RE: Arizona....for the 1st time!
Ontario, I’ve wanted to go back there for years. My uncle had a hunting/fishing lodge at Lake Restoule and I visited there when I was 9 years old. A long time ago, back in the late 40’s. Arizona’s a big state with a wide range of elevations and weather and sights to see. At that time of year, the northern portion at the higher elevations will likely have snow and very cold temperatures. The southern portion may be cold at night, but daytime will seem like spring to you. There’s a lot to see around the Phoenix and Tucson areas, posters have mentioned a few and you can get a ton of information off the net. In the Tucson area some suggestions might be Tombstone and Bisbee, Kitt Peak National Observatory, the Biosphere 2, and Saguaro National Park. The Verde Valley, with Prescott, Jerome and Sedona would be worth the trip, too. They’re about 5000’ so they may have snow. And if you go along the Colorado River, Laughlin might be a good place to stop and gamble. Unless you want to go off the beaten path, the roads are generally good two lane roads. The only ones that immediately come to mind that you may not want to take your DP on are hwy. 90 into Bisbee proper from the north, 89A from Flagstaff to Sedona through Oak Creek Canyon and through Jerome itself, and hwy. 88 from Tortilla Flat to Roosevelt Lake, east of Phoenix. Hwy. 60 through Salt River Canyon is entirely doable in your rig, but if you don’t like switchbacks and big drop offs you may not like the drive. You won’t even be on that road, though, unless you come into Phoenix from the east through Showlow. In any event, I hope you have a memorable trip.
RE: Towing MPG
The mileage doesn’t sound right to me. I have a similar combo, a 2001 F-150 5.4 with a 3.56 rear end and a 16’ sub 3000# loaded TT. I looked back at my records and my mileage is much better and I don’t know what to attribute the difference to. Solo at high speed on the freeway I get somewhat over 18mpg. Over thousands of miles pulling my TT I have gotten from a low of 10.6 to a high of 17.2 on individual tanks. But my overall average is 13.7. Being in the west a great deal of my towing is in the Rockies and I only drive freeways when there are no secondary roads to take. So my driving speed is mostly in the 50-60 range, but I also do a lot of serious climbing. Even on the freeway my max is 65. One 2000 mile all freeway trip I made east I did average 13.8. If you didn’t have a computer feeding you mpg I’d think you just didn’t have enough history to get good numbers, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. You didn’t mention your rear end ratio and that could be a factor, but it wouldn’t explain that amount of difference. I’d try slowing down and see what that does to your mileage; wind resistance is a major player. If the mileage were still bad at a slower speed I’d start wondering if I had brakes dragging or some other mechanical glitch
RE: What size/weight trailer?
You need the information other posters mentioned. Also keep in mind that any weight added to your TV beyond a 150# driver will come off the published tow rating. And use the GVWR of the TT in your calculations, not the dry weight. It's likely hundreds of #'s understated and no one pulls an empty TT around.
RE: Durango Co.
The gold standard of train rides in my view although I haven't yet taken the Cumbres-Toltec. Well worth the price. I've taken it 3 times, twice with my granddaughters because that's where they wanted to go, every trip in the open cars. There are a couple of nice USFS campgrounds in the area, one north of Durango and one closer to the west. Sorry I can't be more specific, I'm in OK and my records are in Phoenix.
RE: Is a 32 foot travel trailer too long?
If you stay in commercial parks and well developed sites for big TT's in the national parks you won't have a problem. Also, the max in Arizona state parks is 35' and I believe it's 30' in California. The 30' area is only a problem if you like the mountain and more remote national forest sites. Then it gets very difficult to manuever both the roads in and the campgrounds. One could camp on the perimeter, I think, but it would be risky to try to go back into the area. It's basically a trade off of size and the flexibility to go wherever you choose and you have to find the balance point that satisfies you.
RE: Newbie to travel trailers
Be careful of those weights, any weight beyond a 150# driver that you add to the TV will come off of the published rating. Also, the dry TT weight is quite often hundreds of #'s heavier than the sticker. So your real capacity is reduced on both ends. It's best to use the GVWR rather than the dry weight in your calculations. Since you're a newbie, another thought - decide where you want to camp and be sure you can get the TT you want in there, once you get near 30' there are a lot of places you won't fit. It's not an issue if you camp in well developed campgrounds, but it may be if you like the more remote areas.
RE: Gas Mileage towing 18' hybrid with Hyundai Santa Fe 3.3
It's been my observation that a big engine loafing along will get much better mileage than a small one working very hard, as your's seems to be. I think it's the price you pay for the good mileage you're getting solo and I doubt it will improve as it breaks in. Sellers are notorious for overstating what a TV can comfortably pull as many on the forum can attest.
RE: Rules to remember (serious)...
"WHS wrote:
$20.00 for a map and a compass is considerably less of an investment, and will run for years without needing a recharge"
I think what the poster was saying was that if you know how to use a map and compass you will find your way out, whereas a machanical gadget may fail you at the critical moment. 90% of my traveling and back country trips predate GPS and cell phones. I now have both, but I still prefer a map and compass if I'm way back in the boonies.
RE: Rest Areas
I can't imagine anyone wanting to stay in a rest area, especially in the west where you have many other options. Most I'm familiar with are overnight only, no camping allowed. A very few times I have seen the HP run people out of a rest area who had been there for days, but they were, without exception, panhandling for "gas or vehicle repair" money.
RE: How much "stuff"?
Mind boggling how much******some people drag around "camping". The worst I've seen was some tent campers who had a full sized living room sofa in their pickup bed. And I don't even carry a radio, talk about naked.
RE: 2000 viking pop up questions
If you can get the model, someone on the forum may be able to help you with the weight. Or you may be able to find it online. You don't want the published dry weight, it's usually understated and noone tows an empty trailer around. You want the GVWR. Whether you can pull it with a 6 depends on the weight and to some extent the TV rear end gear ratio. I pulled a light PU with 4 different vehicles, the smallest a 302 V8, and I never needed sway control or wd.
RE: Propane detector going off
I would probably leak check all the fittings for leaks before I assumed it was something beneign. I don't recall ever having false alarms, but they can happen.
RE: Long Trip Suggestions
I've made a lot of those 3-4 week trips with a PU. I checked both the PU and TV to make sure everything worked and all maintenence was done. I carried an extra spare tire and a wheel bearing because that seemed to be the weak point on my old '77 Coleman PU. I also carried some small repair parts, like bulbs, connectors and wire and a few simple tools, including a voltage tester. I didn't carry much food, I'd get it in the local area before I got into the expensive tourist areas. I took a weeks clothes and would hit a laundromat when I needed to.
I did lose a starter solenoid once in Mesa Verde and a generator in Raton, NM, but you can't anticipate mechanical breakdowns. Just try to be prepared for the nuisance problems you might encounter and enjoy the trip, odds are you won't have any problems at all.
RE: Rockies and Sierra National Forest camping -
I've camped in the nf's since dirt was young and have always been able to find a spot. Some of the popular ones with the metropolitan crowd may fill on a weekend, especially a long weekend, but you can then use the disbursed camping. The only time it gets iffy is if there is a high fire danger, then they may restrict camping, but that's not common.
RE: Newbie - recommendations on FW capacity and more
I have the same, but older vehicle and I once looked at FW's. I finally discarded the idea and went with a TT because I thought the 1/2 ton was borderline for practically any FW I found, they tend to be heavier than a TT. If you camp in a site with hu's, the water issue is moot. If you boondock, you'll find refilling your tank for daily showers will consume your day unless you have massive tanks. I think most boondockers use the cg showers or they take sponge baths, or at least brief navy showers. I'm not home and don't recall my tank capacity, but it's a 16' so it's not large. But it will last me near a week unless my granddaughters are with me, then I'm constantly refilling it.
RE: Should I get a 3.55 or 3.73 axle ratio?
I pull a 3000# loaded TT with an F150 5.4 and 3:55 gears. I get over 17 mpg solo at high speed,i.e, 80mph on the freeway and an average of 14 towing. I pull mostly in the Rockies and it does fine with that weight, but if I were pulling a 5000-6000# TT a 3:73 would be the minimum I would want. With a smaller engine I think the 3:55 is a no go for towing.
RE: What's the most miles you've covered in a day?
I'm somewhat embarressed to say that my record drive was back in the 60's when I drove 2000+ miles from Arizona to Ohio in something like 34 hours. I think that predated the interstates, the only freeway I remember was the Oklahoma turnpikes. A lot less traffic then, though. I would not even remotely consider something like that today, it was nuts, but I do routinely make 1000 mile runs to Oklahoma to see my granddaughters in 16-18 hours. Of course, that's all solo. The longest straight-thru run I've made towing was pulling a PU from Crater Lake to Phoenix, probably 20 years ago. I don't recall how long it took, I'm in OK and my records are in Phoenix.
RE: How long will trailer battery last?
I routinely get almost a full week out of my battery. I use only one light unless I temporarily need more for cooking, etc. And I leave the water pump off if I'm not planning on using water for awhile.
RE: Looking at 2001 Nomad, need input
Skyline seems to have a good reputation on the forum. If you're new to RVing, the only suggestion I have is think about where you want to camp and check to ensure you can get the unit that you want in there. Once you get near 30' you run into some limitations where you can fit. A big plus, I think, to have a strong enough TV that weight isn't an issue. I'm partial to Northwood, but they tend to be on the heavy side.
