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Forum
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RE: Eliminator/JT Strong Arms/Wheel chocks
JT's are best if you have scissors jacks. If you have the really light duty arm type jacks as I do the Bal Lockarms are the best, but requires 2 kits. Each Bal kit gives you 2 lockarms. They really do work.
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NHguy
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07/18/08 05:56pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Passport owners check your wheel wells
If the manufacturer just does nothing you can go the route of wet treatment to the panels. Many here and in the technical forums can give you details.
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NHguy
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07/18/08 05:47pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Goodyear Marathon warranty ???(kinda different)
I'm a tire salesman and tire/service center assistant manager. We don't carry the Goodyear line. I just bought three Wrangler A/P's to match my OE spare when I hit 78,000 mile on the original set for my truck. All I did was rotate them and keep the pressure up. Still haven't had an alignment. My TT came with 4ply rated (Load Range B) Canadian Marathons. It's an 04. I'm getting same size load range C's this winter, same brand and model with the white letter sidewalls. I'm sure they will be Chinese. I'll check their runout etc with the road force balancer and report.
I'm going to get the white letter sidewalls to make the wife mad! She says I am too fancy with cars and mechanical stuff. I don't think I'm too fancy, just matched.
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NHguy
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07/17/08 07:50pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: 8318ss lug nut size
Get yourself a good long 1/2" drive breaker bar, I would get a 30" or 36" if available. You also want a short extension maybe 2" or 3" and you probably need a 13/16" thin wall socket. Take the socket to the camper and try to fit it to the lug before removing the packaging, most are packed so this can be done. Or, if you are really unsure get a 3/4" socket too and return the unneeded one. Then if you really want to do the right thing get a torque wrench.
on edit: if there is a choice the 6 point sockets hold up better than 12 point.
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NHguy
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07/17/08 06:56pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Tire Replacement Dilemma
Do you have spring suspension with equalizers or torsion suspension?
Equalizers put the same weight on both axles regardless of inflation, so the low tire would not add load to the adjacent one.
Not true with torsion axles.
Most likely just a plain old bad tire. Missing a big chunk of tread on a tire otherwise properly operated means it was probably not well attached to the carcass from day one.
Disagree...Missing a piece of tread on a years old tire is typically due to impact or load. Defects show up quickly in tires, that's why tire companies are more willing to replace new failures.
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NHguy
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07/17/08 06:47pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Need towing help
If it is a one time tow, you might want to ship the car, that's likely to cost around $1000.
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NHguy
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07/16/08 06:41pm |
Dinghy Towing
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RE: Weighing my Pop-up with a WDH
Hey, I didn't read every word but to answer your weighing question. Just go weigh the van by itself now and you can do the math to figure tongue weight, transferred weight etc. And you are right to move up, you are over the popup GVWR and the TV GCWR. I don't care how smart that towing guy is, when you are over any rating you may be in for a surprise. I just hope you don't get a bad one.
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NHguy
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07/16/08 06:34pm |
Towing
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RE: Towing with a GMC Sierra 1500 Denali???
Guys, when you are in direct drive, which has normally meant OD off you are 1:1 to the rear gears. That means the engine spins 3.42 times per wheel revolution in direct drive with OD off. 3.42 is 3.42. Does the TV have 3rd or 4th gear as drive? I would not expect drive to be 5th gear. And if the guy with the same truck and driveline says it works, then it works! It sounds like a great power plant, that might grunt a little in the Rockies. If it does, go get some 3.73 gears or 4.10's.
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NHguy
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07/16/08 05:55pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: 2006 F-150 Supercrew towing capacities
If I fill my truck with kids, bikes, firewood and dog and add my TT's tongue weight I get to GVWR 7400. Then if I add the TT 5900 minus tongue 700 = 5200. 7400+5200=12600 and my GCWR is 14500. That's enough. I took it over route 4 in VT the other week where there are a couple of spots with 6 and 7% grades. At the top it fell off to 2nd gear for a couple of hundred feet. But it held 45mph without going floorboard. I have a trans temp gauge, never cracked 210 degrees. If you want to climb big mountains get more truck or less trailer. My trailer is 4288 dry. 5900 to 6000 packed to go, and it's rated GCWR is 5900. If you aren't doing the Rockies every week the truck can do about 8000# without exceeding your GCWR, 8500 with a partial load in the truck. I'd stay under 7000 GVWR TT or ideally 6000 like I have.
It's good to have a cushion. I bought this truck because I started out with a TV rated for 6300 lbs and it was having to try too hard.
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NHguy
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07/15/08 07:54pm |
Towing
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RE: Road air conditioning R22 Beaver Marquis
Those systems are effectively custom and are charged with the sight glass. Your guy is not the right tech unless he can speak to someone who knows the sight glass method. If you can't find a sight glass, (usually on the dryer), I'd be surprised. He might have to convert you over to R134A if he can't get R12. That requires a changed reciever dryer, some new seals, and a different lubricant.
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NHguy
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07/15/08 06:52pm |
Tech Issues
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Battery isolation/charging
I have a coworker who has a hobby that requires some 120V at remote locations at times. He and his buddy race radio controlled cars. They are into this hobby to the point of near obsession. My coworker is a service manager at the auto shop where I work and his RC friend is a machinist with a full shop at home. Needless to say they are gearheads. So here is the question. Can they get a (deep cycle?) battery, leave with it fully charged and wire up a charge line to the 2000 Subaru Forester they take to races? They will use an inverter to pull their A/C. I'll give them some web links for inverters so they can decide what style to go with, input there will also be handy. With this will they get a fair amount of A/C to run some small tools for pit-type repairs on a miniature scale? My thought is a small scale isolator similar to a trailer tow system. If that is successful I'll tell them about charge minder etc.
Thoughts and flames are welcome!
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NHguy
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07/15/08 06:34pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Wheel Bearing Operating Temperatures
They can run as hot as your brakes will take them. My brakes are normally at 150 or 155 when I check them on a trip in summer. The bearings in the center, I forget. Sorry, my guess, around 100. They can run over 200, but the grease will probabley liquefy once they exceed 130 or 150. Bearings don't normally get to the point of overheating, they fail normally from misadjustment, contamination, or unperformed maintenance.
So check them the first chance you get then do the scheduled care per your axle manufacturer. If you can't take the time to remove them but can lift up the wheels try to tilt the wheels at the top & bottom or at the front and rear. If there is any "play" you'll want to do an adjustment or adjustment with lubrication. To see how that is done read the axle lube sticky post, it's very detailed.
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NHguy
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07/15/08 05:51pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: surge protector locking device
Most of the CG's have a closable box into which you plug the converter. You could put a little lock on the box. Or, even better, if you really want to do a good job get a hard wired protector and put it inside the camper.
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NHguy
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07/15/08 05:38pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: XM Radio Satellite Antenna - Where to mount?
I have a magnetic mount XM antenna that I put onto the AC frame on the roof. I ran the wire down through the air box and through the ceiling to the TV/audio cabinet where I mounted the cradle. It's a good invisible way to do the installation.
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NHguy
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07/12/08 06:34pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Help with Equalizer set-up and Cat Scale numbers
Hey, just keep it simple. Weigh the TV loaded without the trailer too. Then you can figure your WD values, and decide whether to change the setup. Ideally you want to EQUALIZE the tongue weight between the TV axles. When you have it equal the lights aim at the road, the rig handles well and you will be pleasantly surprised at how nicely it tows. In the meantime take more tension onto the WD bars to get the front and rear axles to drop the same amount. If the bars will get too close the the tongue you may need to change the hitch tilt angle, this is normal.
Good luck, and remember this is fun, you did it yourself!
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NHguy
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07/11/08 06:59pm |
Towing
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RE: Dual Cam Sway Conrol Cam Arm Nut Size
My big pipe wrench did a good job, but a crescent won't make as much of a mark.
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NHguy
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07/11/08 06:47pm |
Towing
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RE: Suburban 97 ??? pull 07 keystone tt
Probably should have checked this out before you bought it. But anyway you need to post the numbers of the TT, we need the dry weight. No we need the GVWR. Dry weight is some hypothetical number that happens before the trailer is fitted with options.It should be on a label inside one of the cabinet doors or it will be on the outside, drivers side down low. Then you need to determine the GCWR of your TV. You will exceed this number before the tow rating. No, you can't exceed this value.The last thing you need to do is weigh your TV. The GCWR is the most your trailer and TV can weigh combined, with all cargo, passengers and a full tank of fuel. Get these numbers and get back to us. If this TT has been sitting for a long time you will need to do some maintenance before you can tow it. Chances are the tires are dry rotted and flat spotted, I am sure the bearings need cleaning and repacking, as well as the brakes need to be inspected and adjusted.
NCH
Sorry but you need to know the actual weight of the trailer and the actual weight of the tow vehicle as they will be loaded for the trip. As Hornet said you can't exceed the gross combined weight rating GCWR, and you also should watch the TV rear axle rating (RAWR), which is affected by the tongue weight.
My guess is the Sub might not be enough unless it's a Suburban 2500.
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NHguy
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07/11/08 06:38pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: ADCO Universal Fit RV Covers?????
I have one and I'm happy with the results. I'd recommend a couple of things, measure the actual box size of the camper and use that instead of the published data. I ended up with too long a cover because of this. Also watch out for the awning lever when you put the cover on and off, I tore my cover on the lever and had to sew it up. Let me tell you, I ain't no tailor.
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NHguy
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07/11/08 06:25pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Weight
The GVWR of the E250 is not the actual weight. If it's a cargo van and it's empty look up it's curb weight, that is closer to how you describe using it. The 6400 # dry weight camper is likely to weigh 7800 lbs. So if the van weighs more than 5200 lbs (likely) you are over the 13k gcwr. Comprende? best thing is to weigh the van ahead of time at a truck scale or at the dump or something. If it's bad enough to ruin the van rent a 1 ton truck or something that can handle around 1,000 lbs of hitch weight.
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NHguy
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07/11/08 06:21pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Foam Tops Effective?
I don't know whether to feel jealous or proud. My TT came with a skinny foam short queen so I got a topper. It is just barely OK. I was thinking about an innerspring mattress, now I'm reconsidering. I guess I need to test how they feel!
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NHguy
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07/09/08 08:04pm |
Travel Trailers
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