| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
RE: Learn How to Read Maps Not GPS
While we don't look as bad as the Skoda with 14 GPS units visiable, we do have multiple sources of info on the go. There is the 'stuck on the windshield' GPS but there is also MS S&Ts with GPS sitting on a tray in front of the passenger seat that is useful for giving the 'bigger' picture of where we are & other options. S&Ts also serves as the 'paper' map but within reach is the trusty Walmart Rand McNally. Last but not least is the 'seat of the pants' navigation system which processes information from the vehicle compass, the time of day, the sun & landmarks.
If all this stuff should ever fail the final backup is the VHF Ham radio which would be used before trying 911.
|
Veebyes
|
12/30/09 07:04am |
General RVing Issues
|
|
RE: Converter Problem
Assuming you have wet cell batterys, 5 years is pretty old & it would not be surprising if you have a dead short inside the battery causing the converter to overload & shut down.
Get yourself a battery load tester, a worthwhile tool to have onboard anyway, & check the battery bank. $40 or so at any auto store.
If you want to upgrade the system look at multistage inverter chargers as already suggested. Also do some research on battery types.
Wet cells are cheap but they do not have the usable life span of AGMs. Also wet cells should be topped up at least once a month during storage. AGMs can be left completely unattended for 3 months easy losing very little charge. AGMs are also much quicker to accept a charge meaning that a genny need not be run as long to charge batterys if drycamping.
Just extra things to think about if you find that battery & converter are cooked. Now may be a good time to upgrade.
|
Veebyes
|
12/30/09 06:43am |
Fifth-Wheels
|
|
RE: $200 to clean fiver and roof?
$200 for just a wash may be a little much. I can wash my 34 top to bottom in less than a couple hours.
Waxing is another issue. That can be a 2 day affair, even with the Makita variable speed polisher. A 2 coat process, first with a cleaner/wax then a good sealant/wax.
|
Veebyes
|
12/30/09 06:20am |
Fifth-Wheels
|
|
RE: Do buy local or drive to save money?
I don't understand this obsession with getting an RV dealer to work on the RV.
I needed trailer axels realigned. Took it to a trailer & truck shop.
I needed a little fiberglass work done. Had it done in a boatyard.
Problems with a solar panel. Used a mobile RV guy who came to me. He had everything in his trailer to deal with most any RV problem.
Most things I deal with myself.
Had a trailer brake problem during a trip. Pulled into a small town mom & pop type garage & we were in & out in less than 1/2 hour.
Who needs a dealer!!
|
Veebyes
|
12/30/09 06:03am |
Fifth-Wheels
|
|
RE: Loooong drive
Y'all got alot more driving stamina than me.
Longest drive, car, was Toronto to just S of Baltimore. The kicker is that, without paying much attention during trip, we arrived within 4 minutes of estimated arrival time.
|
Veebyes
|
12/29/09 07:16pm |
General RVing Issues
|
|
RE: Do buy local or drive to save money?
Live in Bermuda, yes the island. Bought first trailer in Texas. Kept it in MD. Most work is done in a boatyard.
Second trailer bought in Colorado. Kept in MD. It will never go back to the dealer.
|
Veebyes
|
12/29/09 06:45pm |
Fifth-Wheels
|
|
RE: more batteries, generator or solar panel?
Every part is a link in the chain. If you want to run the 12V stuff & 110AC stuff with an inverter you will need ample battery power & to recharge that you will need a charger capable of doing the job quickly, if using a genny, or ample solar panels if you like to camp in the open.
I like to have the power available if I want it but I am careful with my use.
Our 32' boat has 5 grp31 gel cell batterys linked in 3 banks. Our last 5er had 6 6V batterys. We could go a week without charging with that.
I am also upgrading the current 5er for power. This is no cheap undertaking. The current 2 12V grp 24s just won't do it if we want live at the standard to which we have become accustomed.
Santa did not come to our house this year. In the spring the Easter Bunny is delivering 2 4D Lifeline AGM batterys, a 2kw/100amp inverter charger & a voltage regulator to upgrade the system in a big way.
Each 4D battery will deliver over twice the amps of a grp27 12V. This should get us near what the 6 6V gave us in the old trailer.
AGM batterys are more than twice the cost of a conventional wet cell however they are quick to accept a charge & have a service life 3 times the length of a wet cell. Being sealed there is NO maintenance.
|
Veebyes
|
12/29/09 05:41pm |
Beginning RVing
|
|
RE: fall colors BEST time
Peak time will vary a bit each year. We were in the Cape Breton area 1st & 2nd week of Oct then made our way S after that getting back to MD by the end of the month.
|
Veebyes
|
12/29/09 07:30am |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
|
|
RE: CG and Fireworks in Colorado 4th of July
Not on a lake but right next to CG, Boulder County Fairgrounds, Longmont. No need to leave CG. Everything went BOOM right above our heads.
Do you remember CG name?
It is the CG right on Fairgrounds property. Fireworks are set off on Fairgrounds property. CG was only about 1/2 full last 7/4.
|
Veebyes
|
12/28/09 03:48pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
|
|
RE: CG and Fireworks in Colorado 4th of July
Not on a lake but right next to CG, Boulder County Fairgrounds, Longmont. No need to leave CG. Everything went BOOM right above our heads.
|
Veebyes
|
12/28/09 08:09am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
|
|
RE: Dry Camping for two days and 12 volt batt
Why do RV manufacturers install so much 12V stuff, which we demand I suppose, then leave so little space for batterys?
My Alpenlite has room for two 12V group 24s on the tray. Useless!!! A bit of furnace use, lights & inverter powered stuff use & those batterys will be dead in no time.
I like having the power options available to me, even if we don't need it most of the time.
My marine based mind has me buying 2 Lifeline 4D AGM batterys.
They ought to do it
|
Veebyes
|
12/28/09 07:34am |
Beginning RVing
|
|
RE: Using cell phone while driving to be outlawed in B.C.
Here in Bermuda there seems to be a rule, especially applicable to the fairer sex, that requires one to get in the car, start it, get on the road then call somebody or text them. This rule applies to those riding motorbikes too. They ride with the phone shoved between an ear & helmet side.
The average seems to be at least every third driver is on the phone.
What are these people talking about that is so important that it cannot wait?
Granted, speeds here are much lower but traffic volume is much higher & roads are far narrower than anywhere in the US. Typically a road is only 20' wide. Absolutley NO shoulder. We drive inches away from bushes & stone walls on one side & inches away from traffic going the other way yet they are all yapping on the phone.
Unbelieveable! Cellphone use should not be compared to 2 way radio use where the communication is typically short & to the point. We have a hands free law too. Never heard of it being enforced.
|
Veebyes
|
12/27/09 02:07pm |
RVing in Canada and Alaska
|
|
RE: Information maps
BINGO! Thankyou.
|
Veebyes
|
12/27/09 11:02am |
Roads and Routes
|
|
Information maps
A few years & a couple laptops ago I had bookmarked a site that had downloadable in MS S&T & other formats information maps like Walmart, Lowes, low bridges, truck stops etc.
I've had a good online hunt but no luck in finding that site again, if it still exists.
Any ideas?
|
Veebyes
|
12/27/09 09:01am |
Roads and Routes
|
|
RE: Best route thru Baltimore Md.
JMO, but that whole BOS,NY,PHL,BAL,WASH corridor is best done at 30,000' with somebody else driving.
However, if stuck on terra firma, how about a trip down the Delmarva & across the CBBT to avoid at least the Baltimore Washington vehicular washing machine?
|
Veebyes
|
12/27/09 08:40am |
Roads and Routes
|
|
RE: macerators
Check a marine supplier, such as www.defender.com , for a greater variety of choices in macerators, & a bunch of other RV things too.
|
Veebyes
|
12/26/09 06:23pm |
General RVing Issues
|
|
RE: Who is behind the wheel?
Part of the deal before we bought our truck & trailer was that she had to be prepared to drive...with the trailer.
The DW does just about everything. She does her share of towing but prefers to avoid the busy highways east of the Appalachians. She helps with the hookup & setup. She helps with the holding tanks. She helps with the washing & waxing of the truck & trailer. Giving me guidance reversing into a site I respect her judgement without question.
On the water she had had years of experience with our single engined inboard boats. She knows all the preparation engine checks, knows the navigation rules, knows how to run the boat, knows how to dock it, knows how to set lines without a word being said & knows how to set an anchor first time, every time.
All of this comes from a willingness to learn & trust in her capabilities.
The only thing she flat refuses to do is back into a site.
PS Don't any of you tell my DW that she could get away without doing alot of this stuff.
|
Veebyes
|
12/26/09 09:39am |
Fifth-Wheels
|
|
RE: Blizzard in Nebraska
Post pics of what?? White!!!!
Nice & toasty here in Bermuda. Thinking of doing some yard work tomorrow. Hedges need trimming again.
|
Veebyes
|
12/25/09 08:07pm |
General RVing Issues
|
|
RE: Lippert frames...........
Some of the problems are easy to see, easy to prevent & easy to fix.
I may have mentioned it some time ago but all lippert frame owners should check their frames right above the spring hangers.
After only 15K miles my 06 Alpenlite 34RLR Ltd had cracks above 4 of the 8 spring hangers. The trailer was lost last May to a blowover.
As luck would have it we bought another Alpenlite, a 'bluecollar' version, 34RLR. This time, knowing the Lippert weakness, I demanded, & got @ no charge, that the frame be reinforced above the spring hangers with plates welded on over the area.
This is an easy fix & I really don't know why Lippert would not reinforce these areas during the manufacturing process for all of their trailers.
|
Veebyes
|
12/25/09 08:52am |
Fifth-Wheels
|
|
RE: RV superstore
Don't limit yourself to stores with 'Camping or RV' in the name.
Lots of stuff RVs have is common to boats. Often a greater variety can be found at a marine supply store, online or brick store.
My favorite is Defender.com which has a huge selection of fiberglass cleaners, galley, electrical & plumbing items. Also, if you are tired of cheap metal RV fasteners rusting away, get good quality Stainless Steel.
|
Veebyes
|
12/25/09 08:34am |
Fifth-Wheels
|
