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RE: Toads??
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8172/8060243876_8621775c3a.jpg
or in years we go to Mexico
http://www.johnandangela.ca/images/clipart/wpe68875logo2.jpg
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John & Angela
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06/18/13 08:21pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Proposed Immigration rules for Snowbirds
Medical insurance is not a problem. Just get a private policy for the time you are out of country plus 3 months.
Paying private for 3 months won't buy you any exemption from provincial rules. Provincial plan expires after 7 months total in calendar year. Then you return and stay 3 months on the private, re-apply for provincial plan, and leave the country again - and the plan will expire immediately, or will not be recognized if you try and get treatment within or outside Canada. Because you will not have stayed 7 months in that calendar year. You MIGHT get lucky and they won't terminate the plan if they don't check, but this is gambling against very high stakes if you get sick.
Taxes shouldn't be a problem if filing the "closer ties to" form.
I know of CRA circular on what to consider "close ties to Canada", but didn't know that we have to file such a form, and how often. My understanding is if you remain tax resident for CRA, and CRA doesn't allege that your status has changed, you don't need to file anything but regular tax return.
The "closer ties to" is filed to the IRS not the CRA. I think it's form 8840. And I think it's actually called "closer connection to" or something like that. We file it every year.
Re the medical, agreed, if you leave for more than 7 months every year you will have to get a permanent expat plan. Still doable. Expats do it all the time. All it takes is money. ??
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John & Angela
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06/18/13 08:02pm |
Snowbirds
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RE: Proposed Immigration rules for Snowbirds
Work within the new rules.......Buy a RV lot in the foothills of east Yuma and then use it as a rental in season to offset your cost. That way you are a property owner and qualify.....:B
This would be a question I would ask. We own an RV lot in Palm Springs. I wonder if it would qualify as a home or does it have to have a certain value.
Medical insurance is not a problem. Just get a private policy for the time you are out of country plus 3 months. This is one problem that goes away if you throw a little money at it.
Taxes shouldn't be a problem if filing the "closer ties to" form. For those who travel to Mexico it has never been a problem as they can do 4 months in the US and 3 months in Mexico during the colder months. We will eventually split our time up evenly over the three north american countries. Till then we will continue to work 5 or 6 months a year anyway.
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John & Angela
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06/18/13 07:24pm |
Snowbirds
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RE: ERA towing a Smart Fortwo FYI
"Not San Antonio. Go west, somewhere hot, and a good place to be if you are the lucky type."
Stratosphere, downtown. Jay
You got her.
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John & Angela
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06/17/13 10:26pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: ERA towing a Smart Fortwo FYI
Pic of smart car at San Antonio. That is my guess. How many time could you rent a car for $17,000 and never have to worry about a tow vehicle,costs,loss of mpg,where to turn around,braking system ,campsite length etc....?
Not San Antonio. Go west, somewhere hot, and a good place to be if you are the lucky type. :)
Agreed on the rental analysis. Sometimes you have to wonder.
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John & Angela
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06/17/13 01:28pm |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: ERA towing a Smart Fortwo FYI
John & Angela: That is some impressive MPG you are getting. It's twice as good as the 34/38 EPA MPG the car is rated at. Are you driving a US spec car? Do lots of smart owners get those numbers?
Good morning Skimore. Nope. We are driving CDI diesels. They are rated for that. We have had ours since 2006 but the 2011 and later diesels get more horsepower and better mileage. If we keep ours around 55 mph we easily achieve 70 USMPG but it drops off quick on the interstates. Lower 60 's etc. Over 70 mph you are in the high 50 s. Not much horsepower but lotsa torque with the little diesels. 6 gears instead of five. Once you learn to drive it in the torque zone they gobble up hills with little effort. Fun little cars. The US never got these cars but Canada did. Right now the new diesels are not available in Canada. Hopefully that will change.
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John & Angela
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06/17/13 09:53am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: ERA towing a Smart Fortwo FYI
Check Consumers Reports or the auto mags for reviews of the Smart for2. Most call it the worst vehicle on the road. Chevy Spark or Honda Fit get better mileage, seat more people, have much more cargo room, and drive much better. Tranny on the Smart leaves much to be desired... That said, we still prefer the "get up and go" of our Roadtrek! Happy pets ride with us, kitchen and bathroom always with us, and a comfortable place to take a break from driving or even have a snooze!
I think it depends what publication you are reading and what the user is looking for. The EPA rates the smart as the highest mileage for non hybrid vehicles. Price kinda depends on options etc. 15,000 grand will get you a nicely optioned variety of cars including the smart. Safety in in the smart beats many of the competition. The smart is the only small vehicle available as a two seater or as a convertible. When we were looking for another small vehicle we liked the fiesta and the Yaris but they are frickin huge in comparison to the smart. We ended up with another smart. There are 1.6 million of them in the world now. I don't suspect they will ever make serious inroads in the North American market where big, heavy and lots of horsepower is king but fuel is cheap here. If that ever changes the micro cars like the smart will make inroads here. Although the mileage is okay in comaparison to most other north american products it would have been nice to have the other 5 engine choices that are available in europe, all with considerably better mileage including the amazing little CDI diesel. 76 mpg. We get around 65 to 70 mpg USMPG with ours depending on wether we are highway or city. Would be nice to see more small diesel vehicles on this side of the pond but they just don't seem to catch on. Gotta say though, I like the picture of that spark. Now if they make a convertible....... :)
And the obligatory cool shot of our burgundy baby. Guesses where the picture was taken.
http://www.johnandangela.ca/images/smartcar/IMG_2675.jpg
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John & Angela
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06/17/13 08:41am |
Class B - Camping Van Conversions
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RE: Confused at Camping World
@NCMODELA:
Look at the drivers side door post sticker get the payload for your Yukon. That is the weight driver, passengers and gear plus the tongue weight that you Yukon can carry.
Load you family and gear ready to camp and go to the scale. Subtract that weight from the GVWR also on the drivers side door post. That will give you the weight for the trailer tongue weight.
To the UVW of the trailer add 1000# for the load you put in the trailer and multiply by 12% to get an approximate tongue weight.
For example, the one with a dry weight of 5680# add 1000# for your stuff = 5780 times 12% = 693# approx tongue weight.
The closer you get to max payload or max tow the harder your Yukon will have to work.
Hope this helps
Good Luck
You know something in my experience these are really realistic numbers for that length of trailer. 1000 pounds (including some water) is what the typical RVer will put into a unit of this size. Bigger units have more storage so we RVers tend to fill every cabinet. Smaller units less. I am still a proponent of using real tongue weight numbers when pulling with a half tone or or smaller vehicle but the numbers suggested by SH410 are on the money in my opinion. In the early phases of trailer selection I would use numbers similar to these when checking tow vehicle compatibility for a client. Before any papers are signed I would look at it closer (especially tongue weight because of the variables) but this is a good start.
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John & Angela
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06/16/13 03:44pm |
Towing
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RE: Confused at Camping World
Thanks guys, the TT numbers above were all UVW. The GVWR was around 7800lbs for the trailers that he said i could pull. One being 6240lbs UVW.
How do I know what a trailer is GVW without having it? When I look up GVW they give me GVWR numbers.
The GVW or gross vehicle weight can not be provided by the manufacturer. The GVW is a snapshot in time. It is what YOU load the trailer to. For example, if the dry weight of the trailer is 6350 pounds and you load a BIG MAC and Fries into it, the GVW is now 6351 pounds. (give or take how many pickles they put on it) If you load 550 pounds of "stuff" into that trailer the GVW is now 6900 pounds. If you fill your 30 gallon water tank add the weight of the water into that. I like to avoid estimating tongue weights as any dealer will have a tongue scale and I'm sure your dealer will weigh the tongue of the trailer you are looking at. Axle positions can change tongue weights drastically. Even rear kitchens can lighten up a tongue quite a bit as the weight loaded in the kitchen tends to pivot weight off the hitch. Try to use real weights for the hitch and avoid percentages. If the tongue was weighed without batteries or propane be sure to add it in.
Hope this helps. Happy trails.
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John & Angela
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06/16/13 03:41pm |
Towing
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RE: 2007 Georgetown 338. Location of engine comp light switch
The FIRST thing is test for 12 volt positive and ground AT the light. IF No 12 volt then trace back. Some use the Dimmer switch on the headlight switch for the power. Just like in a Car. Doug
Thanks doug. Unfortunately I am not at the unit to check it. I did try the dimmer switch on the dash when I had the chance. No joy. I'll have a chance again to look at it in a few weeks or so.
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John & Angela
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06/16/13 10:27am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Confused at Camping World
If you want a comfortable tow then keep the GVW of your trailer within 80% of the towing capacity of your tow vehicle. Keep it simple, and forget about all the algebra and physics some will have you doing. Just remember 80%.
Agreed, especially if you plan on travelling in mountainous territory often. You can be a little heavier if you live in and plan most of your travel in the flatlands. But notice he said GVW, not GVWR. In other words what your trailer weighs loaded, not what it is rated to carry which of course is GVWR. One you want high and one you want low.
Happy trails.
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John & Angela
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06/16/13 10:23am |
Towing
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RE: 2007 Georgetown 338. Location of engine comp light switch
Thanks for the responses so far. I will pass it along.
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John & Angela
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06/16/13 07:49am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Confused at Camping World
I went in today to camping world in colfax, NC and was completely confused when I left. I have a Yukon XL 1500, 8400lb max tow. The person told me I could tow anything 8400lbs-1600lbs = 6800lbs(approx 20%). They showed me trailers from 5200lbs to 6400lbs. We almost left with one.
I was on this site under the travel trailer section asking what I could tow with this vehicle and they said I need to weigh the vehicle with everything in it, and the difference from the GVWR is what my max tounge weight can be. The person at camper world never said any of this. On top of this, them forum people were estimating the tounge weight at 12% of the GVWR of the trailer (this was 7700, tounge weight at 12% is 924, reported tounge weight from dealer is 675). Going this route the 6400 lb trailer they were showing me was too much weight for me.
I am completely confused. Why are people using two different formulas to calculate what i can tow?
Can anybody clarify this to me?
Thanks
Bill
I can't imagine anyone using GVWR to calculate anything let alone the tounge weight of a trailer. GVW maybe but not GVWR. Maybe there was a miscomunication. Rule of thumb, just like with when buying a truck, the bigger the GVWR the better. It is a rating not a weight. The trick is to find a trailer with a realistically loaded weight (GVW) that your tow vehicle will handle. Start with dry weights, talk to experienced RVers that know how much they pack and try and estimate realistic tounge weights and GVW's. Looking for trailers with low GVWR's is going to take you out of a lot of high quality trailers. For example, two 25 foot trailers side by side, each weighing 6500 pounds, one has a GVWR of 7700 pounds and the other has a GVWR of 10,000 pounds. Remember, both weigh the same. Which one do you choose. Which one do you think has bigger brakes, axles, frames etc. Your call.
Good luck in your search and welcome to the forum.
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John & Angela
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06/15/13 08:25pm |
Towing
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2007 Georgetown 338. Location of engine comp light switch
Hi folks. Trying to help some folks find a light switch. I wonder if anyone knows where the switch for the engine compartment light is. There is a switch on the light itself but I am thinking there must be a master as well as it won't come on. My southwind had one by the drivers position but I can't seem to find it. Bulb is good.
Thanks in advance all.
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John & Angela
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06/15/13 01:31pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How much power does solar panels actually generate?
In a perfect world it is optimum to have all the sametype and rated panels on any installation. In reality, even if you have a mix and match of panels you will increase your output current everytime you add one. People who have existing systems and are either given or find panels at crazy deals will always see a benefit by adding another panel. Yes, certain types of panels will carry more of the load under lighter load conditions but at some point once the line voltage is dragged down to the lowest common denominator there will be a benefit in adding a mismatched panel as opposed to not adding at all. There are some well educated engineer types on this board who are used to working towards the optimum solution. Nothing wrong with that and I commend them for bringing their knowledge to the table. However, many of us are OK with less than the optimum solution and mix and match systems built over the years, although a compromise, generally are fine. eg if someone gives you a poly panel and you have a mono system, whatever, throw it up there, it'll give you more than you had before. Both of our motorhome systems are like that. We have a little over 800 on the big-un and around 320 on the little-un.
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John & Angela
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06/15/13 10:27am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Really -- $1,500 for PDI ! Seriously???
Exactly. Also, I suspect the 1500 dollars is a dealership averaged cost on a PDI between new and used units. (not walk thru) A 6 or 7 year old used motorhome is going to have a PDI costing a lot more than 1500 bucks...at least in my experience.
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John & Angela
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06/14/13 12:04pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: How much power does solar panels actually generate?
The residential fridge will be closer to 100 watts when it cycles on and about 10 watts when off. It will be off more than it is on but using a 50 percent duty cycle is a safe bet. We are avid dry campers and have no problem with our residential fridge although we have a more robust solar system. A typical 22 cubic foot side by side uses about 500 Kwatts per year or around 1360 watts per day. Concur with 1800 watt sine wave inverter although some on this forum successfully run their samsungs on modified sine wave. In my opinion if you opt for residential fridge then you should have a back up generator even if it us just a 1000 watt genny to run a charger for the battery's. You would never regret going residential. Best update we ever made.
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John & Angela
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06/13/13 10:40pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: How much power does solar panels actually generate?
No problem running a residential fridge with a few hundred watts of solar and at least four batteries. If you are in consistent shaded condition (read rainy days) you will have to step up the size of the battery bank and/or dollar array.
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John & Angela
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06/13/13 10:08pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Really -- $1,500 for PDI ! Seriously???
I get the impression PDI means different things in different places. A PDI where I come from is performed on any new or used RV that makes it to the dealer, either on trade or from a manufacturer. It is done weeks or sometimes months before the unit is sold. Complete PDI's on a new unit can take 4 to 6 hours, on used units can take 6 to 12 hours. Gas tests, flood tests, pressure tests, generators, resealing roof and seals where required, fill propane tanks, check all blinds, drawers, lights etc. Things are still missed but my point is this is done all long before the unit is ever sold. If the unit has been on the lot for awhile, just before the new owner takes delivery it will receive whats known as a final fire and flush which tests everything that fires or flushes or runs water. Usually doesn't take too long. Insures unit is dewinterized etc. The "walk through" typically takes an hour to two hours depending if they are newbies or not.
Gotta say though I have never seen anyone charge for the PDI. It is built into the costline of the unit. The terminology may be a regional thing. Agree though, as long as it is in the quoted and negotiated price, who cares how the dealership does its accounting.
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John & Angela
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06/13/13 06:51pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 2011 Tundra reduced max tow capacity, options?
I have another "newbie" question along this line. You give an example of how to figure tongue weight (9K towing capacity X 80% = 7200 lb loaded trailer; 7200 lb trailer X 12% = 864 lbs tongue weight).
We are in the process of researching TTs to see what we can pull with our '04 Tundra or if we should be looking at a new truck. Using the stats from our truck and your example, I get: 6600 lbs GVWR - 5500 curb wt (weighed on a scale) - 600 lbs passengers/gas/WDH = 500 lbs tongue weight. Since the trailer we're looking at has a tongue weight of 530 lbs., am I right in thinking we need to 'rethink' this trailer? Sorry, but I'm so frustrated with dealers trying to sell us over using smoke and mirrors and I'm trying to get a handle on reality.
Well, in my opinion I think you will be exceeding your payload of the truck by 200 to 300 pounds once you put batteries, propane, and the weight of the eq hitch on the hitch. Good on you for doing the math yourself. Good luck and happy trails.
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John & Angela
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06/13/13 04:21pm |
Travel Trailers
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