RE: Charlotte NC area fuel (available)
I wonder how the diesel supplies are holding up. We'll be making a trip (in a car) to GA tomorrow. We can take a gas car or the trusty old 300D. I haven't heard of truckers having supply issues, so I'd imagine that at least truck stops have fuel. Does anybody know about the diesel supply in NC, SC, and GA?
David
RE: Problem with furnace...
You might also try a propane store as a source for the thermocouple. If it were up to me, I'd remove it and take it with me, as I doubt they will have a cross reference for that far back. I've always had good luck getting replacement thermocouples from our local stores.
RE: Let's talk contstruction: aluminum vs. wood
Our old ('89) Holiday Rambler Imperial has an aluminum frame and smooth aluminum siding. The siding has minimal joints (2-3 long pieces per side) and is attached to the frame with adhesive and rivets. There are very few dents or dings in this trailer, so I know alum. can be a durable siding material. I don't see many newer trailers using this sort of construction, but it sure beats dealing with delamination and looks better than 'corrugated' aluminum siding.
RE: New to TT's~ Opinions on vans as TV's
I also wanted a van as a TV, general utility vehicle, and to 'camp' in when we don't use the trailer. It's much nicer than sleeping on the ground in a tent, and quick-release seats and an air mattress make it easy to set up. It took a while to find it, but I got a Chevy Express 3500 conversion van (without a raised top). It's my favorite vehicle for trips regardless of whether we're towing or not. I like it a lot better than my old truck for towing the boat; people have a place to change clothes, etc. It's definitely not as quiet and smooth-riding as the half-ton version; it's got a stiff suspension and LT tires. If your looking for a used vehicle, vans (conversion, passenger, and cargo) seem to be a bit cheaper than a truck, but I think that's a regional thing. There's certainly not a good selection of used vans in my area.
RE: Why I can't use stabilizer jacks to level TT???
I was at in a very unlevel spot in a campground recently. We leave the trailer there and have it pulled out when we want to use it. The problem was that there wasn't enough room between my trailer and the one next to it (90° to it) to get my van in and pull it up on blocks. I took the scissor jack from the van and jacked up each axle on the trailer enough to slip 2 2x12's under each tire. Viola, a leveled trailer with no bent stabilizers or frame. Next time I'm near a junk yard I'll be buying two more jacks to keep in the trailer (I don't generally drive my van to the campground). The jack I used is from a Chevy Express 3500 van; it's very heavy duty, has a reduction gear for easy cranking, and has a very long extendable handle - no need to lay underneath the trailer cranking.
RE: Honda's Civic is now U.S. best selling vehicle
Oh, and is the faculty parking lot in every college full of hondas, and toyotas, and nissans? If what you say is right than there shouldn't even be one american car in the faculty parking lot. True or false?...false
Well, in the dept. where I work (at a university, btw) most of the cars owned by faculty, staff, or students are either American-branded trucks or Toyotas, Hondas, or Nissans. These 'import' vehicles are all certainly more reliable than the ones produced by the Big Three. I can honestly say that the two Mazda's, Hyundai, Honda, and two Toyotas have been a lot more reliable than the American cars I've owned.
David (who's current daily driver is a '97 Toyota Avalon with 148,000 miles on it; it drives like a 2 year old car)
RE: Ceiling sag
Our '89 HR Imperial's ceiling started doing the same thing. I used the 'better' 3M spray adhesive. I sprayed it between the ceiling and the foam so both sides would be coated, waited the appropriate time, and pressed it back in place. I didn't do such a good job on the first section (the seam right inside the door, of course!), but subsequent sections worked fine. The foam hadn't really deteriorated as much as one would think; just the point where the original glue attached it to the ceiling was bad. So far, so good. If I have to do it again, I will, as it sure beats trying to take all that vinyl down to replace it.
David
RE: Adding a heater strip to an a/c
I forgot to mention this in my previous post. We do have a small ceramic heater moved from the bathroom to the bedroom. The 'main' electric heater is one of the oil-filled radiator types. We all know that 1500 watt heaters all put out the same amount of heat. How and where the heat is distributed can make a huge difference. Heat rises, so we'd like the source to be down low (which the heat strips aren't). A large radiating surface is nice, too, along with some mass. This give a nice, even heat. The oil-filled radiators do this very well. The thermostat can cycle off, but the unit still gives out heat, like a real radiator. It keeps the temp. inside our trailer very even. The other nice thing is that the radiators don't get all that hot. On high (1500 watts), it's uncomfortable to keep a hand on it for very long. On medium (900 watts), it's no problem at all. I generally keep ours on medium and hang a bath towel on it right before taking a shower. It's nice to have a warm towel! I will also hang a damp towel over it to dry it a bit more. I do not go to bed or leave with a towel on the heater, although it has an overheat switch, as well as the thermostat, that would turn it off if it got too hot. The radiators are a bit bulky, but can just be laid down on their side for traveling short distances. I generally put ours back in the box and stick it in the shower when we pack up our trailer. I know this isn't what was asked, but so many people were mentioning ceramic heaters I thought I'd mention it. I feel safer with an electric radiator; those small heaters are easy to accidentally cover with a blanket.
David
RE: Stove lighting
I'm not sure if this is relevant to your stove, but mine has a pilot light just like an old house stove. My knobs also have a 'light' position but use the pre-lit pilot light to ignite the burners.
David
RE: Propane lantern tank refill - anyone try this?
And,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, if you got a spark from the metal to metal, the gas would light and you could see better, or not at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just because you can do something doesn't make it a good thing to do!
Vic
And this is relevant to what? I also put gas in my car on a hot day when gas fumes are pouring out of the filler neck. I haven't had any sparks, either. BTW, the refill adapter I have is brass. I've not seen a brass and steel fitting spark, either. Hey, I wonder how they fill the 20lb tanks and prevent sparks?
I've used the refill adapter a few times and it always worked fine. I had one bottle leak, but I've had them leak when new and removed from a lantern or stove.
RE: Adding a heater strip to an a/c
My bus conversion has a Carrier AirV heat pump. This unit has a 1500 watt backup heater for when the outside air is too cold for the heat pump at around 38°. I can tell immediately when the backup coil comes on and the compressor goes off - the air coming out of the unit feels cold. If I put my hand right up to the outlet, I can tell there's a tiny bit of heat present, but nowhere near what the 15,000 BTU unit was putting out before the compressor turned off. There is simply too much air volume, and the air actually causes heat loss from a body (like sitting in front of a strong fan on a hot day). I'd recommend a small ceramic heater. Honestly, how much trouble is it to store and set up? It can be put in a (dry) sink, tub, or cabinet in about 5 seconds. The quietness of a small, portable heater is another benefit, as others have mentioned.
As an a aside, I'd always recommend a heat pump when replacing a roof-mounted RV air conditioner. The Carrier I bought was less than $100 more than a straight A/C unit.
David
RE: Screen Door Latch
I must have a cheap door...my screen door attaches to the outer door with magnets.... :p
a lot of them use magnets, that doesn't make it a cheap door...
magnet were very common on older models...
Our '89 Holiday Rambler has magnets on the screen door. It's much better (easier), in my opinion, than the separate latch. One nice thing about a magnet is that it won't break; plastic latches will.
David
RE: Air Card = Internet while driving down the road?
Another Verizon here. We have ours plugged into a wireless router also. My wife uses it while we are on the move. Works great.
I'm also a Verizon user. It works great, but I'd like to share. What router are you using?
David
RE: Replacing Awning Material
I'm going to have to replace mine in the next couple of years. It has Sunbrella fabric in it and is the original fabric from '89. It's in great shape except for a couple small holes from campfire embers and a bit of fade. I know it costs a bit more than vinyl, but it sure seems to hold up well.
David
RE: Handicap Equipment
I posted this same question on a bus conversion forum that I'm a member of. Numerous folks posted that they couldn't even give these things away. Most just pulled parts of 'em and scrapped the metal. The Disabled Veterans Assoc. wouldn't take it due to 'liability issues'. I got an email from one of the members of the bus forum and he needs this for his wife. I had it listed on Craigslist locally and had no luck with it, but then I got a call from a lady in Texas who needs this for her son.
If anybody buys a vehicle that's equipped with handicap equipment like this, spend some time and try to find a new home for that stuff, if you don't need it. In both these people's cases, they don't qualify for govt. assistance for a lift. Often, they can be donated to a church or other organization that these folks are members of for a tax write-off. It's sure nice to not have to scrap something that a person who's in a wheel chair can use.
David
RE: Thoughts on using a Van to tow....
I recently purchased a '98 Chevy Express 3500 conversion (low-top) van for towing. It's got a 5.7 V8, 4.10 rear end, lock-up differential, 4L80E transmission, factory tow package, LT tires, etc. I haven't towed our 'big' trailer with it yet, but it does fine with a pop-up camper, obviously. I drove it about 3.5 hours home when I purchased it and had no comfort problems (foot space) as another poster mentioned. It felt very stable in wind, too, but I imagine a lot of that is due to the non-raised roof. It seems to have a comfortable ride considering it's a 1-ton vehicle with stiff tires.
David
RE: Another Dish Thread
On the phone line - I think the newer contracts require it, while my old contract does not. Neither of my receivers have ever been hooked to phone lines.
Exactly. DVR's (except models 501, 508, and earlier) and dual-tuner models require it. I accidentally unplugged the phone line from my DVR (510) once. I don't know how long it had been unplugged, but I turned it on one day and there was a message to connect it to the phone line. It worked fine afterwards. One nice 'option' of the old DVR's (501 and 508) is to record stuff at home with the dish set up. Then, when you'r on the road or in a campsite, you'll have lots to watch without setting up the dish. Of course, if you want to watch live TV, you'll have to use the dish. All in all, a Dish 500 (dish) with a Dish Pro or Dish Pro Plus LNBF connected to a Dish 301, 501, or 508 make a great travel set-up and can get by without the phone line connection.
RE: Another Dish Thread
It's not been a problem for me either. I think it's a bit like speeding, though; we may do it, but we're probably not going to advertise it to a (local) cop. The Dish tech. person I talked to actually suggested which receivers to use when I asked about a 'detached workshop without a phone line'. It was 'off the record', though. Dish does not allow this for a variety of reasons. The link I provided goes into pretty good detail as to why. There are many other threads on that forum that have been posted asking this question. Believe me, the people on the DBS site know their stuff... most of 'em, anyway. There are Dish resellers, installers, etc there that deal with this on a daily basis. I'm not saying that YOU can't do it, but it's contrary to Dish's policies per a court order. Read the info on the link I provided and search for more, if you like. You'll also find people that were told they CAN'T use their home receiver in their RV. Do it, but just don't tell Dish what you're going to do.
David
RE: Another Dish Thread
One hint... don't let Dish know you're using a receiver anywhere other than your house.Should not be a problem. At least they do not give me any hassle about it.
Oh really?
2nd Receiver in a Motorhome
RE: Another Dish Thread
I would get another box to use in the trailer. I have a Dish 301 receiver and a Dish 500 dish and LNBF (all this is available on eBay). I pay an additional $5 per month for this. HD and dual tuner receivers require a phone connection. You can pay an extra $5 to eliminate this requirement, but why not just get another setup? I picked up a Dish 500 dish and mount in a neighbors' trash. A coworker gave me the Dish 301 receiver. I bought an antenna tripod and mast from Radio Shack and mounted the dish to that. I haven't used this in my trailer or bus conversion, but I use it quite often at home in the bus. It's very stable and hasn't gotten knocked out of alignment - I 'pin' down the tripod with metal tent stakes. This is a lot easier than moving a dish plus eliminates the phone line requirement for dual tuner receivers. One hint... don't let Dish know you're using a receiver anywhere other than your house.
David
