Leeblev
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Joined 21 years ago
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Re: Tow dolly or not?
There are pros and cons to towing with a dolly. I towed for some time. Here is what I found: 1. Parking the dolly when space wasn't long enough. Unless the ground was really level,it was very hard, or impossible to move the dolly. I finally installed a receiver on my car so I could move the dolly around. 2. It does take a lot of effort to load/unload the dolly because you have to have enough room to drive onto it straight and need to tie everything down. 3. You may need auxiliary wiring for tail/back up and turn signal lights, depending on length of the car. Some states require lighting if the vehicle extends more than 3' from taillights on the dolly. I wired my vehicle to accept a plug-in for lighting. I towed once with external lights and did damage paint. 4. Must have brakes on the dolly, depending on weight. I would guess that vehicle is heavy enough to require them. 5. The biggest thing for me was parking. Many, many of the RV park spaces were not long enough for my 36' DP, tow dolly and toad. I always had a hassle with that. 6. If you can't tow 4 down, then a dolly is the way to do it. I never had a sway issue because the hitch was installed properly at right height for towing,763Views0likes0CommentsRe: Air brake issues
I had this happen to me on my 2001 Newmar Kountry Star w. Cummins on a Freightliner chassis. What I found out was the microprocessor for the rear air tank became faulty and caused the guage to go to zero, setting off my alarm and scaring the ----- out of me. it would return to normal pressure and do it again and again. Freightliner replaced the processor. When I took it to Freightliner, I had 90000+ on the odometer. When I picked my rig up, it had 46000 on it. The problem was that the microprocessors for the rear air tank, dash and engine (where mileage is stored) miscommunicated and put 45000 on the odometer. Neither Freightliner or Cummins could legally restore the mileage because of federal regulations. Solution? Sticker on door noting to add 44000 miles to the reading on the odometer. Both techs knew how and could fix the problem but legally could not because they didn't want to loose their license. Know and check your mileage before leaving the facility.329Views0likes0CommentsRe: Selling RV, urgent help needed on proper process California
I recently sold my DP MH on RV Trader. You need to make sure that you immediately, by computer, fill out a release of liability form on the DMV website. You possibly will have to do a smog test before reregistering it. I just found out that diesel propelled vehicles now have to have a smog test upon sale. I have no idea where that is done at. If I were you, I would go to DMV with the new owner to ensure immediate xfer. If not, that release of liability is very important. hope it helps Lee647Views0likes0CommentsRe: How To Tear Off Your Truck Camper Jack Made Easy
I had a 36' Diesel MH and I tried to turn into a gas station pump lane one day. Could not see the 3' pole protecting the pump and managed to trash two storage bay doors on the left side. My fault! My mirrors are adjustable and I should have aimed the left one down to see the pole. Unfortunately, I was distracted by a 4 wheeler not allowing me to enter the lane. Still, my fault and I paid the $2500 repair price. I must say that I paid much closer attention to my surroundings after that!521Views0likes0CommentsRe: Air brake problem
Don't quite understand what you are saying. I have the air brake connection from MH to toad. I really like it, but a couple of things to be careful about, if yours is like mine. Make sure that the air cylinder is properly connected to the brake pedal. Improper connection caused the warning light to come on several times for me, till I figured out what was wrong. Make sure the device is not upside down or it won't work right. Air hose not properly connected between MH and toad. No brakes at all on the toad. Instructions say to test the brakes after you connect for the day. This entails my wife pumping the brake pedal in the MH while I observe the action of the connection in the toad. A very smart thing to do each time you connect because you will stop a problem before it starts, or you get on the road and find it not working right. Oh, yes! Don't forget to hook the air hose to the cylinder after installing it in the toad. Brakes won't work if you forget this little detail. Like I said, I really like this braking device and other than operator error, it works great. Good luck.299Views0likes0CommentsRe: Fifth wheel Hitch troubleshooting
Just a thought...are you backing under the kingpin and then lowering it? Or are you backing into the kingpin, lowered so that your TV raises the 5er slightly when you back? I found that backing into the kingpin will cause the hitch to completely snap shut securely. Think about it...that is how truckers do it. I would back until the pin was about to engage, hook up my power connector and set the brake on the 5er, along with wheel chocks to hold it steady while engaging the kingpin. Hope this helps.59Views0likes0CommentsRe: Freightliner Odometer
I had a fault with a rear air tank sensor (micro-computer) and when I picked the rig up from Freightliner in Sacramento, CA I found the odometer has 43,000 less than when I took it in. The tech couldn't explain why it happened, but stressed that federal regulations prohibit adjusting odometers. He was able to get the correct mileage from the main computer and deducted the present odometer reading from it and posted the difference on the entry doorpost. It is frustrating because I understand why no messing with the odometer, but, gollie, I wanted to PUT 43,000+ miles back on, not take it off.1.5KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Double Towing Length Laws
Just because you haven't been caught yet does not make it legal. Some considerations: 1. Know what states don't allow it before entering that state. 2. What happens if you are stopped? Ticket or make you disengage the extra trailer???? Some states may well make you drop the offending trailer. What then? 3. Have you checked to see what your insurance carrier has to say about illegally towing if you wreak. You may "flout" a law, but eventually it will come back to bite you. Those states not allowing double RV towing do have their reasons. It is not up to you to decide, it is their right to dictate their standards to drivers within their jurisdiction. By the way: I don't know of a state NOT allowing double towing that will allow you to tow double there because your state allows it. My biggest concern is that your insurance company may well refuse to cover a collision because you are towing illegally in a state prohibiting double tows.696Views0likes0Comments
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