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Seems many have bought 195/75-R14 tires because that is what came OEM on many new Toyota motorhomes and that's what the owner's manual says to use (with some makes) There are also tire-size databases - like at Walmart that will only offer that size for a newer dual wheel Toyota.

Here is some info from the Toyota 1990 cab & chassis manual with max specs. 5600 lbs. for a single-wheel truck and 6000 lbs. for dual-rear-wheel. I think 1990 is the first year of this highest GVWR rating.

No, but close. Weight is not going to be even on all four tires so you cannot just multiply the rating of one times four. Besides there always being more weight on the back axle then the front, there is also "bias" when the weight shifts back and forth depending on inclines, turns, etc.

I should of added that it seems most of us here use 185R-14C tires. Not much difference from the other size I posted but the 185R-14C carries slightly more weight at 1850 lbs. and is slightly smaller diameter then the 195/75-14C. Many newer Toyota RVs call for 195/75 and maybe it's because it is a slightly more correct diameter? The 185R-14C is what many Volkswagen camper-vans use and I suspect that is how it became a popular HD choice for Toyotas.

Any tire that can handle the weight in back is fine. In Europe - on the newer HD Toyotas rated for over 6000 lbs. gross-vehicle-weight - they use single-tires in back in these sizes and do fine. In the USA, you can buy a Yokohama Y356 in the size LT 195/75 14D and be fine. It is the correct diameter and has a 1710 lb. rating. That means two tires gives a max rating of 3420 lbs. in the rear. Here's an example of a guy in a 4-Runner that had his rear axle on one side snap right off - likely from a bad wheel bearing. "Back in November 2009, I was driving my Toyota 4Runner 3rd generation SR5 and the left REAR Axial fatigued out while going 20 MPH on an entrance to a parkway. As the Axial fell off, I lost control of the vehicle and saw the whole wheel fly off to the other side of the entrance to the parkway "

In the context of this forum, I know I am being redundant. But - just in case some of this info is new to you - I will repeat. The same semi-floating rear with 5 lug wheels that Toyota began to use in 1975 is the one many are calling the "death axle." It is still in use all over the world and nobody seems to have any issue with it when used with HD trucks and GVWRs over 6000 lbs. Note though that they do NOT put dually-adapter kits on them. It is just the greatly offset adapters RV makers used that put undue stress on the rear-axles. I'm sure many also overload the RVs and that just compounds the issue. Get rid of the adapters and duals, put on single tires, make sure you have two good wheel bearings and all should be fine. The rear-axle itself has a 3300 lb. safe, continuous-use rating. If unsure - just check your weight on the rear wheels when loaded. On an added note. The Toyota 5 lug semi-floating rear axle is very close in design to what Ford used to use in 1/2 ton pickups. For all I know, Toyota copied it. On either the Toyota or Ford, you do NOT have to break an axle to have it fall out with a wheel attached to it. All that holds an axle in is the wheel-bearing. It is just a single sealed ball-bearing. If it runs dry and falls apart - the axle falls out. That is why it is a good idea to always make sure the bearings are in good shape. If you buy a vehicle with unknown miles - or unknown repair history - it is a great idea to just put brand-new rear wheel-bearings in and then have some security.

How can you "get away" with a smaller engine? We are (I think) talking about an RV that gets driven mostly at highway speeds. It takes X amount of power to send a Toyota high-roof RV down the road at 60 MPH and an engine like a 2.2 or 2.4 already has all it can handle without climbing far out if its torque curve. A smaller gas engine with less power could not do the job and be fuel-efficient. The advantage to being a hybrid with a gas engine plus electric motor plus electric generator is . . . there would be lots of captured brake-energy in reserve to send you down the highway. Not going to happen in an RV being driven for hours. Not unless I am missing something here. Now - if your RV spends most of its time just stopping and going - then yes, may be some gain. That is why UPS has done it with their local delivery trucks and not their open-highway trucks.

Kind of interesting that the road-test shows virtually zero payload capacity once the RV has any passengers in it. Yet, the 1992 and 1993 ads advertise it with up to a 1700 lbs. payload. How the heck is that accomplished? Note that although this 1993 ad shows a full-size truck along with the Astro, the 1992 ad only shows Astros and still claims "up to a 1700 lb. payload." From what can tell, that is not possible unless the van is ordered empty with no fixtures inside? Or is it possible that somebody found a way to beef up the Astrovan in 1992-93? Seems the heavist-payload Astro ever built by GM is listed at 5600 lbs. The Provan Tiger with two passengers weighs around 5400 lbs., so I don't get it.

What use is a hybrid for an RV that spends most of the time cruising? The big advantage to a hybrid is recapturing brake energy when a lot of stop-and-go driving is done. UPS has hybrid trucks right now that do NOT use batteries. Hydraulic-pressure storage instead. So, I guess if someone has an RV that gets driven like a UPS truck - find a used one and convert it.

The RV museum in Elkhart, Indiana has a research library and free camping in their parking lot. We are hoping to take a trip this fall when the weather starts getting lousy and being outdoors is not always fun.

I don't buy the "death axle" myth. I've yet to see any evidence that anyone has ever been killed due to an axle snapping in two on the rear of a Toyota motorhome. I WILL note that axles have broken on bare pickups and rear-wheel drive cars too. It is not just a Toyota RV thing. I've also had it happen with a 1/2 Chevy pickup.

Fred Heath here recently put a USA full-floater in the back of his Toyota Champion Galavan. He gives a lot of info on his install.

Probably all AC units except for some newer "soft-start" models draw LRA for a few milliseconds every time they start. That is going to be up around 5500-6000 watts. I also bet just about any generator sold as "2000" watts can make 6000 watts for a few milliseconds. That is where it gets close. It it also why if someone wants reliability - it makes sense to have something bigger. I don't know if any generators in the general consumer-market come with full specs anymore. If so, I haven't seen them. I've got a 5 horse gas-driven generator here that is 50 years old. It was sold as a 2500 watt unit. It DID come with full specs. 2500 watts continuous. 4200 watts for 5 seconds. 6300 watts for 100 milliseconds. 8800 watts for 100 milliseconds. It would be nice if Honda, Yamaha - and all the rest would give such specs - but they don't unless hidden somewhere I have not come across. Generally speaking the average consumer is clueless and likes it that way. No demand, so no specs.

The single-tire Toyota trucks overseas still have the same 5 lug wheels and semi-floating rears as those had here in the mid 70s to mid 80s. Those are still sold new today and have gross-vehicle weight ratings over 6000 lbs. Single rear tires in sizes e.g. 195R-14C, 205/70R-15C, 205R-16C, 255/70R-15C, etc.

Could be? If so (that is . . .that the one Mirage iss not relate to the other) - then what was 2nd, "new" Mirage coming out that was low enough to drive into a garage? Not a rhetorical question. All I know about it is what he mentions in that announcement. I hope to find out more when I get to the RV research-library.

I've seen data from resistive load-bank tests on Honda 2000i generators. I wish I could remember all the specs. I think it was 2500 watts for 5 seconds, 2200 watts for 5 minutes. And or course Honda publishes 2000 watts for 30 minutes and 1600 watts continuous. Those specs are not unusual, but I'm sure there are other makes sold as "2000s" that do worse. I know the 2000 Yamaha did not do was well. I will note that I used to have a Coleman Pulse 1850 watt generator that could also do 2500 watts for at least 5 seconds. As I said earlier - wattage specs without time-frames are kind of meaningless.

I had a few gensets that handled less then rated and a few just a hair over. Surge ratings MUST have a time-frame of they are meaningless. A typical 2000 watt generator of any make ought to be able to surge to 5000 watts for a few fractions of a second. But - you don't see them marketed as 5000 watts units (I hope). To give Honda some credit, I'm not sure if they ever use the words "peak" or "surge" like many other sellers do. If Honda does, I've missed it. Honda rates the 2000i to handle 2000 watts for 30 minutes so that's a lot more then just a surge rating. If someone really wanted to compare one make and model to another - more precise figures are needed. Or - plug them both into the same AC unit and see what does better.

Who the heck is going to scrap good batteries out of a hybrid unless they want big bucks for them? I starting to see many hybrid cars for sale now, cheap - because the original batteries are dead and considered too expensive to replace. Roadtrek is using batteries to run AC in their E-Trek. Roadtrek’s newest technology is a Boondockers dream as it enables the user to become completely energy independent and gives you the ability to use 90% of available power before any voltage loss will occur. This cell protection system is optimized for all weather and electrical demand situations. The module will charge and discharge at very high rates and be optimized thanks to Roadtrek’s proprietary climate system. It charges from any available source due to the companies’ existing proprietary E-Trek charge control, which harmonizes the vehicle alternator, Onan, engine generator, solar and shore power as required. There are many more advantages to the lithium cells included in the EcoTrek power module, such as weight savings, faster charging capabilities, increased life up to 3000 cycles, increased safety and no production gases for a more environmentally friendly option. Lithium cell construction using iron phosphate is the safest battery chemistry on the market today. No acids, no residual gases, no trouble. Roadtrek has done vigorous safety testing including nail penetration, crushing and drop tests and the EcoTrek power module came through with flying colors. “Roadtrek has a very complex and detailed R&D team that developed our new EcoTrek, and VoltTrek ground-breaking technologies using our in-house labs and working with external academic sources to do detailed validation testing.” states Jim Hammill, President and CEO of Roadtrek. “Our focus is to make the use of the unit easier and let people go anywhere they want, without a cord.” The EcoTrek power module is available in 200, 400, 800 and 1600 Amp hours and can also be combined with their mass solar systems ranging from 200 to 600 watts depending on the size of the unit, and the proprietary VoltTrek system that gives an owner piece of mind. Roadtrek backs these items by a six year warranty on parts, labor and manufacturing defects. Contact Roadtrek sales at sales@roadtrek.com for more infor

That Ebay Provan looks like a good deal for someone. Price is kind of high, but I've certainly seen higher. I still kick myself for not buying the one that was near me when I had the chance. If I owned one, I'd beef up the rear.

Zero preload and zero end-play is perfect. Hard to get perfection since the adjuster-nut does not work with infinite adjustments. Usually tighten TOO tight so you know the bearings are seated. Then back off until you can fell just a little end-play. Then tighten until it just gets to no play and do not go past. Brand new bearings are usually installed with slight preload and used bearings with zero.

Looks like they are from the same company. I came across this today in the April, 1978 edition of Recreational Vehicle Retailer publication. The Mirage in Costa Mesa was only incorporated for 2 years. Kind of looks like Jerry Weis moved the business to Elkhart, Indiana. From the description of his announcement of the "new" Mirage - it sounds like the streamlined fiberglass version.

I still have one. A GE "Monitor Top." Still works fine. Uses some sort of refrigerant considered "dangerous" now, but what isn't?

I have no specs on those older AC units. My guess is - they are little different then what is out there now as far as current per BTU goes. Lots of new stuff is advertised with a lot of hype. A motor is a motor and a compressor is a compressor. Granted there are ways to make newer units start easier- but with the rest? I really do not know. I DO know this (and it still pisses me off). Back a few years ago the power company was giving incentives to buy new refrigerators and freezers since the new ones are SO much more efficient. So, I replaced a 1948 International Harvester chest-freezer that looked like a submarine but still worked perfect. I checked power usage on it before I junked it. Guess what? My new freezer - in the long run - uses almost exactly the same power. The older AC units I see ads for back late 60s, early 70s are the Duo-Therm Briske-Aire XL (the bigger one) and the Armstrong TAC-106 in a 6K BTU model and a TAC-210 in a 10K BTU model.

Anybody ever investigated how the new Roadtrek E-Trek air-conditioning works? It is not available with any stand-alone generator. Only with solar panels on the roof and an under-the-hood 3500 watt generator, along with an alternator rated at 3000 watts. Air-conditioners available are either an 11K BTU that runs on 120 volts AC, or a 30K BTU unit that runs on 12 volts DC. Sounds like it must be able to run that 30K BTU air-conditioner with what is under the hood?