RE: Replacing Rubber Gasket on Slideouts- DIY??
Hittheroad2 - Thanks - WOW - It looks like there are about a dozen different sizes of "flap" seals. I will have to be careful on the dimensions. But this place says they will sell you only what you need. Thanks again.
RE: Replacing Rubber Gasket on Slideouts- DIY??
Once I learned that the operative words are slide out seals with "wipers", I got more responses from Google than before. I see there are two types in terms of how they attach, but basically they both slide in a groove as indicated above. And, they come in both black and white. They also have different wiper widths from something around 1 1/2 inches to 2 7/8 inches.
It seems they typically come in 35 foot rolls and a person cuts them to size. I did not shop much for price yet, but it appears this material is in the neighborhood of $170 per roll. Since my rotted wipers are only on the corners on the top of the slides, I do not think I will change out the side wipers unless they actually need it. Normally I would be tempted to just change out everything while I was at it, and start out fresh with all new wipers. But that would more than double the cost and labor. Scrap could also be a problem. For example, if I have 3 slides, and the sides are 6 feet tall, I need 6 pieces, six feet long. So now a 35 foot roll comes up one foot short and I have to buy another $170 roll and I end up with 29 feet of scrap.
Replacing Rubber Gasket on Slideouts- DIY??
I'm not sure what you actually call the rubber barrier that is on the three sides of a slideout (gasket, seal, trim or whatever). Six months ago one of these pieces of rubber on my trailer had a small bad spot in one corner. Today I have three rotted out corners. So obviously they have reached the end of their useful lives.
I am getting ready to put my trailer in storage so I have 6 months to ponder how to do the fix.
Is this a do-it-yourself project?
It isn't clear to me how they are attached. Are they glued on?
RE: Mobile Suites towed with short bed Dodge?
Very Good Point for any fiver. Add a second A/C unit and it probably is up front in the bedroom area, add a washer an dryer, or combo, and chances are it is up front in the bedroom, put some heavy tool boxes in the basement, and it is in the front end as well.
RE: Mobile Suites towed with short bed Dodge?
I have a similar truck, but with the 6.7 Cummins. It pulls a 36 foot "very nose heavy" fiver with no problem. It's like the truck and trailer were made for each other.
But if I ever moved up that extra 3,000 pounds in trailer weight, my intent would be to not tow more more than 150 miles, and then park the trailer for six months.
Going down a smooth road at 55 mph is one thing. But bouncing through construction zones on the interstate, through lane shifts, surrounded by traffic all traveling above the speed limit, and staying out there on the road for 8 hours at a stretch is whole different matter.
If your intent is to both full time and stay on the road on a regular basis, then you probably should get more truck.
RE: Leaving grey tanks open?
The majority of the time I leave the grey water valves open.
There is the odd situation that can occur from time to time where excessive sewer gases from the campground's sewer lines can exit the vent on your RV. In effect, with the grey water valves open, your RV vent stack becomes a part of the campground's overall septic system.
Now on days in Florida where the humidity is high, and there is no breeze at all, a plume of sewer gas odor can envelop your rig. Also, I have had a similar situation occur when the guy right next door dumped his black water tank on a day where the air was dead calm. The turbulence in the system pushed excessive gases out into the atmosphere.
In either case, I just close the grey water valves for a day until the problem goes away. Then I open them back up again.
RE: Keeping A FW From Being Stolen
I'm not 100% sure just shutting off the battery switch will eliminate power to the landing gear.
I thought flipping the battery switch just stopped the trickle load of refrigerator controls, A/C controls, antenna boosters, and the like. But power was still available for the front jacks since no power is consumed until the landing gear switch is actually used.
Now, removing the battery completely might slow some thieves down just a little bit.
But, I think it is like being struck by lightning. How likely is it that a person would have their RV stolen a second time, especially a fifth wheel? Is this actually a common problem in the area?
RE: Bio diesel.....yes or no
lfeather - I change fuel filters every 15,000 miles, or less, by the book. When I had my truck in for new brakes, I asked to get a good look at the location of the fuel filter while my truck was on the hoist. I looked up, but it still looked tough to get at. I think I remember the mechanic saying it was actually easier to climb up into the engine compartment and change the filter from the top. Like I said, under ideal conditions, it still looks like a bit of a PITA. But based on what I have read here, I am going to avoid bio diesel if I can.
RE: Heat pump output vs heat strip
This discussion reminds me a little bit of something a guy told me just before I got married. His position was that, "Getting married is a lot like taking a warm bath. After you are in it for awhile, it ain't that hot." Same goes for heat pumps.
Also, don't forget that since a heat pump runs both for heating and cooling, all other things being equal, it will wear out in half the time.
When I had a heat pump I liked it. After it failed and I found out what it cost to repair, not so much.
RE: Heat pump output vs heat strip
I had a heat pump air conditioner in my home. The air coming out the registers seemed to be in the low 90's. It worked fine when the outside temp was 42 or above. Below 42 it was set to shut off the heat pump and put on the natural gas furnace. It worked as intended but it was nothing to write home about.
I have a heat strip in the air conditioner in our RV bedroom. It also works okay at temps above 42 degrees. However, it pretty much runs constantly and is noisy. Again, it works as intended but it also is nothing to write home about.
When the outside temperatures start heading towards freezing, I much prefer for the propane furnace to kick on and get it over with.
It never ceases to amaze me the degree to which people in $45,000 trailers will go to avoid spending $25 to refill a 30 pound propane bottle. They bundle up, run 2 electric space heaters constantly and still are uncomfortable.
In my opinion, Winnebago did the right thing. The heat strip was the correct economic choice. If the heat strip can't keep up, then turn on the furnace and relax.
RE: Going to look at this Class C today
Check the A/C as well. Replacing the A/C could be just as expensive as the refrigerator. At least with a bad refrigerator, you can buy a small 35-40 quart 3-way unit for about $350. Or, even use ice in a cooler if it is only for weekend camping. But no A/C on a hot day could really be a bummer.
RE: Going to look at this Class C today
You have to drive it first. If it runs reasonably strong, does not smoke, does not leak any fluids, and the transmission shifts normal, then it is probably worth something around $3,000.
But to take it out on the road for any distance, consider you may end up needing tires, brakes, shocks, radiator and hoses, or similar repairs. So, do you have another $3,500 in petty cash to invest if the need arises?
I would consider buying something like this just for fishing and/or hunting. But it is pretty old compared to what you already have.
RE: 3/4 ton vs 1 ton ride
I use a 1 ton Dodge Ram as a daily driver. It rides just fine.
I have always assumed that the added load carrying capability from the "helper springs" only comes into play when the truck is actually carrying a heavy load. The rest of the time the extra couple of short leaf spring sections just go along for the ride.
RE: Fifth wheel
Is 7600 pounds the actual weight of the trailer? If you have a smaller V8, then there could be a problem on hills. A good friend bought a Hi-Lo trailer trailer and assumed he could easily pull it with a smaller Chevy V8 because of the minimal wind resistance.
Well, there is a spot on I-75 heading north in Michigan towards the bridge where it is a steady uphill climb for maybe 5 or 6 miles (never actually measured it). Even on an interstate where the grade is not that extreme, he said he was seriously beginning to wonder if he was going to make it to the top of that hill, at all.
On the other hand, he immediately traded in the Hi-Lo for a motorhome with a gasser V-10 and has absolutely no problem at all.
RE: Florida Keys -Bucket list
tplife - My Bahia Honda state park brochure states that alcohol is permitted in designated areas only. If you go to the Florida state park site you can download a booklet specifically for Bahia Honda and see the reference.
RE: Florida Keys -Bucket list
I agree that the rule in FL is that alcohol consumption is prohibited in "public areas". But, your personal campsite is not a public area. So it is not against the rules to begin with.
