RandyA

I'm getting off topic here, but I do want to share what I saw in a campground in Michigan when there in 2015. It was an older Jayco 5th wheel with aluminum siding, probably around 34 feel long and having 2 slide outs. The owner had built an extension to the under hitch area (doghouse) by welding additional steel to the fiver frame that he had salvaged from a wrecked TT. This gave him the steel and the A-frame to make the fiver into a bumper pull. Additional vertical steel beams were welded from the TT frame to the fiver Z frame so that he could enclose the space under the front of the fiver. This gave him considerable extra storage space. He retained the electric landing jacks that were OEM to the Jayco. The 5.2K trailer axles had been replaced with 7K axles sporting 8-lug rims and G rated Goodyear tires. He was a full-timer and pulled his modified trailer with a roll-back wrecker that was built on a Ford F550 dually. He carried a Honda Civic and a Moped on the roll-back that had a 14' aluminum Jon boat mounted over the Civic. His work was extremely neat and the aluminum siding he salvaged from the wrecked TT to enclose his new space was a close match to the Jayco. At a glance most folks would not have noticed what he had done. I did make pictures but alas, I cannot find them. BTW, a photo of the dolly to convert a fifth wheel into a bumper pull.

(If Florida is your domicile and you want to keep it that way and register a HDT as a RV there) I think the deal registering in Florida as an RV is the "Weight Bearing Hitch". It has been a few years since I looked into it but at one time you could register as an RV if you were going to pull a ball hitch trailer or build a box on the frame and did not have a fifth wheel hitch - like the unit I saw in Tampa with a PU slide in camper mounted behind a large dom box. The fifth wheel hitch of any kind on or between the frame rails (goose neck, aftermarket, OEM) was the deal killer. I have seen some HDT's while in FL pulling a fiver with one of those dolleys (two extra wheels) that attach to the pin box and then are pulled by the ball hitch. That gives you your full bed plus gets around the weight bearing hitch issue. One of the regular attendees at the ECR has one of these rigs but I cannot remember his name. Though probably illegal but able to "slide by" would be to remove the fiver hitch, register as a RV, and then .... well, you can guess the rest. Someone with more experience would need to share the potential outcome of such an action with insurance companies and a possible inspection by a LEO. Going the private truck route, even if not commercial, may legally require you to enter weight stations and may change your driver license endorsement. Brainstorming an idea a while back I envisioned a goose neck ball coming up from a bumper hitch (which actually welds or bolts to the lower part of the frame) with strong steel tubing or a boxed beam sporting brackets to the frame rails and a goose neck pin box on a fiver. Maybe an idea to explore? What I have found that often kills any insurance deal is the HDT VIN number. As soon as the DMV or ins company sees the first three numbers/characters at the beginning of the VIN that all commercial HDT's have, games over - no go.

The gas struts for the Volvo hood. Does anyone know the "pounds" they are rated for? I did find this on Amazon for the VNL but they are $29.75 each. Than is better than the $50+ from a dealer but still pretty high in my opinion.

Ordered my struts last Wednesday night. They arrived Last Friday (2 days). Using a small blade screwdriver to lift the holding clips, I replaced all 4 in less than 10 minutes. It was in the 40's, they do the supporting job very well. Put your hand on the compartment lid edge when opening to slow them down or they will fly up. If not, you could lose a tooth when the lid smacks you in the chin. Happy camper! Now, the old struts still had some spring back even though they would not fully support the truck's compartment lids. I "checked" them by pushing against an old UPS scale and they tested at 20 lbs with good spring back. I'm not going to toss them. Still good for lighter compartment lids. Something else to put in the junque box out in the barn. Many thanks to Parrformance for the tip on where to find them for an excellent price.

The vendor is possibly scratching their head as to why so many are being ordered this week. After looking on ebay and other vendor sites these were the least expensive (Amazon) with free shipping and returns (Prime). They are suppose to be here Friday. Now, does anyone have a match for the hood gas struts? I too share some of the concerns about how the big box stores have put the small local merchants out of business. I miss our old family owned hardware, farm, ham radio/electronics, RV parts stores. Sadly, Amazon is now the ONLY place I can find many items that I need or want - especially small electronic parts and modules.

I own a 2004 with the D12. About 500,000 fewer miles than the one you are looking at. Other items that I have had to deal with are ball joints, steering box, leveling valves, front brake shoes and drums, brake cans, air dryer valve body, power steering hoses, a/c compressor, belts, batteries, air bags, shocks, U-joints and what really hurt was an "overhead" with all injector cups and an injector replacement. The oil leak Carl mentioned is an issue that the owner has to decide if they want to spend the money on or not. I chose not to and simply opened the loom on the harness so oil could not get into the EECM. I put a "diaper" wrapped in foil at the opening where oil might drip and change it once a year. A lot cheaper than a new harness and seal. Yes, the D12 is a good engine as far as I am concerned - but there is a lot more possibly going on at 1.1 million miles than engine issues.

Reply redundant - sorry - deleted.

I recently had exactly the same problem and went through the same troubleshooting issuses you described initially. After going through the possible outside items that could cause this to happen I pulled the furnace out, removed the blower so I could access the burner tube and igniter and found that the burner assembly like the one KirkW showed above was badly burnt, missing some of the area where the dot matrix holes are and had a bad physical distortion. This area is directly over the igniter so it is important to adjust the igniter gap to 1/8" or less. You have "about" 6,000 volts going to the igniter and anything over 1/8" may not allow a spark. I ordered a new burner assembly on Amazon ($32), replaced it and the furnace works beautifully - with the exception of eating propane faster than my diesel truck does its fuel. I betcha a cookie to a doughnut you have a bad burner. It is NOT hard to replace - the only tool you must have is a long reach 1/4" nut driver or a 1/4" socket set with a long extension and of course the square drive Robertson driver for the outside screws - a #2 Phillips may also be needed. Removing the propane supply tube requires care as it would be easy to break something if you do not support it well. Honestly, not a difficult job. But, you have had the furnace out so you know this. BTW, the exhaust and fresh air intake tubes on the outside MUST be installed to test the furnace in the camper. Without them the furnace senses a problem and shuts down. I learned this part the hard way 🤕.

Ahaaaaaa......"The Sent of a Woman." (A reference to the movie, that is 🙂)

Being new a new heater this may be off base. Guess it depends on how much the furnace has been used? I just when through similar problems with our older model Dometic furnace. Like you, at first I thought it was the propane supply (Nope), next item was sail switch (Nope again), wondered about igniter board and swapped out one I had and knew was good (Nope once more). Finally I pulled the furnace out to be sure the igniter and propane nozzle was OK. But what I found was the internal burner head (shaped like the front of a shoe with lots of 1/8" holes on the bottom side - propane is fed into it .) was corroded, warped and had a big hole burnt in it so propane entering the fire box was not dispersed as designed. As such it would light then cut off seconds later only to keep repeating the cycle over and over. I replaced the burner (about $30us), gaped the igniter and no more problems.

The sole purpose of any fuse is to guard against over current. All of the above will accomplish that. What begins to make a difference in fuses is the time it takes to open when an over current condition occurs. Thus, we have both fast acting, slo-blow and some in between. Secondary is location (inside, outside, wet, dry, ambient temperature, ease of replacement, etc.) I personally do not see any need to go beyond an ANL or possibly a Mega fuse with a weather tight cover for anything on our trucks or trailers. Each are inexpensive and easy to replace. Now, if I were supplying high current power at a voltage much greater than our 13-14 volts to sensitive medical equipment I would be more particular about selecting a fuse type - most likely a class T or better. You may find the Class T too fast acting for battery to inverter protection where you are often maxing to the surge current. Bottom line - buy which ever fuse type gives you the most comfort for a restful nights sleep. All of my "big" fuses are ANL, which typically act faster than a "Mega" fuse but slower than a "T".

About your cables...... yes, you can use low oxygen stranded copper welding cable as many of us do. But...... you will eventually experience the "blue hue" where any copper is exposed (like at the Anderson plug and lugs) to the road salts and environmental crap encountered along the way that a welder would not see. This oxidation will seep into places you would never expect, even with the addition of an anti-ox coating. Yea, you can use marine heat shrink for protection but that is no guarantee. Thus, even if it is more expensive, it is best to use "tinned" Marine Grade cable which will also have the jacket or outer covering needed for UV, salt, and diesel exhaust soot (very corrosive) protection. I have seen multiple copper cables literally eaten alive where the jacket has broken or cracked creating a high resistance point that generates heat and a voltage drop that grows like an avalanche. I don't mind spending someone else's money on marine grade cables - they aren't just for boats anymore.

Email I received from Truck Pipes USA Steel Shortage I just wanted to keep everyone in the loop on what is happening in the Exhaust Industry. We work with 4 of the Top exhaust manufacturers in the USA and CANADA, and all of our vendors are out of 4" & 5" Tubing, as well as some 4" & 5" Band Clamps. The Scoop Hopefully, this shortage won't last too long, but if you are needing exhaust pipes in the near future, it may be hard to get, or there may be a delay in shipping due to the ongoing shortage. NORMA, the largest clamp manufacturer has faced many shutdowns due to COVID-19 and that has affected supply. We are working with our vendors to secure inventory on a daily basis. As of now, we are working on a first-come, first-serve basis for all orders. If you place an order and we are out of stock, you can choose to have your order be placed in the queue to be produced when the materials become avaialble.

One other thing to keep in mind, especially if you are replacing an existing inverter for one providing more wattage out. Microwave ovens do not operate efficiently on a "modified sine wave" inverter (Jack calls them truck stop inverters). They will work on a MSW but the microwave cooking power is drastically reduced. Most all of the inexpensive dorm size microwaves that will fit in our trucks depend upon an internal transformer to step up the voltage for the Klystron. Unlike a true sine wave, the needed peak power need for a transformer to provide its design voltage is not provided by a MSW inverter. You can still cook a pot roast, but it might take 3 hours on a MSW and 1 hour on a true sine wave. Larger and more expensive microwaves offering inverter technology as a feature perform more efficiently on a MSW.

Sweet, but not nearly as much fun as my '88 with the supercharged 3800 in place of the original 2.8. It is what the little car should have been had GM's bean counters and the Chevy guys being afraid of what it could do to Corvette sales. Getting off topic so let me throw in that I just completed full PM on the Volvo (grease, oil, filters, brakes, tires, lights, etc.) The exhaust system from the engine to the stack is going down hill fast - a combination of rust and 800,000 miles of metal eating diesel fumes. I have it patched up for what I hope will be at least the next 3,000 miles it will see between December and April. I'm still thinking I will go for a weed burner with only a resonator or a shorty muffler. SS flex from engine back. Use the existing stack for a tailpipe pointing down just aft of the passenger side fuel tank.

I'm debating if I should drive it or not. I have ordered one of those inflatable plastic bubbles that you can store cars in. They have filters for dust and humidity control. I hope that is going to work OK. 😶

Pretty close 🤕. We spend December through March in Melbourne. I like the weather during those months. We live in what is known as the "Tidewater" of VA. Upper 90's to low 100's plus unbearable humidity are not unusual here in July and August. Not Arizona, but it does get hot. We come home in the summer to let our doctors and dentists fix everything so we can come to your state in the winter. I am making no argument - only reporting what I have observed and learned. The center of the entire conversation and question was if cycling water in the tanks was needed or to just keep them dry. My response was to shoot for 5 ppm of chlorine easily obtained from regular bleach to keep everything sanitary. Heading your way soon (I hope).

It is not uncommon for "raw" water to contain tiny organisms that WILL grow in the dark. These come from the soil and rock in the aquifer the water flows through. These organisms are harmless to the human body but can cause water from the source that is exposed to oxygen to develop a bad taste or slimy surface over time. Our well water comes from an aquifer over 500 feet down in limestone and has tested as free of any harmful bacteria. We have been drinking it for 23 years and are still here. This is normal for raw water from any natural source. Most bottled water is purified through RO from a municipal source with minerals added back or treated "as is" with UV light to kill any such bacteria. If your experience is different that is great. But my experience indicates caution if storing raw water in a RV tank during HOT weather for extended periods of time. Add a measured amount of Sodium Hypochlorite for safety. My information comes directly from a friend that has a PhD in chemistry and is the Chief Director of a water treatment facility. I have trusted his advice for RV water for decades.

Our experience goes like this: Our water source at home is from a deep well. It is truly "raw" water with no chemicals added. Water from the well left in the fresh water tank in hot weather goes bad (slimy, smelly or bad tasting) fairly quick - like maybe a week or less. Water from a municipal water supply is treated with chemicals like chlorine, fluoride and who knows what else. Municipal water stays usable for a longer period of time (often a month or more). Now, the question is - when at a campground - where does the water come from? If you want to be sure it is OK you can add regular, unscented bleach (read the label for % of Sodium Hypochlorite ) so you end up with the acceptable 5 ppm chlorine to well water or even municipal treated water as follows: (Note - adding these small amounts of Sodium Hypochlorite to municipal water will not harm you. But, if you smell a strong chlorine odor from your municipal water with or without the added chlorine it is best to stop additional treatment.) As you may know, you can run chlorine treated water through a carbon block filter to remove the chlorine (bleach) taste and odor. For your convenience - one teaspoon is equal to about 5 cc. It is much easier to add bleach with a syringe than a teaspoon. Bleach containing 5.25% Sodium Hypochlorite 5 Gallons water, 1/2 teaspoon bleach 10 Gallons water, 3/4 teaspoon bleach 50 Gallons water, 4 teaspoons bleach Bleach containing 8.25% Sodium Hypochlorite 5 Gallons water, 1/4 teaspoon bleach 10 Gallons water, 1/2 teaspoon bleach 50 Gallons water, 2-1/2 teaspoons bleach This "formula" will keep your fresh water tank clean and stored water drinkable for as long as one month. Keeping a few gallons of treated water in your tank to slosh around and flush the potty when needed with this mixture will also mean you do not need to "shock" your water tank with a stronger solution of bleach but once a season.

You can get 50 of them with resistors on Amazon for under $10. I don't have the URL but search 50Pcs F5 5x13mm Super Bright Green Light Neon Light Bulb Indicator Lamp w 82K Resistor or if you want the red rather than green search (again on Amazon) for uxcell 100Pcs F5 5x13mm Bright Red Light Neon Light Bulb Indicator Lamp w 150K Resistor - with the latter you get 100 for around $12. I wish I had some spares but I have no idea what may have happened to them. They are nowhere to be found in my junque box. Sorry yours broke - but I tried to warn you! 😃

I'm really sorry to hear that you picked up "The Virus" but extremely glad to learn that your symptoms were relatively mild. Yes, we are following the birds south for the winter despite the virus. The contagion map on the Mayo Clinic's web site is showing a lower incidence of the virus where we are going than where we are currently living. Of course, other snowbirds will be arriving at the park from a multitude of other states and we have no way of knowing if they are carriers of the virus or not. Fortunately, virtually all of our group activities are outdoors. Use of masks, washing hands and disinfection of common surfaces will prevail. We can't stay hidden forever - we always take some sort of risk no matter where we are. They put headlights and seat-belts on our trucks as a caution even if we don't drive at night or expect a crash. I'm very glad to know you are getting well without major complications.

I actually hate phones. "Social Media" does nothing for me. But - I admit there are some phone Apps that do make my hobbies and car/truck interest easier. I more often than not leave my iPhone on my dresser all day and take a quick look before going to bed. If it were not for the safety of my wife, kids and grandchildren and using WYZE on the road I doubt that I would own one. It got so bad at family gatherings several years ago that I would unplug my internet to discourage "phone" usage (Never give visiting family your wifi password!). The next step was "park it at the door" or leave, which actually made family gatherings enjoyable again. Texting on a "smart phone" has always amused me - perhaps through my obsession and activity with Radio Teletype on Ham Radio frequencies in the late 60's and 70's. I used surplus military and Western Union behemoths with more clicks and clacks than an old freight train. I still have some absolutely fantastic ASCII art done with nothing more than keyboard characters on rolls of yellowed newsprint. I really loved RTTY. Facebook offers me nothing other than a occasional car part or tool find on For Sale groups when eBay fails me. I am not ashamed to admit I have never Twittered, Instagram(ed) or Tic Tok(ed). Before I retired I spent more time on the phone freely answering questions than actually doing work that I could get paid for. I'm with Vern all the way except I spend too much time fishing and not enough catching. Maybe he will give in and let us know where the fish are biting.

I have a clear plastic bug deflector on the hood of my Volvo. I recently needed to replace the banner on the deflector. I chose a new one pictured here. Now, maybe I won't get those "Have enough truck" comments. Yes, it is better to have more truck than you need than to need more truck than you have. Click For Full-Size Image.

You indicated "marine grade" wire. YES, absolutely! Much of the wire available through economy outlets is aluminum with a copper outer coating. That stuff is horrible. It corrodes rapidly and spools from China that say perhaps 14 gauge are NOT necessarily America Wire Gauge. China's 14 gauge generally works out to 18 AWG. To everyone adding wiring to your truck, PLEASE use only marine grade stranded copper. Marine grade will be "tinned" over the copper and the insulation has a higher UV and water protection jacket. Definitely worth the extra price. You will save money in the longer term by not having corrosion issues.

Unless you have a camper that dates back to the 80's your water lines should be PEX. Earlier systems were a gray colored plastic pipe made of Polybutylene. Some campers continued to use soft copper pipe with no-solder compression fittings. The weakest part of the PEX system used on RV's is the cheap plastic L's and similar connectors/fittings commonly used to save a few pennies. Hopefully you have brass fittings rather than black plastic - the gray plastic fittings are somewhat stronger than the black ones. The brass Shark Bite no crimp connectors are very durable. 1/2" PEX has a burst pressure of almost 500 psi at 75 degrees F. It will expand under pressure - the plastic fittings will not expand. You will not break a PEX line unless you hook directly to a fire hydrant. When the "fixed" regulators first appeared and Polybutylene pipe was used most all RV manufacturers advised a maximum pressure of 40 psi. These in-line fixed 40-psi devices were NOT true regulators but rather flow restrictions with a spring loaded stop valve that caused a drop in pressure once a water faucet was turned on. IMHO, the most sensitive part of a RV water system to high pressure is the toilet. The flush valve can easily fail at "high" pressure. Second is the water supply hose - the "white hose" that sits in the sun on a hot day with a park having 80 psi at the water connection. Anyway, I use the adjustable brass unit with a gauge as shown in the previous pics and set the pressure going into the camper at 60 psi provided the particular park I am in has that much pressure. I try to put the regulator at or as close as possible to the park connection. If the park pressure is below 40 psi I fill my fresh water tank and run my 5.2 GPM variable speed pump set to 60 psi. I have encountered park pressures as low as 20 psi and as high as 110 psi. They are all a crap shoot. BTW - the glycerin filled gauges are a better quality than what we usually buy for our regulators. They are externally water proof, made of stainless steel and brass and less likely to be damaged by freezing temps.