| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
RE: New or used?
Depends.. If the price is right then nicer used one. Have to be carefully on used TT prices. Seen 5 year old units selling for more than a brand new one. People roll in their old unit, hitch, tax, etc and finance for 20 years then try to sell it for their bank payoff.
|
mikeb9550
|
06/15/13 09:21pm |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: Seriously considering starting from scratch (floorplan)
I would sell it and find one that meets your needs. Going to be way cheaper in the long run and probably will turn out nicer.
From the sounds of it, you need a bigger trailer. Moving things around wont increase the size. Just not worth the cost. Things add up real fast.
|
mikeb9550
|
04/14/13 08:32pm |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: Why no dual fuel (Gas/Natural Gas) Trucks?
Thanks guys, Good conversation anyways. I did find something what I was looking for and it was about 8K (guys mom had it done) post is a few years old. I guess they had some tax rebates which offset it a lot.
http://www.fordf150.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=64154
I guess I was way off on the price. Too bad because I think if it was at the 2K zone, it would be very cool. I found some conversion kits and tank that added up to 3 or so thousand so I was thinking that OEM should be able to do it a lot cheaper but I am totally wrong on this one. I also think the gov is going to plan to double dip us gas users. One on the gas and probably again on our registration(not sure how else they are going to be able to do it).
And yes, I was wanting to just use NG around town when not towing. I know it puts out less HP but the MPG is suppose to be similar using the gas equivalent gallons (really its pressure). Also liked that 80% comes from the US. Shocked that the only NG car currently in consumer production today is the honda civic. If you are getting 30+ mpg its not that big of a deal filling that thing up. Now, a van like mine which in a lot of applications is on the road all day every day and getting crappy milage doing so. Seems like that is where the Natural Gas cars would be.
Guess I will hold out and see what happens down the road.
|
mikeb9550
|
02/24/13 07:54pm |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: Why no dual fuel (Gas/Natural Gas) Trucks?
So are you buying an outdoor GRILL? They will ask you if you are using Propane, Or Natural Gas. The reason, the fuel jets are different sizes between these two compressed gasses. Thus switching from reg gas to CNG in you auto or truck would be the same. Unless they make a carburetor with duel jets, it is not possible to burn both types of fuels.
Most of the aftermarket kits I have seen basically shut the fuel injectors off and inject the CNG into the throttle body. The gas is already a gas (if you will) and doesnt get passed through the injector system. You basically have a regulator, injector bypass, pressure gauge, tank, and control module.
|
mikeb9550
|
02/24/13 01:17pm |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: Why no dual fuel (Gas/Natural Gas) Trucks?
Wow, Thanks everyone. Wasnt aware that they were available now. Not sure why they are charging 11K for the option. I would do it in a heartbeat if it was 2K and the home filler comes down in price. 11K buys a lot of fuel and the numbers wouldnt work out for how many miles I drive.
I was looking into conversions and there doesnt seem like much to a conversion and should be a no brainer for car makers.
|
mikeb9550
|
02/24/13 08:30am |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: Why no dual fuel (Gas/Natural Gas) Trucks?
Not sure of my numbers but I come up with about $0.75 a gallon to home dispense = to btu of a gallon of gas. Maybe someone smarter would know for sure. This is excluding my $10 a month service charge but I have to pay that anyways.
|
mikeb9550
|
02/24/13 07:06am |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: Why no dual fuel (Gas/Natural Gas) Trucks?
Don't forget to add the state and federal 'road use tax' to the price of the CNG that is used to power vehicles.
Not if you use a home filling stations. These are like 4500 now but there is talk of some coming out as low as $500. I have been trying to calculate the "home" fill cost but its pretty hard to do. The supermarket that is the closest to me is 2.64 today. This filling stations are expensive to build and like you said, tax. I would guess that you can fill at your home much cheaper. I just cant figure out the conversion. My one buddy works for one of the home gas utility suppliers so I will have to email him if he knows the conversion. I know its 100cf of natural gass = 1.2 gallons of liquid NG but I dont know what the btu (real MPG) conversion would be.
|
mikeb9550
|
02/24/13 06:51am |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
Why no dual fuel (Gas/Natural Gas) Trucks?
Seems like the perfect combo for us weekend warriors. Have a 7 gallon CNG tank for the normal commute for $(2?) a gallon and hit a button to switch to gas to tow with. OEM should be able to offer it as a 1000 - 1500 option. NGC is cleaner to burn and should work with pretty much any gas motor out there.
Thought about converting my Van but it would cost me more than its worth and would never recoup my cost (unless I can figure out how to do it cheaper). Especially since the home fillers are still up toward $4500.00 and the closest filling station is about 20 miles away but that is slowly changing as well.
I am shocked we don't have something like this on the market today. You are able to take advantage of NCG when you have it but can always switch to gas if needed.
So, why dont we have duel fuel cars today? Seems crazy when they want us to use less Petro. I would buy a new car today if they did as well as some govn tax rebate on the car or home fueling device. It must be the oil lobbyist.
Edit - Not exactly sure on the price of CNG in my area. Thought it was much lower than what I am now finding. Still cheaper than gas.
|
mikeb9550
|
02/24/13 06:11am |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: Uncomfortable Pulling Trailer
That was the reason i bought my hensley. They give you an ultra relaxing drive. Propride would now be my top choice. I grab my coffee, turn on the stereo and enjoy the trip.
|
mikeb9550
|
02/23/13 05:44pm |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: Anyone else running the Droid Torque App?
I have not had an issue pairing. My issue is vehicle specific with the Jeep Diesels. More specifically, the 2006 models. Any ODBII gauge we use lock up. But, the use I do get, I love it. I see rail pressure, Boost, Water Temp. Wish mine would do oil and transmission temp.
Have you tried locating the PID? I am using a set defined for Fords and seems to work well. I havent figured out how to get my oil temp to work yet.
Also trying to figure out the difference between load and absolute load. Also like the fuel pressure.
|
mikeb9550
|
02/23/13 07:12am |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: Any suggestions for towing? Need a 6-door pickup!!...
I don't think I saw the camper specs... that would help (tongue weight, gvwr, empty weight, etc.). Heck, tow it w/ the truck, and follow behind in the Suburban w/ the family.
One ton vans have a ton of payload and can carry the family and Most TT on the market with no problems.
|
mikeb9550
|
02/23/13 07:03am |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: Any suggestions for towing? Need a 6-door pickup!!...
Double post deleted
|
mikeb9550
|
02/23/13 06:26am |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: Any suggestions for towing? Need a 6-door pickup!!...
Like others have said, custom 6 door conversion is going to cost a ton of money. 1 ton van would probably be the best for your needs. We only have one child but with 2 (now only 1) big golden retrievers and nieces and nephews wanting to come camping with us, I went with the van. Lots of room inside and everyone is comfy. No way would I try to jam all those kids in the back of a crew cab. Excursions are Expensive for what they are and are getting old. No way would I be in the market of buying a 6-8 year old truck to tow with (I have one now but starting to think of buying a new truck). Especially a Diesel. You could run into an issue where the motor repairs could easily be more money than the truck cost and it would be a total loss.
E350 with a V10 is the best bang for the buck in a TV where you need passenger room. The GMC DMAX Van only came in a cargo van and the motor was detuned to the performance similar to the ford V10. Ford 6.0 in the van was also detuned and problematic. I see no reason to pay a premium for either of these.
Pics from when I first got her.
Lots of room for you and your stuff that you need to haul 5 kids.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h237/mikeb9550/Van/DSCF1296.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h237/mikeb9550/Van/DSCF1300.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h237/mikeb9550/Van/DSCF1299.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h237/mikeb9550/Van/DSCF1301.jpg
|
mikeb9550
|
02/23/13 06:20am |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
Anyone else running the Droid Torque App?
Mostly got it for the Trans Temp for towing but really love playing around with the gauges and spark knock detector plug in. Ended up really loving this thing. Best bang for the buck out there (have a cheap ELM327 from amazon). Only problem, I have is that the Bluetooth sender sometimes doesn't auto pair and I have to unplug and plug back in. Might try a different OBDII adapter.
So how are you other Torque users out there using it(gauges)? I really like seeing MPG and what gear that I am in. I wish there was a way to lock out 6th gear towing (tuner). Might have to contact 5 star to see if he has figured it out. Last time I checked, he could lock out OD but not only 6th gear.
For others reading that never heard of Torque. Its an Android App that is basically a Scan Gauge that uses a bluetooth OBDII adapter to send the data to your phone or tablet. Some of the best money I have spent in a while.
$5 paid version of app
$16 Cheap OBDII Bluetooth Unit
|
mikeb9550
|
02/23/13 06:05am |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: Installing tow hitch
Upon further thought, I'm going to just dust the Rodeo off and sell it as is, without a hitch. I need to get something that'll allow me to tow something a bit heavier than what the little Rodeo can do. So the search begins...
Thanks to everyone that responded.
It will open a lot more options in trailers for you. Good idea if you are in a position to do so.
|
mikeb9550
|
02/23/13 05:55am |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: Ford V10?
The V10 seems to actually like towing hard. I really like mine but wouldn't compare the performance to an oil burner. That said, I couldn't think of a gas motor that I would rather tow with.
Some say the gas mileage is bad but not for what it is. My V10 gets about 15 ish solo. Lady I work with has a E150 with a 4.6L that gets the same MPG. It actually gets good mpg among its true peers like the 8.1. The days of the big gassers are pretty much over.
|
mikeb9550
|
02/22/13 06:59pm |
Tow Vehicles
|
|
RE: Anyone upsize to a 30' and wish they hadn't?
We went from a 26 to a 30 foot total length. Like others said, there are downsides but nothing that would stop me from doing it again.
cons - Cant get into some campsites we use to be able to fit in.
- Harder to get move around at some gas stations.
|
mikeb9550
|
02/21/13 08:51pm |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: Sway How to Prevent?
I would also check the trailer weights to make sure he has enough on the tongue. Not sure of his budget but the premium hitches do help a lot. If he doesnt have the cash, he can keep an eye open for a used one. Its a big hunk of steel. Anything on it can be fixed. That's the route I went and it was better than new when I was done.
Other things that help
- Check the alignment and make sure you have enough caster on your front tires. My van has a huge range and more positive caster will help (as long as its in the manufacture spec)
- Good Rear Sway Bar
- Stiff suspension
- Tires with still sidewall
- Check hitch setup
|
mikeb9550
|
02/21/13 08:45pm |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: Outside Propane Quick Disconnect
I use the 1 lb bottles. They last long. I thought about doing what some have posted and taking out my regulator in my grill but decided not to since I use it for the park sometimes as well. I refill my 1 lb containers so the cost is the same. Just take 1 or 2 extra and I am good to go.
|
mikeb9550
|
02/14/13 07:19pm |
Travel Trailers
|
|
RE: Towing
depends on what the loaded weights. You can do it with the new 1/2 tons. I tow a similar weight and would buy a new f150 ecoboost but I dont want another car payment.
Diesels are nice but not required.
|
mikeb9550
|
01/25/13 06:55pm |
Travel Trailers
|
