| |
Subject |
Author |
Date Posted |
Forum
|
 |
RE: Quadzoo Rides Again, a Thanksgiving Trip to Anza Borrego
Dave,
I thought I was in the wrong forum! Toyhaulers, quads, handsome chix.
Simply not our usual fare. No harm no foul.
Anza Borrego has been a destination of choice for our family for 44 years. Yep, 1st trip there was Down Coyote Cyn. in March of 1965 in my spiffy 1949 Jeep Utility wagon with that big Chevy 265 V8, 5:38 gears, springs-over-axle and Studebaker Overdrive. We camped in the back of the wagon. Bare bones begins to describe. Oh what fun it was.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
12/07/09 11:01pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Temporary transport
What SoCal said. Using the existing tie downs with chains/D-links/turnbuckles/eyebolts/washers. You might have to drill holes in the flooring of the trailer for well positioned anchor points.
Another option is using 2 or 3 wide web ratchet straps. Like the truckers use. Keep the straps off the front over hang. You might use some 1x6's as a buffer on edge of the roof line to keep from depressing the framing.
I have (4), 4" wides that are the 10,000 lb. variety and have cinched down a lot of awkward cargo on my flatbed, like the heaviest upright grand piano I've ever seen. We screwed blocks to the floor making right angles at ea. corner to keep the piano from drifting and a couple HD ratchet straps. Drove 200 miles that way. No problemo. Keep the straps off the front over hang. You might use some 1x6's as a buffer on edge of the roof line to keep from depressing the framing.
I guess the bid deal is: how do you get it on and off the trailer? How about 4 H.D. Hand carts laid down under each corner and ratchet strap the handles together. Then winch the eight wheeler up the ramps onto the trailer. Strap it down as is, and retrograde at the other end.
The obvious other option is to pay for the rig, and find out if you could store it at the sellers property until you get your truck set up.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
12/04/09 07:46pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Heading from MI to CA the end of the year
Suzie,
I couldn't tell if you have four wheel drive on the truck or not. In CA, if you are towing anything, you must chain up if there is a 'chains or snow tires required' posted even if you have 4WD and snow tires on the truck. Once you drop off the treasures, that trailer is going to get old real fast. It would add 3-4 days to your westbound trip if you went south to milder climes. I would chance it, since you have the time to wait out any weather, and just come W. on I-80. You could even drop down to I-70 to 50 thru NV (the loneliest highway in
America) to get a little less cold/snow exposure.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
12/02/09 10:08pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: In your spare time,
Blind Bob,
(how'd you get that moniker if your hobby is reading?)
After 40 years as a professional musician in LA, (bass trombonist, LA Phil, recording movies and soundtracks for a lot of flicks, college professor) We are 3 yrs retired in No Cal. I model HOn3 trains (that's HO narrow gage) and have a 30x40 building to house it.
To still keep my fingers in the pie, so to speak, I play a fretless 5 string electric bass in a rock band (whoda thunk?) and my old accoustic upright bass around too.
Life is full enough with kids and G-kids living nearby. I still do a lot of rock crawling in my old built-up Jeep CJ-8, plying places of legend like the Rubicon.
My latest passion is singing counter tenor, conducting, arranging, and composing music (on computer software known as 'Sibelius') for our local Anglican Compline Choir. Seven men sing and chant this ancient service on a sunday night. The whole idea has sucked me up. How do you sing something written 1500 years ago? What tempo and style? It's a whole 'nother mesmerizing spiritual space.
The only problem with retirement is that you have no time. Or so it seems. I have slowed down the last 3 years, mostly from living in a rural place, Vs. working downtown LA.
We have a large fenced in garden growing a lot of our own foodstuffs. I cut and split 4-5 cords of wood every year that heat our home in the winter. Life is good. For Jeanie and I,
THESE really are the good old days.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
12/02/09 09:44pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Using the truck camper in the winter
justkissed1,
We have the same uninsulated setup you do. I have added a lot of insulation around windows and vents and interior cabinet walls. But the open air tanks are the woe.
We do winter camp and use 1 gallon jugs of minus 50 degree F RV anti-freeze to 'flush' the toilet. That's the only fluid in the TC system, besides body fluids.
Even then, if it's down close to zero F, that 'watered down' anti-freeze will have a hard time.
We found out the hard way not to have ANY un-anti-frozen fluid in the system. Waiting for your bloated and leaking frozen tanks to un-freeze is not a pretty thing. We had to wait for a week before we didn't have an ice jam behind the dump valve covers. That's the other thing. If you do the above winter waste system, where and when are you going to be able to dump. Most public waste dumps are closed in the winter.
Fresh water is carried in gallon jugs inside the camper, open to the ambient temps of the cabin. grey water and any other used water is dumped outside before it freezes.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
12/02/09 08:20pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Generator or run truck
Sleepy wrote:
"the furnace fan vAmpere"
Very clever. I like it.
Running the engine in the truck is the last resort. Every other means first.
All this discussion depends on HOW you use your TC. We bought a EU Inverter Honda 2K generator a few years ago. We took it on almost every trip thinking we would need to charge the batteries (as warned by folks on here). We hardly used it at all. The only fly in the ointment was, we moved every day, or almost every day. I have 3 identical large 12V batteries that run everything( truck and camper), all ganged all the time. Only once when I left the fridge on 12V over night did my luck run out. Then the generator was worth it's weight in gold. I use a 3 stage (2amp/10amp/60amp) battery charger to charge batteries directly to the posts, and can use the 60 amp starting feature when necessary, all with the 2K Honda.
On the otherhand, If you camp in one place more than 2 days, you need aux power of some kind. Cost-wise the 2K Honda is still the best bet.
On Sleepy's suggestion, last fall I started using the 2K parked in my garden cart, dragging it around with a 50' 12 ga. cord to blow the 125' foot driveway clear of leaves. Works well. Keeps the seals and carb working and is yet another 'multiple use' tool. Why not use it for the house then?
We have a Generac 7K aux power generator for the house. With auto start and propane power it will run about 3 months straight before you need an overhaul. We've had it 3 years and it has been getting slower and slower even with preventative maintenance. It starts by itself every week and runs for 12 minutes to exercise. Today, the man came and replaced the throttle body and rubber air hose connector to the engine. Both were shot. Runs great again. He said they're made to run for a 20 year, occasional use life.
The moral is: keep the thing maintained and run it enough to exercise it.
I guess i got a little off-track, but it was on my mind.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
12/02/09 07:51pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Help with finding a truck
fishmo,
Do some research on here. The short answer is: you have the cart before the horse. The ultimate way to proceed is to narrow down and buy the camper first. If you're limited to only 3/4T, SRW, short, there are only so many campers that will fit the bill. Over do the size of the truck and under do the size of the camper. A SRW, one ton could fit the bill nicely.
Welcome to "Whacky Club TC".
and good luck with the hunt.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
11/30/09 02:32pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Utah trip - part 3
Al,
Really great pics, report, and travelog. That dirt road looked like a lot of washboard. Typical. I'm just getting ready to canvas my TC for the winter. You give me pause not to.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
11/14/09 09:57pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Tiger Motor Homes?
Just a thought about this discussion. MOHO's, Class B, Class C , TC's, etc. need further refining. I don't even like the label, "TC".
I think I'll just call mine a class "SCORD". What's that you ask?
"SELF-CONTAINED-OFF-ROAD-DOMICILE"
What's in a name? Tiger, this one would fit you too without the slavish adherence to 'is it truck frame or van chassis..... ?'
I think we're a little too tight Axx about what we call ourselves.
How about, "VMD"? Very-Mobile-Domicile"?, or "ROC"? Redneck-offroad-crashpad". Then there is always, "Big-Offroad-Optional-Bedroom-System".
Tiger, I hope this didn't pirate your thread. You add a whole dimension to our tight Axx little gathering. I hope to boondock with you some day. No, I won't tell where we're going.
Wait! This thread was started by Magnusfide! My apologies. I hope you got the info you need.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
11/03/09 02:18pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Tiger Motor Homes?
Oh, come on Tiger, you have two fans!
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
11/03/09 01:31pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Sept. trip: SW Montana, Flathead Lake & Glacier NP
Brian,
You got me with the "that's where we spread my Dad's ashes". We did that too with my Dad's ashes. Some obscure place in N.M. that he wrote about (he was a Western Lore writer), the four brothers (his sons) took turns......................................................................choke........
Thanks for posting. This was a very different kind of trip for us, and a nostalgic one for you.
I for one am certainly enjoying the variety of trip/expeditions posted on here.
Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't see these kinds of spectacular trips posted on the other RV forums.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
11/03/09 10:25am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Truck Set Up for a New Guy
Chris wrote:
I am looking at getting a SB truck camper (Lance 845 or 825) for my '02 Dodge 3/4 ton 4x4 with a diesel and towing/camper package.
***(jefe writes: We have the same truck. And it looks like you're going with the same or slightly heavier camper than mine. I would say go for the lightest camper you can find. My Lance Lite 165-S weighs around 1800 lbs. with water. It worked well with the stock camper pkg and towing pkg. you have. )
Chris wrote:
As far as I can tell, here is what I need to get to mount the Camper:
1. Tiedowns, will probably go with Torklifts.
2. Air Bags.
***(jefe: Chris, forget airbags. You don't need or want them. Go with Stable Loads. Mine work great, especially with the addition of one ton secondaries)
3. Considering Rancho Shocks.
***(jefe: You already have a good anti-sway bar, so these are the icing on the cake.)
4. Bed Mat.
***(jefe: Get the thinnest, flattest one you can find. Less squirly sway of the box that way. There will be no vertical cab clearance problem with a Lance and an '02 Dodge)
Here are my questions,
1. I will be towing a boat weighing @ 5,000#. Do I need a another hitch such as a Torklift or Reese to handle the hitch extension?
***(jefe: I'm afraid the answer is yes. Your stock hitch is marginal at that weight. Add an extension and you half the towing capy of the hitch. Mine's a Reese Titan V with a 20" ext. to tow my jeep on trailer - 7000 lb.)
2. Is the Camper wiring plug the same as the rear towing plug and can I just splice into the the existing harness?
***(jefe: The main camper wiring female plug and harness is at the L-Front of the camper. You need to buy a complete male camper harness that mounts in a hole inside the left front wall of the P.U. box. You snake the wires down through to the frame and forward to battery power, lights, etc. Actually, I think i did just go straight down to running light, back up light, stop and turn wires coming from the front of the truck. Spliced, soldered, tool dipped. Consider a power shutoff switch (aka: kill switch. Use a large gage red power feed wire. Like No. 8 or even 6. Less voltage drop. All this needs to be installed before your camper is loaded on. You plug it in at the last foot or two of the TC loading sequence, while you can still get to it.)
Since I've already trod the path you are about to take with the same equipment, give me a PM if you need answers pronto.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
11/02/09 01:52pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Pictures worth a 1000 words.
I though, "What's that TC doing in Deutchland?" You got me for a minute.
Good flavor with the pics.
Did others hang in town over night on the street with their TC's for Oktoberfest?
I thought I saw Sleepy/Mrs. Sleepy in one of the pics.
Maybe we'll saunter up there for the next Okt. Fest. Hmmm?
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
11/02/09 12:43pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: 3 days in Death Valley, what to see?
From the Bay area, the best route to D.V.N.P is south on 5, scoot over to Bakersfield, 58 E. to 14 N. to 178 E. We've tried it every which way, and this is the one.
Tioga will definitely be closed by January.
Do not try The Racetrack without an air supply, and some time to deflate the tires down to 25-28 lbs. The washboard will rattle your rig to pieces, aned it's like 25 miles of washboard. It just seemed like 100 miles. There is no camping at or near the Racetrack. We went another couple miles past it to the Lippencot Lead Mine road and camped on the shoulder of the road. Funny, no one drove by while we were there.
For inspiration, there are several 'Death Valley' trip reports you could peruse at the beginning of the TC forum index. A truck camper, even with 2 wheel drive, is a natural for the area.
The important thing is; 3 days is WAY too short a time to see much, so choose well.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
11/01/09 09:51pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: highest boondocking spot?
Sleepy wrote: "Actually Calif doesn't do bad for mountains... Mt Whitney... "
jefe writes:
Good point. Since I live in the Sierra Nevadas, i've found at least four TC destinations to camp above 10,000 feet. Mostly on the eastern side of the Sierra. Not bad access either.
But, the greenies are pressing to close everything to motor vehicles. Only "a very strong, 19 year old male, with a heavy back pack need apply" is what it's coming to. They feel good, smug, and condescending about it though. All you overweight, over 20, sickly, possibly handicapped, and motorized folks out there need not apply.
10,600 ft. in the San Juans. Oct. 2nd.
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z240/jefe4x4/DSCN0997.jpg
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
10/31/09 01:33pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: Best 285/75R16?
I have Toyo Open Country's on the front. Wearing well, great snow traction. No cracks. One huge hole in the sidewall where a stick ran through it. I used (6) Safety Seal tire plugs, in the sidewall, in that hole. It looks like medusa's head whirling round and round, but after 18 months, no problem. Those plugs are as good as it gets.
Just a caution about BFG AT, KO's. I've had (10) of them 285-75R16's on my Dodge in 10 years, among other tires. (look at 4 of them in my pics below) I liked the traction, mileage, and ride, but, the one down side is the tendency for the sidewalls to crack after a couple years. Every one that lasted more than 2 years, had cracked sidewalls. Lots of cracks. I think it must be the rubber compound.I just finally took (4) tires that had plenty of tread to the dump, but also had the dredded cracks. I couldn't trust them. One of the 10 had a complete tread separation on an '04 trip to AK. That was the trip that I wished I had an unmounted spare along.
Just FYI.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
10/29/09 08:35pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: And So It Begins - Navajo National Monument
Eric,
Great stuff! There is something very magnetic about the 'Indian Country' lands in the S.W.
We have to go back to see N.N.M. October/November and April/May are our favorite times in the area.
You just placed that irritating grain of sand in our TC oyster. Maybe a pearl will emerge.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
10/29/09 12:58am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: highest boondocking spot?
Cal,
I think the same way you do. As it gets hotter, I turn to higher elevations to cool the soul.
It's a long time pattern. The temp goes up: we go up. There comes a time though, about the end of June, when all attempts to escape the heat wind up in a no-go position. The box comes off, I cut and collect firewood until September when it's starts to cool. Then the box goes on and we resume our schedule.
Dave,
Maybe we can do a trip together this time instead of different trips together. I've only rolled my CJ-8, a dozen times, some barrel rolls, some endo's. All of them left their mark. One roll caused so much damage, only the tub remained of the body parts.
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z240/jefe4x4/01020013.jpg
Some were simply layovers. Here, I dislocated my shoulder on the Rubicon(driving out of the Little Sluice)
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z240/jefe4x4/104-0417_IMG.jpg
The entire rig is covered with 'touchup' paint. Pep Boys, Sand, #1114, rattle can.
Sure you want to go on a trip together?
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
10/29/09 12:20am |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: MPG w/wo camper on board
14-15.5 mpg. with camper on. It has been as low as 12 mpg. and up to 17 mpg with camper. With the bed empty, 18-19.8 mpg. I've never gotten into the 20 mpg. club, even with manual trans. I seem to get slightly lower mpg's, compared to others with the same vintage truck. I have not fiddled with the injection/fuel delivery system at all. Bone stock. Well, an upgrade intake/air filter system.
regards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
10/28/09 11:53pm |
Truck Campers
|
|
RE: highest boondocking spot?
This subject has intrigued me for some time. Being a long time, old jeeper, well.... old jeeper, hard coring for 45 years, we've been on most of the high jeep trails in the San Juans in So.W. Colorado... in jeeps (small j. Besides some of those were Land Cruisers, Scouts, and XJ's, CJ's). A couple years ago, we tried high altitude boon docking in the TC. This is off Last Dollar Road, near Telluride, still below the tree line at 10,800 ft.:
http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z240/jefe4x4/54366d7c.jpg
On none of the known jeep routes did I see "No Camping" signs, even at or near the summits. I guess they figure no one is dumb enough to camp near the summit if T-storms are possible, so who needs a sign?.
A couple stalwart TC-ers on here have attempted several of the passes in their 'off-road worthy' TC's. There was one cable clearance issue, but few other overhead clearance problems. "Got pucker factor?" Some of those got a bit narrow, with my super singles hanging slightly over the precipice. Hmmm.
I still have in mind to do a TC trek in the San Juans with a few of you guys in a TC caravan. The only month that would work would be September, before the snows. It's dry enough. Another inhibiting factor would be the chance of lightening strikes if you were at or near the top of a barren mountainside. Above about 11,600 ft. it's all barren. Sept. has fewer summer T-storms. The aclimatizing at altitude takes fully 72 hrs. I would hope we could endure long enough to make at least the end of the trip painless.
Any body interested in that trip next Fall? Lemme know.
Molas Pass, so. of Silverton on CO 550 has a public C.G. at over 11,200 ft.
Engineer Pass, a jeep road, is over 12,000 ft.
re3gards, as always, jefe
|
jefe 4x4
|
10/28/09 10:44am |
Truck Campers
|
|
