RE: How do people with kids do it?
I know I've answered this one before and have had many e-mails about it. When the kids were little, we all did fine. Me and Mama on the top, kids in the dinette. But then puberty, growth spurts, blah blah blah... came about and we needed something different. We bought a little Jayco 860 pop up and called it the mother-in-law house whenever people asked. We would open it up and that was our base camp so to speak. We could carry all 4 bikes on the roof rack and stow all kinds of******inside it.
That was 20 years ago, and now my daughter and her family use it all the time. This isn't a plug for Jayco, but that little critter has been in most of the states, Canada, and with the exception of new tires, has not had an ounce of trouble. Now with our new Palomino with the slide, there's tons of room for us but the kids still use the pop up. Difference now is that we can put one of the bikes in a little trailer along with the rest of whatever goes along and everybody is happy.
I do admire all the ideas and "Rube Goldberg" contraptions people have come up with over the years to house the whole brood, but seriously look at a small pop up. Now is a good time to buy, you can take a lot more with ya, and you and the kids can actually get away from each other once in awhile!!
BTW, on those rainy days.... it was a Godsend!!!!
Happy camping...
RE: Poll – Have You Fallen Off of Your Scissor Steps?
I haven't figured out the pictures yet, but I made up a temp page at my website... this will at least show you how I did the carpet thing....
Carpeting those "scissors" stairs
RE: Poll – Have You Fallen Off of Your Scissor Steps?
Love 'em! Let me qualify before getting flamed out of here! As soon as we put the 4 stepper's up on the new TC, the dog refused to go up or down them and I'm not going to pick up/down a 100lb lab everytime we stop! Like many dogs his fear was of being able to see through the steps. According to the vet, that is quite common... sooooo, I picked up some cheap I/O carpeting and ran a strip from top to bottom, attaching at the front edge and rear edge. The steps still fold up and everyone is happy and there's been not even a close mishap!! Now since this forum won't let me just paste a pic like every other forum I'm on, send me a note and I'll be happy to email a couple of pics so you can see how it was done.
RE: Family of 4?
NOPE! Everyone just considered it a truck pulling a trailer. Once the daughter started pulling it with her own car, then we had to get another site, although there were many cases where, once they found out we were family, just said "oh what the heck".
RE: Family of 4?
Here's another approach. We use to have a 9 1/2' Hideaway (which we used for about 20 years. When we started with it the kids were like 5 and 2. When older sister finally decided that sleeping with little brother was eeeewwwwww! (about 12 and 9 or so), we picked up a new little Jayco 860 pop up. The kids now had their own rig which they were quite proud of and which stayed in the "base" camp. We'd use the TC and truck for running around and day trips. When they were old enough to drive, they then had their first RV. We've all gone through several vehicles and a new TC, but that pop up is now camping home to our daughter., husband, and grand daughters. When we first started, many people would look at the combo, scratch their heads and I'd just tell them it's the mother in law house! That little pop up has covered all lower 48 states, gone through very little repair and is still in use. Didn't mean for this to be a Jayco testimonial, but this combo worked great for us for years.... just another 2 cents.
RE: Economics of traveling by TC
When my father passed away last year, my sister and I met with his lawyer who handed over a large binder which was his living trust (BTW, if any of you out there don't have one, do your whole family and theirs a HUGE favor and get one!!!). When we opened the cover, we found the first page was a hand written page and all he had written was..."you ain't getting any older, you can't take it with you, and ya just never know... love, DAD"
Sooooo, that said,
Cost of truck + TC.... who cares
Cost of fuel, campground fees, annoying taxes.... who cares
When it's gone it's gone... I'm not going to sit home and count pennies and I'm not going to leave my kids a free ride.....
Cost of camping with friends, worrying about nothing, seeing this great country from coast to coast and top to bottom... who cares
Heck, I've been with Delphi for 36 years.... and they're bankrupt, so I have no financial future anyway!! LOL
and the cost of parking the TC, unloading the Harley and heading out across the Badlands or the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, or Iowa's plains, or Michigan's UP...... PRICELESS!!!
So quit justifying NOT doing stuff... just DO IT!! As was said earlier... this ain't no dress rehearsal.... this is your one shot, so grab the family, load up your dreams and GO!!!
Wow... I said all that!! Gotta run, the road is calling!!!
RE: why are Palomino campers so cheap --
Sorry, didn't mean to mislead you.... guess that was sort of my disclaimer and probably applies to any TC. I've seen some guys try going some places they really shouldn't have and they've done some serious damage to walls and roofs through abrupt changes in direction and abrupt changes in vehicle attitude and speed. That's all that meant and I really wasn't challenging the stuctural integrity of the Palomino or any other TC under NORMAL use. Sorry if I mislead ya.... JOHN
RE: why are Palomino campers so cheap --
We have had the 1000SL for 2 years now and have had no complaints whatsoever. That said, we shopped a lot and as said earlier, the exterior construction and quality stood out well. Also, remember, the "guts", ie, pumps, fridge, A/C, tanks, fixtures, posts, jacks, glass, vents, even plumbing and electrical are basically the same in every mfg's unit. Yes, the interior "fit, finish, and material" leaves a little to be disired, but with the enormous cost difference, IMHO, it's a lot more bang for the buck. Now if I had rug rats or animals occupying and roughing up the same space, it might be a different story, but for what we use it for, it's been great! For it's size, it's light enough for the 2500HD and we still pull the Harley's behind us. Bottom line, unless you're doing some serious boon docking (twisting) or full timing with furry things, I think it's a "best value" for your TC needs... again IMHO...
RE: suspension upgrades for 2008 3500 chev dually
"Hey There" is right on... with all the more you're carrying on that beast, it will ride just fine. Believe it or not the weak link in your whole set up is your brakes. GM uses cheap, crappy, "good for 13K miles", made in China... discs and pads. Keep an eye on them for rapid wear and chipping. And as was already pointed out, as other parts like shocks, springs, bars, and bushings wear, upgrade when you replace them. Another couple of cents from still cold, still wet, springs-never-coming... Michigan!
GM 900 series TC fit
OK all, this one's pretty simple. There's been lots of pieces of threads, comments, and rumors about TC's on the new style Chev/GMC PU's (GMT900). Has anyone actually either had this problem or even maybe started a list of which TC's will and will not fit? The problem as described is the reinforcing rib at the rear of the bed just in front of the tailgate (on long beds). This allegedly interferes with bathroom floor extensions on some TC's. Let's post 'em here for everyone to see (and hopefully GM!! as well)... Now let's go camping!!!
JOHN
RE: Any STEALTH camping trix - you would like to share ...??
I'm with WX2G... for one niters only, we've always used an rv dealer. Of course we ask first and have never been turned down. Some of them will even lock you in for the night!! LOL For you bikers, we've also used Harley dealerships when hauling the bikes. Not only welcomed, but have been enouraged to stop in anytime! They always put us out back with the servie truck and have never had a problem. Just another 2 cents worth....
JOHN
RE: Who Has Owned Multiple Truck Campers?
We're on our third. Used my Dad's 1967 10' Cree... wore it out...
Bought a 1987 9 1/2' Hideaway.... wore it out...
Bought our Maverick 1000SL last year... Love it!!!!
Sooooo... only 3 and love 'em all
Have also owned 21 Harley's.... Do they count? They were great for camping back in the day.... Loved them all too!!!!
Oh yeah... Uncle Sam provided an open top 6x6, but they always camped near a rice patty! Didn't love that at all....
Happy Camping...
RE: hesitation/surge under load or when t/c locked 03 Silverado
True Jim, but with the 02-03's there were instances where codes would not "freeze" (fixed mid year). They will stay locked in however and should come up with a reader.
Yes! I too miss those days, ya always carried points, cap, rotor, etc. Now we just hook up the old laptop and reflash an eprom!! I watched my son and a couple of guys do his Duramax. With the change in power curve they got, it would take guys like us a whole weekend of busted knuckles and endless tweaking to even make a difference let alone an improvement!!! Hell, even my Harley is fuel injected and uses a "chip"!!! may as well throw away the tools except for a filter wrench and filler spout!!!
RE: hesitation/surge under load or when t/c locked 03 Silverado
The only 2 things that come to mind which would follow your symtoms are the O2 sensor (if it's out of whack, the system will go open loop under load) or the MAS (mass airflow sensor) which will do the same thing if its' cal is out. Just another idea...
RE: Anyone put more than 200K miles on their Diesel?
Son's '02 DMax has about 275K. Most of the miles hauling 5vers between Indiana and New Orleans. Other than injector recall service at 13K and piece of junk GM brakes gone at 15K, truck has been flawless. He's religious about oil/filter changes, and fanatical about air cleaner filters! Now pulling his 20' enclosed work trailer all the time. The thing just keeps ticking them off...
RE: Would you loan out your TC?
An old cliche comes to mind....
"Don't ask to borrow my Harley and I won't ask to borrow your wife!"
or like my gun...
".... when they pry my cold dead fingers from it..."
guess that means an emphatic... let me see.... NO!!!!!
RE: New Firestone Airbags, ROUGH RIDE EMPTY on 5 lbs.!
Have to agree with Troutguy... you must work for GM! LOL... As he said... IT IS A 3500 DRW... Having camped with, tested, and driven SRW, DRW, loaded, unloaded, GVW testing, empty testing... it is still a 3500!! Keep at least the 5 lbs in for bag longevity and get use to the ride. Keeping the tires in the 50-55 area is about your only recourse. You can help it with a minimum of 800# over the axle in the bed. Remember, these trucks were designed and built for work, not to sit in a driveway in Bloomfield Hills!! Otherwise, hope you don't live on a bumpy dirt road like I use to! LOL... Since we do most of our travels these days on 2 wheels, we only take the rig out for 3 or 4 weeks a year, so that's why we went back to the SRW. The wife loves the trucks, and since it's basically her truck, she hated the BANG everytime we hit a cigarette butt!! So, as everything else on this forum... I sign with IMHO... Most importantly, just enjoy the camper, the road, the truck...
RE: Buying a truck camper
If your one of those Yankee snowbirds, I'd suggest coming back north for a short trip either by truck or via the internet and do some shopping. Between the mortgage meltdown and the auto industry (which I'm unfortunately a slave to....) the used market is filled to overflowing which in turn is forcing the dealers to make some deep discounts to clean out there overfilled lots. The dealers are even posting on RVtrader.com!! I would seriously check Michigan, Ohio, Indiana and more specifically.... Detroit area, Flint, Saginaw, Gary, IN,... and around the east side of OH... Youngstown, Warren.. etc. We've been tracking the "traders" and "swappers" and it's obvious that people are unloading their toys and excess expenses; Harleys, motorhomes, property up north, etc. For those of us fortunate to still be working, there's deals out the yingyang out there. And as I said, we're seeing lots of overstock (including truck campers!!!!) out there. Good luck!!!
