RE: Showing an "OPEN" ground
From what I understand you cannot have a ground unless you are wired into shore power. Like you stated you do not have a ground circuit going any place.
I wondered about this with the generator and was told that you should have a ground line hammered into the ground to complete the grounding circuit and that there is a place on generators for this (I still have not checked if this is true).
On the good side of things, most things that I plug into the TC plugs do not have a ground.
RE: Duallies vs single
Boy this is a real interesting thread.
WHO CARES WHAT SOMEONE DRIVES? My manhood is not effected by what I drive, all it needs to do is to get me from point A to B safely and in the comfort I like, that is it. There are a number of trucks that will do that, if one person wants to drive a Ford and the next a Dodge or GMC or a Toyota WHO CARES!
The question was a simple one, or so I thought.
What are the drawbacks to a DRW truck? I see many times posts saying to not use a DRW when off roading, and that some beaches do not allow DRW, so why?
I think I know (mud build up between the wheels??) but I want to check.
Many of the farmers around here use DRW trucks for everything so I am confused.
I have been thinking of upgrading my truck and I thought that a dually may be the way to go, but I am not sure.
The thread is starting to sound like a playschool argument.
RE: Question about TC's and dogs.
After a good day of fishing.
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/Dave1131/DSC00844.jpg
I know that some campgrounds are trying to protect people and their area by not allowing pets.
But maybe we better start screening the people too!!!
http://i264.photobucket.com/albums/ii182/Dave1131/DSC002802.jpg
Travelling with your pets is Fun, just use the same common sense you use at home.
When they are not camping they are Volunteering.
Cooperstar
Have fun
Dave
Can I see your dogs fishing license? :p :B
I would rather be hiking with dogs than people. Whatever a dog leaves decomposes (yes it should be cleaned up in public areas), some of the garbage that people leave and the damage is unbelievable!
RE: Question about TC's and dogs.
My dog is the whole reason I have a TC, went to Moab for a week and couldn't get a room that would take a dog so I had to leave Dylan home. Before I left DW said go ahead and get the camper, got home from the trip and saw one in Phoenix the next day.
Now I never have to leave my wheelin' buddy home anymore, just use common sense and they'll be fine.
Pets are what makes a house a home, doesn't matter if it's immobile or on wheels.
This is also one of the reasons that we got a TC. Hotels either do not take pets or charge a insane fee for bringing them.
We went as a family to one hotel this summer that I have stayed at many times by myself. When we checked in they informed us that they have a $200.00 cleaning fee if you bring your dog! I had the TC and the dog and I slept in there, they still tried telling me they were going to charge us the $200.00 as nobody would choose to sleep in the TC. As it was the people that slept in the hotel were hot all night and they said there was noise in the hall most of the night, the dog, my oldest boy and myself slept great in the TC!!!
RE: Duallies vs single
Photomike, if you get a dually, you can get a bigger camper too! :)
That is one reason that I am asking now. I have been thinking of upgrading the truck and want to know what is the best way to go.
NOW - 2002 GMC 2500hd Gas, longbox and I haul a 1400lb camper
Looking at 2500 or 3500, quad cab, diesel and possibly a larger camper in the distant future.
RE: Duallies vs single
Duallys get stuck in the car wash.
Dually owners wash their own trucks. They don't need no stinking automatic car wash. :B Unloaded they do fit in self-wash stalls. I even washed my loaded truck/TC in a truck wash stall in Canada. Back to the dualllies vs. single discussion now.
Rick
I use a truck wash now as I am afraid the TC is too high for most of the car wash bays. Better safe than missing a roof!
RE: Duallies vs single
Thanks everyone, out of 15 replies I did get two that addressed my question.
Never thought about the extra wheel not tracking in the same rut as the front.
If I get a dually it will never be empty as I leave the TC on at all times. Not really a big deal about parking problems as the TC is on so I am already longer than most parking spots so I park away from the places that others park. I also hate coming out to find someone with the nose of their car under my camper as they wanted to park in the space behind me(does work well for steps) even though the spot was partially taken up by me.
I do like the fact of extra stability as I drive in 60 - 70 mph winds (and a lot of times turn out to be cross winds) regularly where I live and have been moved a couple of times. Last time was the worst which is one reason I am thinking of a dually. Had a semi in front of me having the tractor unit in the left lane and the trailer crossing the left lane, right lane and the rear wheels running on the paved shoulders. I was driving in the left lane one second and then on the paved shoulders the next, extra stability would have been nice.
Duallies vs single
Okay I need to ask -
What are the drawbacks to a DRW truck? I see many times posts saying to not use a DRW when off roading, and that some beaches do not allow DRW, so why?
I think I know (mud build up between the wheels??) but I want to check.
Many of the farmers around here use DRW trucks for everything so I am confused.
I have been thinking of upgrading my truck and I thought that a dually may be the way to go, but I am not sure.
RE: Question about TC's and dogs.
Living in Canada I do not have the problem of a lot of heat to deal with. The dog goes EVERY place I do, would even go into the public restrooms if she could. When I do leave her in the TC I leave water for her, close the drapes and make sure I park in the shade if possible. On hot days I open the cab over hatch a crack to let heat escape and open the access door on the floor (before you ask she could not fit through it). I have left her in all temperatures (in the winter -35c I leave the heat on and she has a bed full of blankets), in the summer hottest was 40c and when we got back from a two hour visit to the zoo the temp inside was 22c (and I came out and checked half way through to make sure she was okay). Our police have a device that monitors inside temps of the K9 vehicles and sets off a pager if the temperature gets to high (have lost a dog to car stalling and air conditioner shutting off).
Lots of good suggestions already, my biggest ones are;
Leave water
Park in shade (this can cut inside temps a lot)
Don't run the dog before leaving them, make sure they are cool (ours self cools with a swim in any water source she can find every walk she gets, sometimes the TC has a slight aroma - okay most times she is with me)
Reflective material in the windows works great to cut down heat
Check on the dog as often as you can
One other thing, one of my clients travel a lot with their 3 dogs and their MH. They take a truck and a motorbike with them. They were worried that if something should happen when they are out on the bike that the dogs would be dead by the time someone would notice. So I made them a double sided business card. On the front is a picture of their rig and their names, On the back side is a picture of the three dogs, the dogs names above the pictures, a contact E-mail for their son, and the pass code to get into the RV. If you did not have a pass code you could always slice the card and slide a spare key into the card and get the key back when you return. They then leave the card with the campground hosts. This just insures that the dogs are looked after in case of emergency.
RE: Microwave in a Bigfoot
Yes - there is an outlet up there almost directly over the sink. I'll have to try and trace the line and see if that box is on the 15 A circuit breaker. I'm desiging some upgrades for the interior and that will fit in nicely. Thanks.
Just plug a light into the plug in and turn the breaker on and off, make sure you try both plug ins as one may be a separate circuit. That will let you know.
RE: another "overlooked" insulation "project"
I was amazed today. I took the kids out to the local sledding hill. Went into the TC and turned on the heat, has not had heat in it this winter. Within 10 minutes it was up to 60 inside (was 28 outside), in another 10 minutes it was 75. The small improvements really do help.
RE: Second Battery Question
if you had an acid spill it might get through the wood pretty quick.
If painted correctly would be no different than the plastic (you could even seal the seams with a caulking). If you want more protection coat with a fiberglass paint to increase the resistance.
You would need to spill a lot to have it eat out.
RE: Second Battery Question
I bought the box from AdventureRV.net part number is (S127-551722) Price was $26 + $11 shipping IIRC. This is the Vented Battery Box Large White
I don't think they have one that is vented like this for 2 6v batteries an that is what is holding up that part of the project.
I think that is where I bought our camper... Sevierville, TN
Could you make one the size you need from 2 plastic boxes... one upper, one lower, gasket made from weatherstripping, even hinges and latches... vent etc?
You could make one no problem (even from a cat litter box add a closing door) and away you go. Better yet make one out of wood, paint with a plastic paint inside and out and add your vents and away you go.
RE: Second Battery Question
If you were taking the cats your could add a power vent system, say 2000cfm to the box. You may need a screen inside the box to stop cats from sticking to it but you would have no smell.:p:h
I do like cats:B
RE: Looking@ Bigfoot camper
I did make an offer, the owner does not seem to be in a "must sell" type of position, so it limits negotiating room.
That could be why it has been listed for a while. Looks like it is in Bragg Creek area, cannot see anyone there taking a loss on the unit.
When I bought my NL I paid a lot more than I should have, I was excited about getting it and liked the unit, I found many for a lot lower price but they were in a lot worse condition. Just about every time I look at the TC I remember how much I paid. But since then (2 years)I have not found a similar unit in the shape mine is in for close to what I paid and I am happy. If you don't hear back from him in the near future you may just have to pay what he is asking if you like the unit.
Here are a couple that I have seen lately in our area:
Newer
Up north
RE: Looking@ Bigfoot camper
I had seen this one on Kijiji before and it looks great. It has been listed this time since November (I think maybe before that as well) so I would go in a lot lower than the asking price.
RE: Second Battery Question
I don't think that the temperature difference would be that great with the compartment that I have now and the outside as it is not heated but it does make sense to keep both at the same temperature. As for getting the battery outside in the air I like this idea as the location that it is in now does not have ventilation.
Out I go to take some measurements.
RE: Second Battery Question
Mounting in the bed is not such an issue as the TC stays on the truck, it never comes off.That was the major reason I did not like it in the truck bed, I seldom removed the TC from the truck. Out of site, out of mind, which led to poor maintenance, very difficult to service the battery. I eventually raised the TC about 3-1/2-inches, so I had better access to the batteries.
The few times I did remove the TC from the truck, it was a pain in the but to disconnect the batteries, and then I had to store the batteries. I never take my TC off when camping, so I was spared that drama.
That experience was the prime motivator for me to go to a AGM, and put it in the TC. If you do not mind the hassle of the bed mount, that would be a great choice for flooded wet cell. Do build a mount, and resist the temptation of just sitting them in the bed. I would also put both in the bed, side by side.Wayne
Moving both to the bed is an idea I never thought of. Would increase the inside storage space and allow me to use a thicker wire to hook them up as well as move the weight from the back of the TC to in front of the truck axle. I will have to look at this as on option. The only drawback I see is that I would not have the benefit of any inside warmth on the one battery in the winter.
RE: Second Battery Question
Sorry forgot to mention that it is a flooded.
I had thought about in the engine compartment but then I would not be able to charge as readily from the TC charger because of the distance to the battery so that is why the trailer came up, it is closer to the charger.
Mounting in the bed is not such an issue as the TC stays on the truck, it never comes off.
Second Battery Question
Well for Christmas Santa brought me a group 27 battery for the TC. Now I need to figure out where and how to mount it. The first battery is in a storage space that was not designed for a battery but it works great, but that is it for the available space that I have easy access to for batteries. So I have three options, each with benefits and drawbacks. By the way I have a new charger that can handle the battery so that is not an issue.
Option 1 - Mount it between the TC and truck bed on the right side.
Good points: right outside the TC next to the charger, not used space.
Bad points: hard to access (have to take the TC off, or at least slide it back to access battery), More weight on the heavy side of the unit.
Option 2 - Mount it between the TC and truck bed on the left side.
Good thing is that I have an access door to that side (do not think I could check the water without taking the TC off, but would at least be able to access the terminals through the door), would be on the lighter side of unit.
Bad things: Looking at a run of around 7' from charger to the battery and I will be using my storage space for the battery that I do use. (that would be a run from the charger to battery 1 of 7' and then charger to battery 2 of 7')
Option 3 - Mount in the trailer that we take most places with us.
Benefits are that the battery is accessible, puts weight in the trailer, not using up valuable space.
Drawback is that will not always be with me on trips when trailer stays home (usually this is only during the warmer weather when I am working so second battery is not needed as much), another drawback is that I will be running wires another 5 feet past the battery that I already have.
I am leaning to option 3 but here is my question. Can I just take wires from the battery that is already there and continue back to the second battery? I am using 8 gauge wire from the charger to the first battery and that works great. I do not have room to run a thicker wire from the charger to the first battery because of the route the wire needs to take. Or would it be better to run another line off the charger to the second battery? I may be able to go outside the TC and run a heavier wire to the back of the TC and then put a plug in to connect to the trailer and then to the second battery. I am not sure that the circuit board would take a thicker wire, I had problems with the 8 gauge getting into the terminals.
Myself I think keep the 8 gauge from the charger to the first battery (that is already at the back of the TC) then take 8 gauge from the first battery, drop the line out the back of the TC, put on a separate plug and run to the trailer, but I need some ideas before I start this project. I could also use a heavier gauge wire from the first battery to the second as long as I could find a connector.
Ideas and thoughts please?
