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Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Do we have a pickup glut already?
Per an employee at the Ft. Wane GM truck plant the shutdown is because a Michigan supplier is behind on parts. Don't know what bologna GM is trying to spin to the world.
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lenr
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02/24/23 09:26pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Do we have a pickup glut already?
No! Not 'till I see 2023 F-250 and larger sitting on Ford dealer lots. On January 2 Ford had over 250,000 2023 Super Duty orders and hadn't started building them yet. According to multiple dealers you have to show ID, put down a deposit, and take a retail confirming order from Ford to order a 2023. No glut in Ford land.
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lenr
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02/24/23 06:03pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Negative and ground wire questions
Do both. Technically there should be only 1 frame connection, but I've had no problem running a new negative battery to converter wire when the trailer already has 2 frame connections for negative return. I'm concerned about corrosion at frame which is often out in the weather.
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lenr
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02/24/23 05:42pm |
Do It Yourself Modifications and Upgrades (DIY)
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RE: New HD truck bed rails too tall for 5th wheel
My standard suggestions of a process to raise a fifth wheel trailer to level (assuming leaf springs—not torsion axles.)
I discourage the use of Correct Track due to my experience. I added bolt on Correct Track to raise the trailer 2”. In a panic stop a spring hanger ripped off ending up at a 45 degree angle. I attribute that to the extra leverage added by the Correct Track and weak welds from the factory.
1. Check that the springs are on the top of the axle tubes. If not have an axle shop install new tubes with spring perches on the top. They’re not that expensive.
2. On a flat paved area back the trailer up on to stacks of boards (same stack under each tire) until the trailer is parallel with the pavement surface. Check the truck bed clearance and trailer height clearance to see if adjustments are necessary. Measure the boards to see how much lift is needed.
3. Add a MORRyde SRE4000 rubberized equalizer. It will add 1.25” to the height at the axles, and you’ll be amazed how much it will smooth out the trailer ride. You need at least 3” of clearance above the tires before installation as the SRE4000 allows more axle movement. MORRyde also recommends their X-brace be used with the SRE4000.
4. See if taller tires could be used. Using 235/85-16 in place of 235/80-16 will raise about .5” but you need .5” more clearance above the tire. If moving from 15” then new wheels and more clearance is needed. I did this on a prior 27’ fifth wheel trailer ending up with about 1” clearance between the tires.
5. And the strongest solution: have a sub-frame welded on with new spring hangers. MORRyde welds on rectangular tubes to the bottom of the I-beams and no one complains about their work. However, a cross brace welded between the tubes would add strength.
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lenr
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02/21/23 02:29pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Request Structural Change.
My experience:
Leaving out interior furniture->maybe.
Changes to the basic box and runnig gear->no way.
OP needs to shop around for something without a slide. There are a few.
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lenr
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02/21/23 08:44am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Couch ripped out of wall
Impressed that someone actually found tubing to screw to, although aluminum doesn't "bite" well. Walls are actually held together with screws into wood inserted into the tubing. I've experienced a lot of things screwed into only 3/32" paneling. That doesn't last long on our awful roads.
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lenr
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02/13/23 10:05am |
Toy Haulers
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RE: Couch ripped out of wall
Impressed that someone actually found tubing to screw to, although aluminum doesn't "bite" well. Walls are actually held together with screws into wood inserted into the tubing. I've experienced a lot of things screwed into only 3/32" paneling. That doesn't last long on our awful roads.
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lenr
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02/13/23 07:46am |
Toy Haulers
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RE: New Super Duty on order
My opinion—yours may vary:
With a ten speed transmission, a higher numeric ratio axle (ie. 4.30) is not needed. Just put the truck in Tow Haul mode and let it shift. The 3.73 axle will get “slightly” better mileage when not towing while the 4.30 will make little difference when towing (in mileage.) Yes, the 4.30 is rated for a heavier fifth wheel, but the 3.73 is rated for 17,600 or more depending on configuration. While the 4.30 will reduce down shifting from high gear, it won’t do much below high and reduced shifting is one of the goals of Tow Haul mode.
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lenr
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02/11/23 12:59pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: New Super Duty on order
There was a hold up last year for leather seats (Lariat.)
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lenr
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02/11/23 12:58pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Leaf Spring Failure - Replace the Others?
Since OP has a broken spring, he also has an equalizer. If it’s doing its job the wheel weights on the same side will be very close if not the same. A bigger problem in trailers is one side weighing more than the other. The CAT scales that I have used have curbing that doesn’t allow side to side weighing, but I’ve had individual wheel weighing done at an RV rally. That showed that the wheels on the same side were equal or within 50 lbs. But, it also showed that the heavy side (often the appliance side) was 950 lbs. more than the light side. Worse yet, it showed the heavy side to be overloaded for the springs and hubs. We moved some stuff around and started carrying less fresh water (the fresh tank runs front to rear on the heavy side—great design!) and shifted the difference to 750 lbs. now a little below the suspension rating. I was able to verify the improvement by finding a grain elevator scale where I could weigh with one side on the scale with the other side off.
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lenr
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01/19/23 09:20am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Lippert six point levelling jacks
The Lippert 6 pt system (electric, in my experience, not hydraulic) has limited stroke of the jacks at the middle and rear. The front landing gear have plenty of manual and powered adjustment to get unhooked and level out. Getting unhooked is no problem. I will make a manual adjustment of the landing jacks base on my front to rear reading of my level indicators to make sure there is enough powered adjustment left in the landing gear. The middle and rear jacks have limited stroke and will fault the system when they hit limit. So, if the trailer is more than a few inches off level from side to side, blocks under the jacks will get the trailer to level but "could" lift the low side wheels off the ground. Pulling the low side wheels up on boards fist helps prevent that, but still requires blocks under the jacks to keep them from stroking out. I've done it both ways.
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lenr
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09/12/22 08:53pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Lippert six point levelling jacks
^X2 I'm sitting with my wheels 2" off the ground after the 6 pt system leveled. Having experience broken springs and ripped spring hangers, I tend to keep an eye on the suspension system and my shackle links are not inverted. I see inverted links as the only potential problem to wheels off the ground. I do carry a 2x10 board that I can put under the low side wheels to keep some tension on the wheels. I've got two small level indicators stuck inside a cargo door to give me an idea of which jacks need help with wood blocks under them to avoid stroke out.
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lenr
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09/08/22 05:17pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: The Future of Pricing
As I write we are sitting 1 county away from the heart of Indiana RV country, and we were over there the last 3 days of last week. All of the transport lots that we saw (except 1) were plugged to the gills with RVs ready for delivery, and there are plenty sitting round the manufacturing plants. I haven't seen an RV lot from here to Florida in 6 months that wasn't at least 70% full. One of the industry news magazines has reported that manufacturing has declined around 30%. The industry has a history of predicting recessions, and the Fed has said a recession is likely. IMHO prices are going to hold steady or go down. Of course, dealers will still try to convince one that there is a shortage. Fall will be the best time to buy if the dealers get smart, but with downward price pressure coming spring may be just as good. With the current market pressures I wouldn't buy anything for more than a 35% discount. It should also be a good time to buy used. Trucks are a completely different story--They haven't recovered as fast as the RV industry. For instance, Ford won't accept 2023 Super Duty orders from dealers until October 17 for a manufacturing start next year.
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lenr
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08/29/22 03:26pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Jacksonville FL to Pigeon Forge TN to Evansville IN
OP would help by letting us know what type of RV. We use 40, 26, & 95 regularly between IN and the East coast of FL to avoid 75 through GA (and of course Atlanta.) We're towing a fifth wheel with a diesel pickup. "Safest" is tough to describe, but I think our route is safer than 75. You must be ready for long grades in NC and TN and turns on 40 through the mountains. We have taken 26 through Johnson City to avoid construction on 40--from memory it has some long steep grades. You've got to be comfortable driving the RV on these roads. Definitely stick to Interstates through NC and eastern TN.
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lenr
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08/07/22 11:12am |
Roads and Routes
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RE: Propane fridge not working as good
1999 is pretty old fridge. When you give up completely and if you can get to Indiana, check our National RV Refrigeration North of Shipshewana. They know their stuff. They rebuild units, install scratch and dent units, or install new units all at likely less money than anywhere else. They also do AC.
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lenr
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08/07/22 10:52am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Fifth wheel mileage question
2012 F-350 CCSB SRW 6.7 3.31 axle. 24' box 6500 lb., 27' fifth wheel 9400 lb., & 37' fifth wheel 13,500 lb all have averaged around 11 mpg. I believe that aerodynamis is most significant effect on towing mileage.
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lenr
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07/28/22 12:10pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Auto leveling question
My dealer adds a second battery to trailers than come with a 6 point electric leveling system. Guessing he had some complaints. I added even more battery because we have a residential fridge. X2 on measuring voltage to see if the drop is all in the battery or down the chain. I too love the 6 point, but at the moment I have a bad jack.
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lenr
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07/28/22 11:49am |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Winegard antenna… what’s it good for?
The Winegard antenna will receive over the air broadcast TV stations 99% of which are digital and free. You then need a digital TV (the only thing sold for many years). If you don't have one, go buy one. A Roku requires an internet connection possibly from a campground WiFi or from a hot spot on a cellular phone. All of these (TV, WiFi, cellular, etc) have to be in range to work.
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lenr
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07/26/22 02:47pm |
Technology Corner
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RE: just a little more power
The only transmission offered in an F-350 from 2011 to 2019 was the 6R140 6 speed transmission. Shifts down from the top 3 gears down into the next lower gear are all close to 30%. The change from 3.73 to 4.30 is a 15% change. So, about on average the 4.30 axle would save an additional downshift when one is already below 6th about 50% of the time. The 4.30 would definitely reduce downshifts from 6th at highway speeds. Only the OP may decide what is worth what to them. However, if the truck only tows a small percentage of the time, it wouldn't be worth an axle change to most folks.
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lenr
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07/12/22 12:29pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Evansville to Indianapolis airport (I-69) question
37 south of I-465 is a construction mess. I would absolutely use 39, 67, and Ameriplex. I live here.
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lenr
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07/12/22 07:46am |
Roads and Routes
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