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RE: New tires needed on Niagara
We were having some irregular wear problems on our stock Loadstar tires similar to what you have described. We purchased Greenball Towmaster radials at Costco in the same size and load rating as the stock tires. We have not had any issues at all and they wear much better.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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11/09/09 07:58pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Narrowing Down My Final Choices
I know I can store more stuff in a high wall while traveling, and don't have to collapse a sink/stove.
Depending on the manufacturer and model, you may have a reduced cargo carrying capacity. The slide out adds considerable weight to some models. With our Niagara, the added weight of an air conditioner, battery, propane, and water didn't leave us a whole lot of room (weight wise) for cargo. So what we did is reduce the amount of "stuff" that we carried. My wife and I pack light for every trip. It's actually made each trip we take easier to get ready for and the setup and take down much faster.
By the way, we love our Niagara. We have been doing the popup camping thing since 1986. We have always enjoyed the feel of tent camping with the luxuries of a TT. We looked at travel trailers before our last purchase but decided on staying with a popup instead. Due to our HOA rules, purchasing a travel trailer would have meant that it had to be stored off site. That meant a monthly fee along with the trailer sitting outside during the HOT Phoenix summers. With our Niagara, we're able to keep it in the garage which keeps it looking like new.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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10/25/09 12:06am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Low gas flow
You might want to check the pigtails coming from your propane tanks. It seems they have a tendency to clog. On a recent trip, one of our tanks ran dry so we opened up the other tank. The tank was full but would not allow any gas to flow. We ended up switching position of the tanks to keep going.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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10/18/09 10:44am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Quality of forest river vs Coleman/fleetwood
Members still posting of failed lift system, still see members fighting roof troubles that have spanned a decade, all because of mis-engineering.
Unless you're looking at purchasing an older model, the roof problems are old news. You will see Fleetwood/Coleman problems discussed more, simply because there are more of them out there. We owned a 1986 for 22 years and now own a 2009 Niagara. We continued to purchase the Coleman popups for the reasons Beacher listed above.
I would encourage you to visit the dealers and have them do a complete setup and take down with you to see the features of the brands that you are comparing. It will all boil down to what your budget is, what you can tow, and which features and floor plans work for you.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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10/14/09 06:52pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: power lift
What is the make, model, and year of your popup? Fleetwood/Coleman has a different type of electric lift available for certain models.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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09/11/09 07:36pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: quick one, part 2..... battery issues
what i did when i parked my pup was detach the thing that attached to the TV and the little black box, i thought that would engage the pup brakes
If you pulled the clip out of the emergency trailer brake box, that is what drained the battery. Only takes a couple of hours. Even if the white connector was disconnected, the brakes would still be powered.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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09/02/09 09:54pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: 1997 Flagstaff Battery Issues
nevadaman,
You didn't pull the pin on the emergency brake actuator when you pulled into the campsite did you? I have seen this happen and it will apply the brakes and drain the battery in just a few hours.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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09/02/09 07:57pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: got a quick one...
wodaddy,
When we raise the roof on our 2009, we always keep it plugged into the running tow vehicle. We do this when we pull into a campground as it keeps the battery drain to a minimum.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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09/02/09 07:50pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: E3 Shower issue.
Count us in as well. We have a 2009 Niagara and it's doing the same thing. Check this link out as well. Looks like it might be a common problem.
http://www.modmyrv.com/2009/04/12/rv-shower-hot-water-supply-check-valves
Dan
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azemptynesters
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08/20/09 06:36pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Help me plan our big 2010 Vacation!
Alloy89,
You may want to see the North Rim of the Grand Canyon (less people) and also take in Lake Powell.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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08/17/09 08:43pm |
Family Camping
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RE: towing
We also tow a highwall with our Land Cruiser. We don't use a WDH. Make sure that you have enough tongue weight (12-15%), add a friction sway bar, and don't tow at excessive speeds. We usually tow at 55 MPH and have never had a problem.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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08/17/09 08:28pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Coleman Niagara vs Starcraft 3612
Chuck,
One thing I would recommend is to have each dealer walk you COMPLETELY through the set up and take down of each camper you're considering. Then compare the structural components and integrity of each. I think you'll be able to make a decision after that.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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08/16/09 05:24pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Coleman Niagara vs Starcraft 3612
We have a 2009 Niagara and love it! We owned a 1986 Coleman for 22 years and never had a problem, so the purchase of a new pup a year ago was an easy decision. Coleman has a proven lift system, attached "backsaver" bed supports, boxed frame, Sunbrella fabric, non-tinted windows, and a wide one piece door-just to name a few of our favorites. Surprisingly, the construction of our 2009 is very similar to our 1986. The 9 gallon black water tank is a non-issue for us. Most of our trips are 3 days long so the tank easily works for that length of time without emptying it. When we take longer trips, we carry a 12 gallon portable waste container that can easily be emptied at the dump station.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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08/16/09 03:07am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: two battaries or not
I'm not sure which battery you are using, but we use a single Trojan SCS225 on our Niagara. We also carry a Honda Generator. We were out camping for 5 nights 2 weeks ago which included running the heater, lights, and water pump. No problem lasting the 5 days on battery power alone.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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08/06/09 06:04pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Please talk me out of this
Well, remember it has been 20 years since I've last camped in a pop-up. I really don't remember how long it took to pull out the bunks (the only pull outs/slide outs back then) but I do think I remember a few times in the dark struggling to get the support poles under the bunks. If it is 10 or 15 seconds (or 8 like you are saying), then yeah, I guess it is a non-issue. If most people's experience is that these things take less than a minute, then the only consideration for these dinette slide outs will be, well, it won't be a consideration (I'll pick the best deal I find, slide out or not).
Remember, the Coleman/Fleetwood campers have the bed supports permanently attached. And I know the Highwalls have the back saver support system. Makes it really eay to set the beds up.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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08/02/09 11:40am |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Trip report, with a few pics and some stats.
Buzzardcheater,
Thanks for all of the nice pics. Having been born and raised in El Paso, my wife and I enjoyed looking at some of the places we used to go. Cloudcroft was always a day trip to cut Christmas trees, but we did most of our camping near Ruidoso. We have many happy camping memories with our kids in our popup. Since my wife's mother is from Marfa, she has many relatives from there also. The Godbold name on the side of the one building is actually my wife's late, great aunt. Thanks again for sharing these with us since we don't get back there very often.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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07/19/09 09:53pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Quality of the 2009 Colemans?
We're still a fan! Having owned a 1986 that we used for 22 years without any major problems, the decision was easy when we went looking for a new pup. Our 2009 Niagara still has the design and engineering features that we liked in our 1986: Lift system, box frame construction, attached bed supports (with back savers), quality tent fabric, and generally more heavy duty components. Our Niagara is short on cargo capacity, but we just learned to pack much lighter.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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06/22/09 11:36pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Coleman Front and rear plastic panels
Bob,
Try calling Ruthrauff RV down in Tucson. Coleman still makes these panels and this dealer is really reasonable.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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06/19/09 04:24pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Uneven Tire wear on Pup
Daveskis,
We actually talked to our dealer about the problem too. We have weighed ours and we're very careful not to overload it. Our axle is not bent either. He suggested that we purchase better tires and make sure that they're properly balanced. We are going to replace ours with a Greenball tire from Discount Tire. I understand that this is the same tire as the Goodyear Marathon. It has more of a "street" tread on it. Our dealer said to make sure that we don't overload the slide out side of the trailer. You can be under your trailer's GVWR but still have one side overloaded. We're just going to always watch our weight and replace the tires as necessary.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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06/14/09 05:00pm |
Folding Trailers
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RE: Uneven Tire wear on Pup
There's been some discussion on this before. You might want to read THIS for more information.
Dan
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azemptynesters
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06/14/09 10:34am |
Folding Trailers
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