Jinx & Wayne

"Honey, are you barbecuing out there?" Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

When we upgraded to electric over hydraulic disc brakes I installed axles with oil bath hubs. Instead of greasing the hubs you just keep the oil level at the proper point. The oil level is visible from outside and fill access is through a small rubber plug that is removed by hand. They work very well.

I have a fiver, but because so many systems are interchangeable, anyone's input is welcome/ What, more specifically, does this involve? Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

Okay folks, the New Year is coming. My usual resolution is not to make any resolutions. That way I can keep it all year and only break it at the end. This year I am going to try something more productive - maintenance. Does anyone have a maintenance schedule they think might be useful? In my view the ideal maintenance schedule is one where you get things done before they fail or damage the item being maintained, but you aren't doing them so often that you are doing unnecessary work. What works for you?

At those temperatures you don't need a furnace to dry out the air. There isn't any moisture in it to begin with.

Spraying the cats with Endust and then sprinkling catnip about the trailer might work. Then you only have to shake out the cats.🙀 Nobutseriously, I haven't found anything that works on the dust reducing end of the equation if you have any windows or doors open. For picking it up once it is there I like Swiffer and a vacuum.

Don't forget the overnight parking restrictions.

That helps as do anti-gel additives. You still have to plug and unplug. AND then, gas or diesel, you need to sweep off the truck every time it snows, and scrape it every time you have a hard frost. Oh yeah, and Ford had a block heater recall that they were slow to get fixed.

Hahahaha. Yeah, When I bought the dually we were a year away from full timing. The garage door was 4-1/2" wider than the truck. I lived in Maine and wasn't about to store a diesel outside in the winter. After a month of squeezing it in successfully I had the door widened. When we sold it the new owner had a dually. He was very happy with that adjustment. Unfortunately it didn't add to the selling price of the house. I think it is pretty common with 5ers. Looking at some of the tow vehicles I've seen for TT's, it is probably pretty common there, too.

Have you thought about skirting. Will your park allow it? I lived in a log cabin one winter in Maine. The cabin was raised on posts about 18". I skirted it with heavy duty plastic and ice no longer formed on the floors. The cat's water bowl didn't freeze either. It looks like there are plenty of RV skirting articles and videos online.

I'm pretty sure pocketing the chip can also get you into prison for evidence tampering if a reasonable person would know an official investigation was reasonably likely or occurring. Florida will give you five years for that. The feds can give you 20. If you have a camera and the data chip/card is missing after a serious accident, "Splain that if you can, Lucy."

I'm guessing that the OP might be an intruder/hacker on the website. Note the invalid SKP number and lack of response to the "what are you talking about" posts. If I am wrong, I apologize.

I'm concerned that this forum is being hacked. We've had two purportedly new members with invalid SKP numbers and off inane wall posts. The latest is above with a SKP number of 22. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

I'm pretty sure that was my point. I'm also pretty sure that neither salesperson never considered pin weight because they didn't understand it. They didn't tell me directly that it would handle the pin weight of that trailer. They said the truck would be "fine" for towing that trailer. I don't think they lied. I think they were stupid. I don't think they ever looked at anything beyond 5th wheel towing capacity. I'm pretty fussy about understanding what I am doing and why when I start on something new. I knew nothing about RV's at the time. That is why I did my own research and bought a F350 DRW diesel. Even with a SRW 350 things were going to be close. Jinx didn't want to drive anything as wide as a DRW so she lobbied for the SRW. I suggested we would have to weigh her purse and count the water bottles with the SRW. She agreed maybe the DRW was ok. I've been very happy with the DRW. Thank you for the 300# of people vote of confidence. I haven't weighted 150# since I finished basic training. Jinx isn't commenting. And our dog at the time weighed 58#! 😃

From the 12/23/20 Tampa Bay Times and Washington Post: BREACHING BORDERS The land crossings are closed, but Canadian RVers are finding a loophole to winter in the U.S. BY SHANNON MCMAHON Washington Post Canadian border officials announced earlier this month that the land border with the United States, which has been shuttered since March, will remain closed to nonessential travel until at least Jan. 21. The rule has barred both Canadian and American travelers from crossing since the spring, but only Americans have not been able to fly across the border. Canadians can fly to the United States — which has a higher coronavirus case rate than Canada — at their own risk and must satisfy testing and quarantine requirements when they return home. The Canadian government has been unwilling to comment on the fly-only loophole since October, according to the CBC. And now, with harsh winter weather returning to Canada, snowbirds who typically RV across the more temperate southwestern U.S. states during the winter months have found a way to still make the trip. Cross-border towing companies, which are considered essential businesses, can take the recreational vehicle across the border for them and meet the RVers — who fly across the border — on the other side. “Winter in Canada — even where it’s the mildest — is rainy, cold, miserable, and it wasn’t something we wanted to do,” says Alex Kurm, 44, a longtime RVer who entered the United States with his family last month. They took a 12-minute charter flight across the border, and they retrieved their RV from a shipping company that transported it to the U.S. side. “Our lifestyle is basically socially distant by design,” Kurm says of he and his wife’s decision to head south this year despite rising coronavirus cases in the United States. “We’ve been in an RV for four years . . . in the desert, mountains, and rural areas all the time just hiking and living in those places. So, we were not too worried.” Kurm and his wife have long home-schooled their kids, and they work remotely from the road. The loophole has created a business opportunity for cross-border towing and shipping companies, which say inquiries for cross-border jobs have spiked. Cory and Dennis Rushinko, co-owners of British Columbia-based shipping and towing company Bayview Towing, say their U.S.bound transport is way up. Dennis, who manages all cross-border jobs, says he’s doing two to three times as many trips across the border compared with last year — as many as three to four journeys every day. Cory Rushinko, Bayview Towing’s general manager, says the rule does not seem to promote safety. In contrast with people’s option to get in their car from home and drive across the border, he says, the current loophole requires contact with a lot more people. “Tell me how it’s okay for someone to go to the Vancouver airport, fly to Seattle and rent a car, drive up to the border and meet us, get in their car and go on their holidays,” Cory Rushinko says. Glenn Williamson, a Canadian by birth and the creator of the Canada Arizona Business Council in Phoenix, which monitors tourism and business investments by Canadian visitors to Arizona, says his data shows the state has retained more snowbird Canadian visitors than it has short-term Canadian visitors in general. Of the Canadian visitors Arizona usually gets, it has retained about 20 percent because of the border closure, Williamson says. But when looking only at snowbirds, a greater 40 percent have returned — thanks in part to the emergence of younger RVers, who are less at risk during the pandemic and still determined to escape Canadian winter, as they have in the past. “When people here think of Canadian snowbirds they think of an older RV clientele, and it’s really not anymore. About 70 percent of it is Canadians coming down who are much younger, looking for a new lifestyle,” Williamson says. “When I talk to a lot of these people, (this year) you can tell that the cabin fever had really set in, and they are bound and determined one way or another to get down here.” Another Canadian RVer, Adam McLaughlin, 36, says he and his family, which includes three home-schooled kids, decided to delay their usual RV trip to the United States this winter. But he notes that it is not because of health concerns: They will soon fly to Mexico for an extended stay until February, and they hope to travel to the United States soon after through whatever means necessary. “Mexico is just really hurting for tourism dollars,” McLaughlin says. “For us we haven’t really had that (safety) concern because we don’t have any preexisting conditions. We’re not haphazard about COVID . . . we don’t want to get it, but we’re also not in a high-risk category if we do.” McLaughlin is hopeful the border might reopen come spring, but he says if it doesn’t, he will hire a company to ship their RV to the states. Canadian border officials have not signaled when the border might reopen, but they reassess the closure on a monthly basis. Williamson of the Canada Arizona Business Council is hopeful that tourism dollars will return to Arizona soon if the United States can get coronavirus cases under control. He notes that businesses are suffering because of the absence of Canadian snowbirds, and he says that in a normal year, the state’s nearly 1 million annual snowbird visitors contribute more than $1 billion to the state’s economy. “I don’t think we should have an absolute opening, but we should be very creative,” Williamson says. “If we can put a man or woman on the moon, I think we can figure this one out.” Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

Any RV should have a list of specifications somewhere showing things like axle capacities, weights, etc. A tow vehicle should have specifications available, often online. Vehicle specifications will vary depending upon the model and accessories. Tires have the year and week of manufacture on the sidewall. Advice about those tires can be found online. Escapees has some very good educational resources. I would include this forum among them. This is where I found out about wheelbase and other issues. As you know from being a Major Contributor, you just need to ask and you can get a wealth of sometimes conflicting opinions. 😉 SmartWeigh is an Escapees program available for $55 or less. It is a full review of a fully-loaded-for-travel RV and TV, to determine weights and dimensions as compared to specifications. It is available in Escapees parks in AZ, TX and FL. You can find full information on the Escapees homepage under the Education tab. The Escapees RV Online University is another resource. There are also various individuals and organizations that have videos and information - sometimes free. You have to look at some of them pretty carefully. Some are very good. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

When I bought my fiver the tires had a speed rating of 56 MPH and barely sufficient load ratings. I had never RV'ed but even to me that seemed a bit low. (I don't travel much faster than that, but a bit.) I think many manufacturers view suspension, brakes and tires as an afterthought. The majority of the money goes into interior bling. The first thing I did was upgrade wheels and tires. Then I took my first trip. After that trip I upgraded to electric over hydraulic disc brakes and heavier, wet hub axles. I've since improved the suspension. I'm in agreement full with ms60ocb. Safety first. Wayne & Jinx 2017 F-350 diesel, dually 2006 Carriage Carri-Lite 36KSQ

Absolutely, I thought I was prepared when I researched tow vehicles before buying one (and after buying the rv). Despite my research I had no idea of wheelbase issues. When I finally found out I was relieved to find out we were fine. I think the problem extends beyond weekenders. I spent the summer near to a guy with a Ram 2500 and a 39' fiver weighting in at just under 18,000. He was a full time snowbird, but only traveled north and south at the season change. I suspected there was some lack of understanding or awareness when I discovered that one of the A/C units had just been replaced after being forcibly removed in an overpass. Even after replacing the unit he still only had a rough idea of the RV height.

At the risk of opening a large can of worms, I would like to solicit opinions on an adequate truck for towing. When we first began RVing a few years ago both the RV dealer and truck salesman assured us that a diesel F-250 with a 50 gal auxiliary fuel tank was more than adequate for towing a fiver with a GVW of 16,830#, and a loaded pin weight of 3450#. Apparently they based that on the listed towing capacity of that vehicle. After researching truck payloads and axle capacities we decided on a F-350 dually diesel,bought that fiver, and have been happy with the choice. We SmartWeigh every year and are careful to stay within limits. As i look around at RV/truck combo ads and folks in the parks around me I see people towing with all sorts of trucks that appear to be too little truck for the job - they appear to be undertrucked. This leaves me with several questions. Is this a real problem? How common is undertrucking? Is this primarily a safety issue or an equipment durability issue - is the likely bad result an accident or more repairs? Do things like air bags remedy the problem? Although I feel I have enough truck I welcome input from those of you in MDT's and HDT's, as well. Just to stir the pot a bit more, my experience as a trial attorney tells me that a person towing with too little truck, and who is involved in a serious injury accident, may be looking at large civil liability (big lawsuit) and maybe criminal exposure. Thoughts?

You might want to contact RV parks in the area, particularly those that cater to 55+. Many of these parks have a significant population of snowbirds who only travel between a location in the north and the park. Many of the units will be older RV's that no longer travel, but are built-in in the sense that they have decks/screened rooms and carports. Often there are units for sale. I suspect more will be available in the time of COVID, at least that is the case here in Florida. Some may be available for rent, as well, although some parks may have a policy against renting.

Is it safe to assume hour HDT is diesel?

Chalkie is right. So long as you are willing to pay a higher initial cost, and higher costs for fuel and maintenance, a diesel is hard to beat. The pulling power and smooth running muscle is amazing.

We tow with a 2017 F-350 dually diesel - 6.7 L dual turbo. So far (65,000 miles) no problem with fuel. We have it serviced regularly. It is a great vehicle. Way more power than gas counterpart and better mileage. Maintenance is somewhat more expensive than gas.

Are you in Maine? New York? Florida? Is it to your tow vehicle, TOAD, trailer or MH? If we knew a bit more someone might have low cost, quality recommendations.

And we aren't seeing Canadians here in the Sebring, FL area, either.