RE: Every hose I get leaks at the connections!!!
As has been mentioned... Pick up a 90 degree elbow at an RV store. If the hose hangs straight down from the side of the TT it takes all the stress off of the connectors. Have always used one and never had a leak...
That and a good set of pliers.
these 2 and a good washer-preferable the softer rubber, not the hard plastic ones. the better it compresses/forms to the hose end, the better the seal.
RE: Pays to NOT assume (LP sales)
I never fill anything BUT an empty tank and TEND to find a specialty place that JUST sells LP gas for my fills. Usually they're lower priced than places that sell LP as one of hundreds or thousands of items.
I normally only fill empty tanks. I'm one of those that does not use my regulator in the auto mode. i empty 1 tank, switch over and know sometime soon it's time to fill the empty. May be more of a pain at times but i've never been surprized with 2 empty tanks and since i do not check the regulator on a reg basis this method works for me.
prices for 30# lp fill
do it best(closeing) $30.49
Ace $38.51
CW @$3.59 LB $26.89
these are all totals, tax included
Pays to NOT assume (LP sales)
Had a sad and a pleasant surprize yestersay. The local hardware store that I usually buy my needed hardware stuff and LP is closeing down. Was just in there a few days ago had no idea till i showed up with a couple of tanks to get filled. Not only were they the cheapest(that i knew of) but the mngr is an old friend-hate to see it happen. Figured I'd have to start going to ACE which for a 30 pounder was $8+ more(ouch). Well since I had to go past CW/Crystal valley rv i'd stop and see what they charged. Being CW, I just ASSUMED they'd be high. SURPRIZE, they were $4 cheaper than my buddie and $12 less than ACE. Not only that, but they sell it by the pound not a flat fee for a fill like the 2 hardware stores did it.
I'm old, I'm a cynic, and not too much surprizes me anymore-especially the prices at CW but my hats off to them. Just a reminder to NOT assume-take the time to find out for sure.
RE: Life without an air compressor.....don't get it
Can't beleive this hasn't been mentioned, re-charging the pressure tank on the well. Must not be that many "rural" people here.
Have always had one for that reason-first. even in the old days before most had one, the country people always did. most used to get their air at the (full)service stations when it was free. as a kid, was a 'townie' and we never had one, on the other hand, my in-laws always had one(50+yrs ago) and when we bought the house we got it, used it(for the well) and have since replaced it.
extra handy now, more tires and no free air anymore-hell no more full service stations either. also added a few nailers and impacts so it does get used. But when i was growing up and until after i was married, it was a rareity for someone to own one unless you had a real need, not a want for one, and most of those were the farm families in the surrounding area, or the guys that were in construction. Not until fairly recently have they become so common, and you'd be surprized how many people still don't own one-but they all seem to know who does :)
RE: shower
we use a little plastic milk crate looking thing maybe 8"x10" and 6" high to hold soap(in travel container) and shampoo, conditioner, and squeege(for walls)
don't even use the goofey, useless, built in cubbies. this just sits on the floor and has done so for 3 yrs-so far-so good. usually find these little things at the 'Mart stores and the 'Dollar stores.
RE: Balky Slider
definatly agree with checking the batt. had a slide several TT's ago that kept getting slower and slower-batt was old, tired and ready to die.
This is a gear drive slider..........I guess that's what you would call it. Looks like a rack and pinion set-up under there. I cleaned all the gear teeth and sprayed it with an aerosol white grease, including the slide tubes.
bad news-if you used what i think you did, you'll more than likely have to remove it(is there grease build up?-if so it'll collect dust, and dirt)
if it's a lippert slide (sounds like it is) you may want to refer to this Lip Sheet and give that a shot. i also did the rear roller axels and did wonders for my slides
RE: Faulty Tank Sensors ??
i bought the black tank ones then figured out it will be more of a mod than i planned. can't get to the original sensors(right up against the frame) so i need to extend the scensor leads and measure/drill new holes on opposite side of tank. that will end up being the 1st project of the spring.
after all this time of using the 'visual down the hole' method, don't know weather i'd really use it all that much-but the DW does--knew i should have never taught her how to use the monitor system :)
RE: winter storage
plugged in, uncovered. i do remove most food stuff, some clothing, tv's (had 1 i left out go bad so just bring in-use lcd as 2nd monitor during the winter) and while waiting the winter out i raise the tongue to help drainage off the roof. also set the 'sticky' rat traps before locking her up. never caught anything-yet- but more for peice of mind. besides my cats, the local ferral ones and rural living the mice pretty much leave things alone.
RE: Ford f250 and Equalizer WDH hitch
I would wonder with your TV and weight of TT weather you'd need weight dist. That would depend on suspension stiffness and tongue weight. But for something that long, being a light weight, and assumeing your TV is a reg cab/bed (short wheel base) i would say if you already have the hitch, why wouldn't you use it? You'd more than likely need some sort of sway control and i'd be willing to bet there will be some sag at the hitch.
Try it with and without and see which feels more comfortable. My $$ is on the setup using it.
RE: Travel Trailer w/King Bed
I've got the opt king in mine and love it.
we spent almost a yr looking and kept comming back to the skyline nomad. they changed the number and a few other things but basically the same. we ordered ours with the TT style door(not slider) and rv type refer.
the layout works good for 2 ppl, enough room if privacy(alone space) needed. also got the hid-a-bed sofa if additional sleeping room needed. and while in transit can get to bathroom, reefer with slides in. after 3 yrs still have unused storage. outside storage not the best but see they added outside under the bench. sofar still happy and have yet to run across anything i'd like more although the jayco 341 5'er comes close but don't want to give up bedroom space-mine is huge.
RE: Long (> 30') TT vs. 5th Wheel
Long TV and a prity good length on the trailer, but as you drive it more and learn all the little secrets of the TV and trailer, and when to turn the wheel it will become second nature when you park the truck and trailer.
pretty much how it works. mine is TV-21'4", TT-35'6" or 56'10" over all. we got the TT for several reasons, floor plan-front kitchen, rear bedroom(very large). storage-forget that argument, i still have empty spaces after 3 yrs. i didn't want to give up the bed of my truck(hard cover) alot of the stuff i carry there is for camping but also used for day trips(picnic, fishing etc) so i'm not moving it back and forth. i'm not full timeing it, i'm not carrying everything i own so i do not need the basement storage. 95% of 5'ers i've been in i feel like i'm in a shoe box and the ones i do like would be great for full timeing but for what i do now they are over kill and out of my hobby price range. not crazy about the added steps-3 bad enough and it ain't gettin easier as i get older.(DW worse off than i am)
it's basically going to boil down to what you like, what you can afford, type of camping you do, and what you are willing to comprimise on(both have their plus/minus)
RE: Direct tv or dish network
i have had both and directv(sofar) wins hands down.
dish has real cust service problems-so bad once, that with their "if we're late or no show, you get $$ off bill" that 1 month they owed me above and beyond the bill. had them when the recorders 1st came out-went through 4 in nothing flat. the grand finally was when they were doing 'line checks' and the camper(perminate) wasn't responding-told the lady it was in the camper, got real quiet for a while and then she told me i needed a 2nd acct for the camper(2 x's the bill). this from the Co that dropped a line at the garage for the camper-was up front what i wanted when i ordered it.
direct has upgraded the sat dish 2 times(let me keep old ones free) and upgraded 2 boxes to HD, 1 with dvr (and added inside cable) for free-also got to keep old reg box-nice for spare-can activate with 1 phone call). when i do have problems i get through quickly to an english speaking person(that i can understand-i have some hi-freq hearing loss) and they allow me to 'turn off' the 2 camper boxes for winter with no hassle.
some will be happy with 1, some with the other. i'm just going by my personal experence, and if this means anything, the majority of sat systems i see at the CG's (atleast around here) are directv.
as far as usage, both work pretty much the same as far as i could tell-mine was having to deal with the cust. service that decided for me.
RE: TV ratio question
in your glove box, you'll see what's called the service parts ID label. you should be able to have the local chevy dealer print out a sheet for your year/make/model of van or you can try here and the person named ZX1100F1 seems to be the one to ask.
on farther looking around you can also try here-have the code ready
RE: Gas Mileage
Schwartzworld asked about 4 wheel drive vs 2 wheel -- I have 4 wheel because we boondock in muddy or sandy areas of the national forests. My guess is that someone who stays on pavement could do ok with 2 wheel drive.
think he ment with the added weight of a 4x4. here in northern illinois it's just a whole lot easier in the winter. front wheel drv isn't bad but i had vans b4 and are just as bad as pickups(2W) in the snow. several times last winter the only ones out and about were the 4 wheelers. does make it tough to call into work after a good snowfall if the boss knows what you drive though :)
RE: Gas Mileage
Hey come on, quit picking on me. I have 1/2 the rig you do @ a whopping 3200lbs dry and I get 10-11 mpg towing @ 2300rpm and 15 without.
My TV is in my signature.
i'm sorry--actually it's closer to 1/3 the weight-8190 empty. and with all the storage we haven't been that since it came home. 3 seasons and i still have storage the DW hasn't filled yet. when she does it's time for a new TT :B
RE: Gas Mileage
mine's a 4x4 with 8.1L, 4.10 gear long bed. towing i get 9-11 and not towing maybe 15. i also use the cruise and do not(usually) use the tow/haul. highway speeds are 55-63 or there abouts depending on the actual limit.
always made me chuckle when people with 1/2 the rig get the same or worse mileage. only thing i can figure is at 55mph they're doing 3000rpm(or whatever) and i'm at 1700.
we bought this truck with the thought we'd be hanging on to it for a while so no matter what we bought it would be able to tow it. so far so good
RE: can I direct wire a better light for my kitchen?
i had the same problem in a previous TT. front kitchen and no direct lighting for the counter. have the same problem with present TT to a degree. Since i always have at least ele when camping it didn't matter what i used (12 or 120 v) and this looks alot like what i used the lst time and will use again.
the set i had was self stick, and had a dimmer switch-just plug in. what was nice was the lights were flex goose neck type and the power source/lights could be placed anywhere along the track.
i ended up drilling a hole in the upper cabinets as close to the microwave plug(had to swap out single socket for double-at most RV stores) set the dimmer control box to hide the hole and done. great for bright light for food prep and used alot for evening lighting while sitting around(dimmed). was a fairly cheap, easy mod and the DW loved it. pretty sure i'll end up doing it to the present TT too.
RE: HiLo
our 1st TT was a used (22yr) old 17' funmaker. Was a great little TT-everything worked and was in mint condition. It's a good idea and for some it will work fine. for 3 people and 3 small dogs it was way too small. it was great for the short week end get aways but a 2 week vacation at LBL (land between the lakes) it was quickly evident we needed something larger. Because of the design, the storage is lacking and the 1/2 sized refer make extended remote stays a pain. we found we were running to the store every couple of days(20 mi 1 way) for perisables. granted they have a wider selection now and some of them are pretty good sized, but because of the design, storage will always be at a preimum. Depending on how you plan on camping, it could be the greatest thing ever invented or a very expensive lesson.
i loved that little TT, was well built, pulled like a charm, and some of our earilest, best memories were made with it. every RV show i still look em over, still have a soft spot for them but seriously doubt i'll ever own one again.
decide how you want to use it and then figure out if it will fit your needs, but look at it realisticly, especially the storage aspect.
RE: slide out not working
if it works w/o a batt, i'll be surprized but hope it does. if it should, would suggest you run it in/out a little and re apply. also probably wouldn't hurt to squirt the 2nd slide-may soak in over winter and retard any further rusting. may want to give the rear roller axels a shot too.
personally i try not to use mine while they are in-the way mine retract they are not solidly on the floor-kinda in the air a little and when stepped on they move. just doesn't seem like a good idea to me. some do, some don't and i perfer not to.
RE: bedroom slide on jayco eagle322fks
had the same problem with mine to where i'd have to use the manual crank and give it a few turns to loosen it so it would work. mine was the bell looking thing, but mine was completely loose and was closeing too tight. Front slide was on it's way to the same problem-adj nuts were just starting to loosen up. I did some research on how they opperated and after much adjusting/testing i got em good. both of mine were in need of several adjustments but are fine now(was also out of warentee) if yours is still covered, let them deal with it, if not find someone close and pay for it or do some research and do it yourself. also found a 'LIP sheet' on lipperts web site on lubeing the gear pack assy. even though the manual says no lube required. did wonders for mine and a few others here that i have heard back from. it now has become a periodic maint thing for me.
also with mine-when i bring it in and it stops, i momentarily hit the out switch to take some of the tension off the motor/gears. just a seconds worth and no, the room doesn't slide out during transport.
Do you have an website address where I could print out that information on the slide mechanisms??
Many thanks,
i basically used the manual that came with mine and rummaged around lippert's web site.
with the bell, i tightened the adj nuts, slid it in, checked if closed, gave the adj nuts a few turn and tried again. i did this till it sealed correctly. front one was a little more involved as it had a few problems. heigth adj had come loose-luckily i could tell where it was suppose to be from the paint. also the side to side was a little off-1 side sealed, other side-bottom corner-was maybe 1/4 to 1/2 inch out. i did height 1st, then side to side then in/seal.
beleive lippert does have their manual on line-though it's not all that informative--gives ya the basics and you have to figure out the rest
