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RE: Folding up a damp PUP
I have sheets of plastic (stored under my mattresses) which I will use to cover the mattress when I have to close the PUP when wet. As soon as I'm home again (even if it's raining at home too) i re-open my PUP.
Ditto. I'll also cover the mattresses before we leave if the weather forcast looks like rain. We've also permanently attached the ends of the tenting to the ends of the bunk slide-outs as done on Starcrafts and 04 and up Colemans. That helps keep the bunks dry too.
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PopUpTom
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11/26/09 07:22am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Can a Highlander pull a folding trailer?
The tow package on the V6 Highlander increases the tow limit to 3500lb (from 2000lb if I recall correctly). To find out if you have the tow package, a clue is the blue trailer harness module. It's located near the spare tire, at about 11 o'clock when looking from the back bumper. If you don't have one, you likely don't have the upgraded alternator, radiator, and secondary transmission oil cooler which is all part of the package.
As far as a woman handling one alone, an 8', 9' or 10' box should be fine. I think the Sedona mentioned above is a 9'box, and is a good choice for a small family. I have a 12' box, and I know my wife wouldn't like to handle it by herself.
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PopUpTom
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11/19/09 02:31pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Dry Camping in a PUP in Cold Weather - Lesson Learned
One more tip concerning the sleeping bag I learned tent camping in Ontario: cram the sweat pants and sweat shirt down in there too. It's nice to have pre-warmed clothes to put on when you first crawl out of the sleeping bag to get the fire going. I didn't mention socks, as those don't come off the feet when it's that cold.
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PopUpTom
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11/16/09 05:01pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Installing Roof Rack - Coleman ABS Roof
I installed the factory kit on my 02 Sun Valley. The kit has everything you need plus pretty good instructions. The plastic is very easy to drill through - be aware of what's below it when you do so. I deviated on the mounting positions by moving the mounting points back and changing the spacing between bars to "nest" my cargo box between them. I didn't want to have weight of bikes, etc that far forward. I already have a high (loaded) tounge weight. For your model though, the forward mounting position would be fine as the axle is farther forward relative to the front of the roof (We have the same 17' frame, but I have a 12' roof, you have the cargo box and a 10' roof)
Mounting the roof rack is not going to void the warranty, I've read that it helps strengthen the roof's tendancy for side to side spread.
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PopUpTom
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11/05/09 06:53am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: salt water corrosion ?
Just a few days at the beach, I don't think there will be a problem. I would be just as concerned with rust over several years though.
I'm pretty familiar with the Coleman trailers, and I see you have a 2007 Bayside. I recall at least 1 new 2005 Coleman that had so little paint on the frame, that it was sprayed with 3 cans of Rustoleum before the customer picked it up. I'd invest the time and money if I was concerned about the lack of frame rustproofing from the factory. Don't be concerned about the bunk-ends as they are made up of wood, aluminum and galvanized or painted braces and hardware.
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PopUpTom
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11/04/09 11:12am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: AC Water Leak
We had a Starcraft before our current Coleman and appreciated the front and rear gutters on the Starcraft. All I did was use a piece of string from the gutter to the ground. The water follows the string away from the camper. One piece of string can go from one side, through the gutter, and down to the other side. This leads the water away in either direction (as the wind direction varies). Just throw the string away when breaking camp.
I use the PVC "gutters" on my Coleman, but sure miss the string.
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PopUpTom
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11/04/09 10:54am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Awning bag flapping around
I have the same 12' awning and the only time I have had that problem is in extreme wind gust conditions. Most of the time, it is not an issue. I'm thinking that to avoid the condition, the bottom of the bag should be flat as possible to the side of the roof, and the bag should have the usual amount of weight in it. I store my cross-poles on top of the rolled up awning before I zip the bag closed. I don't know why you have a problem and I don't
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PopUpTom
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10/28/09 06:54am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Stereo System in PUP
Since we're talking about radios... I just spotted a JVC at BestBuy.com for about $110 that has an HD tuner built-in, CD/mp3/etc player, mp3 input, and USB input (I like the ease of having tunes loaded on a flashdrive) Can't beat that value with a stick!
Radio Deal
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PopUpTom
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10/21/09 06:56pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Weight distribution bar with a large Pop Up?
Correct Guest, my loaded tongue weight is over 300#. The second propane tank and 2 bikes on the roof combined with packing the floor space inside really adds up.
I had a buddy who really loaded up their Utah (2005?) being pulled by a Suburban of about the same year. He saw benefit in the use of his 2-bar WDH.
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PopUpTom
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10/20/09 03:22pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Weight distribution bar with a large Pop Up?
I also use the single bar 400 WDH. I would recommend one. My Highlander rear didn't sag that much, but the weight transfer with the WDH made a big difference in handling and the sway dissappeared - I no longer use the sway bar.
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PopUpTom
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10/19/09 06:54am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Cargo Box -- Yakima vs. Thule
I have the Kargo brand hard clam-shell that mounts on my cross-bars. It was given to us by a neighbor. I've seen others at garage sales, even placed on the street for garbage pick-up.
I relocated the strap attachment points on the bottom of the box to better hold the box to the x-bars. All the weight of the box is on the x-bars - no roof contact.
I would not trust it to be water-proof, so I place contents in trashbags to keep items dry.
I had my eye on a pre-owned Thule of the same size, but the owner wouldn't come below $300 for it.
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PopUpTom
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10/15/09 07:09am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Big screen tv mounted to the ceiling?
Our 95 Stardust had 2 good braces going side to side in the roof. I guess to help support the A/C. I wouldn't have any reservations about supporting weight from those braces - once the roof supports were OK. By Ok, I mean having C-channel braces around the telescoping supports like Jayco, etc. does for their roofs. Go for it!
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PopUpTom
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10/05/09 06:06pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Hitch locks
This is what I use, I picked it up for about $25 at Walmart, Lowes or Home Depot:
http://www.homedepot.ca/wcsstore/HomeDepotCanada/images/catalog/15850.377DAT_3.jpg
I like it as it has no rod to simply cut through, the key and lock are not facing the ground (muck and water) and it has a drag-pad on the bottom which can take a lot of abuse, but still fully function.
I've had to grind on the black Gorrila versions, and found the metal soft and cast-like brittle. Easy to cut or break as noted above. Plus they wanted about $55 when I was shopping them.
I also have a corded grinder like the one mentioned in the post above. It is so loud, I'm sure I'd wake up the neighborhood if I used it in the middle of the night. Based on my experience cutting & grinding, it would take about 10 min. to cut enough away on the Masterlock to break it apart with such a tool. It wouldn't be a quick and stealthy job.
If I had to leave my camper at a desolate storage lot, I'd probably bring the spare wheel and one of the axle wheels home with me. That should take too much planning and effort for thieves to steal it.
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PopUpTom
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10/05/09 03:27pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Leak with hard rain???
Yeah Mike, exactly what I was thinking. We need to know if the roof is up or down. I have some thoughts if the leak happens with the roof up. What year is the camper? The 1999 differs from the 2004 model.
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PopUpTom
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09/28/09 05:27pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Bike rack...would this work ?
I had welded a receiver mount to the rear of my SunValley frame and bumper. The camper has significant tounge weight enough to call it ballanced with bikes on the back BUT, I felt noticeable sway as well - even with a sway bar. That big glob of weight so far back from the axle has a noticeable effect. Our bikes ride on top of the camper now.
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PopUpTom
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09/25/09 12:07pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Getting power to pup from tv
A little emphasis and explanation on what Mike listed above.
"and a key activated solinoid"
You don't want that much current going through the ignition switch as it will eat up the ignition switch contacts. That can leave you stranded on the side of the road with a car that starts, but won't run - I speak from experience. Powering a solenoid as Mike suggests to power the charging circuit will add a minimal amount of current to the ignition switch. This is common practice for other high current items on the vehicle like headlights, starter, etc.
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PopUpTom
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09/25/09 11:51am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Fleetwood/FTCA Roof Warranty Question - Part 2
Ace!;
You didn't mention when you bought the trailer. The warranty starts the day you pull the camper off the lot, not what year/month it was made. Was your year really up when you called the dealer about the roof?
If your time was up, the roof could be repaired. I'll bet the weight of the water has pulled the inside layer of the roof away from the middle layer/structure. This could be fixed with holes drilled throught the layer and adhesive pumped between layers. Several plastic push fasteners in a nice pattern would hide the holes.
But first the external flaws have to be found and sealed. Just a hairline crack in the caulking will suck in an unbelieveable amount of water. I'm not familiar with the 06 roof, but if it has the seam in the middle - leave it alone! Your leak is somewhere else - likely in any roof-rail system for roof mounting of accessories. That was a big problem in the new '04 and up roofs.
Good luck.
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PopUpTom
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09/19/09 06:13am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Filling water tank
The screen is supposed to point outwards. The stem of the valve is supposed to prevent water from flowing out of the camper, but let it flow into the camper's water system when hooked to "city" pressurized water.
As Mike notes above, the city water connection won't fill the fresh water tank, that has to be done through another port on the side of the camper.
On older PUPs without an electric pump, the faucet had to be pushed down to get city water, or pumped up and down to suck water from the fresh water tank. You probably have a flip-over galley, which will show the two water hoses connected to the underside of the faucet. One goes to the city line, the other to the fresh water tank. It could be that the faucet itself isn't working but there's water pressure in the system.
If you remove the city water line from the faucet (carefully so you don't break the faucet) you should get a good spray of water when you turn on the garden hose. This is a two-man job with bucket and towels. I can hear it now: "Honey, turn it off! turn it off!"
P.S.
If you're going to attemp to remove old hoses without breaking anything, heat them up good with a hair dryer. That will make them much more flexible and easier to remover or install.
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PopUpTom
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09/19/09 05:37am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Filling water tank
Pop off the screen-washer and behind it will be the check valve. It should be free to jiggle a little.
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PopUpTom
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09/17/09 06:02pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Leaky Roof
You wouldn't believe how much water can be sucked through a small slit. I'll bet it's a sealing issue on the roof vent.
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PopUpTom
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09/08/09 07:19pm |
Folding Trailers
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