ScubaRx
-
Posts
3,091 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
158
Posts posted by ScubaRx
-
-
Very nice work. I love the way the baskets fit.
-
1
-
1
-
-
Slight topic hijack here, apologies...
In another thread you asked "My expected vehicle (2016 Volks Touareg diesel) is rated to tow 7700 lbs.Ā Will it be happy towing the Elite 2 at 6500 lbs?"
If you plan to go somewhere and stay for six months at a time that tow vehicle should be "OK". Nothing great, but it would do. On the other hand, if you plan on full timing, you would be carrying all your worldly possessions with you everywhere you go. Further, if you really plan to explore the U.S, and Canada like you indicate in your opening post here, you would be traveling more than staying in one place too long. You are going to need a much more capable tow vehicle. You need something that can carry all the cargo weight and tow the trailer anywhere you decide to go. A 3/4 ton dieselĀ pickup would be minimum and for the minimal price difference between the two, I'd go with a 1 ton diesel.
Carry on.
-
5
-
-
On 8/14/2023 at 7:36 AM, Mike and Carol said:
Pretty straightforward? Ā Iām waiting for a break in this heat before I start!
You ought to catch a break right after Christmas.
-
5
-
-
21 minutes ago, John E Davies said:
You shouldn't touch the door itself, keep your fingers inside the chrome latch to lower it down gently, Ā to save the hinges (NEVER let it crash down), and reverse that for closing. Once you get into this habit of a "controlled descent" using the latch, you won't see any more fingerprints, unless they are from a guest or clueless spouse šĀ
I really like the mirrored versions, I wonder why they stopped offering them? They make the cramped interior look way, way larger.
John Davies
Spokane WA
Ā
They stopped because of complaints of seeing yourself everywhere you looked.
-
1
-
6
-
-
2 hours ago, Yerfdog said:
...From the videos I have seen the frosted ones show the contents of cabinets if the lights inside them are on. Do the black do the same? It would be great to see some pictures of the black doors with the inside light on, do the black completely block the inside light and the contents?...
Absolutely. Even with a powerful flashlight held right against the inside surface, NO light comes thru the door.
-
Hull #050. Had it 10 years. First one sold. Best non-animate thing I've ever owned. Been to every state including Alaska. Multiple times. Over 100K miles. Tons of Mods thru the years. Wouldn't trade it for anything.
-
5
-
1
-
-
Nice Work. Keep the pics coming.
-
1
-
-
7 hours ago, Mark Meadows said:
Hi, how many hours can you run the AC using the platinum solar package?
I expect that would depend on several factors. Are you running any other 120V appliances? Is your fridge pulling from the batteries at the same time? Is it Daytime or Nighttime? Are you getting any replacement from the solar? How Much?
A more informative question would be "How long will it take to replace 300 amp-hours if I run my batteries down half way while running my AC?"Ā With really good sun, 400 watts of solar and a quality MPPT charge controller will produce 20 ā 24 amps of power per hour on average. Assuming there are 6 hours of sunlight during the day, this would amount to 120 ā 140 amp-hours over 24 hours. In the middle of winter or on cloudy days, you might get 3 hours of peak sunlight. This amounts to an output of 60 ā 80 amp-hours. You should be able to get the batteries back up to 100% SOC in about 3 days. Here again, this is dependent on the sun and how much energy you pull out during the charging period. A generator would be much quicker.
-
8
-
-
On 8/12/2023 at 8:12 AM, dewdev said:
...I put my mouth over the outline pipe and blew into the pipe...
And this is the point in every story where things usually start to go belly-up...
Sounds like the story of Raggot the Gerbil.
-
2
-
-
4 hours ago, MAX Burner said:
We just towed our LEII in triple digit heat through northern NM and southern CO a couple weeks ago with no tranny issues, Ā The Tundra performed well and we have no complaints.... Ā All good.
Do you have any idea what your transmission temp was running?
Our Silverado 3500 has a transmission temp gauge, after selecting tow/haul the volts meter is replaced with the trans temp gauge.
-
1
-
-
I just finished the install on ours yesterday.
-
3
-
-
1 hour ago, Frank C said:
I havenāt seen any update from SNY SD UP. Ā Hope they got it figured out.Ā
I got a message from themĀ last week. They are back in ND but are still trying to get the correct springs.
-
1
-
-
4 hours ago, jd1923 said:
It does work on the E2, lifting the other wheel barely off the ground. Then I used the rear leveling jack to bring it up another inch and it was very solid for changing a flat tire (chock the other side if you are going to decouple the TV).Ā
All was good, then as I pulled into a gas station, up the driveway on an angle, I heard a loud BANG, and quickly checked my right-side mirror to see if I had hit the curb but was 2-3 feet away. I'm thinking a shackle got turned upside down when I drove up the jack, lifting one wheel allowing the other to drop. Now it's reset, all by itself!
I'll bet you're are spot on about the noise coming from a reversed shackle.
While working on the running gear of the trailer, while I would advise you to chock the opposite side, I would also recommend that you to never unhook the tow vehicle. It is your greatest safety net. With the trailer still attached to the truck, there is virtually no way it could move forward or backward.
-
2
-
-
On 8/3/2023 at 12:49 PM, MSURRATT said:
Thanks to everyone!!
Yes, I plan on using the Watchdog EMS right at the Hookups and connect the 30 amp power cord to that for added protection.... I have seen where doing that was recommended Please let me know if that is overkill!! I am definitely moving up to a larger truck, I was hoping the chevy 1500 would work for now while I am still working. We will be weekend camping mostly until then.Ā
I'm all about overkill, but a combination of two surge protectors (Surge/Only Portable at the pedestal and a Surge/EMS inside of your RV) will not interfere with each other, and will basically double your Joules of surge and spike voltage protection. And the inexpensive (under $100) portable Surge/Only protector on the pedestal becomes the sacrificial element that can be destroyed by a really big lightning hit in the area, or stolen by a thief looking to liberate you from your more expensive Surge/EMS protector.
-
4
-
-
1 hour ago, jd1923 said:
The OEM tire spec already has greater weight load capacity than the dual 3500 LB Dexter axles. This is why we fill EII tires at 55 PSI (or lower). 7000 LB gross trailer weight is maximum for the suspension (axles and leaf springs). You can upgrade to 5200 LB axles, but why do you need more than 7K LB? We weighed ours coming back from a camping trip at 6K LB. Another 1000 LB is a lot of stuff. However, those of you who travel months vs. days can need. The place for this extra weight is in your tow vehicle, which is why a 3/4-ton truck makes good sense as you need and collect more stuff!
The LEII's that are currently being built come with the 5200 pound axles. However, they have the four leaf 3500 pound spring packs rather than the 5 leaf spring packs that normally are supplied with the larger axles. Therefore the GVWR of the trailer remains at 7000 pounds rather than 10,400 pounds that the 5200 pound axles would usually provide.
When we had Hull #050 built in 2013-14, I specified the 5200 pound axles. This does provide for a larger GVWR but it also adds more weight. With other modifications we had done (raised bed platforms, heavier tires), every time I've weighed it, with a full tank of water, full 30 pound propane tanks, 3000 watt generator sitting in the tongue basket, configured ready to camp with food and clothing it will come in at around 7200 pounds. Although at least one owner claims his camping weight to be below 5000 pounds, I would consider that our trailer and his trailer are definitely outliers. Most all the LEII's will weight 6000 pounds or better.
-
5
-
-
On 6/25/2023 at 6:30 PM, Steph and Dud B said:
Yep. Tightened all the fittings and screwed down the hold-down straps. Very strange symptoms. When the pump is sucking air, you can barely hear it. If anyone keeps getting air in the lines the first time you use your pump on a trip, check those connections.
I'm glad it was a simple fix. On the second day of our Quartzsite trip this past January, I found that our water heater tank had a hairline crack on the very bottom and leaked whenever the pump came on and pressurized the system. Forty days without hot water. Ahhh, the joys of camping. I love the challenges.
-
1
-
-
On 2/5/2022 at 7:18 PM, SeaDawg said:
@ScubaRx,Ā did you fabricate the mounts yourself? Or, could you tell us where you found them?
I made them myself. They are all aluminum but the top one is painted white.
Ā
-
1
-
2
-
-
Ā
On 6/30/2023 at 6:10 PM, John E Davies said:It is not legally allowed anywhere, but many desert boondockiers will irrigate the sage bushes with grey water and a 3/4āā garden hose. Not that I would ever do that, but I might have maybe once or twice accidentallyā¦.
On 6/30/2023 at 7:01 PM, MAX Burner said:What's done in Quartzite - stays in Quartzite.... Ā just say'nĀ š
Ā
This question is for the guys only. Who among you doesn't pee outside just to save room in the black/pee tanks? Don't lie, if you say you've never done it, the rest of us will just laugh at you and call you a sissy boy.
-
1
-
5
-
-
In case nobody noticed, the OP (JD), made his original post on 06-29-2023, never participated in the thread or answered anyone's questions, he apparently lost interest and left the building not having been seen again since 07-27-2023. He asked the question and Iām addressing these comments to him even though he may never see them.
Since this thread has been revived...Ā Let me preface by saying this information is for boondocking situations. If you ALWAYS camp in campgrounds with full hookups, you can stop reading now, you will find nothing helpful here and probably wonāt understand where Iām coming from.
The fresh water tank is for carrying your well, - fresh water. Most folks do not drink from their fresh tank. There's nothing wrong with doing so, but if I decided to, I'd want to sanitize mine more often than the two times its been done since 2014.
The gray water tank's only purpose is to collect water from both sinks and the shower drain. If you NEVER shower, brush your teeth or wash your hands and dishes or use water from the tap for any reason inside the trailer, then I can accept the fact that you do not need a gray tank. But should any of the aforementioned situations occur while boondocking, youāre going to need that gray tank.
Even still, the gray tank is not certified for fresh water use. Although, if you're not drinking from it and (somehow) havenāt been using it to collect your "used" water I don't see why you couldn't do it. I believe you need a gray tank.
The black water tank is sitting under the toilet and, with a regular toilet, catches everything that goes in from the top. If you have a composting toilet, then I assume you know how to operate it.
I understand the thought process in believing that it would be nice to have more water on board. It naturally follows if you have an extra tank or two, why not re-purpose one or both of them to hold the extra water. Truthfully, Iāve never had a problem finding water to fill my fresh tank. And thatās during a long time and a hell of a lot of miles. Itās everywhere you are, I have a few helpful tips for finding and getting it but maybe in another thread.
Ā
-
3
-
-
I was asked about this issue and gave this answer.
Unfortunately, a full size tire will NOT fit under the older tire covers. The recess in the back that receives the tire has been redone to be larger in the newer trailers. The tire cover has also been reworked to fit around a standard size tire. Both of these modifications required a major re-working of the plugs and molds.
John Davies was not satisfied carrying a small tire as a spare and simply removed the tire cover and replaced the tire with a standard size leaving it uncovered. Not the most pleasing esthetic, but probably the simplest solution for an owner.
Now, if you don't mind doing some reasonably extensive fiberglass work......
-
1
-
4
-
-
On 8/1/2023 at 4:38 PM, Steve Morris said:
Later, I bump the thermostat up to 71 degrees, and now it is 70 degrees in the trailer, and 88% humidity! Ā Outside is 75 degrees, 68% humidity, and full overcast. Itās almost like the AC sucks the humidity out while the compressor is running, holds onto it instead of sending it overboard, and then dumping the humidity back inside when the compressor shuts off.Ā
ĀVert confusing!
It sounds like your Truma A/C came with the optional "water-maker" feature installed.
-
4
-
-
6 minutes ago, Rivernerd said:
Also, ensure that your gray and black water tanks are empty.Ā Even standing gray water can stink, especially during the summer months.
This is good advice. Even though the smells are different, gray water can stink as badly or worse than black. This is caused from allowing food particles to go down the drain when washing or rinsing dishes in the sink. The food goes into the gray tank and begins to rot (think old dumpster in the alley behind a bar.)
I wouldn't hesitate to sanitize the gray and black tanks with chlorine just like you would the fresh water tank.
Let us know if you get resolution.
-
3
-
-
2 minutes ago, Mcb said:
weāve got one of the 15 gallon rigs.. it has lived in the back of the pickup off and on for a couple years, and weāve never used itā¦ Ā The bed of our truck is a pretty organized place, with everything stowed away in its place, with things that get used a lot pretty accessible, and things that donāt get used can take some effort to accessā¦ which is the case for that piece of gear.
ĀThe few times weāve stayed in a campground without sewer hookups long enough to require emptying our tanks amidst our stay Ive just disconnected the power and water, raised the jacks, hooked the trailer to the truck and dragged it to the dump station, because as crazy as it sounds, for me, itās less of a hassle moving the camper then emptying the bed of the truckā¦ and then putting it all back in..Ā
We can be ready to roll in 10 minutes or so.Ā
If I leave the wheel chocks ( the ones behind the tires) in place when I pull out of the campsite they provide targets to help guide me back into the exact same position the camper was in before I moved it, which is kind of fun anywayš
Good move.Ā
-
2
-
-
I donāt think that would be what you want to do. Like Bill said, it doesnātĀ freeĀ you from bearing maintenance. The EZ Lube system is really only useful in situations where the axles are completely submerged in waterāoften. Like a boat trailer.Ā
-
3
-
Suspension Rebuild of a Classic HD Tow Vehicle
in Mechanical & Technical Tips
Posted
Wow....makes me sweat just thinking about it.