RE: Power awning won't retract.
Thanks everyone, I got it home with no problems. My brother lived close by and brought over an 8 ft ladder which helped. He also had some huge the wraps that I was able to get around the awning braces. Now, how to get it fixed before we leave again in two weeks.
Power awning won't retract.
First weekend the campgrounds are open around here and it is a beautiful weekend. We gave the rig a thorough cleaning and I took care of most of the maintenance item that I had on the list to start the season.
Finally got some time to sit and relax when a light wind came along and raised the awning up a bit. Noting too bad but I thought I should run it back in. Nothing. I can hear the awning motor click but it doesn't move or even try to move.
The Domestic manual says to remove one of the screws on the shift and the awning should roll right up manually. I assumed that this meant that there should a spring that assists in rolling up the awning. Again, nothing.
So, I eventually get the awning rolled up by backing up the truck so I could stand on the bed rails and reach the top of the awning to get it rolled up but it dawns on me that sine there are no locks, it will unroll right away once I start moving. No way that I can get the screw back in that I removed to allow the awning to roll.
Only thing that I can think of now, to get me back home, is to remove the awning completely. It looks like it should just slide right out of the track on the side of the trailer. Right?
Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions.
Killing a week in Michigan
We have a week, plus both weekends, with no plans this summer. Even though we live right below Michigan in southern Ohio, we have not traveled in Michigan since we were kids. We would like to take a trip there during the week of July 4th.
So we are looking for suggestions. It looks like Michigan has a lot of parks and I am finding the choice a bit overwhelming. We typically prefer State Parks (in Ohio anyway), over family type RV parks.
We would like to spend a couple of days along the lake in Northern Ohio and then head up to Michigan. We have no real needs except that my wife wants to camp next to a lake if possible. We were kind of thinking about the Sleeping Bear National Park area but that am not sure if we can fit out 36ft 5th wheel.
Any suggestions for a quick loop through the lower peninsula of Michigan would be very much appreciated.
Canyon Trail Aztec fresh water plumbing
Before next season, I need to straighten out the fresh water system on our Aztec 33FRET 5ver. It's supposed to have 60 gallon of fresh water, but it 'seems' like a lot less. Sometime before spring, I plan on dropping the belly to take a look.
So, as reported before, when we fill the tank, we wait for water to start running out of the overflow hoses. It will continue to run out as if it is siphoning, and we lose a lot of water before it stops. There are 2 overflow/vent hoses under the trailer. Because of the slide, they are under the trailer and not up high.
I'm not sure why there are 2 vent hoses. In order to stop the 'siphoning', I have to cap them off. Otherwise, I lose a lot of water before I get to the campsite. If the hoses were installed at the top of the tank, this should not happen should it? Also interesting, after a trip this summer, and after we had used some amount of water over the weekend, I noticed that I had water coming out of both vent hoses when I moved the trailer. Surely the water level should have been low enough to not splash water out of the vents!!
Anyway, has anyone been in the belly of their Aztec? What did they see or find? I'm thinking that my tank may be upside down, or at least the hoses are installed that way. Not having looked at one before, I would expect that there should be 2 hoses at the top of the tank, one to fill and one to vent. There should also be 2 at the bottom of the tank, one to drain and one for the pump to draw from. Am I close to correct?
Portable A/C
This summer during times of high heat index, we could have used a 2nd A/C in our 5vr. During those same periods, we could also use more A/C in the second story of our house where the bedrooms are. So, I was thinking of maybe getting one of those portable A/C units. probably a 12k unit, that I could use in either place as needed. All they need is a little floor space and a nearby window to put the vent. Has anyone tried this approach?
RE: WineGard SensarPro
Make sure you enter the real channel number, not the displayed number on the television.
No channel numbers display on the "channels" display but how whould you know the "real" channel number?
RE: Camping near Washington, D.C.
First of all, the Virginia part of the I-495 Beltway is still under construction - making a normal nightmare into a thermonuclear nightmare. If you are interested in visiting anywhere near D.C. Try these camping areas: Pohick Bay Regional Park (south of Alexandria), Lake Fairfax or Bull Run Regional Park (west of D.C.) or Burke Lake Park (a bit further south off of I=95). You will need to look at either Fairfax County Park's web site or the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority site for more info. or to reserve. All of these parks are VERY nice. DON'T try to drive to D.C.! Drive to a Metro station instead. Be prepared to walk long distances; eat at the Air and Space Museum or The Old Post Office Pavilion. There are lots of things to do without going into D.C. Mt. Vernon, Old Town Alexandria, Uzdar-Hazy Center of Air and Space Museum, Manassas Battlefield, etc.
X2 for Pohick Bay Regional Park. We were there just last weekend. Nice place and only about 30 minute drive to the city.
RE: good sam extended for f 250 sd-6.0
Yes, we can help you out. Send me a PM with your name and contact information and I will have a licensed agent contact you.
Should I take this to believe that the standard service is inadequate for the 6.0PSD? I also am interested in an extended plan for a Ford PSD.
WineGard SensarPro
I have a WineGard SensarPro signal meter and amplifier that I can't seem to figure out. I can get it to scan and show the signal strength but I still have drop outs on some channels. When I try to select the "Channel" setting, which I thought should show/select a specific channel strength, I see only "--" in the channel display. How do you select and adjust the signal strength for a specific channel?
RE: Canyon Trail Owners
Thanks John. Do you have the extreme weather package? If so, have you done any late fall, early spring, camping?
:)
The Aztec comes with the weather package. We have been out at the end of October and as early as the first week of April, but nothing too challenging or extreme. While the trailer did 'OK', I'm not sure that I would care for it in 'EXTREME' conditions. I expected it to do a little better than it did and for the inside temperature to be a little more consistant than it was. The electric fireplace helps keep the living area comfortable without running the furnace all the time.
RE: Thanks GS Road Service
What turned out to be the problem with the truck? Did they get you back on your way or are you still stranded in Maryland? I've been to the Battlefield KOA. Not bad. But like you said not a lot special either.
Made it home last night. The dealer replaced the turbo charger in the truck. Fortunately they had all of the parts in stock so I was out the next day. Thought I was going to get stuck again though. Right after I picked up the trailer and headed home, the was a loud bang and a loss of power on the I70 entrance ramp. Turns out a clamp had broken on the turbo outlet side. The dealer had to send a tech to fix. For what this repair cost, I'm not sure why they re-use the old clamps. I would expect new ones for what I paid them.
RE: Canyon Trail Owners
By any chance is there any other Canyon Trail owners on here?
If so, post up your experience with Gulf Stream / YellowstoneRV when it comes to warranty work.
Also if you would, please post up how well you like your fifth...
TIA
Ken
We have a Canyon Trail, Aztec model 5th wheel. Looks like you are from Ohio as well and I'm not sure how many dealers there are. We purchased our from Tom Raper RV in the Columbus area.
We have not returned the unit for service yet and we have had it for about 9 months. We bought it the last week of October last year. we do need to get the refrigerator looked at however as it is making some strange sounds.
The refrigerator isn't really a trailer problem however and we have had no other issues.
RE: Thanks GS Road Service
Were you on the PA Turnpike when you broke down? Just wondering
what campground they took you to. We've got some goodies but also some baddies, so hope they got you to a good one.
Mentioned before I want to start RVing but stories like yours are what worry me. Seems like the unplanned costs build up very fast. We have some discretionary income but I worry about burning through it if I start RVing.
We were not on the PA turnpike. We were on I70 just west of Hagerstown MD. The campground was nothing special but nice. It was a the Battlefield KOA.
My wife is questioning the cost of RVing as well. It isn't cheap. We do plan on retiring in a couple of years and selling the big house and getting something smaller and cheaper. Then, we will snowbird it somewhere south for the winters. I thinks it is a little easier to rationalize the costs when you are living in the RV as opposed to just weekending it.
Thanks GS Road Service
Heading home to Ohio today after a short visit in DC. About 2 hours out of DC, the turbo in our truck gave it up. We limped off the highway to the next exit and called GS Road Service.
They did a great job finding the nearest dealer to us and called the dealer to make sure they could get us in. Then, they also called the nearest campground and ensured that they had a spot for us. 20 minutes later, 2 trucks showed up. One towed our truck to the dealer, the other took my wife and 5th wheel to the campground.
Thanks for the great service. This could have really been an ugly situation.
RE: Pumping water through city port?
Buy a 12v DC water pump.....
Suction line in your water container
Discharge line connected to your city water/fill
Pump away.
Does the pump have to generate any certain amt of PSI? That was really my question. We only want to buy once!Another forum member had stated that this would not work but I am not sure he was understanding my question. If city water under pressure can go in it stands to reason that water through a pump should as well.
I have the same situation on my 5th wheel. I looked at several pumps but decided to purchase a 12 vdc pump designed for RV's. The same pump that the trailer uses. I figured that I would have a spare pump if needed as a side benefit. It took a couple of hose fittings and an old water hose that I cut shorter. For power, I added about 15 ft of wire and soldered on clips that clip on to either the battery terminals in the trailer, or my truck.
RE: Egos
Did that with one of the members here, that I started getting rude, obscene private messages from.
NOW, my wife gets rude obscene private messages from this person on facebook and yesterday recieved a VERY obscene letter in the mail by USPS.
Fortunately they have left enough tracks behind (the internet works both ways) that I know who it is and where they live. Since they are send obscene letters through the USPS now, they have commited a crime. If it continues, I guess we will have to take action.
This is supposed to be fun and informative!!!
Holy cow!! Did you alert the moderators? I would think the PM's would be enough to get that member booted, I guess I would hope that would be enough.
Yes. When I first recieved the private message from this person I forwarded it to the moderators and they immeadiatly booted the person and deleted all of their posts. Their posts are of course still present in the quotes of other people but the online posts were not that bad. They were kinda crazy and out of line, but nothing like the private message I recieved from them.
The moderators here took action right away, no problem. I restrained myself and thought it just another internet 'crazy'. Didn't think of it again until my wife shows me the letter she recieved in the mail and her private facebook messages. It's apparent from certain comments that it is the same person.
RE: Egos
Some people just thrive on conflict and argument - it is a game for them. The rest of us can just roll our eyes and ignore them, else we wallow in the muck with them.
:R
Well said.
I agree also. When someone gets to the point of being an annoyance, I click on their name and block receiving any further posts. Works everytime.;)
Did that with one of the members here, that I started getting rude, obscene private messages from.
NOW, my wife gets rude obscene private messages from this person on facebook and yesterday recieved a VERY obscene letter in the mail by USPS.
Fortunately they have left enough tracks behind (the internet works both ways) that I know who it is and where they live. Since they are send obscene letters through the USPS now, they have commited a crime. If it continues, I guess we will have to take action.
This is supposed to be fun and informative!!!
RE: Looking at 2009 Dodge 3500. Opinions?
Well, the wife gave me the go ahead to buy this truck if I wanted, so I took it for a test ride.
Your wife must be the breadwinner, it appears. No offense but that is a bit sad, especially in our world of RVing. Not very manly.
Guess we can all tell who wears the pants in your family! It must be emasculating to have to ask your wife's permission to make a purchase. If I tried that with my husband we would be divorced.
I think you might be taking his words a bit too literally; I don't think there's much unusual about a married man & woman making a team decision about a major financial purchase.
Having said that, I'm sure there are men who actually "ask permission," just as I'm sure there are women who are quite happy to let their man make all the decisions so they can play the meek little sidekick who never has to have an opinion on anything. :W
Different strokes for different folks; 30 years ago Eurythmics even wrote a song about it (Sweet Dreams Are Made of This) :C
On topic (LOL) I further the motion of air pressure being a possible culprit; not difficult to imagine someone pumping 80lb into the tires in error because that's what it said on the sidewall.
Well bmanning not sure if you're referring to me but I'm about as far from meek as a person can get. I just don't require my husband to come to me, hat in hand, asking for money.
Wasn't referring to you; I don't know you. I have known many sharp, intelligent, financially accomplished women so it wouldn't surprise me at all if you're one too.
Just saying that it goes both ways...there are men who don't like to need to think for themselves, and there are women who don't like to need to think for themselves.
For every man who asks permission, there's a woman who fits the description I gave. Just my opinion, from both personal experience and observation.
As you said, just makin' conversation :W
And Caroline we may have set a new bar for getting off-topic; we've turned a thread about a 2009 Dodge riding rough into a discussion on marital dynamics, LOL!!
bmanning, you sound like a smart, thoughtful man. I guess we/I did get a bit off topic there. :-) Didn't mean to. It's just that I have a sister whose husband married her for her money and used her, so I'm always on the alert to (maybe) men who make less than their wives and (maybe) take advantage of them. Just one of the weird things.
But bmanning, I enjoy your posts. You're a good guy, it seems.
Thanks, Caroline. Sorry to hear about your sister; unfortunately there are plenty of "users" out there for sure. I hope she landed on her feet and is happy now without some excuse for a man using her instead of making something out of himself...guys like that give us all a bad name.
As a divorcee myself, I'm come to feel this way about marriage: with the right person, there's nothing better, with the wrong person, there's nothing worse!
Welcome to the forum :C There is a ton of great information shared here, and it can be fun to swerve off topic now-and-then as we did. I think the story of the rough-riding 09 Dodge had pretty much run it's course anyhow, LOL, and was perhaps on it's way to developing into a Dodge vs. GM thingy...we committed an act of public service: we saved a thread from becoming brand-war fodder and went off-topic in a much more interesting direction!
bmanning, you are great. I was thinking, though. It doesn't say that jdritter is a man, does it? They might be a nice lesbian couple. There's a couple that are lesbians across the street and they call each other wife. So I might have been unfairly man bashing!
LOL Brilliant!
:B
As they used to say on Seinfeld, "Not that there's anything wrong with that..."
Very cool 'lady couple' in my old neighborhood; they have a TT, ride motorcycles, drive pickups, rescue shelter dogs and are just all-around good people. They aren't really that funny though...odd...
most non-straight people are hysterical. :h
I thought for sure we'd be hearing back from jdritter; he owes us an update as to what truck he ends up with...he either is busier than we were today or he wants no part of the Oprah-esque tangent we took off on LOL
Oh yeah, on topic: I really do hope the OP goes back & checks the tire pressures and perhaps takes another test drive. 15-20psi too much air in the rear tires of an unloaded DRW truck will murder the ride characteristics. I've ridden in a friends 09 Ram DRW and I thought the ride was very well-damped and impressive for a massive unloaded truck.
Well, I'm glad that I didn't follow this thread very closely. I can't believe what some people think. Just becasue I love my wife and respect her opinion, shouldn't put my 'manhood' in question. We make all of our decisions together.
Anyway, we did not go back and look at the Dodge. I might have had the dealer offered to take a look at it but instead, they just said that Dodge trucks don't ride as well as Fords. Surporised to hear this from a Dodge dealer but I took it more as a sign that they really didn't care about business or customers.
We did replace the 04 F-250 though, with a 06 F-350 6.0l DRW King Ranch with very low miles.
RE: Storage safe in fiver
I'm considering installing a fire/waterproof safe in our fifth wheel. Who has done this mod, where's a popular location for the safe and which one did you choose?
Mike
Our Canyon Trail Aztec came with a safe located in the closet.
RE: Firewood restrictions
When we are camping locally here in Virginia I usually carry the first nights firewood with me. My setup is a portable metal firepit that i carry with me turned up side down on the front storage deck on the trailer. I usually line the bowl area with three or four pieces of firewood from my home firewood pile. Usually get in around dark when head out for the local camp spots so I wont have to worry about finding firewood at the camp site the first night. I like to carry the portable fire pit and have our fire closer to the patio/awning area.
http://www.portablefirepitreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/cobraco-fb6132-fire-bowl.jpg height=200
Campgrounds don't care if you use this outside of the provided fire ring? We would love to do this too since we travel with our 4 dogs and usually can't get anywhere close to the fire ring. I was considering the gas fireplace in a can.
