| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
RE: Gooseneck Hitches--Any Input Appreciated
Goosenecks are fine if they are built to be a gooseneck. There are different torsion stresses with a gooseneck, and converting from a fifth wheel to a gooseneck may not be wise.
I've pulled a large horse trailer built with a gooseneck and it pulls and handles fine. I have bed rails in my pick up so I can install my fifth wheel hitch, or lift it out and install the ball plate for the gooseneck.
|
T210DRVR
|
06/25/09 10:47pm |
Toy Haulers
|
|
RE: Anyone pulling a Raptor w/ 3/4 ton diesel?
My experience is that there isn't much difference between an SRW 3/4 ton or one ton. However, there is a huge difference between pulling a big fiver with a dually.
I can, and do pull a heavy fifth wheel with a 3/4 ton SRW. It doesn't feel unsafe, but the trailer pushes you around noticeably when going through high speed turns like a freeway transition or an interstate mountain road. The dually is noticeably different in that the truck does not get pushed around.
Can you pull it with a 2500? Yes. Is it the best tool for the job, no.
|
T210DRVR
|
04/15/09 10:00pm |
Toy Haulers
|
|
RE: Need new tires ....Maxxis????
I've got Maxxis 8008 15" D rated tires on my 2004 HR Next Level. I'm routinely 15,000 lbs on the trailer, sometimes more. It's made trips through the hot desert, the high country of Montana and everywhere in between. I'd estimate 20,000 miles on the tires and they've been on the fifth wheel since new, slightly over five years ago. I think I picked up a screw once and had it repaired. Otherwise, never a problem. They are starting to show wear now because of the scrubbing that happens with a tri-axle trailer.
I'd happily replace them with another set of Maxxis tires.
|
T210DRVR
|
03/23/09 11:01pm |
Toy Haulers
|
|
RE: Inverter on the cheap
Old CRT style TV's are not very efficient. O
LCD TV's are very efficient so if possible start out with stuff that doesn't consume very much.
In my case I found a LCD 19" TV at Wally World that only consumed about 120 watts. That's about 10 amps @ 12 Volts. I looked around until I found a TV that actually had an inline converter in the power source line. As luck would have it the input was 120 VAC and output was 12 VDC. Super, no loss if I simply wire direct into the 12 Volt system in the RV. I still needed 120 VDC for the cheap DVD player also found at Wally world. It only needed about 60 watts so I bought a 75 watt inverter and hard wired to the same DC source as I'd used for the TV. It was fused for 15 amps, but with TV turned on first followed by the inverter I've not blown a fuse. Assuming about a total of fifteen amp draw and a total of 210 amps in the batteries I can run the TV & DVD player for six hours (90 AMPs) leaving me with well over half of my battery capacity in reserve.
It's not perfect, but given my limited requirements it works very well. Running the microwave requires tons of electrons so you'd need a big inverter at the battery for that kind of use. If you used the microwave, or resistance heating units, toaster, blender, very much you'd deplete the batteries very quickly. Also, unless you got a remote switched inverter you'd to go out an switch it on as needed or risk battery drain fron the current use of the inverter at rest.
|
T210DRVR
|
03/16/09 09:31pm |
Toy Haulers
|
|
RE: Onan Generator Help Needed
Had a similar problem with my Onan 5500 in my Raptor Toy Hauler. The short answer is varnish developing on the inner wall of the fuel line that runs from the fuel tank. Mine is located at the back of my hauler with a rubber fuel line running some 30+ feet to the genset. The longer the fuel line the more the potential for a problem. Varnish would flake off as the genset was running and after time enough flakes would accumulate at the filter to block the flow. Genset stops. After sitting a minute or two the flakes would settle, the genset would start again.
I disconnected the fuel line at both ends, used a compressor to blow out the line. Fixed!! Now I keep "Sta-Bil" Gas treatment in the fuel, no more problems.
Same here. I have never had more problems than with my current Onan 5500. Replaced two carbs because of varnish buildup. Use lots of fuel stabilizer and run it monthly when not in use to keep it clear.
Because California is such a big market and CARB (the CA smog police) have some of the toughest emissions requirements most small engine makers try to meet CARB standards. The problem happens in part because of the very small idle jets used in newer engines. They varnish and plug very easily. It's really important with these newer engines to keep fresh fuel in them. Stabil will help, but won't always prevent the problem. It's best not to put more fuel in than you will use in a season and also use Stabil.
|
T210DRVR
|
02/24/09 09:45pm |
Toy Haulers
|
|
RE: gas station bad mistake
I get two Darwin awards. The first involved dropping the trailer onto the rails. Not so bad as I underestimated how much weight was loaded onto the suspension and when I pulled out it made a minor impression.
The second involved pretzling the tailgate with the pin. It was a good excuse to get one of those notched, louvered fifth wheel tailgates. :h
|
T210DRVR
|
02/24/09 09:35pm |
Toy Haulers
|
|
RE: Repacking the Wheel Bearings and Adjust Brakes
Wheel bearings are the easy stuff. Don't look at the bushings in your suspension. If you have standard leaf spring suspension chances are excellent that the bushings in the suspension are cheesy nylon. They wear quickly, and if you have more than about 10K miles they are probably shot. It's difficult to check their condition when the suspension is together, but you won't like what you find if you take things apart. The parts to fix the condition are cheap, like maybe twenty dollars worth of bushings. However, removing the nuts and getting the bolts free will involve hydralic jacks, jack stands, impact wrench, a very large hammer, and some busted knuckles.
My buddy took his '05 WW apart and found his bushings were shot. At his urging I took mine apart and found the same.
|
T210DRVR
|
02/02/09 10:32pm |
Toy Haulers
|
|
RE: Where did that wheel go?
I've seen it happen. This is something that normally can be caught well before failure. Do like the truckers do, at the top of a grade pull over and check the tires. Best to do it with a guage, but if you bump them with a wrench or something you'll hear the difference if one is grossly underinflated. While you are bumping the tires put your hand on the hub. You are checking for a hub that is much hotter than the rest. The bearing is beginning to fail. You don't want to do this at the bottom of a hill because the hubs may be too hot to touch from braking down the hill.
|
T210DRVR
|
01/11/09 09:02pm |
Toy Haulers
|
|
Shocks on a Toyhauler
I've never had shocks on my fifth wheels before. They are an option with many trailers.
Does anyone have before and after experience with adding shocks to a rig? Could you tell any difference?
|
T210DRVR
|
12/01/08 12:42am |
Toy Haulers
|
|
RE: Heads up- Get your Class A non-commercial
In Oregon, state law allows a Class 8 tractor to pull a fifth wheel trailer by anyone with a valid Class C license because it's an "RV". However, as soon as you unhook from the fifth wheel the tractor is no longer an RV and you may be cited. :?
|
T210DRVR
|
12/01/08 12:30am |
Toy Haulers
|
