naturist
Nomad II
Joined 18 years ago
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Re: Route suggestions Charleston, WV to Lancaster, OH
while I have taken both the I-77 to I-70 and the I-77 to US 33 routes often, I've never attempted to do so towing a rig that big. The only issue with US 33 that sticks out in my mind is at the Ohio River crossing, where the route takes a couple tight turns. Almost all of that route is 4-lane divided, but there are a couple stretches of 2-lane, which by themselves shouldn't be problems. If there's anyone with a better feel for that Ohio crossing, please speak up. The US 33 route is my preferred one, I just have never dragged that big of a rig.64Views1like1CommentRe: Maintenance for Silicone Roof Coating on EDPM
I put on Tropicool a year ago, including over some Eternabond on an EDPM membrane and got good results, There was one leak still, however, which I traced to the edge of one of the Eternabond strips, where evidently two coats of Tropicool did not manage to seal. It seems the Tropicool coating was repelled by something about the Eternabond edge, and left an uncoated seam. I used a silicone caulk I bought at Lowes to caulk over that edge, and it seems to have bonded well and stopped the leak. I have no clue why that one spot failed to coat, and no others have proven a problem, but you might want to watch out for a similar issue. The trailer lives most of the time in storage under some black walnut trees, and thus it is impossible to keep black stains completely at bay. But a soft brush and Simple Green does seem to work cleaning the Tropicool layer.40Views0likes0CommentsRe: Easiest path through the mountains?
Live in Virginia, family in Ohio, make the trip often. I have taken several of the available routes, and can second the I-64 recommendation. Any way you do it, there are grades reaching 6-7% or more. Remember to gear down on those to save your brakes for when you will need them. While US 33 and US 250 are both more scenic, they are not easier, especially with a camper in tow.50Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2005 Chevy Silverado 1500, 4.8 liter V8
Absolutely Not!!! valhalla360 is right, but not vigorous enough in saying "make a trailer unstable" IMHO. Understatement of the year there. Putting extra weight in the rear of the trailer all but guarantees out of control sway with a high likelihood of catastrophic sideways overturn wreckage. Don't do it. Ever. At the same time, it is important to understand what the extra 45 lbs means. It is not like there is a switch here and 45 lbs over destroys everything. When the manufacturer sets a spec like that, they are saying they guarantee it'll handle that amount, and that is their legal limit of liability. The law simply requires a line in the sand. It does not allow for the gray-scale that is reality. So the deal is this: the extra 45 pounds is meaningless other than that Chevy is off the hook and you are on your own should it come to a lawsuit. Your truck is marginally less safe, marginally overloaded, and marginally more likely to break. The difference is a fractional percentage. Whereas at 600 lbs, you are 99.999 percent safe (NOTHING being 100% safe), at 645 lbs, you are now 99.998 percent safe. You are more at risk of breakage from the age of the vehicle than from the 45 extra pounds. It is an older truck. It should be treated gently for that reason alone. So if the truck successfully drags that trailer to your first camp site, it'll be fine. Would I go out and buy such a truck for such a task? No. But in your situation, I wouldn't worry about it, either. I also wouldn't take on a 900 lb load. That's called daring fate to strike you down. With stuck out tongue and raspberries.26Views1like4CommentsRe: Streaming YouTube TV from iPhone using a lightening digital adapter
While I don't have YouTube TV, I have the same issue with both Netflix and Amazon Prime TV. The bottom tier subscription to both no longer works when I hook up to the TV, and conversation with tech support revealed that the "solution" was to subscribe to a premium service with one (don't remember which now) and cannot be done with the other. And yes, it definitely does suck, but there it is. We have been able to watch on the slightly bigger screen of an iPad, but neither the iPhone nor the iPad can display on the TV. And I refuse to encourage this crap by subscribing to the premium service for the sole support of a TV.184Views0likes0CommentsRe: 2025 GMC sierra 1500 4x4 towed behind motorhome
(1) There is no reason you can't use that switch on the ground side. Buy it, install it on ground at battery, and enjoy. You're welcome. (2) Vehicle MUST be in park and transfer case in neutral at all times while moving. I know a guy who failed to do that, left transmission in neutral as well, and his reward was needing a new transmission after the first such tow. The reason being that with the fluid couplings in torque converter (and elsewhere) there was just enough rotational force transferred to cause the transmission internals to rotate, albeit slowly, but without proper lube since the transmission fluid pump wasn't being rotated, that it burned up all the bearings in the transmission. Granted it wasn't a 2025 or a GMC, but the design of things and instructions were the same. (3) And yes, the truck stays in ACC mode the whole trip to keep the steering from locking up.136Views0likes1CommentRe: Lithium - Charging
While I am not an expert at the care and feeding of batteries, Will Prowse is, and he points out that LiFePO4 batteries have a BMS that requires them to charge to 100% in order to balance the cells. This is essential at least with some frequency lest the cells become unbalanced. One can argue that cycling them between 20% and 80% will give you the longest life, the fact that even the roughest use is likely to have them last 10 or more years, you are going to get your money's worth out of them. Will Prowse says cycle them between 5% and 100% all you want. The battery chemistry in you phone definitely does not like being charged to 100%, but the chemistry of those batteries in your camper is totally different.69Views0likes3CommentsRe: Just looking for info.
A little known fact is that circuit breakers weaken just a tiny bit every time they pop. If the previous owner popped the breaker often, perhaps that breaker is now so weak it pops well before it should. And it sounds like that may be the case here. I, too, have a trailer with a 30 amp hookup, and have never had an issue running the AC while using the microwave along with lights and other stuff. Perhaps a first step would be to replace that breaker. Because of your need for lots of power, you will have to stay in campgrounds with at least electric hookups. As others have pointed out, neither solar nor gas generator is going to save you money. Your best bet is to find a campground that offers seasonal or annual rates. These rates are usually not advertised, you'll have to ask for them. Good luck, happy hunting, and let us know what you find.44Views0likes2Comments
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