chief916

30 minutes ago, Randyretired said:

There are some very informative videos on you tube about lithium batteries. These videos range from customer reviews on batteries to how to build batteries.   I have decided to build my own batteries from LifeP04 cells.  It looks to be relatively easy.  This is the least expensive way to go lithium but you give up warranties and customer service.  On the other end there are companies that provide 10 year warranties and by most accounts excellent customer service.  Battle Born comes to mind but the price is significantly higher.  Lithium batteries will perform best when matched to lithium chargers.  Some chargers have lithium settings and some don't.  Lithium batteries last longer and are much more efficient than lead acid batteries.  It has been shown that lithium batteries are cheaper over time.  In any case I think you will find a lot more information on you tube than here.

So the charger in my toy hauler and my TT will not effectively charge a 100 ah li battery?

Looking to change out the SLABs on my toy hauler and travel trailer.  Been thinking bout lithium batteries.  Any info about them AND recommendation would be appreciated.  I know nothing about them but have heard they're way better than what I have now.

thanks.

Welcome aboard and best wishes with your project.  Keep us all posted.

Ben

16 hours ago, Darryl&Rita said:

Throw a solar panel charger on there, get another year or two. Free panel.

Darryl, any brand you might recommend?  When it comes to solar I'm totally clue less but have been thinking about a panel and charger on my truck.

Thx 

Ben  'chief916'

On 12/6/2020 at 11:36 AM, alan0043 said:

Hi Everyone,

I have a question or too. Is there different levels of coverage from Good Sam for our size rigs ? 

Thanks for any help,     
Al

Al,. There is different coverages.  In our case where we want coverages for the HDT and trailers,. I made sure the person I was talking to understood that we were talking about my Volvo road tractor.  With that in mind he told me I should stay with the coverage that i had last year which is GS elite.  So nothing has changed for us.  It still cost the same $149.00.

Thanks to everyone who gave their feedback from the different coverages they have.

You all stay safe and have a Merry Christmas and New Years.

Ben   'chief916'

Well its that time again to renew my roadside assistance plan for our campers and tow vehicles.  I have good sam right now but would like someone's imput to other options. Thanks.

23 hours ago, Sculptor said:

Thank you Ben!  Stay away from the I840 around Nashville!!!  If there is any justice, those responsible for that road will have fleas and worse for generations.  🤬🤬🤬

LOL i sure will my friend.  Give a shout out from time to time to let all of us know how you are all are making out.

Hey Kevin safe travels and heal up.  Take care.

Ben....chief 916.

2 minutes ago, Darryl&Rita said:

Nice pic, doesn't help identify the part, though.

13 minutes ago, dirtrunner0519 said:

Good Morning Everyone, 

I have a Kenworth T2000 that will not currently build air. I know that the compressor  is working but there is a leak on a valve towards the middle of the frame just before the axles. I cannot read the info on the valve. Does anyone know what this is? In addition, does anyone have a parts manual or service manual for this beast, just to help me identify parts so I can order new ones?

 

I have attached some updated photos of the build progress it is not longer ugly red it is now monster lined grey with a 14' box that will soon be converted into more of a living quarters. 

 

 

Thats one heck of a moose bumper.  Is it easy to open the hood for pre-ride inspections?

15 hours ago, rickeieio said:

Yep, I learned that the hard way, and Henry sent me a new board.  My Jackalopee is now the high point in the cable, mounted to the back of the cab, where I can see the led's for diagnostic purposes.

Is that on the back exterior wall?

1 minute ago, Jaydrvr said:

Yes, rather than chasing condensation, I'd prefer to just enclose it in a waterproof enclosure and not worry about it. Also, I still pull a commercial trailer, so it doesn't make sense to have it hanging out there when I'm working. Jay

I understand your logic and don't blame you.  Lately I've been toying around with maybe putting it in my left maintenance bay.  Pulling my interior out now to install sound proofing and will get a better idea for the relocation once I remove the bunk sheet metal which covers the maintenance bays.

On 10/30/2020 at 1:51 PM, Shawn Patterson said:

Jay,  I mounted mine a bit differently than most...  I sealed up the top wire grommets with liquid electrical tape (silicone would work too) and it has worked out great.  Not sure if this is something you'd want to do or not, but it's an option.

 

 

I did this also, only mine is horizontal with both plugs being sealed.  Still when humidity, temperature are right i still get a little condensation inside.  Been like this for 5 years now.  Looking at ways to mount a cover over the whole thing.

13 hours ago, Alie&Jim's Carrilite said:

There are several sensors located on and around the radiator stack.  I would start there and work towards the firewall along the drivers side frame rail for the AC pressure switches.  Check the connections, terminals, etc.  Check the harness for the coolant tank sensor on the passenger side, I've had an intermittent issue with that sensor and harness.  

Check your grounds... there are several behind the kick panels under the dash, I would recommend actually taking the grounds off, cleaning the terminal and reconnecting.  Check all the grounds on the truck.  I solved a bunch of little issues this way. 1998 Volvo 610 Cummins engine 10sp.

I agree with Jim....i had a problem like yours when down in Myrtle Beach a couple years ago.  Found this mechanic shop and he put 2 of his best on it. My rig is a 1997 WIA 64 with a series 60, 11.1.  they found several gremlins when they pulled my dashboard controls.  Full of dust and corrosion.  They cleaned everything up and deoxed all connections.  Bottom line.... problem solved.  They also did the same thing for all the grounds on the truck and under the hood.  Best of luck and welcome.

Thats nutz.  No way.

On 6/21/2020 at 3:15 PM, jkoenig24 said:

Sounds like a good plan you've there, Vern. I'm somewhat similar except that, if I get a call I don't recognize, I just let it go to voicemail. If it's a legitimate call, the caller will leave a message which I will return. Otherwise, said number gets added to my "Blocked Number" list. I'd say that over a 100 phone calls, about 90 of them are BS. unidentBeing "old school", I RARELY "do" texts (it's a phone; CALL ME!)

I'm right there with you on the un

On 10/1/2020 at 5:05 PM, Nwcid said:

If algae is a problem, and you have an expensive hose, why not just flush it.  

You could either treat it with bleach or something similar or even just leave it out in the sun for a day or two and let it dry out good and clean it. 

 

I've been putting a water/bleach mixture in my hoses for years.  Pour about a pint in and then secure the ends together and flip them over a couple of times and put them away until the next time we need them.  I just flush the hose out before we hook up to the camper.

Just now, chief916 said:

Trimester....when mine failed, I called the company and talked to an "engineer".  He said...."yeh, well that happens".  Told me he could do nothing for me.  I'm thinking I told him something about a boar hog, uselessness and mammary glands.... something to that effect.  Anyway I broke bad with the Direct Link and have been very satisfied.  I DO NOTICED RECOMMEND THE HAYES PRODUCT.

Ben...'Chief916'

NOT...not.... NOTICED.  I hate auto correct!

11 minutes ago, trimster said:

Bit of a good twist in this whole Hayes controller thing. I emailed Hayes, explaining what's going on. I didn't sugar coat my dismay that their unit would work fine for the previous owner and weeks for me, then fail. I also indicated that there's more than just a few who have experienced failures...often consecutive. Here's their response:

"Good morning Robert,

Thank you for contacting us and making us aware of the issue you have experienced. We appreciate your being candid about not being the original owner of the controller. If you provide the address we will overnight you a new controller for your installation and evaluation. We will include a pre-paid return label for you to send the controller in question back. After our technical team evaluates the unit we will get back with you on the results.

Regardless of the threads on RV forums, our intentions are to 100% support our products. We take pride in customer satisfaction. With that said, we are not perfect and we do have units that fail in the field periodically.

I look forward to receiving your reply so that we can move toward a solution to your problem.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,  "

Yup, taking them up on their offer. I'll keep you'all posted.

Trimester....when mine failed, I called the company and talked to an "engineer".  He said...."yeh, well that happens".  Told me he could do nothing for me.  I'm thinking I told him something about a boar hog, uselessness and mammary glands.... something to that effect.  Anyway I broke bad with the Direct Link and have been very satisfied.  I DO NOTICED RECOMMEND THE HAYES PRODUCT.

Ben...'Chief916'

On 10/1/2020 at 7:19 PM, trimster said:

Having just gone through what you are.... it took a few years to make a decision on the way we ended up going.

One of the key factors I decided on was to build the truck the way we wanted. So I went looking for the truck off the commercial market. That took tons!!! of time and phone calls, and help from this forum. It became a serious hobby. When I retired, it was my new job.

There is value in having something 'turn-key'. I have spent a month prepping our truck (electrical, air brakes to electrical brakes, fixing stuff, passing inspections, registering it as a motorhome, etc.), and that prep costs $$$$'s and time. Time I have, money is not endless. Just extending the frame and putting in the hitch was $2700.00. Tires that needed replacing...$1200.

All this being said, if I found a truck that was 'done' and close to what I wanted, I would have sprung for it. But, I'm a tinkerer, and the love of the build runs deep. 

Dealing with commercial sales forces/people requires you to have an intense 'bull-shit' detector and some solid research so you don't get a pig in a poke. We lucked out. After more than a dozen serious looks,  found a truck that was a bit higher in mileage than I had targeted. But I was able to find the owner who sold it to the dealer. Just about everything that could go wrong was replaced in the last 150,000 miles. With some arm wrestling, I got a killer deal on the truck. Nothing about the process was easy, convenient.... it was stressful.

Now to your case and my personal thoughts. I can't speak for your level of learning curve pain. But if the trucks in good shape, and you like (can live with) the configuration, it sounds like you have a turn-key solution. Just add trailer. I would not consider, and ruled out, Freighliners. I wanted a Volvo for lots of reasons that are valuable to me, even though they come with their own issues. This whole thing is about trade-offs in the end. I find personal value in building/creating. Not everyones cup of tea. Everything you do to build your own rig, it a learning curve.

The HDT thing, as you might have determined, is way different and in a whole nother league than hitting up the Chevy Dlr for a RV ready pickup. We had several of those and then moved to a medium duty, then took the leap. Even with the MDT experience, it's still sobering. For me anyway. But it's an ear-to-ear grin when you get it on the road.

You will find tons of information here. Tons of good thoughts from the members of this forum. Tons of well founded opinions. Sift them all together and bake your HDT cake.

Did I get enough metaphors in this post?

Bob

Great job Bob, really very well done.  You might want to put this on the Facebook page because a lot of people are still trying to figure out how or what they want to go.  A lot of them don't show up here on this HDT page.  Thanks for the experience you past on 

Ben. "Chief 916"

Had my Hayes for about a year and then it went TU so I took it out.  It's a pos that's still sitting on my work bench.  Bought the Tucson.  Did not think it would work because my rig is a 1997 Volvo but plugged it in and everything worked fine.  We have been from NC to CA and back.  Works beautifully.

21 minutes ago, SuiteSuccess said:

Oh BTW may want to make yourself one of these to keep handy if you need to remove or place the hose on the inner tire valve.

 

How long did you make your handle?

9 hours ago, Steve from SoCal said:

I know this is an old thread,

 

I was going to use a tarp motor to open the ramp door on my trailer, I didn't because I need a clutch release.    These tarp motors and a sprocket/chain set up would work well on a hand crank conversion.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1-5-HP-50-1-Gear-Ratio-12V-Apache-Slim-Universal-Dump-Truck-Tarping-System-Motor/401779538886?hash=item5d8bed3bc6:g:wyAAAOSwCYFc9USp

Steve,. Keep us all posted on this.  If it works, take pix of what you did.  I've been thinking about doing this for a while but never could in mind get it straight on how to get started.

Thanks

Ben "chief916"

15 hours ago, noteven said:

That is correct Phil. T880S.

I was blabbering on about B model trucks pre 680/880/990 times.

Ben - here is some video of a 1981 W900A with flat top sleeper in RV service

1981 Kenworth W900A - RV hauler

That video was awesome.  Good looking rig.  No DEF, emissions, regens.  My truck has none of that but looks nowhere as good as that w900a.  Thank you for showing this.

v/r

Ben "chief916"

44 minutes ago, noteven said:

Hi Ben,

W900’s are always a set forward steer able conventional truck. KW “T” models are set back axle trucks.

W900S is a bridge formula construction truck most commonly seen as a mixer.

W900’s were available until the EPA2005 emissions requirement with Detroit Diesel engines. Detroit Diesel had been sold by Roger Penske to Daimler AG. Paccar (Kenworth, Peterbilt, DAF, Leyland) made the decision not to offer Detroit Diesel engines mostly due to not wanting to share emissions development work with an industry competitor (Daimler: Freightliner, Mercedes-Benz, Western Star).

W900B’s in std hood and long hood (W900L) can have modular sleepers - 42”, 50”, 60” inc VIT high roof - these sleepers are separate from the cab accessed through a back of cab opening. The cab can have flat glass or curved windshield and a flat roof.

The Aerocab  models have a curved windshield, can be one piece or 2 piece, upward sloping roof, and the sleeper is integral to the cab, with space to recline the seats. The sleepers are 62 & 72 Flat top, and Aerodyne sleepers in 62, 72, and 86 Studio. The Aerodyne sleeper trucks have the signature raised roof with windows above the cab.

Many 72 Aerodynes were spec’d with the lower sofabed which includes passenger seat belts and an upper bunk. People will call these “Studio” sleepers but the Studio sleeper is an 86”. 

Kenworths are rugged trucks that are backed by a strong dealer network and parts support which supports their value in the used market. 

Not even....what can I say.  That's alot of info and very impressive.  Thank you so much.  I own a 97 Volvo WIA64, which is a good truck but looking at these W900s,they are very like...wow.  both of you gent's...kswrma and you have been a big help in educating me.  My truck is ok but these kw's are very nice.  Maybe some day when I get my house paid off, about 3 months or so, I may get really serious about getting one.

Thanks again.

5 hours ago, kswrmk said:

The W900A models are the conventionals built from around 1967 to 1982.

The current model of W900's are W900B that designates the standard hood length, W900L designates a long hood length and W900S designates a sloping hood.

Gotta love the W900 trucks!

Thank you.  This helps me out to better understand.