for boondocking / saving water. I am shoppng also, and keep reading that trying to turn the water off often results in either scalding hot, or ice cold water. Tankless needs a constant flow of water to perform. Just running the water wastefully is not what I want to do when conserving water on a long outing. Am I correct? My thoughts, as a boondocker, is to run the hot water into a bulb before it gets to the shower. The bulb I mean a small tank, inline with the hot water pipe, maybe a gallon in size where the water can remix with hot and cold incoming tankless water before it is used. This acts as a temperature damper and might level out the temp fluctuation. Anyone tried? I hate heating 6 gallons only to take a 1 gallon shower. Is an issue for extended camping when trips to refill propane is not optional.625Views0likes0CommentsRe: Generator Lock
SidecarFlip wrote: I use one of those motorcycle cable locks with a pin tumbler (round key). It's vinyl covered cable and don't rattle and it's weather proof too. I figure if a thief wants it bad enough and I'm not around, it's gone (it's insured anyway) but the cable lock takes some sawing to get through. Most thieves don't have the time (or the tools) to cut it. I had a bicycle locked with a braided cable like this. Very very easy to cut through, any homie will know how to do this in seconds and probably has the tool in their pocket. Very insecure, I'd advise getting a big chain instead. Very very easy to cut these cables, very easy, can I emphasize that enough? I caught the home boy. I was in camper and he cut cable easy, but the bike rack had other stabilizer things he could not see at night and it shook the camper when he thought he was taking off. I told him to get out before I did something to land ME in jail… I have seen the Lowpro lockdown, nice, but half the price of the generator to begin with….and I already made my tray. If it was Ryobi I'd consider it. thanks. I found the Nomadic video, will watch later… I thought about getting one of those car wheel lug bolts with the security head and, with some likely welding involved, bolt the engine block to the rack somehow, but looking for easier solution… Insurance? Yes, have it, no, don't want to make a claim on a $500 thing and risk rate increases, insurance is for big stuff in my mind… Also, $500 deductible.956Views0likes0CommentsRe: Travel Trailer Theft
Campgrounds should be very safe to leave it. Out west many people camp along BLM roads or just out in the middle of nowhere. That is a place to be concerned. I have never unhooked in the desert and left my trailer. Im took scared, it is too easy for a thief to hook up and drive off, too few people around to see also. I have left the trailer hooked and locked to TV and left it though. Insured, yes. Able to just write a check and continue the trip? never. Game over. A better question is how safe is leaving a camper in the BLM type area? (and I mean a nice trailer, not an old popup nobody wants to steal anyway, no offense) Also, I theorize that a 5th wheeler would be safer as fewer thieves will be able to tow one, or be set up for 5th, and most who have a 5th hitch have enough money so are not petty thieves. What security measures are best? Wheel locks, hitch locks, removable hitches???942Views0likes0CommentsRe: What is Normal Brake Wear?
Way over priced. Yes, find a new dealer. Find a mechanic not associated with an RV place or RV anything. Any low level mechanic should be able to do trailer brakes, they are way simple. Brakes should last a long time. It all depends how much power you are using on them, sound like you said you use a small amount of power. you can let vehicle do most of the braking, or split it where the trailer brakes just enough to stop its own weight, or let trailer do most of the braking. At some point the trailer wheels will lock up when braking if they are giving too much power. Ideal is to let trailer stop its own weight, so stopping the vehicle feels the same with or without the trailer. Many drivers set the brakes so the trailer does some of the braking for itself, but not all. This will make trailer brakes last longer. On the freeway or high speeds set the trailer to brake enough to stop its weight or more since braking will likely be emergency/panic. Around town at lower speeds reduce the trailer brake power. When maneuvering in the campground or parking area you can turn the brakes off.762Views0likes0CommentsRe: Coating a TPO (vinyl) Roof
I would recoat it with your choice of the liquid roof coatings, this will protect what is left of the good roof you currently have. It is easy to apply with a paint roller, just clean the roof well. Your seams and those from roof to siding need attention every year or two, re-caulk those (though not caulk, use the specific camper product for that). I have an aluminum roof with small holes, and used the Eternabond tape on the holes and coated it twice with the liquid. Looks great and no leaks. A new roof on an old camper sounds like a bad idea money-wise. Extend the life with the coating, and maybe the roof outlives the camper.1.2KViews0likes0CommentsGenerator Lock
I am searching for ways others have secured their generator, specifically when mounted to a receiver hitch tray. I made my tray, but have only come up with a slightly complicated way to lock it on, one that is hard for thieves to get to… Currently my idea is a 2 inch flat metal stock bent over and around the generator and continue under. A hole in each end for a solid pipe to run through and padlock that to tray. I am afraid a chain is too common a thing for thieves, so looking for unconventional. I have a Ryobi 2200 inverter and there is nothing to loop through with a chain. The handle can be easily unscrewed so do not count. Generator is on front receiver hitch, and a long cord ran to camper. Noise free inside camper yet still attached for driving… I am not always with vehicle, and sometimes parked in cities.4KViews0likes17CommentsRe: Award trailers
pausin, your closest to understanding the question. About mileage. so, is 8.5 what u would get towing anything? What do you get towing a box shape? 8 is so bad. I had a class A with 460 motor and got 9 towing a trailer, but it was efi. Thankyou all for input, but Im only looking for mpg info. Does this trailer get better mpg compared to similar square shape tt?242Views0likes0CommentsAward trailers
I am looking for feedback from Award owners, most particularly the 723 model. The aero shape and lower roof at the sides reduces the frontal area. It also seems to be slightly lower at the center than most tt's. How much does this help mpg's? I'm towing a trailer that is even with the roof of my TV so getting 16-19 mpg's w diesel. I don't want the 10-12 people see with tt's, so wondering if the Award is somewhere between. Thanks for not offering opinions, Im just looking for real data. Also, "award" is a very hard term to search since it is not unique at all to the english language. Yes, I have searched.2.2KViews0likes5CommentsRe: upper lights not working
Only the first light has 12+ and only the last light goes to ground. I am not quite sure how it supposed to work, as the lights were connected somehow. So, I maybe need to link the positive wires all together, and not run it through the light, but ground the negative of each light?145Views0likes0Commentsupper lights not working
My top exterior lights are not working. The lower ones work fine. This is a pop top, so there is wiring going up to the top aluminum frame. The lights, there are 4 of them, are run in series - The 12+ goes to first light then out and continues in and out of the other 3, then the wire out of the last light is grounded (like Christmas Tree lights). So, 12+ into the first one and 12- out of the last one. I just re-did the 12- ground wire to the top frame for first attempt to fix. The lights barely come on, at night you can see a faint glow. These are new LED lights I just installed. Any ideas where to look for issues?840Views0likes2Comments
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Travel Trailer Group
Prefer to camp in a travel trailer? You're not alone.Jan 13, 202544,029 Posts
