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Date Posted |
Forum
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RE: Ford E350 1995 brakes simular on heavyer models?
Hi,
I don't know if the ambulance companies would have re-rated their chassis that came from Ford to a higher GVWR that Ford rated them. Liability reasons over here would have prevented that.
You might contact Ford, but this is a 14 year old vehicle, I don't know what they will do to verify the brakes where rated at a certain level in another vehicle.
I guess what you are asking is if there is a F-350 DRW with a higher GVWR and the same brake set-up, so you could tell the agency that your RV is using brakes that have been certified at a certain GVWR?
Newer Ford RV's use a E-450 van chassis rated at 14,050 pounds GVWR. But I think they have a improved braking system compared to yours.
Best of luck to you.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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12/01/08 05:32pm |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Can anyone beat my record?
This gets me to thinking how long I have been a member here.
I know that I answered over 12,000 questions, and became a senio member after about 5 weeks on RV.Net.
I know that the longest time without owning a RV is not something I want to strive for. I enjoy them.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/30/08 06:56pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Legal question: Is a search warrant required for RV entry?
Hi,
I would hope that they need probable cause to search your vehicle, and not just search every car they pull over.
I hear that putting a bumper sticker like "Protected by Smith and Wesson" is probably cause in some cases. I also heard of a guy bucking to become a detective, so he had to make 10 or 15 feloney arrests, so he hung out at local hunting clubs in upstate New York and busted several hunters for carrying a loaded rifle in their pickup or the trunk of their car.
He was told in no uncertain terms that it would be healthy to stop busting hunters, that where otherwise law abiding citizens. Imangine loosing your job because of a loaded hunting rifle caused a felony record.
I thought that the police officer had to ask your permission to search your vehicle, and if you refused, they could get a dog to confirm probable cause, but otherwise they could not search without a warrant.
There are dogs that can smell bullets, dynamite and flares, but not know the difference. In one training exercise, they found a loaded gun in a Judge's vehicle in the courthouse, and evacuated the courthouse because they did not know if it was a gun, bomb, or just flares in the trunk. It was the Judge's loaded gun.
I would also think that deneying a search is not probable cause, because otherwise they could say "I am going to ask for your permission to search your vehicle, but if you don't grant it, I will search it anyway because you said something I did not like".
Yet deneying a search you can be delayed a short time while they try to locate a nearby drug or bomb sniffing dog. But they should not be able to delay your vacation for a un-reasonable time. I would say that 1 hour sitting by the side of the road a un-reasonable delay.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/30/08 06:44pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Propane vs Electric
Last winter in AZ's Verde Valley we were using a 30 lb tank of propane every 7-9 days. The furnace would run at night and in the morning until the sun came up. Because the furnace was so noisy we'd turn it off in the evening while watching tv. Then we'd use electric. The fridge runs on AC, the water heater on propane. The furnace did not run during the day.
With that kind of propane useage we were spending between $80-$90 per month for propane. At home we both heat and cool with a groundwater heat pump which makes our house COMPLETELY electric. So heat, ac,cooking, heating water, washing & drying clothes, lights, running our well pump, and everything else electric, we pay $137 per month for electricity. Our house is much larger than our trailer. It's also better insulated than the trailer and we do get a lower electric rate for having an all electric house. For whatever all the above is worth but $80+ per month (propane) plus electric for the trailer seems an awful lot compared to $137 for the house.
Your home groundwater heat pump probably has a efficiency rating of about 15 - 20 Btu's trasferred per watt consummed, while a electric heater generates only 3 Btu's per watt consumed, so the heat pump is much more energy efficient.
If you had used a 1,500 watt electric heater in your RV, this will eleminate running the furnace - excpet for a small amount each night, and lower the propane cost by about 1/2. With a pair of electric heaters, you could lower the propane usage to less than 1 tank a month. It all depends on who is paying for the electric power. If it is you, and the cost is $0.12 per KW, then you can buy 22 KW for only $2.62. If you can get a gallon of propane for less than $2.62, and want to - then use the propane, it is the lower cost heater.
However with the local propane cost being higher, and the added convience of electric being delivered to my site free, it is very easy to say use an electric heater.
You can use a electric heater and the furnace at the same time. By running the 5,000 Btu electric heater, you will save using the furnace, or at least need to run the furnace less minutes per hour.
I have been using a electric heater overnight with a thermostat for over 20 years, in a camper, class C and class A motorhome.
Fred
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 11:01pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: Finding all your posts
Hi,
If you click on your name, you will find all the posts that you posted for the past 12 months. Finding the older ones are a little harder. By going to "Advanced Search" and use your name as the author, you can find the older ones.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 10:37pm |
Forum Technical Support
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RE: Is My Battery Big Enough For Inverter?
A 750 watt inverter can be used with #6 wire protected with 50 - 60 amp fuse, and work fine, putting out up to 700 watts with a 60 amp fuse (assuming 80% efficiency).
I have run a vaccuume cleaner on a 300 W inverter with #10 wire and a 30 amp fuse, it worked good, but not all inverters can run all vaccuumes. Some don't like MSW at all.
By the way, never try to run a laser printer on MSW power, it will damage it. Ink jet priters work great, so does my laptop.
1 group 24 battery will have a amp hour rating of only about 85 amp hours, so using 30 amps for 10 minutes a day will take away about 10 AH from the total capacity. This is because you can only withdraw the total 85 amp hours if you take it out about 5 amp hours per hour for a long time!
Yes you can run the blender on the small battery, but not for a really long time. It would be much better to get a second battery, or best to buy a pair of golf cart batteries that will provide a lot more durability.
You could also rig up some sort of a system to put the RV battery into the tow vehicle, so it can be recharged when you go out sightseeing.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 10:34pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Stupid question of the month......
I am pretty sure that the dually and SRW rear axle are built basically the same, and all are rated around 10,000 pounds GAWR, but are limited by the two or four tires that are mounted at the factory there.
With a 3/4 ton rear axle, you get "Full Floating" rear end. There are bearings on the ends of the axle that support the weight of the truck, and the axle shafts can be removed for towing or other reasons fairly easy, and they are difficult to break. With a 1/2 ton rear axle, you typically get a rear axle that might have also been used in a 1965 full side sedan or station wagon. Fairly strong, but only good for about 3,500 - 4,500 pounds, and will tend to get really warm if over 250 HP is applied for more than 2-3 miles at a time.
The rear axle in a F-450/F-550 is rated at about 15,000 pounds, and is the same basic design as used in a moving truck, just scaled down a little bit, can handle over 300 HP for hours on end without overheating, and has the same removable axle shafts as the F-350.
I hear that the 6 speed manual is great for pulling a large trailer, and when going downhill, shifting into 4th or 5th gear will hold back the load really well. Just when you take a test drive, take it up to speed in each gear, and let off the throttle, and see if it pops out of gear on it's own, indicating a near future transmission rebuild is coming your way.
With a little skill, and especially by watching the tacometer, it is possible to let off the throttle a little bit, slide the transmission into neutral, then slide into the next higher gear by matching the engine speed - without using the clutch at all. Yes it takes practice, but long haul truckers do it all the time. Even if you use the clutch, if you match the engine speed carefully, you save a lot of wear on the clutch, so the clutch can last well over 100,000 miles if proper care is used.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 09:34pm |
Toy Haulers
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RE: 30 amp to 50 amp service
I have posted this a couple of times. Here it goes again. In the top post is a link to a RV by Weekend Warrior - they have a 50 amp service mounted in the basement storage compartment with the 50 amp power cord connected to that. Then a 30 amp power line goes to the RV factory installed power panel, so nothing indoors is modified.
In your case a couple of circuits would be powered by the new breaker panel, I suggest the microwave circuit breaker, electric water heater, and perhaps install a new breaker for the bathroom or where an electric heater is being used. Also where the toaster or coffee maker are being used, so they will come off the Phase B of the new panel, while the factory panel is powered from phase A. This will balance the load on both phase A and B, and lessen the amperage in the white wire.
You can buy a 125 amp panel at Home Depot, Lowes, or other places, use a 2 pole 50 amp main, 30 amp for the old panel, and a couple of 20 amp breakers for the new electrical circuits. Pretty simple for me to do.
Fred.
Here is some pictures of a Toyhauler. The dealer or factory can add a 50 amp power cord to the toyhauler when it is done like this.
The electrical panel that you see has the 50 amp main, a 30 amp breaker to feed the standard factory installed 30 amp electrical service, and new circuit breakers to feed the air compressor, second A/C unit, ect.
It could be added to just about any RV that has room in the electrical compartment, or has basement storage near the electrical compartment.
This is another way to modify the motorhome to add a 50 amp panel without rewiring everything, you just need to run the power supply from both A/C units into the new distribution box. The new box would be fed from a standard 50 amp 120/240 electrical cord.
Toyhauler pictures
Fred.
I posted this back in April. If you want to remove the factory 30 amp panel and install a new 50 amp panel, that is one way. This way is using the factory 30 amp panel, and running it from a 30 amp breaker in the new 50 amp panel. The 50 amp panel typically is rated at 125 amps - Everything is oversized by a minimum of 20%.
I have also installed a sub-panel in a RV that I also installed a 1,500 watt inverter to run things while dry camping. Then a 30 amp transfer switch runs all the items on the inverter - bedroom and kitchen receptical circuits.
I have found some great camping places that are not in or even withing 5 miles of a crowded campground. That is why I have a 400 watt solar system and put it to good use every time I can.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 09:17pm |
Fifth-Wheels
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RE: Aqua-Hot
Hi,
Is this for a diesel coach? The aquahot systems are a 60,000 Btu boiler that typically uses diesel fuel as a heat source, and will burn about 1/2 gallon a hour when it is running. It also has pumps and fans that require power, and will typically shut down on low battery level if it gets below 11.5 volts, so it requires a minimum of 4 golf cart batteries - sometimes 6-8 are installed in a larger coach.
Typically they are not retrofit into a coach, but anything is possible with enough money. THey will use a hot water to air heat exchanger to distribute the warm air into each zone, sometimes 3-4 units are installed - each with a seperate pump, or sometimes with a larger pump and then soilnoids to control flow to each zone.
With a factory installed system, they will sometimes put hot water tubing under the kitchen and bathroom floors, and pump 100 - 105F water through that loop, to warm the floors that are typically covered with a stone or marble looking tile. These can be retrofitted, but usually that takes a lot of money.
For about $100 you can buy 50' of the factory installed ductwork and install it in a short time (less than 2 days) - compared to 2 weeks it might take to install a aqua hot system. The big advantage of aqua hot is they don't run out of hot water for a long time (it can hear 1 GPM by 90F forever or 1.5 GPM by about 75F (from 55 input to about 130F output instantly) so they will provide a long and hot shower.)
With the in the floor heating system, they are practically silent, no need to run a fan motor, and you typically don't hear the water pump. The floor would be heated to about 100F, very comfortable on a cold day, and that heat will go into the rest of the room.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 09:07pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: New inverter-question about charging scheme
Hi,
The second inverter can only recharge the batteries that it is connected to - in this case you would want the inverter to be connected to the coach batteries, not the engine batteries. If the inverter had been connected to the engine batteries then it would take power from the engine battery - potentially leaving it dead, or not charged enough to start the engine after dry camping.
Some inverter/chargers do not like to be tied into a second one. I am not sure, but sometimes they wire the inverter to power all the circuits in the RV through a cross connection wire - I would think it rare that they did not include something to do that in your case.
Some inverters power only 2 circuits in the coach, not the whole electric panel, this is the case in a freind's coach. It has two circuit breakers mounted to the inverter, and the inverter/charger is powered by a 30 amp circuit breaker in the main panel.
It also might be difficult to add a second pair of #000 wires to the exsisting battery bank. You might also consider needing to install another pair of batteries, because 4 batteries can only store about 4 KW of power, 6 will store about 6 KW.
Some inverters are known as "Stackable" others are not. It has to do with the sine wave interaction on the neutral of the bussbar in the RV. I know that Trac eare stackable, you might want to contact this website for more specific information.
SolarOnSale.com
Or this one ElectronConnection.com
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 08:50pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Who makes a TT withe a generator?
There are a bunch of manufactures that have a factory available generator option, especially the toy haulers, that seem to have more than 1/2 of them factory equipped.
Many still find that buying a pair of 49 pound Honda 2KW generators and a paralell kit is a handy way to go - it will run a air conditioner and microwave at the same time. It is possible to get abumper mount kit, and then install a aluminum toolbox or some other sort of enclosure around the generator, or buy a built in generator, and build a box around it, mounting it to the rear bumper of the trailer.
If I had a choice, I would pick the Honda 4 KW for a RV with one A/C unit, or the 6 KW with twin air conditioners, they are water cooled and very quiet.
Mayberrys.com
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 08:37pm |
Travel Trailers
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RE: Converter
I have heard others recomend this site. BestConverter.com
THe converter can be damaged by energizing it without a battery in place. Make sure that the battery voltage is above 10 volts before plugging in the converter to test it. Without a battery, the converter can go above 17 volts, and can damage a circuit board for something like the refrigerator (even if the refrigerator is off).
Also check for a tripped circuit breaker between the converter and the fuse panel or battery. A tripped breaker can look like a bad converter - because the power is not moving the direction it should.
The best test is to take a voltmeter and check the voltage at the input of the converter - it should be between 10 and 13 volts with it off, and about 13.5 volts with it on.
Also check the battery water level. If the cells are dry, it typically means the battery will not last very long, and if dry and below 25F, the battery will not usually recover from that. A frozen battery should never be charged until it is above 40F. (frozen batteries tend to explode or otherwise to bad things when recharged).
If the RV is located someplace where 120 volt power is not available to keep the batteries full, then I suggest installing a 120 watt or larger solar panel to keep the battery full and free of sulfur deposits - my batteries lasted 9 years because of the solar system and never letting the batteries discharge below 50% state of charge.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 01:26pm |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Best truck for the job
Hi,
The 2004 and earlier F-350 SRW only has a 9,900 GVWR, so with a diesel or 4 wheel drive 400 pound option, the truuck can be prettyr heavy. Not a problem if you are looking for a 5.4L V8 in a regular cab with 2 WD, the truck empty will be about 7,000 pounds, and will still carry a camper.
But if you are going to add the 400 pound crewcab option, diesel engine, 4 wheel drive, and perhaps Lariat package, the truck empty can be over 8,500 pounds, leaving little cargo rating for the camper, passengers, 30 gallons of fresh water(240 pounds of water), food and camping stuff.
2005 Ford used 18" rims on the SRW F-350 and they are rated around 3,700 pounds (the 16" 2004 and earlier rims are rated at 3,050 pounds) larger brakes, and much higher GVWR. So a 2005 or later F-350 SRW can carry about 4,000 pounds total (including passengers and food, trailer hitch weight ect.)
It is fairly easy to set up a truck to tow a fifth wheel, a camper is about the same thing, just a different type of "hookup". A camper should use a pair of brackets on the front of the bed to hold down the front of the camper, and rear mounts that somethines are eyehooks into the bumper, or other brackets mounted to the truck frame somehow. Springs are used between the solid mounts and the camper, so a pothole does not dislodge the mount on either end.
As for recharging the camper battery, the same 7 wire connection that goes to a trailer works great to plug in the camper. The only real difference is a camper usually has a wire for the reverse lights.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 01:19pm |
Truck Campers
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RE: Idling a Diesel
With a gas engine, idleing for a long time can cause problems because of lack of oil to the camshaft, and other problems with carbon build-up.
There is adaquate oil volume at 1,500 RPM, but at 600 - especially when leaving the freeway with hot oil, the pressure goes way down - nearly to 5-8 PSI with many gas engines, because of their smaller oil pumps.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 09:08am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Adding Overdive
My,
My buddy spent about $10,000 for his 85 class C, and then ended up spending about $2,000 fixing little things that broke (fresh water pump, refrigerator, ect) and put about 20,000 miles on it, and at 75,000 miles the exhaust started to leak. Taking off the headers proved impossible without breaking some exhaust bolts, and the easy way to extract them involved removing the engine. Then we found cracks in one head, so it was a total rebuild job, with larger pistons, 8.5:1 compression, a better intake manifold, Edelbrock carburator, and so on, I think he spent about $5,500 on the engine, the bluebook for the RV is less than $5,000, so just be careful what you spend.
But if you enjoy the RV, why worry about the cost? Just don't rush into spending $750 - $900 to change the gear ratio and think you will save that much money by getting 1 MPG better mileage.
With a overdrive unit, in direct, the RV will pull the same out of a boat ramp and at low speeds the same way. But changing to a 3.73:1 rear axle ratio will provide slightly less power at the boat ramp and starting out at low speeds. Not really enough to make a seat of the pants difference.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 01:26am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Changing Brake Fliud on W22
A quart of DOT 3 fluid will usually do the job. Might I suggest buying the brake fluid at a Ford dealer? The highest possible "Wet Brake Fluid" temperature is sold at all Ford dealers - and said used on the 24,000 GVWR Motorhome chassis. If a quart is only $8 or $10, I would get two, and then change your car brake fluid if you have a lot left-over.
You can use a lower Wet Boiling point brake fluid, as for me, I want the highest available brake fluid wet boiling point. However you can not use a silicon brake fluid, such as being used in airplanes, unless you replace all the brake lines and the master cylinder.
Usually you can take the extra brake fluid and the drained out fluid to someplace like Jiffy Lube to dispose of it. Some auto parts stores accept the fluid, some cities will take it at a special location, but DO NOT put it in the trash.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 01:07am |
Class A Motorhomes
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RE: Hot water heater
Hi,
Usually you can shut off the heater and then wait about 30 seconds and give it another try.
There can be a bit of air in the gas lines - especially if you just changed tanks. If you have a trailer, it might be one of the tanks is out of gas, and the other tank is not connected properly (not tightening the fitting all the way will prevent the fuel from flowing, or an excess flow will cause the tank to stop flowing). During change-over, air can get into the gas piping, but usually will not cause a problem.
Also if it is very cold, it is possible that the regulator could be frozen, or below -15 the tank pressure will drop drastically, my guess is California is warm enought.
Is the stove working? Flames the normal size? Test the furnace for about 1 minute - is it working fine?? Try the heater again - after the heater and stove has used up any "Bad" propane in the lines and if the stove flame is normal, then the pressure regulator is probably working right.
When I winterize, I unplug my circuit board from the wiring connection. Corrosion can develop in this connection, so unplugging and plugging it back in can sometimes make it work better. Also if you hear clicking after the circuit board is plugged in, but it does not light, let it sit for about 3 minutes, with the CB unplugged, and the switch turned on inside. With a 6" long BBQ lighter, light it's flame, and then plug in the circuit board and see if any gas in the flame burner area lights. This can tell you if the ignighter is not working right, perhaps the spark electrode has melted and broke, or is not adjusted right.
Good luck, and don't try the BBQ lighter thing if you have any thought that you might get burned, and keep your head (and hair) away from the burner area.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 12:56am |
Tech Issues
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RE: Adding Overdive
Hi,
Gear Vendors sells (or used to build) a 20% overdrive unit that is mounted to the rear housing on a 3 speed automatic transmission. It allows shifting to 2 - 2 hi, 3, 3 hi - to give 5 or 6 effective gear ratios. Because your van probably has a 4.10:1 rear axle ratio, the engine will be turning about 3,300 RPM at 60 mph! With this oerdrive, it will go down by 660 RPM (if it was turning 3,300 RPM). If the RPM goes to low, the engine will not make adaquate horsepower to stay at highway speeds (especially important in a headwind) without downshifting.
Another option is to change out the rear axle ratio to a 3.73:1 ratio. It will lessen the stump pulling power when taking off from a green light in exchange for a lower engine RPM at freeway speeds, but probably is less expensive than finding and installing a overdrive unit - and then getting a 18" (or so) shorter driveshaft modification and balancing the new driveshaft.
Yes I know someone with a 1985 Ford with a 460" engine and the same probalem, except that he built his motor to make about 350 foot pounds of torque and over 400 HP, so he can really use the overdrive much better, as he will have adaquate power at 2,200 RPM with his newly built engine.
The trouble is you will never save the $2,200 cost of the overdrive unit in fuel savings, and if the RV is worth $8,500 now, after spending another $3,000 to have it installed, it will then be worth $8,500 - only a little more to you. But if the RV has a bluebook value of only $4,000, then spending $3,000 more on it makes less sence. However compared to buying a new $67,000 RV that will also get 8 MPG, the sales tax on the new unit will be more than $3000.
Well who said that putting money into a RV was going to give any payback? If it is quiet, and that is what you want, then go for it. I suggest that changing to the 3.73:1 rear axle ratio is the lowest cost option.
Fred.
You will get the maimum horsepower at about 4,000 RPM, and only about 50 HP at idle, 75 around 1,000 RPM, 150 around 2,000 - 2,200 RPM, and 200 around 3,000 - 3,300 RPM. (these are just educated guesses based on the 400 cubic inch motor with a good carburator and a good exhaust system. A plugged catalytic converter (or other problems) will reduce the HP a lot). But you get the idea that GM put in the 4.10:1 rear ale ratio because they guessed you would need the engine to turn 3,300 RPM at freeway speeds to make enough horsepower to move all that air out of the way and climb hills without downshifting.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/29/08 12:43am |
Class C Motorhomes
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RE: Replacing Microwave.
Hi,
I took out my microwave to see how it was mounted. In my case, I can expand the opening to the top about 1/2" without any trouble, and found that the opening is about 2" larger than the microwave, to give air space around it. There is a metal grill top and bottom that holds mine in place. I removed two screws that hold the metal shell on to mount the grill again.
So I removed the old one, transferred the grills to another microwave, and installed that one. There is a receptacle behind where my microwave is mounted, I had to hold up the microwave while plugging it in.
Overall, it took about 20 minutes, and went well.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/28/08 05:34pm |
Tech Issues
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RE: Heating With Electric Space Heater in my TC
Hi,
Usually the furnace fan is very noisy.
When I am dry camping, I don't run my furnace very much. If it is above 32, I don't need to run it at all, as my 6,000 Btu Catalytic heater keeps my 30' motorhoe toasty warm on med or high setting.
Below 28, I like to run the furnace about 10 minutes out of each hour, and that seems to keep the area around my tanks warm enough. If the tank does reach 32, it will not instantly amage itself - or self distruct. By taking a shower, enough warm water will enter the tank to keep the contents above freezing.
I typically would fill my 100 gallon fresh tank and put away the fill hose empty in the basement, then I am good for about 2 weeks, at which time I drain the black and gray water on a day where it is a little above freezing.
If it is above 30, then the tanks will not freeze if the daytime temperatures go above freezing. Below 25, running the furnace about 5-8 minutes per hour will keep the tanks above freezing. I used a cheap thermometer with a remote sensor that was located near my sewer tank. AS long as it was above 32, I was not worried.
Fred.
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Golden_HVAC
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11/28/08 04:33pm |
Truck Campers
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