RE: Attaching etrack to floor
I used similar inserts as gmc6000 did for my chocks in my TH, that way I can easily pull them out. Didn't use etrack in my TH, but did in my car hauler. I mixed up lag bolts with 1/4 inch washers/bolt/nyloc nuts where-ever I could gain access to them from underneath. And for the lags also added gorilla glue to the pre-drilled holes.
In my TH, I replaced the factory supplied lags with washers/bolt/nyloc nuts for all my tie-downs. A 1000 lb bike is a lot of stress on little lag bolts. And yeah, I'm probably guilty of over-engineering the solutions but nothing ever moves....
RE: I've had enough
I agree with the recommendation on the long tall glass of prune juice. However I wanted to thank the OP for this. It's the most interesting thread I've read this week!!! Glad to see it hanging around for a bit.
RE: Camping Near Circuit of America's Austin Tx.
We go down for ROT in June, we stay at La Hacienda, off 620 out by Lake Travis. A bit of a hike from where you'll be, but a very nice RV park, quiet (sometimes a very nice break). Anyway, have a blast!
RE: Best 5th wheel hitch for a 2012 Ram 3500
Not going to dis the B & W, but I have a Reese Signature series, 24k hitch. Love it. No tools required to install or remove. Clean bed when not installed. reese also sells a gooseneck hitch that you can use as well. Large head plate, ez hookup, ez unhitching. Take a look at both. Never even heard of a Demco......
Good luck!
RE: Cyclone and Road Warrior ?
Well, on a more positive note, I'm not a Heartland employee, nor a moderator, but am a Cyclone owner. Yeah, it had some problems and I worked diligently with the dealer AND Heartland to resolve the issues. End of the day, I'll look to Heartland first for my next TH.
Respect, patience and perseverance.........
RE: Levelling the head of a Reese hitch
I've a similar hitch. Not a problem, as Jetboater said as you back under the hitch (which, I assume is lower than your hitch head), the flat nose of the trailer will cause the hitch head to level out. I also toss a bungee around the hitch head handle and attach it to the rear tie-down on my TV so it doesn't flop back and forth all the time when empty.
RE: Anyone hauling a Can Am Spyder?
We carry Spyder and an Ultra. Spyder in first, nose to the front wall (pad in between) Hard up against the drivers side of rig. Harley comes in next, chocked and tied slightly behind front wheel of Spyder.
We strap the Spyder by running straps through the A-arms to keep it from sliding left or right and a single strap off the rear to the tie-downs in the rear. Frankly, the parking brake on Spyder holds it quite well, but the rear tire will walk sideways.
Loading and unloading no problem with stock ramp, slow on and slow off, so it doesn't bounce and it clears with an inch to spare. We have a nice dove tail on rig so it helps with the angle.
It's a fantastic ride, my wife loves it!
RE: Diesel Truck-What would you buy?
GM fan here. I loved my Duramax until I tried to haul a big triple through Colorado. Had some problems, (some related to some aftermarket gadgets, never again). Now shopping for something else. Have driven the Ford 350 Dually, rides rough, lots of power, lots of interior room, good looking truck. Drove the Dodge, lots of power, lots of room, rides rough. Mega Cab is an awesome feature, except, (and have no clue what those Dodge architects were smoking), you can't get a long bed, ur stuck with a 6'4" bed (add in a large tool box in the bed and it's pretty small). I have no desire to have a sliding hitch, seems like just one more thing to go wrong and I'd really hate to trash my cab on a sharp turn. Drove the new & improved Chevy 3500 (dually), rides great. Seemed to be strong, although not as noticeable as the Ford and Dodge.
So, to net it out. I like the Dually, not much more money, but a whole lot more stability (and it's my daily driver, you get used to the hips). I rarely need 4 X 4 but wouldn't be without it. Drive'm all three. Let your butt make your decision for you. I'm personally leaning towards a Dodge Dually Crew Cab 4 X 4 with an 8' bed. Happy Hunting!
RE: newbie
We've got a 3950 Cyclone TH. Nice big garage with Air and Heat. Neither work worth mentioning. In the fall/winter we use the oil filled electric heater in the garage and electric blankets. (Of course, this assumes you have full hookups.
In the summer we prop the door between garage and living room open. Put the A/C on dump mode (where all the ari is just going into the living room). Then put a box fan under it and blow the air to the garage. We've spent several weeks in Austin Texas in June and August, it works just fine.
Sounds like a lot of hassle, but the space is well worth it (two queen bunks in the garage, a half bath, a full size fridge (110 only). Garage is big enough for bikes and lots of toys. Not sure how it fares in the serious winter (we are fair weather campers), but we've had it out several times when it got down inthe mid 30's and it worked fine.
RE: What about Heartland 5ers?
I've got a Hearland Cyclone 3950 (Toyahuler). It's got over 20,000 miles on it and is over 3 years old. Still looks new. We've had our fair share of "normal" issues, but we are certainly happy with it. We usually have 2 large bikes in the garage so it is carrying a full load and we travel on mostly primary roads. No boondocking so still just running the single battery. Appliances are holding up just fine, we store it indoors (out of the sun), so gelcoat still shines like new. Tires are PowerKing Towmasters, and we will replace them in the spring, starting to get a little thin on tread.
No complaints (just be prepared to do the normal 'stuff', I've replaced coutless screws, lightbulbs, rewired all the switches behind the main panel (got tied of fixing them one at a time as their wires worked loose), replaced the water pump twice (can now do it in about 15 minutes).....
if you like the floor plan, it's a good rig.
RE: Xchocks question
An interesting and somewhat passionate thread. I use the X-Chocks on my fiver. I also toss out a set (one side only) of standard wedge chocks. We do so many things to prevent issues, tossing out a set of wedge chocks seems like a no brainer to me.
I forgot my X-Chocks once, and was moving to a new site at the same campground. I hurridly hooked up everything and pulled away without removing the chocks. Both removed themselves, and went shooting out either side. Didn't hurt them and didn't appear to hurt the tire. But from the drivers seat I had no idea (so, they didn't hold)
My belief is that most things that are born from lawyers or are CYA are typically a result of someone else doing something incredibly stupid (like relying only on the X-Chocks on a really steep incline) and then suing BAL when the fiver plowed into someone's car or home. If people actually still had common sense or applied just a little to situations like this then we wouldn't need to have half as many CYA rules.
They do help in minimizing the unwanted motion once set up. Couple them with the front and reat stabilizers and you've got a solid platform!
All that said, well, it's just my opinion and likely as not will differ from some or many....
Anyone put a Scion IQ in the rear of their TH?
Anyone put an iQ in their TH? The curbweight is around 2200 lbs, this seems a little much. I'm concerned about the door/ramp sustaining the weight. I've had 2 Harley Ultra's in the rear for nearly 2000 lbs so not overly concerned about that. Thoughts?
BTW, weight police, please feel free to sit this one out. I understand the weight implications.
RE: I'd like to introduce myself, your new 5th Wheel Moderator
Welcome Jim,
Nice Cyclone! (Realize you sold it, nice replacement though). We've the Cyclone 3950 HD version. Look forward to your pearls of wisdom and skilled reigning in of the out of control discussions on this forum (tires.....tires.....tires.....)
Scott
RE: Changing the way basement door swings.
Or just go redneck,cut a piece of broom handle to prop it open.
X2 Love it! Rubber cup on the top side so it doesn't slide off. Could even paint it 'Barber Pole' style......
RE: Dually or not
Dually. More stable, not much more expensive, handles more pin weight, etc. I've had one for 3 years now and love it, and it's my daily vehicle as well. I wouldn't tow a rig that big without one. You'll hear lots of pros and cons in this forum.....
RE: The truth be told about mileage
Excellent info, all.
When I mentioned failed to climb, I mean we had to be towed off the first pass on 160 westbound (around 9000 ft), we overheated (engine and tranny) near the top, had to stop. Had a myriad of problems, tranny computer had issues (had to be reflashed), went ot reduced engine power, mobile mechanic couldn't get it to reset (tranny computer. Had an OEM product installed that caused some issues I believe (but not proven), and they deny it. And we came to a stop a quarter mile from the top of Wolf Creek pass (engine and tranny overheating). As I mentioned, pretty conservative driver, was in no hurry, had windows down, A/C turned off, heater on, drug us down to a crawl and then everything just went through the roof (temp wise). Pulled over and stopped for an hour let it cool down.
I don't often make it to Colorado, but would like to do so without major issues. And this truck has towed this rig, loaded, (18,300 loaded, so am definitely working it) to Sturgis, to Austin TX, to Malibu CA, with no problems. Until Colorado.... The grades were in the 7% range, nothing heart stopping (well, except that hairpin turn at the western base of Wolf Creek :E )
