Big5er

3 hours ago, JRP said:

Earlier this summer Lacey Wa passed Ordinance 1549 which makes it crime to park a "camping facility" or "camping paraphernalia" on any city street, or public parking lot or city park. subject to $1000 fine and/or 90 days in jail. There is no distinction in this law for so many hours of legal parking while shopping or eating, you're subject to fine or arrest immediately.

Uh Jim, you might want to re-read the ordinance you posted. It says nothing about "parking" or being fined for "parking". It plainly says you can not "CAMP" in those places and that you can not "STORE" your camping equipment and vehicle in those places. 
It defines camp as "use or occupy for purpose of habitation". Parking and shopping at Walmart ain't it. It also defines store as "to put aside for use when needed, to put for safekeeping and to place or leave at a location".  Doesn't sound like parking and shopping on your vacation to me. 

Sounds like a bunch of to do about nothing to me. 

On 8/2/2019 at 2:44 PM, HERO Maker said:

Claim!!!!!

I haven't had a claim or a ticket in YEARS and I just got my "offer" from National General for next year. It's a 1200.00 a year increase. Last year was $1000 increase. Nope, I've got a month and a half...time to start calling around again. I'm not paying $5000+ a year for the HDT, trailer and smart. And National General has the lowest limits for personal property of any, and offers no riders for high dollar items.

On 8/2/2019 at 9:17 PM, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said:

Thanks Dave... I will be asking our agent about Progressive as well.

Me too....amongst others. So far Progressive is lower but I need to compare the actual policies. Still waiting to hear back from Farmers, Farm and City  and a broker friend. Anyone else have ideas?? 

I'm not tandem, so I only have 4 that need polishing.

I'm still trying to come to terms with leaving my kayaks behind. My "baby" is 17ft and the other is 14ft. Can't stand them on end like Darryl's picture, can't load them crossways, and really don't wanna drag them on top of the trailer (plus how to get them to the water).

12 hours ago, runaway parents said:

Also built kayak rack for truck .

Pictures??? What kinda of kayaks?

16 hours ago, RandyA said:

The EGR delete kit from OTR remains in the back of my mind.

Randy, I don't think OTR makes or sells that kit anymore. 

6 hours ago, Hewhoknowslittle said:

I know a mobile polisher that might come to Hutch if there is enough interest. 

Roger, why don't you ask him how many people he would need and what kinda prices? I know my rims could use it. 

On 4/15/2018 at 3:20 PM, Twotoes said:

When any employer provides housing it is for the convince of the employer not the employee. The employer want its employee to be close by. When you volunteer it is not about how much the hours are worth. The free RV site is given as a convince to the employer so that you will remain close ro the volunteer site and show up, and show up on time. It is an additional benefit to the employee who is not getting paid to have a camp site at no cost. The value of the camp site or hours worked is irrelevant. 

I'm not sure I agree with that. I live at a place of business, in my trailer. The owner already owns the land,  so it costs him nothing to let me stay on a small piece. He also pays my electricity. He once told me that my RV was a drop in the bucket compared to the costs of heating and cooling his building, lighting that building during the day and the parking lot at night. So what I am getting has more value to me than it does to him. Now does the time (work) he is receiving from me compensate him in the reverse? Of course since he is getting services for something that basically costs him nothing. It's not about "location" as much as he is receiving (basically) free services and in return giving me a free place to live. 

I think in the situation Twotoes speaks of it is basically the same...the "employer" already has sites....giving one away costs nothing and he receives a service in return for giving away the site. That basically gets the "employer" free labor. 

5 hours ago, Parrformance said:

I hope to get to the brakes this weekend.  Been remodeling a bedroom in the house after my youngest son moved into his own home.

Now the nest is empty, accept of course the Mother in Law🧓

Well since you are working in the house, what is she doing? Send her out to do the brakes. Even Mother in laws need to earn their keep 🤣

On 8/17/2019 at 7:09 PM, Lance A Lott said:

Mine also does this on the right side. Its very hard to brake free after an entire winter. I am considering cageing the brakes this year.

If you have the time and energy to cage them, then I would try Darryl's solution of the flexible cutting boards or those flexible silicon baking sheets. The baking sheets can handle temps from the negative numbers to 500 degrees.  They are cheap and I bet you could cut a workable shape easily. They aren't real thick and would be faster and easier to remove than uncaging them. Of course that all depends on how tight your brakes are to start with. I've seen shoes adjusted so tight I couldn't get a piece of paper between them and the drum. 
I guess that is where I get lucky, having my truck stored at home. I try to get it out for a drive at least once a month, keeps the diesel stirred up and the rust off the brakes.
 

On 8/20/2019 at 7:43 AM, Kirk W said:

Unless changed very recently, the TX DMV does list licenses from Escapee mail services here as PMB. Both my wife and I had that on our licenses for the entire 12 years that it was our domicile address. What is different here is that the TX legslature has made addresses like the Escapees legal for all purposes in TX.

Kirk, TX DPS (not DMV) lists the address YOU give them on your license. They do not look it up to see if it is a forwarding service or not. If your licenses have PMB on them it is because you told them it was a PMB. I have "lived" in a teeny tiny PMB for years. My license says exactly what I told DPS. I "live" at 123-B Farm to Market Rd 5678 #234. Now, you must sign an affidavit saying  that is where you "live" and they will ask if you have a different mailing address but they are not checking what you tell them. 

10 hours ago, Jack Mayer said:

They used to but not anymore. They also used to have free shipping, but not anymore. They also used to sell the ramps for $689, but not anymore. Get the trend?

Jack, that is not very fair. You can say that about a lot of stuff. I used to be able to run the length of a football field, but not anymore. I used to be thinner, but not anymore. I used to have more hair, but not anymore. Get the trend?     

I would be up for it. My rims need it. Makes my new steer tires look ugly.

9 hours ago, Sculptor said:

Thanks Phil , yes exactly like this, but on my 2013 that space is taken with the DPF.  I want the access like yours but farther back.

 How is retirement treating you?

Damn the DPF stuff. I went as far back as I could and then ran into the fuel tank. I've got the new Onan generator so now that is just open space...maybe i need one of those tiny motorcycles?

And retirement is great, thanks. I have no idea what day it is anymore....everyday is Saturday

On 8/18/2019 at 1:17 PM, Sculptor said:

Are any of you home fab folks using the space behind the chassis fairings?  (I don't mean the flip open step fairings)  I have space in front of my tanks that I would like to use for a Honda 2000 inverter gen, but no good way to access behind the fairings.  They are a bit broken and I might just ditch them altogether.

You mean like this? 

1 hour ago, BJK said:

. I’m not arguing semantics, but I am interested in learning what you guys have to share. 

It's not semantics, it is the legal definition. Go look it up yourself. You asked a question and then want to debate the answer. I just love people like you. 

See my signature line. 

2 hours ago, Scrap said:

Or..........  While its all apart, take em off and have em painted? 😏

Or get a Volvo and put them behind the fairings

8 hours ago, BJK said:

Having seen (commercial) trucks pull 53’ trailers with HDT at far longer lengths, I did not realize I couldn’t pull an RV with a truck even tho I’d be shorter than them. 

Jay touched on most of the reasons but you need to get your terminology straight. You have never seen a commercial "truck" pulling a 53' trailer (except a car hauler). You have seen commercial TRACTORS pulling 53' trailers. There is no length for a TRACTOR itself in most cases. If you add a load bearing bed (like we do to haul a smart or a motorcycle), even if registered commercially, a tractor becomes a truck...a tractor can only tow, not haul, its load.  Once we register our HDT's for personal use, we are either MH's or trucks. And (using Texas law as an example) a "truck" or MH pulling a trailer (or two) can only be 65' bumper to bumper. 

Brochure with pictures HERE

6 hours ago, Slixter said:

This is from the RVDA website. 23m is basically 75 ft. 

Maximum Length for a 2-unit combination is 23 m when the length of the motor vehicle is 12.5 m and less; and 19 m when the length of motor vehicle is between 12.5m and 14m. 6/ Regulations were changed in 2010 to allow a maximum of 14 metres for all buses and RVs, without a permit.

I have no idea what all those metric measurements are, but the RVDA does not write the laws and 75 ft is overlength and illegal in Texas and many other states. If you are going to quote law, you might want to check the actual law in each state. Length laws vary widely from state to state. 

On 8/15/2019 at 2:27 AM, Lou Schneider said:

there's no reason to leave the engine running after you get to the campsite

That is YOUR opinion. My truck runs until the trailer is level, the A/C is on and the slides are out. That is because the dogs are in the truck with the A/C running. One of my girls just freaks out when the walls move. Therefore they both stay in the truck until the trailer is set up.
If my truck idling for 10 minutes bothers anyone so much I will be more than happy to let them walk my dogs and babysit them, inside their trailer, until I am done. 

6 hours ago, noteven said:

Anyone know why regulation length dimensions are often less overall for rv combinations than for commercial trucks?

Because typically RV's are NOT HDT's. The typical long RV is a truck and a trailer or a motorhome and a trailer. 
Can you imagine what some of these idiots would hook behind an F-250 if they could? A 40ft fifth wheel and a 20ft Ski Boat?

I paid cash for mine but during the divorce I tried to get a loan through my credit union where I had been a member for 20 years and use my HDT, registered as a motor home, for collateral.  They shot me down immediately.."we don't loan on commercial vehicles". I said "it's a motorhome". They said "We don't care what the title says, the VIN says it's a CMV".

Carl, the Federal regs allow CMV's to be placed "out of service" for a very select, few, safety items, ie: 20% of the brakes inoperative or out of adjustment, air leaks, air loss rate (compressor can't keep up), BOTH brake lights inop, either REAR turn signal inop, some tire violations, etc. Other than those it's "Here is your ticket. Drive safely".

Now, in Texas state law (the laws that apply to us/rv's,not CMV's), there is no allowance to be placed "out of service". Now we have all told the violator with no brake lights to "fix that before you drive away" but the most you can really do is write him another ticket if he doesnt. There are several reasons I can tow a vehicle against the owners wishes, but being over length is not one of them. I would question any officer that mandates that I disconnect and hire someone to tow my trailer. Now having said that,  every state is different.......

Remember the G*******'s who were given an overlength ticket by my coworker? "Sign here and drive safely". And if you remember he never even checked the width of their sideways loaded smart car.

On 8/9/2019 at 12:08 AM, Nigel said:

 Don’t forget unless you are using the first generation smart car (05/06) you will be over width so does it really matter if you are over length as well?

Yes, it does. Being several feet overlength is a whole lot easier to see than a couple of inch on each side. I know people who got an overlength ticket but the officer never measured their smart. 

If you like Filet Mignon and are close to Hill City check out the Alpine Inn. They serve dinner from 5p-930.

Here is the dinner menu:

BACON WRAPPED FILET MIGNON

Served with a baked potato, Texas toast and a quarter wedge of lettuce with our homemade ranch dressing.

6oz $11.95 9oz $13.95

KAES SPAETZLE PRIMAVERA

German dumplings and Swiss cheese served with fresh vegetables, and Texas toast.

$11.95

That's it.

9 hours ago, GeorgiaHybrid said:

Phil, you have a too long of a wire run that created a low voltage which increased the amperage required and that caused the LCM to shut off the cirduit.

Try running the backup light circuit to a new relay in the nose of the trailer that uses the truck circuit to trigger the relay and the trailer battery and wiring to run the lights.

I had to do that when I added new backup lights to the rear of our DRV as they pulled a littlie to much juice and didn't wotk right until I gave them enoungh voltage.

Remember on a DC circuit length, you have to count the distance out and back when figuring amperage capacity.

Well shame on DRV for not figuring that out for those of us that are electrically challenged. Thanks!!