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WME

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Posts posted by WME

    Why a Toyota??

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by WME

    3 weeks before this BIG trip I went fishing at the head of the Sweetwater River. When we leave the hwy, its at 7500 ft. Drove on 12 miles of "all weather" county maintained gravel road, then 11 miles of county maintained "not all weather" gravel road, 8 miles of sorta gravel Fire Service road, finally 4 miles of bladed dirt road to get to a camping spot on the river.

    So So fishing, native fish are a lot smarter than hatchery fish. The Milky Way is totally awesome when your camped at 10,000ft and making smores. Unfortunately it wasn't pin drop quite due to the river noise?

    We do a lot of dry camping by rivers on BLM land or at  remote Forest service camp sites. Even camp at civilized camp grounds on lakes and reservoirs and kayak fish. The Winne has a lot more ground clearance than my Toy did so long as the road isn't insanely twisted or really off road Moab style I get to go more places

    Catalog of manufacturers and models

    in General Discussion

    Posted

    1. Your going to kiss a lot of toads before you find your princess. This time of the year is when to buy an RV

    2. You NEED to personally inspect before buying.

    3 Toy MHs are 25-40 years old. Its Sunrader vs all the rest as far as brands go. What is more important than brand is how its been cared for by the previous owners. There even bad Sunraders out there.

    4. Buy what you want it to be. DON"T plan on stripping it and rebuilding it. There are way to many half done projects out there, so don't ruin another one of the increasing fewer Toy MHs.

    5. The the best your budget will allow. Even then plan on spending $1000 to get it road ready

     

    Power from converter to battery

    in Electrical

    Posted

    You have the original converter, most often referred to as "The Battery Killer". They work OK within their design limits. But don't regulate the battery charge and will eventually boil a battery dry if you don't keep track of the water in the battery. Many Toy owners upgrade to a modern converter.

    Your photos show a lead to the battery, so I'm guessing that your rig is wired correctly. This type of converter has a relay to swap the power from DC converter output to the battery when there is no shore power. This relay is major PIA and is the cause of most charging problems with the type converter.

    Here is the owners book and a troubleshooting guide...http://www.hayseed.net/~jpk5lad/RV Information/MagnaTek Pwr Converter/RV Binder1.pdf

     

     

     

    2018 trip

    in Trip Reports

    Posted · Edited by WME

    Well this years trip wasn't a places trip, but a people trip to see many old friends and even family. 19 days, 3350 mi, 7.5 mpg. This was in our new to us 30ft Winnebago Brave with a Buick Encore as a towd. Because of time constraints (winters coming!) a lot of boring Interstate travel.

    You wouldn't believe how long and boring I80 is going across NV at 65 mph?. The trip was from WY, across Ut, half way across stopped at WalMart in Elko NV for the night. Then across the rest of the way NV to the Bay area for a 3 day stay. A blue line trip up the coast on 101 to Eureka CA and the WalMart camping center. Next day though the Coastal Redwoods, boy the road sure gets narrow when it goes between a couple of big trees. 2 days in Brookings OR, "Eat at Mo's" for sure best Clam Chowder and Fish and Chips. 

    From Brookings to Eugene OR for a few days. Eugene is just a few miles from Guaranty RV Super Center. Their part center is in the Camping World class, but wow the RV sales side is a mind blower. Got a recent winning Lotto ticket? they have just the RV you NEED.

    After Eugene on to Chehalis WA for 4 days. Then Tacoma WA, 2 days at the FT Lewis fam camp. $20 a nite for a lake side, full service pull through. Next was Bozeman MT WalMart . The plan was to go through Yellowstone then home. OOPS 2" snow during the nite. Bozeman is around 6000ft and the passes in Yellowstone are over 10,000ft. so nope no go. Went home through Billings.

     Thoughts about stuff.

    RV friendly Walmarts are becoming scarce especially in CA. The urban ones are becoming magnets for the Homeless and the stores are stopping overnight stays for anyone. Some have signs, some not. Ask at customer service or security patrol to avoid the midnight knock. And BUY SOMETHING.

    Your navigator needs to be navigating not playing Angry Birds ? Give a proper brief about the days route and get a real map for him/her. GPS is good for turn instructions, but sometimes you need know where am I???

    Totals... 3 days KOA in Santa Cruz CA, special off season rate $70 a night?. 2 days at the Ft Lewis Fam Camp a much friendlier $20 a night. 5 nights Walmart/Cabelas/Truck stops.  The rest in friends driveways. We have full solar, so this time of the year we didn't even have to "borrow" some power for the AC.

    GasBuddy.com is your new BFF. An extra 10 miles could save you $.15 a gallon or more. Important with a 17 gallon tank, really important with a 70 gallon tank. Plan accordingly...p.s. Navigator type job...

     

     

     

    Why a Toyota??

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by WME

    My guesstimate is -.75 mpg for the toad, so about a $100 in gas. We used the towd for 7 days during the trip. Rentals in big cities run $40 a day so the towd is "cost effective" with a Class A.

    A towd with a Toy doesn't seem to be as good of a deal. Maybe a scooter instead. With a 20ft or shorter Toy get a bicycle for camp grounds and just drive the Toy everywhere else.

    We had rain or snow for 4 days, the extra room sure was nice. Going for 6 days with the onboard water and waste tanks sure is nice too.

     

    Why a Toyota??

    in General Discussion

    Posted · Edited by WME

    Have you ever asked your self why drive a Toyota MH,  I mean a tiny fuel tank, equally tiny water and waste tanks, no power, and it shouldn't be towing anything. Well bub have you??

    Well basically your CHEAP?. Let me reinforce your smug self rightness....

    We just returned from a 19 day 3350 mi trip in our, new to us, Winnebago Brave, one of the mid sized Class A out there. We pulled a Buick Encore as a towd.

    The score sheet 3350 mi, 441 gal of fuel, $1350.00 fuel cost, 7.5 mpg, cruse control was set in the 62-65 mph range and the average fuel cost was $3.10.

    The Brave has a 70 gal fuel tank and a 500mi range. Largest single fill was 58 gal. Major PIA is most fuel pumps have a $75 credit card single transaction limit. ? So what ever time you save with the large tank, you waste running your credit card 3x. Usually that means 2 credit cards...

    We now return you to your normally sponsored program......

    A regular trip report will be posted in the usual place.

    Voltage Regulator: Common Problem?

    in Electrical

    Posted

    Well the only "thing" between the alternator and the battery is the isolator. You should check the voltage at the alternator (14v+). Then check the voltage in for the isolator, should be alternator voltage. Then check the voltage at the truck battery, again same as alternator.

    The isolator looks like a little silver 35mm film can with large cables. OR a 3x3x6 box with fins on top. Usually on the driver side fender. If all else fails then follow the alternator wire.

    Which one do you have??

    The film can isolator was common on older RVs. The truck battery voltage DOES NOT GO THROUGH this type of isolator.

     

    My "new" RV 1984 18' Sunrader/ Engine swap poll

    in General Discussion

    Generator or not?

    in Engines - Transmissions - Drive Train - Suspension - Chassis - Steering - Exhaust - Tires - Etc.

    Posted

    Do you think there is enough room in the RV AC to mount an additional evaporator coil in the plenum?, maybe even in the air return side. The compressor is already outside so mounting the condenser with a 12v fan with would be easy. No solenoid valves needed, only thing left is the 110v ac vs 12v dc for the circulation fan.

    Maybe should start another thread for us RV AC dreamers

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