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2 years ago on our way back from Glacier we traveled the Million Dollar Highway in our 2019 1/2 ton Silverado, 8 cylinder 5.3 L, 8 speed automatic, with tow package. A couple of stretches had me gear down to 2nd gear at 30mph to keep engine below 4000 rpm. As we are full timers we were just below 7000 lbs on the trailer and about 100 lbs below max weight for the truck. Didn't mind going uphill, but downhill we still needed the brakes more than I would have liked. It was a beautiful drive but once is enough. With 140,000 miles on the truck now I don't need to push my luck. Back then we probably had 80,000 miles on the truck. BTW we had our 1 and only flat tire on that highway and we didn't even know it. Another motorist tried to get us to pull over for several miles. I finally found a place to pull over and sure enough the tire was shredded...luckily no damage other than needing a new tire and rim. The next week I installed a TPMS.

I changed the Max Charging Amps to 24 Amps from 50 Amps on the Victron 100/50 MPPT. The #10 wires were getting warm going to the battery. These Panels put out a LOT of power but the good thing is even in very cloudy weather they still stay near 100 watts and with any sunshine get near 300 Watts. They easily out produce the OTT Roof Mount Panels I have which I believe are 340 Watts.

Rob, going north on 550 keeps you mostly in the inside lane against the mountain. Going south you’re mostly on the outside lane which can seem more intimidating. This is all between Silverton and Ouray. The western route takes a little longer but we enjoy it too. Ditto on Durango, we love it here. Mike

Thanks @Mike and Carol all helpful info. When I get down that way just might try both routes just to experience it all. Surprised CO actually plows this route though in the winter though. Our roughly equivalent Beartooth Highway up in this neck of the woods certainly doesn’t. It’s closed for over half the year. Love Durango, nice town.

Check for loose connection to motor , also that unit has a 2 yr. Warrenty. Check your manual.. your unit is only 1 1/2 yr old..good luck..stay safe out there…

When using the Cielo Breez Max phone app, the actual a/c remote ‘must’ be turned off. However, the touch screen can also be used in the absence of Wi-Fi, but many of the advanced features (think Comfy Mode) are unusable. When using the unit’s remote, it is suggested to aim it at the Cielo rather than the a/c’s distribution/control panel. Regardless of the control method, the Cielo will display room temp, set temp and humidity level.

We’re camping in Durango now, only at 6,400’ but it was 52 degrees this morning. Late sept through mid Oct will be cold, and expect Some snow. Some campgrounds between here and Telluride close at the end of September or sometime in October! Mike

We have done 550 several times each way with our previous Ram 1500’s. The grades up and down were not a big issue. Traffic moves at a leisurely pace and almost everyone drives cautiously and at a reasonable speed. You have to respect the road. We’ve also done the drive between Durango and Ridgway many times towing with our 2500, braking is mostly taken care of by the engine brake. We’ve also done the trip west through Delores and Rico on 160 and 145 that takes you by Telluride. It’s scenic in a different way, a little longer but a nice way to go. We’re currently camping in Durango visiting our son and family on our way to the PNW. He commuted up 550 weekly to Grand Junction for a year when he was working there. He said it was closed a few times due to heavy snow, but other than that he never had an issue. Mike

Because of tariffs on imported goods and other variables it would be best to contact SDG in Elkhart directly for a quote. The Tosot air conditioners that I have seen online lately range from just under 2,000 to just over 2,000 plus shipping. There may be some dealers that offer the units for well below the above listed prices.

If I remember correctly from 40 years ago when I read it, the best thing you can do is start a list of names with short notes identifying who they are. 🤣

Not one for audiobooks. Recently finished a fun science fiction series named “Backyard Starship” and decided to delve into something a bit deeper. I’m now enjoying the psychological family drama The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky. Although written in the 1800’s, the strong interpersonal family relationships are lessons still applicable to today’s society.

Thanks for sharing your A/C replacement experience. The Tosot unit looks very attractive compared to the Dometic. Would you care to share the cost of the new unit plus installation? Thanks. Don

You are not the only ones who have opted for the alternate route via 145 for the same reason. I have been to Delores in the past but don't recall the market but will certainly look for it if there again. Have an old forest service friend who lives there too. I understand CO 145 is also very pretty as well.

@Mike and Carol Mike wrote he towed the Million Dollar Highway with a half ton truck (when in another thread I wrote I was too chicken for that route)! We went to Ouray then back out to Ridgway, south to Telluride and took CO 145 down through Rico and to Delores. We're heading back up there for a few weeks late Sept to mid Oct. Love the area! If you're ever in Delores go to the Delores Market. It's an amazing market with onsite butcher, fresh local produce and amazing baked goods! It will be our first stop on the way up and last stop on the way back! 😂

Likely the electric lift motor is fried. You can unplug it and supply 12V to test it. This should be the motor but check the part number on yours to be certain: https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/MAXXAIR/MA10-20270.html https://www.amazon.com/Maxx-Air-1020270-Maxxair-Motor/dp/B01MTUWAMK/

Is you outdoor shower knobs closed tight? Open outdoor faucets have caused similar issues. Update: I was replying to the original post and didn't see the complete thread🙃

Anyone here ever done this? Planning another trip to the SW and would like to explore more of CO and this road trip is on the bucket list but given the steep grades and descents not sure a half ton with 6 cylinder Ecoboost engine will provide enough engine braking compared to an 8 cylinder or diesel. Curious to hear what others have to say or have experienced. Thanks Rob

Today the lid for the ceiling fan stopped working. The manual crank works fine and the fan still OK. Any ideas?

O Ring size: 9/16 x 3/4 x 3/32 seems to work fine....... Just thought I would throw that out there in case any one runs into the same issue......

Wow! Can’t do this basic task? He shouldn’t be responsible for towing anything! 😲

You did get me on the click bait! Nice quality work!

That's what I said last year! 🤣 But you are correct. Just hope the Greenland, $1275 now with sale price and promo code, is priced as good or better next year. Or maybe an improved version 2 of these inverter A/C models gets released! We don't travel much in summer temps, but had more heat than expected in northern MN, SD, WY and CO this June where we had to put up with our Dometic A/C. Our next trip is SW Colorado late-Sept through mid-Oct. Starting at Delores CO at 7K ft elevation, to points north, 9500 ft at Sunshine Campground near Telluride, so I'm hoping to run our Atwood furnace for a couple hours before dawn vs. needing the Dometic A/C at all in the afternoons!

A friend of ours rented a private trailer this summer, but he had not slid his receiver hitch fully in, and the retainer pin missed the hole in the shank. A dip in the road caused the receiver to slide out, and both safety chains broke. The violent snap caused the propane to break free and hit the windshield of a following car, causing a minor eye injury from glass particles. He said the chains were "hefty." It would be hard to determine the force put on those safety chains, but it must have been considerable! Just sayin, a chain is only as strong as the weakest link!

After 8 years of use it was time to retire the Dometic air conditioner. I have looked at several brands and for one reason or another I decided on the Tosot brand which is the same as the Atmos brand and probably others as well. Since last summer the Dometic has been making fan bearing noises off and on and I’ve grown tired of climbing on the roof to oil the motor. After eight years I really didn’t want to replace the motor only to have something else fail so this was an excellent excuse to replace it with a higher efficiency quiet unit. We’ve been traveling out west for the past three and a half months and were passing “close” to Elkhart Indiana so decided to drop in and visit the SDG folks. The entire replacement process was perfectly coordinated and our installer Joe knew exactly what needed to be done. We’ve camped out in their parking lot the night before with 30 amp shore power available. The next morning at 8:00 AM I backed our trailer into their shop and about two hours later the job was done. They even printed a custom cover plate to cover up the holes from the old Dometic thermostat. We were able to sleep through the night with the air conditioner running for the first time in 8 years without having to use earplugs, and to watch television at half volume instead of full volume! The air registers force air towards the front of the trailer instead of most all of the cold air being forced onto the bed area. We’re parked in central Ohio for a few days and it’s very hot and humid but the air conditioner is keeping the Oliver very dry and comfortable. On low fan the unit draws about 9 ac amps. Running from the inverter the inverter draws 94 dc amps. The Dometic on inverter would draw between 130 - 140 dc amps under similar conditions. We are extremely pleased with the work that SDG provided and with the comfort and efficiency of the Tosot unit. I strongly recommend the folks at SDG for the air conditioner replacement. They have done several Oliver air conditioner replacements and have experience in replacing/installing air conditioners on many different rv types.

To be clear, the above statement was made in reference to the stats for a hammerlock product I purchased and featured in my comment posted May 11, 2025 of this thread. The ‘link’ being referenced in the above statement was provided by @jd1923 in his November 13, 2024 comment and the stats are for this dissimilar product.