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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: DIY 4' Hitch Extension Mod Fabrication
The WD hitch will transfer weight from the rear axel of the truck to the front axel.
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WarrenS
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12/03/09 10:30pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: PC in your TC?
We gave up our home phone about a year and a half ago, but still have a cable modem. Cellular data is not fast enough for me to do my job long term. 5GB certainly wouldn't do it. At work, we have several "loaner" aircards that can be checked out and our contract has no data limit (government contract) for when I travel.
I'm not surprised, really, by the usage. Lightweight notebooks really do fit the bill for the TC. The comment regarding reading the "news" with a cup of coffee really hit home. While I have the PC, I don't have a paid wireless account. I was a bit surprised by the number of folks who posted that do.
I avoid monthly fee's like the plague but of late have been considering dumping the home hard-line phone/DSL (~$60)and going with a wireless cell/data combo (~$90). Have others dropped their home data tethers in favor of the mobile solution or are you carrying both? 5G of date enough or do you come up short?
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WarrenS
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11/21/09 10:31am |
Truck Campers
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RE: A few questions on Dualies
The dually is fine for driving on the road or highway. Where it's a pain is in tight parking lots and (as some have said), some drive throughs. I've been able to make it through all but one drive through, though I've driven up several curbs to do so. It just takes a little patience.
I also tend to park in spaces I can pull straight in and out of whenever possible, even if I have to walk a bit farther.
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WarrenS
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11/16/09 09:08pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: water tank drain
If I were in that much of a hurry, I'd use my spare water pump instead of the syphon hose. Maybe both at the same time.
Just curious... what is the hurry?
How many times a week do you drain your tank?
I probably use my camper as much as anyone... i doubt that I have drained the tank 10 times in 7 years... I put chlorine in the tank a couple of times a year.
I open the valves, go away... go back in an hour or so. I'f I'm in an hurry I turn on the pump.
In the summer, almost never, in the winter - as much as once a week, because I have to wintterize when I get home.
Why the hurry? Because if it's 10 degrees and windy out, I want to get the lines blown out as soon as I can and get inside the house....unfortunately because I am a worker bee, I get home late at night on a Sunday and have to leave the next morning at 7AM. If I use the pump to speed it up, I can't begin putting air pressure in until the pump has moved all the water - but it is still faster than letting it drain. I would like to add a length of hose to run the water furthur away from the parking spot, because in the winter, it turns to ice immediately and then I'm slipping all the over the place. On the other hand, when I drain the HWH it gets all over everything too, but the other side of the camper.
After our last stop on a trip, I open the drain valve and let it drain on the way home. I park the camper on a dirt area, and it keeps from making a mud puddle next to the camper.
I have done this before, but only in the summertime or during nice weather.....leaving a trail of water/mist on the road in the winter can lead to surprise icy surface that people aren't expecting so I figure it's probably not a good/safe idea. In the summertime it probably isn't an issue, unless you are constantly misting the people on the road behind you (or motorcyclists) - but again I normally don't drain it during the summer.
I DO like the grate idea to inspect the tank - but I'm not sure I'd end up using it to speed up the draining - using the water pump does a good enough job I think.
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WarrenS
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11/12/09 11:22pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: water tank drain
I put a hole in the top of my tank and installed a screw out deck plate with a clear cover. This makes it easy to get in the tank or see the actual water level. It's also the fastest and easiest way to fill the tank from a water jug.
To drain, I use a Shaker Siphon (also called a Super Siphon). These things are great, I have one for straight gasoline, one for two stroke, and one for fresh water.
I stick it in the tank through the deck plate and let it drain out the passthrough window. The larger brass siphons do about 2 gpm.
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WarrenS
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11/09/09 07:32pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Inconsiderate, selfish campers! Again!
Common sense is overrated. What we need is more uncommon sense.
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WarrenS
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10/24/09 07:50pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: San Diego Information needed
If you're looking for kid friendly, Campland on the Bay is great with lots for the kids to do. Sites range from an asphalt or dirt square with no hookups to a privately fenced off space with it's own hot tub, built in BBQ, and patio furniature. They recently redid thier playground and the new one is fantastic.
About the only thing I don't like about Campland is that they don't allow campers to be removed from the truck. When we go there, we either tow another vehicle or just drive two vehicles (it's less than 2 hours from us).
I've been going to Campland since I was about 10 (I'm 44 now). I expect when my kids grow up, they will be taking their kids to Campland as well.
If you're looking for an adult centric campground, Chula Vista RV Resort is very nice. Kids are allowed, but there's not much for them to do in the campground so it's a relatively quiet place. Sites are all concrete pads surrounded by nice landscaping. The place is kept very clean.
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WarrenS
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10/17/09 08:50pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Driveway Slope
My driveway is about the same as VintageBronco. I use ramps made by Blitz USA to lift the front end and like VintageBronco, wish they were taller.
Since the truck isn't sitting quite level, after unloading, the front Jacks get racked several degrees (about 2"-3"). To minimize the camper stresses, I have a wedge (4'x7') to give me a near level surface under the camper. On top of that I put a set of X-Braces then a sheet of 3/4" plywood and a sheet of 3/4" foam (both 4'x8'). I lower the camper onto the whole thing until all the jacks are loose. Then I lower the jacks just enough to stabilize.
The whole camper sits almost level (about 1.5" higher in the front than the back) with the bulk of the weight spread over the bottom of the camper and no lateral force on any of the jacks.
The whole process took me 30 minutes yesterday. Loading takes about 20 minutes. For reference, on level ground it takes 15 minutes to load and 10 to unload.
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WarrenS
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10/11/09 02:02pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Designing and onboard AC instead of rooftop
I called this company and got some info on their AC unit. It runs on 3A at 110V and has 2500 BTUs of cooling capacity. It's a remote mounted unit with a duct so it doesn't need to be mounted on the roof.
Cost is about $500.
Probably not enough capacity for a Truck Camper in a hot climate but I'm thinking it might be good for my LandCruiser.
these guys:
http://www.golittleguy.com
sell a portable AC/heater/Dehumidifier
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WarrenS
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10/11/09 01:40pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Shurflo vs. Fantastic Fan
When my Fantastic Vent fan died, I replaced it with the MaxxAir for the same reasons bumpyroad mentioned. I Like the Maxx product much better than the Fantastic.
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WarrenS
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10/09/09 09:12pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: happijac versus torklift versus other?
I started with HappiJac and switched to TorkLift one component at a time.
HappiJac standard turnbuckles to HappiJac QuickLoadsHappiJac QuickLoads to TorkLift FastGunsHappiJac frame mounted tie downs to TorkLift True Frame Mounted Tie DownsReese Titan/Tow Beast to TorkLift SuperHitch
At each change, I noticed a difference in the stability of the truck/camper combo. While HappiJac claims to tie their tie downs to the frame, what they really do is attach a bracket from the tie down to the floor of the truck bed and another from the bed floor to the frame. The TorkLift tie downs are bolted directly to the frame of the truck.
If your camper will be longer than the truck bed (mine is 9'6" on an 8' bed), you'll also need a hitch extension. The TorkLift is much stronger than the Reese. My experience is that the hitch deflects downward less with the TorkLift than the Reese.
If you plan on loading/offloading regularly, the TorkLift FastGuns are far easier to deal with than either the TorkLift Derringers or HappiJac QuickLoads. Both the QuickLoads and the Derringers are a big improvement over a standard turnbuckle.
Yes, the TorkLift setup is more expensive, but a far better product.
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WarrenS
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09/26/09 06:24pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Land Yacht
Yes, Tri5Ron and I both have Land Yachts and have taken them out to El Mirage together. I'm sure Ron will chime in soon. In the meantime, is there anything in particular you're trying to find out?
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WarrenS
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09/21/09 07:40pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Searching for Winter TC warm weather West destinations?
We love Pismo Beach, CA. The Pacific is cold, but for the most part, the weather is mild through the winter.
Lake Mead and the Colorado River (Laughlin/Bullhead City) should also be nice.
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WarrenS
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09/21/09 07:31pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Hmmm... another hairbrained idea from the Redneck Express
Scroll down bit.
http://www.utilityfree.com/hydro/
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WarrenS
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09/19/09 09:00pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Sewer hose supprot....
Like Bumpyroad, I use the Sewer Solution. Before I had that, I tried both the Sidewinder and Slunky. The Sidewinder works much better.
http://www.sewersolution.com
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WarrenS
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09/17/09 08:48pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Are Rentals Available?
If you can't find a rental close enough to home, you might consider buying a well used unit cheap. You can then resell it for little or no loss. May even be cheaper than renting.
Though you won't get the most up to date model, it will be a huge improvement over your van conversions.
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WarrenS
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09/13/09 10:11am |
Truck Campers
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RE: Cargo Carrier Recommendations
I prefer the front so it doesn't block the door. Also, if I want, I can carry one on the rear as well.
Mine is similar to this with the receivers mounted in place of the factory tow hooks. I bought the mounts from Leed Engineering, but they discontinued the product sometime after I purchased it.
A two point mounting system will significantly
reduce the "wobble and sway". Here's the solution I came up with. Got the idea from JoeOchiki. Dave.
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WarrenS
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09/12/09 08:43pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Are Rentals Available?
There are companies that rent truck campers in Canada and Allentown, PA
http://www.fraserway.com/content10.asp?nav=111267&
http://www.zieglersrv.com/Rentals/TruckCampers/tabid/447/Default.aspx
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WarrenS
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09/12/09 03:41pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Bathroom vs. Storage space (also water heater question)
For me, the shower is a necessity. When we go camping, we get dirty.
As far as the toilet goes, I find a porta-potti or cassette toilet to be more condusive to boondocking than a built in but would rather have a built in than nothing.
A 3 cubic foot refer will hold more than you think. One of the things we do is to constantly refill the refer. When someone takes out a cold drink, they replace it with a warm one. That said, an ice chest is much better for chilling cans and bottles so we do have a small one for that purpose.
I have used traditional water heaters (5 RVs) as well as DSI (2 RVs). Our current camper has a traditional water heater with an electric igniter but can be lit with matches as well. Lighting a traditional unit is easy as long as it's in proper working order and you aren't in a really stong wind (though you do have to go outside to do it). Wind can make it tricky but still doable.
For storage, you can add boxes on a front or rear hitch. I would avoid units where the shower dumps into the black tank if you intend to use the shower. When I had a tent trailer, my porta-potti would easily last 4-5 days (5 gallon tank) befor filling up. A shower uses a lot of water and you don't want your black tank backing up into the shower. You can often find places to dump your grey water that you can't dump your black.
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WarrenS
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09/12/09 03:15pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Loading/unloading TC
Like DJ said, it takes about 10-15 minutes to unload, about 15-20 to load. This assumes relatively level ground. The more off level, the more of a pain it is. Electric jacks with a wireless remote make a huge difference as do TorkLift FastGuns. Add on 5-10 for traditional turnbuckles and 10-20 for hydraulic or hand cranked jacks.
I typically unload if we're staying more than 1 night in a campsite.
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WarrenS
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08/30/09 09:28pm |
Truck Campers
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