RE: What Are The Odds
Ed and the naturalist have it nailed. When those standard vent lids get a little sun baking, they become very brittle and crack rather easily, sometimes shattering. Putting on the vent covers from either camco (cheapest) or Max Air will protect the brittle vent lid. They seem to hold up very well to the sun and also give you the ability to leave the vents open, even if rain is in the forecast. Very nice to leave open when stored and not walk into an very hot, closed up camper.
RE: Best method to remove duct tape residue?
Goo Gone
X2
Found in most hardware stores. This stuff works on 'everything'! Works great, safe and does NOT leave any damaging residues. Be REAL careful on what you use PB blaster and WD40 and the smell lasts forever.
http://pics.drugstore.com/prodimg/81908/220.jpg
http://googone.com/
X3
This stuff is magic.
RE: Liquid fabric softener and black/gray tank smell
Calgon and a cup of the cheapest power laundry detergent you can buy at the dollar store. Add a couple gallons of water to your tank and your good to go. Repeat after each dumping.
RE: Should I be worried about an RV that is too long?
A couple other things to consider.
If you get the 40'er, if it has high enough ground clearance at the tail end, you often will be able to back some to most to maybe all of the trailer behind the rear axle past the parking curb, significantly increasing the number of campsites that it will fit in. Just make sure you have enough clearance behind the curb to allow for all that trailer before you hit a tree.
Longer trailers react slower when backing. This can be a good thing for a person new to backing/maneuvering a trailer as long as they don't overreact. Take you time practicing and getting familiar with how quickly the tail end comes around and how much space that takes.
As mentioned above, watch the tail swing out when you turn. A very high percentage of long trailers that are damaged by new drivers is due to this. Try to fuel and park places that you have plenty of space to pull past obstacles in a straight or very slight turn. BIG truck stops and gas stations with very large parking lots are you friend until you get comfortable with your rig. USE THEM!
Also as mentioned above but worth repeating, IF IN DOUBT>PARK AND GET OUT! Even with a second person watching for you, stopping, getting out and walking around the back of the trailer, taking in everything around you that you have to watch for but cant see from the drivers seat, saves accidents. and Don't forget to look overhead also. Tree Limbs, wires, etc can cause a lot of expensive to fix damage.
Good luck in getting the perfect rig for you and your family!
RE: Winnebago Vista
Also might check weights on each tire to see if your loading her too tail heavy. Are you towing anything with her? or have one of those platforms with stuff loaded on the tail of your MH?
RE: wireless network in range
And be careful. Some of the laptops I've seen have a little button up near or as a secondary function of the "f" keys across the top that can turn on and off the wireless function. Get typing too fast and fatfinger a key and next thing you know, your wireless is gone.
So know your keyboard and it's extra functions.
RE: Deep Fryers
Cast Iron Skillet on the coleman stove.
We let the grease cool and put it in coffee containers and then to the dumpter once we are done with it.
We have a larger deep fryer with basket for when we are doing large groups that we bring from home. It stores grease in the unit like the fry daddy but we usually let it cool and put it back into a plastic jug with a lid for safe traveling and less chance of spillage during travel. We only bring it if we are going to have a large fish fry or be doing a bunch of french fries or fried chicken.
RE: Adding water after dumping black tank
I put a couple gallons in both the gray and black to help keep the seals on the dump valve moist and to help any remaining food particals or waste from drying out. The black tank also gets about a cup of cheap powder detergent and a cap full of water softner. I leave all this in the tanks and on my next trip to the campground, it sloshes around and coats the tank along with breaking down anything during the sitting period.
RE: our first travel trailer
I've never been to any campground that a 35' trailer couldn't find a site. Obviously there will be some sites that are too small but that is the case with anything but a popup trailer of TT under 25'.
The bigger you go, the more sites that may not fit you but as I said, there are always sites for bigger rigs at all the places I've ever camper. I don't even consider it a big rig until you top 35'. I'd estimate 80% of the sites in the campgrounds I've been to (mostly SP and NP) would fit you and almost all of the KOA's and resport campgrounds site can fit large campers and MH's.
RE: Which trailer is best bang for buck?
I don't think there is a problem with aluminum skinned trailers as long as they are maintained well.
Here are my thoughts on the two skin types:
Aluminum can be dented more easily, much like aluminum siding on a house. It never rusts and is easier for the DYIer to work on than gel, smooth siding if there is a problem. Sealing the corners, around any cutouts and the roof is critical to not having leaks, rotting.
Smooth sided trailers have less seems since they are cut out and solid one piece per side vs. the aluminum skinned overlaying panels. They still require the same seal inspections in the corners, around cutoffs, roofs, etc. They are not as easily damaged by say a overthrown ball but if they are damaged, are not as easy to repair.
My decision to buy a smooth sided trailer basically came down to it being easier to clean (in my opinion) and to visually liking the looks better. Both types of trailers can llok wonderful for years and provide leak and rot free service for many years if properly maintained.
RE: job to do from the road
Just a suggestion to help you make sure you always have plenty of possible customers. If you can't figure out something on the internet, focus on what kind of services would RV-ers need? If you can find something that you can do that they need, you will be literally surrounded with possible customers.
As mentioned Dog Sitting or walking, barbering, RV repair, computer repair or lessons, design re-work just to name a few. Make up a sign, hang it on a planter hook in the front of the campsite and wait for the customers. If ya get bored, walk the loops passing out flyers.
Good Luck!
RE: Can I get 35' 5th wheel into a lot of natural spots?
Are there going to be spots that a 35' rig might be a challenge to get into? Absolutely. But there are an awful lot of places you can get into and I've never been anyplace you couldn't get into with that size trailer. I'm sure there are places you can't but I'm thinking they will be few and far between.
Might repost over in the Full-timers forum as there are plenty there that have a 35' rig. Even in the Toyhauler section as they are more likely to be ones that camp at "natural sites" since they often are taking their ATV's, Rail buggies, etc out in the middle of no where to ride.
Good Luck in whatever you decide.
RE: TT Roofing Maintenance
I'm not sure about Jayco, but many (most) are EDPM rubber, or TPO (more like vinyl. Google it).
Rubber has a good service record and can last 20 years or more with proper care, though it's reletively easily torn (branches, etc.). it can quickly and effectively be repaired with Eternabond tape.
You should have gotten paperwork with your new trailer packet telling specifics of roof care. The basics are wash periodically with a mild detergent and soft scrub brush. I do mine from a good ladder with a long-handle split bristle brush and Spic-N-Span powder 2 or 3 times a season. Takes about an hour to do the roof. Do NOT use anything petroleum based on your roof! DO NOT! I've heard folks use Murphey's oil soap, or Palmalive. There are varying opinions on this, but Spic-N-Span seems to be the fav. It's getting hard to find in areas, though. Some coat with 303 protectant or other products. I'd rather not find out whether it works or not. Really, if it's going to last 20 years just by washing now and then, what's the point?
You should also yearly check the caulking for leaks and cracks. Mine didn't require anything for the first four years, but this year I've noticed, and tended to, several caulk beads that dried and cracked. Use Dicor self -leveling caulk avalable at most RV stores. Works great, but is getting expensive at $13 per tube. DO NOT use silicone!
Also, do not assume your particular roof is safe to walk on if you don't know for sure. Mine is and I still limit foot traffic up there. Again, why take the risk.
Keeping the roof and gutters clean goes a long way to preventing black streaks. As the roof oxidizes, the white powdery residue ends up on the trailer side and causes black streaks. Good wax and gutter extensions (and keeping the trailer level!) will prevent most large black streaks.
As far as TPO, I have no experience with it, so maybe others can add. Good luck! and have fun!
All good advise. Especially important to get up there at least twice a year to catch any cracking caulking early. As much as they sit and as much rain as some places can have, a leak can get a lot of water inside your walls very quickly if ignored. Check often, fix quickly and your camper will be rot free for many years.
RE: Set-up with new tow vehicle
The only sure way to know if the W/D is adjusted correctly is to hit the scales loaded and unloaded then compare the individual axle weights..
Bingo, We have a winner.
That said, if you followed the instructions and are that close to the original heights and have already taken a test drive and all went well, You likely are in good shape. Now you have to decide if you want to be COMPLETELY CONFIDENT it's right or your willing to take off on your first big trip fairly comfortable that it is. FOr a few bucks and my own piece of mind, I went and weighed mine and made myself feel very safe loading my family in the truck.
RE: When to get new tires
Here is what I have learned from reading different tire threads over the years.
Look for and find the manufacture date on the tires. 4 digit number specifing the week and year the tires were made. Usually on side wall of tire with an oval around it.
Tires loose approximately 10% of their rated carrying capasity each year. This is important if your normal loaded trailer weight is near the rated capasity of your tires. If you travel light and have plenty of capasity not being used, it becomes less important the first few years.
Check before every trip for bulging, cracking, spliting, uneven wear and proper inflation. First sign of any of these, replace your tires. When they blow, the often do much more damage to the trailer wheel wells, floor and any systems close to them (water tanks, sewer pipes, flooring or structure) than it would have cost to replace them.
Protect your tires from direct sun while in storage will help maximize their life. Also avoid using tire shine products as they are usually bad for the tires due to having protroleum products in them.
Expect to replace at least every 4-5 years if you take very good care of them, more often if not.
RE: How to: Battery Disconnect
Really bad idea putting the disconnect on the negative. It is inevitable that sometime, somewhere, someone will tow the trailer with a nonfunctional emergency braking system.
Anyone reading this should do it the safe way and put the disconnect in the positive line and connect the breakaway directly to the battery.
I see nothing wrong with wiring the breakaway directly if that makes anyone feel better but since he has a power jack and can not hook to his trailer without power, I don't see how it can be inevitable that it WILL be towed without EBS. Seems a bit overstated to me.
Unless he's going to install the green knob, hook to the trailer then remove the green knob, there is NO chance his implementation will cause a problem with the EBS.
There is also no reason that I have ever found that it makes any difference if the disconnect is installed on the negative or positive. If there is one, please enlighten us. How does doing one or the other improve or hurt the situation?
RE: Fire Starters from RV Travel tips question
I have used the corn chip method once to impress someone and it worked pretty well. They say it's the cooking oil that soaked in the chips. After I tried it, I understood why they make you fat, lol.
I generally cheat and put about 4 or 5 charcoal briquettes down, light them then start building my teepee of logs around it. It takes less fanning and I get less smoke in the eyes.
RE: golf cart
Have found that as mentioned above, many campgrounds only allow electric. Asked why at a few and it was to prevent ATV's from being ridden in the loops. Ban gas powered engines other than licensed vehicles and it took care of the problem they said.
Electric Carts will weigh more due to the batteries but is quieter and again, allowed about everywhere. If you have free electric hookups, your getting recharged free also.
Gas Carts are lighter and usually faster on unmodified carts but banned some places. Gas prices are never free and you need to haul gas cans if you extended stay anywhere for longer than the cart will go on it's tank of fuel.
Agreed $2000 seems to be the going price for the basic used cart and if you shop around, you can sometimes find on with the 2nd backward seat fold down flat bed for that price.
