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aqualung Posted on: May 8 2015, 12:19 PM





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AM Solar has that too. They call it a Roof C-Box (Combiner Box). Its similar to the fridge vent box but is designed to mount directly to the roof. Here's a link:

http://www.amsolar.com/home/amr/page_72_16/roof_c-box.html

You would still need to bore a hole through the roof but it would be covered by the box. Of course some Dicor lap sealant would be needed as well but its not the only protection.
  Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #2201093 · Replies: 5 · Views: 18,438

aqualung Posted on: Apr 30 2015, 11:59 AM





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I mounted two solar panels on my Adventurer 90FWS a few years back. I bought the panels, controller and supplies from AM Solar. Their kits provide everything you need and they can customize a kit to fit your needs. Essentially the cabling comes down through the fridge roof vent. My kit used a four cable port box that mounts to the side of the fridge roof vent to allow up to four solar panels to be connected into the box through water tight cable gland nuts. The main cable goes through the back of the box into the fridge roof vent and then down to the base of the fridge where you can route the cable wherever needed. In my case I mounted the controller in a closet adjacent to the fridge with lots of space around it for ventilation. From there I used heavy battery cable (also purchased from AM Solar) to run through a battery monitor and then onto the battery. I placed marine grade breakers in the battery compartment and at the solar controller so they could be isolated from the system should any shorts occur.

Mounting the panels to the roof was simple for me - a couple of screws in the mount at each corner of each panel and them some Dicor self-levelling lap sealant for waterproofing on each screw. The cable ties used a single screw each with some Dicor to seal them up. Dicor is available at most RV shops.

Virtually everything you need to know is available on AM Solar's website and if you have any questions give them a call, they specialize in RV solar installations. They also have some good educational information on their site.

http://www.amsolar.com/

Use the best quality cable you can with the heaviest gauge that will fit the various connection points. Its a real waste to throw away the precious solar power you generate on small gauge cables. When charging the batteries, its all about having the correct voltage at the battery terminals with the most current possible. So pick a MPPT solar controller to maximize the power coming from the panels and it should also be capable of having its output voltage settable so you can set the correct charging and float voltages for your battery bank (very important). Each battery manufacturer will tell you what is best for the batteries you have - the generic settings are usually too low and result in poor charging. For example, the default charge voltage setting in my controller is 13.6V yet my Trojan Lead Acid batteries need 14.8V for best charging and a float voltage of 13.2V. My Morningstar controller default settings were wrong for my batteries but I was able to change them to what I needed.

Here's another good read on battery charging. Its from HandyBob's Blog:
https://handybobsolar.wordpress.com/the-rv-...rging-puzzle-2/

Hope this helps
  Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #2112963 · Replies: 5 · Views: 18,438

aqualung Posted on: Apr 6 2015, 01:54 PM





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Yes the GAWR of 6200lbs is probably limited by the axle.

No you can't necessarily have a camper weight of 3380Lbs. You don't want to exceed the rear axle GAWR or the front axle GAWR or the vehicle's GVWR. Usually the combination of front and rear GAWR together is well beyond the GVWR of the vehicle. GVWR is probably limited by the truck's frame or perhaps the brakes. Only the Ford engineers can really answer this question.... but good luck getting an answer.

So take the GVWR of your truck (10000lbs) and subtract the total weight measured at the CAT scales and then this is the maximum payload you can carry. Don't forget that you, your passengers, the fuel in the truck are all included in that maximum payload, in addition to the fully loaded camper. Once fully loaded you still do not want to exceed either GAWR or the GVWR.

When loading a camper you want the centre of gravity of the camper forward of the rear axle for stability reasons. Because of this, some of the camper weight ends up on the front axle. Exactly how much depends on where the centre of gravity is relative to the rear axle when the camper is loaded and full of water, propane, food, clothing etc.

There's no easy way to figure this all out ahead of time so when buying the camper try and give yourself as much payload margin as possible. The more margin the better so you're sure not to exceed any of the numbers. I assume that the maximum camper weight sticker or tag you found in your glove box when you bought your truck probably takes all this into account so if you still have that, use it as your guide to the maximum camper weight you should get - that's what I did and after adding fuel and people to the mix along with water, propane etc in the camper I came close to my limits on front GAWR and on GVWR but had lots of margin on rear GAWR (I have a dually).

Hope this helps
  Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #1913876 · Replies: 1 · Views: 7,552

aqualung Posted on: Mar 16 2015, 10:08 AM





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The air bags won't help move the center of gravity forward at all but will help to level the truck and provide a smoother ride. To move the cog forward you need to pack the weight in the camper forward (food, water, clothing etc). The more weight you can move forward the better. Depending on where the fresh water tank is, just filling that may be enough.

With the cog behind the rear axle your steering will lighten up somewhat. But where your cog will land (dry) isn't too far behind the rear axle so you may find it doesn't affect your steering much at all. Also since you have a diesel, there's a lot of weight on the front axles to start so lightening it up a bit shouldn't be an issue.
  Forum: Truck Camper Specs · Post Preview: #1683159 · Replies: 2 · Views: 23,390

aqualung Posted on: Mar 5 2015, 12:50 PM





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Hi Astrid

Being in Eastern Ontario you may find it difficult to find a used camper. The only dealer in the area that has campers now is Trailica. Miller's in Metcalfe no longer carries truck campers, although he still has one new camper left on the lot. Be prepared to travel to go see one.

Based on your truck, you'll be looking for a light camper like a popup or light hardside. Trailica does have some Palomino popups on their lot so you can at least go look at one. Keep in mind that you need to stay within your truck's GVWR with the camper loaded and full of water and goodies.

Truck campers don't sell well in our area so you might have difficulty selling yours after your trip. Perhaps you might consider renting one? Fraser Way which is just north of Toronto rents Truck Campers and they might rent just the camper too (not sure about this).

Generally, you can carry quite a bit of stuff in a truck camper since they do have decent storage for the space but it will be less than what you have in your fifth wheel.

As for your cat, you should check out Truck Camper Magazine. Their cat Harley travels everywhere with them and I'm sure they'll have some pointers on travelling with a cat in a camper.

http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/

Hope this helps
Aqualung
also from Eastern Ontario.
  Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #1615385 · Replies: 2 · Views: 11,158

aqualung Posted on: Nov 3 2014, 08:55 AM





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You're thinking right about the payload numbers, its always important to stay within the truck's capabilities. Don't forget that you and your family will also add into the payload numbers as will fuel and any cargo you may be carrying in addition to your TC and its contents. If you can do it, go big... get a truck with the largest payload you can. Get a dually if you can, the extra width of the rear wheels and the increased capacity helps with camper sway. Also, a gas truck will give you more payload than a diesel will because the diesel engine weighs so much more. But, for long hauls and travelling in the mountains a diesel is a better choice provided you can meet your payload numbers.

Depending on where you plan on staying, in some areas they do not allow soft sided campers due to bears. One place in particular that I know of is Lake Louise in Alberta, I was there this past summer. Lake Louise has high bear traffic so they don't allow soft sided campers unless if you stay in the secure compound they've built - its a camping area surrounded by an electric fence with special gates to allow vehicle traffic through but to keep the bears out. Since you plan on boondocking, I would be even more careful about the areas you stay in if you have a soft sided camper.

When looking at used, look for water damage. Yes the musty smell is a dead give away of a water problem. Whether a camper has been stored inside or outside is less of a concern provided you ensure all seals are in good shape and the roof is in good shape. Also look inside cabinets, under the seats and anywhere else you can get to to look for water staining or damage which may show leaking plumbing. Yes test all appliances and check for propane leaks.

Another thing to consider is whether or not the model of TC you pick can be used when its off the truck. Some are designed for it some aren't. It is nice to be able to use your truck after you set up camp. Its best to check with the manufacturer on this one. I had to add extra support to my camper to be able to do this. I also added Torklift's WobbleStopprs which make a big difference to camper movement when its off the truck.
  Forum: Matching Truck and Camper · Post Preview: #388439 · Replies: 1 · Views: 19,013

aqualung Posted on: Oct 2 2014, 09:22 AM





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To get the most capacity in your battery, its usually best to get two high capacity 6V batteries (i.e. 220AmpHour) and put them in series to make 12V. When using two 12V batteries in parallel, the battery bank is only as good as the weaker of the two batteries and the weak one will drag the other one down. Look for Golf Cart batteries, they're high capacity deep cycle 6V and usually the cheapest solution. Yes, stay away from starting batteries, they're not designed to be run down low and if you do they will be damaged, reducing their life.

As for the plug, it sounds like its a single connector with three conductors. If so this is the shore power connection for powering AC appliances inside (microwave, air conditioning, etc) and may also provide power to a 12V converter inside which is used to run all 12V lighting, appliances and for charging the battery.

Most campers also have a 7-way trailer style plug to run exterior running lights, brake lights, reverse lights and a 12V battery connection for charging the battery and running interior 12V lights etc. based on your description, you don't have one of these.

Solar power is always a good choice. The size/amount of panels depends on your power usage.
  Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #293177 · Replies: 4 · Views: 15,271

aqualung Posted on: Jul 11 2014, 12:43 PM





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I have never heard a decent answer to your question. I have read other posts where people contacted their truck manufacturer (ford, dodge, GM etc) and they would not answer their questions about this cargo weight rating. So it remains a mystery.

My Ram 3500 is similar, the paper in the glove box states 3300lbs but GVWR minus gross weight including fuel and passengers is 4000lbs. So I read that as my fully loaded camper can weigh up to 4000lbs. Perhaps the paper is talking about camper dry weight or is excluding typical loading of the truck (i.e. passengers, fuel, tongue weight of a trailer etc). What you do need to make sure is that when fully loaded you do not exceed the truck's GVWR, its front GAWR or its rear GAWR. Beyond that, the paper/sticker in the glove box seems almost meaningless, at least its certainly vague.
  Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #283761 · Replies: 9 · Views: 35,331

aqualung Posted on: Jun 2 2014, 08:33 AM





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Torklift make a splitter that you can use but they are intended for their supertruss so they are long. There are a few sizes available:

http://www.torklift.com/index.php/products...-wire-harnesses
  Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #277221 · Replies: 2 · Views: 11,615

aqualung Posted on: May 27 2014, 12:19 PM





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You can use Dicor sealants which are available at most RV shops. On this following Dicor page there is a chart on the right side (bottom right) which should tell you which sealant is the correct one:
http://www.dicor.com/ultrasealant/

Here's a YouTube video maintaining your RV roof (also from Dicor):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsCoHAqKO9Q

Hope this helps
  Forum: Truck Camper Specs · Post Preview: #275177 · Replies: 1 · Views: 16,192

aqualung Posted on: May 26 2014, 12:09 PM





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You can repair rotted wood by using a product call "Git-Rot". Its used mainly for wooden boat repair and is available at most marine stores. It is injected into the wood and then it creeps along the wood grain. It eventually hardens so the result is a hard wood structure that will not rot again. Git-Rot is a penetrating resin.

I've used it on my TC roof to repair a damaged section - thanks to a low hanging branch and me not paying attention. I've also used it on a wood framed door on my garage which is exposed to the elements and rotted. Both times it worked really well. I have also used it to help a friend repair his wooden boat and as advertised it worked great.

If the water damage on your roof is widespread it may be easier to replace the plywood. But if the water damage is restricted to a smaller area where the holes were drilled then Git-Rot is for you. You can do the whole roof with Git-Rot but that would be expensive.

Here's a YouTube video of someone using the product:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3dKSkPwP2M

You can buy it from this online marine store:
http://www.westmarine.com/boatlife--git-ro...004_120_001_009

Before use, you will need to open the roof up to get access to the rotted wood and dry it out thoroughly . Nothing will force the water out except for keeping it dry and letting nature take its course. A fan might speed nature along a bit. Its important that its dry before using the Git-Rot otherwise you will seal in the water which might make things worse.
  Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #274795 · Replies: 12 · Views: 40,862

aqualung Posted on: May 18 2014, 11:59 AM





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I made up my own splitter and use it with my hitch extension. If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself then Torklift makes a splitter that does the same job. Have a look at this link:

http://www.torklift.com/index.php/products...-wire-harnesses

If you decide to make your own then just match up the colors on each plug. You will need to make sure you use the heavy gauge wires for ground (white), battery (red) and brakes (blue). A lighter gauge wire can be used for the running and turning lights. Any RV store should carry the plugs you'll need as well as trailer wire which is bundled together with the correct gauges.

You can order what you need from etrailer (see link below). They also sell the Torklift splitter (same page).

http://accessories.etrailer.com/search?p=K...r%20Wiring&rk=2

The color codes and suggested wire gauge can be found on this etrailer page:
http://www.etrailer.com/faq-wiring.aspx

Hope this helps.
  Forum: Towing and Trailering · Post Preview: #272035 · Replies: 5 · Views: 56,998

aqualung Posted on: Apr 29 2014, 07:39 AM





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Well, I live in the Great White North so we deal with snow and ice regularly, specially this past winter (Brrrrrrr). Driving the DRW in the snow is no different than driving the SRW trucks I've had in the past - both aren't great. The rear end of any pickup is too light to get good traction in the snow so we always add some weight in the truck bed to help out. All of my trucks have been four wheel drive trucks mainly to handle winter weather and its uncommon to see a two wheel drive pickup truck around here. As I'm sure you know, driving in the snow and ice is all about traction and tire contact with the road. The DRW usually has more contact with the road than a SRW but its rear end can float more than a SRW. Adding weight to the truck bed takes care of this.

Driving empty is much rougher than driving with the camper on since the rear suspension is very stiff. I have added air bags to help level the truck when loaded but leaving a few pounds in them when unloaded also helps to smooth out the ride. I don't think that the DRW affects this any more than a SRW would when its configured to handle the weight of a camper - they both have to handle the same weight so they will both have very stiff rear suspensions.

Because of the stiff suspension and wide rear end, the DRW truck handles corners extremely well. I have to keep reminding myself that I'm in the truck and not the car because it corners so well. I can't say the same thing for the SRW trucks I've owned in the past.

To sum up, the only negative I've found with the DRW when compared to the SRW is the extra width when parking which really doesn't bother me at all. And as I mentioned before, it doesn't bother my wife either. We have two drivers in our house and two vehicles (car and the 3500) so the truck is often driven empty. I'd say its empty 70% of the time it spends on the road.

Do I like my 3500? Absolutely! I'd drive it all the time if fuel costs were lower but the car is a little diesel Volkswagen so there really is no comparison in fuel economy. I just suck it up and take the car unless I can dream up an excuse where I "need" the truck.

As for camper dry weights, its tough to use the numbers you find on manufacturer's websites since the actual dry weight is changed by the options added. I've taken our rig to the CAT Scales and measured it fully loaded with a full fuel tank, full water tanks, all passengers on board (right after a big meal) so I could get the worst case number and it came it at 11856lbs. My GVWR is 12200lbs, this leaves some room for tongue weight when we add our ATV trailer to the mix. The truck without camper is 8200lbs but the tail gate and a tonneau cover is added to that. Since I've never measure the truck empty with the exact configuration as when I have the camper on board I don't have an accurate wet weight for the camper but I estimate it to be just under 3800lbs.

Of course any new RAM 3500 will be different from my 2009 but I believe that payload numbers are going up, certainly the towing numbers have gone way up.

Leaving the camper on the truck? We never do unless its a short overnight somewhere with the camper. Its always off the truck at home and is only loaded when we're heading out camping. At the campsite, we usually unload the camper so we have the truck to drive around with, unless its a short stay. In my area, people don't seem to leave their campers on the truck but I don't see any reason why you couldn't do so if you really wanted to.
  Forum: Matching Truck and Camper · Post Preview: #263803 · Replies: 10 · Views: 99,896

aqualung Posted on: Apr 28 2014, 04:07 PM





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In my opinion, having the added stability of the dually far out weighs any parking issues that I've come across (a very rare occurance). Of course I don't spend half an hour in parking lots trying to find that spot that's closer to the store, instead I just head to the spots away from the store and walk the extra distance.

With a truck large enough to carry a large camper safely, its going to be a big truck and the extra foot or so in width really isn't an issue. But that extra width sure does help with the stability of the rig, specially in corners. Having owned both SRW and DRW trucks, I'd only go back to a SRW if I were to get out of truck camping permanently and never foresaw any need to haul anything heavy ever again..... so when I'm about ready to kick the bucket huh.gif

My wife also drives the truck, probably more often than I do and she loves it. It was intimidating to her at first but after the first few trips driving it that intimidation was completely gone. She'd probably drive it everywhere if fuel costs were lower but the small car is cheaper to operate so if both are available then the car heads out. When we're both heading out, its a race to see who gets to the truck first. Fortunately for me, I have longer legs and usually win. wink.gif
  Forum: Matching Truck and Camper · Post Preview: #263565 · Replies: 10 · Views: 99,896

aqualung Posted on: Mar 29 2014, 09:44 PM





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A rubber mat should solve the problem. Plywood will still allow some slipping.
  Forum: Support Equipment · Post Preview: #257187 · Replies: 6 · Views: 26,450

aqualung Posted on: Feb 25 2014, 09:43 PM





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Hi Spanky

I run another forum and had the same unwanted posts problem. There's an easy fix for it. The registration question needs to change.

The posts are coming from bots that can figure out how to register automatically. These things use optical character recognition algorithms to figure out the Captcha so using this style of Captcha isn't good enough anymore.

The easiest and most effective thing to do is change the registration to use a question/answer that really easy for a human looking at the screen to figure out but near impossible for a bot to figure out. Something simple like Q: "what color are the letters in the AdventureRV.net logo above?" A: "red". The phpBB allows for multiple correct answers like "Red" or "RED" so you can cover off any version of the answer. You can also have several different questions so each time someone registers its a different question than the one before.

I'm not sure what version this forum is running but there's a new upgrade to version 3.0.12 (see the phpBB website for details). Apparently the earlier versions have a security issue, but I don't think its related to the posts.

I made the above registration changes in my ATV club's forum and all of the unwanted registrations and bot posts stopped right away. I haven't seen any since and that was almost a year ago that I made the change.

Hope this helps
  Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #248553 · Replies: 3 · Views: 12,358

aqualung Posted on: Feb 17 2014, 12:06 PM





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The GVWR of your truck is not limited by just the tire and axle ratings but is usually limited by something else like the brakes or perhaps the frame. Its hard to say for sure what the real limiting factor is, only Ford can answer that question (but I doubt that they would). My guess would be the brakes since I would expect the frame to be built to handle much more weight. Of course this is only a guess.

When you are considering the load on the truck, you don't want to exceed any of the ratings like rear axle and front axle ratings, GVWR and GCWR if you plan on towing a trailer too. Its really hard to determine how much of the weight of the camper will be on the rear axle versus the front since this is determined by where the center of gravity of the camper sits relative to the rear axle. The more forward of the rear axle the C.G. is the more the weight moves onto the front axle. The only way to be sure is to weight the entire rig at the scales.

Before you commit to a camper try to get the dealer to let you take it to the scales and measure it on your truck before you buy, full of water if possible. I found the dealers in my area just pointed to the brochure as well and really didn't know what would work or not.

If you know the size of the water tank then you can estimate its full weight using 8.5 lbs/USgal plus another 6gal for the hot water tank (@51lbs). So its not critical to have the camper full of water when weighing it. I'd only consider the weight of the fresh water tank since it empties as the others fill up.

Hope this helps.
  Forum: Matching Truck and Camper · Post Preview: #221653 · Replies: 7 · Views: 75,873

aqualung Posted on: Feb 8 2014, 05:43 PM





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Like Sailor Dave, when fully loaded with a full complement of passengers, full fuel tank and full water tanks I'm 200lbs under my GVWR. So don't include me in "everyone" either.
  Forum: Matching Truck and Camper · Post Preview: #180351 · Replies: 22 · Views: 489,936

aqualung Posted on: Jan 18 2014, 08:20 AM





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If you're concerned about driving stability then you need to make sure that the center of gravity of the camper is on or in front of the rear axle. You should be able to find the camper CG on the manufacturer's website and compare it to the measurements of your truck. Some campers will have the CG marked on the side of the camper.
  Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #103765 · Replies: 6 · Views: 24,423

aqualung Posted on: Jan 8 2014, 05:24 PM





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if you have frame mounted tie downs front and back then the spring turnbuckles should go at the front. This allows the camper to move with the truck but not rock forward. Having spring turnbuckles at the rear allows the camper to rock forward a bit, but this isn't necessarily a bad thing provided the camper doesn't rock forward far enough to hit your cab. huh.gif

When you say "hitch mounting" are you referring to the Torklift tie downs that mount to the Torklift Super hitch? If so, then these are definitely frame mounted. If the tie downs are not frame mounted then they're likely Happijac tie downs and mount to the rear bumper. I would expect anything from Torklift to be frame mounted - it sounds like this is what your talking about. The mounts bolt to the frame or hitch and then the bullet plates mount to the mounts and are removable.

As for dropping the fuel tank, you probably don't have to. I have a 2009 3500 and did have to loosen the tank straps to move the tank sideways a bit so I could get my hands in there to mount the driver side, front tie down. In the end I had my wife hold one bolt in place so I could tighten it down since my hands and arms couldn't squeeze in enough to hold it properly but this was only one bolt. In all, I found the installation to be quite easy. I used a wooden wedge between the tank and frame to hold it apart while I worked. I suppose had I loosened the tank some more I could have got the last bolt myself but hind-sight is always 20/20.... dry.gif
  Forum: Support Equipment · Post Preview: #64985 · Replies: 2 · Views: 16,075

aqualung Posted on: Nov 14 2013, 12:45 PM





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The crack is likely only in the gel-coat and not the fiberglass matt itself. Gel-coat cracking is pretty typical, it eventually happens on most gel-coated surfaces. In many cases you'll see a star crack develop, usually in high stress areas like corners.

Gel-coat cracks are unsightly but not really a problem since the fiberglass underneath is also waterproof (osmosis can happen in boats that are in water all the time but surfaces that are normally dry won't be prone to osmosis).

Gel-coat is easy to fix, the only difficulty with it is matching the color of the new gel-coat to the old. This is where the expertise of someone who does it often comes in handy. If you don't care so much about color match then there's lots of DIY gel-coat fixes available at your local hardware store. The trick is to remember to drill the gel-coat at the end of each crack. Don't drill through the fiberglass, just the gel-coat. This relieves the stress in the crack and prevents it from propagating further. A small drill bit is all thats required.

If by chance the crack is in the fiberglass (very unlikely) then it can be patched with some fiberglass resin - available at your local hardware store. Then follow up with patching the gel-coat.

If this is something you don't want to tackle, then any RV shop should be able to help you out. I can't imagine this being too expensive but you never know for sure unless you ask.
  Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #8973 · Replies: 1 · Views: 9,054

aqualung Posted on: Oct 26 2013, 11:45 AM





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Its no different than arriving in a car. You must follow the rules as usual which you can find on the CBSA website here:
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/noncan-eng.html

If you plan on a trip to Newfoundland there are a few things to know about the ferry crossings. Go to the Marine Atlantic website for info:
http://www.marine-atlantic.ca/index.asp

For NFLD, you want to take the North Sydney to Port aux Basques crossing, its the shortest (6-8 hours depending on weather). There is also a Provincial Park within 10 minutes of the ferry on the NFLD side (JT Cheeseman) which you`ll want since you will arrive later in the day.
http://www.env.gov.nl.ca/env/parks/parks/index.html

You will have to shut off your propane tanks when on the ferry so your fridge won`t be on for up to 8 hours. So pack some ice blocks in with the perishables.


Hope this helps.
  Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #8809 · Replies: 4 · Views: 15,851

aqualung Posted on: Oct 9 2013, 01:59 PM





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I saw this discussion area sitting empty for awhile now so I thought I'd add a new topic to kick-start the discussions. So here goes:

Do you tow a trailer behind your TC rig? If so, what do you tow and what hitch and hitch extension do you use? Why did you choose that setup?

Now that I've asked the questions, I'll answer them. I hope you'll provide some info on your setup, inquiring minds would like to know!


Yes, I tow an enclosed cargo trailer behind my rig inwhich I carry the family's toys... ATVs.

My TC overhangs the rear bumper by about 33 inches once you include the rear deck on the TC so I went with a 36 inch extension. My trailer has a tongue weight of around 400lbs when its loaded so I needed a fairly substantial extension to carry the weight. As you may know, when you add an extension, the rated tongue weight of your hitch drops. To know by how much, you'll need to consult your hitch and extension manufacturer.

I chose the Torklift SuperHitch and SuperTruss. Together they give you excellent tongue weight at an extension of 36" plus they have the added benefit of providing a mounting location for the rear tie downs. The tie down mounts bolt directly into the SuperHitch. Then when you load your TC, you pop the tie down into the mount and put the pin through it... easy. In addition, you can use load levellers with this setup. That helps to distribute the tongue weight amongst all your axles so you don't exceed any GAWR... not to mention the truck's GVWR. You can also use anti-sway setups with this too, if its a problem.

One downside of my setup is its weight. The hitch and truss are heavy so consider this in your truck's GVWR calculations if you want to go this way.

I got the SuperHitch that bolts onto my OEM hitch so the final hitch setup is two pieces, I wouldn't do it this way again. I'd get the complete SuperHitch and remove and sell my OEM hitch. I found that aligning the SuperHitch to my OEM hitch a real bear to do. Had I bought the single unit, no alignemnt would be necessary since its all one piece. And I believe its the same price either way. Oh well, live and learn.

So that's it for me. Anyone else want to tell us about your setup? I know that there are some real craftsmen out there who build there own stuff. It would be interesting to hear about it.
  Forum: Towing and Trailering · Post Preview: #8781 · Replies: 5 · Views: 56,998

aqualung Posted on: Oct 9 2013, 01:18 PM





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You can dump a cassette toilet in any pit toilet or flush toilet in campgrounds or at home. You can also dump at the RV dump stations in the campground and at many rest stops. Every campground, park, rest area, etc will at least have a pit toilet and many have flush toilets and dump stations.
  Forum: General Discussion · Post Preview: #8779 · Replies: 2 · Views: 13,911

aqualung Posted on: Sep 23 2013, 05:19 PM





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Changing a flat on a dually isn't much more difficult than a single rear wheel truck. There will be 8 bolts instead of 5 to remove but then the wheels slide off just like a regular single wheel. I only ever use the bottle jack that came with my truck so you don't really need hydraulic jacks. Although the hydraulic jacks would be better with the extra weight of the camper. One jack is all that's needed.

When reinstalling the wheels, just make sure the outside wheel tire valve is lined up with the inner wheel tire value so you can easily check tire pressure. My wheels have a small hole in each wheel amongst the bolt pattern that indicates where the valve is. I imagine most do. This just makes it easier to line up the two wheels - just align the two holes.

One thing about the truck tires in general, they are E Load rated or better so they have thick sidewalls which makes these tires heavier. Also the dually wheel is typically heavier... a AAA membership with RV Plus might be a good investment.... that's what I have wink.gif

You might also want to add some valve extensions on the rear wheels to make checking/adjusting tire pressure easier. They just screw on in place of the normal valve cap and are under $10 for a set. Mine are plastic but do the job. Although I have found that the dealers have difficulty putting them back in the right spot after maintenance, even when you show them where they go.... or maybe that's just my dealer..... dry.gif

Sorry, I haven't found any forum guidebook but that doesn't mean there isn't one.
  Forum: Matching Truck and Camper · Post Preview: #8743 · Replies: 4 · Views: 48,826

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