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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: New battery tech (Has this been posted yet?)
Taking a lesson from the software makers, I say “sounds great. I’ll believe it when I see it.” Until then, it’s “vaporware.”
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naturist
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11/20/19 12:55pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: convection oven not cooking
Our RV has a convection/microwave oven, and I have found that it works but in spite of claims that it cooks faster than conventional ovens, I've found it to be slower, even accounting for warm up time.
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naturist
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11/18/19 06:17pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: It's called a Tiny Home?
Park model RV.
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naturist
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11/17/19 03:47pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Broken key, locked out of TT, no spare :(
Fortunately, the broken key part I was able to get out. Unfortunately, it seems something broke inside the mechanism. It would not turn at all, no matter what we did. So it may have to be drilled out.
A few years ago it was revealed that a large number of the most commonly used door locks on RVs were defective, in that sometimes the lock would freeze up if the key was removed after locking if the key was not in the vertical position, but in the horizontal position. When this happened, the door could not be opened from either inside or outside, and the only solution was to drill out the lock and replace the entire mechanism. You don't say what year your rig is, but if it is more than 3 or 4 years old, you may have one of those defective locks.
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naturist
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11/13/19 03:05pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: I think they’re doing it wrong
egad, and the OP was driving BESIDE that wreck-looking-for-a-place-to-happen.
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naturist
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11/13/19 08:51am |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: How much SOLAR?
All those folks saying 300, 400 watts needed are not considering that unless you are also considering how much battery you have, AND you are only running stuff at noon, most of that solar capacity will be a waste of money.
Here's why.
For the most part, running things takes power out of the battery, unless you are using LESS power than the panels are creating AT THAT MOMENT. The panels replace what comes out of the battery, but only while the sun is shining, and then mostly only during the 4 hours around noon when the sun is strongest. 100 watts of panels will produce just about the 40 amp hours you dare use of the standard 80 amp hour single battery most TTs are delivered with. If that's all the battery you have, putting 200 watts on it means it will fully charge in only 3 or 4 hours. If you have 400 watts worth of panels, AND provided your battery can also charge at that high rate, it'll only take an hour or so. What happens to the charge from that 400 watts of panels during the rest of the solar day? Unless you have a device running during that time, all that capacity does exactly nothing. Waste of money.
So here's the deal: (A) you bet, more of everything is better -- but possibly wastefully expensive; (B) if you don't actually USE 1,000 amp hours of power daily, you don't need the ten 100 amp hour lithium batteries costing $10,000; (C) if a single 80 amp hour lead acid battery works for you, you only need a single 100 watt solar panel, unless, perhaps, you camp permanently under cloudy skies or under the trees.
Get a grip folks. Figure out how much power you actually use, buy the batteries necessary to support that use, and then buy the solar panels needed to keep those batteries charged. Use the money you saved by not buying excess capacity to go camping!
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naturist
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11/13/19 08:46am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Passports
Are you feeling lucky today?
Just renew the passport NOW. Do not procrastinate. It takes weeks to get the new passport back, unless you are also feeling rich and want to use the expensive expedited method.
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naturist
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11/13/19 08:30am |
RVing in Mexico and South America
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RE: Microwaves on inverters.
Any estimate on what a 200amp/hr LiFe battery bank would cost? (Remember, this is IN ADDITION to the house batteries.)
Here is a link to a 100amp/hr LiFe battery for $1,300.00. Two of them would be over $2,500.00. I assume that is ball park.
LiFe 100amp/hr battery
Do you REALLY want microwave/Mr. Coffee THAT badly?
Battleborn batteries
Relion batteries
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naturist
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11/12/19 09:15am |
Tech Issues
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RE: How much SOLAR?
This guy wrote a GREAT book, and has this web site with all kinds of helpful info: click.
How much solar depends on (as others have noted) how much power you need/use. It also very much depends on how much you have in the way of batteries, for if you have more solar panels than you have batteries, you will find you can't use the power those panels produce, and if you have too few panels, you won't be able to keep the battery fully charged.
Spring for that guy's book. It is very well written, and easy to understand.
When my little 1800 watt inverter generator died last year, I went solar. I never expected to be able to run the AC, couldn't do that with that generator anyway. I've only one 80 Amp hour 12 volt battery on my TT, and it turns out that a single 100 watt solar panel is probably all that's needed to keep that battery charged, on average. But I plan to upgrade soon to a single 100 amp hour lithium battery, and that calls for two 100 watt panels. I find that those 2-100 watt panels turned into a dandy folding package that is easily portable. But that's as much as I'd want to have to schlep around.
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naturist
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11/11/19 07:15pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: I'm In College Football Haven Over Here!
So, LSU, 46 to 41, Congrats, Tigers!
I was hoping the margin would be big enough to rid the playoffs of one of them, but 5 points is still enough for a win.
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naturist
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11/09/19 05:30pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: I'm In College Football Haven Over Here!
Yup, Minnesota is for real. Next week the buckeyes play Rutgers, which should be a snoozer.
LSU is doing well against 'Bama, in what should be a real shootout. Whichever one wins, I hope they win big, to get the loser out of the playoff mix.
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naturist
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11/09/19 03:09pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Bummed out
Rant heard. Words fail. Best wishes, hang in there, brother.
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naturist
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11/09/19 07:55am |
Around the Campfire
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RE: diesel rebate
Not unless you live in Virginia, your truck weighs less than 8,000 lbs, and you buy your diesel fuel at retail, in which case there is a fuel tax rebate program. The downside is that you have to file for it, keep your receipts, and last year, with two diesel vehicles, I got back about $50.
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naturist
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11/08/19 12:53pm |
Tow Vehicles
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RE: Having a SENIOR moment
The merging thing. Why don't drivers, cars mostly, not get over if they can to let vehicles on, especially things like RVs & semis which are not able to speed up quickly?
It is a simple matter to show a little courtesy to help that big guy on the highway.
Why do car drivers expect that big rig to just get out of their way? Everyone assumed the responsibility of getting themselves safely down the road by accepting that driver’s license. It is no one else’s responsibility to you, it is yours alone. I have had people fly into road rage because I failed to run the guy passing me in the other lane off the road so they could meander onto the freeway. Not my job to merge you in, bud. The key is “if they can.” And if I can’t, it’s still your job, not mine.
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naturist
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11/03/19 06:16pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Campground Theft
Ah, where are Tony and the boys when you need them?
We went to a special interest festival camp years ago, where a female friend had her purse stolen. She knew who had taken it, although she hadn’t seen the theft itself, and went to one of the organizers, a guy named Tony. At breakfast in the dining hall the next morning she pointed him out to Tony, who said he’d take care of it. 5 minutes later, Tony flanked by these two big bruisers walked up behind the accused, and announced that a theft had occurred, that the perp was known, and that smart people knew that thefts simply do not happen here, and finally that he expected the goods would be back in the victim’s hands within the next 15 minutes. Never looked at the guy, never said who or what, just said his piece and walked away. BTW, Tony is Italian, very Italian.
Yes, indeed, they were.
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naturist
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11/03/19 06:05pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: I'm In College Football Haven Over Here!
Georgia-Florida and hoping West Virginia beats Notre Dame
I dunno, but I think West Virginia has to play Notre Dame in order to be able to beat them. At least that’s the way it seems to work.
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naturist
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11/03/19 05:51pm |
Around the Campfire
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RE: Aftermarket Trailer Hitch
I'm with them: don't do it. Bad idea. Bad for directional stability (rigs that come with one have been designed to account for it; yours wasn't). And illegal many places to drag firewood around -- there's a fine involved. Much cheaper to buy it locally.
That is a small trailer, lightweight, and it won't have a very high tongue weight to begin with. For every 100 lbs you load on the back bumper, you will probably take 80 lbs or so off the tongue weight. It won't take much at all back there to make the thing wag your tow vehicle like a dog's rear end. Very, very scary to drive, and extremely dangerous.
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naturist
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11/03/19 07:43am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Short list of narrow track TT and TH's.
Winnebago Micro Minnie 2106 & 2108 are hard sided TTs that are 7 feet wide.
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naturist
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11/02/19 12:47pm |
Beginning RVing
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RE: Difficulty Reducing Tongue Weight
Generally speaking, lower tongue weight results in DECREASED directional stability, not increased. Given that you are too heavy for the truck, I’m gonna stick my neck out and suggest the problem is your rear tires are overloaded. Have you tried adding five psi to those tires?
From what you have described, you are right on the edge of stability. If the rear tires are slightly overloaded at whatever pressure you have there, 5 psi would make a world of improvement. If you are already at their max as shown on the sidewalk, you can still add 5 for a brief test, just don’t leave them there or hit any big bumps or potholes. If the added air solves the stability issue, you will know you need higher load range tires. It’s an experiment.
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naturist
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11/02/19 12:05pm |
Towing
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RE: Propane winterizing
Just exactly why would anyone think that ANY special attention is needed for propane tanks during periods of non-use ?? (regardless of the length of time).
Hint: There is NO good reason to mess with them at all. Turn off the valve at the tanks and don't mess with anything else.
My theory? Too much time, not enough to do. Wish I had that problem.
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naturist
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11/02/19 11:31am |
Tech Issues
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