RE: hook-ups at the house?
Wish lists! Cool.
Water and sink at least in garage/shop (toilet is a great bonus, especially if not connected to house). I'd specify a cast iron sink.
Water outlet for RV. Since you will get below freezing, get a frost free water tap for it (unless garage/barn is heated).
Sewer and electric as stated above.
Our old house had the electric and that was fine for what we wanted. Not used very frequently, but, we could keep the furnace running during the winter so we didn't have to winterize the unit (propane use was very small in our area).
I loved having full hook ups at home.
Good luck with your new house.
If on septic some areas allow gray water to be dumped on property for watering and such. Includes clothes washer outlet and sometimes sinks.
charlie
RE: Picking up new unit, what can I expect to come with it?
It really depends on the dealer. Some will top off everything, some will leave it dry. Those starter packages are relatively cheap. I'd replace the sewer hose first chance I got.
These days, unless you got it at a firesale price, they should put in decent battery(s) and fill the tanks as well as let you stay in it in a nearby area it you want. Especially if it is new unit.
The last MH we bought used and the dealer filled everything before we went next door for the first night.
charlie
RE: Setting up a truck
One of your problems will be the short bed. Mine is 6.5' and I will probably get a slider one of these days. I would think yours will require a slider and would recommend an automatic one since it will probably be needed a lot (like every time you turn a tight corner).
The second will be pin weight. Figure what your truck carrying capacity is, subtract what you carry in the truck (including fuel) and what is left is what you have to work with. Under 1000lb dry is about what you should shoot for.
There is a lot of talk about 20% on the pin, but, on ours it is less than that, closer to 15%.
30ft is not what you will be able to tow (because of pin weight). When we looked the max was a 24ft with a slide or 25ft without slides. Ours is only 6000lb loaded so is well below tow weight, but, pin weight means we can't load anything heavy in the bed of the truck.
Good luck in your search.
charlie
RE: Hydrogen on demand
The claim is that it allows more of the fuel to burn, ie, more efficient combustion. Also claims to be 'cleaner'.
Using a chemical balance it does not seem to be so. However, engines do not burn at stochiometric because of temperature issues, detonation and emissions issues. That's why hot rodders can get more out of an engine just by changing airflow and mixtures. But, most cannot pass an emissions test, hence the 'hot' computers can be switched back to factory settings when being re-registered.
On one of these where it is claimed to work I wonder what the cylinder head and exhaust gas temps are like. Also seems like NOx emmisions would be up. Would this cause other problems? Don't know.
charlie
RE: Generator
Look at your rig to see how it is mounted. I had the fuel lines on mine crack and leak and thought it would be a tough job (with a full tank). Took me an hour.
Mounted with two straps. I got a piece of ply (about 2'x3'), two jack stands and a floor jack. Undo the mounting straps and lower until you can get at the lines (set it up so it tilts down a bit). Then replace all of the lines :) Jack it back up and redo the mounting straps.
The original hoses lasted 20 yrs on mine, so, I just installed std fuel line hose.
my two cents
charlie
RE: Hydrogen on demand
I towed a Ford Ranger while getting those numbers. Sounds like your engine was a bit out of tune to start with?
The old 'water injection' did not actually inject water, it was water vapor. Not a lot, just enough to 'cool down' the combustion.
Am still doubtful of what this does. The video evidence from the news station is more what I'd expect.
charlie
RE: Are GM, Ford and Chrysler the Foreign cars of the future?
There is a lot of history as to who is to blame. From the lack of industry upgrade, to the tons of money we poured into Japan and Germany after WWII. Our industry suffered with 1920's technology while our competitors were building 1950's technology with our money. Foreign makers tend to upgrade production faster than the US mfgs.
For decades management and workers in the US have been more worried about fighting each other than they were about making better products. This problem hindered the acceptance of upgraded production lines and robotic systems for many years, putting us further behind the foreign companies. Add into that the problems associated with building new plants, government regulations, new taxes, environmental permits, etc, etc. None of that even includes poor choices when it came to R&D and what cars/trucks were produced.
There is a lot of blame to be shared by a lot of folks.
I don't even look at tags much anymore. I used to only buy Chrysler products. Then I noticed my 1985 minivan was made in Canada and I realized we were headed in the 'wrong' direction. I also worked in a part of the automotive industry. That was eye opening as well (Honda isn't as well engineered as I thought).
charlie
RE: Hydrogen on demand
From what mileage to what mileage? (and you mean 454 chevy or 455 olds?)
My older MH (454 chevy) would get 9mpg on good roads and lower speeds (60). If I dropped to 55 it would get close to 10. I usually drove it around 70 where I got 8. Highly dependent on wind and throttle foot. 10mph of headwind was about 1mpg change.
I am also curious about how much water solution it uses. I had a water injection system for an older car at one time. Was interesting stuff.
charlie
RE: Titan towing capacity
Pretty much the same truck does not mean exactly the same truck.
Changes year to year can be due to a lot of things. Changes in a transmission, weight of truck, brakes, springs/shocks, differential, etc, etc. A decrease may be due to something they found after the truck was produced, eg, a suspension component that turned out not to be as strong as designed. The mfg's do not always advertise when a change is made in a component that will change the ratings.
I would be surprised if towing capacities for 1/2T trucks had not increased over 10 years. Technology changes in motors, transmissions and other structure has really advanced a lot. Then add to the sales push to have the highest load capacity 1/2T or most power or etc so suspension changes and such to back those up would be made quite often. Just look at advertising. After towing my trailer (6000lb) I think their ratings are good and may even be a bit low.
Unless you know a lot more about your truck than the mfg, I would stick with whatever they recommend for the model you have.
FYI, Ford has a really nice portion of the web site devoted to detailed tow capacities.
charlie
RE: Titan towing capacity
Yep, fivers and 1/2T's!
Mine does fine. Look at payloads and actual weights of trailer. We do good, but, are at near max load in truck between pin weight, fuel and people. I am careful not to put too much in the truck, and, to make sure to load the trailer so as not to exceed the weight limits. It is not a problem with us since we travel fairly light.
Beware! There are a bunch of trailers (fivers and TT) labeled 'Lite'. Don't look at the name, look at the actual weights.
FYI, I did not find any fivers over 24ft that my truck could tow.
charlie
RE: Leaving 5er connected to house power with no load
It really depends on your converter and how it maintains the batteries. Look up the model number and the mfg website to determine if it has a proper maintenance mode.
But, even when I had a really old unit, it was hooked up year round. Batteries lasted 3 yrs, just what they should do.
If one is bubbling I would consider it suspect. You can have it load tested to see if it is OK. Watch it to make sure it doesn't go dry.
charlie
RE: Need help on 5th Wheel Clearance
I have, but I have always said big tires and towing do not match well, but it works, it was never a safety issue it was a performance issue. I went back down to a smaller tire for those reasons, not safety there wasn't any with my rig.\
Exactly.
RE: Need help on 5th Wheel Clearance
No not guessing, only offering things to think about.
You mean 6 inches or more. Truck is lifted 6" and with larger tires that means 8" (or more?) total lift. With the high bed sides on most new trucks lifting the trailer will be about the same or more (I have no lift on my truck and the axles had to be flipped just to clear the bed, approx 4" trailer lift). That is a significant lift on a trailer.
I think I have it OK. BIL had an older lifted 4WD truck with 30ft fiver. His was lifted 4" with stock dia wheels. Even with the older, lower bed rails he still had trailer axles flipped to get close to clearance. It towed fine, but, his trailer was only 'lifted' 4" (about the same as my current rig).
Yes, it can be towed, especially the limited miles listed. My only issue is if it is worth it to do a significant mod to the trailer? Even in your case you changed TV to have better performance. So, keep a trailer that is now significantly modified or take a big hit on resale to get a trailer that fits unlifted truck?
charlie
RE: I'm apprenhensive to even broach this subject
We had a small Class A and now a small fiver. Both used for traveling and we rarely stayed in one place more than a couple of days, most of the time overnight.
For the MH, when stopping overnight, I just leveled the rig and hooked up the electric. If stopping for two nights then the electric, water and sewer were hooked up and the toad unhitched. If longer then I'd also put out the awning, lawn chairs, TV satellite, etc.
I follow the same routine using the fiver. For overnight stops I don't unhook from the trailer if I can get it close to level it that way. Otherwise I will unhook.
So, for overnight stops it takes about 10 min max (sometimes just a couple of minutes). For two nights, 20 min. Longer stays it can take me a couple of hours to get the site all set up the way I like it.
Basically, a MH will be just as much work to get set up as a fiver with the same bells and whistles. Only difference will be that instead of hitching or unhitching the trailer you'll be hitching or unhitching the toad. If you want to make it easier then investing in automatic leveling system for the fiver would be much less expensive than a MH.
As an aside, I did/do not have automatic leveling on either rig. I pull into spot. Check how far out of level. Get out leveling boards/blocks and run rig onto them. Fine tune with manual jacks. When we traveled with friends who had a hydraulic system in their DP I could get my little MH leveled quicker than he could. He was anal about getting the bubble perfect, where I was OK with it being a bit off. When I was finished he was still playing with the jack controls.
charlie
RE: Need help on 5th Wheel Clearance
If you only pull it 50 miles a couple of times a year I'd find someone to tow it for me. By the time you're finished with the suspension mods you'll need a stepladder to get in the trailer. A high price to pay for such little towing. The cost of the mods would pay for the towing bill for several years. FYI, ours has the axle flipped and I still have to put in an extra step to make it easier to get in and out.
Then there is the problem that you'll have a heck of a time selling it (if you ever want to).
I'm assuming you had it lifted for heavy off road use. If so, you'll probably be replacing it in a few years anyway as all the parts break on it. When you do, you can decide if you want to get a truck better suited to towing, or, as others have suggested, a TT.
But, if you want to do all this just to look cool, then it's your money. There are a lot of rigs out there built just so folks will look at them with their mouths open. :)
charlie
RE: Tire question
It will work, but I would not. Took the factory junk off my 2500HD at 6000 miles and installed LT265R15's The problem with the factory junk is that the side walls are pretty soft and will effect your trailers ride and handling in ways you might not like.
I assume by this you mean you did notice a difference in handling on your trailer? Could you elaborate a bit?
I have heard this from several people about some LT tires on trailers. I still have questions. Since the LT tires are good enough on the axle of the truck, where any side sway would not be good either, then how could putting them on the trailer be bad?
Is there a certain type of LT construction that works (from others who have tried them and had good esperience)?
charlie
RE: Does your trailer weight restrict you?
ditto.
Also, there are several of the trucking firms who have lowered the speed on the governors lately. I like to find one of them to run behind when on longer trips.
charlie
