RE: Jayco Shower
In our HTT we had the same problem. DH bought the corner edges at Home Depot, they sit at each end of the tub. They look like an L, $5.00 for a set of 2. They do stick down but he caulked them for extra security. They worked great
Yeah, I did what this poster did. Worked wonders for us and I don't think it really is a design flaw on Jayco's part. I don't think TT showers are really designed well enough to be water tight on their own. I think the additions of corner edges chalked in place is a must have for any TT Shower.
RE: My Towing Concerns
Well.....we made it there and back in one piece with no problems. The suburban did suprisingly well. I was able to do 50 mph up the pass at 3,000 rmp. We came back on different route and made the mistake of slowing down from 60 mph at 4,000 rpm and ended up doing 40 for the last mile at the top of the pass. the burb has a sweet spot "3,500-4,000 rpm" drove in 3rd all the way with the tow button on. I just hope my rig can handle that trip once a year.
Bob
Congrads! I just did a trip where I towed our Jayco 28BHS with a 500lbs ATV in my bed and full tanks up the Cajon Pass (6* Grade for 12 miles). I can't believe how well my 03 1500 Avalanche did! 50 to 55 up the entire grade cruising around 3500 RPM. No over heating engine or trans, just pulled it like it was meant too. This 1500 keeps surprising me with what it can do. Now of course I'd be able to tow twice the weight at 75mph with a 3500 Diesel but I don't have one of those at the moment. Anyways, I think you 07 will give you years of enjoyment to come. Good Luck and happy camping!
RE: Value of Enclosed/Heated underbelly
I have an enclosed underbelly and though I like the cleanness of it, I'm not looking forward to the time I have to rip it out to access something underneath the trailer. From people I've spoke too (including service techs) enclosed underbellies are sometimes more of a pain in the rear than the value they might add.
RE: Towing OVER capacity..... too many doing this....
There's no reason why you cannot communicate to anyone concerns about their rig, weights, set-up or any thing else for that matter. Presentation is the key. Whoever you want to talk to has already made their decision on choice of rig. In their on opinion, they are OK and see nothing wrong. So using a little diplomacy and asking thought provoking questions goes a lot farther than jumping right in and saying their rig set-up is risky. And, some people just don't care either. That's why asking questions is sometimes a much better approach.
For example: Are you crazy? You're towing THAT monster trailer with THAT Volkswagon?
Or:
I didn't know a Volkswagon could tow anything that big before. Do you have problems towing? Tell me about it....
Most people are not in a position to buy a new tow vehicle. So berating someone for their current tow vehicle will get no where except a trip to the hospital with a shoe attached to your back side! (if you know what I mean).
I will admit I like your P.C. approach to address the subject with them. It might lead to educating them on their obvious mistake. Though I think I might stick to my 'thinning the herd' approach, lol. :p
RE: Towing OVER capacity..... too many doing this....
I do think a lot of people on this forum need to chill a bit when it comes to being concerned about what TV's people want to use and what Trailers they want to pull (it's really not anyone's business but theirs and if they grenade their TV then so be it). I will say that someone pulling a 7k trailer with a Toyota Sienna is pretty stupid not to mention completely unsafe. Just think of it like this, if you see someone at your favorite campsite with a setup like this, I bet you won't see them next year! :B
The only thing that truly concerns me when camping is how people handle things around the hooks up! :( I just wonder how many people get poo all over their hands and then wipe it all over everything. Thank God for rubber gloves ;)
RE: Chevy 5.3l Change 3.73 Rear End to 4.11 ???
Good conversation guys.
Yeah, a bit off topic, but not a problem.
Back on the topic of towing my TT...
I just spoke to Gear Vendors about their overdrive unit.
It sounds nice to split the ratio between transmission gears and provide a lot more flexibility.
With their unit, my current 55mph in 2nd gear at 3700rmp could drop on the fly to 2900rpm with the push of a button. And this works for all gear combinations since it installs in the transmission tail.
Problem is price at $4K installed.
Does anyone have this Gear Vendors Under/Overdrive unit?
I am local to their shop so it is a definite possibility.
Again, all comments are appreciated.
Rob
For 4K you could get a pretty sweet HD Towing Tranny for that price. As for lowering your RPM's, like others have stated, the 5.3 is at peak torque a lot higher than 3K. To me it would make your engine lug and have to work harder when not in its peak torque range. I could be mistaken though. :h
RE: My Towing Concerns
Man what are they putting in that G2 that adds a 1000lbs to it!? :E My 28BHS is only 5,215lbs dry and its two feet longer! Hummmm. Well I don't know about the extra 1000lbs but my 28BHS tows great behind my Avalanche. Of course I spent a little coin souping up the rear of the truck to handle the load (new shocks, air 'helper' bags, LARGE Trans cooler, class IV hitch, 4.10 gears, Reese WD hitch with sway control, etc.). On "big" hills it will hold freeway speed in 2nd but I haven't had any issue with over heating of the trans or engine. Like another poster stated, hills might not be fun going up or down but you only have a few usually to your destination. ;)
RE: Chevy 5.3l Change 3.73 Rear End to 4.11 ???
Thanks all for the responses. Lots of good insight into the issue.
dodge guy gets it. I don't like the way it hunts down to 2nd on a slight grade.
I use Tow Mode, have curtailed CC and run 3rd to gain control, but that won't stop the downshift to 2nd. Running at higher RPM in 3rd will limit the need to drop to 2nd in the 55-60 MPH range.
I am already the slowest guy on the road at 55 and I like a comfortable ride. I don't accept slowing to 45-50 in 2nd is the way to enjoy the open road.
I just completed 4,000 miles in the last month. I was a rookie, but have advanced a grade.
I am curious of a couple comments...
Howl? Is the gear change technically difficult that requires a top technician to do it right? I do need to hire someone to do the work. If I traded the power band issue for a chronic howl, I would be bummed.
I appreciate all the inputs.
Well like I said, if you get someone at a 'turn and burn' axle shop they might get you in and out of there quickly but you'll be left with a noticeable 'howl' if they don't setup the gears just 'perfect'. Another thing that play into affect is what 'type' of gears you get, not all gears are the same and some are more noisy than others. Genuine Gears from 4-Wheel Parts aren't the greatest (no matter what they say). Yukon, Precision Gears, Richmond seem to be the top choices from my research before I got mine (ranked best to good in that order). Just make sure that whoever does the install that they have 'years' of experience doing gear installs and that they have done their fair share of trucks like yours. Also, make sure you follow the 'break in' period to a tee. Whatever the gear manufacture recommends and you might even add a few hundred miles to that number before you tow just to make sure the gears setup well.
Bottom line is if you get cheap gears, bad install, don't follow the break in period, you'll get a howl/whine for sure. Most 'good' shops will warranty their work so if you do get a whine you should be able to take it back and have then try again at no cost. But of course if they do it again you'll have another break in period to follow and have to do the whole thing again.
Good luck ;)
RE: Chevy 5.3l Change 3.73 Rear End to 4.11 ???
Before I got our latest TT I switched my 5.3 Avalanche from 3.73 to a 4.10 gear with a Limited Slip Diff. I thought the cost was pretty minor compared to the way it tows now. I'm sure the 3.73 would have towed fine but the 4.10s just help the engine not work as hard for the same results. Off the line starts and traffic are handled with ease now and hill pulling seems to be better than before. Like others have stated though, the 5.3 is a higher RPM engine, so it's torque curve is at a little higher RPM than other V8s. I didn't notice any major change in MPG either, actually I think I get better MPG towing than I do normally! But I'm sure that's just because I'm not flooring it every where I go when I have the TT behind me. :B
WHATEVER YOU DO THOUGH, make sure you have your gears installed by someone who knows what they are doing, the wrong installer will make your $500 decision to switch gears a living hell if they set your gears up wrong. Howl anyone?
RE: TT accident in NH
My question is why do people always post accidents on here? I mean that's like hanging out with your biker buddies and talking about all the motorcycle accidents you've seen, all the friends that have died and all the injuries you've had. :R The truth is you know it will happen one day but you don't ride your motorcycle thinking about crashing all the time. Yes people have accidents with trailers but they also have accidents getting out of bed, getting in the shower, taking a poop, etc. Doesn't mean everyone else wants to hear about it, lol. Lets keep this forum up beat and happy! :B IMO of course.... ;)
RE: New TT and TV Decision
The 3/4 ton police strike again. :R I don't know why everyone thinks you need one of these to pull a TT....
http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/236897/2/istockphoto_236897_army_tank.jpg
RE: This is how to maneuver a trailer.
That's awesome! It makes me think if we might see an increase in smaller/lighter TT's that compacts or hybrids can pull with ease. Hummmmmm.......:h
RE: Best way to control Bugs....
Believe it or not, just place a couple citronella candles out. Don't light them, just set them out and close up the trailer. The more you have, the better. We leave citronella candles out all the time and never have bug problems.
A few weeks ago, the TT got invaded by ants, including the house. It was awful. We haven't had an ant problem in the house in a long time and NEVER in the TT. I also did not have any citronella candles out. I bought a couple boxes of votive candle size citronella candles and put them all over the house and opened my 2 tins (Coleman) (little buckets) of citronella candles in the TT. Next day, no ants and haven't had any since.
I used citronella candles in my first PUP when in storage all closed up and then again in our first TT. Now, doing it again!
No ants, no spiders, no mosquitoes, no fireflies as long as the candles our out.
Believe it or not!
I'll have to give that a go on the inside, if they work unlit then that might not be a bad idea. :B I might put some in the storage compartments as well and see how that works. Thanks for the idea!
Best way to control Bugs....
What's the best way to control bugs getting into your TT while in storage? I just recently relocated and my new storage location (though free) has a wee bit of a spider problem in the area. Of course I thought of spraying around the ground contact points (tires, forward jack, etc) but I was wondering if there is anything else better I could do or try? Poison Granules? Sonic Repellers? Any ideas? I just want to get on top of this issue before it turns into a problem (luckily it hasn't yet).
RE: Can you run a Norcold Refrigerator on 110?
110/120 are the same.
In the United States and Canada, national standards specify that the nominal voltage at the source should be 120 V and allow a range of 114 to 126 V (-5% to +5%). Historically 110, 115 and 117 volts have been used at different times and places in North America. Main power is sometimes spoken of as “one-ten”; however, 120 is the nominal voltage.
And if you have a long run from your main distribution point, you can end up with 108V...
I have one of those plug in Volt meters inside and it says I'm getting like 115v so I'm sure I'm good to run the frig if what everyone says is correct (which is usually is!, hehe) :W
RE: Can you run a Norcold Refrigerator on 110?
110/120 are the same.
In the United States and Canada, national standards specify that the nominal voltage at the source should be 120 V and allow a range of 114 to 126 V (-5% to +5%). Historically 110, 115 and 117 volts have been used at different times and places in North America. Main power is sometimes spoken of as “one-ten”; however, 120 is the nominal voltage.
Thanks for the clarification! :S
Can you run a Norcold Refrigerator on 110?
I was just curious if you could run a Norcold Refrigerator on 110 house current? I'd like to be able to save Propane and run on 110 when parked in front of the house and plugged in but I wasn't sure if you need 120 or not. What's the consensus?
RE: San Antonio, TX to SoCal on I-10?
I think I remember that one coming out, thanks for the tip. :W
Are you saying that you've already driven this route and can't remember whether or not there're hills? :?
Yeah when we moved to San Antonio a year ago, but I was pulling a utility trailer then doing about 75-80 the whole way. At that time I didn't care too much about hills ;)
RE: San Antonio, TX to SoCal on I-10?
Thanks for all the input, it's greatly appreciated! :B
Now if I can just make it in the heat I'll be set, suppose to be in the triple digits most of the trip but I have faith ;) Hope my Trans Cooler is big enough! hehe
