RE: Crossed vs. Uncrossed safety chain pictures
The trailer manufacturers themselves may not have much to do with where the chains attach. Don't they merely buy prebuilt frames from suppliers? If so, it's probably easier to be more "universal" with a single attachment point at the front: Less likely to interfere with various jack mounts, spare tires, battery boxes, etc.
RE: Crossed vs. Uncrossed safety chain pictures
The chains on my KZ loop around the jack, and have attachment bolts on the frame that are seperated by a couple inches. I like this design; even if one or more of the bolts were to come loose, the chain would still be effective as it would be kept in place by the jack. I'm uploading pictures now...
http://i535.photobucket.com/albums/ee353/lonekazoo2/SANY0024.jpg width=640
http://i535.photobucket.com/albums/ee353/lonekazoo2/SANY0025.jpg width=640
http://i535.photobucket.com/albums/ee353/lonekazoo2/SANY0026.jpg width=640
Oh, and I cross them :)
Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum limit of 640px maximum.
RE: Best place to hook up in Moab this Sept.
We stay at the Canyonlands Campground downtown because it's close to things (McDonalds, etc), and we actually like the higher "noise level" so other guests aren't as likely to notice our kids (who are not noisy, but we don't stress out over them).
RE: Southern Utah roads
I-84 is under heavy construction in Weber Canyon (between Ogden and Mt. Green), and also just past Morgan to near Croydon. It's usually not too bad, but during commuting hours you'll have delays. If you've seen the Wasatch Front already, I-84 would be a nice change. Indian Canyon isn't bad in the summer, just a little steep, as summutt2002 stated.
RE: san carlos rv parks
Another option is the Hotel Playa de Cortez, on the sea between San Carlos and Guaymas: RV Park Hotel Playa de Cortez. I have not been there, but it looks nice from the pictures. Here's their web site, and a Wikimapia aerial image
We really liked Totonaka--nice people, great location--but the beachfront isn't the best. There is some sort of smelly sewer drain nearby, at the bottom of the steps off the malecon, and it's very coarse sand (gravel?). Head further south if you want nice beaches. That aside, we really enjoyed it there, along with the ice cream stand and restaurant nearby.
El Mirador was top notch when we were there, but no shade and a little out of the way. It's not too far from the marina and fishing.
RE: K-Z 2505QSS Rear Slide Issue
Here's a support that was suggested and tested by a forum member over at GoinKZ (I bought his extra stand):
Camco telescopic stand
If you haven't seen the GoinKZ forum, here's the link:
GoinKZ Forum
RE: K-Z 2505QSS Rear Slide Issue
Ask KZ to send you the small support to place under the slide for traveling. The top slide tracks are really only supposed to be there for guiding the slide in, but large bumps can put enough force on them to cause the few screws to pop out. Many of us have had the problem, but I think some dealers don't know how to fix it properly (mine just put on a couple of washers--if I weren't using the support it would happen again to me).
The support that I use (not the one KZ sends out, but similar) doubles as a barrier to keep our stuff (folding chairs, generator, etc) from sliding around on the floor under the slide.
Good luck!
RE: 1964 traveleze
That's a great trailer!
One of the things I regret the most is that I sold my 63 TravelEze. After my grandfather died, I ended up with it. It had been stored in an underground parking garage for nearly 30 years! and the paint still looked brand new. My grandmother used it as her art studio. We used it for a couple of years until about 2005. It was broken into, that's why the door is not original. I also took the split rims off. Here's a picture:
http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e369/lonekazoo/Pictures06-11-05057.jpg
RE: Converter Box coupon program discriminates against RVers
The government often has to put specific requirements on a program like this, or there WILL be extreme amounts of fraud and abuse. Unfortunately, it can often cause problems for those who do actually qualify for the program, as we see here. I've seen it countless times as a civil servant for a large govt. agency.
I originally disagreed with this handout program. In fact, I ordered my two coupons with the intent to hold them and not use them in order to save the taxpayer $80, but I have since given them to someone who needs them, and I realize that there are people who really do need them.
Many of my friends and family ordered coupons, and I guarantee none of them would be in the "targeted" group in which they were meant for.
RE: 1999 chevy suburban
My original TV was a 1999 Suburban 1500 4x4, and I pulled a 28' trailer with a dry weight of 5600 (gross 7000). I brought the trailer back from Indiana to Utah, and was perfectly happy with it UNTIL I got to the mountain passes in South Dakota, Wyoming and Utah (we took the long way home). After a few more outings (and a bit more gear each time, I suppose), I was just not happy with the 5.7L and 3.73 gearing in the 1500.
If my trips were all in the midwest, I might not have felt like I needed to upgrade. So I think it might depend on what type of trips you take and how you drive. Even things like steep overpasses might be frustrating.
One weird thing about my 1500: In reverse, it would motor my trailer right up my steep driveway; My 2500 really struggles doing this, and I have to put it into 4-Low to back it in?!?
RE: Refrigerator in travel trailer
Not only do we travel with the fridge on, but lately we've been cooking in a crock pot plugged into an inverter while we drive :)
RE: Thunderstorms & Shore Power
If you're worried about turning the power off, you should probably go the next step and unplug, as you're still grounding yourself and a little thing like a breaker is probably not going to prevent a direct hit from taking the path of least resistance to your RV. I would probably be more worried about a raised antenna or nearby tree. The few strikes I have seen have done things I would not have expected, so I think it really boils down to "odds."
RE: getting access to my slingbox on the road
I watch and control my slingbox from a Windows Mobile device (Tmobile Wing), and also on a laptop tethered to the same phone, and it works decently on just their EDGE network, but it's highly compressed. I mostly just use it to check on or start recordings on a DVR, but you could watch entire shows if you wanted to. The slingbox client optimizes the stream according to available bandwidth, and will actually work pretty good on a slow link.
RE: Maxxair vent covers - have you used them?
I really like them. Fewer things on my checklist of things to keep track of. Also, one of my vents is not accessible when my rear slide is in--but I don't have to be worried that I didn't close it first.
RE: Has anyone tried one of the water to hydrogen products
My hopes for perpetual energy were dashed when Pons and Fleishman couldn't deliver cold fusion...
Developments in the storage of electricity (i.e. Li-Poly, Li-Ion, etc) are advancing rapidly, seemingly faster than that of fuel cells, so I expect that there WILL eventually be electric RV's...we just may have a little less storage space once the batteries are installed. But if we would get our act together and increase nuclear power generation (look at France!), the sky is the limit.
RE: Has anyone tried one of the water to hydrogen products
None of us in the trailer forum will buy into this technology until they devise a way to get the byproduct of the burning of hydrogen (water) to fill our fresh holding tanks while we drive. Then they'll really have something :-)
RE: Has anyone tried one of the water to hydrogen products
I read in Popular Science that many long-haul truckers are installing Hydrogen electrolyzers.
From Wired magazine:
"These 18-wheelers make hydrogen as they go, eliminating the need for high-pressure, cryogenic storage tanks or hydrogen filling stations, which, by the way, don't yet exist. These truckers aren't just do-gooders. They like Canadian Hydrogen Energy's Hydrogen Fuel Injection, or HFI, system because it lets them save fuel, get more horsepower and, as a bonus, cause less pollution."
I'm still a skeptic. Many of the hydrolyzers seen on youtube, etc, are actually using more energy than they are creating.
RE: Wal-Mart parking lot
"it's not just a matter of cost--it's the convenience. "
yep, cost doesn't enter into the equation at all. :p
bumpy
Here I go, letting myself get trolled into having to justify why I might stay in a public parking lot where I've been welcomed by the proprietor (Walmart); but since you're quoting me, let me just say that when I travel I'm usually in a caravan of at least 2 or 3 other rigs, and it's no small matter to go out of the way to find a campground, in the dark, in a group, often when the host is already gone, only to leave at sunrise without using the facilities. It makes no sense on several levels. At my age (many years from retirement), time is often more valuable than money.
From the looks of most of the rigs I see in a typical Walmart parking lot, the majority are probably not tightwads. And if there are people there trying to save a few bucks, so what? Don't you yourself hurt the airline and hotel industry by RV'ing?
Skycop: If you can get over the feeling of insecurity, a nice aspect of boondocking and Wallydocking is that you don't often run into too many judgemental people...
RE: Wal-Mart parking lot
My parents have spent hundreds of nights in Kmarts, Walmarts, and other lots over the last 30+ years with no incidents, and I've done it many times with my family, and my only concerns have been noisy insomniac shoppers, streetsweepers, and bright lights. I have a Black Lab that is very protective of the kids, and gives us extra peace of mind.
Heck, I bet many would even be willing to pay a few bucks for the use of their lots, because it's not just a matter of cost--it's the convenience. We can head out on a Friday night after work and after the traffic clears with no worries about groceries; get a few miles out of the way, and grab a few hours of sleep. I also enjoy private campgrounds--But even if they were free, I wouldn't necessarily go looking for one while enroute.
RE: Fuel Additives To Reduce Emmission & Increase Mileage
Increase in Fuel Economy* by up to 20% and Decrease Fuel Costs* by up to 10%.
Am I missing something or is this fuzzy math??? If it increaes my fuel economy by 20% won't that decrease my fuel costs 20%???:h
Maybe they're factoring in the cost of the product :)
