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Forum
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RE: Dreaded Generator Question
OOPs you said 15 amp. Yes the 15 amp should do it if you have a healthy breaker and a solid 120V line, but you probably won't be able to run anything else on that circuit.
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85AllegroSam
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07/02/08 10:20am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Dreaded Generator Question
Any 20AMP 110V circuit will run the AC. Can't run too many more things on that circuit but the AC deaws substantially less than 20A. Just don't have the numbers off the top of my head. There is an adapter for your generator. Any RV store is most likely going to have it.
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85AllegroSam
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07/02/08 10:17am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Length Concerns
Certainly a Jeep can't do the job but while it is still pulling with a henseley/ProPride 3P the trailer won't be wagging.
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85AllegroSam
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06/27/08 08:54pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Length Concerns
Do the numbers concerning GVW etc and use common sense. YEP I believe that is how I learned --- don't use use common sense and you probably won't get a chance to learn:)
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85AllegroSam
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06/27/08 06:47pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Length Concerns
I just returned from a 4444 mile trip towing a big loop from Indiana down thru Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and home to Indiana.
I tow a 9000# 35' hitch to bumper TT.
On the way to Arizona (1800 miles) I fought a VERY stiff cross/head wind (depending on road curves)...the wind blew like CRAZY from Indiana to Arizona. Four NON STOP DAYS OF FREAKIN' WIND in the 30++ mph category.
I was able to pull 2 600 mile 12 hour days and 2 300 mile 6 hour days in that wind. I would NOT do it without either of the following towing MY TT.
1) My 138" of wheel base on my 3/4 ton Excursion
2) My Hensley Arrow
In addition to the non-stop winds in the flat lands...I got into many many canyon areas that had very gusty cross winds.
There is IMO no substitute for proper TV to TT match up. Sure there IS more to stability than simply wheel base...but a long wheel base TV for the average newbie goes a LONG WAY to aiding that person to stay on the RIGHT SIDE of the stability equation. Most folks are not techincally astute enough to understand which knobs to tweak to make a short wheel based vehicle into a safe and stable tow vehicle for a LONG and HEAVY trailer.
LEVERAGE and PHYSICS cannot be ignored...sorry.
joe.
We are on the same page. I have a propride 3p pivot projection hitch, same functionally as the Hensley. Most people try to tell me that the cost of the hitch is not justified for my particular trailer. They just want to learn the hard way as far as I am concerned. There is no comparison in the way you can handle the trailer between the hensley/propride design (also PullRite, the one with the swing arm) and the other hitches. I do not hesitate to weave to miss big pot holes (within reason) and I do not have to go into panic mode if there is a sudden need to turn. And, as you said the passing trucks go unnoticed. The sheer relaxation one can enjoy towing with the propride is amazing. You simply do not have to get so involved in the vehicle trailer interaction. Just drive with proper awareness of the weight, length, braking etc. It's the same type of driving as with a fifthwheel.
BTW the HensleyPropride will make a short wheel base TV perform better than a long wheelbase TV with a conventional hitch (assuming it has the proper GVW, braking etc.
I chimed in on the earlier post to impress upon those who are trying to make decisions on this that if they do not know enough about the dynamics then they are flirting with danger going against conventional wisdom of longer wheelbase TV, and good hitch, (such as fifth wheel, pullrite, hensley, propride 3P etc) They need to know that all the other hitches are compromises for the sake of cost or ignorance. If the trailer is small enough of course it doesn't make enough difference what hitch. I was young once and in getting started I had to sort through all the conventional wisdom the old timers were putting out and I came to realize that much of what was being said as gospel or fact all depended on a combination of other factors. Sometimes it was just plain baloney. I learned that when I rigged up that angle iron under my van forward of the bumper and put a ball on it. I moved a 35 foot trailer from Atlanta to Ky with no sway. I was very gratified to see for my self what a few change in the geometry could make. There are all sorts of ways to skin a cat.
The cost of the the ProPride 3P hitch has paid off in fearless driving, with few concerns about how the rig is handling. I don't have to be having a good day to decide that I want to hitch up and go. I don't expect it will handle a tornado very well and winds that would blow over tractor trailers and railroad trains are going to blow me over too, but those situations are usually pretty easy to ancicipate and avoid. When they happen someone wants to chime in and say the hensley couldn't cut the mustard. Many things can happen that the hitch has nothing to do with so seeing a hensley hitch on a wrecked trailer proves nothing in and of itself.
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85AllegroSam
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06/27/08 01:18pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Experience With Kodiak Trailers
Just to ease your worries some. I bouught a 2008 27CDSL Kodiak by scamper last february because I was impressed with its towability, floorplan and features for the money. soon after the purchase, I started reading the stuff on the Kodiak website and was dismayed at first but as i started checking into what all the fuss was about -- and basically found out that they had had some serious issues and probably the warranty was not handles well but the actual issues involved were all taken care of with design improvements. You can be sure it was a beautiful sight to crawl under my trailer asn see all the new designs for beefing up the frame.
The biggie was frames bending. I have been on some really horrible roads and the frame has not been affected. No cracked seams on the cabinets and counters. I had one really horrible situation where I drove the trailer wheels into a culvert that i had not seen. (please do not ask how and experienced tower could do such a thing) The trailer dropped so hard it jarred the truck pretty good and in my rearview mirrors I see the wheel free wheeling and continued forward movement drug the frame over the raised curb of the culvert. I had to continue to drag the trailer until the rear dropped off the curb dropping the trailer onto its wheels in a big tilt. I just knew I was having my worst night mare -- a totally screwed up trailer with no warranty backup. But the trailer does not show any effects of this incident except for some gouges on the bottom of the frame and rear bumper.
It is since then that I have been on the rough roads. I have finally quit worrying about the frame. And otherwise the trailer has been a dream. We love the single step into and out of the front and rear door. It tows like a dream. And the floor plan is just what we wanted.
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85AllegroSam
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06/27/08 10:19am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Length Concerns
It is not just the wheelbase issue. The closer the hitch to the rear axel the more stable. Also it depends on what percentage of the trailer weight is away from the trailer axels. if 100% of the trailer weight was within one foot of the axel there would be no sway except for what ever the wind would induce against the bigger trailler. bigger trailer the more wind effect but it is that weight away from the axels that starts to magnify things. In engineering terms this is referred to as moment of inertia. the further away from the axels you put a 100 lb sack of sand the more it can contribute to sway because the moment of inertia has been increased in proportion to the distance away from the axel.
there are a number of ways that a short wheelbase vehicle can be configured to do a good job of towing. Unfortunately most of them just aren't practical.
I had a short wheelbase dodge van once that I rigged a hitch ball just forward of the rear bumper about 4" because I was pulling a long trailer. The rear bumper was closer to the rear axel than most vehicles and with the ball 4" forward it could tow really long trailers without a hint of wag. I got the idea from the pullrite hitch design. All it does is pivot the hitch close to the rear axel.
Off course my setup did not allow for very short turns and only worked for me because it did what I wanted it to do. Just throwing out some ideas for you to work with to see if something works for you. Do not be intimidated unnecessarily by the short is bad idea. it is just that longer is better. Most people need to seriously consider just getting a really good TV and let it go at that but there are other ways to deal with the sway and length issue such as getting a trailler with a low moment of inertia. Its not the length it's the moment of inertia and total weight that you are really dealing with. Longer usually means higher moment of inertia but not necessarily.
My current 27 foot kodiak has a center kitchen and all the heavy stuff is very close to the axels. I haven't tried it but I think I could pull this thing with a jeep. It has no where near the tendency to sway as other similar length trailers I have dealt with.
A hensley hitch will do wonders for a short wheel TV. I have seen some F350's and F450's in some nasty wrecks so the fact that a hensley hitched trailer wrecked means little in the overall scheme of things.
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85AllegroSam
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06/27/08 09:52am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Its been two years.........
Bought my trailer a Kodiak by Skamper 27CDSL precisely because of the floor plan we liked that a lot of other trailers had similarly but this trailer is only one step. I am reasonably active, no stiff knees, but I still thoroughly enjoy the freedom to go in and out of the trailer so easily. When cooking outside there are numerous trips in coordinating the meal and I really appreciated the one step. My previous experience was a motorhome that had four steps. It really got old going up and down.
I see all sorts of older folks that otherwise can't go up and down steps in these 5 step fifth wheels and no wonder somehow they just don't enjoy the trip like they want to because of those steps. My two cents.:)
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85AllegroSam
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05/14/08 09:03pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: finding frame members (stud finder)
Right on Mickeyxx -- that is the way it will probbly get done. I bought a new Zircon i700 stud finder because it had a metal detection mode which would be an improvement for my house projects. I think it would do fine detecting the metal in the trailer but it is so big I kept running out of space to slide the finder. It can't locate the metal accurately enough for you to be able to drill a hole and hit it until you have scaned from the left and the right. Somehow it takes an average and homes in on the stud by repeating this process. There is a cabinet or something to hit just about everywhere but at least I can confirm that I am approaching a metal beam and use a bit of logic and press a little here and a little there as you say:) I would say the stud finder helped but still have to feel it out and take a shot. I missed one and had to get up the courage and move over a bit and drill another hole.
On to the next phase:R
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85AllegroSam
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05/13/08 06:18pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Pullrite or ProPride
For years I said I would get a PullRite whenever I bought a travel trailer but when the time came the cost and universal nature of the ProPride won me over and it tows every bit as good as far as I can tell.
Sam,
Do you HAVE your 3P already? Mine is expected to arrive in a couple weeks... I'm anxious to hear/read some reviews from folks that have it installed and are using it.
Thanks!
Jeff
No I do not but am expecting shipment any day now. I base my estimate of it's effectiveness on known good performance of the Hensley and the pictures I have seen of the ProPride. I am a mechanical engineer so I can vouch for the principle or theory of operation. It is not snake oil. The theory is proven. I am sure ProPride will be every bit as good if not better. We will see won't we? I will post what I learn.
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85AllegroSam
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05/09/08 09:51pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: finding frame members (stud finder)
Sounds like you are telling us that they do work:W
Seriously, there is absolutely no flex in most of my walls. that layer of styrofoam won't let the skin move even a smidge until you reach the point of pressing so hard something is being damaged. My interior walls are easy to work with by thumping and flexing. The places I do feel flex in my exterior walls seems to be where the frame is. There is a little hollow space there. At least that is what turned out in one situation. I had to drill a second hole to hit the center of the frame. The other one I filled with wood filler but it shows. Don't want too many of those.
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85AllegroSam
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05/09/08 03:56pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: finding frame members (stud finder)
Hey djevans, who is talking about accuracy:) Right now I have no idea where any of my framing is located. One nice frosty morning I am going to have a whole better idea where to look when I get inside. I feel clever already, even if I didn't figure it out by myself.
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85AllegroSam
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05/09/08 01:48pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Pullrite or ProPride
Something else to think about. The ProPride can be moved from trailer to trailer and works on any vehicle with a 2' hitch receiver. The PullRite adds permanent weight to the TV, requires vehicle modifications in many cases and each Pull Rite hitch only fits a category of vehicles so you may not be able to use it when you change tow vehicles. With the ProPride any properly weight rated TV can back up to the ProPride hitch, and drive away.
The ProPride will cost less also. For years I said I would get a PullRite whenever I bought a travel trailer but when the time came the cost and universal nature of the ProPride won me over and it tows every bit as good as far as I can tell.
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85AllegroSam
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05/09/08 11:23am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: finding frame members (stud finder)
Forgot to mention that I am going to now be the nutcase that is always staring at the sides of the trailer after rains to see he can get a mental picture of of his frame:)
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85AllegroSam
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05/09/08 10:42am |
Tech Issues
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RE: finding frame members (stud finder)
Thanks all. Just needed to know i wasn't looking for a left handed monkey wrench or something like that. I will start shopping shortly and I will repost when I have found the finder of my dreams:)
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85AllegroSam
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05/09/08 10:35am |
Tech Issues
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finding frame members (stud finder)
This topic has been moved to another forum.
You can read it here: 21389338
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85AllegroSam
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05/09/08 05:51am |
Forum Technical Support
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finding frame members (stud finder)
My home type stud finder does not give a clue in my trailer as to where aluminum, or steel frame members are. There must be a trick to finding the frame members in our RV's so we can drill into structural points for hanging things on the walls.
Any tricks, or devices? My home type stud finder is an older one from Sears. Will the newer ones work for aluminum or steel etc? magnets do not work on the aluminum.
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85AllegroSam
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05/09/08 05:51am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Lets talk fuel economy and ways to improve.
Don't forget tires. Most trailers have bias ply tires. I was flabbergasted when I learned that. Haven't, until lately, had a trailer since early 1980's so I just assumed that trailer tire technology rode along with other tires. Bias ply tires take serious amounts of extra energy to roll as compared to radials especially good radials. It takes a good bit or research to quantify this and I haven't looked at it for years. I don't know whether anyone has bothered to compare the rolling resistance effect on trailers since most people are resigned to coughing up lots of extra gas money to pull a trailer with it'w extra wind resistance, weight etc. And for just a few trips a year, what difference does it make? Not much but if you seriously like to travel a lot then the gas expense matters. I hope someone can enlighten us on this milage thing.
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85AllegroSam
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04/12/08 02:18pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: How to remove rear brake drum on 1984 P30
RockAuto has the spring kits. Sure hard to tell what yoou are getting sometimes with so many different axels under the heading P30. May just take things one step at a time and plan on the Home being out of commission while I work out individual parts scenarios.
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85AllegroSam
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10/23/07 10:03am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How to remove rear brake drum on 1984 P30
A gold mine of information. Yes indeed I will be replacing the brake hose. My front ones actually stopped up somehow (deterioriation) and caused brakes to lock up. The rear one can't be far behind. Up until I saw it my self I was skeptical about this kind of failure on a brake hose but it is true. They will sometimes stop up such that the fluid can only go one way. I suppose they can also rupture:(
This is the first axel of this type I have worked on. On others, (pickup trucks)the wheel cylinders did not cost much so my thought was just to replace what ever I find in there simply bacause it is 23 years old and leaking. BobJoh, or whoever has a thought on this, is there some reason, to hone rather than replace on these, that I don't know about?
I realize a repaired original part can be better sometimes than the replacement but perhaps you are talking about what to do if a cylinder is not available. Just wondering??
Again I am just flabergasted that someone would take so much time to answer a question like this. Thanks again.
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85AllegroSam
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10/23/07 07:27am |
Class A Motorhomes
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