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RE: Closet/shelf suggestions
I have made a total of 8 drawers in different cabinets throughout my camper. They are definitely a convienent improvement worth the trouble. Drawer slides are available at any big box home improvement store. I recommend the full extension type. The drawer itself is just a box. Making it from 1/2 inch plywood (or thinner for a lightweight purpose) is the most economical choice. The slides will include instructions for sizing the drawer to the cabinet opening.
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ADK Camper
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08/06/19 10:10am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Sofa questions
I have the same type sofa. Here's two suggestions: 1. when opened to the bed format place a pool noodle between the two sections. 2. Lift the seat to the point where it will balance with the underside exposed. Then take some strong cord and tie it from each zig zag spring to the next. Do this in several parallel rows across the length of the sofa seat. This will make the seat section firmer and more comfortable whether used as bed or sofa.
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ADK Camper
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08/06/19 09:59am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Anyone have any knowledge about Shadow Cruisers?
As LJAZ said Cruiser RV is no longer the small family-owned company it was back in 2010. Back then the company had a pretty good reputation. I have a 2011 FunFinder 210WBS. It has been a very good trailer for all these years. I had one rather significant sample defect, but I was able to fix it before it became a major problem. Quality wise I think this Shadow Cruiser may be a good choice for you.
As to its value you might call your inurance company and ask about its value. They insure campers and need to track their value to settle loss claims.
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ADK Camper
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07/31/19 09:00am |
Travel Trailers
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A simple idea
We often camp on wooded sites with lengthy litter covered access drives. Backing up in this situation is difficult because I can't clearly see the edge of the drive. My wife tries to direct me, but sometimes her wild incomprehensible gesticulations just add to the confusion. I got some small (about 12") orange traffic cones at the dollar store to mark the edge of the drive. Now I can confidently back up knowing exactly where the edge of the drive is located.
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ADK Camper
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07/10/19 11:57am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: carbon Monoxide alarm going off
I once had my CO detector repeatedly alarm. I shutdown the propane at the tanks so there was no propane or co2 anywhere in the camper, but the alarm continued to go off. I finally figured out the problem - some ripe bananas my wife had put in one of the cupboards.
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ADK Camper
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06/28/19 01:29pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: LED Bulbs for trailer interior in a real store, not online?
Check out 12 volt landscape lighting bulbs at Lowes or Home Depot. They are marketed for 12 volts AC, but many are designed to work with DC. The package probably says 12 V AC, but the bulb itself will probably be stamped "12 VAC/DC."
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ADK Camper
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06/01/19 07:04am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Big black ants
Some years ago I had a pop-up that got I infested with ants. They were eating their way through the roof insulation leaving styrofoam "sawdust" everywhere. I was able to completely eliminate them with a product called terro. It's a slow sweet poison that ants take to the nest and it slowly poisons the entire colony.
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ADK Camper
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05/07/19 10:12am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: TTs with White Cabinets?
Fun Finder X used to have white cabinets and interior.
I don't even know if they are currently being made in any color.
We have a 2011 Fun Finder 210WBS. It has white cabinets. Wife and I both like them. The light cabinets make the interior brighter. They also make the camper seem roomier. White cabinets are popular in stick and brick houses so why not in campers too? If you want white, keep shopping; there are a few choices out there.
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ADK Camper
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05/01/19 03:12pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Murphy bed?
Here's my opinion which you are, of course, free to ignore. If you like the floorplan and the Murphy bed get it. Don't over think the storage issue. Without kids along you already need a lot less stuff. If you carefully select items you bring along focusing on what you actually need and will use you may find that you will require less storage than you think you need. We have a couples camper (FunFinder 210WBS 18' box) and after 7 years of use, we still have empty cabinets.
When you equip your new camper try to get things that take up less space. For example Corelle dishes stack and nest fairly compactly and they can be used in the microwave. Nesting pyrex bowls with snap lids can be used in the microwave, conventional oven, freezer, refrigerator, and they can all be stored in a stock pot. Lots of things are made with collapsible silicon like dishpan, strainer, measuring cups, etc.
Bear in mind that we all tend to take more stuff than actually need. Control that impulse and things will probably work out fine.
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ADK Camper
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04/24/19 02:56pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Cabinet Modifications
Great job! Did you have to remove the counter top to make your track for the tambour door?
No, you don't have to remove the counter. The whole assembly can be completed "off line" and then simply installed by securing the two tracks to the sides of the cabinet and then threading the tambour into the track from the backside. Here's some pictures to explain the process:
https://i.imgur.com/w0qP5HMl.jpg
This photo, taken from inside the cabinet shows the track and the tambour threaded into the track. The track is made from stock 1"x2" with a dado routed to hold the tambour. You need a simple template to route the dado as shown in the following picture.
https://i.imgur.com/AQvE28fl.jpg
Just temporarily attach the template to the track and use a router with a straight bit and a guide bushing to cut the dado.
https://i.imgur.com/h8EvvItl.jpg
This photo shows a dry fit of the completed assembly ready for installation into the cabinet.
Making the tambour itself is very easy. Start by finishing the front side of the screen molding. DO NOT finish the back. Cut as many pieces to length as needed. Cut a piece of fabric slightly bigger than the finished tambour dimensions, and lay it face down. Clamp a framing square over the bottom and right side edges. Then apply glue to a piece of molding and lay on the fabric tight along the bottom of the framing square and tight into the corner. Continue gluing molding tight against the previous strip and into the right side of the square. When the glue has partially set, remove the square and lift the tambour gently flexing it to make sure that none of the molding pieces have been accidently glued together.
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ADK Camper
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04/14/19 11:04am |
Travel Trailers
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Cabinet Modifications
My water pump is located in a cabinet behind a fixed panel. To access the pump for winterizing required removing four screws. I eliminated the screws and substituted magnetic cabinet latches to make removing the panel easy. It turns out this is a favorite hangout for mice. Now I can easily remove the panel to place/check traps for the unwelcome visitors.
https://i.imgur.com/PYxBVnml.jpg
This is a before picture showing the fixed panel at the bottom. The top shows a tambour door I made to close off an otherwise open cabinet. The door is made from screen molding glued to a piece of canvas.
https://i.imgur.com/MbvsST3l.jpg
I attached panel molding to the original panel to cover the screw holes and add some style. A drawer pull at the top allows me to just pull off the panel when needed.
https://i.imgur.com/xXpmkKWl.jpg
Here you can see the magnets attached to the cabinet frame, and the catches attached to the back of the removable panel.
https://i.imgur.com/3YUdpCKl.jpg
This picture shows the tambour door opened with a two drawer cabinet I made to fit inside. These are our "kitchen junk drawers" where we keep pens, pencils, tape, scissors, ruler, scratch pad, playing cards, etc.
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ADK Camper
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04/12/19 09:50am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Stocking/Furnishing a New Camper
We've used Corelle for years, and have never had one break. We don't even cushions them when traveling. Just stack them in the cupbard and go. The various pieces nest together compactly making them ideal for storing. If you intend to use a microwave, melamine is a poor choice because it CANNOT be used in amicrowave.
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ADK Camper
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03/26/19 04:44pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: winnebago micro lite vs FR flagstaff micro lite
It's a small distinction but it might enter into your decision. The 7 foot wide camper will not require extended side view mirrors and you will not have to swing as wide making turns. I have a 7 foot wide Funfinder that tows very easily. The narrower trailer gives up some interior space, but with the slide deployed the interior seems spacious enough.
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ADK Camper
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03/20/19 01:40pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: 2020 new travel trailer models
Don't know if there is one right answer, but we ordered our camper several years ago in April and it arrived as the new model year.
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ADK Camper
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03/11/19 02:36pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Smoke Alarm
I have a fool proof system for preventing false alarms: whenever I start cooking, my wife says, "take the battery out of the smoke detector."
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ADK Camper
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03/09/19 07:44am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Slide Out Mechanisms
We have a schwintek slide on our 2012 FunFinder purchased spring of 2011. It's the first year Cruiser rv used this type. Ours has been trouble free and reliable. I especially like that it is flush to the camper's floor. There is no step up into the slide.
We did have one issue, but it had nothing to do with the slide's design. It was an assembly issue. There are rollers attached to the trailer's frame that support the slide as it moves in and out. One roller had been siezed with caulk and would not turn so it skidded along the bottom of the slide as it moved. Eventually this began to tear up the floor of the slide. I was able to free up the roller and reinforce the floor and have had no problems since. If you do have this slide, you should extend it and inspect the underside of the floor and the rollers to ensure you don't have a similar problem.
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ADK Camper
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03/08/19 12:08pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Battery disconnect - can I still use my heat?
So using an automotive charger to charge the two batteries at the same time is no issue? Connected to positive on one battery and negative on the other, of course.
Not quite. If you are using two 12 volt batteries you can connect one to the camper and the other to the charger alternating as required. If you choose to use two 12 volt batteries at the same time they must be connected in parallel. That is connect positive to positive and negative to negative on the batteries and either positive to camper positive and either negative to camper negative. With the batteries connected as above you can connect a stand alone charger by connecting its positive to either battery positive and its negative to either battery negative.
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ADK Camper
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01/07/19 09:17am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Battery disconnect - can I still use my heat?
For that reason alone, it seems I should replace the converter. Agreed?
Simply replacing the converter won't change the fact you're charging through cables that are far too long and of insufficient gauge. I simply turned my WFCO off and used a stand alone charger but there's no reason you couldn't do the same with a stand alone charger.
Sound guy is right. An inexpensive manual charger is a good fix for this problem. I have a standard ac outlet in my front storage compartment which enables me to store the charger there and connect it to the battery as needed. With a 10 amp charger I can run my generator about 1 to 1 1/2 hours every other day to keep my battery sufficiently charged. I don't shut off/disconnect the WFCO converter when using the standalone manual charger. The two just run in parallel. This ensures that 12 volt power is never interrupted so on board electronics maintain their settings.
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ADK Camper
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01/07/19 07:30am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Battery disconnect - can I still use my heat?
Good info ADK camper, thanks! Is there any way to see what mode the converter is operating at? My batteries never read higher than 13.1 V, as read by my solar panel controller.
I'll have to pay closer attention when I deplete my batteriesbatteries.
Thanks
Scott
Boost mode is 14.4 V, absorption mode is 13.6 V, and float mode is 13.2 V. A digital voltmeter connected directly to the battery terminals will give you the best way to determine what voltage is actually charging the battery. (You can often get a free digital meter at Harbor Freight with any purchase and a coupon from the Sunday paper) If your camper came with manuals from the appliance manufacturers, it will give you more details about the converter's operation. You can also probably find the manual on line.
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ADK Camper
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01/02/19 11:35am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Battery disconnect - can I still use my heat?
Yup looks like I have a WF-8900 converter. They spec out to be a decent model that won't overcharge the battery according to the brochure.
Thanks
Scott
I too have a WFCO converter. It is designed to operate in one of three modes: boost, adsorption, or float depending on the automatically sensed charge state of the battery. BUT WFCO chargers are notorious for not operating properly. Mine always operates in adsorption mode regardless of the batterys state of charge. Because of this it takes a long time (days) to bring a 50% discharged battery up to a full charge and it tends to overcharge a full battery. If your charger operates in the same way it might be better to allow the converter to fully charge your battery and then disconnect it for a few weeks (assuming it's not being used) and then bring it up to a full charge and repeat the cycle every few weeks.
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ADK Camper
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01/01/19 02:47pm |
Travel Trailers
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