Experience with AC hard start capacitors and Honda 2000
How many of you have had success running a 13,500btu AC with a Honda 2000 after installing a hard start capacitor? I have an EU 2000. We camp one time a year without power so I would prefer to not have buy another.
I would be close to sea level
RE: Generators
why has this turned into "champion vs red & blue" AGAIN !!!
he is going to "motocross races" .. very noisy and FUN
the 2k Honda/yammy debate is basically null & void
2k can Not be depended on to run the A/C and other devices during high heat, might not run the A/C at all
charge batteries and/or run MW okay
run A/C and everything else NO way !
he needs the champion or something with equivalent power
Two 2,000 watt generators running in parallel will give plenty of power and only weigh about 45 lbs each.
Also as stated above, with an Eco throttle ( or even without) the Honda and yamaha will be much more fuel efficient. If they are racing every weekend in The summer and run the generator 15+ hours a day, a lot of money could be saved in gase
I have an eu 2000. We bring it with us to the fish house in the winter. We are usually there Thursday night through noon on Sunday or between 60-70 hours. We power satellite tv, lights and a pizza cooker and fish cooker we have never gone through more than 5 gallons of gas. The champion would have gone through close to 20 gallons during this time period or and additional $60 in gas per trip. The Hondas fuel efficiency has more than paid for the difference in cost over the past three years
RE: Generators
One thing to consider is the fuel efficiency of the units. My cousin had the champion, and I believe he had to put 5 gallons of gas in every 12-15 hours. The Honda and yamaha will be much more fuel efficient. Two Honda EU 2000 ran in parallel would give you up to 4,000 surge watts. Imt alsohas an Eco mode and will only run wide open when needed. When running at idle, The eu 2000 will run 10-15 hours on 1.1 gallons. The Honda also has a fuel pump so you can attach an extended run fuel tank which should allow you to run the generator 24+ hours depending on the load and time of year.
RE: Andersen Hitch Revisited
The people at Andersen have been fantastic to work with. IF they don't answer the phone, they return calls in a very prompt manner. They have also given me some things to try this spring to try and remove more weight from the rear axle. I am hoping they work, or at worst, Andersen comes out with a 2nd generation hitch for heavy TW trailers.Can you tell us what Andersen has suggested as possible ways to remove more load from the rear axle?
For those of you with lighter TW's, I believe the hitch would probably work well for you. I will also have to visit the Airstreams forum as I have not had time to read it since early December. A couple of posters drive Excursions and claim they are able to distribute the weight better than I have been able to.I know of only one Andersen owner on the Airstreams forum who is towing with an Excursion.
His scales data in Post #933 indicated a tongue weight of 620# caused 300# to be removed from the front axle and 920# to be added to the rear axle with no WD applied.
The data indicated the Andersen WDH was able to add 120# back onto the front axle and remove 120# from the rear axle.
Ron
Ron,
Last fall they suggested I raise the ball height. They also thought I may be overtightening the bushings which caused the quickbite to move forward on bumps.
I believe Howie who started the original thread on the Airstream forum also tows with an Excursion.
RE: Andersen Hitch Revisited
The Equalizer with some really stiff bars would be a better choice for removing excess rear axle weight, which seems to be what your goal is more than simple WD and Sway control. By the way, how did the sway control compare between the two hitches (before you destroyed a bushing)?
In my opinion, the Andersen had better sway control than the Equalizer. I remember being quite nervous before our trip out west last summer. In MN, I would rarely have 20-25 mph cross winds. I had always heard that 40 mph winds could be common in Kansas, Nebraska and the surrounding states. We hit some pretty high winds and I never felt the need to slow down or pull over. Even when being passed by a semi, there was minimal to no sway, and when it occurred, it felt as thought the TV and TT were moving as one.
If you are getting proper WD now, you will love the hitch.
RE: Andersen Hitch Revisited
I did re-install my equalizer last August while waiting for the bushings to arrive. I may give the Andersen another try this spring with some modifications. I really hate to give up on the Andersen, but I 'm afraid reality may be setting in.
RE: Andersen Hitch Revisited
Continue to think the basic architecture is elegant and also continue
to think their execution is lacking in many ways.
Like how they attached the chain on both ends. Okay for a small time
firm selling in the hundreds, but for the class of application they
are applying their product to, not up to snuff in my book.
Or the way they held the tongue brackets from sliding. The set screw
is NOT a good idea. Welding is better, but I'd not trust backyard
welders in general. Bolting it via a through hole or add a cross member
that has an interference fit between the tongue members best.
Basic flaw is the coupler latch and Bryan was the first to mention the
use of the Bulldog coupler in the first thread here on this portal. That
would solve that latch problem, but haven't given that much thought
since last year.
This is the original thread posted by John over a year ago
New Andersen WD hitch
This is the first towing experience posted on this portal last year
and where the below quotes are from
First tow with Andersen hitch & 9,000+ lbs TT
I wrote the original post on "First Tow with Andersen and 9,000+ lbs and thought I should give an update as I just came across this thread last night.
I first installed the Andersen hitch in April of 2012. Over the next 5 months,I put over 6,000 towing miles on the hitch.
My first impressions on the hitch were that it was incredible. It eliminated almost all sway and was able to return wheel well heights to the specs my Equalizer hitch recommended.
I July we were planning a trip from central MN to Kansas City, Then to Colorado, Arizona, and then back home. I purchased a Sherline scale before we left for KC to make sure I was keeping my tongue weight under 1,200. For most of the trip my TW was around 1,140-1,180lbs.
Some posters on this forum continued to remind me that wheel well heights were no substitute for a cat scale reading. I did not take their advice and continued to use the wheel well measurements.
While traveling through New Mexico, I came across a cat scale at a gas station and decided to get some numbers. I was quite surprised at what came out.
My rear axle was carrying roughly 5,900 lbs while my front axle was around 3,800. I will have to double check my tickets tonight to see what the exact numbers were. These weights were with the bushing at close to 1/2" compression. After tightening a bit more, I was able to get the rear axle close to 5,800 (I know this was over the axle limits but I did install a road master active suspension which is supposed to support an additional 2,500+lbs). This was a bit concerning to me.
I should also note that I have a quick bite coupler. I have read where some feel this hitch might give better results with the Andersen. I have had some issues with the quick bite. One of the issues is that the quick bite sometimes appears to work itself closer to the TV. I had to grind front edge of the quick bite (an added area to put flags in when hooking up) down about 3/8" to keep it from rubbing on the ball shank.
I also had some issues when entering/exiting gas stations that had steep approaches. A couple of time I heard a loud pop/grind only to find that the brackets had slipped a bit.
On our return trip home I heard a loud boom that sounded like it came from behind the truck. At the next gas station, I found that one of the bushings had exploded. I was about 150 miles from home and decided to continue. We made it home with no further issues.
I called Andersen and they 2nd day mailed me new bushings. I am a bit torn on the hitch. I love the ease of hooking/unhooking and the fact that it is mess/grease free. The anti sway is as good as anything out there short of the hensley/propride.
I am just worried that with the heavy rear end of the Excursion, and the 1,100+lbs of tongue weight, it may be more than the Andersen was designed for.
The people at Andersen have been fantastic to work with. IF they don't answer the phone, they return calls in a very prompt manner. They have also given me some things to try this spring to try and remove more weight from the rear axle. I am hoping they work, or at worst, Andersen comes out with a 2nd generation hitch for heavy TW trailers.
For those of you with lighter TW's, I believe the hitch would probably work well for you. I will also have to visit the Airstreams forum as I have not had time to read it since early December. A couple of posters drive Excursions and claim they are able to distribute the weight better than I have been able to.
RE: First tow with Andersen hitch & 9,000+ lbs TT
should we start a club of people who tow with an excursion and a 30 plus (I am 37 bumper to ball) trailer?
Really curious how the Anderson has continued to function for you. I am looking to upgrade the Reece Pro with friction bar we currently have.
I have not used the hitch since our trip in August. The TT is put away for the winter.
I could not get as much weight as I would have liked off my rear axle. I was 5-600 lbs over. Anderson gave me some suggestions to try next year. I am hoping they come out with some stiffer bushings.
RE: Question on WDH ratings
I made one on a trip out west this summer. The Anderson had my rear axle at 5,820 I believe. I think my gross was 17,780 with about 1,180 in TW per the sherline.
I have not weighed since talking to Anderson reps on how to displace more weight.The rear axle load of 5820# seems pretty high. Do you recall the other axle loads?
What did the Andersen reps have to say about how to transfer more load?
Ron
5820 is higher than I prefer to be.
I believe front axle was 3,500 and TT axle was 8,240.
They suggested raising the hitch. I hope I can get it to distribute more weight. The hitch is much easier than my EQualizer to hook/unhook and the sway control is fantastic.
RE: Question on WDH ratings
The scales data shown above are from July 2011.
If I recall correctly, you installed an Andersen WDH about five month ago.
Have you made any axle load measurements with the Andersen installed?
Ron
I made one on a trip out west this summer. The Anderson had my rear axle at 5,820 I believe. I think my gross was 17,780 with about 1,180 in TW per the sherline.
I have not weighed since talking to Anderson reps on how to displace more weight.
RE: Question on WDH ratings
Below are numbers from two weigh-ins from July 2011
Trailer unhooked from vehicle
Trailer axle:7,980
Trailer tongue: 1,460
Truck only :with 4 passengers all gear and full tank of gas
Steer Axle: 3820
Drive Axle: 4,400
Truck and Trailer with WD hooked up. Equalizer hitch max head tilt, bracket one hole from top.
Steer axle: 3,400
Drive Axle: 6,160
Trailer axle: 8,140
Gross: 17,700
2nd weigh-in bracket to the top
Steer axle: 3,500
Drive Axle: 5,980
Trailer Axle: 8240
Gross 17,720
RE: Question on WDH ratings
The 1400 rating is to be matched over, but close to your measurement with the Sherline scale. The 2000 pound increase on rear axle you noticed is not tongue weight. Some weight was removed from your front axle.
Something seems incorrect with your numbers, though. If you only have 1150 pounds of TW, I expect less applied to your rear axle, somewhere closer to 1600 pounds. with 400 coming off the front axle.
I will double check my tickets tonight, but last summer while at a CAT scale, my drive axle weighed 5,960 with the Equalizer hooked up! I agree, something isn't right. I believe I unhooked the TT to get TW and it was around 1,300 lbs.
Question on WDH ratings
If a WDH is rated at 1,400lbs of TW, Does that take into consideration, the total amount of weight on rear axle, or is than consideration not needed?
Example. My TW per my sherline is about 1,150. Per CAT scale, my drive axle weight is increased about 2,000lbs when TT is hooked up without WD being applied.
Is the total axle weight putting to much pressure on the WDH when trying to remove weight from the drive axle? Or was that considered when they hitch was given it's rating?
Floor getting wet when when flushing black tank,why?
Last time we were out I hooked the hose up to our front black tank flush and turned the hose on. about a minute later I heard my wife yell that the floor had water coming out between the shower and cupboard in the bathroom. I turned off the hose and went into the bathroom. My wife would wipe the water and another puddlenwould appear. This happened for about a minute. I then went outside and looked underneath. I was getting some dripping through the enclosed underbelly. Any ideas on what may have caused this?
Trailer is a 2011 Palimino Sabre 30bhds
RE: Is my sherline scale defective?
---Shouldn't this scale be a little more accurate than that?
Do not lift up a couple of times. Their directions specifically indicate if you lift up you can cause air to enter through the O ring. If that occurs you must bleed the system. Plus you must store the scale in an upright position as you would a hydraulic jack.
MMM..., I have not been storing it in an upright position. Will have to change that when I get home. I would also raise the tongue 2-3 times (zeroing scale) to make sure I was getting the same readings.
Didn't know about the binding issues
Is my sherline scale defective?
I purchased a Sherline scale at the end of July. On the first trip My tongue weight seemed off a few times. Yesterday I weighed like tongue weight before I left for a trip. Tongue weight came in at 900 pounds. I started to push down on the trailer until the tongue weight read 950 pounds. When I let go it stayed at 950 pounds. I pushed down harder until it read 1000 pounds. When I let up it stayed at 1000 pounds. Shouldn't this scale be a little more accurate than that?
RE: How long do batteries last?
There you go. Checking the water level once a year is not going to cut it. Especially if you only have a two stage converter. They should be checked monthly.
Checked it in the fall and again in the spring before use. I use a vector smart charger in the winter. The battery is rarely used unless we are only home for a day or two, or when raising and lowering tongue jack before hooking up.
RE: Confused on CAT scale numbers
As for 15.4% tongue weight I see no problem with that. The more tongue weight you have if you are within the limits of your hitch and all axle capacities will give a more stable trailer. That is a major reason 5th wheels are more stable as they are in the 20-25 % pin weight.
Hitch has a 1,250 TW capacity. That is why I try to keep it at 1,150 or under. I do have a storage rack on the rear of the TT. Since I have never had more than 9,800 on any of my trailer weighings, I may try to put some more weight on the rear rack and keep tongue weight closer to 1,050 lbs.
RE: Confused on CAT scale numbers
do you take your tongue wt at the ball or the jack pad?
On ball mount.
Do the rear springs affect the weight that is being taken off the front axle?
I have a road master active suspension that I could tighten up a bit if needed.
