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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Help running additional wires through ceiling of TT
We have used a fiberglass rod to fish wires through our ceiling using speaker access holes and such. The center of the ceiling has more room due to our camper's curved roof... though we have fished wires down the side of the ceiling also. I also like other's ideas of utilizing the A/C unit and vent openings.
You can try a fishing tape, rod, stiff wire, etc. for running wires from one opening to another... you just have to work around the obstacles.
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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01/28/13 07:01am |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: Odometer jumped 10,000 miles for no reason on my Class C
Is there any way your camper could have been "borrowed" and actually had the miles put on it? Just sayin...
-Chak
LOL!!! Like in Farris Bueller?!?
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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01/23/13 01:22pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Smoky Mountains
If traveling to Elkmont CG and traveling through Townsend... follow the signs to Cades Cove until you see the sign for Elkmont. Our GPS had us turn in Townsend... there were signs to go straight for Cades Cove, but nothing about Elkmont. Against my better judgement, we followed the GPS which took us over a very steep mountain then across a very small wooden bridge with a sharp turn onto it... of course there is no way to turn around.
The campground hosts told us folks are directed by GPS through that route frequently... many damage their equipment. Luckily we survived with no problems... just frazzled nerves.
Follow the highway towards Cades Cove. There will be a sign when you're closer saying right to Cades Cove... left to Elkmont. After you pass through Toundsend, your GPS will likely recalculate to take you this way. It's a much more pleasant route!
I don't understand why the NFS has not installed a sign for Elkmont in Townsend... particularly if they know GPS's will lead folks over the mountain.
Oh well... live and learn.
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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01/22/13 11:17am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Suggestions for refilling fresh water tank when dry camping
We carry 3 25foot hoses and have a "water thief" available at CW. We got a small 12 volt "bulge pump" from a marine store on line that has threaded plastic connections that hoses thread on.
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The down side are as follows: We haven't come up with any good storage ideas for 3 25 ft hoses. The pump with the wires looks like a mess with all the wires wrapped around it. And third these bulge pumps are not the strongest made.
This setup works very well for us... Harbor Freight 12v pump with a long cord added. I installed a 2 pin connector on the camper (inside a storage compartment). We use three collapsible 5 gallon containers (about $5/each) to transport water from the source to the camper. I connect hoses to the collapsible containers to the pump then to the camper's FW inlet and plug in the pump... the containers never leave the truck bed and empty in about a minute or less.
I store the collapsible containers, hoses, pump, and water thief in a plastic tote. When we camp someplace we will need it, I pack it... when it's not needed, it stays home.
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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01/14/13 10:41am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: best onlineplace to buy a barker electric tongue jack
Adventure RV. Youroo!!:)
We also found the best price at Adventure RV... shipping was very quick also.
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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01/10/13 06:04am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Thoughts about Android for Desktop OS
As with any other decision though, it depends on how you intend to use it.
Last spring I purchased the "then latest" ASUS tablet & keyboard to use as a PC... this was before we upgraded to Android phones. I would not recommend an android table over a PC; however, for a phone, it's great!
You can find "office" apps, but they don't have some of the formatting & functionality I use in Word/Excel and in my opinion are a bit unreliable. Also, you cannot have multiple documents open at the same time (Kingsoft Office/Free version).
On the plus side... If browsing & checking email only, the tablet is okay and is good for travel. Though some websites don't work well with some browsers. I find the Windows Internet Explorer works very well for almost any website... this is not always true for the default Andriod browser.
You're milage may vary... but for my uses, I would recommend a windows PC over a tablet.
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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01/02/13 11:05am |
Technology Corner
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RE: Cons of 30' + travel trailer
Our camper is 30' bumper to hitch. We have been able to get into anyplace we want to visit.
I'm sure there are places were we might have trouble... we choose a different destination. ;)
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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01/01/13 09:22am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Fresh water accumulator tank
Hi,
If you are a weekender like me, you can "roll your own" by using 4 inch pipe. Install it vertically or vertically with a T on top. Use as much pipe as you wish for capacity.
This is what we did... only with 3" pipe. Works great!
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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12/29/12 03:42pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Battery life while dry camping .
You will find that your mileage will vary. Most folks don't maintain their batteries well. Make sure your water is topped off in each cell and you have a FULL charge. Disconnect the battery when not in use. Don't expect the 7 pin connector to fully charge the battery during the trip... it won't.
If you have incandescent lighting, use them VERY sparingly... if at all. Consider setting the thermostat lower and add another blanket to the bed... and flanel sheets are GREAT!
Dry camping is fun, but it's a learning process. The worst thing that will happen is you wake up cold with your propane alarm sounding. Have fun!
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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12/28/12 07:15am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Florida panhandle campgrounds
We've visited St Andrews SP and Ft Pickens. Both are great... we're returning to Ft Pickens in June. ;)
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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12/26/12 07:08am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
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RE: Brake Controller Showing Short in the System
When mine indicated a short I decided to stretch the wire in the axle by pulling on it, this will reposition the wire and the short went away temporally. So a new wire was installed out side the axle housing, no more problems. Also install a resettable breaker, get rid of the FUSE in the brake system and the charge systems.
Yeah, since I never found a "smoking gun"... I am concerned that there might still be a short someplace that I've not found and only moved the bare wire so that it is not shorting right now.
If the short comes back, my next step will be to rewire the brakes from the 7-pin wire harness to each drum.
Installing a fuse in-line is a simple change... I may look into that. If a separate run is installed for each drum, a fuse in each run would indicate where any future short can be found. What amperage rating would you recommend?
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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12/11/12 02:27pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Brake Controller Showing Short in the System
Many trailers use thin 12 guage wires (especially inside the hallow axle tubes) and their factory brake wiring is linear configuration as well. For each of my trailers, I simply remove the factory junk wiring and replace with thicker 10 guage double insulated duplex wiring. And, install in a STAR design configuration outside the axles.
If you want better than factory brake wiring under your trailers, upgrading to much better STAR configuration is worth it. Glad I do this upgrade to all my RV, Utility and boat trailers.
Yeah, if our problem comes back, I expect our next step will be to replace the wiring. If it comes to that, it may be best to run a seperate pair of wires to each drum.
Hopefully our problems are solved for now. ;)
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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12/11/12 06:47am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Brake Controller Showing Short in the System
After scratching my head for a bit... I think I've found my "short circuit" problem. A new brake controller seems to have fixed my issue.
I've also now inspected every inch of the electric brakes... in all four drums. No actual short was found, but all brakes are inspected and bearings are all greased and ready for next season to begin!
We put over 300 miles on the camper yesterday with the new controller and had no problems.
Our next project... new ball joints for the Dodge. :(
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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12/10/12 11:11am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: CHRISTMAS MORNING SUPRISE
We signed the papers on ours on my birthday. I know it was just the timing of it all, but made the day extra special.
Why not have the e-fire going on the laptop, Christmas music playing and some cinammon rolls in the oven? Boy, would I love to be a fly on that camper wall!
Heck, if you have the laptop... turn on the camera and post the video to YouTube... then you can share the link with all of us after the big unveiling. ;)
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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12/05/12 10:01am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: SMD LEDs - 3528s versus 5050s?
Update... we purchased some 48 LED panels (bright white) and some 32 LED panels (warm white)... I think they were 3528 SMD LEDs.
The bright white panels have about the same brightness as florescent tubes and at first seemed a bit harsh. After seeing the results in the bathroom and vanity though, we really like the brightness. The warm white ones are plenty bright for the fixtures we used them in... brighter than the incondecent bulbs they replaced.
I will order a few more of each for replacements and a couple fixtures we missed the first time. At about $2.50 each it's not a tough decision... but I did overthink it going in (as usual). Our order arrived from China in about 2 weeks... without warning or tracking info... but that's not suprising.
We dry camped in Oct for 4 days outside of Gatlinburg, TN and had a great time. With the LED lights, properly maintained battery bank, our inverter generator, an upgrade to our converter to enable "smart charging", and a small catalytic heater to knock off the chill in the air before bed... we had much better dry camping experience this year than last. We were able to do nearly everything we do while camping with power.
We will plan more dry camping trips in the future. ;)
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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12/04/12 02:54pm |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: CHRISTMAS MORNING SUPRISE
If you have A/C power available, you could use a small space heater to heat the unit and avoid using the furnace & LP altogether. ;)
Sounds like a great plan... and lots of good memories!
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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12/04/12 02:41pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Brake Controller Showing Short in the System
I think John that you will find that you have an intermittent short being caused by a brake wire inside a wheel hub that has broken loose form it's metal clamp and the wire has rubbed thru the insulation on the inner hub of a wheel...
I had 2 shorts like this with 2 different trailers and in both cases, it was exactly that... I know you don't want to pull the hubs but I would be willing to bet that is where the problem lies...
Pulling the hubs isn't that bad and you don't have repack the bearings again if your careful with the removal and re-installation of the hubs...
I know you don't want to hear that, but my money is on a brake wire short inside a hub :( :R
I suspect that your brake controller has now stopped working because the controller now is "fried" because of the short... I also experienced that on the first failure as previously mentioned...
Les
Thanks Les. I suspect you're right, but I hope I've not damaged one (or both) of my controllers in the process.
I don't mind so much pulling the hubs off... but would like to narrow my search to one or two instead of pulling each one to find the last had the short.
If I have to, this weekend I'll pull each hub for inspection... the weatherman is calling for mostly sunny skies with temps in the mid to upper 60's. Sounds like a good weekend to work on the camper. ;)
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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11/27/12 07:07am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Brake Controller Showing Short in the System
So far... no luck.
Our brake wires do pass through the axles to get to the drums on the other side, but there are plastic grommets on the openings. I checked the wires where they pass in/out of the axles and do not see any bare wires. As a matter of fact the wires passing through the axles have two layers of plastic insulation... the wires look like typical lamp cord type wire; however, when I stripped the outer jacket, I found an inner jacket on the wire. I had to strip both to get to bare wire.
Here's what I've done so far...
I disconnected the ground wire for the trailer’s brake system where it's bonded to ground. Using my ohm meter between the positive wire for the system and the trailer’s frame/ground, I did not read a short.With the brake controller disconnected inside the truck, I used my ohm meter between the truck's 7-pin connector and ground... I only checked the pin for the brake system. I did not read a short in the truck's wiring.I had a spare brake controller for the truck and changed it out. Our primary controller is a Hayes Genesis... the spare is a Draw-Tite, but I don't recall which one.
We hooked up the camper and the brakes seemed to work at first… then stopped working before we got on the road.
I then clipped the positive lead going to the back axle and I drove around the parking lot with only the front axle’s brake’s connected. Still the controller would not activate the brakes… I tried the back axle with the front axle disconnected… no brakes.
I suspect there is an intermittent short on the trailer side, but so far I’ve not been successful at locating it. We have a trip planned for Dec 7… so, I need to get this thing figured out.
Any suggestions?
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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11/26/12 12:50pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Brake Controller Showing Short in the System
happened to me twice, was a wire rubbing the drum close to the magnet. Use a compass to check each wheel for magnet operation, if that does not help then Jack wheels up one at a time, engage brakes with the breakaway, spin the wheel.
might be a good time to do a bearing pack and inspection anyway.
Thanks for your suggestions.
I am trying to avoid removing the drums as I just had them off to repack bearings & inspect brakes in the spring... removing them again would mean replacing the seals also. Everything looked in order and held in place in the spring... but I could have missed something.
I like the campass trick and will have to remember that one if needed. ;)
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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11/20/12 03:08pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Brake Controller Showing Short in the System
Do any of your wires pass through the axle? Very common issue of insulation chafing at that point causing an intermittent fault.
You can replace the wiring, or sleeve it in plastic conduit to keep it away from sharp metal edges.
Dollars to donuts that is where the issue is, unlikely to be the truck.
Thanks for your help. The wires DO pass though the axles... I'll check that first! ;)
Happy Camping!
John.
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MegaJohn
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11/20/12 02:55pm |
Travel Trailers
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