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Forum
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RE: Can I use household caulk around RV windows?
ProflexRV for the side and best to use the Clear type. Use Klean-Strip Industrial Maintenance Coating Thinner (takes the place of MEK, toluene, xylene, Naptha). Good for cleaning the surface before applying the Proflex.
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elkhornsun
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05/27/13 07:42pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Payload vs Tow rating?
The most important number is that for the GCWR (gross combined weight rating) as that is the maximum amount of weight that the tow vehicle can handle and includes everything (passengers, fuel, water, gear, trailer). It is based on the cabilities of the vehicle's engine, transmission and drive train, frame, suspension, wheels, tires, and other components.
The tow rating is how much the vehicle can pull depending upon whether it is a conventional trailer or a 5th-wheel trailer. Subract at least 1000 lbs. from this rating to determine the maximum dry weight for the trailer you plan to buy.
Payload is a fungible number as it includes an estimated number of passengers. If the truck has a crew cab and seats 6 people then the manufacturers calculate a passenger load of 900 lbs. and subtract that from the payload for the truck. It is why you will see the highest payload ratings for trucks with regular cabs.
The payload number provided by the manufacturer is calculated based on how the truck is equiped when it leaves the factory and takes into account the weakest link. Invariably the weakest link is the load capacity of the rear tires and these can be changed as can overload springs be added to the rear axle and heavier duty shocks and other suspension items like air bags and anti-sway bars). The rear axles on all the heavy duty (3/4 and 1-ton) trucks have a load rating of 8900 lbs. or more and so the payload is limited not by the rear axle and the wheel bearings but by the tires.
It is confusing but Ford and GM and Ram all provide towing guides for their vehicles and they are very well written and a good place to start. Regardless of what you buy and what package options it comes with from the factory you will need to add more items to get it ready for towing.
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elkhornsun
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05/18/13 07:45pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Poll: Did you go larger?
We went small to start with but our friends have gone the opposite route and gone steadily larger though now they are regretting their decisions with the reduced number of campgrounds they can use and the greater depreciation when it comes time to sell.
For the tow vehicle there is a knee-jerk response to tell people to get a F-550 and not worry about what they will be towing. The reality is that more than three forths of the people I see towing 5th-wheel trailers on the highway are doing so with SRW 3/4 and 1-ton trucks.
The bigger the trailer the longer it seems to sit on the market when it is being sold. I have seen some very nice ones that take a 2-ton truck to haul them around and some have been on the market for over two years and still not sold.
If we need something bigger for a particular trip we will fly to the area and rent an RV. No point in buying one and storing it and transporting it a couple thousand miles and back again for a trip of less than a month's duration.
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elkhornsun
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05/18/13 07:35pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Luxury Diesel SUV as tow vehicle
It depends upon how many miles and on what kind of roads you plan to tow. Your Toyota has a truck frame but the SUV's you mentioned have a car unibody design that is lighter but not nearly as strong for towing.
Be sure to consider the weight of the SUV with passengers and the weight of the trailer when fully loaded (take dry weight and add 500 kilos).
The VW Toureg has a well deserved reputation as a very unreliable vehicle and would not be something I would ever consider for a tow vehicle. Nothing worse than having a breakdown on the highway while towing anything. The Mercedes SUV's have a similarly bad reputation for reliability though their quality has improved the past couple years and they now rank above the BMW X5 vehicles (which rank above the VW.
The other problem is that for prolonged towing I would not trust the cooling system for the engine or the transmission to be 100% effective. Not a problem if you only tow the trailer a couple weeks out of the year but a concern if you use the trailer a lot.
Vehicles designed for towing will have the option of a tow package which will include wiring for the trailer and its brake controller and additional cooling capacity for the engine and the transmission.
I would take a 4Runner over any of the cars mentioned. There is a reason why Toyota trucks have for the past 5 years been at the top of the list for reliability as ranked by JD Powers. The 4Runner is also rated much higher in durability than Mercedes/BMW/VW. Chrysler is not noted for the reliability of its vehicles and its SUV's are rated even below the VW Toureg. The ride of the Jeep's is going to be the worst of any SUV if that matters to you.
SUV's have their place but there is more utility in having a 1/2 ton pickup with a crew cab instead. Lots more room in the bed of the truck for bicycles and pets and gear and supplies and with a shell you can more easily carry a boat or skis or other recreational items. Resale will be better as well.
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elkhornsun
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05/18/13 07:08pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 2013 RAM HDs driven/tested
What is important is how the trucks actually perform in the real world and not the specs put on the press releases. There is the SAE J2807 process for testing and it was used by the people at mrtrailer.com in 2011 and by Car and Driver in 2012 (April issue reported results) and it covered actually hauling of very heavy loads up and down steep grades and accelleration and stopping distances and handling with these heavy loads.
Specs do not tell you how well a truck is going to handle with a 15,000 lb. trailer in tow going through the mountains or even in city traffic. It provides no information about how well the suspension, engine, exhaust brake, transmission, and electronics work together to manage heavy loads.
What is curious is that Ram upgraded the frame for the 2013 1-ton trucks but not the 3/4 ton trucks. When GM upgraded the frame and other components in 2011 they were applied to both 3/4 and 1-ton pickups. Ram and Ford seem to purposely emasculate the 3/4 ton trucks for reasons I cannot fathom.
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elkhornsun
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05/18/13 06:46pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Harbor Freight Inverters
Need to add that is not meant as a criticism of the Chinese or their manufacturing prowess, just from experience working with firms in China, the good stuff goes to Japan and the really good stuff goes to Germany and the junk goes to the USA.
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elkhornsun
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05/18/13 06:38pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Harbor Freight Inverters
Anything I buy at Harbor Freight I know was made to be cheap to manufacture and cheap to sell and a throw away item if anything part fails. Not what I want to have for an RV that I take on the road.
The ones that cost more have better engineering, better components, and are not made with slave labor. For my peace of mind and my karma I prefer to buy American made products whenever possible. Usually the quality of construction is better and I hate doing things twice because I went cheap the first time around.
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elkhornsun
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05/18/13 06:36pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: What mistakes have you made that might help others...?
Biggest mistake overall was in my purchase of a camper without full appreciating the amount of expense and work involved to add a second battery, add solar panels and a charge controller, and to re-caulk all the exterior seams which is supposed to be done twice a year.
I would approach the buying process with these aspects of the campers' designs in mind. I was looking at amenities and hold tank capacity and fridge capacity and although important so too was being able to have two batteries and the solar panels for boondocking.
Maintenance and problems from water leaking into the ceiling and walls is also not trivial and no doubt varies based on how the campers are constructed. I would do a lot more research in this area before buying another camper. The sturctural integrity of campers is low compared to motorhomes and this should be a consideration when deciding what to buy.
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elkhornsun
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05/18/13 06:28pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Cost to go full timer rving
Our biggest monthly expense is for medical insurance which comprises more than 40% of our outlay. In Canada you are covered as you have a sane goverment. In the USA if you get sick you are SOL unless you are prepared to pay tens of thousands. I spent 3 hours in the emegency room with chest pains and left with a bill that was over $3000. I later had a 30 minute ultrascan and the bill for that was $1700. And that was inspite of paying $800 a month for medical insurance for myself. If you can arrange to get sick only when you are in Canada then you will be fine.
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elkhornsun
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05/18/13 06:21pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Mosquitos!
What actually works is to treat your clothes with permethrin which is cheap if you do it yourself and what the US soliders do in Afghanistan and Iraq. This keeps the mosquitos from sitting on your pant leg or shirt sleeve and then bitting you. Second line of defense is a pecardin spray that I spray on exposed areas and then rub across my skin as otherwise the mosquitos find untouched areas to bite.
I buy the permethrin in quart container for $34 that is a 37% solution and will last for years. I dilute 1oz. permethrin per 80oz. of water and then spray the mixture on our clothes using a $5 garden pump sprayer and let the clothing drip dry. It costs less than a nickel per item and the treatment lasts though 50 washings. I treat shirts, shorts, pants, and socks.
Since doing this 10 years ago for a multi-week trip to SE Asia and my wife and I having zero bites during that time, it is now standarded practice for all our outdoor clothing. It works for mosquitos, sand flys, chiggers, fleas, and ticks.
You pay about 50x as much when you buy brand name 8oz. spray bottles that are pre-diluted and or you can buy pre-treated shirts and pants and pay an extra $10 per garment. I prefer to treat the clothing myself as I can treat everything including blue jeans and socks which would otherwise be untreated.
Mosquitos are annoying but ticks are more of a health concern in the USA as they carry at least 22 known diseases, some of which are fatal and known are pleasant. Killing off the foxes and wolves in the east resulted in an explosion of the white footed mice population which provide hosts for juevenile ticks and nymphs and so created an explosion in the tick population (and Lyme and other diseases).
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elkhornsun
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05/18/13 06:13pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Where are all the Truck Campers ?
A camper requires a special heavy duty truck and lots of add ons and provides the least amount of space and weight capacity for ones dollar. Unless people want the gain in mobility or have need for the truck as a work vehicle when the camper is not loaded in the bed a conventional travel trailer is a more economical choice. For towing a boat a motorhome provides more space, no need to crawl up to get into bed, greater load capacity, and more comfort.
Compare the cost of a 1-ton pickup for hauling the camper to the cost of a 1/2 ton pickup to tow a trailer, and not just the initial purchase price but also the cost for tires and fuel, and every aspect of using a camper involves greater cost for the owner.
I was traveling the past couple weeks and counted 49 5th wheel trailers, 64 conventional trailers, and 4 truck campers on the highway. I did not count motorhomes but there were definitely more than 4, though trailers were out in far greater numbers.
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elkhornsun
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05/12/13 07:52pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Anyone Install Lithium ion Batteries? Results?
The ones used in the Dreamliner reflect current state of the art in large capacity batteries. The comments about needing a custom battery charger still applies to safely charge the batteries in an RV.
Do you know where to buy the batteries in a deep cycle configuration in a group 31 size and where to buy a charger that will work and how to wire it into the RV easily or are you simply blowing smoke?
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elkhornsun
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05/12/13 07:42pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: 9.6 Bigfoot Dual Batteries
Batteries will be 8" wide so you should easily be able to fit two Group 31 in your space with its 20" of depth. Some Group 31 AGM deep cycle batteries are 6.625" wide and you might be able to get 3 of them into your space.
A group 31 deep cycle battery is going to weigh between 60 and 70 lbs. so the idea of one big battery is not a good one. With multiple batteries wired in parallel you do not have to worry about one cell taking your "bank" out of commission.
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elkhornsun
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05/12/13 07:38pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Used Camper pre-viewing checklist
When I was looking for a used campers the ones that were desireable models in excellent condition were usually snapped up in a couple days. No way the sellers would have taken the time to jump through your hoops.
I also found that people with young children would say that there camper was in excellent condition and the reality was quite different. I would not waste time looking at a camper where the current owner is selling because their children are now too big and they need something larger.
If you take the factory sticker weight and add 500 lbs. you will have a good idea of the actual "dry" weight of the camper as it now stands.
Ride is mostly a function of the truck used and older ones needed more aftermarket goodies like anti-sway bars then new trucks in general and this also varies by manufacturer as well. How their truck handled the camper is relevant only if you plan to buy their truck as well in a package deal.
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elkhornsun
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05/12/13 07:32pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Buying a RV without a US address
The problem is not with buying the vehicle but in registering it with the state motor vehicle department. If you buy a used RV the registration can be in the name of a person or a corporation. There are states including Nevada where it is cheap to create a corporation and you do not have to be a US citizen. You can do it all online from out of the country and pay by credit card. You do need an agent of record but there are companies that provide this as well and even a mail box for receiving mail. As an officer of the corporation you can buy the RV and then sell it when you reach California. A Nevada corporation also protects you in the event of an accident from being sued personally.
This is the way business is done in the USA and we have people running for President who have used this to avoid tax obligations and move money out of the country so you can take advantage of this aspect of our culture and laws and move your money into the country and buy the RV.
With one of the incorporation services and their mail service you can have the RV's motor vehicle ownership or title mailed to this service in Nevada and pick it up on the way west. You will then have the proof of ownership needed to sell the RV before heading back home.
There are other states like South Dakota that provide inexpensive incorporation but Nevada is one of the easiest to do 100% online.
If you know someone residing in the USA it is even easier as they can be the owner of record and sell the RV to you with the relevant papers in the east and then provide you with a bill of sale to use in California. The new registration in CA has to be done within 30 days of entering the state but that should not be a problem. You can sell the RV in California without registering it in the state at all if you do it within that 30 day window.
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elkhornsun
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04/22/13 09:13pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: States with the lowest Gas Taxes
When I need fuel, it doesn't really matter what the tax is. I don't mind helping the state keep up their roads. Much better than paying for toll roads.
The voice of an enlightened individual. How unusual.
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elkhornsun
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04/22/13 09:00pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Security Issues and Safes for RVs
A safe is a target for a would be thief. If you have a drawer that pulls out all the way and their is a space below it then that is a good place to put items where there are not going to be easily found.
Thieves are looking for something that they can easily take to a flea market and sell and of course credit cards and ID's and hand guns and similar items.
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elkhornsun
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04/22/13 08:59pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: My Solar Panel Setup - To be.
The cheapest approach is to buy the largest panel or panels that will fit on the roof of your trailer and not be blocked by shadows from vents, AC cowl,roof rack, antennas, etc.
My 100 Watt panels each cost as much as a 240 Watt panel but they were the largest that would fit in the space available. As it turned out the 200 Watts (11 amps at 17v) is enough to recharge my two 110 AH 12 volt batteries the next day in a couple hours so it was enough.
I used a roof top combiner box and controller that could easily handle a third panel should I decide to add one later.
The cheap charge controllers will require the use of much thinner gauge cable and at least with a trailer you have room for jumpers and the like but you do need to consider the length of the runs from the panels to the controller and from the controller to the trailer's batteries and size the wiring accordingly.
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elkhornsun
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04/22/13 07:02pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Water Filter question
We only care about the water we drink so have a Brita water filter on the faucet for the kitchen sink. Makes no sense to be filtering water that is going to be used for the toilet or washing hands or dishes.
I add a teaspon of bleach for every 10 gallons of water added to the holding tank which is enough to kill any bacteria that might possible be present. That is all that is reqired to have water that is safe to use and safe to drink. And that is liquid bleach which is actually a only a 5-6% solution to start with in the plastic container. I only carry as much bleach as is needed for a trip. If I was going to be on the road for a long time I could carry a pint of bleach and treat 1000 gallons of water.
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elkhornsun
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04/22/13 06:57pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: #0 gauge cables
I found cable by the foot at www.delcity.com and they also sell solder plugs and special connectors that use these plugs. I get a much better connection with the solder plug approach where the solder plug is placed inside the connector which is held with a vise or vise-grip pliers and then heated with a torch until the solder melts and then the cable wires are pushed into the connector and the solder flows up through the strands of the wire to make a much more corrosion resistant connection.
I have had too many connector failures from corrosion to ever use crimp type ones regardless of who did the crimping.
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elkhornsun
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04/19/13 11:44am |
Tech Issues
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