Andrew Roberts

3 hours ago, Katman1356...Jason said:

Don't know if this has been posted here yet. 

 

Also Night of Joy on the 8th and MNSSHP on the 10th have been cancelled. 

Saturday. Wtf.   That's way to late to get a high profile rig safety out of the effected area.    Oh wait they just need you off the property so your no longer an issue.  

Seriously if you are still at the fort. Your risking a lot more then your own safety 

3 hours ago, geoffdaddy said:

I know a lot of folks have pointed fingers at cheap chinese tires. I am not discounting that as a possibility, but if it were me and this had happened multiple times to me the first thing I'd do is weight the rig and/or check the load index of the tire to make sure it's adequate.. A lot of people seem to have no idea how much their rig weighs apart from what the weight rating sticker says on the side of the camper. 

That was the first thing many of us did.  That's why we bought replacement tires at over $400.00 each   Still not sure why the manufacturers were allowed to use the cheep tires

59 minutes ago, ImDownWithDisney said:

You may want to find a place to weigh each tire load independently. I have seen posts from those who are underweight on the axles in total, but overweight on individual tires due to weight distribution.

I would also suggest running at max cold pressure unless you notice the tire wearing in the center more. On a 614 you lose 200lbs load capacity by lowering the psi from 110 to 100.

TPMS is the way to go. I like how it takes my mind off of the tires. I used to constantly check my mirrors for tire shards after battling Chinese tires on our old TT.

I total agree with you on weighing each wheel.  I have done it by axle and hitch and they are close to max. If I ever buy another fifth wheel this big it will be a tri axle

I will run them up at 110.  That could also help 

the China blow was the first run and man its hard to see at night  if no one is behind you

I was at Coronado springs for one Hurricane and the fort during another. Its a pretty helpless feeling to be stuck as a tourist during a hurricane. Get out as soon as you know you are going to be in an affected area. Its not fun and your a burden on the locals that have no place to go. Not saying its time to leave yet but in the next coming days might want to give some thought. If your at the Fort make sure your fueled up now. 

11 hours ago, ImDownWithDisney said:

When did you buy them? I know there was a run of tires that were experiencing blowouts.

 

I do run a TPMS too. It tracks psi and temp. Its amazing how much hotter the tires on the sunny side can run on a summer day.

I bought this camper new in 2013 at the time it had Goodyear marathons on it  I blew two of them one in Ocala driving home the other on 429    2 mile away from the fort.  Both time it was hot and sunny.   I took all four rims to the Goodyear commercial store in Orlando and switch them all to the G614's and run them st 100 psi.    The G614 then blew on mount eagle hill on the down side near Chattanooga. This one blew at midnight about 50 degrees out. I really think this one may have run flat but not enough left of it to know.

The marathons were less then two years old and the G6 was around a year old   By date code not purchased date 

 I really think the TPMS will really fix my issue  I bought s Dill system so it is as good as they come 

I was just wondering if the nitrogen was worth it

right now I use a heat tracer to check the tires and they run around 115 during the day and 95 degrees at night 

On 9/2/2017 at 2:47 PM, ftwildernessguy said:

The most critical factors in blowouts are weight, pressure and speed.  Keep your speed down, don't overload and keep the inflation up.  The TPMS you have installed will do more as far as blowout prevention than what gas the tire is filled with.

The TPMS I agree should do the trick just have to get the valve stems installed yet.  But it tells me the psi and temp 

I see a lot of the larger fifth wheels on the side off the road with blow out so I know it's not unique to me.   Also have noticed that it is almost always the passenger side rear.  As we're all three I have blown 

On 9/3/2017 at 9:37 AM, ImDownWithDisney said:

I have 13k over 2 axles. Nitrogen is a gimmick. It does build less pressure with heat, but heat is a function of side wall flex, tarmac temps, etc. Moisture in compressed air causes difference in psi between a hot and cold but that isn't a problem. Tire manufacturers take this into account with the cold psi rating. 

Buy all steel tires and blowouts will cease for the most part. I run goodyear G614's and never had a failure. I replace them at 5 year intervals regardless of miles. I may try some sailuns next. They are much cheaper and have a proven record on heavy rigs.

I changed them to the G614's two years ago and still had a blow out at 65 mph   Thanks for all the other advice already in the same mindset as most of the above at was just courous of the nitrogen 

We have had the topic of tire blow outs before. I know I started at least one. My issue is a larger heavy Fifth Wheel on only two axles and temp. 

My Question is if any fiends have tried nitrogen in their camper tires. I bought a TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) for the 5er. I installed the receiver and display in the truck. Now I need to have a tire service install the new valve stems on the 5er's tires.

Might as well have then refiled with nitrogen at that time 

anyone have any experience pro or con

Thanks

Andy

On 8/26/2017 at 4:40 PM, caveat lector said:

I've often sat on the couch in my TT wondering how I could get it through small door.  Saws All is the only thing I come up with.

a lot of them come apart

Thank you 

I will be checking out all the above 

this helps 

I have used this one many times and no issues

Hello friendly Fiends and the others as well

Im looking to replace our traditional uncomfortable hide a bed couch.  We want to find two recliner chairs that will fit in the spot. Its crazy that a 40 plus foot RV has a size limitation but it dose. I only have under 6 feet of space for this idea

Any Ideas of were one can find smaller recliners

Good ideas, Bad ideas, stupid ideas are all welcomed and will most likely be criticized 

Thanks

After talking with The Blue Ridge / Cardinal Warranty Manager it was determined that it was out of warranty and not covered by Insurance. However Forest River wanted to take care of the Issue as they decided it should not have a leaking slid out. They also said the only way to fix it correctly was to replace the entire wall ( i thought that by adding comments I could add Pictures Im wrong lol)

Forest River took in my Fifth wheel at the end of January and sent it back down the factory line. in the process They found issues in both side walls and replaced them both the also replaced the roof as they decided they were not happy with it's condition. In all they Replaced both side wall, the roof, Repainted the entire unit. Replaced the carpet where the dog chewed it up. Replaced trim that was loose and damaged from use and replaced the back bedroom door I crushed by closing the slide on it. 

They had the Fifth wheel until last week (5 months) and as a thank you for my patience and loyalty they added the slid awnings to all four slides.

FOREST RIVER DID ALL THIS FOR FREE.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!!!!!

Now Im sure there are some bad stories but I feel I should share this as Im now a lifetime Forest River buyer.

So back in December of 16 I was preparing for a trip to the mouse in January 2017. To my surprise when I opened the fifth wheel I found a mushroom growing on the floor and mold on the wall. (should have taken a picture of the shroom). I took pictures and with my proximity to Elkhart Indiana. I headed off to Forest River's Warranty and Repair building. My fifth wheel is a 2013 so 3.5 years old when I went over. (1.5 years out of warranty). with Pictures in hand I headed in to talk repairs fully expecting a very costly issue. 

On 4/13/2017 at 2:37 PM, WannaBeImagineer said:

I'm bumping this post with an update.

Today at my Sam's in south Louisiana they had $500 gift cards in stock.  It's the first time I've ever found them at our store.  The price in store is $474.98, that's a pretty good savings.

They are also back in stock online but they are listed at $479.98 and you have to add $0.99 for shipping and they have a limit of one per order.

I've been watching gift cards because for I used them for the first time to pay off my resort reservation.  I ended up buying the 3-packs of $50 cards and consolidating them on the giftcard website before making payments.  It was a lot of work but saved me some money so I guess it's worth it.

Just an FYI at my Sam's the 3-pack valued at $150 cost $144.98.  It used to $142.98 but went up recently.  Online they are listed at $142.98 but they charge the 99 cents shipping.

I wish the $500 cards would have come back in stock sooner that would have saved me some more money and lots of time.

WBI

Just an update the 500 dollar cards are currently at Same club as of yesterday. they are on the rack next to the 150's

1 hour ago, bhall said:

I might have missed it mentioned in this thread, but how does one exactly determine they have bought a dogbone of good quality.  I assume that most people have either picked one up at Camping World or the RV section of a Super Walmart. 

I'm one of Murphy's favorite victims....

That's part of my point.  Most consumers have no way to tell quality from crap. They just assume if it is on the market it is safe.   And I used to think Murphy was a cat  turns out he's my shadow 

3 hours ago, Roberta said:

Oh, yes! We started giving her ice on the first night she was here. Our oldest dog loves ices as well, so that one didn't come as a surprise. We bought a bag of baby carrots, and she LOVES them. Our other dogs, of course, want nothing to do with them. We used some of them in our training session today for her big rewards. Used tiny bacon training treats for repetitions. 

We covered so much territory in our session today. Our trainer is amazing and said Joan is amazingly smart so caught on extremely quickly. To be honest, Joan is easier to train than we are. We have a lot of practice to alpha dogs. She recognized the trainer as alpha immediately because she has the whole body language thing going on. We are still students, but will be working with her every day to to get the same results. 

Joan will take commands from us, because she is smart, but we will be working hard on learning "dog language" which involves much body language. She is being trained with something called Natural Dog Training, which simulates the natural behavior of a pack in communicating with each other.

Here are a couple of photos taken during her training today. The first one shows tempting items on the floor that Joan was told not to touch. There were also food and treats on the floor. Joan excelled at training, which is why she has so many things on the floor. The trainer said usually one or two items is all most dogs can handle right away. Joan was just so well behaved that she kept adding distractions and items and Joan was amazing. By the way, Joan was not even allowed to LOOK at the items she was told to leave alone, and as you can see, she's not. Incredible! 

The second photo is of Joan staying on her side of a boundary while our entire family, and the trainer, walked away on the other side. By the end of her first session, no matter how far away we went, Joan remained sitting pretty on her side.

 

 

This is fantastic. I can't even begin to explain how hard it was to make the decision to re home her.  These updates make it feel as if this was the plan all along.   Thanks for these updates.  Love ❤️ how this turned out 

2 hours ago, Roberta said:

I do honestly believe she was born to be a part of our family. She came to us in a round about way, but she was meant to be here. We have all bonded completely, and I can't imagine life without her. We all love her dearly and she shows her love back to us. 

She is a Disney girl for sure. She has a Baymax stuffed doll that she sleeps with. She could easily tear it limb for limb, but doesn't. She carries it gently and keeps it on the couch during the day. We found out that she loves balls! She found a tennis ball outside and was so excited. Now she gets to play fetch a few times a day. She loves it best when we play as a group with two other dogs, even though one of our other dogs, Blaze, gets the ball every time. Blaze is super fast and agile, while Joan is just a puppy who doesn't know what to do with all her size yet. 

All the dogs get individual time playing, while the rest are inside, but Joan prefers multi-dog play and will go to the door and cry for us to let them out. So we do. 

Totally anxious and looking forward to our first session tomorrow. The trainer is going to work with Joan, and our entire family. I will take some photos to share. 

This is very awesome we still think of her a lot and miss her.  Have you given her a carrot ? yet.  And she also love ice.     If the trainer had any questions please call me     Lots of love

My issues here are not who's right or wrong.  It's on safety and error on the side of caution  take a look at this video and decide for your self.  The experts say you are maybe ok to use them.   Is your safety and property worth a maybe? And Keith you really don't need to troll just to be right in your mind 

And on the topic of maintenance and the fort.   Trust me we all put way to much faith in the fort and their service connections.   I have had one trip with over a grand in repairs to my electrical system.  I had always thought that after the bid upgrades and system wide surge and lightning arresters were put in that there was no risk.   I was very wrong along with all our neighbors on that loop ( jack rabbit run)   Then I got a good surge protector with a display.  The voltage is all over the place and very inconsistent. Amperage I can only see my draw not what is there 

2 hours ago, Avatab.... Steve said:

I think one thing we can all agree on is that the safety of any circuit depends on a good installation.  Most of us have camped somewhere that had electrical problems due to mis-wired pedestals.

Keith is correct that the breaker will do it's job, but only if the wiring is done correctly and the correct wire and breaker itself is used. Many CG owners try to save money by skimping on materials and/or doing the wiring themselves.

Not just CG's either, I worked with our Fire Investigators for several years and I was amazed at some of the so-called "Professional" installations at homes and businesses that ended up causing fires.

When going to any CG I use a circuit tester, a good quality surge protector, and a Voltmeter inside.

I do trust the Engineers who design the equipment, but not so much the humans who install and maintain it.....   LOL

 

Excellent wording and the point I'm trying to get across

2 hours ago, Travisma said:

I think (and I could be mistaken) that Andrew Roberts is talking about fire issues with overloaded circuits and the problems entailed if the breaker is defective (old, corroded, won't trip) or appliance cords that are defective and overloaded.

We see a lot of those type of fires in the south in winter when people break out ancient space heaters with brittle power cords, exposed wires, or hook them up on 3 or 6 way adapters or thin extension cords and those components overheat/melt way before the breaker pops.

Most breakers in the Fort sites won't be frozen/corroded and not pop, in fact they have been tripped so often they may pop on a lot lower draw.  last time we camped I had to go buy a 30 amp to 20? amp pigtail because the little breakers at the site kept popping with just a crock pot connected.

And Keith is correct, if you have a 50 amp cheater on a 30 amp circuit and overload the 30 amps (or again at the fort possibly as low as 15-20 amps) once you hit 30 amps that breaker is going to pop.

 

Correct and two years ago we lost over a grand to a surge at the for    Blew out the fridge board, washer/dryer board and /AC board.    Cheating the systems are not worth the risk.  And the State of Indiana where I'm certified as a fire inspector. Would tell me to continue to scare people into playing it safe.    Beside it might be your camper next to the one that burns.  

1 hour ago, Roberta said:

Not even 9 months old yet! Will continue to grow until 2 years of age. 

Starts obedience training with private trainer and our entire family, on Thursday evening.

Four weeks of that and then she will graduate to service dog training. It may move faster as

she is a super smart dog and doesn't need a million repetitions of things.  

This make me so happy.  Thank you so much.  I miss her and ma so proud of what you guys are doing with her

7 hours ago, keith_h said:

I'm an electrical engineer.

Good lord and you have documented in writing that it is ok to connect a piece of equipment designed to run on two pole 50 amp service to a single pole 30 amp with a cheater.    

Lawyers in here licking their chops 

1 hour ago, caveat lector said:

I'm a Sith Lord......does that count?

Hell yes it dose.