| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
RE: Atwood Jacks
Sue Noyes reply was that Atwood has never had a recall on their remotes and that I must have been misinformed.
Great that you found such a low cost replacement: I may even want to consider a spare for that price!
Sue may be right. I have followed the posts on the Atwood Wireless Jacks since I started on this forum. There were some member concerns that an earlier model of the remote was prone to failure (I have the newer model circa 2002) and have not received or heard of any recall notices in the postings or in person.
|
vanbikehorse
|
08/27/08 12:36pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Atwood manual jack manual
Atwood has been good in providing this kind of info: Please direct questions concerning service of Atwood™ products to 866-869-3118 option 5 before proceeding or http://www.atwoodmobile.com/Email/default.cfm
|
vanbikehorse
|
08/27/08 12:28pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Awning
I have a full length awning rail on both sides. I use a Reimo Sunsail awning (purchased through http://www.eurocampers.com/as a special order). It is essentially a 14 ft x 8 ft nylon awning that slides into the rail and is held up by 3 poles. There are a number of this type awning in cotton/canvas available in the States, but this was the first lightweight one I found.
|
vanbikehorse
|
08/27/08 12:23pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Smaller Cargo Nets
Check out tent storage nets. I would think Campmor is a good place to look.
If you are only talking books, I would think a custom bookshelf with sides that mount a travel bar in front of the books.
|
vanbikehorse
|
08/27/08 12:10pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Help with Supersprings
I have no Dodge specific experience, but I would not drive it under the conditions you describe. When I aligned mine slightly off, my spring pack ate away at the SS rollers. The SS pack definitely moves (elongates/contracts) as the springs go up and down and needs the space to do so.
|
vanbikehorse
|
08/27/08 10:55am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Tires.. what would you do..
Would you:
go back to the 245's?
Stick with the 235's, buy 5 tires and get the speedometer corrected?
Other?
I would: Other.
I'm extremely happy with my tire wheel approach. Got the wider Alcoa wheels (which use the factory lugs and hub cap), got the 265's which give a higher tire load rating, my dealer reprogrammed the antilock brakes for the new tire size. I have a Hypertech and reprogrammed the tire size for the correct odo reading (as luck would have it speedo and odo did NOT correct together - I read my speed from the GPS.
The tires fit without any physical mods and they look like the truck was designed for them compared with the "little" 245's.
|
vanbikehorse
|
08/27/08 10:42am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: leaving tc on truck
The "storing" part is tougher on the truck than the weight. Storing inside is better as you don't get that rain thing, which will undoubtably coat your rotors with rust - if this gets bad enough/long enough, it can ruin the rotors; a couple of months is about the limit. The tires will be flat spotted, oil will run off all the engine parts, etc; probably no permanent damage. It would be better if you could move it around every couple of weeks like they do at the car dealerships.
|
vanbikehorse
|
08/25/08 10:56am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: GpS/Xm Radio Signals
I'd say yes, 2 if you are somewhat particular. Both will work without the external antenna, but XM will suffer fade (no fun to listen to). GPS will lose the signal for short intervals - most can pick up enough sats and have software so you don't notice much, but external antenna is better.
|
vanbikehorse
|
08/25/08 10:48am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Atwood Jacks
I ordered a replacement remote from Gamma Electronics for $50.
Did you order this one: Gama Electronics Generic RF Controller?
If so, how do you know it will work??? If not, could you post a link.
|
vanbikehorse
|
08/22/08 11:40am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Springs or Bags
Why not do both? I had the airbags (which, by the way seem to work better on GM's as they don't seem to put shear stress on the mounting bolts) and went to SuperSprings when my automatic controller was going a little crazy. I have updated controller software now, but there are plenty of advantages to both for riding down the road as well as adjusting for level at campsites.
PS - SuperSprings really do ride pretty good empty.
|
vanbikehorse
|
08/22/08 11:12am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Duramax Diesel MPG
20+ empty on the highway, 17-18 going back and forth to work, mostly country roads, but some stop and go. Put the camper on by itself and it goes to 15 (I don't do that often). Trailer without camper is 15 (probably because I go faster). Camper and trailer is 12 (it can get worse with a lot of hills, longer sections of local roads, or speed).
|
vanbikehorse
|
08/22/08 11:00am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Old and Forgetful
As I get older, I start thinking more about the hereafter....I walk into a room and say to myself, "What was I here afer?"
On the flashlight thing, I go for the Maglite 2 AA lights with the non maglite LED upgrade(much better than the aftermarket LED's for the D battery maglites)to carry on my person - pretty decent light for the size and the batteries last forever. For Camping, I have a vast array of halogen and krypton, and fluroescent lights, most powered by 6V rechargable gell cells which surprisingly enough don't cost more than 6V dry cells! The Sportsman's Guide many LED lantern is no slouch either.
|
vanbikehorse
|
08/15/08 10:53am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Refridgerator
Blue;
Is your fridge not a 3-way? Most of the older ones operated on 12V, 110V or propane. The newer units on offer propane or 110V options.........If you elect to travel with the fridge on 12V, be aware that it WILL drain your TC battery if you stop for any length of time and leave it in the 12V position w/o the truck running. Hopefully you are using two batteries (one for truck and one for camper) with an isolation solenoid to prevent the starting battery from draining down due to camper usage.
Propane works great for a quick cool down after travelling or when you're boondocking, but if you're in a campsite with 110V power, I humbly suggest you use that and save your propane, as you're most likely paying for the hookup anyway.
Good advice. I'm a believer of never running on propane going down the road. My 12 VDC system can deliver enough juice to keep up - many can't. You need a low amp refrigerator and heavier charge cables. GM's start out with 12 gauge cables, which is barely enough, others have even smaller cables.
|
vanbikehorse
|
08/15/08 10:39am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Supersprings and timbrens?
I have Supersprings and air bags. I run my airbags at something like 20 psi instead of 60 like I used to. I would be concerned about the lack of tunability of the Timbren, but as others say, you can tune by changing the spring rate (different Timbrens) or the spacer. You need to make a pretty good initial guess on the spring rate or you will need to replace them.
PS - Both will fit together on a Chevy as they occupy different space (e.g. my air bags fit in place of the bumpstop just like timbrens do, except they are also attached to the axle.
|
vanbikehorse
|
07/31/08 10:29am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Suggestions for a screen tent
I have the canopy equivalent of the Paha Que and the Kelty. I also have a Quik Shade Market Place. The Kelty is the super light weight with 2 Loooooong back packer like poles. Mine is a 12x12, but the actual shade produced is more like 8x8 as it is so splayed out. The Paha Que is also a 12x12, but it gives something like 10x10 worth of shade. It has eight 3/4 inch diameter zip-corded poles. Both of these fold up in a bag that can be easily carried and stored anywhere (the Kelty folds to half the size of the Paha Que due to the poles).
I got the Quik Shade due to a particularly windy event that bent poles on my Paha Que (Kelty would have probably been totaly destroyed, but it wasn't up) and threatened to tear the stitching out of my TC attached canopy. The pop ups at the event didn't even notice the wind; it appeared as more of a mild ripple on their canopies. The Marketplace is the "Commercial" model with upgraded frame and top. It Is closing in on 60 lbs and is about 8"x8"x48" folded. It offers 10'x10' shade (legs are vertical, so footprint is also shade print) and achieves the intended tolerance to wind. It requires no stakes.
Any of these can be set up by one person, but it is a lot easier with 2. So it depends on what your requirements are. I would say if you can transport it, and use it a lot, the pop up is the way to go. I carry mine in the horse trailer. Otherwise, I think the Paha Que is a lot more rugged and still easy to transport. The lightweight champ is the Kelty by a wide margin. I carry it with me when they are dropping me off in the middle of nowhere when I'm supporting these horse events.
|
vanbikehorse
|
07/11/08 11:05am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: jacks raise/lower at different speed
Electricity travels at the speed of light. Electrical wires have resistance, the longer the wire the greater the resistance. Therefore, for the jacks with the longest wire runs a greater percentage of the available power goes to heating the wire and not raising the camper. The solution, replace existing wires with ones of heavier gauge or just live with it. …Mike
I'm thinking that's not all that is going on here: The jacks also have different weights on them and the speed difference is a function of the available power and the weight it has to move for each jack (i.e. F=MA)
|
vanbikehorse
|
07/11/08 10:25am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Goode method of loading a camper (maybe)
What am I missing here? I just line up so I have the 4 legs centered in my rear view mirror, and visually same spacing.....If I keep the spacing the same as I go back (checking the dually hips of course) I am lined up right no problem? If the spacing changes one way or the other...I am moving at an angle.
Sure sometimes there is a little jocking for that last 1/2 to 1/4 inch for clearance on a bump out.....but not much.
No muss or fuss. Is it suppose to be harder than that?
I think its highly dependent on your "parking location". I can identify with the problem as my four blocks for the jacks are slightly scewed with respect to the Garage and shed that I park between. The end result is that I need to come in at a slight angle to the Garage, not totally parallel. Easy to do when you have the camper on as you are using the blocks as a guide. When I let the camper sit a long time, I tend to forget that angle. Certainly a line to follow would make it easier.
PS - You can see all 4 jacks in one rear view mirror???
|
vanbikehorse
|
07/11/08 10:22am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: FanTastic customer support
My FF worked fine, but I wanted to add reverse to its capabilities, so I called FF to find out what was involved. They sent me the parts free along with detailed installation instructions!
When I suffered water damage to the roof by not knowing the TC got hit by a tree branch, another roof fan fit in the cut out roof section! Of course it was a FF and the new remote control electronic one that uses a lot less juice. Fantastic!
|
vanbikehorse
|
07/10/08 11:15am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Broken truck frame
For you Ford and maybe Dodge owners (and Steve who seems to forgotten how Chevy air bags mount since he turned in his TC for a TV (Tow-ed Vehicle):
Yes, the top mount is welded to the Frame, yes, there are holes through the frame. They are factory installed bump stop mounts. IMHO, This is just as strong or stronger than the mount the air bag on an L bracket attached to the frame approach (although I understand that the air bag vendors provide soft bolts that break before the frame......). I'm thinking there are other factors at work here like WAY overloading the truck (we know Neverhappy did it - double air bags to prove it). Manufacturers design for overload, but there is a limit....
And yes, of course, a good frame shop could fix it better than new (but you may not want to go that far when the rest of the truck isn't up to that standard). I support the concept of stimulating the economy with a new truck, the issue of the old truck may be based on its resultant value.
|
vanbikehorse
|
07/10/08 11:04am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: 285 VS 265 tires
I have the 265's. My dealer reprogrammed my antilock brakes for them, but I needed Hypertech to redo my odometer. I found that odometer and speedometer weren't as together as could be and I had to pick one to be right. I have a GPS to tell me how fast I'm going. No worries with the Allison as 265's come standard with the SRW 3500.
|
vanbikehorse
|
05/16/08 10:53am |
Truck Campers
|
