johninedmonton
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Driving Through San Francisco
Hi guys. Tomorrow we are heading into the San Francisco Bay area from the north. We want to stay at a RV park just south of San Francisco. The route the GPS puts us on has us go through the city, across the Golden Gate bridge. I'm worried about pulling the trailer across that bridge. Has anyone done it? Thoughts? Alternate routes or suggestions? Our trailer is 36' long.2.3KViews0likes9CommentsWe Have MOULD!!!
hi guys; We've been stuck on the west coast for the past 3 weeks. We've been in BC, Washington, and Oregon. I think we've had 1 or 2 days in 3+ weeks without rain. Yesterday we started to find mould everywhere. On the kids' pillows, on the window sills, and other places. Should this be typical? Has anyone else had this happen? We're fairly new to the lifestyle, so we don't know what to expect. If this were our sticks-and-bricks house, we'd be freaking out right now. My wife thinks we should expect this, given how wet it's been. Knowing her, she's probably right. But I'm wondering if we should be unhappy with our 2 year old trailer? (Sport Trek 320VIK by K-Z) Any advice would be helpful here, thanks. Also, if you've had experience with this type of mould... any suggestions on how to get rid of it? Any tricks on preventing it in the future? Thanks everyone!12KViews0likes14CommentsRe: Travel Tow Capacity for Ford Expedition EL
Tystevens wrote: intheburbs wrote: And lastly, the Excursion has a GVWR of 9200 lbs. Yet it only has a payload of 1350? Its curb weight is 7850? Seems a bit high to me.... If it is a diesel, it certainly could weigh 7800#. That PSD is a heavy drivetrain inside an already heavy truck. Yeah, that drivetrain is HEAVY. It's one of the reasons I picked it over the 3/4 Burb. The diesel power is lovely, and the extra weight will be helpful if the trailer ever wants to misbehave on the road. All of the safety equipment is great, but the laws of physics are pretty clear: heavy items push light items around. I like that my truck weighs as much, if not more, than my trailer. ( Plus, I have every piece of safety equipment I can lay hands on! ) Back to the OP though; I loved driving my Ex EL. Smooooth as silk; more comfy than my Lincoln or my Mercedes. A wonderful vehicle to drive.1.3KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Travel Tow Capacity for Ford Expedition EL
intheburbs wrote: Well, based on my data point of "one," I can say that as soon as I exceeded the door sticker numbers, stuff started to break. My half-ton Burb is on rear end number 4. I upgraded my trailer in 2010, thinking the half-ton could handle it. 1) 2010 - Spun the pinion bearing while vacationing. Spent 3 days in Youngstown, OH. 2) 2011 - Seized the rear end while vacationing. Spent 4 days in Mitchell, SD. 3) 2012 - rear end replaced under warranty, likely because of improper break-in. 2013 - bought the 2500 Burb. 2014 - beat the snot out of the 2500 on a 5300-mile vacation out West, including four wheeling and the Eisenhower Tunnel, and nothing broke. Folks can do whatever the heck they want. I'm simply sharing my experience with an almost-identical vehicle. 10-bolt semi-floater rears don't like excess weight and high temperatures. My friend, you've had LOUSY luck with vacations!1.3KViews0likes0CommentsRe: Stabilizing my Trailer
hddecker wrote: johninedmonton wrote: Thanks all. I currently have x-chocks on both sides, and I use the Andersen levellers. Not enough. I'm gonna need something more. I've heard good things about these, and the cost seems reasonable. http://www.campingworld.ca/shopping/item/universal-rv-stabilizer/34337 I'll put one under the back bumper, where the sway is coming from, and one along the side close to the wheels. That should help, if they performed as advertised. My other thought was to add scissor jacks just ahead of the wheels, if the x-chocks aren't solid enough. Thoughts? Those would be the ratchet straps that were referred to in a previous reply. You can buy a set of 2-2 1/2" ratchet straps at Costco for around $25. Where do you live in Edmonton. I grew up on the south side in the '50s. White Mud Creek was the go to place in the summer, be down there every day along with about another 100 kids. I grew up in the southside as well, but in the 80's. White mud creek was still a happening place. I live in St. Albert now.440Views0likes0CommentsRe: Travel Tow Capacity for Ford Expedition EL
In Alberta there are several companies that rent Suburban 2500s for the oil patch, and most of them have the HD tow package in them. They aren't consumer rentals, like budget, but oil patch supply companies. I know what I was driving. It was the best Suburban GM had to offer for towing.619Views0likes0CommentsRe: Travel Tow Capacity for Ford Expedition EL
I'm going against the grain here, and I'm going to have a lot of people climb all over me, but I don't trust the payload numbers posted by the manufacturer. Case in point. My 1/4 ton Expy EL had a payload of about 1700lbs. My 3/4 ton Excursion has a payload of 1350lbs. But it pulls sooooo much better, it handles the weight of my trailer and tongue far better. So what gives? I call BS on their numbers. Get the best truck you can. Make sure you're comfortable driving it, and the truck doesn't feel over worked under you. Test it. Drive it. Push it in controlled environments. Become one with your truck. Mod it as needed to make yourself and your family as safe as possible. You're the best judge of what's safe, not some sticker on the door. You'll know when you're out of your league; listen to your gut. If you get in too deep, pull over. Don't push yourself or the truck. You don't need to win a Darwin Award. For myself I handed back my Expy EL because it didn't feel safe enough. My Excursion does, and I've modded/upgraded it enough that I know it's the safest towing SUV I could possibly hope to put my family into. Last month I had to rent a 3/4 ton Suburban because I was having work done on my Excursion. Even with its 2000lb payload, it didn't feel as solid or safe on the road. But that darned sticker says otherwise! Remember, the best truck in the world can still have an inexperienced driver behind the wheel. That's really the biggest weakness of any truck, human error.471Views0likes0CommentsRe: Travel Tow Capacity for Ford Expedition EL
jaycocreek wrote: That 5.4L doesn't have enough muscle for the weight. It's sucks a lot of dead dinosaurs, and really works hard climbing big hills. And small hills too. The 5.4 has more ponies than the old 454 which was used in very large motorhomes and trucks. I can't believe how the RV mind set has changed so much. Then I'd say the 454 was wussy too! Pulling through the Canadian Rockies with my 5.4, we were having trouble climbing the mountains. We had to stop a couple of times to let everything cool down, and kept losing speed. It's frustrating being backed off to 60km/h with a long line of pissed off people stuck behind you,472Views0likes0CommentsRe: Stabilizing my Trailer
Thanks all. I currently have x-chocks on both sides, and I use the Andersen levellers. Not enough. I'm gonna need something more. I've heard good things about these, and the cost seems reasonable. http://www.campingworld.ca/shopping/item/universal-rv-stabilizer/34337 I'll put one under the back bumper, where the sway is coming from, and one along the side close to the wheels. That should help, if they performed as advertised. My other thought was to add scissor jacks just ahead of the wheels, if the x-chocks aren't solid enough. Thoughts?441Views0likes0Comments
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