RE: Off-road capable RVs
To the OP, if you are interested in a TT, a smaller single axle with a flip kit would be a place to start. There is a member profdant135 or something like that who tows a modified single axle fun finder behind a Toyota 4x4 and has managed to get to some very out of the way places.
This is a pic of my rig at the Racetrack in Death Valley over 50 miles in 4wd round trip
A bit off topic ... but I'm curious. Could our small (24 foot) Class C E450 motorhome make it to the Racetrack in DV??
FWIW, I've traveled offroad in/out for about 50 miles of heavy washboard with our MH in the OR outback. And I've went about a mile on a 4X4 roadbed in DV (consisting of 3" to 4" size rocks) in DV with our MH and it's rear duals and 10-ply tires all around.
Why is 4X4 needed for the trip to the Racetrack ... is it more a matter of tough tires and careful negotiating around some large rocks ... or is the additional traction from 4X4 actually needed due to sand, steep slopes, etc..? Or, is what's mostly needed is the additional ground clearance that some 4X4 RVs have?
I wonder if anyone has ever went to (and returned from!) the Racetrack with an E350 or E450 Class C motorhome?
I apologize for the questions - but just curious, since you've been there. :h
In general, the road is high clearance 2WD and not particularly difficult. We used to go out there in our old VW bus, and some years ago my brother and I went out there in my 2WD open diff Ford Ranger with no issues. It is not so much a traction issue as it is a rough road with some ruts, rocks, and short hills / whoops and narrower sections. Without knowing your specific RV, if your RV is not extra wide, has good ground clearance with good approach and departure angles as well as good breakover angles (shorter wheelbase), and you are competant at driving and manuvering you might be able to do it. Most class Cs I know of do not have what I would call good approach, departure or breakover angles. If you do go, make sure tires and spare is good, have an extra can of fix-a-flat, an air compressor, and can change a tire by yourself. Drive gingerly and avoid the rocks as much as possible, and if a section looks questionable, don't. A tow out will be exceedingly expensive.
Actual road conditions can vary significantly depending on recent weather and if the road has been serviced. Check actual conditions at Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells, or Scotty's Castle before setting out. Plan on it being an all day trip.
RE: Trailer novice here, can you help me plug in my TT?
Yes, both of those male plugs are 30A 120V. The top one, the one you have on your trailer is a variation called a "Twist Lock" 30A, while the bottom is just a standard 30A. The reason it is called a "Twist Lock" is you litteraly plug it in and give it a little "twist to lock" it in place, where the standard 30A plug could potentially be pulled out. Having the twist lock on the trailer is a means of securly connecting the shore power cord to the trailer. I had never seen one of these either before my inlaws bought their TT which had this same connection, my TT has the permanent cord like your other TT.
Yes, a longer version of the third picture is what you need, but it needs the screw on collar like the yellow cord pictured.
RE: What effect is Sequestration having on the parks?
I don't think it's a decrease in their funding, it's a decrease in their proposed increase.
Next, I think the NPS waste percentage is probably around 20% so they should be able to absorb this with no noticable change.
My third opinion is that this is all hype to panic the public and encourage more wasteful spending.
Having said all that, is their any reason the NPS shouldn't be self supporting ( at least in their tourist business)?
No, it is not a decrease in the proposed increase, funding levels have been stagnent since the Budget Control Act of 2011. We have been on continuing resolutions that keep the government at the same funding level since then.
The other issue most people don't understand is the "Color of money". Money oblogated for certain things CAN NOT be re-obligated for something else easily. It quite literally takes an act of congress. Sequestration is across the board cuts, every line item. So while the total amount of cuts is small compared to the overall budget, the impact can be significant because of the color of money. When budgets are created, the employee salary line item is set and there is really no excess, so in order to reduce that line item, you have to reduce employee hours, period. And you can't just take funds from a non critical program and fully fund something more critical, like employees. So overall, a department may be able to absorb a cut without affecting the public, they are not allowd to shift funds around to accomplish that. The FAA was a perfect example of this. They had money unused in other pots, but it took an act of congress to give them permission to move that money to pay salaries and keep the towers fully staffed. This is why we are hearing about reductions in park service staff, closures, etc, while there are still programs to study Bison migration or whatever. Without specific permission, they CAN NOT move the money, and that permission has not been forthcomming.
RE: Fried A/C, 2 TV's and micro wave-my fault or electricians.
I am glad the owner is stepping up, this was a kludge on so many levels it isn't funny.
Previous poster mentioned all the visual clues, I'll add something else. The NEMA 10-30 dryer receptical, the one most commonly confused with the NEMA TT-30, has been against code since 1996. All undgrounded 220V have been against code for installation since 1996. So even if the electrician thought the owner was asking for 30A 220V, that should have been the very first clue. A proper 30A 220V is a 4 prong receptical!
RE: Help, fresh water won't fill all the way
To me it sounds like the vent tube is too long. It should be attached at the top of the tank, and not hang down inside. If it hangs down inside the tank, it will quickly get sealed and make it very difficult to fill.
RE: My wife can't decide, Please Help
Family of 5 with an occasional 6th. I like the booth. 3 kids sit on one side, 2 adults on the other and I pull up a stool on the end (I am the chef) Makes into a bed for the kids in less than 30 seconds. Storage under the benches is fully utilized, one being accessable via an exterior storage door. Works perfect for us.
As you can see, preferance depends a lot on intended use and number of people.
RE: Getting Expensive
I don't trust the 5-6 different dealers I called that said we would be more than fine to tow it with this vehicle. By the way, it amazes me that they would say that an expedition can tow a 7000lb dry weight trailer, even if they know I'm not buying from them. Is it that they truly don't know, when they should because they're the experts?
Problem is when manufactures create their tow ratings, it is for an ideal trailer. An ideal trailer is a 2 axle flat deck hauling lumber or concrete. Maybe a boat or a low profile enclosed box. These trailers have low center of gravity, low (or no) wind resistance, and about a 10% tongue weight.
So yes, an Expedition can tow a 7000 or even 8500lb trailer!! - as long as it is low, with no wind resistance, the load centered on the trailer axles, 10% tongue weight, and just the driver inside :)
If you have ever seen videos of manufactures towing tests, this is EXACTLY the set up you will see. A single driver pulling a flat deck with some heavy weighs strapped over the trailer axles. Hardly representative of what we want to tow!
A travel trailer is the OPPOSITE of ideal. High center of gravity with weight around the edges, very high wind resistance, requires a higher tongue weight of 13% minimum to keep stable, and usually a family is along for the ride.
Manufactures don't really explain the difference. Salesmen rarely understand this difference, and fail to realize just how much it affects how much can safely be towed. It is left to the customer to take the maximum number provided and back out all the other factors.
The numbers have been run enough times on half ton SUVs that the general concensus for a family of 4 to stick with a dry weight of 5000-5500 lbs which will also usually keep the length in check. and The weight numbers will pretty much always work out and not require excessive attention. Add family numbers or increase the dry weight and adjustments should be made.
My TT is 4045 dry. Add propane, batteries, water, food, stuff, and I am at around 5200-5300. I have 3 kids and a aunt that sometimes comes with us. My Expy has one of the highest half ton payload ratings at 1675lbs. With the 6 of us and a bit of stuff, I have around 850lbs left for tongue weight. So I could go a little bigger than my current trailer, but not much!
Congrates of the the big Ex!! You have made a good decision!!
RE: California Fire
Amazing - a picture is worth a 1000 words, and apparently 10,000 armchair quarterback assumptions!! (and you know what they say about assumptions)
This is a storage facility, so some of these owners are not even in town to try and hook up their RVs to move them.
This facility was near the start of the fire, and fires here move VERY quickly driven by 35mph winds with single digit humidity. The first indication these owners probably had was watching their rigs burn down on the morning news, if they were up that early. Fire started before 7am.
Not all the RVs at this facility burned, about half of them were saved, due to a bit of luck and the firefighters efforts.
Why were they not saving homes? Because this facility was one of the first things to go, and at that time the fire was not completely out of control and threatening communities.
It is a sad sight to see anyone lose something they have worked for. These people and everyone impacted by the fire will be in my prayers.
RE: Lake Cachuma, CA question
Interesting they take reservations now. Even First come we never had trouble getting a decent site, even on busy weekends. We like it and go at least once a year, but more for the proximity to Solvang than for fishing, and most of the sites are big and open. Our favorites are the ones that back up to the big grass fields and near the shower house. Casitas near Ojai is nice too.
RE: Ford and GMC to produce new 9 and 10 speed transmissions
It is in the name of efficency. All engines have a brake specific fuel consumption map, which plots how fast it uses fuel as a function of RPM and load (looks like a topo map). For the zetec in my focus, that is between 1500 and 3000rpm and 1/2 to 3/4 load. The more you can keep the engine in the zone of lowest consumption, the more effecency you squeeze out of it. More gears help to keep it there. The most ideal transmission for this is a CVT, but people seem to really dislike CVTs and in general do not buy them.
The other benefit would be only 1 rear end choice required with so many gears. I wonder if they are going to use some under/over inside the new transmissions to multiply the ratios
RE: rolling stones - if we dont, we're gonna blow a 50 amp fuse
Here is a bit of food for thought. On a 30A service limit it is not likely to matter, but if the RV is wired with any Multi Wire Branch Circuits, there is the potential to overload the neutral due to both sides now being fed from the same leg. :)
Will he not have a 30 breaker on the pedestal?
A 50A RV panel is similar to a home panel. 2 hot legs with 220 between them (single phase 220V) comes in to the panel. The neutral is centered between them (spliting the phase) giving 2 legs of 120V hot to neutral out of phase from each other for a total of 100A available at 120V. Often in homes, builders will use multi-wire branch circuits, which feeds 2 different circuits using the 2 hot legs and sharing the neutral wire. This works because the 2 hot legs are out of phase and thus neutral only carries the difference of the current. (Say 10A on 1, 12A on the other, the neutral carries 2A)
50A RVs may or may not have some of these MWBC, but since they save money in materials it is certainly possible. The problem arrises with the 50A-30A adapter. It feeds both sides of the 50A RV panel 120V from one leg of 120V (the 30A pedestal). So now instead of having 2 sides of 120V out of phase, both sides are on the same phase, and instead of carrying the difference of the current, the neutral carries the sum of the current (10A on 1 and 12A on the other, the neutral carries 22A), on wire that is likely 14AWG NM rated for 15A, while not exceeding the 30A breaker on the pedestal.
In all reality, I have never heard of this actually causing a problem, and it is unlikely, just something I was thinking about as I read the thread. :)
RE: Ford and GMC to produce new 9 and 10 speed transmissions
I guess they know something I don't. With the reasonably broad powerband of most gas engines it seems like overkill in my opinion. 6 gears seems to be a good number for keeping the engine in the powerband without being as complicated as 9 and 10 speeds. For diesels it makes more sense because of the narrower rpm band, though the current batch from the big 3 seems pretty good with 6 speeds as well. I suppose one thing it will do is give so many ratios only one rear end will be needed, heck they have almost done that with the 6 speeds. With gas engines especially, 9 and 10 speeds is almost a CVT, with more complexity.
RE: rolling stones - if we dont, we're gonna blow a 50 amp fuse
Here is a bit of food for thought. On a 30A service limit it is not likely to matter, but if the RV is wired with any Multi Wire Branch Circuits, there is the potential to overload the neutral due to both sides now being fed from the same leg. :)
RE: My 37 inch flat screen is an energy HOG!!!!!!!!!
Not all off brands are created equal. I bought a inexpensive 22" LED TV a couple years ago that was powered by a brick with 12v output. I modified it to plug directly into the 12v receptacle. It draws just over 2 amps, pulls in almost twice as many channels as the digital converter box it replaced, and has an excellent picture. It may not get as much use as many, but it has survived a couple cold Winters, some serious bouncing and jouncing, and even a severe power oops.
I did exactly this with 22" Insignia LED backlit LCD. It had a power brick that output 12V, so I bought a fused 12V power plug from Radioshack and the correct sized tip. I plug it in to the 12V power port and it works great. No issues with 14V when the converter is charging, and low voltage shut off seems to be around 10V. It is going on it's 4th year. Mounted on a 2 section arm with tilt, it can be positioned to be viewed anywhere.
There is definately some losses using an inverter and power brick. Cheap inverter is maybe 85%, and the power brick lets be generous and say 85%. So 0.85 x 0.85 = .7225 So if the TV uses 30W at 12VDC, you are pulling 42W due to the conversion process. That is 12W extra, or about 1A extra current, so an extra 1AH each hour use. Not a lot, but for someone like me with 2 batteries to last 3-4 days, every bit counts.
RE: 7.3 PSD Transmission question
So since the OP has a 2000, he should check. I was really surprised to discover this issue on my 04 tow package equipped Explorer. With no water/oil heat exchanger, the oil/air exchanger can't keep up when there is no airflow over it, like manuvering, backing up a hill, or pulling a slow mountain road, in other words when you need cooling the most you don't have it. And on the Explorer the oil / air cooler was not even out front but burried between the radiator and condensor. Twice mine got hot enough to leak past the front seal. Fortunately once it cooled it sealed back up. Initally I talked to a dealer, they wanted 800 to remove the trans just to find out why it leaked and stopped. That is when I started tracing lines and researching to figure out what was going on. Traded the Explorer when my family got too big, Expedition does not have this issue.
RE: 7.3 PSD Transmission question
Mark,
What years did not have the bottom of the radiator cooling loop? I remember reading about that while tracking down a concern with the Explorer I had at the time. My Explorer did not have the bottom of the radiator cooling loop, would get hot during manuvering and slow hills, and leak past the input shaft seal. I remember reading one of your posts stating some years of super duties had this issue as well. If OP has one like this additional cooling would be a good thing.
Daniel
RE: Finally Installed the correct TV mount
My TT did not come with a TV, or a mount, just a shelf over the dinette. I bought a smaller version of what is shown for the 22" I bought, and mounted it to to the outside upright of the pantry/wardrobe cabinet. Stowed it is resting on the shelf with a bungie to hold it in place. It can swing out and be viewed easily from the couch and 1/2 the dinette, or flipped and viewed from the double bed. It has worked out great.
RE: How to run TV off 12V?
Here are a couple suggestions.
1. Make sure the polarity of the adapter is correct for the TV. The tip is usually positive. My Radioshack 12V adapter that accepts any number of tips can be set either tip positive or negative. Make sure it is the same as what the tv requires.
2. Double check the tip and make sure both the Inner diameter and outer diameter are the same as the power supply. There are a lot of different tips and some are very close. I took my actual TV into Radioshack to be sure I got the right one.
3. Be sure the plug is fully going into the socket in the trailer. From what you describe, the TV not working on 12V adapter or inverter, this to me is the likely cause. For whatever reason, the ones in RVs are just slightly smaller than the standard ones in cars, and it can be hard to fully seat the plug. I know I have to push pretty firmly to get mine in. Mine adapter has a led that lights up when pluged in. You can take the TV and 12V power cord out to your car and plug it in there and see if you get power.
There is no reason this should not work, it is exactly how mine in set up.
RE: How much 12v power is used by the fridge while running in LP mode?
Wow, sure seems to vary a lot! I have a 2 door dometic made in 2005 (specific model escapes me right now) and it does not use much power or propane. We got back from a camping trip last Friday and I did not feel like unloading everything, so I left it. 5 days did not lower the batteries much(2x6V GC2) much less make them dead, and it did not use a noticable amount of propane. My fridge has the switch for the heater whick I always leave off, and unless plugged in I leave the fridge in "gas" mode vs "auto" I also have installed a small 2W computer fan to circulate and tapped into the hot wire for the light. The fan runs constantly. Fridge has no problem maintaining temp in the safe range on my thermometer, even when it is warm outside. And it is not what I worry about using the most power in my TT.
