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Forum
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RE: Another guy confused about diesel
The maint. differencces are tiny either way. So much so that if a person knowledgeable in the facts has to be concerned with them then they should probably reconsider this hobby.
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ScottG
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12/17/18 07:06pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: "Enhanced" flooded starting batteries for stop start auto
I thought vehicles that had start-stop capability always used a battery other than their standard starting battery - no?
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ScottG
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12/17/18 07:01pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Winterizing - remove batteries or not?
I leave mine in the TT with a good 3 stage converter taking care of them.
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ScottG
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12/17/18 06:55pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Visiting Tucson? Meet one of the locals...
WOW, that is one big cat!
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ScottG
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12/17/18 04:37pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Another guy confused about diesel
You get a diesel because it does the job better, not because of any cost of ownership reasoning - which is insignificant when comparing to gas engines.
When it comes to fuel additives, they are no more needed with diesel than they are with gas (the shelves are full of gas additives too!).
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ScottG
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12/17/18 04:13pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Is there a Diesel or Gas break point?
Did everyone get the point the OP made about this being a weight thing and not a monetary issue?
This part?
So the fact that a diesel contains more oil or needs some extra things done doesn't concern me at all. Unfortunately upfront costs due matter to us, but its "Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it"......
Not sure what the budget breaking point is. I have a tendency to go a little small if things are tight. Otherwise probably a used truck is best option.
Uh no, This part where the OP clarified his question:
What I meant by a break point, is there a point where a gas 3/4 or 1 ton truck struggles to handle a load. I'd hate to buy a new truck and find myself going up a steep grade only able to do 20 or 30 MPH. We absolutely plan upon touring out west, through higher elevations, even hitting Alaska.
You see I'm trying to avoid repeating some issues that I've had towing a trailer in the past. About 15 years ago, due to my job, we moved from Arizona to Long Island, NY. We thought it would be fun and it was a blast, to drive across the country rather than fly. We had most of our stuff moved by a mover, but we moved our vehicles (Mini-Van and Durango) and some of our "precious" stuff ourselves. So we rented the largest U-Haul trailer we could find and pulled it with our Durango, (318 V8) which was equipped to tow. After we loaded it we had the trailer weighed and we were well within the specs, but we did need to shift the load around a tad. My wife drove the Mini-Van and drove the Durango. For the most part the Durango did fine, except for the climb up to Flagstaff and on the "switch-back" on Rte 40 headed east out of Tennessee. When doing the climb up to Flagstaff I had trouble maintaining speed, I think I was only doing like 20 or 30 mph. The engine temp was climbing real high, so high that I had the heat blasting and it was summer. I had the opposite problem When we hit the "switch-back" coming out of Tennessee, I had trouble keeping my speed down and I white knuckled it all the way down. I'd rather not relive either experience if possible. Even though we had a few "issues" we had a blast. Frankly, it was this trip that spawned the idea of us getting an TT and touring the country "some day". Not only did we see some amazing sites, we also met some equally amazing people. Well "some day" has arrived!
I currently do most of the maintenance on my vehicles now and plan on doing so in the future. So the fact that a diesel contains more oil or needs some extra things done doesn't concern me at all. Unfortunately upfront costs due matter to us, but its "Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it"......
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ScottG
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12/17/18 04:02pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Is there a Diesel or Gas break point?
Did everyone get the point the OP made about this being a weight thing and not a monetary issue?
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ScottG
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12/17/18 12:52pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Is there a Diesel or Gas break point?
Now that the OP has clarified what he meant by "Break point", I would say it is at about 8000# and certainly by 10K#. Between those points all trucks start working pretty hard and if any hills are involved I would bias that number toward the downward number.
Yes, a gas eng can tow what ever but as things get heavier like I described, the diesel works better.
My trailer weighs in at 9300# loaded and full of water. We often tow over the mountains. I would not even consider having anything but a diesel.
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ScottG
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12/17/18 12:17pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Diesel engine storage
If you can, run it and get it moving.
With a diesel MH the biggest problem will be the air brakes freezing up on you with inactivity.
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ScottG
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12/17/18 09:07am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Running your propane Refrigerators while traveling?
This is probably a dumb question, but as long as we were talking about leaving stuff on while driving, What about the furnace while traveling?
That's been brought up here many times. It's perfeclty safe and lots of folks traveling in the cold do so regularly.
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ScottG
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12/16/18 04:47pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: RV to power home temp
We lose electricity every year for 2 - 14 days.
We have an Onan 7kw. If you have a gas furnace, see if a local Home center or radio shack has a Leviton Male Outlet.
We put one of these on the outside of my garage connected to a female receptacle inside and then put another one on the wall between the garage and house wall, again to a standard female receptacle. This allowed us to run standard (not suicide/dead man cord) electric cords from MH genny to garage. In the garage We have the gas furnace wired to a standard socket so We can pull the plug and connect the blower to the genny and route another standard orange electric extension cable to the house for lights. Definitely keeps the pipes from freezing.
We winterize the MH so do not live in it during power outages. We also have gas WH and range, so we can live comfortably in the house.
We have been told that there is a grounding issue that could put your furnace control board in lock out. I talked to the salesman and install technician about how we wanted to use our MH genny. The install technician said some of the above, looked at my genny and said it would work fine. The install technician did all of the wiring to the furnace electrical. Many years later, we are still using that very setup, every winter.
I've been doing the same thing for years but I had to create a bonding plug (connects neutral & ground togther) or the new furnace wont run. The plug simply plugs into one of the outlets on the gen. Any furnace made in the last 10 years (roughly) will require this of any portable gen.
BTW, the the connector you speak of is referred to as an inlet.
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ScottG
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12/16/18 04:37pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Running your propane Refrigerators while traveling?
Dutch, what did the factory use to keep your fridge doors "latched" in transit?
Scott
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ScottG
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12/16/18 10:37am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Running your propane Refrigerators while traveling?
On two occasions we have accidentally turned our fridge off while driving to a CG . Both times we were only two hours away and the temps were in the 70's.
By the time we got to the CG's the inside of the fridge was noticeably warmer - as in unhealthy warm. Also, my fridge was (last TT) insulated better than most with 3" bat on all sides.
So running with them off doesn't work and how could it? Fridges are designed to run about 50% duty cycle. If they could get them to not run for hours at a time, they would.
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ScottG
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12/16/18 10:09am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Running your propane Refrigerators while traveling?
it is dangerous. by far one of the worst things you can do. I know I will get all kinds of flax from saying that but it is true. RV educating 101 guy says no don't do it. the RV Doctor says don't do it. I fought fires for 30 years and I can honestly tell you I have been on fires started by rv fridges that were running while traveling. One guy who owns a truck dealership built a super class C and he made it 30 miles before his Super C burned up. a group of band members were coming through the country side and their C class burned up. a woman who's relatives in a class A burned up with in 20 miles of our town. a gas station we had was leveled in a fire caused by a guy who thought he turned off his fridge before he fueled up started a beaut of a fire almost blowing up half the town but we stopped it before it got to the 10,000 gallon propane tank next to it. yes many on here have been lucky, pure lucky that they haven't lost their RV's or burned a service station to the ground, and that doesn't make it right. I have learned fro ours mistakes and I use reusable ice packs to keep my fridge cold and when I get to camp I refreeze the packs and use them over and over again. but it's up to you what you do. one guy a few years ago said that is why he has insurance. I just hope you are not next to me when it happens
I have two career firemen in my neighborhood - both of them captains with many years of experience. One is now retired.
I asked them about this and neither one of them HAD EVER SEEN AN RV FIRE BECAUSE OF A FRIDGE. NEVER.
The vast majortiy were started in the eng compartment and some from brakes.
I've been RVing for nearly 30 years. Met lots of people and not one has ever had a fire because of the fridge.
I feel 100% safe running with it on and camping next to the tens of millions of others who safely do the same.
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ScottG
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12/15/18 10:41pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: RV to power home temp
As long as your not moving it shouldn't be a problem.
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ScottG
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12/15/18 09:44pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Honey Scams
Sweet!
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ScottG
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12/15/18 09:03pm |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Replacement of coach batteries
You hooked something up wrong. You need to go back through everything.
If you hooked them up backwards, you also blew the reverse polarity fuses at your converter. So even if you correct your wiring, things wont work becase of the fuses.
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ScottG
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12/15/18 08:05pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: 50 amp Power Cord
$150 is a bargain compared to some of the prices I found when doing a search for pre-made cable. $300+ to $459 was the norm for a 25' SOOW.
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ScottG
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12/15/18 09:14am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Securing power awning while in transit
I would think any lock would almost be more dangerous. I can see forgetting about it and trying to extend the awning.
The whole thing is rather strange. The motor would have had to of broken or come loose for the awning to come out by itself.
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ScottG
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12/14/18 07:01pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Camping World issue
Well yeah, that's what they do.
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ScottG
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12/14/18 06:59pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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