RE: Any one else need a hard hat in their RV ??
At 6'4" I whack my head at least three or four times a week trying to duck under the interior clearance of the slide outs. That being said, the worst injury I experienced around the RV was under the neck when I pulled an item out of the front storage and immediately slammed my kidney/rib cage/fat mushy internals against the king pin. Dropped faster than if I had been shot - out cold. Came to just as the daughter was talking to the 911 operator. That was a serious owwwwwwwie!
Cheers!
Mike
RE: 5W with an office space
X3 for the Cougar 318SAB - Total overall length end to end is ~35 feet. Pretty close to your specified parameter!
Cheers!
Mike
RE: Generator Enclosure Design
So inverter question here based off the kiddo needing white noise. I have an inverter we use plugged into the 12volt in our truck to run a small DVD player. Is this what I would use if I wanted to run a small fan at night? Something better?
My apologies to the OP for the thread hijack. Assuming you are speaking of a relatively small,low wattage, mini amp draw fan, then the answer to you Q is yes, you would be correct. There are a few other factors to consider like what kind of a battery system do have in the RV (1 battery vs 2, 6v vs 12v etc) and the other devices drawing on the batteries over night. I presume that you are talking about a 115v fan? Would a 12v fan not suffice to generate white noise for your kiddo?
If you want a wider exposure to your question you could try starting a new thread.
Cheers!
Mike
RE: Battery replacement in a 2004 Dodge diesel
As stated, replace both. The new one will die in very short order trying to carry the burden of the old one as well. Just as a point of interest, I just replaced the factory OEM batteries in our 1999 RAM 2500. Yes, they went 13 years before they gave up the ghost in the fall of 2012. Even then they died gracefully and gave ample warning signs that their demise was imminent. We replaced the OEM batteries with a pair of Class 27 MAXX batteries from Wal Mart.
Cheers!
Mike
RE: Why Do You Post Here?????
Well, Sir, as a relative noob on this web site I have to agree! I can't, for the life of me, understand why some of the "others" on the forum find it so necessary to lash out with acerbic, biting, hurtful and sarcastic input. I also am overwhelmed with the number of folks who seem to have to pump out their chests and bragadociously go on about their personal acquisitions, wealth, number of Hogs in the garage etc. etc.. I dunno, I'm just a poor simple retired guy with a wife and a dog trying to eek out a nice, simple life of full time RV'g.
Cheers!
Mike
RE: Slider Function
The instructions provided by REESE (and all other manufacturers of "sliders") are worded as they are in order to head off any liability claims from inexperienced users who tend to put their lives, as well as the lives of others, in harms way. It's funny that I noticed this post tonight because I spent a great deal of time last night lubing our slider parts and pieces and reading the installation/instruction manuals. I pretty much do it as others have already stated - use the in cab brake controller and let the slider do its thing - then get out and double check.
Cheers!
Mike
RE: Clunking noise while towing
Yep, Reese clunk. However, knowing that nothing is wrong, the sound is intrinsic in the hitch design, I keep towing and ignore it as I have for the last 9 years.
Oh! I like this reply the best! This is EXACTLY what I have been and will continue to do. Sometimes I kind of wonder if the pursuit of the best of the best of the best hasn't gotten just a wee tad out of control in our first world countries. Just saying! (flame proof suit ON!)
Cheers!
Mike
RE: What do you do...?
Just a coupla quick thoughts on this topic. Do not ever place your complete faith and life in the hands or electronics of any GPS, no matter how good the advertising says it is. Practice your backing skills until you can comfortably back your rig down a loooooong piece of road with a corner or two on it. That way, if you do get into some trouble, you will, with luck and some guidance, be able to back out of any tight spots. Scout out ahead if you think that the going might not be "as advertised". I sucked at backing up the RV at first, I still do somewhat and I admit it. I practice hard though and am getting better all the time at it.
Cheers!
Mike
RE: Is a fifth-wheel usable on the road?
We have spent several nights in our 5vr while still hooked up to the TV. It is level front to back and side to side when hooked up. We drop the front legs for stability and have access to the bedroom, kitchen and bathroom without popping out the slides.
Cheers!
Mike
RE: Using your trailer during a blackout....
After losing our electricity numerous time here in the great NE, we purchased a generator (Boliy 3600). It is not the most popular model, but works perfectly for us. It is light weight, quiet, and generates clean power. We can run everything in our TT (Outback 301BQ) except the AC and microwave at the same time. We also added an electric fireplace which is quite handy for early spring and late fall camping. This combination has already proven it worth several times over. After the 2010 hurricane, we lost power for 7 days. We stayed quite comfortable in the TT.
Ooooooooo! Good choice on the Boliy - no need to cower at the feet of the the Yamaha/Honda alter. 3,500 + hrs on ours and still running smoothly. I'll just hop into my flame proof suit now! Pip Pip, Carry on chaps!
Cheers!
Mike
RE: Propane noise
yes, our has done that since day 1. We just figured that they all do that. No obvious problems or blockages or such. I just sort of figured it was due to the high flow of propane feeding the need of the furnace.
RE: What did you miss most
I agree that trade offs are part and parcel of the FT RV lifestyle. I miss my 24X26ft garage since I do all of our vehicle maintenance and I really hate working on my back, on the concrete, dirt, mud, snow or gravel, while TCOB with the TV and 2nd vehicle. I miss my full size tool chests and my 60gal, 5HP, two stage air compressor. I miss our kids, grand kids, motorcycling buddies, Friday night coffee sessions at the local Tim Hortons and shopping at the largest retail mall in North America. I miss lots of stuff from our S&B days. Would I trade back for what we have now, no, not on your life. It is a lifestyle change to go to FT RV'g. Adapt or go back, it's up to you, I Guess. YMMV.
Cheers!
Mike
RE: Hoping for some help with a stuck slide out
Hello Everyone and Happy New Year!
Just to sort of close out this thread: We had to finally close up Ed's trailer and tow it to Okanogan RV here in Osoyoos where the owner spent two days effecting repairs to the jammed slide. Total bill to my friend Ed was $1,300.00 for parts and labour and not including the stress and aggravation dollar value. The motor was completely fried, the Schwintek brackets on the jammed side were not even screwed in properly which allowed the bottom track bracket to come away from the slide wall and then jump off of the idler wheel. It was a MESS, apparently right out of the factory!. The manufacturer has been non - compliant in returning warranty claim phone calls, the vendor won't answer the phone and so on it goes.
Yesterday, the water supply line in the bathroom on Ed's RV blew off and flooded the floor in the living and bedroom areas. I just feel bad for the guy! He shouldn't be having these issues with a six month old RV!
Cheers Boys and Girls!
Mike
RE: Lube plate wearing grooves into hitch
Hi All! Our 5vr hitch is two years old, always used with a lube plate on the pin. Chewed to $%^&, wore right through the paint and grooved on the outer edges of the plate. I finally attributed this wear to two key issues. Normal use and using a 10" disc instead of a 12" disc. I am going to try a twelve inch disc this coming spring for the return trip home and this summers towing. I will keep an eye on the wear patterns and what not. At this point in time I consider the wear marks to be reasonable and normal. YMMV
Cheers!
Mike
RE: condensation help
Here is an interesting Link to follow: http://www.cmhc-schl.gc.ca/en/co/maho/yohoyohe/momo/momo_001.cfm
This will give you lots of information about dehumidifiers. We have sucked 350 pints of water out of our RV in the last six weeks since we installed our dehumidifier. It costs us about $1.80 per 50 pints if I have done my calculations properly. We run our deh unit about 8 hours per day. It filters air, sucks water and pumps warm air back into the RV. We really like it so far. Our unit cost $149.00 on sale (reg price was $249.00. Our power bills at the CG where we full time are quite low, < $100.00 per month so far, and our propane consumption is up a bit as we are only running one supplementary heater as opposed to two that we ran last winter and our furnace is running more often. In the bigger picture we believe that we are doing ourselves and our RV a big service by controlling the RH better than we have in the past.
Cheers!
Mike
RE: Hoping for some help with a stuck slide out
Hello Everyone and Merry Christmas!
Just a short update on our problem slide out. We ran into numerous dead ends at both Lippert and the RV manufacturer and my friend Ed has referred the matter to an RV mechanic of good repute who came out to evaluate the problem. The RV wrench says that the motor is cooked and has to be replaced. He says that because the motor failed with the slide in it will require a lot more disassembly to get the thing R&R'd. As of yesterday the slide was still stuck, Ed was still agitated and the new motor was yet to be found. SIGH! I will post follow up on this when I hear more or we have a final resolution.
emonkemeier - Thanks again for your gracious offer to provide phone assistance to us. Ed is so hard of hearing that trying to troubleshoot stuff on the phone is really frustrating for him. He asked to pass on his thanks to you.
Cheers All!
Mike
RE: CHINA And Deep Cycle Batteries
OK, then, boys and girls. I am just going to slip on my flame proof, anti poison gas suit here. For all of the "only buy USA" (or only buy "made in Canada" for us N/49ers crowd) anti China devotees out there - What do you all think of all of the made in China parts and pieces that form part of the very fiber and soul of your all American made Harley Davidson motorcycle or North American built GM, Ford or Dodge car or truck? Or, for that matter, check out all of the electronics in your house, your techno toys, your wrist watch, etc. etc. Can anyone out there really (no, I mean REALLY) say that everything that they own is comprised of only Made in USA or Made in Canada parts and pieces? Even our respective governments, at all levels, contract out all kinds of doo-dads, what nots and God knows what else to Chinese, Japanese and other offshore manufacturers. USAF and Canadian Air Force fighter jets, our respective war ships, our various armies, police and emergency services have how many made in China components in the sum total of their hardware?
Don't know, just sayin y'all gotta take a reality check on this, maybe, what do you think?
Cheers!
Mike
RE: Question about Boliy Generator
3,500 hrs. (yes, you read that right) on our two year old Boliy. No, it has not been perfect and without a few repairs which were all covered under warranty. No, it is not a Honda or a Yamaha - it is what it is. Yes, it does have a few quirks - they all do, right. Just my .02, YMMV
Mike
RE: Is this the Power Stroke with the bad engines?
Given the foregoing information from the posted assortment of Ford 6.o expertise I would venture a suggestion to pass on it and maybe buy a nice Dodge RAM. Just sayin'.
Cheers!
Mike
