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RE: Liquid Gas vs. Propane
I use all white-gas equipment because as others have noted, propane seems much more sensitive to elevation and temp. Most of my Coleman equipment is 30+ years old and still does great. If your items aren't working they probably need some oil in the pump which is all I have ever had to do for mine.
I taught the wife well and she can operate all the equipment very well. They seem very economical on fuel as well. Most trips I just top them off and there is still plenty of fuel left when we return around four days later. I filled the stove once in the middle of a ten day trip in which it was usually used for two meals a day.
Propane is tolerable if you want to go the tree route. I just can't get over the whole green bottle thing. It feels wasteful to me (doesn't seem like every place has a way to recycle them) and I don't like not knowing how much fuel is left. We do use them on a small propane grill and they do a good enough job until you run into their limitations. Mine remind me of this mostly in January and February when I am freezing my tail off outside wondering why the grill won't get the darn chicken breasts done. Those trips tend to be in the trailer and with full-hook ups so I got the wife a George Foreman electric grill to back us up on those occasions.
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trumptman88
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09/20/08 05:48am |
Tent Camping
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RE: Tent Vs. RV
When you see a tent outside our travel trailer it is because that is where the kids stay. Even though we have a very reasonable sized travel trailer (26 ft) we camp for a month in it during the summer and so all the clothes, toys and yes the kids go in it at night.
During this last summer we had a freak thunderstorm out of the blue and I woke up hoping all was okay with the boys. They never woke up and never got wet since our 12 year old Wenzel tent did a good job.
We also own a very large Coleman tent and still camp about half the time in it. There are places the travel trailer won't go, toys we may want to take that require we tow them, or I just won't spend the money to buy that much gas to travel that far.
We took a trip to Yellowstone last summer as an example for 14 days and did it in a tent. Even with the cooler weather we had no problems in our tent. I don't know about the snarky reply here but my Coleman stove, lantern and everything else I own of that nature has no problem starting up no matter the time of day. My Little Buddy Heater could be pressed into service if I felt the need as well however I much prefer camp fires over it or the heater.
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trumptman88
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08/09/08 01:39pm |
Tent Camping
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RE: Why trade?
I'm going to jump in here and say we need to make it socially acceptable to question extravagant spending. We have gone from the world's biggest creditor to the world's biggest debtor. We owe nearly 10 trillion in government debt and there is about 2 trillion more if you count the bonds the government owes itself for to repay Social Security. We have a huge credit crisis due to massive foreclosures and people financing every toy under the sun.
It might be okay for you, but those numbers clearly show it isn't okay for most or everyone. Someone needs to start questioning. It isn't okay to just say keep your nose out of it because when that dumb neighbor keeps rolling home with the new trailer financed with their 125% of already inflated market value mortgage and then can't pay it, they claim ignorance and stick their hands out to be rescued from their own stupidity claiming no one ever told or taught them better.
So I say question it loud and question it proud. Conspicuous consumption has got to go.
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trumptman88
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08/09/08 08:26am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
Anyone have any particular thoughts about the cleaning of these generators my particular one being the Champion RV Ready 3500watt.
As I have mentioned in previous posts, my generator is used almost exclusively for when we camp at Glamis. That environment is quite rough on everything that is out there and it has done a great job. However it does look every bit the part of a generator that has cumulatively set outdoors in the finest sand desert for several weeks. I would like to clean it up and make it look like new again.
Secondly I bashed my generator against another object while moving it and crushed the plastic that covers the voltmeter. Anything similar that might fix and cover it?
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trumptman88
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07/07/08 01:08pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
Thanks to the Prof and Floyd for the input. As best as I can tell, the manufacturer for the Duropower is Dexin International. They share the same campus in Covina, CA. and the name is mentioned in their "Terms and Policies" (warranty) on Duropower's web page. Unfortunately, the Dexin Website has broken links so it is really hard to confirm if it is indeed the manufacturer of the unit. Anyway, I hope I have good reports!
Gerry
This website?
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trumptman88
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06/22/08 01:22pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: How many of us are there? Owners of Dodge based RV's?
Figured I would chime in here and stop lurking. I own a 1971 Winnebago that is... as the saying goes... paid for. I'm putting the carb back on this week after having had it rebuilt and discovered it needed to be rebuilt after pulling the gas tank to have it chemically treated and coated due to rust.
I bought it running for $1000. Since then it has been mostly cosmetic stuff and fixing the loose ends of several other "upgrades." My most recent bit of fun involved putting in a city water hook up since the only hook up it had involved the tank for the previous pressurized system. You can imagine my surprise when I also discovered that the new plastic tank while a nice thought, had no return air outlet.
It is a M300 chassis with a 318. I don't think I have read about too many of these in here compared to the 440's. I had a local garage redo the brakes in all four corners. It was a bit pricey but I simply don't trust myself with brakes of this vintage and knowing what to do and spot on something this old.
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trumptman88
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05/12/08 07:09pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: From tent to pup to rv now back to tent
I've made a similar sort of progression in a way. We still have our travel trailer, and a load of tent equipment and we basically take what we need for each place dependent upon how far away it is and what we are taking. With gas being as expensive as it is right now, we basically use our travel trailer as a second home during the summer at a local campground where we have a membership and stay for 30 days a year.(silentvalleyclub.com)
If we are traveling hundreds of miles, like we did last summer to Yellowstone, or last spring to San Felipe, we take the tent and assorted gear.
I personally am very fond of our tent. It is a huge Coleman 17x12 and has been very good to us. Our friends were going to borrow it and my wife was worried about damage. I reminded her we had already put 30 days on it last year alone.
Depending upon the time of year and location, you might add a Mr. Buddy to the mix to insure the wife doesn't complain to loudly about the cold.
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trumptman88
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04/25/08 12:17pm |
Tent Camping
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RE: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
$500 could bring a really big smile that would last perhaps more than four years. DuroPower is getting close to what is to be desired in a RV genset but the dbA needs to be lowered, don't you think? I only wish I had this option when a purchased last year.
Well the four years part was a joke about how much Paul McCartney had to shell out to his wife in his recent divorce.
I wouldn't mind quieter but I also don't mind what I have now. As I noted, if the circumstances were different then my criteria would be as well but I bought cheap in the first place because my use is infrequent but heavy when it does occur.
I'm a bit cheap by nature and this is part of why I keep all my camping equipment separated. I have the truck, travel trailer and generator all separate from each other instead of integrated because as you noted and discovered, often integrated together means a very specific and expensive to repair or replace it in the first place.
I am glad I own a generator separate from my trailer so if a repair or problem crops up, I'm not stuck taking it to this authorized deal and shelling out huge money for parts and service. I feel the same way with the truck maintenance versus a Class A or C RV.
However if I were retired and doing like a lot of folks on here do, which is boondocking a full or semi-full time basis, I'd have $500 out of my pocket pretty quick for that generator so I could sit in my trailer and press a button. If I could spend $50-$100 more and knock off several decibels I would probably spend that too.
I am personally shocked that there isn't more interest in this area for businesses. Anything that adds to the value proposition disproportionate to the cost you think would be aggressively pursued. We are talking about some features here that likely would allow them to double the retail price or raise it roughly 60%+ for no where near that in terms of parts added.
This is well understood in other businesses. You go to McDonald's and they want to offer you more of the most inexpensive parts of the meal for huge mark ups (supersizing) because potatoes and sugar water are cheap compared to beef.
The cost of a starter, battery and the electronics for the remote have got to be cheap in comparison to everything else on the generator. To be able to offer it and raise the price so much would be something they should jump on if they were smart. On a per unit basis I would bet that it would't be an increase of more than $50 yet would yield $200-300 more in price. That is a great return for a business to seek in terms of profits.
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trumptman88
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04/21/08 05:14pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
Well it looks as if SOMEONE has been listening out there to our desires. The Duropower website has been mentioned several times by O&S and even though I currently own a Champion, I check in every once in a while since they appear to import/carry a lot more choices. It appears a new addition but it appears to exist.
Duropower electric start w/remote
It claims to have many features that have been mentioned as being important including access to the full 30 amps via a single pole, hour gauge, wheel kit, etc.
I would love remote electronic start but of course I'm young and I'm pretty close to having the "classic" version of a remote start. By this I mean that I have two boys aged six and eight who are just about strong enough to pull start my Champion. I can stay in bed, they can run out and pull start it and I get to pocket the saved money in a futile attempt not to have them eat me out of house and home.
I don't use my generator weekly or daily like some of you appear to do though, but if I did, this would look like a good option to have. I use my Champion out in the desert when the wife wants satellite television, air conditioning if it happens to warm up, and use of microwave. I often go off on rides that are several hours long and for now it has been easier to simply let the genny run the entire time I am gone than worry about if she can pull start it. It does a pretty good job of sipping gas. I've only had to add gas to it once when we stayed a full week as opposed to four days.
Still I can imagine the smile of the wife at having a push button remote genny available. It might not make complete financial sense but when has that even mattered when men ponder women?:p At least I wouldn't be Sir Paul out $50 million for four years.
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trumptman88
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04/20/08 07:56am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Post/Share Your Tent-Camping Photos Here.....
http://lh5.google.com/trumptman/RkxLgwdV0EI/AAAAAAAAAAw/vducZ6M529I/DSCN1699.JPG?imgmax=640
San Felipe, Mexico. We spent a week on the beach rolling in the waves in the afternoon, and rolling on the quads morning and evenings.
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trumptman88
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03/07/08 01:27am |
Tent Camping
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RE: Mattress pads
My wife and I use this Coleman Queen Size Double High Air Bed.
We have used it down to 34 degrees and have had no trouble with it. Neither of us are small and we do just fine with it thanks to those support coils which make it very firm when fully inflated. We own 40 degree extra large sleeping bags and use them with liners when worried about the temperature. It has been a great bed. I tend to check it at night rather than filling during the day so perhaps that is why I don't run into issues with softness due to temperature variation. We last used it for a solid ten days of camping in Yellowstone.
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trumptman88
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02/03/08 12:59pm |
Tent Camping
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RE: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
Yea these people were clapping from the other side of the campground. We were camping with other units running quieter units. All I could say was "Sorry".
YouTube-Yamaha
I still would have clapped for the quieter generators as well. I say this as someone who tent camped in Madison at Yellowstone this summer. I don't care what brand it is, compared to nature, it is intrusive. The video above shows the attitude I have often encountered with the quieter generators. It amounts to, I'm 16% less intrusive so I'll run it 50% (or more)longer.
The day I bought my Champion was because it was mid-August and the electric power had gone out in the campground due to a transformer overheating. I ran it 10 hours the first day to keep the trailer and family cool. If I feel it will be obtrusive in a certain setting I don't run it and wouldn't at 58 dbs either.
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trumptman88
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01/11/08 01:29pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
I took my champion to a National Park and ran it during daylight hours only. I got my feelings hurt when I shut it down and the people in the tents started clapping. OOpps didnt mean to tick them off but it sure was nice having a/c to cool off in.
Well even though I own a Champion and a generator, I'm often of the same opinion when I am out in my tent. This is partially why I think even the snootiness of the Honda and Yamaha owners is lame. If you get far enough into nature and away from the artificial noise of man, then any and every noise is intrusive be it 58 db or 67 db.
When I camp in a campground where it is tents or trailers limited to say... 22 or under feet, I don't want to hear a generator.
If I am in a campground, or a state or national park area where larger trailers are the norm, then I don't mind it for battery charging or the middle of the day heat. However calling yourself camping and then running it 10-16 hours a day is just silly.
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trumptman88
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01/10/08 10:45am |
Tech Issues
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RE: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
Does anyone know who makes the genset for Maxpower? They go by the brand name Powermax. Maxpower claims these gens are made only for them but I find this hard to believe. I tried researching on the Internet but can't find any info and I tried looking on the block but haven't been able to see any markings. The only info was on the box and it said made in China. Thanks in advance.
Many of us who contribute to this thread almost bought the PowerMax Brand. I am interest to know more of what you discover as time goes by. They seem to be a high volume importer. You might post a photo of the inside of the genhead, just what you see when the end cap is removed. I was vary surprised when I open the genhead cap on my DuroPower DP3500EC to see much heavier wires that I have on my Champion C46540. Also inside the front control panel on the DuroPower looks more High Quality. The 6.5hp engine on most all of the brands seem to be about the same. One possible difference with the Champion might be in a higher quality wire used in the windings over other brands.. That would be a interesting finding. Maybe on this thread we can do some SERIOUS sharing of not only ideas but compare the quality of what we find. "3000w Chinese Gensets info." ( GENSETS) all.
Floyd
O&S
I agree. I own a Champion like many here but wouldn't mind selling it at a slight loss to get a bit more in terms of features.
I know knocking off a few more decibels requires redesigns on the motor that are not likely to take place. However I was very surprised that the DuroPower offered the wheel kit and electric start for only $50 more than the Champion.
Someone is going to force my hand if they offer a genny with electric start via a remote. I already love everything else about my Champion but those are the features that would lead me astray. Of course by the time they get around to that, the six and eight year old boys eating me out of house and home might be able to work the pull start by then.
I have always been shocked by how good my Champion is on gas. I run it quite a bit on our desert runs to charge batteries, and run the TV or air conditioner through the heat of the day. With this use it easily makes it through four to five days of camping on one tank.
On our last trip, we went five days and on the very first day the propane regulator gave up the ghost and we were without a cold refrigerator. We ran it for eight hours to keep the food cold, fixed the propane regulator, and then had it still make it through the rest of the five day trip without having to fill up. I think filling the tank to the absolute lip though doesn't count as only four gallons though.
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trumptman88
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01/07/08 01:24pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
Anyone get the same idea looking at that Duropower website that I did?
Since so many of the chinese generators use the same parts but with different build qualities, part of me wondered if it would be possible to "retrofit" the C46540 with an electric start utilizing parts from the Duropower website. I wonder what the cost would be?
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trumptman88
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12/20/07 09:03pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Kipor or Champion Generator
What ever disadvantages an inverter genset has (and starting inductive loads is one of them), for camping purposes there is an elephant in the room and that is noise. The inverter gensets are far quieter during lighly loaded operation when they're barely above an idle. And that condition is very usable for camping-charging batteries, running lights, tv, etc. It has been my experience that a large fraction of generator time has been at a third or less capacity, maximizing the noise advantages of the inverter genset.
I'd say the much bigger elephant is people who want to sit in their RV all day and believe a quieter should force all their neighbors to tolerate this.
I say this because my use is nothing like you describe. I run a generator so I can run air conditioning or something large. The rest of the time silence and batteries are the rule.
The rudest thing I could imagine is someone who thinks I should tolerate them running their "quieter" generator all day so they can sit indoors and watch television.
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trumptman88
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12/19/07 06:18pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
OK, the formal tests are done! I put some hours on my new Champion C46540 today to finish breaking it in. Some engines perform better when broken in and I also didn't really want to torture it before the rings were even seated, etc. In testing I found a few surprises other Champion owners may want to know about.
The question that's been asked many times in this thread, and I've not seen any solid answers to, is: "How much will it REALLY put out???" If someone else has done some careful testing, I've not seen it in the 100 or so pages of the 480 here I've read so far.
So, getting right to the meat of things, my particular Champion was pretty happy up to 3300 watts and things went downhill fast from there. At 3300 watts in 120 volt mode, it was managing a strong 125.3 volts but the governor had the throttle wide open against the stop and it still couldn't make 3600 RPM/60hz at that load. It was at 57hz (about 3400 RPM). At 3200 watts it was at 59.8hz. At 3100 watts it still had a little breathing room with the throttle and was at 60.2hz.
Anything much over 3300 watts put it into a slow death. The AVR seems rather aggressive and it just keeps trying to crank up the output to compensate for the falling engine speed. This puts an even greater load on the engine--which can't make as much horsepower at lower RPMs. So it's a losing game and starts a "death spiral" that ultimately stalls the engine.
GG, the performance guy in mins is popping out. Do you mind if I ask what octane gas you were running in the generator? If you were running 87 octane, do you think 91 would help get it closer to the rated 3500 watts? I know most people don't think much about running better gas in their generator but if they are at higher elevations it might be a consideration. Perhaps an inexpensive fuel additive might get it those last 200 watts as well.:B
Nick
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trumptman88
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12/15/07 06:35am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Walmart -- Unhook trailer and staying more than one night
Even if they do allow it there really is a line that is being crossed here.
I say go here.
We stayed for a few days. They accept all sorts of discounts including Passport America. The owners are the nicest people you could imagine and if you really feel like you need to get your money's worth go enjoy the indoor heated pool.
Nick
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trumptman88
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12/14/07 09:10pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: Am I the only one who has never dry camped ??
http://lh5.google.com/trumptman/RkxLgwdV0EI/AAAAAAAAAAw/vducZ6M529I/DSCN1699.JPG?imgmax=720
I go to parks and do full hook-ups with the 26ft TT.
I go to the dunes and boon-dock while riding the quads.
Then we load up the tent and go to the state, U.S. National Parks and finally the beaches of Mexico.(San Felipe specifically)
I love all the different types of camping. If you haven't gone dry or boondocking in the RV then you really are missing out. First there are a lot of neat features about your rig that you don't fully realize until you are away from the hook-ups. Second, I have found that the fewer the amenities the closer the human interaction on the trip. You might run the genny the first night, but the second night, well maybe Uno or Monopoly jumps up on list of fun things to do.
Give it a try!
Nick
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trumptman88
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12/14/07 08:33pm |
RV Lifestyle
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RE: 3000W Chinese Gensets Info.
DuroPower 3500E
That doesn't look like a terrible deal. An extra fifty gets you a starter, but no RV ready plug.
Nick
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trumptman88
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12/14/07 05:31pm |
Tech Issues
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