Aluminum Camper Forum

Quote from: Pinstriper on November 12, 2020, 10:30:29 PM
1. The best way to manage "bouncing" is with proper tongue weight 10-15% of gross trailer weight. When in doubt, more tongue weight is better, unless other limits such as...tongue weight, TV rear axle weight, etc. are in jeopardy.

2. The best way to manage "sway" is....wait for it....proper tongue weight, along with not driving too fast. If you have your tongue weight correct and you are getting sway at 45 mph, think about your side/wind profile, but realize you can't change it. Sway control will be helpful, along with not driving in high wind conditions. If you are fine at 50 mph and getting sway at 65+ mph, you are driving too fast. Slow down and don't be a jackass. You can tell someone is a jackass because they prattle on about how safe their rig is driving down the highway at 65+ mph. They will frequently say things like "I tow at 70 mph all the time and have never had a problem" and other piffle. And yes, that is a 100% reliable litmus test on jackassery.

3. The Andersen WDH also works on friction/torsion which is why it helps with WD and sway. So technical solutions do work and have benefit. But you should already have dialed in your tongue weight before resorting to such technical measures. They are NOT a substitute or crutch for not addressing tongue weight.

4. It's spelled "rhythm".

In summation: Get your tongue weight right. Don't drive too fast. Don't drive too fast for conditions. Get WDH and Sway Control after those are squared away, not before.

Neither WDH nor sway control nor torsion hitches or any other gimmick/technical measure are a substitute for having enough tow vehicle and understanding the dynamics of the various limits, and making prudent decisions.

THE ABOVE HAVING BEEN SAID....with super low trailer weights like boats under 15', teardrops and small utility trailers, the weights involved are so low that 10% difference in tongue weight could be a burger and fries in a bag and those are going to be squirrely pretty much no matter what.

Tongue weight is almost perfect, tow vehicle is not bad, maybe a tad lite but should be fine. I took my motorcycle out on the same road and the bike was doing the same thing, the bouncing "rhythm" was the same. I usually drive 65 mostly so I keep the speed within 5 mph but never go over 69. 69 is a good number, I like it for some reason I don't know why. 

Quote from: Pinstriper on November 13, 2020, 12:20:31 PM
I do as the above. New blue camco at least every season, sometimes twice if it has been sitting for more than a month. We run a Pur filter on the faucet. I drink from it, Mrs. P declines.

Our freshwater tank is only used to flush at the dump station, anyway. She brings 10gal of water from home for drinking/cooking anyway even if we have campsite water. For boondocking we would use the fresh tank for washing hands, but just to get the dirt off, and then hand sanitizer. Boondocking dishes are mostly disposable to conserve water, and pots/pans get water from the fresh tank and then heated on the stove - helps clean the pot better, provides hot water and also kills anything in the water.

Pretty much the same thing I do. Paper plates as much as possible and for pans, a little bit of water then heated on the stove. Great minds think a lot.

Quote from: stu1965 on November 16, 2020, 09:19:44 AM

Quote from: Cajun on November 14, 2020, 08:35:45 AM
I had a leak, front passenger side, it wasn't the window it was coming from the top of the RV where the seal is. Water was leaking down through the wall, it looked like the window but wasn't. I did a complete sealant removal and reseal. I did a better job then the factory on the seal job. It was pretty easy to remove the sealant and replace, well worth it.

@stu1965, I wonder if you have polyurethane or Dicor sealant on the top seal?  I had polyurethane sealant around the top of my RV and not Dicor. I hope it's just the window and if it is check the screws they can leak.

Ill be getting up there this week, or weekend. Daylight savings time is killing my after work time. I was camping this weekend, had a smidge of rain, and thus a smidge of leaking. I do think its the roof. Have plenty of self leveling dicor here. Scrape scrape scrape for me !

Once I got the heavy stuff off I used a wire wheel on my drill to remove all the leftover stuff. Using a wire wheel was really fast and left the aluminum roof scuffed which made the sealant stick a lot better. Also, I painted the roof with a reflecting coating (Link below) not cheap but worth it. I also coated the new sealant with the coating which protects it from the sun. When climbing on the roof in the summer the aluminum was so hot it would burn my hands, once coated the roof stayed cool even in 100 degree weather.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003KIJ4U6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Quote from: Merlin on November 06, 2020, 09:32:19 PM
There were definitely Camplites designated as 2019 models. I don't know what year they were sold. I know that doesn't really answer your question, but I know the 2019s are rare.

From my understanding of it, Thor produced Camplites well into 2018. To help sell the remaining stock all late 2018 were sold as 2019 to help them sell. Thor shutdown Camplite late 2018 so slap a 2019 year on it to get it out the door. This is not uncommand and most RV and car manufactures do this.

My 160W Renogy panels are flexible to some degree. You can bend them but they can break if not careful. I think Renogy makes an 180W flexible panel also.

I had a leak, front passenger side, it wasn't the window it was coming from the top of the RV where the seal is. Water was leaking down through the wall, it looked like the window but wasn't. I did a complete sealant removal and reseal. I did a better job then the factory on the seal job. It was pretty easy to remove the sealant and replace, well worth it.

@stu1965, I wonder if you have polyurethane or Dicor sealant on the top seal?  I had polyurethane sealant around the top of my RV and not Dicor. I hope it's just the window and if it is check the screws they can leak.

Quote from: stu1965 on November 12, 2020, 09:55:28 AM
While I do not have a ton of experience towing to know about all the bouncing and clanging (other than a few trips around the block with my boat trailer), I have been using the Shocker Hitch. I found my 1500 mile excursion from CT to FLA a few weeks back to be quiet with minimal bouncing.

I did get the one that allows for a sway control to be added, but I have not installed that yet.

https://shockerhitch.com/products/shocker-air-receiver-hitch/

Shocker? My mind went in a different direction so glad I clicked the link. I actually like that hitch it looks well made, heavy duty. A little pricy but looks like it's worth it very nicely built.

Quote from: Merlin on November 11, 2020, 08:01:04 PM
It's hard to find good data on this for a universal yes or no on filter care. I think (but don't know) that whether you keep a filter installed or not might depend on the type/quality of the filter and the type/quality of the water going in. During my working life I spent my days on many different water quality issues in the Great Lakes region and I can say for certain water quality parameters of what comes out of pipes varies a LOT. As a result, I filter every drop of water that goes into my camper with a high quality in-line filter like the Camco KDF which is stored dry after each use and changed at the start of every camping season. I also flush the filter before hooking it up for each use. I sanitize my entire water system for winter storage to prevent algae or bacteria from getting a hold. It takes several full system flushes each spring to get the chlorine out. I do drink water from the kitchen faucet and have a Brita faucet filter there which is also new each season. So, more than you wanted to know and no answer to your question. 

Been using the blue filter also, I don't think there will be an easy solution for what I want and might be best to just keep using the blue filter.
I'll take it none the less. I'm always open to any option. I'm a know it all that knows little.

I've been looing for a way to remove that solid connection between truck and trailer. I find with the standard hitch the connection from the trailer transfer all it's vibrations and bumps to the truck. Also, some roads have the "perfect humps" (not sure how else to explain it) and the truck and trailer get into this bouncing retheme. I found a GenY Torsion hitch, it uses torsion technology like the axels on my RV, so I purchased one. I got to use the hitch on my last trip to Utah and I noticed a difference in the comfort of the ride and no more of that bouncing retheme. I don't use any sway or weight distribution hitches, I really don't need them. Anyone use anything like it or use anything that helps make the ride smoother? I put in a lot of miles on my trips, anything that makes the ride smooth I'm interested in.

Quote from: stu1965 on November 11, 2020, 10:19:17 AM

Quote from: Cajun on November 11, 2020, 09:10:20 AM

Quote from: stu1965 on November 10, 2020, 11:21:32 AM

Quote from: Cajun on November 10, 2020, 10:03:30 AM

Quote from: stu1965 on November 09, 2020, 05:32:25 PM

Quote from: Cajun on November 09, 2020, 03:10:41 PM
I was going to do that exact setup but went with the Lagun arm. All I did was make a bracket and screw it to the slide floor and attached the Lagun arm mount plate. I even purchased another mount plate so I can move the table to the bed area if I want. Took about 30 minutes to setup. I can even leave the table in place when I move the slide in and out.

Nice, thank you. I think Ill get it now since I planned on buying one with a new sofa.

I had a hell of a time finding a sofa that would fit in the slide that was designed for a slide that was not flat on the floor. I wanted a recliner sofa but I just couldn't find one that fit the space. I went with the Jack Knife and center console sofa and it's way better than the OEM sofa which is awful. If you find something please post up a picture, I would like to see what direction you go.

I think I measure that space daily, lol. I'm hopeful either recpro or lippert has something. Next year. No budget left in 2020.

Same, the sofa was it for 2020. Recpro had the sofa I wanted, I called to order and was told it would take a couple of weeks to ship it. I found the same sofa on Amazon, I had it in 3 days $656 to my door. Here is the link from Amazon (yes I'm trying to entice you) I got the 72" https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R8WGZFY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

Thank you for that Cajun. Are you generally happy with it? Easy to get in the trailer, and mount to the slide out floor? I think a 62 would fit in my slide (yes, ill measure again, lol)

Yes very happy, other than my battery upgrade this is the second best thing I've done. The OEM sofa was so bad I would just sit on the bed mostly.

It's a jack knife so if you lay it flat it fits easily through the RV door. I installed it by myself, it's not heavy so I could move it around pretty easy. I made 4 square plates about 6"x6" to screw the sofa frame to, I then screwed the plates to the slide floor. The reason for the plates? The new sofa was not as long as the old sofa, I wanted to screw into the same holes as the old sofa.

You already have a good sofa so it may not be an upgrade as in comfort. It's a nice upgrade from the OEM sofa, no doubt.

I have a cartridge filter I use when filling my fresh water tank. Once I fill the tank I empty the cartridge of water and let dry. I was thinking if I mount the filter permanently in the RV I would have a hard time draining it.

Guess my question is, if filter left for long period of time without draining would there be some kind of issues with bacteria build up or something like that? It would be nice to leave a filter in place and not have to mess with it.

Quote from: stu1965 on November 10, 2020, 11:21:32 AM

Quote from: Cajun on November 10, 2020, 10:03:30 AM

Quote from: stu1965 on November 09, 2020, 05:32:25 PM

Quote from: Cajun on November 09, 2020, 03:10:41 PM
I was going to do that exact setup but went with the Lagun arm. All I did was make a bracket and screw it to the slide floor and attached the Lagun arm mount plate. I even purchased another mount plate so I can move the table to the bed area if I want. Took about 30 minutes to setup. I can even leave the table in place when I move the slide in and out.

Nice, thank you. I think Ill get it now since I planned on buying one with a new sofa.

I had a hell of a time finding a sofa that would fit in the slide that was designed for a slide that was not flat on the floor. I wanted a recliner sofa but I just couldn't find one that fit the space. I went with the Jack Knife and center console sofa and it's way better than the OEM sofa which is awful. If you find something please post up a picture, I would like to see what direction you go.

I think I measure that space daily, lol. I'm hopeful either recpro or lippert has something. Next year. No budget left in 2020.

Same, the sofa was it for 2020. Recpro had the sofa I wanted, I called to order and was told it would take a couple of weeks to ship it. I found the same sofa on Amazon, I had it in 3 days $656 to my door. Here is the link from Amazon (yes I'm trying to entice you) I got the 72" https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07R8WGZFY/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&th=1

 Nice list keep it going. I've done so many changes I can't even remember half the stuff I've done.

I use Renogy exclusively on my 16DBS. I have 2 of the 160W flexible panels, Renogy 40Amp/100V solar controller, 2000W Rengoy inverter and 2x 170AH Rengoy Li batteries. I'm going to add 2 more of the 160Amp panels this year coming to the roof of the camper. I would like 6 panels, that's the goal. Have to add, Rengoy support is pretty good.

Had the system a few years now with 0 issues. The flexible panels are very light and easy to deal with, I think Rengoy makes 180Amp flexible panel now. I boondock mostly and never need a gen. I just got back from 2 weeks in Utah and boondocked the whole time and never needed to plugin to shore power to charge the batteries. With 2 panels I have to watch my power usage but I still run my laptop, camera gear, phone, drone batteries, TV, microwave, lights etc. Setting up solar was the best thing I've done and would not camp without it. In fact it's the main reason I purchased my RV.

I've seen shower recirculation on newer campers. I was thinking about adding one to my camper. Anyone have one installed in their RV?

I see 2 possibilities for this (correct me if I'm wrong) 1. You don't waste water by waiting for it to get hot at the shower. 2. You can send hot water to the fresh water tank if it's cold which helps keep it from freezing.

On #1. I think it's a given and it's intended purpose. On #2 it's just me thinking out loud, does it hold merit?