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RE: Dometic Warranty Issue - HELP
Something we've seen dozens of times. Dometic is right in that it's not a Dometic warranty issue.
It is an installation issue. More than 1/2 of the fridges we've seen/worked on were installed incorrectly to either Norcold or Dometic instructions/standards.
The most common problem is a missing or bad baffle. Which by the way is not part of the fridge, but something required by installation instructions to be fabricated by the installer.
The next most common issue is incorrect vent placement. If the upper vent is not at the top of the rear compartment it will trap hot air above it to the point we've seen counter tops discolored/warped from the heat. This greatly reduces the efficiency of the fridge.
The third and least common installation problem is damaged or missing factory insulation done by the installer.
So in conclusion Fleetwood's warranty should cover the rework/reinstall of the fridge to Dometic's standards.
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mike4947
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05/16/08 06:11pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Weber Baby Q and 20# Propane Tanks
Just about all the bad reviews for the Q100 and larger grills deal with using a hose connected to the propane system on the RV not directly to a cylinder. The propane system after the regulator is low pressure and the larger Webers use high pressure (apx 13 psi) so they don't get enough pressure/flow.
The Baby Q actually runs on low pressure and has in internal regulator so you can run this grill on just about any propane source. Low pressure, high pressure, or directly from a 20 or 30 pound cylinder using a hose.
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mike4947
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05/16/08 01:38pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: What's the consensus on towing without toad brakes?
It's funny that this issue comes up on the largest and smallest RV's. Both small pop up trailers and the big coaches.
We actually give the same advice when asked do we need brakes on something we tow?
Do a test and see your actual braking distance with and without the towed object. If it's more than 10% longer towing then brakes are needed.
Why 10% well from all our talks with brake companies, over the years, they give the same response. Our systems are designed so that with a towed object braking the stopping distance will increase by no more than 10%.
The other thing that comes up regularly is self propelled and tow vehicle makers saying that their braking systems are designed for the GVWR of the vehicle, not the GCWR. So if you weight your combination and it comes up over the GVWR then brakes are needed.
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mike4947
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05/16/08 05:54am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Must dump when checking in -- is this common?
I'll agree with the park having a septic system and I'll bet where you dump when entering is a pump able tank so any chemicals they don't want used don't get into their septic system/drain field.
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mike4947
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05/15/08 10:12pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Converting a regular to an "offroad"
Chris is correct, from the frame up construction is the same for "off road" and "conventional" PU's. And like he said they are designed for graded dirt roads not rock climbing.
Figure if you have to go to 4 low or any decent speeds when off pavement you'd better have some tools along as something sooner or later is going to need fixing from the stresses.
A better name for most of these would be toy hauler rather than off road.
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mike4947
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05/15/08 04:43pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Repo'd RVs
We just add that the sale is null & void if a clear title can not be obtained.
But this is not a common occurance, just one more item to consider when buying.
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mike4947
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05/14/08 06:34pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Heck with gasoline prices, how about propane??
As a noted before, unlike service stations, propane sellers do not go on a daily basis to change pricing. Many smaller sellers that only refill their bulk tank once or twice a year may hold a price well beyond any wholesale increase.
Our largest propane distibutor is right at $3.90 a gallon, but I can drive 5 miles north to a gas station with a bulk tank and we paid $2.65 a gallon.
I didn't mention a thing, but bought and ran like a thief. Bet that price goes up when he refills.
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mike4947
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05/14/08 06:30pm |
Camp Cooks and Connoisseurs
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RE: Flipping the axel on a Coleman PUP.
Scott is correct, the small axles we use do have a built in camber. As for raising the trailer Dexter and some aftermarket sellers offer a new spring perch kit that allow you to put the spring on top of the axle for around $30. Most axles actually get a 3-4" rise.
So you do lose some extension on your stabilizers, gain the height on the door step, and last but not least you will need a new drawbar.
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mike4947
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05/14/08 06:20pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Refrigerator on Propane Works Poorly
A couple of facts on our small fridges:
The BTU output on propane for a 3CF fridge is 700 BTU's. 650 BTU's on 120 volt AC, and 300 BTU's on 12 volt.
There is NO self regulation on any source. They do not have any temperature regulation only an amount of cooling, so the outside temperature WILL have an effect on the inside temperature of the fridge.
We use a probe from an indoor/outdoor thermometer to register the fridge's inside temp so we know when to turn it up or down.
As for the fact the original poster's fridge works better on 120 volt AC than propane usually means you need to clean the burner and stack. A bug/spider or carbon will reduce the propane's effective BTU's.
If you don't have a manual for the fridge you can download one here: http://bryantrv.com/docs.html
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mike4947
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05/14/08 06:13pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Flletwood's folding trailer division purchase finalized
Well I wonder if Fleetwood is licensing their Fleetwood name/logo for use by the new owners?
I still go back to the IIRC $12 million judgment FFT owes to the owner of the "Coleman" name. I wonder if the new owners might not have a back door agreement with them about trading the judgment for a new license using the Coleman name?
We'll have to wait and see for the next episode of "As the trailer turns"....LOL
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mike4947
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05/14/08 08:34am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: 2006 Starcraft 36RT
Either find a local commercial scale where you can drop the trailer tongue on their platform or look at purchasing one of the dedicated tongue weight scales. At that range it can be too much for a simple board and bathroom scale balance beam which doubles the capacity of the scale.
As a side note to weight issues a couple years ago we had a poor soul buy a 5'er and the dealer gave him no idea that tongue/pin weights on these range from 18 to 25% of the trailer gross weight. Needless to say he damaged his poor 1/2 ton pickup and ended up costing him more than the trailer price to get a TV that would hold up under the trailer.
It all boils down to the buyer is responsible for any weight/capacity issues/suitability of the combination.
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mike4947
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05/14/08 08:28am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Heck with gasoline prices, how about propane??
Well a program last night said propane gas is refined from crude oil as well as gasoline and deisel, So this summer I'd expect a big jump in propane prices as dealers have to refill their bulk tanks.
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mike4947
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05/14/08 08:16am |
Camp Cooks and Connoisseurs
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RE: 2006 Starcraft 36RT
I would add money in the budget for a WD hitch and keep careful track on the tongue weight as it can easily creep up and pass your TV's limit.
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mike4947
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05/14/08 08:11am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Reducing Trailer 'Bounce' - NE1 install shocks on their PUP?
When all else fails I just email the maker of the axle. Both Dexter and Al-Ko are good about providing information.
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mike4947
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05/14/08 08:07am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Repo'd RVs
At police auctions there's no real way. You pays your money and you take your chances. Unless they'll run the VIN number to check for leans. This differs in different states.
Our folks have learned to make a "clean title" a written part of any used purchase.
I just remembered about one of our couples that bought a used coach and come registration time found out the dealer never made the pay out to clear the original sellers loan lean. Took quite a bit of time to get the dealer to fork over the money and get the satisfaction of loan paper work to clear the title and so they could register the coach.
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mike4947
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05/13/08 10:44pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: First time out woes
Also you can look in your Yellow Pages under scales, public and here's another country wide scale company: CAT scale locator
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mike4947
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05/13/08 06:53pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Repo'd RVs
Another issue when buying "repo's" is having a clear title. There may be lean holders not listed on the title that have a actual valid claim on the vehicle. The new owner can become responsible for the debt. Several folks have only found out about a "second lean" or unregistered lean when going to register/get the title in their name for the vehicle.
This is more common at police auctions than bank auctions.
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mike4947
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05/13/08 02:12pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Bag Awning Question
Nope, that was the Super Sport Model. The Camp Out model is indeed a bag awning, it's just the Cadillac of bag awnings.
They do make TT type awnings, and even powered ones. But they range from $700 to $1200 & up and if you have an air conditioner they are actually heavy enough to put you over the 150 pound weight limit of a PU roof.
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mike4947
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05/13/08 01:55pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Anyone using Water4Gas Hydrogen converter?
And ads for the Tornado show huge increases in mileage, not to mention I've yet to see one of these "miracle mileage increasers" NOT have "independent testing" to prove their claims.
As a side note ALL the commercial producers of hydrogen gas use a process that cracks natural gas CH4 and have stated that separating water molecules into it's component gases cost considerably more in terms of wattage needed. Not to mention several research papers give the total output, apx 70 amps, of an alternator will create apx 1 liter of H2 and O2 per hour. So you have no electricity to power anything else and just about enough gas to almost fill ONE cylinder on a big block Chevy once per hour.
Since even a small 4 cylinder 2 liter engine will use several hundred liters per MINUTE there's not much chance of any significant mileage increase.
Anyone wanting to do a cheap test on the amount of electricty needed for any volume of gas produced can take something like a fish tank will with a salt water solution to conduct electricity, and use two inverted mason jars with a cathode in one jar and an anode in the other and connect up a know battery source and see how much battery capacity is used to fill the quart mason jars.
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mike4947
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05/12/08 11:24pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: First time out woes
Your basic Westlake only has 160 pounds of dry tongue weight for a dry weight of 2135 pounds. Any weight between the axle and the coupler/ball gets divided proportionally between the axle and TV. So 120 pound of propane and batteries would add apx 60 pounds to the tongue weight and 60 pounds to the axle weight. So now you have 220 pounds of tongue weight and 2255 pounds of total weight. Still not enough to tow safely. It's one of the Fleetwoods that is actually hard to balance out with loading. That's why many Fleetwood dealer actually require a sway control before they'll sell you a trailer.
One of my top 5 rants is to get your TV and trailer weighed so you actually have an idea of what you are towing.
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mike4947
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05/12/08 08:18pm |
Folding Trailers
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