RE: New forum
...the server is actually located in a building directly beside Interstate I85, off service road 13, between Barnsedale Way NE and Inwood Circle NE....in a north sector of Atlanta, Georgia.
Actually, the server is in Toronto. The domain is registered anonymously (for a reason) in Atlanta GA. Ask me via PM how I know this if you want, as I don't wish to run afoul of the rules.
RE: Trailering Advice Needed
Checking the details on that model it has a GVWR of 6900 Pounds and a remarkably light empty weight as you mention.
One must remember that the empty weight however doesn't include anything that you might consider normal. Things like propane and a full freshwater tank can add alot of weight right there that is never included on the published empty weight. Also remember that the weight of passengers and gear in your truck also subtract from your tow rating.
All that said, so long as you don't load heavy you should technically probably be OK, but you'll be very close. The "don't tow beyond 80% of your rated capacity" club will think otherwise, though.
The other thing to consider is your wheelbase's suitability to towing a long trailer like the 31' you listed, which is actually 33' in reality. There are better experts here on that matter that can offer their suggestions on that topic.
As for overall size there are tradeoffs - some national parks have length limitations that will prevent you from camping there, and other smaller parks might simply have sites that are too small for you to maneuver into. Typically you'll have no problems, but occasionally you will - it depends alot on where you intend to camp, and your flexibility or sites, and skills at maneuvering.
RE: Trailering Advice Needed
What's most important out of the gate is what your TV will safely pull, so "Weight" is the top priority to worry about. That 5400# weight on the 31' is probably a "no option" weight and everything from soup to nuts (AC, Propane, upgrades, etc) can easily add a thousand (or two) pounds to that empty weight. IMHO 5400 Pounds for a 31' trailer is really low, so expect the actual curb weight to be considerably more unless you order the most basic bare bones model.
Add in another 1000# of contents, and you can find that 5400# trailer grossly exceeding your tow vehicles ratings.
Of course, you'll have to look into what your truck is rated to tow. This will vary based on engine size, gearing, etc.
RE: Were the CGs crowded this weekend?
We were at a campground/waterpark combo this weekend and I think I only counted about 5 other transients in the park, park models aside. Definitely really quiet.
RE: Bought a Costco generator
The video sure makes it sound loud. Comparing it to my Champion 3500 I'd have to say it sounds about equal.
But as others have said, it's hard to tell on a video.
RE: Towing in the hills, let the speed drop or step on the gas?
I'll back out of it on any hill where I know there's a possibility of the transmission staying in 4th/lockup if I do so, but then again I'm a diesel guy so letting it work down into it's torque curve is beneficial versus downshifting and letting it roar up the hill on horsepower alone.
If there's zero chance of it pulling a grade without downshifting then I'll usually still back out of it anyways until the downshift occurs, and then put my foot into it to maintain whatever speed it downshifted at.
I could leave it on cruise control and maintain highway speed up allot of grades, but it costs more fuel, and I'm seldom in that much of a rush. If someone else wants to tear by me at 75MPH getting 2MPG up a grade while I pull a grade at 55MPH and get three times that, then all the power to them - I'll be passing them again at the next fuel stop. ;)
RE: '02 Keystone cougar phantom battery draw.
The battery is actually only a few weeks old, so I've been able to rule that out.
The radio is no longer the stock unit but was replaced with a higher-end unit that I just run off an inverter when I need it on the road.
I guess I'll take Chris' advice and start pulling fuses to see what one represents the draw, and see where that leads. If I can't track it down even after that I'll probably just put a quick disconnect on the battery and make a habit of disconnecting it when parked, but I've always enjoyed not having to do this - we're typically out almost every weekend so the "regular" parasitic draws are never a concern that justified disconnecting the battery.
RE: '02 Keystone cougar phantom battery draw.
Yes, the phantom draw from the propane detector I'm aware of - our radio is 120V so there's no draw there, and the fridge was off.
But...there's no way the propane detector killed a 50% charged deep cycle in 2 days, and the size of the spark from the cable (when I disconnected it last night) indicates to me that there's a much more significant draw from somewhere.
I triple checked everything before the latest battery kill (including lights in the basement, kids bunks, closets, etc) and couldn't find *anything* left on, so it's got me stumped now.
RE: Computer tracking question
If your worried about Cookies then you'd be terrified if you saw the rest of the breadcrumbs and information you leave kicking around just by simply surfing to a website.
In reality, it's all not worth worrying about, including Cookies. Tell Norton to stop being so picky and go about your day. Worry more about Virus' and spyware on your system (what really matters) then cookies and the such.
'02 Keystone cougar phantom battery draw.
Any other Keystone owners ever experienced a mystery phantom battery draw?
Our 02 Cougar killed the battery a few days ago, however I thought I knew what the reason was - I had left on the bathroom light.
So, I charged it back up to about 50% (I'd estimate) and then went and parked the trailer again. I returned this morning to pickup the trailer (went for a new set of tires) and the battery was flat dead again.
I double checked everything (once I plugged it into the truck and fired up the generator as well) and there was *nothing* turned on this time.
When I dropped it off at the storage lot again this evening I disconnected the negative cable off the battery (again, nothing on inside) and got a notable spark between the cable and terminal - so there's *something* drawing power somewhere.
Any thoughts on where to start?
Thanks
Mark
Easiest pinbox adjustment method?
I thought I was going to be able to level our new 5er with the hitch alone, but sadly there wasn't enough adjustment left (heightwise) to level the trailer.
So, I'm going to have to lower my pinbox as well. It's a stock pinbox, so 4 bolts and nothing fancy, really, but it looks like it was moved once (probably when new) and hasn't been adjusted since.
My thoughts on the job:
1/ Loosen all four bolts.
2/ Hitch to the trailer but leave it chocked with landing gear down.
3/ Remove all 4 pinbox bolts.
4/ If pinbox comes loose, great, proceed to step 6.
5/ If pinbox tight/difficult to break loose, put truck in gear and jiggle it untill it comes off.
6/ Adjust height of trailer with landing gear, align and reinstall pinbox mounting bolts.
7/ Tighten, torque everything.
8/ Enjoy a cold beer. :)
Does this sound reasonable, or is their an easier/alternative method that I'd be better off using?
RE: What's Your Future RV Prediction?
Yall just hang in there and we will get mad enough to say enough is enough and take it on ourselves to boycot. All working class shut down for a couple weeks and it will change. Look how much tax the gov would not get, how much oil not used and on an on.
Not the old boycott thing again. Is this horse not beaten enough yet? :R
You can't get two consumers to agree that the earth is round, never-mind getting them to agree to try any of the beaten-around boycott tactics of not buying gas at a specific retailer, on a certain day, $1.00 at a time, or risk their job and livelihood to not buy it at all and "shut down for a few weeks".
RE: Has anyone purchasd an RV online?
We bought from out of country, actually. We're in Canada, and we bought a used TT from a dealer 800 miles away in the USA. It was a sight unseen deal that we thought we had done our homework on, but were woefully wrong about.
It ended up being a bad deal that resulted in 5 months of stress and frustration for me, and in the end, loosing a bunch of money to flip it and move on.
Lesson learned, I guess - we'll never buy sight unseen ever again.
Feel free to PM me if you want to discuss the matter.
RE: What's Your Future RV Prediction?
In a matter of a decade RVs will be a thing of the past not just the trips taken in them.
Lets come back in a decade and debate the outcome, Skip. ;-)
I respectfully disagree, though. The speculators have driven oil to the price it's at without sufficient fundamentals to justify it, it's becoming increasingly common knowledge that it's overpriced, and it will eventually subdue in a gentle fashion, or (my opinion) abruptly correct.
10 years from now RV'ing will be enjoyed by less, I'm sure, but it'll still be around. 20 or 30 years from now is what I'd debate, not 10 years.
RE: Fuel Rants & Raves - Post 'Em Here!
I would not wish it on anyone
Many millions of Americans would be glad to have but a sliver of what many Canadians call our "Terrible" socialized healthcare system.
You can't have your cake and eat it too - if you want the American system of healthcare where wait times are less and there's 25 doctors meeting you at the door with all the latest and greatest multi-million dollar technology ready and waiting, be prepared to pay for your healthcare insurance (if you can afford it, much less be actually approved for it), and if you don't have it, be prepared to lose your entirely livelihood (house, savings, retirement nest-egg, etc) in order to pay for that surgery you never thought you'd need.
Be glad for what we have, be glad you don't ever have to worry about loosing everything you've ever worked for your entire life for a surgery you'll probably never expect or think you need, and stop criticizing things. Egad, Canadians who think our healthcare system is rotten really need to stop back and smell the coffee. It's not perfect, but it's certainly not the disaster that some make it look like, and it gets the job done.
Back on the topic of gas taxes in Canada, even if you take off ALL the tax on Gas in Canada our prices (on average) are still above that of the USA, so to the Americans here throwing the "But you have free healthcare!" argument out there, please step back and educate yourself on the realities that we simply pay more then you right out of the gate, all taxes aside.
RE: Fuel Rants & Raves - Post 'Em Here!
3.92 a gallon for regular in VA !!Up seventeen cents this week !!:M:M
You may find us Canadians would consider that a deal.
Regular 87 Octane is about $1.27/Litre/average now = $4.81/Gallon
Diesel is about $1.40/liter/average now = $5.30/Gallon.
On the east coast of Canada diesel hit $1.60/Liter last week, which is just a bit above $6.00/Gallon.
If your think your hurting, look north. The only thing going for us is that our economy isn't quite as tanked as yours is. So far it hasn't slowed down many people, so I'm still wondering where the breaking point is in reality.
RE: Fuel Rants & Raves - Post 'Em Here!
$5.00 a gallon on the way to $10.00 and $15.00 dollars a gallon,
At $10/Gallon nobody is going to buy it for anything less then a sheer need for work purposes - recreational purposes will be out the window, simple.
Supply and demand dictates at that point that supply will far outstrip demand. Anyone want to guess what will happen at that point?
RE: When is gas gonna kill your camping?
I wouldn't say we don't "care", but I'm also not going to let it ruin a trip that we've been planning for a year now.
When we get home we'll be firmly planted at local campgrounds for the rest of the season, trust me. If next years gas prices are the same or higher, ditto.
RE: When is gas gonna kill your camping?
With Goldman Sachs and Boone Pickett both saying that oil will hit $150, then it will. Doesn't matter if it's justified or not, because they said it, it's gonna happen no matter what.
Sadly, I agree. I still think it's in a bubble that continues to swell though - $150 in the coming weeks might just rush it towards popping a bit sooner then later.
It'll probably burst about 48 hours after we get back from our month out west. :M
RE: When is gas gonna kill your camping?
We're making plans for a 930 mile trip in the next couple of weeks. At $4 a gallon for mid-grade, it's getting scary but still not prohibitive.
I'm in the same boat, except we're looking at 7000 miles. I was doing the math again today with revised numbers and I figure we might blow our budget by $600 to $800 assuming the current runaway prices continue. Sadly enough I did the "new" math at $1.65 per litre for diesel, which is $6.25/Gallon on the US side.
I'd like to think that those prices were "worse case scenario", but I'm really starting to wonder now.
Given that the budget started out at $3000 to begin with, that's a significant overage. Not enough to stop us, but enough that it's starting to get on my nerves.
