Chad Heiser

Nice job.

Batteries can be very heavy (depending on the size and composition of them). I only have four batteries in my rig, but they are 8D AGM batteries and weigh approximately 170 pounds each. That is a lot of weight to lug around and I am not looking forward to pulling them out when it comes time to replace them. Hopefully that will be a few more years down the road. 😉

Nicely done. I’m looking forward to seeing it in person. We’ll get the seat heaters wired up no problem. I’ll show you how I did mine and then we can see f that will work for you.

Always support both tires on the side you are raising. It is best for the trailer and it’s suspension. I usually set the level on the floor inside the door of the trailer when I want to double check my trailers level. My wife also likes to open the bathroom door about half way to see if it swings one way or the other on its own as a final test. As for what type of level, any will work. With a regular small level, you need to check one direction and then turn it 90 degrees and check the other direction. With a small square bubble level with a circle in the center, you can get both directions at once without having to turn it.

You are required to register any drone that weighs more than 0.55 lbs with the FAA. This is a simple on line form that you complete and pay the registration fee. The FAA then gives you a registration number that must be affixed to the aircraft. It took me about five minutes to fill out the form and pay the fee. You are not required to obtain a Remote Pilot Certificate (pilot license) unless you plan to use the drone commercially. If you intend to only use it for private/recreational purposes, then the registration I described above is all you need to do. Most drones capable of returning to home (gps enabled) will also have software built into them that prevents you from flying them in restricted areas. They will not even let you take off if you are in a restricted area. I do have my Remote Pilot Certificate because I fly drones at my work and run my agency’s drone program. However, when I am flying my personal drone for recreational purposes I do not need my license. There is a lot of misinformation about drones out there. The biggest things to remember are all drones over 0.55 lbs must be registered, you must fly within line of sight (you need to be able to see the drone in the air), and you cannot fly higher than 400 feet above ground level. There are some other restrictions, but these are the basics. If you have some specific questions, I’d be happy to help, if I can.

While the set up of the Victron stuff can be fairly complex, the actual use of it is pretty simple. We’ll make you an expert by the time we are done at my place and with our trip to AZ.

Thanks for the kind words Dave. I appreciate it. It was fun working with the the Victron equipment. I am jealous of the set up and will most likely go that direction on my next trailer.

I have had a similar experience. I left the coast where we were camping to return to our home last year. It is about a 2 hour drive of mostly two lane, winding road along with a climb and decent over a small pass. When I got home and backed my 5er (approximately 20000 lbs) into my shop and got out to unhook, I noticed a bunch of crud on the stabilizer jack behind the door side rear tire. Upon further inspection, I discovered the crud was brake fluid and accumulated dirt from the drive home. Somewhere on my route, the brake line sheared off at the caliper on the 5er and I completely lost trailer brakes. I had no idea I had lost the trailer brakes because my HDT tow vehicle could easily handle the weight of my trailer regardless of whether it had brakes or not. It was very comforting to know the truck could "handle" the trailer no matter what. I used to tow a 15000 lb 5er with a Duramax dually along the same route regularly. I lost trailer brakes due to a faulty umbilical connection a couple of times and I could definitely tell the trailer had no brakes and it made me pucker a bit with that set up. I will never go back to towing with anything smaller than my HDT. It is definitely not about what it can pull, it is about what it can stop (for me anyway).

This is the level indicator that I use. I like it because I can use it on any tank. Most towable RV’s have more than one propane cylinder and this allows you to check either/all of them as needed. It will also work on bbq cylinders or any other propane cylinder/tank you may have. It works very well and is very accurate. I recommend it to anyone who has a desire to know their propane levels. You can hunt around on various sites for the best price. I won’t be without it now that I have had it and used it for a couple of years. https://www.truma.com/int/en/products/truma-caravan-rv-gas-fittings/truma-levelcheck.html

Thanks. I sent you a PM.

That would be very helpful. I am starting to look for an alignment shop to take my DRV to and it would be nice to have the instructions.

Nice job. It looks very functional. Looks like there is a pop up TV there. Do you use that as your monitor?

You can use this link to allow you to post photos on this forum. Go to the link, drag or browse to whichever photos you want to post and the web page will give you a URL you can post here that will make the photo show up in the thread.

Most Air Conditioners, microwaves and converters are on 20 amp circuits in an RV.

I wouldn't be so quick to reject an HDT. You can configure an HDT to have more capacity and be physically smaller than a typical Freightliner M2 MDT. It just depends on what your needs are. A properly configured HDT can be the same physical foot print of a crew cab dually (or even a little shorter) and it will be much more maneuverable than the same dually. It will be taller than a pick up though, so usually no drive thru's or parking garages with it (but those are really the only restrictions if it is properly configured).

That plug isn't new. It has been on the 3000 watt Honda for many years. I had one 5 or 6 years ago with that plug and used the adapter previously linked to connect to my RV. I also had a parallel kit so I could run mine and my neighbors 3000 watt gennies together and use a regular RV 50 amp plug. I finally got rid of the 3000 watt after the second time I threw my back out trying to move it in and out of my old pick up bed.

Your dome may or may not have 12 volt power run to it. Some receive power through the Coax cable and some through a separate 12 volt connection. It will depend on your specific dome installation.

No problem. Hopefully yours is as easy as mine was to fix.

The window is just held in place by some type of caulk or possibly butyl tape and then sandwiched in place by the trim rings. Remove the inside trim ring and you should see exactly what I mean. I had the same thing happen in my last trailer. Once I removed the inside trim ring, the fix became pretty apparent. I pulled the glass completely out, cleaned it and sealed it back in place then replaced the trim. It was a while ago, so I don’t remember if I had to also remove the outside trim to complete the repair. I do remember that it was a much simpler fix than I originally thought it was going to be.

Leaving the trailer connected to the hitch in your truck and retracting the landing gear fully should allow you to unbolt and remove them. There should be no need for a pit or to jack the front of the 5er up.

When you tow a car behind a motorhome it is considered a trailer and all the applicable state trailering laws apply. As stated previously, each state sets the laws on when a trailer requires brakes. It is usually by the weight of the trailer. It is a safety issue and states do not want vehicles towing heavy loads without supplemental braking.

Try to get to one of the rallies to see some trucks up close and personal and talk to the owners. See what they like and dislike about their set ups. It can definitely help you in the long run. Plus they are fun events with a good group of people.

Hopefully it is just a fluke and you will get some more good weather before winter sets in. I also hope you guys can make it back to the WCR next year. I’m interested to see the changes to your rig, oh and of course you guys too .

I always recommend the Medora area. It is where I was born and I love that area. It is a great place to stop and check out. The park, the town and the musical are all worth the visit. There are also some things around the area that are good for day trips, like the enchanted highway.

I have a Cummins N14 with an Eaton Autoshift 10 speed transmission. Mine is a 2000 model year so no emissions gear. Pulling my 20000 lb +/- 5th wheel, I average 8+ miles per gallon with combined terrain (hills & flat). If I am all highway in the flats, that will go up to 9+ mpg. Bobtail, I can get into the low double digits mpg on the highway in the flats, but I rarely run bobtail for any significant distances, so I don't see that very often. When I was towing my previous 5th wheel, which weighed about 16500 lbs, I was 9+ mpg combined terrain and right around 10+ mpg in the flats. My engine is set at 460 hp and 1550 ft/lb torque. I recently had an in-frame done on the motor, which I thought might help my mileage a little, but it didn't make any significant difference.