RE: Driving certainvCalifornia Highways
We took that road from West to East last fall when we were exploring that area towing a 28 ft 8k TT and I don't recall anything negative other than the price of diesel.
Should you be going between 101 and hwy 1 Manchester state park area do not even think about the mountain view rd. That one made for a white knuckle, way to big of rig and not nearly enough truck sort of day. 17 plus percent grade, with hitting the steering stops sort of switchbacks result in your having traction issues on dry pavement. On the downhill slopes zero to redline in first gear, even with the engine brake happened in about a tenth of a mile. It was very hard on the brakes.
RE: Oxygenics - complete water shut off or still a trickle
As I recall, in many, if not all areas of the US the "trickle" is a code requirement which came about around the same time that the pressure balancing shower heads became required. It's to help keep the temperature consistent. If the item is designed to work in a building, it will almost certainly not shut all the way off.
RE: Any Advice on Financing an RV Purchase?
When you were denied the loans, you should have been provided with information on your credit score, any other factors they used to evaluate the loan, and the reasons for denying the loan. What were the reasons given? As others have mentioned, a credit union is a great place to start if you really want to finance. Not only will they help you look into pre-qualifying and other loan related options, they often offer general financial management and advice services either free, or for a low fee. For your situation, something doesn't add up here but I'd need a lot more information to do more than wild speculation. Being a Dave Ramsey sort of guy, I'd lean towards advising not to finance anyway.
Finally, it really sounds like you could use some good financial counseling from a pro looking out for you, not the so called experts that are just going to try and sell products which is what most of them are. Get advise on how to fix your credit history if it needs fixed. It also sounds like you may need advice on how to keep your mothers and your financial obligations separate.
Good luck
RE: Still New... :) Inverter generator question
For those asking about the differences between the red and yellow champion units, the Red one has an outlet for 12vdc while the yellow one doesn't. I believe the red was advertised as 1700 watt while the yellow 1600, but they both seem virtually identical as to when they will overload, and neither likes surges above 1600 watts for more than a fraction of a second.
As for reliability, quietness etc. I seem to be the one stuck helping out and fixing the assorted generators in my group of camping buddies, mostly because I made a living fixing them on a larger scale for many years. Despite what you may hear, all three makes tend to need maintenance now and then, mostly carburetor related. With the inverter units, the Yamaha, Honda, and champions are pretty much identical noise wise, although each has a somewhat different sound, or tone to them which may or may not affect your opinion of how loud they are. Myself, I like the design and quality of the Yamahas the best, but my own experience would tell me they are all pretty much equal reliability wise. If you're running right at the edge of the generators capacity, from what I've seen the Yamaha or Honda will handle overloads a little better.
Myself, a couple years ago when I switched to the TT instead of a motor home with onboard generator, I bought the little champions, and have been quite pleased with the reliability, and value.
RE: New Dodge with 342 rear
I have the 2:42's in my 2011 cummins Dodge and find it about perfect for towing around my 8k TT. It pulls passes like Donner in fifth at 60mph without a complaint, pulled Teton Pass without thinking about it, and gets quite good gas mileage towing, generally 11 to 13 mpg at 65 to 70 which is where I generally set the cruise control. When running empty, 80 mph is right at 2000 rpm, which given Utah interstates now have an 80mph speed limit for large stretchs makes it about right.
Again, I've towed the million dollar hwy, teton pass, up to Cedar breaks national monument via hwy 143, into yosemite coming in from the east, Into Flaming Gorge from the north and south, and even foolishly towed the mountain view road into Manchester CA. That road gets over 17 percent in many areas and has switchbacks you have to crawl around. Again, the transmission stayed within normal temps, and the engine didn't struggle at all, although I did have some dificulty with the rear end slipping and locking up the limited slip a couple times on the tight switchbacks. Again, most of the time my TT is around 8K, and I'm carrying 1k or so in the vehicle counting dogs, people, generators, firewood tools etc. To me 3:42 seems about right with the 6 speed.
Interestingly, I did get the transmission fairly hot pulling a twisty mountain road when I first got the truck when I didn't use tow haul mode.
RE: Overweight and insurance
My kid did a research paper on this subject a few years back, and couldn't find a single example of an insurance company not paying because of overweight, overload or anything similar. Interestingly, in looking into the likelyhood of a lawsuit, what she found was that the only clear correlation was how much money the individual being sued had. If your net worth is over a million or so you're virtually certain to have a suit filed against you rather than just having the insurance companies handle it.
RE: The Official unofficial CPE 2000i Generator Thread
I can run the basics to include the AC with my 2000's in combination even at 10,000 feet, although I only did it long enough to see that it worked. It wasn't hot enough to really need it. To run the AC I have to have both units in the Non ECO mode or they trip when the AC compressor cycles. I can't run the AC and microwave at the same time. I can't run the AC on a single unit, and can only run the microwave on a single unit if the battery charger has been going for a little while to where the draw there isn't too high, and it doesn't have the umph to power the microwave on a single unit if I'm above 6000 foot or so of elevation.
RE: Gone to diesel? Some questions for those that have.
My 2011 Dodge Diesel is the first tow vehicle I've been satisfied with in regards to towing power, and engine braking.
About the only service I've found to run significantly higher is fuel filter costs. Diesel fuel runs a little more, but I get better gas mileage both towing and unloaded with the diesel than I did with a 2000 Dodge Dakota with a 4.7, used primarily just to tow a 4k boat. The Diesel tows an 8k TT amoungst the other toys.
Pas gasser vehicles are numerous, with the first truck I owned being a 49 international PU. Later trucks have had anything from hopped up 2.8L engines to 460's, all of which were somewhat underpowered for towing and got terrible gas mileage while doing so. They would do fine on the flats, but I do a lot of mountain passes, and even the fuel injected naturally asperated engines struggle, especially at altitude. The high RPM's you need to run to pull hard also tend to lead to overheating if you don't watch it even with highly modified cooling systems.
RE: Pulled 5er over Teton Pass - OMG
This series of posts was quite interesting to read through. In a way, I guess it makes a point for the weight police. Myself, having crossed that pass dozens of times over the years, I tended to avoid it when towing while knowingly overloaded for the reasons people have been describing. Had I not known better however or needed to cross for other reasons I wouldn't have been concerned other than because I knew what kind of the beating I'd be giving the drivetrain.
When over over trucked, like with my current 2011 Ram 6.7 cummins towing a smaller 7.5 - 8k TT I have crossed it a couple times and didn't have to worry about holding up traffic going up or down, and as I recall didn't have to hit the brakes much on the downhills being as how the engine brake had plenty of ability to not only hold my speed but to also decelerate when required.
As to whether or not to choose to cross the pass while towing, it's simply a matter of what your setup is. It's an area well within the "handle comfortably" area of many RV's, while at the same time being steep and long enough to overtax others. Your Mileage may vary.
RE: The Official unofficial CPE 2000i Generator Thread
While I can't say for certain, I would be really surprised if there is any trouble with paralleling the older units with the new black unit. I know there isn't any problem running the red and yellow units together as I have done it quite a bit.
RE: Kolob - a hidden treasure
Besides simply driving up the road, the Kolob section of the park is great for hiking. A few years back I sweet talked my daughter into hiking up to Kolob Arch in January and had a fantastic time. It was one of those days filled with scattered snow flurries where the clouds danced around the rock formations, and there was just enough snow about to really contrast with the reds of the rock. We found it to be every bit as scenic as the main canyon area, and for the day we had the whole area to ourselves.
RE: Travel Trailer Caught Fire (photo)
So how have you guys determined it was a refrigerator fire or a kitchen fire from the picture?
You use computer software to edit out the near side of the TT allowing you to see inside. In this way you can tell where it started. I saw something similar on CSI once so I know you can do it. It was right after the episode where the kids car blasted out of the garage and blew the engine because he filled it with Jet fuel.
RE: Outdoors RV Timber Ridge
I bought a 2012 Timber Ridge 240rks at the start of last season and am quite pleased with it. It seems to hold up to lots of road miles better than any other TT I've owned. Last year we drug it from the SLC Utah area to the North Rim, Mesa Verde, Durango CO, Flaming Gorge, Yellowstone, Yosemite, The Redwoods and coastal hwy etc. About 8.5k miles of road tripping total. We've also experienced temperatures from the teens to 110F range without any issues, and the insulation seems quite acceptable. About the only thing I've done to it is replace most of the light bulbs with LED's since we mostly dry camp, otherwise it seems to have come equiped just right.
As for maintenance, We had a few vibration related issues like the vent knob screws vibrating out and the knobs falling off, a couple screws under the sink worked loose and needed tightened. I had a leaking line on the water heater I had to tighten, and the TV quit on a long trip when we were taking the grandkids (Only time since we've had the TT we really wanted the TV) They replaced the TV without any issues so I have to say my limited customer service is good.
RE: Towing while using cruise control
Once again.. thanks for all the responses. I only use the cruise when appropriate, not in heavy traffic, etc. It also helps me stay on speed, verses a little under or over.
A couple responses mentioned the brake controller on the 2011 RAM wasn't great. Does it not hold the settings or what?
If you have ever used a Prodigy P2 the 10 and 11 Ram controller is better. If you have used a Max Brake or the like the Ram controller is not even close but the 12 Ram is similar to the Max Brake.
I tow heavy 28K combined with disk brakes on the RV and the controller works fine just not great. The 12's are a huge improvement!
I wouldn't class the 2011 brake controller as anywhere near as good as a P2, which is a proportional controller. Everything I've seen on my truck would indicate the brake controller is a very basic time based unit that gives the same amount of braking no matter how much you actually apply the brakes (Based on gain setting of course). Everyone I personally know with a 2010 or 2011 complains of the same thing. The controller works okay on dry pavement, but get on gravel roads, or snow covered mountain passes and you'll find yourself wishing for something that worked as good as the P2's did.
Do you have a 2011 Ram? You show nothing in your profile.
I have had the P-2 and it is a POS and yes it was adjusted correctly and so were my electric brakes.
My 2011 Ram controller is far better than the P-2 but it is not as good as my Dad's 2012 Ram controller.
Not defending the 10 or 11 Ram controllers as being great but for my 28K combined load it works better than anything else I have used except for a 12 Ram or Max Brake type controller.
2011 2500 with a couple bad options. Bucket seats with the squeaky center counsel, and 730n Navigation system which offers the worst gps routing ever devised. Again, the P2 controller you mentioned used an accelerometer to vary the braking pressure hopefully in line with what you’re trying to do with the truck. The more advanced systems, like that installed in the 2011 ford for instance vary braking pressure based on actual braking pressure of the trucks brake system. The 2011 Dodge from what I can tell always applies the same amount of braking, which increases somewhat after approx 3 seconds. It seems to work okay on the road although I do find I adjust the gain quite a bit as road conditions vary. When the roads are really slick however, especially when you’re towing in the snow it’s all but impossible to adjust to where you get acceptable braking without locking the wheels up. The only other brake controller I ever used that behaved similarly was an old hayes time based controller I used many moons ago. It gets the job done more or less but it really makes things white knuckle pulling mountain passes when they’re snowy.
As for the OP and the new truck, I think you’ll be impressed. I’ve had mine for about 18 months now, and put 24k miles on it about 80 percent of which was towing something, in large part in mountainous areas through Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada and California, to include foolishly pulling an 8k tt over the mountain view drive. Other than the squeaky center counsel, brake controller, and worthless nav system (The stereo system is quite nice) I really like the truck. The wife has a bad back and she wouldn’t consider letting me trade it in for the seats alone.
RE: New Trailer, New Battery
With most newer TT's, hooking up a second battery is simple, simply pick up a second battery box and strap, and a couple cables to hook them in parallel. You should be able to pick up the required stuff at your local walmart, RV store etc.
RE: hooking up propane grill from your rv
If the tap off for your grill is after the pressure regulator you will have problems as the grill also has a pressure regulator. They make portable grills that work with the low pressure gas that comes after the regulator, but they tend to be more expensive. I use an adapter on my TT that hooks up between the LP tank and the pressure regulator and hook up the hose for my high pressure LP devices there. It works great for my portable grill and my little red campfire which also has it's own pressure regulator and thus requires the higher pressure gas.
RE: Great Basin National Park
I think the only campground open in April is the first one on the creek, and they may or may not have the water turned on. Even when all the campgrounds are open I'm not sure how far up the mountain you could drag your 5er as I don't recall a lot of places for bigger units up there. What are your plans for the area, and how long do you plan to stay. In April you can explore the lower basin areas, but the mountain areas will probably still be snow covered which is fine if you like snowshoeing or cross country skiing, but doesn't work if you were hoping to drive up. As mentioned, unless you intend to stay in Ely, your motel options are fairly limited, and we're not talking 5 star places.
Lehman caves are fun to explore any time of the year, but most of the better hiking trails are in the higher country. Myself, I'd probably just make it a motel overnighter, hit the cave, and return given the time of year you'll be there
RE: Towing while using cruise control
Once again.. thanks for all the responses. I only use the cruise when appropriate, not in heavy traffic, etc. It also helps me stay on speed, verses a little under or over.
A couple responses mentioned the brake controller on the 2011 RAM wasn't great. Does it not hold the settings or what?
If you have ever used a Prodigy P2 the 10 and 11 Ram controller is better. If you have used a Max Brake or the like the Ram controller is not even close but the 12 Ram is similar to the Max Brake.
I tow heavy 28K combined with disk brakes on the RV and the controller works fine just not great. The 12's are a huge improvement!
I wouldn't class the 2011 brake controller as anywhere near as good as a P2, which is a proportional controller. Everything I've seen on my truck would indicate the brake controller is a very basic time based unit that gives the same amount of braking no matter how much you actually apply the brakes (Based on gain setting of course). Everyone I personally know with a 2010 or 2011 complains of the same thing. The controller works okay on dry pavement, but get on gravel roads, or snow covered mountain passes and you'll find yourself wishing for something that worked as good as the P2's did.
RE: HD Truck Owners- why did you choose a TT?
My 4 season TT was pretty much in the price range of similar sized 5ers so I can't really say cost was a factor. I simply prefer a shortbed truck that has a bed I can use, and wanted a TT in part because it's not quite as tall and thus easier to get into the more out of the way areas I like to camp in. Does great on dirt roads through the trees etc.
As for ease of towing, the TT is only 8k so you hardly know it's back there, I've never had sway problems, backing TT's is a breeze, and once again I still have the truck bed for my trips around the area I'm camped in.
RE: Towing while using cruise control
I have the very Dodge you were looking at. 2011, Laramie, loaded, but geared more for gas mileage with the 3:42 rear end, which means 2000 rpm is 80 mph in 6th which is perfect for running empty, and being as how my trailer is only 8k loaded it's about right for that as well. I've got around 24k miles on it now, half towing the TT and 3 or 4k towing a small utility trailer with a polaris rzr on it which is hardly noticable back there.
I almost always use tow haul, the engine brake, and cruise on the road even through the mountains on freeways and major hwys. The tow haul keeps it from shifting much but it pulls moderate grades in 6th gear, drops down to 5th for 4 percent grades or so, and generally doesn't drop down to 4th till 8 percent or so with the cruise normally set at 65. It's also amazing how well it maintains speed on downhill portions with the cruise.
The downsides to the truck are lots of plastic squeeks and rattles when it's cold, the brake controller is crude at best and somewhat scary to use when towing in the snow and stuff. Worst controller I've ever dealt with. The other major annoyance is the 730n Navigation/radio. I don't think you could find a worst GPS unit if you tired when it comes to actual navigation. The stereo sounds nice though and as long as you put a little garmin unit on the dash you'll find your way around.
Good luck, and if you do go with a newer diesel you're going to be really hooked by everything except the fuel cost.
