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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Cruise control or not when towing??
On flat roads or very moderate hills I'll use the cruise control. Anything more and I turn it off as the unit on my truck is much to aggressive in trying to maintain speed. I don't mind a 2-3 mph loss up the hills in exchange for an increase in mpg, the cruise doesn't want to lose any. I always use cruise when not towing unless its in very steep hills.
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trkoffroad
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09/23/08 11:24am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Nada guides vs. dealer price
We bought the 5ver in my signature this spring for $1700 under NADA average retail. The only options I put into NADA were the two powered roof vents and a washer dryer combo. The unit was like new.
We probably could have saved a bit more money if we had waited a bit as the dealer had just traded for it. We had looked before and had a hard time finding very clean used units in this size range so we didn't want to wait however. It was pretty much exactly what we would have bought new.
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trkoffroad
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09/05/08 07:53am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Dometic Remote AC
The "I Feel" mode works fine on our unit, I believe the remote acts as a thermostat in that mode. Put it in that mode and I think you'll find it works fine. Also, when making adjustments (temp, fan speed etc) push the buttons slowly pausing between each push and make sure you get a beep from each push. If you don't then the receiver and A/C unit didn't get your last command.
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trkoffroad
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09/04/08 11:53am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: mileage with a diesel
When I had the '97 CTD with 3.55s I got better than any of the new ones. The older diesels seemed to do better mileage wise but I wouldn't go back since the newer ones have brute pulling strength. Frank
Stock you are absolutely correct, my truck from Dodge only had 180hp and 420ft/lbs of torque. But the engine upgrades on the 12 Valve motors (94-98) are very cheap and effective. I bought a #10 fuel plate and a 3K Governor spring kit for about $225. I have not tested the engine or a dyno but a retired Cummins engineer (32 years) puts my truck at 275-300hp and around 700ft/lbs on torque. Its hard to believe its the same truck when driving it.
These mods did not impact my fuel economy negatively at all. Bumping the injection timing up by 2.5 degrees did take my unloaded mpg from 18 to over 21mpg. The transmissions in these trucks are not up to this level of power however. Manuals need a heavy duty clutch and the auto's need at least a new torque converter and a high pressure valve body. Other requirements are an exhaust temperature gauge since these engines have no computer management to keep you from taking pump mods to far.
Anyway, the mods needed to get the 12valve Cummins at or near current diesel truck performance levels are considered mild by their fans. These engines were purposely detuned because of the transmissions available at the time. A full built Dodge 47RE from one of the best builders in the country is only about $3500. This will easily handle 400hp and 20K gross weight on a daily basis, for another 1K or so they will handle a lot more. I'm using one from a company called Goerend and I'm very happy with it.
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trkoffroad
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09/02/08 09:37am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: mileage with a diesel
Hi;
This is for anyone towing approximately a 10000 lb fiver with a RAM 2500 4x4 and Cummins diesel: How many miles do you get on a full tank when towing, and what is your tank capacity?
Thanks,
My 97 Ram Cummins is older than everyone else who responded but is modified to current power levels. We also have a 285EFS Cougar that's the non bunk house version of your 5th wheel.
In July we took it to Florida and averaged 12mpg towing at 65-68mph. I recently had the injection timing bumped up and unloaded mpg went from 18 to over 21 but have not figured towing mileage since but I'm hoping for 13-14mpg.
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trkoffroad
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08/29/08 09:24am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: fifth wheel that can be pulled by 1/2 ton pickup
We just bought a new Silverado 4/Dr truck with the 5.8 liter engine, 1/2 ton. Does anyone know of a fifth wheel that this truck could pull? Thanks!
An ultralight 24-25' 5th wheel would probably be fine with this truck but have you considered a travel trailer instead? You could get a larger unit for the same weight and probably for the same or less money.
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trkoffroad
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08/14/08 10:50am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Will it pull it??
I will not make it by the scales by the time they close. I'm just as eager to find out the weight as everyone else to get the real numbers.
Finding out the actual empty weight is nice to compare to the specs, but it will never be lighter than when you first bring it home. The most important weight is when its loaded up with all your gear, clothes, food, water, bicycles and everything else you want to take along.
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trkoffroad
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07/30/08 10:14pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: weber baby Q
I use a Q200 and it works very well. The thing is made like a tank. My only complaint is that it is heavy for such a small grill due to the cast iron grate.
I've got yhe Q200 as well, yes its heavy but it cooks great and does sear meat nicely. I also love my Weber Genesis E310 at home, the 20lb cylinder we use for the Q200 is my backup for the Genesis.
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trkoffroad
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07/30/08 01:28pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Will it pull it??
My last truck was a 2001 Chevy 2500 4x4 ExtCab, with 6.0L gas motor and 3.73 gears. At that time we towed a 29' 5th wheel that fully loaded weighed about 9500lbs. I think the trucks GVWR was 8800lbs.
The truck had no problems with pin weight the suspension felt fine going down the road on short local trips. I eventually had the trucks axles changed to 4.10 for more pulling power but never felt the 6.0L gas motor had enough power for this load. The RV your looking at will be 1000lbs or so less than ours fully loaded (depending on how you load it). If you only do short trips on flat roads you might be ok if your patient but I would guess you will eventually decide you want more power like I did.
The last trip we took with it was to Colorado. Running across Western Kansas into a stiff headwind, I had the gas pedal just above where it would shift into second to maintain a reasonable speed. I never figured the mileage, but it was horrible (prob 7-8). Running up La Veta Pass I was in 1st gear and about 25mph.
We now have a different 5ver that weights about the same and a mildly modified 97 Dodge Diesel. It has a 3.54 axle and will pull most hills in OD with relative ease and very large one's in 3rd. If driven right I can get 12mpg at 67-69mph and a bit more if you drive slower. The gas truck got pretty warm up hills or into a headwind but the diesel stays nice and cool.
My advice would be to either look at a smaller 5th wheel or perhaps a TT as you can get the space you want and reduce the weight alot. If you really love the 5ver then figure on another truck if your going to tow very far.
Hope this helps.
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trkoffroad
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07/30/08 11:54am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: 5th wheel payments
Zero owed on both Truck and 5th Wheel.
We have moved up several times on the tow vehicle, either paying cash or a with a small loan. Our 2001 Chevy 2500 6.0L gas wasn't enough when we moved up to a 29' 5'ver so we sold it and bought a family members 1997 Dodge Ram 2500 Diesel. After this weekend, when I install an upgraded transmission (to keep up with the engine mods), I'll have about $13,500 in it. It tows as well as anything you can buy new, and only has 91K on the odometer.
We have also moved up a few times on the RV using the same formula. The like new 2005 Cougar in my signature cost 16K and replaced an 2004 5'ver that a spring hail storm totaled. Nada booked the 04 at more than we had paid for it, so that upgrade only cost $800 even though the Cougar is nicer and has more features like a washer/dryer combo.
We are very happy with the combo and while newer/bigger/nicer would be great I just hate payments.
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trkoffroad
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07/25/08 03:40pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Good Year Marathon ST225/75R 15D comments please
Just finished the final 1400 miles of our 2800 mile trip with Goodyear Marathon's. No tire related problems were experienced.
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trkoffroad
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07/19/08 09:25am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Good Year Marathon ST225/75R 15D comments please
The 5th wheel in my signature has a set of Chinese made Marathons on it that were purchased from Sam's in May of 07. Just drove 1400 miles to Florida in two days, speeds were mostly around 65-68mph and never over 70.
There is a Goodyear bulletin that says you can run them up to 75mph if you raise the pressure to 75. You get one more mph for each psi over 65. When they were installed I verified the rims are rated for 75psi. I weighed my unit just before we left and fully loaded there is 8640 on the axles and 850 on the kingpin.
No problems with mine so far, but they will be replaced when three years old with 16's if there is room. If 16's won't fit then I guess load range E 15's if I can find some locally.
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trkoffroad
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07/03/08 01:51pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Leaky Faucets and Shower Head
The leaky shower head is something I didn't like after we sold an older 5th wheel and bought a late model RV. If you don't want your shower head to leak while taking a shower, there is an easy and cheap fix.
The shut off valves you can buy at the RV store, hardware and home stores will not fix this problem as they are made to leak a small amount when shut off.
Click Here to read this thread for background to the problem.
My last post has the fix.
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trkoffroad
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06/24/08 02:41pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Day / Night Shades up or down while towing?
Thanks for all the responses, looks like different dealers give different advice.
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trkoffroad
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06/11/08 09:11am |
Fifth-Wheels
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Day / Night Shades up or down while towing?
Getting ready to take our first trip in a new to us 5th wheel.
It has Day / Night shades and the sales guy told us to never travel with them down because they can get messed up this way. Our last unit had mini blinds and we always traveled with them closed to keep the heat down. What the salesman said didn't really make sense to me but then we have never had Day / Night shades before.
Is it ok to travel with them down in the Night position or should they be all the way up?
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trkoffroad
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06/10/08 12:24pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Blue Coral Wash and Wax for Rubber Roofs?
If you look up the MSDS (material Safety Data Sheet)you can find out what the ingredients are. Blue Coral products contain at least 3 Petroleum Products, including kerosene, naptha and morpholine.
HERE
Thanks for the link, the product I'm referring to is MSDS# 615434LU and the link to its into is Here
I can't see any of the petroleum products you listed on this page, sorry if I'm just overlooking it. Can you give me a bit more info where you found that info at?
Thanks
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trkoffroad
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05/01/08 06:31am |
General RVing Issues
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Blue Coral Wash and Wax for Rubber Roofs?
Is liquid Blue Coral - Wash and Wax ok to use on Rubber Roofs??
I have seen some here say they use it for the Fiberglass sides and Caps on RV's but I'm wondering if its safe to use on Rubber Roofs. Walmart sells a huge jug for about $3.00 or so.
The front says its fortified with Carnauba wax and I've looked at the back and No-Where does it say anything about Petroleum Distilates being in it.
Also, what is a good, inexpensive and easy wax to apply to Gel-Coat sides and Fiberglass Caps once they are clean?
Thanks for all advice.
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trkoffroad
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04/30/08 03:42pm |
General RVing Issues
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