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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Waterproofing the 1/8" thick exposed plywood
Crawl Under and take a really good look for exposed bottom edges of the 1/8" Luan that is the substrate behind the filon on the sidewalls, especially in the wheelwells. Our Grand Design Solitude started to delam above the fender skirts. It was the water from the tires hitting a raw edge and wicking up into the plywood like a sponge. Out of warranty so piss off according to GD. $60K POS.
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GDS-3950BH
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06/26/20 09:08am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: NY State Parks - interesting info
Even though the governor of NYS has proclaimed that SP Campgrounds will be open I still can't make a new reservation this Year!
WNYBob
I wonder what would happen if you made a confirmed reservation for next year, and then tried to change it to this year... ;)
May or may not "work," but one thing would be certain: ReserveAmerica would ding you for your reservation fee and for a cancellation fee.
-Speak
No doubt they will. PA was canceling your entire reservation if the arrival fell on a date prior to their reopening, even if the end date fell after the reopening with all fees waived. When they announced updated dates I was able to cancel myself and re reserve the site starting on the opening date last weekend (22nd which we had reservations starting the 17th) for which I was dinged $16 by RA for canceling along with another $8 for the new reservation but at least we salvaged 1/2 of a long planned trip we have done for over 10 years.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/30/20 08:17am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: ohio state parks
I find it hard to believe that every full hook up site is booked. i checked several dates and nothing open
Why is that hard to believe? Its right near Sandusky and on the lake, not to mention it only has 23 full hook up sites out of a total of over 500. If you sat with your finger on the button when the reservation window opens 6 months out you'll need a lot of luck to book one.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/29/20 06:10am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Best Fiver these days
So if you are a welder you should know thinner metal at a weld can fail. NOT from the weld but simply that's a stress point with thin metal as specified bu the trailer mfg. Light n Cheap!!!
So you are saying lightweight frames can’t be made strong ?
You know what they say fellows, a weld can look good and be bad and look bad and be good, but Lippert wins the award for the worst in show category consistently. I sit here having a beer under the awning of someone I met yesterday and leaned over and took this picture. Nice huh? 5 seconds with a grinder by Lippert or even the RV manufacturer might have at least made it look like someone showed a little bit of pride.
https://i.imgur.com/Usk6QGll.jpg
For sure not a very pretty weld, probably a pretty sound weld, don't see any undercut, doesn't look like its cold, but hard to tell from the picture . It almost looks like it was run downhill , if so thats a no no in my book, always want to run vertical up, not down . Yes pretty welds mean nothing, but in reality if he is a good welder ,then his welds are going to look pretty good. Its usually going to have some undercut if its too hot, or if its not laying in there pretty flat ,looks rounded so to speak ,then its probably too cold, or a lot of splatter. Depends on the rod or wire. Got the heat set right, and its laid in there right, it does not have to be pretty.
Its hard to tell from the picture, is that the hanger bracket for the leaf springs. ?? I see more bad looking welds on them then anything, that ,and they are usually pretty visible. Most everything else is usually covered up .
Thats the top connection of the 4" tube bumper to the machine welded main frame rails top flange.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/28/20 11:29am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Best Fiver these days
So if you are a welder you should know thinner metal at a weld can fail. NOT from the weld but simply that's a stress point with thin metal as specified bu the trailer mfg. Light n Cheap!!!
So you are saying lightweight frames can’t be made strong ?
You know what they say fellows, a weld can look good and be bad and look bad and be good, but Lippert wins the award for the worst in show category consistently. I sit here having a beer under the awning of someone I met yesterday and leaned over and took this picture. Nice huh? 5 seconds with a grinder by Lippert or even the RV manufacturer might have at least made it look like someone showed a little bit of pride.
https://i.imgur.com/Usk6QGll.jpg
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GDS-3950BH
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05/27/20 02:32pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Best Fiver these days
Having had 2 Grand Designs, currently a Solitude, I would not buy another. There is nothing Grand, at least not anymore.
This current one has more issues than you can shake a stick at including frame flex now causing sealants to fail. I feel eventually we'll be facing cracks in the filon skin at some point. Grand Designs stellar service is no longer stellar. They might send you some cheap parts if you hound them enough, but the days of bending over backwards for the customer are over. What someone else said is dead on, they delete most of the negativity from their Facebook pages or factory sponsored forum. They build mediocre mass produced RVs like most of the others. What they still are able to maintain is a cult like following of owners who drink their Kool-Aid. I never joined.
For the price, look at the Keystone Montana. Compare the size of the main frame rail to a comparably sized Grand Design and most others. You'll like what you see.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/27/20 07:21am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Costco/ Colman Solar set up?
Just about anything branded Coleman is the cheapest garbage available. Nothing more than a name and emblem licensed out to the highest bidder.
Coleman Travel Trailer = Lowest level Thor/Keystone/Dutchmen RV stick and tin job with Coleman decals built for the suckers walking in off the street.
Coleman Grill, Tent, Cooler = Junk made in same Chinese factories that make Walamrt and others house brand garbage.
Even a Coleman white gas stove is not anywhere near what they used to be. You will not find a guy in 2060 talking up his old time Coleman stove and lantern collection with his prize find of a 2020 stove lol.
Remember those Bell and Howell movie projectors back in the 60s/70s that were all metal and weighed 100 lbs that schools had? Today the Bell and Howell name is on Atomic flashlights and sunglasses as seen on TV. You can have 2 for $19.99, as long as you pay an extra processing fee.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/27/20 06:59am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: MI extended stay at home
we plan to stay in a county that has only 20 cases and not where our home is in Oakland county with over 8200 cases and almost 1000 dead thanks.
A good plan as long as the virus or anyone infected with it knows to stop and turn around when they get to the county line.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/26/20 08:04am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: NY is open
According to yesterday's New York Post, Gov. Cuomo said NY coronavirus hospitalizations, death toll have increased.
Poor timing?
Perhaps...... but coming from the person who needed 40000 ventilators and at least 6000 additional hospital beds that went unused along with it being published in the NYP I would be slightly skeptical.
Probably should just keep everything closed down indefinitely. That will solve everything.
"Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - B Franklin.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/25/20 07:33am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: CG's along the Gap Trail
did you find these links yet? I live near the GAP trail outside of Pittsburgh, and enjoy biking several sections of the trail.
GAP camping info
GAP Camping guide
Someone I used to work with had a scout troop that used to bike the whole trail every other year. They took the Amtrack train from Pittsburgh to DC with their tents and bikes. When they got off the train in DC, they biked back home to Pittsburgh.
Thanks for the links. Yes, I saw those and emailed them directly. They do have a few CG's that will accommodate RV's but as others have stated, the location of those doesn't really support a decent spacing for the ride - either they are too close, making the days too short (20 miles) or nothing on the bottom half. It was worth a shot. I may opt for a hybrid approach, use the KOA on night one, and B&B it for 2 nights and use a CG in Cumberland on night 4.
No matter how it goes we are looking forward to it.
Now that you put it that way, take a look at........
Its about 53 miles on the trail from Pittsburgh to the KOA.
Its another 49 or so from the KOA to Rockwood. I just looked at it on maps and Laurel Hill State Park (It's a really nice state park) is only 7.3 miles from the trail access in Rockwood. Laurel Hill has maybe a dozen FHU sites but has a ton of electric only along with a dump station. You could also look at Hickory Hollow or Pioneer Park, both are literally minutes away from Rockwood. Then you have a 43 mile ride to Cumberland.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/21/20 06:42am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: CG's along the Gap Trail
We've done it a dozen times but never tried to do it from an RV, I don;t know how you would even accomplish that other than having a person who drives the RV full time. A lot of the GAP, especially beyond Connellsville PA, are not accessible by road.
There is KOA a long days ride out of Pittsburgh (a good 50 miles) that the GAP runs right through. It's named Uniontown KOA but is actually located 3 miles from Connellsville PA (A town on the trail) and Uniontown is about 12 miles away from the campground so I don't know where the name comes from. It's also known as Rivers Edge however the CSX main line is 100 yds away across the river, and a train goes by so often you'll never even notice it. That CSX main line is across the river from you even if you bike camp along the trail, from Pittsburgh until you almost get to Big Savage tunnel, a good 120 miles.
Other than that it's slim pickins for RV capable campgrounds if by that you mean full hookups? There is a state park campground in Ohiopyle PA about 23 miles trail ride from the KOA mentioned heading towards Cumberland, but it's not right on the GAP, about 4 or 5 miles away and up on top one hell of a mountain above the river and trail, no full hook ups, electric only. There are some other private ones nearby but they're some miles drive from the GAP.
Moving east probably 12 miles in Confluence PA is a Army Corp campground about 1/2 mile off the trail called Outflow Rec area, a few electric sites, but most are dry.
Further on near Rockwood PA a good 20 trail miles are some private campgrounds with hookups and a couple of state parks with a very few full hookup sites, Laurel Hill SP and Kooser SP. All of them are a good 10-15 miles drive from the GAP trail however. Pioneer Park and Hickory Hollow are the private ones I know of. Steer clear of "Scottyland", it's a true garbage dump of a campground.
Past there the rest of the way to Cumberland I do not know of any other campgrounds that would accommodate an RV with or without hookups that are anywhere close to the GAP. Beyond Confluence to Frostburg MD you're up to it deep in the Alleghenies and off the beaten path for the most part.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/20/20 02:23pm |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Travel When Restrictions lifted
Makes perfect sense to me, and really reflects the feelings that many of us have. The virus is real... no doubt. The hoax is the changing and moving of the goal posts, inflating the number of deaths and the ridiculous implementation of nonsensical restrictions. Just a few examples. You can jog on a beach, but the trails used for jogging are closed ... You can go to Walmart with no restriction on number of personnel, but get thrown in jail if you go out in a boat with more than 4 people, even if they are all your family members (thank you Illinois Gov). Hard to believe people who make up this nonsense actually get a paycheck.
Mike
"Colorado has made a stunning and significant change to the way it counts COVID-19 deaths that reduced the statewide figure from more than 1,000 to 878, according to a report.
The change came after Colorado’s Department of Public Health admitted that its COVID-19 death toll was counting those who tested positive for the coronavirus but had died of other causes, Fox 31 Denver reported late Friday.
The department now says 1,150 Coloradoans who died had COVID-19 but only 878 of those deaths were “due to” COVID-19."
That foolishness is happening in lots of states, PA,MD,MI,NY,NJ,IL just to list a few.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/20/20 06:43am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Keys to reopen June 1
It’s only goin to happen if they want it too. It’s all in how they play with the numbers. And it’s been proven in the last couple of weeks just that. The Covid deaths have been manipulated.
I can assure you it’s not going to be bad!
Can i ask how it was proven that the death numbers have been manipulated? Hopefully that is not true.
Here's how, and also being done in PA,IL,NY,MD, and a whole host of others.
"Colorado has made a stunning and significant change to the way it counts COVID-19 deaths that reduced the statewide figure from more than 1,000 to 878, according to a report.The change came after Colorado’s Department of Public Health admitted that its COVID-19 death toll was counting those who tested positive for the coronavirus but had died of other causes."
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GDS-3950BH
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05/19/20 11:21am |
RV Parks, Campgrounds and Attractions
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RE: Travel When Restrictions lifted
Our campground was almost full and the people we interacted with seemed to act like the Covid didn't exist (retired military, LEO, and fire).
There lies the problem with opening things up too soon with idiots like that, while active cases are still on the rise.
There lies the problem with the entire situation and all the misinformation around. Most from the media, social media, certain politicians, and a lot even in this thread, like your 6% death rate. I guess since someone has predicted that 70% of the entire population could be infected as time goes on we can expect 20 million deaths in the US and 500 million worldwide? Idiots indeed.
This is here to stay. A vaccine may be developed at some point, but it also may not be developed, and even if it is will it be 100% effective? Is the vaccine for Influenza A/B etc 100% effective? Perhaps the solution is to keep everything as current. Never open campgrounds and parks again......ever. Keep Walmarts and other stores rules as is currently, although the vast majority of customers are not paying much attention to direction arrows on floors or pieces of blue tape 6' apart. Wear a mask forever. Never reopen bars, restaurants, or personal services businesses like salons, and just leave unemployment at 15% or higher. Really, that's not a big deal.
This started with the intent of flattening a curve so as to minimize a possibility of overloading the healthcare system. Now some have taken it and morphed it into;
"We have to prevent the chance of anyone ever being infected with this virus again and protect all 330 million US citizens from ever getting sick, we have to keep people safe". we're working hard to "keep people safe". Do not worry we're "keeping you safe".
Anyone else sick and tired of "Being kept safe" by edicts issued by politicians?
A relative who has been in a personal care home for 6 years passed last month. 79 years old, double amputee due to type 2 diabetes, advanced heart disease, and other issues. His death was chalked up to Covid 19.
Some of you folks have had your screws loosened. Now those that do not follow every edict issued blindly are "idiots" LOL. Stay home.......forever.....be safe.
The sky is falling, we're all gonna die.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/18/20 02:15am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: If getting 'Service Temporarily Unavailable!'
Publicly Traded Company......Check
Revenues in billions.........Check
Website that has capacity problems / errors for weeks at a time....Check
IT department? Evidently not LOL.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/15/20 09:38am |
Forum Posting Help and Support
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RE: Awning tie downs
I have a Columbus 5th wheel with an electric awning that I tie down with ratchet straps. I was told you shouldn't do this because you can bend the tube unless you have a spring mounted on the end of the straps. Is this true ?
Asking this question on this or other boards will get you a lot of posts from folks who have never tied down an awning telling you it can't be done, or it will get destroyed, or other foolishness. Its the same folks that tell you if your fridge is 1/2 of a degree out of level it will burn you rig down, or if you drive more than 1 mile on the OEM Chinese made tires on a new rig you'll trigger the apocalypse.
Facts speak otherwise. I have been tying down automatic awnings and leaving them up for weeks at a time for years on a few different rigs and despite being in some thunderstorms and winds up to 50 mph have yet to damage one. The trick is to make and install a pole system, which is super easy to do that connects to the end brackets, and gets staked to the ground. With this method no force from the ratchet strap is transferred to the awning arms.
I made my own which are self storing, and I also made self storing poles that run from awning rail to the end brackets, so de-flapper clips can also be used. Some folks even make and sell kits, brackets, and the poles, which you can find if you search around RV boards. Here is a link to one such thread. LINK
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GDS-3950BH
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05/15/20 08:19am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Opening of National Parks, Forests & State Parks
Well we just was stood up by Delaware....
they made an announcement last night that they would open the beaches and boardwalks for walking and exercise this weekend.
That sounded positive to us.. fast forward to 10 minutes ago - phone just rang, our spots ( 5 ) at Delaware Seashore State Park are all cancelled with full refunds...
They said unless we were Delaware citizens, we could not visit the state for less than 14 days..
so they opened up the economy, and kept the travel ban in place to restrict the out of towners . . .
SO.. if you live in Delaware and want some GOOD, front row sites on the north side, grab them now and enjoy,... Your Welcome...
Sorry man........
I just popped onto their website. By far the most restrictive opening I have seen so far. Look at the bright side.....you're not allowed to do a hell of a lot anyway.
"until the public health threat of COVID-19 has been eliminated"
Which may, and most likely be,..........never.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/13/20 02:23pm |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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RE: 1/2 ton sticker shock
shortage? I,m in north east ohio dealer has 150 fords an 175 chevys on the lot.
Here is a link
https://www.carsdirect.com/automotive-news/covid-19-may-cause-pickup-truck-shortage
Perhaps wishful think on the manufacturers and dealers part. You can not force 30 million folks out of work for months (and that has to be a low number because they do not really know the total yet) and not expect it to affect sales of big ticket items causing them to go down the poop shoot. A large percentage of those folks won't even have a job to go back to.
It's not unlike the rosy picture that RVBusiness and the RVIA and RVDA are painting regarding the RV Industry. It's going in the tank also for the foreseeable future. The ramifications of this shutdown fiasco have not even begun to be felt downstream, hold on tight, it's coming. They have to paint it all pretty for the stockholders.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/05/20 02:54pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: 1/2 ton sticker shock
Sales have plummeted 40%+ for trucks. I think the supply is good for quite a while. Many auto MFG's are offering 0%-84 months. When's the last time we saw that?
They even have a $3500 incentive on the 2500/3500, They don't do that often if at all, I seen $2K once, plus the 84 month-0%. And no payment for 120 days if you feel like really diving in upside down lol.
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GDS-3950BH
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05/05/20 10:13am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Update on Michigan State Parks
D
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GDS-3950BH
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05/05/20 09:26am |
Public Lands, Boondocking and Dry Camping
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