RE: Dometic Over Door Awnings
I'm not so sure about how effective the sensors are for the main awnings either. A friend is a tech for Carefree and he refers to the automatic awnings as job security.
RE: Just installed my "safety chains" -- just to make sure!
A nice feature of the Roadmaster Sterling tow bar is that the safety cables run through the tow bar. In addition to making everything a bit neater, it also helps prevent pole vaulting.
As for the safety hooks on tow chains/cables. It's well established that the safety catches on chain hooks are easily defeated or opened when the chains are slack. The result can be a disconnected safety chain. Since we really don't like the possibility of the safety chain becoming disconnected, we replace the hooks with oversized S/S quick links. https://www.crofttrailer.com/common/images/1028_list_image.jpg
An added advantage is that I can wrench the quick link tight and keep pranksters from easily disconnecting them.
RE: Just installed my "safety chains" -- just to make sure!
Another thing many do not do, I learned (the easy way) to do, is inspect the bolts that hold the base plates to the car
We inspected mine by chance and found several in need of tightening. No damage, no loss, tightened them up and all OK
But you should check 'em from time to time.
Actually, we found that the best thing is to replace the cheap Grade 5 base plate fasteners with Grade 8 bolts and Grade 8 self-locking nuts & flat washers. Some toads, like our Jeep Grand Cherokee, require removing considerable body work to access the base plates. IMHO, the tow bar manufacturers find it's cheaper to put a disclaimer in the instructions than it is to provide decent hardware.
RE: Rear Kitchen TTs By Jayco and Others
Rear kitchen floor plans are very attractive. However the rear of an RV bounces quite a bit more than the front, which can wreak havoc in the kitchen. Yes, there are folks with rear kitchens that swear they've never broken anything in the kitchen. While they may not have broken anything in their rear kitchens, we keep our coffee pot, toaster and assorted other items sitting on the kitchen counter in our front kitchen just like we do in our stick house, and we've never even had any of move much at all. OTOH, we've bounced clothes off the closet rods in the bed room. Everyone we personally know prefers to hang their clothes back up than to straighten out the mess in the kitchen.
The engineers that designed the TT should have placed the axles under the coach so that it will balance properly when fully loaded. Once you've loaded your TT you'll want to weigh it to determine the actual gross weight, tongue weight and side-to-side weights so that you can make adjustments to your loading, if needed.
RE: ROOF Aluminium or ????
Hummm...the manufacturers of EPDM rubber roofs recommend NO maintenance except to wash them. ALL roofs on a trailer will require inspection and replacement of caulking from time to time unless you replace caulking with something semi permanent like Eternobond tape then you're back to washing only.
Ditto.
All of the hype about stuff to maintain a rubber roof comes from folks wanting to make money by selling stuff. Since most TT's come with rubber roofs there's a big market to sell snake oil to.
If you've ever seen an old Airstream you know that they have their maintenance issues too. If you think fiberglass is free of maintenance, buy a boat.
A rubber roof will last many years--much longer than most folks keep their RV's. All roofs need regular inspection and re-caulking of seams and around gizmos that are mounted on the roof.
RE: Best vehicle
While lots of vehicles are used as toads, you'll find that Jeeps are the most popular. Probably because the ONLY thing you have to do to tow a Jeep is shift the transfer case into neutral. You can tow it 24/7 at any speed without any periodic need to do anything. Born to be toad. Besides, they're really nice to drive, too.
RE: Diesel Pusher Radiator
better handling because of a longer wheel base and better weight distribution
Curious, could you explain those
weight distribution? that make absolutly no sence to me in the difference between styles, youd think that a rear would be more balanced (centered in vehical and storage on both sides for ease of properly loading)
Longer wheel base? Per foot, Id like to see some data, if it pushes the rear cap out 4 inches because of a radiator do you honestly think that would make any diference in handling on a 36 plus foot vehical
DP's have a common set of mechanical components from the rear axle until they get to the radiator: drive shaft, transmission and engine. Rear radiator DPs add the radiator, charge air cooler and transmission cooler behind the engine. The bare radiator on our C8.3 Cummins weighed 180#. Add another 80# for the CAC and say 40# for the transmission cooler. Plus fan, shroud, hoses, surge tank, deareation tank, mounting brackets, etc. Probably a minimum of 500# hanging out behind the engine AND adding about 15-18" to the length of the coach.
By positioning the entire cooling system to the side of the engine, the coach body behind the engine can be shortened. The result is that a 40' DP with a side radiator typically has about 16" more wheel base -- which leads to a better ride and more stable coach. And the shift in weight reduces the polar moment of inertia of the cooling system, which improves the handling because there is less of a pendulum effect at the rear end, and the ride is improved for the same reason.
The overall result is that a rear radiator coach handles a lot like a side radiator coach would with a motor cycle on the back of the side radiator coach. It DOES make a difference.
Economics: A side radiator coach costs more money to build because it requires a hydraulic pump on the engine, a hydraulic motor for the fan as well as several hundred dollars worth of plumbing. A rear radiator coach only needs to bolt a fan to the pulley. Cheap.
Quality of coach: Every high end DP uses a side radiator. Every entry level DP uses a rear radiator. Most mid-range DP's also use rear radiators simply because the typical buyer can see money invested in eye candy, but doesn't have a clue about money invested in mechanical systems.
Ease of service. Someone said that servicing their rear radiator DP wasn't as traumatic as some say it is. Hmmm. Seems to me that laying out drop cloths to protect the interior, digging up the floor in the bedroom, and then standing on your head for a couple of hours to change a serpentine belt is VERY traumatic compared to doing it on a side radiator. I can change the serpentine belt on our side radiator DP in less time than you can lay out the drop cloth. Maybe 5 minutes while sipping a cup of coffee while standing comfortably behind the coach.
It's all a compromise. If you want an inexpensive DP, you'll get a rear radiator. But, as you move up the food chain you'll find a point somewhere above the average DP where side radiators become the norm
RE: Any 95 Safari Sahara owners?
We looked at several Safari Sahara's and generally liked what we saw. The 1995 Sahara should be on a Magnum chassis built in-house by Safari. I recall a variety of suspensions on the Sahara's of that general vintage, so I'm not sure which might be on the example you are looking at. It could be steel springs (unsophisticated & rougher riding, but simple and economical), air suspension (more complex but basically very reliable and nicer riding) or 'Velvet Ride' torsilastic by BF Goodrich. The Velvet Ride IMO is very nice, but it's reliability is more controversial.
The 33's are on the short side for DP's and as a result have a short wheelbase. But, Safari did a better than average job of maximizing the wheel base for the length giving it a 52% WB/Length ratio. In any case, an important item to check on any DP, especially a shorter DP is it's stability and driveability. Spend enough time on the highway to develop a feeling for whether the coach drives OK or wanders too much. It will wander more than you are used to, but it shouldn't be a PITA to drive.
The engine is probably a Cummins B5.9 with 175-200 HP. This is both a weakness and a strength. The engine is nearly bullet-proof and probably gives the best MPG of any DP, but it's on the slow side. Entirely adequate, unless you are in a hurry or want to tow something over 4000#.
Check out the exterior sidewalls for evidence of delamination.
Other than that, I'm not aware of any issues specific to the Sahara's. Use a good flashlight and look in & under EVERYTHING looking for evidence of leakage (especially in cabinets along the roof, in the galley and bathroom, and the walls under the windows), broken structures/stuff. Operate everything. You already know how to operate most of the systems, but have the owner/salesman show you how to operate anything you're not sure of and don't accept any BS answers.
RE: Diesel Pusher Radiator
A side radiator was one a mandatory item for us. Ease of engine access, fewer radiator problems and better handling because of a longer wheel base and better weight distribution were all more important than the loss of one partial storage compartment.
RE: HWH jack slow to retract
A new set of retraction springs cured the slow retracting jacks on our DP. It took the tech from HWH just seconds to change the springs with a home-built tool he had that looked like this:
http://www.serenitysys.com/beaver/images/HWH_spring_tool.jpg
Place the hook on the chain on the spring to be removed/installed and the other end of the bar on something to pry against. Place a link of the chain on the hook on the bar to adjust the length of chain as needed. Pull down and the spring is off or on easily.
FYI, HWH does have an inexpensive kit to slow the retraction of the jacks. When the jacks are retracted the coach tends to fall out of the sky until the suspension takes up the weight of the coach again. DW wasn't fond of it and it really freaked the dogs. As I said the kit is simple and easy to install if you have this issue.
RE: 1990 Beaver Marquis Inspection
FYI, the dealer that was selling the '89 Marquis I looked at with the broken house framing near the shower had a sistership of his own on the lot. It also showed evidence of house structure failure in the bulkhead forming the aft shower wall. Look for a bulge in the left exterior wall. You can also remove the big mirror in the bedroom and examine the structure from the inside using a small digital camera.
The leaking seal on the hydraulic fan was a much more generic component issue; something that could affect any side radiator coach, but rarely does.
Other issues I have are the design weaknesses of the Cat 3208 (only 2 piston rings) and lack of exhaust brake. Also, check very thoroughly for evidence of leaks.
If it's been well cared for and free of major issues, they're a great coach.
RE: SUV Hauling
As has been pointed out, while you APPEAR to be within the weight limits, your SUV has a short wheel base and that may prove to be a larger problem than the weight. The good news is that it will be quick and easy to maneuver in camp grounds. The bad news is that it will be quick and easy for the TT to maneuver the SUV on the highway and mountain roads. A case of the tail wagging the dog. How much you notice this will depend on many details, but the propensity for sway will be there.
About the weight of the TT. It's very common for RV's to weigh considerably more than the specs say. Our new Arctic Fox specs say it weighs 7860# dry, yet it weighed 8470# dry when we weighed it just 20 minutes after taking delivery. Likewise, our Beaver DP specs said curb weight was 22,274#, yet it weighed 24,390# empty. In both of these cases, the dry weight exceeded the specs by almost 10%. In other words, I'd factor in a 10% adjustment to the factory specs for dry weight.
Another factor to consider is that many of us have found that towing a TT that's right at max ratings is not a pleasant experience. We towed 3 different TT's with a 2004 F350 PSD crew cab. The first was low and light and a pleasure to tow. The second was about 80% of capacity and OK, albeit not nearly as much fun to drive. The third was about 105% of capacity and it was obvious the truck was working hard and it was no longer a pleasure to drive.
RE: Parking trailer on a garden for the winter
Parking in the garden is OK, but you will want to have the tires on blocks of some kind. Concrete, wood, etc. But not on the dirt.
I'd also suggest sprinkling some diatomaceous earth around the pads, tongue jack and stabilizing jacks if you put them down. That will help keep insects from using your new TT as a winter home.
RE: Heated tanks???
Most folks think of heated tanks as meaning their furnace is also ducted to the basement to keep the tanks from freezing.
However, Arctic Fox and a limited number of others offer additional ways to keep the tanks warm. Our Arctic Fox has heating pads on each tanks. The pads are controlled by 2 sets of switches near the front entry door. One set is 120VAC for when the coach is plugged into shore power. The other set is 12VDC for when the coach is being towed and runs off the TV's 12v power. This allows us to keep the basement warm while using electric heaters in the cabin instead of the furnace, or when towing without running the furnace.
RE: What length is acceptable for motorhome and trailer?
One of the things I learned in life is that the best way to stay out of trouble is to reduce your target size. A big DP towing a big trailer is a big target.
As more state & local governments have more financial problems, they'll be looking for more ways to generate revenue. That's included law enforcement since I can remember. IMO, the folks doing Montana LLC's are doing their part to bring attention to the fact that RVers are abusing loopholes, breaking the law, etc. In other words, the target size of big DPs is getting bigger which increases the likelihood of getting caught.
RE: Tow capacity
According to the data on the RV Consumer's Group CD, the Chieftain has a towing capacity of 4,000#.
The other issue is tongue weight, as MH's in general don't handle tongue weight well and long gassers are especially prone to problems with tongue weight because of the length of chassis behind the rear axle. A 500# tongue weight is typical for many DPs, so this is probably a deal killer IMHO. If the Jeep weighs 4000# & the trailer weighs 2000#, the TW will be 720-900# (12-15% of trailer weight).
RE: need help on used class A
We had a similar decision several years ago. Going for the older Beaver was an easy choice we didn't regret. The older Beavers were in a league that no gasser will ever be in.
The Beaver will continue to depreciate, but not nearly as fast percentage-wise as a gasser of similar cost.
As for no slides equaling no resale. Bull. Sure, some folks won't buy a coach without a slide. Just like some folks won't buy a gasser. OTOH, there are folks out there that are looking for a well kept older DP without slides. We had no problem finding a buyer when we decided to sell the Beaver this spring.
RE: Leveling and stabilizing with slideout question
Ok, here is my procedure.
Level trailer side to side with lynx levelers as needed.
Unhitch trailer from truck.
Level front to rear with hitch.
Stiblizers down.
Slideouts come out. Both are on the right side of trailer standing at hitch looking back.
I did this last trip out and noticed that my left side front stabilizer was raised a bit after the slideouts came out. The front slideout is rather long. It has a sofa and the u dinette. I didn't notice this unitl 2-3 days later. I thought the trailer was kind of wobbly. I tightend up the front left and all was fine.
That's VERY close to what we do, except:
1. The TT only has one left side, just like it only has one front end and one rear end. The trailer doesn't care which end you're looking at or where you are. The left side is the left side. Of course, a lot of RV's avoid this issue by calling the left side the 'street side' and the right side the 'curb side'.
2. We crank up the stabilizers on the left (street) side under the slides about 1/2 to 3/4 turns tighter than the right side to compensate for the shift in weight when the slides go out.
3. Sometimes, a day or so later as things settle a bit, we tighten the stabilizers as necessary.
