| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
RE: Weighing tongue with propride + shreline
When I check the tongue weight on my trailer with my Hensley hitch, I put the receiver into the hitch loosely. Then put the scale under the 2" hitch bar where it goes into the hitch box of the tow vehicle. IMO that is the most accurate way to check tongue weight on our style hitch.
You can do the same thing with a regular style WDH with the bars installed. The receiver will be held rigid by the bars and you can then place the scale under the 2" square that inserts into the tow vehicle.
I did the CAT scale thing several times when setting up my hitch the first time. Now I think I have a pretty good handle on getting it set up properly in the driveway with a scale under the tongue.
|
tomnytyz
|
08/28/12 07:18am |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: What are you towing your small TT with?
This causes me to think of two questions:
1) What measurement of the trailer is the "correct" one for a discussion like this. Our Lance 2285 has a 22ft box (hence the "22" in the model name). That number to me is the size of the RV, so when discussions focus on RV living space, I say ours is 22ft. But the trailer itself is 27ft bumper to ball. That's the number I give for campsite reservations to make sure I get enough space. Otherwise when discussions focus on the size of a rig, I figure ours is the truck plus the length of everything hitched to the ball, which is 27ft. So do I have a 22ft or a 27ft TT?
2) What exactly constitutes a small or larger TT? Based the numbers listed above, mine could be either small or large, depending on the number I use. But when we're at a typical full hookup RV park, we're easily among the smallest units in the park. Still that 27ft of trailer looks sizable hitched to be back of the truck, though I can imagine someone used to a 40ft 5er might think of anything 30ft or under to be small.
We have a Fun Finder X-160 it is by definition a 16' trailer even though its longer with the tongue. When we make reservations we tell them it's a 16' trailer. We have never had an issue or someone come out with a tape measure and tell me I was wrong.
As for what is a small TT?
I would think it would have to be a single axle trailer to be considered "small".
|
tomnytyz
|
08/22/12 08:48pm |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: What are you towing your small TT with?
We tow our 2007 Funfinder X-160 with a 2012 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited. Photo taken a few weeks ago on the Beartooth Hwy.
http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/8205/smalljeepbeartoothpass.jpg
|
tomnytyz
|
08/21/12 06:16pm |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: Must see places and good restaurants in WI and MI
Crane's Pie Pantry in Fennville MI, they have a excelent bakery and a neat little resturant.
Saugatuck, Douglas is a nice place to visit.
Silver Lake Sand Dunes.
Just to mention a few
|
tomnytyz
|
08/19/12 09:09pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
|
|
RE: NC to Michigan trip
You might be ok in mid September getting sites in state parks. All the kids are back in school the day after labor day.
Not sure where you are picking up Lake Michigan at but I would recomend Benton Harbor and then head north. There are lots of nice little towns all along the coast. South Haven, Saugatuck, Douglas, Grand Haven etc.
I have a friend that is camping at Sleeping Bear Dunes right now. They mentioned the leaves are already changing colors so be warned that the northern MI color tour may already be over by mid September.
|
tomnytyz
|
08/06/12 07:30am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
|
|
RE: Planning a 2 wk trip out to Yellowstone from IN...HELP!!!
A annual national park pass will only save you money if you visit a national park or other participating recreation area more than 4 times more than 7 days apart.
A annual pass that works in all national parks and recreation areas cost $80. A regular entrance pass costs $20 and is good for 7 days. Unless it has changed the $20 pass will work in all national parks for those 7 days. If you visit Teton NP and go to Yellowstone within 7 days it will work there as well.
I do know it will work at all the parks you listed except Crazy Horse (that is not affilated with any government agency). Also when you visit Mount Rushmore there is a parking fee as the parking area is privatized.
We alway get a Annual Park pass. The pass works until the end of the month you activated it, so for you the end of September. So if you plan on visiting a National Rec area next summer before October it will work for you next summer as well.
If you get a $20 7 day pass (it's only a reciept) don't loose it or let it blow out the window. You will need to buy another one. You can also use the $20 pass to apply the $20 to an annual pass only if you get the $20 pass at a National Park and upgrade at a National Park to the $80 annual pass within 7 days.
NP park pass info
|
tomnytyz
|
08/06/12 07:14am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
|
|
RE: PRIVATE campgrounds with easy, online reservation systems
We used www.recreation.gov to book our stay in RMNP. It shows you what sites are available and when. I also like it shows you a photo of the camp site.
When we choose a campground we usually stay away from places that don't have a lot of pictures of the campground on their web site.
|
tomnytyz
|
08/05/12 12:06pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
|
|
RE: Planning a 2 wk trip out to Yellowstone from IN...HELP!!!
My comments about the bus is based on the fact the OP has a 5th wheel. So they will have a smaller vehice to drive. If you only have a class A or large class C motorhome to drive in the park my opinion would be different. The OP sounds like they have 5 people going. I don't know excatly what it cost to ride a bus. When we did a Photo Safari from Old Faithful it was in an old touring coach for 4-5 hours and cost $50 per person. $250 for the OP's 5 people to ride the bus buys a lot of gas (even in the park).
As for the bus stopping for wild life. You are correct the bus does stop for traffic and most traffic is due to wildlife viewing. The bus does not let you off to get your pictures. If there is no traffic backups the bus just slows down for you to look. In most cases with large animals Elk, Moose and Bears there are Park Rangers there directing traffic keeping everyone moving or keeping parked cars off the road.
Here is a picture my 16yo Daughter shot standing with a Park Ranger.
Bull Moose
There were a pair of bull Moose togther grazing out in a field. We watched several busses slowly go buy. You could hear the driver telling the passengers what they were (missing) looking at as they drove by.
The hardest part of going to a place like Yellowstone is trying to do it all. You will be worried the entire time you are missing something. For many it is a once in a lifetime trip. I would suggest that anyone visiting Yellowstone plan well before you go, make camping reservations only. You can book all the horseback riding, bus tours fishing trips when you get there from your campground (in the park). But when you lock the door to your house and hit the road, play it all by ear. Take it easy, enjoy the trip. Make plans with your family while you are there to come back and see it all again.
|
tomnytyz
|
08/05/12 09:55am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
|
|
RE: Planning a 2 wk trip out to Yellowstone from IN...HELP!!!
I don't know where you live in Indiana. We live in SE Michigan and have done that trip several times. I am going to suggest something for you to think about. Reverse your trip.
If you don't plan on going to Rocky Mtn NP skip Colorado this time (Colorado can be an entire trip on its own)
My suggested route.
Head west on 80 thru IL, just as you cross the Mississippi river get off in LeClaire IA for a quick stop to vist Antique Archeology, it's the shop for the TV show American Pickers. Continue on 80 through Iowa and most of Nebraska. Get off 80 in Ogallala NE. Head north on US 26 to Scottsbluff following the North Platte river following the Oregon Trail. You can stop to see Chimney Rock.
As you cross into Wyoming stop in Guernsey to see the ruts left in the rock by all the wagons that went west.
Stay on US 26 through Casper, Riverton, Dubois it will take you right to the base of the Tetons. I would stay in the Teton area and visit Jackson and the surrounding area. (We have seen many Moose on the road to Wilson) We just came back from a trip up the west side of the Tetons, I would skip Driggs this time it is nice but you don't have a lot of time.
Head north to Yellowstone, Camp in the park if you can. We like Madison and Canyon campgrounds. (The trek to and from West Yellowstone will get old after a few days if you stay outside the park) Both campgrounds allow generators during the day to keep the batteries up and both have dump stations and fresh water.
Don't ride the buses. (With the exception of the old Motor Coaches those are nice, if the weather is nice they take the top off.) My reason is when you see that bear, you can't get off the bus or stop to see it. In your own car you are on your own schedule.
When you leave head east to Cody then up to Sheridan over Granite Pass then to Devils Tower, Mt. Rushmore (You must do the night program if you can, especially if you or a family member is or was in the Armed Forces) Wall Drug, Badlands etc.
Again not sure where you live in IN but we usually stop in Wisconsin Dells the night before we get home.
Now why should you reverse your plans?
The most boring part of the trip is Nebraska, Iowa and most of Illinois. Get it over with first. You will all be hopped up and excited to be on vacation and all stocked up on Skittles and Doritos. You wont have a long drive across those states when you are all tired and have empty cupboards at the end of your vacation.
You can modify your plans if you want to stay longer in the Tetons or Yellowstone. If you go the other way you may spend to much time looking at Bison in Custer SP and not enough time looking for Bears in Yellowstone. (Bison in Yellowstone are like Pigeons)
No matter what you decide you will have a great time. Drive safe.
|
tomnytyz
|
08/04/12 06:37pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
|
|
RE: Yellowstone Campgrounds
We have stayed at Canyon, Madison, Bridge Bay and Fishing Bridge. We don't go to Yellowstone for the camping experience. We go for the Yellowstone experience. We like Canyon the best as it is close to good wildlife viewing. Madison would be second as it has good location to thermal sites and outside the park services. Bridge Bay was ok in a pinch but would only go there if others were full. Fishing bridge is fine for us as we don't do anything in the campground other than sleep. So havin full hookup would be the only reason to stay there.
|
tomnytyz
|
07/18/12 09:36am |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
|
|
RE: To Fishing Bridge from NM (East or South Entrance)
I opened mapquest and typed this - fishing bridge campground, wy
The first one "1" that popped up is what you are looking for.
Not sure where you are in NM. Or why you want the quickest route. You can take either the East or South entrance.
If I were you I would take the south entrance as it passes the Tetons and Jackson Hole.
|
tomnytyz
|
07/02/12 08:12pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
|
|
RE: San Francisco - where to stay?
We stayed at the Marin park last year. It's not much more than a gravel parking lot. It is clean and close to grocery stores and other shopping. We did use the Larkspur Ferry around the corner. It was a nice boat ride, you go past Alcatraz and are dropped of in a great location downtown.
|
tomnytyz
|
07/01/12 08:55pm |
RV Parks, National Parks, State Campgrounds & More
|
|
RE: Has any body plumbed the bathroom sink to the Black Tank?a
The best way I found to get grey water into the black tank was to install a pump to flush the toilet with grey water. It is a simple mod and it keeps everything sanitary.
No worries about backups into the wrong place. You can keep flushing the toilet to transfer more grey water to the black tank.
If you think about it the pump you install on the grey tank can also be plumbed to a long hose to be used to empty the grey tank without using the stinky slinky.
|
tomnytyz
|
07/01/12 11:24am |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: Want to travel long distances...couple of concerns
This is all so great to hear. The 1905 is the one I saw at the local rv show and has been hard to find something I have liked more. Looks like is CCC is only 850 or so. It really doesn't have that much storage space so I was thinking I'd have to put my truck bed to work if I needed more room.
Not sure about the size of the water tanks, that will have to be in my future research.
And barring a storm or something, I am hoping this is just a place to sleep which was part of my rational for keeping it small. I have thought some about hybrids but my wife keeps throwing out that we can't have soft sides at Yellowstone, even though that may be 1/10,000 of the time we actually camp in it, we have looked past them for the most part.
My tundra will be a 5.7L V8. It's tow cap is something like 9,500. That's a number I plan on staying WAY under.
I would do your best to not use the bed of your truck for much other than bikes or other kids toys. Try to get everything you can in the trailer. It's less stuff you have to take out and put in your camp site when you are out for the day seeing the sites. Then have to load back up when it's time to move on to the next adventure.
I would stay away from Hybrid trailers. IMO they are just fancy PopUps. When we are on the road heading west we stay in WalMart parking lots or Cabelas. It saves money and you can stop any time you like. Having a trailer you have to "setup" would hinder those options. Not to mention the "Hardside" only rules in bear country. If you are like us, once you head to the mountains you will keep going back year after year.
|
tomnytyz
|
06/30/12 10:45pm |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: Want to travel long distances...couple of concerns
My family consists of me the wife and our (now)16yo daughter. We camp quite comfortably in a 2007 16' FunFinder. It's funny that our first trip with our trailer was from SE MI to Glacier NP.
We don't travel to places to sit in the campground. We are going places to see the places we go. So we only use the trailer for sleeping and carring our stuff. We do sit and play games at night if we don't have a fire or if it is bad weather. We have a shower and all the stuff you need to live. We dry camp quite a bit taking care to not to use to much water as the tanks are small. But the the three of us can go several days without hookups and still take showers and such.
I find all the friends we have that have large travel trailers don't go very far from home. The are amazed when we tell them where we are going and have been with our little trailer. We have been pulling our trailer with a 2007 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. We just bought a brand new 2012 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon and are heading to the Denver area and then on to the greater Yellowstone area in two weeks for several weeks.
We usually head out several times a year on smaller trips and one two-three week vacation someplace when school is out. Last year we did the California coast from Los Angles to San Francisco, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe and then back home. We averaged 13.5mpg over the 7500+ miles we put on the Jeep. Our friends don't belive that we go so far all the time.
I would suggest the smallest trailer that will make everyone comfortable. If your family is going to get bigger keep that in mind when you buy. You don't want to lose money getting something you will not like in two years. Make sure it has enough storage to hold clothes and food for everyone so you don't have to stop and do laundry every couple days or hit the grocery store all the time.
|
tomnytyz
|
06/30/12 10:26pm |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: 2007 funfinder cruiser r.v. 160X
I have one and love it, we bought it new in 2007. We have looked for a replacement but we can't find anything with the same amount of storage in the same weight range (there is a Lance I like however)
I assume the squeak you are talking about is the spring shackles. Unfortunately there are no bushings to replace. Mine squeaks real bad as well, if you take them off and grease them it will last for a while but it comes back after a few thousand miles.
I had to rebuild the walls inside the rear compartment under the rear couch/bunk. I was able to make a few inches bigger at the same time.
What are you pulling it with? I pull with a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. I added a Hensley hitch after we amost rolled it heading to Colorado a few years ago.
We have pulled it from Michigan to the East Coast and the West Coast of the US. We mostly spend our time in the Rocky Mountians from Montana to southern Colorado. The trailer has about 35,000 miles and have had no major issues to date. We are heading out to Colorado, Wyoming, Idaho and Montana in a few weeks, for a few weeks.
Drive safe you will love it.
|
tomnytyz
|
06/26/12 08:42pm |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: Jeep Wrangler
Here is our rig.
http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/9583/someplaceinwywq6.jpg
This was taken years ago, before we added the Hensley hitch. We still pull it with our 2007 Wrangler. (We now have a 2012 Rubicon but havent pulled with it yet) It's a 16' FunFinder X-160 it has a dry weight of about 2200lbs. When loaded with 2/3 of a tank of water and all our gear for 3 people it weighs about 3000-3100lbs. We have pulled it all over the country. In the Mountians it is slow going but it does ok. We went from Michigan to California last year and averaged 13mpg.
Your ablity to pull a trailer greatly depends on your Jeep's gear ratio. If you have a stock JK Wrangler 2007-2011 with stock gears and a Auto trans. You most likely have 3:73 gears unless it is a 2007 Unlimited or any year Rubicon, then you may have 4:10's. It is possible you may have 3:21's as well. My 2007 has 4:10's I also have a Superchips Tuner that changed the transmission shifting performance for the better. If you have a new 2012 Wrangler it has a new Engine and Transmission that has a new 5 speed trans and 80 more HP. We just bought a new 2012 JKU Rubicon just so we could get the 4:10 gears.
Make sure you have a good hitch. We had issues before we added the Hensley hitch now we have no problems. If you go to the Jeep forums there is alot of info about pulling trailers with the Wrangler Unlimited, from people that own and tow with them.
|
tomnytyz
|
06/23/12 07:43am |
Travel Trailers
|
