TXiceman

2 hours ago, Lou Schneider said:

The basic problem is the weight of the RV means you have to run 100 PSI in the tires on terrain where much lower pressure would let the tires float on top of the ground instead of digging in.  If you have 30 PSI in a car tire it will press down on the ground with 30 lbs on every square inch of the tire's contact area.  If your tire is inflated to 100 PSI it means the ground has to support 100 lbs per square inch. Vehicles driven in mud or sand often run less than 10 PSI of pressure in their tires.

I

Lou, that is not how it works.  By de-airing the tire, you will generally provide a larger footprint for the tire to exert pressure on the ground this having fewer pounds per square inch on the ground.  30 PSI in the tire does not mean 30 psi on the ground.  The tire will still support the same weight on a larger footprint.

Say the tire is carrying 5000 LB and with 80 psi pressure in the tire and say the tire has 100 square inches contact area, the tire exerts 50 sq. in. pressure under it on the ground.  Say you deflate the tire to 40 psi and the contact area goes up to 150 sq. in. the pressure exerted will be 33.33 psi exerted on the ground.

You cannot make magic work on sand.

Ken

I have given up talking to others about getting the vaccinations.  You will never change their mind and they will not get the shots.  Sad thing is the majority of them are from one political leaning.

Ken

From the Passports I found online, it appears to have a Schwintek or the LIppert In-wall system.

They have a drive motor on each side that is controlled by a common controller.  The controller is a small box mounted somewhere in a locker or basement.  You will need to find this controller to see what you have and then download the instructions for trouble shooting from the manufacturer.  There are also You Tube videos online showing how to trouble shoot and bypass the controller safeties, but you have to know what you have.

One thing the people do not take care of is the maintenance on the tracks and rollers.  Also, many do not know that once you start running the room in or out, you have to take it all the way and then hold down the switch for 5 seconds for the motors to synchronize properly.

Heather, if you want help, you need to supply the needed information.

Ken 

Did you look at the links in Kirk's post above?  We need to know what type of electric slide out you have.  Do you have upper and lower gear tracks on the side of the slide?  Can you post a photo of the slide out?

Ken

I am constantly bombarded with Camp Lejune Justice Act phone calls and email and ads from all kinds of lawyers.  I never served in the military....sorry fellows.

Ken

Ray, some news for you about Harlingen.  It is still windy there.  We stayed at the upper end of the RGV at Mission and it was still pretty windy.

Ken

50 minutes ago, sandsys said:

Looks, good. I could live in that one except you still need to be able to crawl to get all the way into the bed and my tendonitis won't allow that.

Linda

We had one RV with the corner bed.  We called those RVs, "Beginners Models".  I will never have another one.

Ken

2 hours ago, zen2185RI said:

Ken I would most likely go lower than 8000 to give myself more wiggle room.  Again this will be a beginner RV for us.  If this goes well, then we'd be looking to replace my truck with a 3500.  Wish I had stuck with my original idea of a 2500, but I can make a 1500 work for the 2 of us to start out.  This why I suggested something with a much lower GVWR.  I am going to struggle with meeting my price point along with a GVWR that is acceptable to tow.

 

Just for a little more education, we would be starting with short weekend trips locally.  Overtime we'd extend our trips ensuring that we remain within our weight limits.  With each trip we would gain knowledge and determination if this is what we want to do come retirement.  If we decide to go forward, we'd purchase a larger truck and then a larger trailer to meet our needs.  This first phase will take place over the course of 5-10 years as we approach retirement.  Retirement is when we plan to take our bigger trips whether they be with an RV or deciding to go without an RV and go with hotels.

 

Jason

Jason, it is sad that you are not ready to step up to the big rigs.  In late November/early December we will be selling the rig in our signature.  Been a great full-time rig.

Hope you have a fantastic time in the RV.  

Ken

Personally, with your 1500 series truck, I would limit my search to trailer with a GVWR of no more than 8000#, maybe 8500#.  When you load up the trailer with kids, cargo and hitch weight, you will be maxed out in most cases.  Start out by getting the truck on the scales with your normal travel cargo, full fuel and add 100# for the hitch.

We have been full time for 9.5 years and see way too many rigs with too much trailer for the truck.  They went totally with the maximum tow numbers from the truck brochure with no regard to the footnotes.

Ken

16 hours ago, Kirk W said:

This quote reminds me of something that I discovered when we were volunteers for the Oregon State parks. The state park rangers have no arrest authority at all but must call a local law enforcement agency if visitors do not comply with ranger directives. All of the other state parks that we have volunteered in had some LEO rangers, as do most federal parks with the exception of the COE.

The state and NWR's where we volunteered the LEO rangers were either state or federal officers.  It surprised some people when they got a ticket, and the vehicle plainly was labeled as "State Police" or Federal Game Warden

One state park in Texas, while we were at the office, a lady called in and reported that she had received a speeding ticket in the park and wanted to know if she had to pay the ticket.  She did not feel that they had the authority to issue speeding tickets.  When we told the Park Peace Officer, he just laughed.  He said normally, he would have just given her a verbal warning, but she had too much mouth and attitude and talked herself into a citation for the full amount over the posted limit.

Some people just don't understand or care.

Ken

1 hour ago, Lou Schneider said:

  A couple of days later he learned the guy with the dirt bike was killed when the bike left the trail at high speed and collided with a tree.

It all goes back to the old saying....You play stupid games you get stupid prizes...

Ken

We intend to still RV and keep up with folks on the forum.

Ken

Kirk, as soon as this truck and trailer are sold, we will be looking for a 1/2-ton truck and a smaller travel trailer so that we can continue to travel...just shorter trips.  We just have to have an RV to make life work for us.

Ken

Because of the misinformation and ignorance of some people, I keep my Hughes Autoformer safely tucked into the basement of my trailer.  What they do not see will not bother them.

Ken

6 minutes ago, Kirk W said:

While younger, healthier people may be able to safely loosen up their safeguards, they still should be aware of the people around them who have more risk, Jetelina says. “We cannot just put the onus entirely on the vulnerable. Our layers of protection are not perfect.”

Kirk, you are so right on this.  This is a worldwide problem, and everyone needs to do what is required to keep everyone healthy.

After almost 10 years of full-time travel, we are buying a home in Bryan, Texas to be near our daughter.  We will be putting the truck and trailer on the market in the November/December time-frame once we get moved in.  I will be posting photos and info in the For Sale section soon.  The rig is my signature.

Ken

Kirk, I have to agree with the article based on the science.  I was talking to a respiratory therapist last night and she said she was still taking this seriously.  She said that they had three COVID cases admitted to the hospital in the past week.  This is in Bryan/College Station area at just one hospital.  Until we can get more vaccinated, it will still be around.

Take care and stay safe,

Ken

We got out COVID booster for the newer BA variants this week, but on the advice of our doctor, we will wait until mid-October to get the Flu shot.

Ken

2 hours ago, JimK said:

  Running a small electric heater will produce the equivalent of about 1000 BTU/hr.  A couple of hours a day means 2000 BTU.

The basic conversion for electric heat is 1500 Watts (1.5 kWatt) equals 5,118 BTUH.  You can just ratio this value down to 1000 Watts equals 3,412 BTUH and 500 Watts equals 1,716 BTUH.

1000BTUH equals 293 Watts which is a very small electric heater.

Ken

Go inside the trailer where your main feed enters the back of the power breaker box.  Mount the Hughes in the basement and set up your plugs so that you either power the Hughes or bypass and connect direct to the power panel.

Ken

Our daughter had a Winnebago Minnie Plus and they were very pleased with it compared to the trailer some of their friends had.  It seemed to be reasonably well constructed for the price point.

We have looked at Lance and they seem to be reasonably well constructed. 

Oliver is higher dollar, but seem to be well constructed.

I think that Air Stream is way overpriced and overrated now.  They have a cult-like following.

Ken

There is no way to make electric heaters more efficient.  1500 Watts (1500 Watts with 120 volts is 12.5 amps) is equated to 5118 BTUH.  If you are off grid, trying to heat with an electric heater powered form batteries and an inverter is not the best solution.  You need to either use the propane furnace (and batteries) or get a Mr. Buddy catalytic heater.

Happy camping.

Ken

11 hours ago, whj469 said:

Most of the people I know speak poorly of electric vehicles but my son-in-law, a long time Exxon Chemical Engineer, and a Texas Aggie told me 

Well, there you go.  The problem is apparent.  First, he is a Chemical Engineer and second, he is an Aggie Engineer.  Ha ha ha.😁

Ken

AKP, I would not live in your RV through a Montana winter.  It is not built for that kind of cold.  Sure people do it, but it will be a chore.

The heater water hose does nothing to keep the water faucet from freezing.  I would fill the freshwater tank and operate from the tank and refill when the temperature is above freezing.

Another big issue in the winter in these RVs is condensation on the windows and in closets and in the corners.  To help the condensation, you will need to practice good humidity control.  keep a roof vent cracked open, run the vent fan when showering and cooking.  Still the human body expels lots of moisture from the skin and while breathing.  

Good luck,

Ken

Bacteria is not an issue in a black tank, as it is not a septic system.  You dump the tank every week or two.  Just use lots of water and septic safe toilet paper.  If you want, you can use a non-toxic tank chemical.

Ken