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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Furnace won’t light
Isn't there a thing called a sail switch? - I think that is what I have to mess with if mine does not start. Usually it is from sitting for a long time not getting used. I seldom use my furnace and usually only in the spring. Look on YouTube for suggestions. I have found that the best resource.
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Thermoguy
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03/29/23 01:36pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: newer ford and sensing trailer hooked up
I have this problem with my 5th wheel on a chev. I use Dielectric grease and the problem goes away. If it comes back, I clean things up, add more Dielectric Grease and it goes away again.
Works for me.
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Thermoguy
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03/25/23 10:56am |
Towing
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RE: How long should a battery last?
Why use the fridge? you are talking just 1 weekend, use a cooler for your food. Use minimal lights, minimal water (pump).
Problem solved.
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Thermoguy
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03/25/23 10:51am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Bike Rack for Trailer hitch?
Yakima Bike Rack
This is the bike rack you need for the back of a trailer. You will notice it is a good solid rack made by Yakima. Most bike racks have a joint that folds allowing access to the back of a vehicle, but on this one it is fixed, it does not fold. This will not break with the bounce of the trailer. I have one on the back of my 5th wheel, bring up to 4 bikes, have traveled to Glacier from Seattle, never had a problem, only dirty bikes if we hit rain.
As everyone has said, do not use the bumper, that will go bad - period. I have a class 3 hitch welded to the frame of our trailer.
If you do this you can travel with good piece of mind.
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Thermoguy
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03/25/23 10:37am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Help making a decision on truck purchase.
Downgrading a truck to get better gas mileage might not work that great.
I've had 3 in recent years.
2001 GMC 8.1 Liter - didn't get good mileage.
2007 GMC Yukon 5.3 Liter - had the feature that turned off 4 cylinders when driving on the highway, still couldn't get better than about 16mpg
2015 Chev 2500 Diesel - best gas mileage of them all - up to 20 highway, mostly around 16-18 in the Pacific NW. Typical with trailer 12-14.
My work vehicle is a 2016 Ford Explorer - at best 19-20 freeway. Not much better than the 2500... obviously gas is cheaper.
Yes, I have a 3rd vehicle and my truck is only used when I need a truck. I like that I can park in any downtown garage, parking space, etc when working and not worry about trying to park a larger truck. But, If I didn't have the luxury of a 3rd vehicle, then I would be fine driving the 2500 all the time.
The point of this is that my mid size explorer doesn't get much better mileage over the Diesel truck, and the full size SUV was awful on gas. Just because it is less capable doesn't mean it gets better fuel economy.
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Thermoguy
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03/25/23 10:29am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Help making a decision on truck purchase.
What is your tongue weight? What is the payload available on the truck you are looking at? Is that 7000 lbs loaded or dry weight? My 5th wheel is 8500 lbs on the tires, but almost 11K when you consider pin weight.
It mostly about those 2 numbers, but you also need to consider the stability of the setup with a 1/2 ton truck. Also, is a 1/2 ton truck really smaller than a 3/4 ton as far as the width, length? I don't know if I have ever seen a toyota towing a 5th wheel. Is a Tundra a true 1/2 ton?
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Thermoguy
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03/23/23 05:06pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: How long should a battery last?
if you have an extra battery, run them in parallel. My RV was set up with 2 RV/Marine batteries in parallel when I got it. After I found I didn't want to camp in an apartment complex I started boondocking. At that point when we needed batteries we switched to 6v GC batteries, better and longer life. But, I also bring a generator so I can charge up the batteries after a few days. We have a propane fridge.
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Thermoguy
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03/23/23 12:54pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Seven States to Ban the Sale of Gas Powered Cars in 2035
Back to the subject of the thread....
Some areas are going to ban the sale of ICE vehicles, but what I have seen is major cities banning the sale of gas and Diesel. Its an attempt to reduce smog and pollutants. Yes, all politically motivated. All of this will change in the next 15 years. Look what's changed in the last 15.
What would be great is if we could save most of these comments then go back in 15 years and see how wrong we all were. My crystal ball says all of you ICE hard core enthusiasts will change your mind when you get your first non ICE vehicle and when they release something that can tow the biggest 5th wheel with less effort than our gas hogs now. It's coming.... just like everything else.... sooner than you think.
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Thermoguy
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03/22/23 02:51pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Prevost developing an electric coach.
The reason the electric bus is better than a diesel bus is that a bus stops a lot. An electric bus uses no energy when it is stopped, a diesel bus keeps running. In addition, diesel buses have to be taken out of service to fuel up, an electric bus does not. What they are doing is using inductive charging to charge the bus and keep it running. A typical bus route a bus has multiple locations where it has a planned stop for 15-30 minutes or maybe more, that is where they put inductive charge pads where the bus stops, this is where the bus recharges for the next part of the route. It is proving to be a great use of EV technology.
Do these inductive charge pads exist, or is this just a concept?
These are in use now. I am aware of transit agencies and WA and OR currently using them. One is a rural transit agency in Wenatchee WA and they drive quite a ways between stops in Wenatchee and Leavenworth where they have these installed.
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Thermoguy
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03/12/23 05:13pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Prevost developing an electric coach.
Article isn't clear. The picture is a tour bus but the writeup implies transit bus.
Transit can work because with regenerative braking and rarely exceeding 40mph, efficiency is far better than a brick cruising at a steady 70mph.
No, savings from policing accidents is no where close to enough to justify free rides. Where you can justify is if you can avoid road widening and similar costs...but diesel busses do just as well at this.
Ok. But busses with tail pipes are being banned from more and more small towns and cities in Europe. People just don’t want tail pipes in their towns. We have see this first hand the hard way. :). . There is a market for tour busses without tail pipes.
The reason the electric bus is better than a diesel bus is that a bus stops a lot. An electric bus uses no energy when it is stopped, a diesel bus keeps running. In addition, diesel buses have to be taken out of service to fuel up, an electric bus does not. What they are doing is using inductive charging to charge the bus and keep it running. A typical bus route a bus has multiple locations where it has a planned stop for 15-30 minutes or maybe more, that is where they put inductive charge pads where the bus stops, this is where the bus recharges for the next part of the route. It is proving to be a great use of EV technology.
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Thermoguy
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03/12/23 10:28am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: 2002 3/4 Ton Heavy Duty Diesel Chevy 2500
Are you just looking to tow the trailer from where you buy it to your permanent spot or are you looking to travel around using that truck? It seems from the post you live in a stationary trailer on a lot somewhere. If you are looking to haul one time that is different from worrying about lots of travel. One option if you find a 5th wheel larger than the 2500 can tow, just pay someone to deliver it. I would stay in the 12-14K range if it is a 1 time tow to your lot. Don't want to have problems if you are borrowing a truck.
Also, do you have a 5th wheel hitch? A lot of people just think they can use a gooseneck hitch, so be careful of that. You don't want to bend a frame just getting something home.
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Thermoguy
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03/11/23 01:59pm |
Towing
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RE: 2007 Tahoe Tow/Haul mode
Leave it in Drive and use the Tow Haul mode.
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Thermoguy
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03/11/23 01:53pm |
Towing
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RE: Genesis GV80 SUV Safe to tow the Micro Minnie? or not?
Also, never assume you are going to haul a dry trailer with no cargo. Your trailer weight will go up when you put stuff in it. You need to be able to haul a trailer with all tanks full, fresh, waste, propane, etc. Better under weight for the tow rig as opposed to overweight even more so with an SUV.
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Thermoguy
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03/11/23 01:35pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: I Bought Too Much Truck
What did you tow that 37' trailer with prior to the F250? I would guess that is too much trailer for 1/2 ton truck. You could downsize the trailer then downsize the truck.
I know my 3/4 ton truck is easier to park then my Yukon was prior. Also, the long bed does make more truck than a short bed. But its good to have when you need a bed. I hate my short bed.
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Thermoguy
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03/11/23 01:08pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Electric and ICE forever together?
The amount of EV haters and EV illiterates on this site amazes me. What I don't understand is if you have an RV and you boondock, you have an EV. You have to determine how much battery power you have, how long you can go on that battery, and what to do when the battery gets low. You have all the same issues as any EV vehicle has, range anxiety, charging concerns, etc. How do you go through your day with all those concerns. I know, you use a generator that burns gas. Without one you can't boondock!! hmmm... Only lots of people on here find ways to use things like solar and other power sources.
How is driving an EV any different? Hopefully everyone understands our government is doing every thing it can to change how many charging stations are available and where. Not that you will find one off grid, but you might have one within a few miles of that dirt road. If you have a 200 mile range and you are leaving pavement, you probably won't run out of electricity unless you just aren't paying attention, but as someone said, then you would probably run out of gas as you don't pay attention to that gauge also. I know, you lose lots of range when you hook up to a trailer. There are only 2 EV trucks on the market today, there are 2 more coming, what's coming after that. What will you think when range with a trailer is 600 miles and you have more torque than any diesel truck out there... you might change your mind?
Also, EV really does not mean Electric Vehicle, it means any vehicle that doesn't burn fossil fuels as its main source of power. That opens a lot of doors in the next 10 years.
I don't have one. If I had an extra 100K I would be looking at the new Sierra with 400 mile range. It wouldn't tow my RV, but that will change in the near future.take the basic math you learned in high school and do the math on just what it would take to recharge with a rv solar system or generator. then get back to me.
I never suggested you would charge an EV with solar or a generator, I suggested that if you boondock with an RV then you are already familiar with DC powered life and you know how to calculate what you need to get where you are going or how long you will be there.
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Thermoguy
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03/06/23 01:45pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Electric and ICE forever together?
The amount of EV haters and EV illiterates on this site amazes me. What I don't understand is if you have an RV and you boondock, you have an EV. You have to determine how much battery power you have, how long you can go on that battery, and what to do when the battery gets low. You have all the same issues as any EV vehicle has, range anxiety, charging concerns, etc. How do you go through your day with all those concerns. I know, you use a generator that burns gas. Without one you can't boondock!! hmmm... Only lots of people on here find ways to use things like solar and other power sources.
How is driving an EV any different? Hopefully everyone understands our government is doing every thing it can to change how many charging stations are available and where. Not that you will find one off grid, but you might have one within a few miles of that dirt road. If you have a 200 mile range and you are leaving pavement, you probably won't run out of electricity unless you just aren't paying attention, but as someone said, then you would probably run out of gas as you don't pay attention to that gauge also. I know, you lose lots of range when you hook up to a trailer. There are only 2 EV trucks on the market today, there are 2 more coming, what's coming after that. What will you think when range with a trailer is 600 miles and you have more torque than any diesel truck out there... you might change your mind?
Also, EV really does not mean Electric Vehicle, it means any vehicle that doesn't burn fossil fuels as its main source of power. That opens a lot of doors in the next 10 years.
I don't have one. If I had an extra 100K I would be looking at the new Sierra with 400 mile range. It wouldn't tow my RV, but that will change in the near future.
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Thermoguy
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03/05/23 11:09am |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: New Travel trailer
Your 3/4 ton Duramax should be fine pulling that. That is what it was designed for - that and more.
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Thermoguy
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03/01/23 05:22pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: New Tires
After a blowout and realization that I had problems with other tires (all due to age, tried to squeeze 1 more season) I had to use my spare which was also old. It worked fine for the remainder of my trip, a couple hundred miles and was still OK, but I replaced all 4 with new and used one I had to buy to get me through as the new spare. I think you will be OK with your spare, or use one of the 4 for a new spare and change 1 out each time you put new ones on the ground.
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Thermoguy
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03/01/23 03:30pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Pets left alone in RV at campground?
Every dog is different, but we leave our dogs alone in the camper often depending on where we are going. We bring their kennels and put them in when we are gone, the both sleep and stay quite, never had anyone complain and we have asked if they bark.
We have gone to Yellowstone, left the dogs home. We went to Glacier, stayed outside the park. Locked the dogs up when we were in the park, they were fine. We also go to events where the dogs are not allowed outside the RV area, we lock them up, there is lots of activity around the RV's, the dogs never bark when inside, but bark at lots of people when they are tied outside the RV. We never leave them unattended outside the RV.
When we typically go camping, we are doing it for the dogs as much as ourselves. Every day we plan times to go hiking, with the dogs. We don't go places the dogs can't go and we plan our days around activities that involve everyone and the dogs. Camping is a full family activity.
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Thermoguy
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02/26/23 10:30am |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Tankless water heater
My question at this point would be; what is the largest Propane/Electric water heater can I replace this new tankless water heater with? The original was a6 gallon unit and I do not believe there is any space available, after modifications to squeeze in a larger water heater.
It seems like your real questions is if a 6 gal water heater is enough hot water for your needs. With a family of 3 that often takes showers back to back, we have not found any issues with enough hot water. When camping without hookups we always take navy showers so we don't use much hot water.
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Thermoguy
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02/24/23 01:17pm |
Travel Trailers
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