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Driving across the country breaking stuff made of lightweight materials likely 
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Dec 4, 2020 01:52
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It has begun. Currently living in it right now in my parents front yard like a true goon, going to be heading to arizona/new mexico within the next month. I have not pooped in it yet.
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Feb 10, 2021 06:04
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ddiddles posted:
Then you have not actually lived in it yet. 
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Feb 10, 2021 14:17
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Hello for the first time, RV thread. My wife and I are contemplating getting a very large RV to live in and travel and work remotely. Does anyone here have a comically large RV or trailer? They are surprisingly cheap and can often be in good condition it seems. But I reluctantly realize that there is still a lot of upkeep maintenance and things get expensive when they break, especially if it's a giant diesel engine in a pusher motorhome. Also I saw this for sale while browsing classifieds...it's very Wisconsin indeed  https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/639220060034736 French Canadian fucked around with this message at 16:40 on Feb 10, 2021 |
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Feb 10, 2021 15:51
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Hasselblad posted:Then you have not actually lived in it yet. Gotta christen the can or it doesn't count! French Canadian posted:
This owns. It'll probably be a moneypit. hope this helps. Big diesel pusher? yeah it'll need some more care than say a minnie winnie with an oldschool big block. The newer the platform the more expensive the powertrain will be to repair. Towing can be astronomical if you don't have a membership with that benefit. The big one is catching up on all that deferred maintenance because it was 'cheap'. While you're in there, look for incidentals that can cause a bad day. Even better if you can bring an experienced hand in to guide you. Get it checked over with a local competent rv/diesel mechanic. Most of em are on medium duty bus/truck chassis so they're all generic under the beige panels and swoopy graphics. Tires almost always age out before they mile out. Can you handle buying 7-9 of em all in one go? Windshields can be a pain to source on the older models. There's soft costs to operating in this size. They take more energy to heat, to cool, move, fit in fewer parks if they're 35 feet + in length, etc. The upside? spaaaaaaace. Even the Griswolds will be jealous of all that poo poo you can haul along.
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Feb 10, 2021 18:06
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Hasselblad posted:Then you have not actually lived in it yet. This is true, its going to get to 10f at night here over the weekend so I'm going to wait for it to get above freezing before I find out the toilet shoots black water at you instead of flushing or whatever. Been running the propane furnace since I parked it Saturday, keeping the inside above 60 degrees and having the tank heater pads running, hoping everything will be good, the dealership winterized it before I took delivery.
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Feb 10, 2021 18:07
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cursedshitbox posted:Gotta christen the can or it doesn't count! I ain't buying that thing. Days of impractical vehicles are currently gone until closer to retirement I figure. But lol at this cost spreadsheet the seller of a 40' motorhome sent me (he bought it new in 2005). He wants ~$50k for it. It's got a really good maintenance history to back it up at least. 
French Canadian fucked around with this message at 19:36 on Feb 10, 2021 |
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Feb 10, 2021 19:33
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That depreciation 
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Feb 10, 2021 20:16
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I think he paid around $200k for it but I'm not sure if that math checks out.
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Feb 10, 2021 20:28
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 Currently living in a largeish fifth wheel with my wife and toddler. Waiting on our new house to be built. We have taken this one to big bend, have a trip to key west booked, and I am sure we will use it at a few family events whenever thats ok again. Had a 32’ travel trailer before it. And we had a bunch if freezing rain last night.
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Feb 12, 2021 01:35
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rdb posted:
Did you have that gravel patch laid for the trailer specifically or was it already there? I always think about how nice it would be to have a tiny piece of land just to park our motorhome on it for a month or two at a time. I realize a lot of counties don't allow living in RVs per se, but I figure that sort of thing is workable. Would need water and electricity I guess. Maybe I could buy some land next to a nice neighbor and pay them some dollars for it.
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Feb 12, 2021 04:00
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rdb posted:
How's the new Jayco been? Does it stay pretty warm in the freezing weather? French Canadian posted:I always think about how nice it would be to have a tiny piece of land just to park our motorhome on it for a month or two at a time. I realize a lot of counties don't allow living in RVs per se, but I figure that sort of thing is workable. Would need water and electricity I guess. Maybe I could buy some land next to a nice neighbor and pay them some dollars for it. Lotta places have legislation against this very thing unless its basically an hour to a few hours from any kind of services. I know of a few counties in NV/AZ that are fine with it. Electricity? lol solar. connecting to local power can get expensive. septic tank + well are basic musts. If you're gonna fulltime and Travel? There's LTVA that let you camp out from September - April. Some offer dump stations, trash, and potable water. It's extremely cheap for what you get. Lotta snowbirds do it. I've been to a couple sites. Also consider looking for someone that needs an extra hand on their farm/ranch/etc. I have lived in an rv on someone's land as a skilled worker. I work for em, get a little coin, and have a place to stay.
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Feb 12, 2021 05:31
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Yeah solar, good point... Tell me more about LTVA (and what it stands for...)
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Feb 12, 2021 05:54
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Solar makes the whole boondocking thing possible.. Long-Term Visitor Area. The Bureau of Land Management link doesn't really give you all that much to work with. Cost runs ya $180/season as of 2020. Some have better amenities than others per the pdf link at the bottom of their page. Midlands is alright. No water. Gotta drive to the arizona side of blythe(Ehrenberg) to a laundromat, pay $2 to the laundromat to fill up. Its a little outta the way, and coming back into CA means visiting the inspection station. Its spread out over a few major branches, a little flatter and easier for big coaches to get into. The dump station is a bit hard to find the first time. Someone cut the tiedowns on my easy up tent there after being there a couple weeks. Not sure why. I won't be returning this season. I've found some dispersed options further in the wilderness in that area anyway. E: The camp host there is an awesome older gentleman that takes covid seriously. I've no qualm about dropping by next fall. Imperial Dam is yuge. Full bike ride loop of the place is about 15 miles. Got pretty busy around the holidays. Its well developed, clean, and generally nice. Everything from solar powered tents to Prevosts. There's a solar/battery installer and mobile mechanic services offered. The church that's there offers services such as LP. Yuma also has LP for pretty cheap. I'd really like to see this expand to a national level with yearly service rather than just the southwest during winter. It ends in April due to the normal wildlife.. cursedshitbox fucked around with this message at 06:36 on Feb 12, 2021 |
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Feb 12, 2021 06:28
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French Canadian posted:Did you have that gravel patch laid for the trailer specifically or was it already there? No, I scraped up the top layer of dirt and put about 35 tons of gravel down to make the drive. Its a pull through loop. I bought ~100 acres of land, not pictured is a termite ridden house that we are tearing down. I tapped into its electric, water and sewer for now, and stole its 500 gallon tank after the furnace died. Around here 1 acre is the minimum lot size, and the septic would be the most expensive part, and the only thing the county cares to inspect. You need a soil test, permit, and a licensed installer. Health department will actually look at it. cursedshitbox posted:How's the new Jayco been? Does it stay pretty warm in the cold weather? Its been doable. I should probably skirt it but meh. I looked under it and its actually insulated underneath, slides are sealed really well, and over all its ok - for a camper. It uses as much propane as a normal house. We will hit 0F next week and that will be its real test. 
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Feb 12, 2021 11:50
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How do you plan to keep your water and waste systems from freezing? I realize it's insulated underneath but do you think that's enough?
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Feb 12, 2021 15:18
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rdb posted:Its been doable. I should probably skirt it but meh. I looked under it and its actually insulated underneath, slides are sealed really well, and over all its ok - for a camper. It uses as much propane as a normal house. We will hit 0F next week and that will be its real test. Looks well insulated for a slide. Insulated underbelly does a lot. Installing a skirt would help. No matter what they'll still be chilly and muggy. My next question was gonna be how much LP are you burning. My setup stays surprisingly warm though I've been avoiding the whole below 0C thing. French Canadian posted:How do you plan to keep your water and waste systems from freezing? They can be optioned with tank heaters... won't do anything about exposed knife valves though. People put up skirts or wrap the valves with the electrically heated cord you get for exterior home plumbing to try and thaw em out. Some use forced air from the furnace to heat the tanks/valves. My first bus and my current truck camper use this method. View of Imperial Dam from the mountain it is near. 
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Feb 12, 2021 17:30
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cursedshitbox posted:View of Imperial Dam from the mountain it is near. I am not seeing any...dam water. And you're saying this LTVA is only a thing in the Southwest? Also, side note and not quite the same, but I learned about Army Corp of Engineer campsites. They usually are situated around major bodies of water or rivers and seem to be pretty low-key but nice. I don't really "get" the purpose behind them aside from being an old legacy thing or a way that they set federal land aside and just decided to rent it out for recreational purposes. https://corpslakes.erdc.dren.mil/visitors/visitors.cfm You can book them on reserveamerica.com and if you're a military person you get to stay for free I think.
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Feb 12, 2021 18:10
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French Canadian posted:How do you plan to keep your water and waste systems from freezing? I realize it's insulated underneath but do you think that's enough? The 2021 models can be optioned with tank heaters. Mine has nothing, and I haven’t had an issue. The furnace ducts route underneath and the water lines are close by. I leave the gray valves open and have a steep slope on the poo poo hose. The water hose is heated, and I wrapped the hydrant with heat tape. It hasn’t been an issue - yet. Propane usage depends on the weather. 2 100lb tanks lasted 15 days. I moved the 500 gallon tank within range and hooked it up on Sunday. It was at 35%, its down to 32-33. Hard to say. I paid $1.17 a gallon for whats in the 500 gallon tank and I need to burn it all so I can change the service valve. It was leaking a bit until I opened it with a wrench, so the packings are probably bad and I plan on using the tank on my new house.
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Feb 12, 2021 18:13
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French Canadian posted:I am not seeing any...dam water. Just outside of view! Colorado river comes through here. There's a small powerhouse at the dam too. Lotta kayakers, boaters, and people on side by sides.    Yeah right now its southwest only. ACOE parks are supposedly really nice. I've yet to visit one. Likely will at some point this year. rdb posted:
That's not tooo bad given the temperatures. The first bus would suck down two 30s in 3 days during winter if I even attempted to keep it over 68* inside. I paid $2.40/gal or something in Yuma. Last round was 6-7 weeks on a set of tanks with some left over in one. Furnace is set to keep it over 55*. Genny was eating most of my LP, which turned out was due to my fridge/freezer. Shut the freezer down for the winter solstice and I've had to run the generator once this year. pulled in 3.3kWh a couple days ago so I'm technically able to run the setup on solar only. Its still off for the overhead.
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Feb 12, 2021 18:44
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cursedshitbox posted:Just outside of view! Colorado river comes through here. There's a small powerhouse at the dam too. Lotta kayakers, boaters, and people on side by sides. Are you full timing it now? That spot looks nice. I forget what your fridge/freezer setup was. Mine is a standard gas electric and it will run forever on a bottle it seems.
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Feb 12, 2021 19:08
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rdb posted:Are you full timing it now? That spot looks nice. Yup. almost 90 days in. I've been at Imperial Dam for the last 8 weeks or so to bed in all the systems and learn how to work with the coach. Rolling northward soon. very soon. The standard Einstein cycles like you have are a set it and forget it kinda thing, the one in the bus used so little gas it was un-noticable. Fridge/freezer is an Isotherm CR195. It's a 12/120V yacht fridge that hongers for power but the groceries stay fresh far longer than they have any right to. Living in the SF Bay my veggies/bread would be moldy after 3-4 days. Out here? I've had bell peppers and bread last for weeks without issue. They're independently controlled with each having their own compressor. Given I was freezing ice cream, ice, and some frozen frenchfries, it wasn't worth the power consumption during the yearly solar minimum. Problems since setting out: new rad cap on the truck. Bathroom door binding due to tight tolerances, shaved it. Genny needed its mixer adjusted for cold starts. Stove igniter for one of the burners came unplugged. Minor leak at the bunk window during a huge thunderstorm, fixed with butyl. Current min/max/mean: Holding tank days between fill/empty: 5/15/10. RO system off. Can stretch it to 20-30 days though it'll suck. LP days between refill: 28/43/. average topoff: 7.6 gal. 0.118kg-lp/day. Not much data here. on the third fill so far... Solar yield per day: 1170Wh/3310Wh/2195Wh Generator run time: 9 runs in 2020, 1 in 2021. Mean run time per recharge ~1.2hr. Vehicle MPG: 9.46/10.61/9.60. A regear would be nice but the cost to go from 4.10 to 4.56 isn't worth the fuel savings and the lump of turbocharged iron moves it along fine in the sierras as is. Provisions run anywhere between 5 days when we first set out to a maximum of 4 weeks. Mean is ~15 days.  off on a corner of the LTVA down a twisty atv trail that scares off unladen pickups:   Burro pals 
cursedshitbox fucked around with this message at 19:41 on Feb 12, 2021 |
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Feb 12, 2021 19:39
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cursedshitbox posted:Just outside of view! Colorado river comes through here. There's a small powerhouse at the dam too. Lotta kayakers, boaters, and people on side by sides. Lake Powell at Page? edit: oh, nm not Page. Boy I was far off, other end of the state in fact. 😀 Hasselblad fucked around with this message at 16:27 on Feb 13, 2021 |
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Feb 13, 2021 16:20
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arctic blast coming in the south. I opened the low water drains and blew out my water lines. I think I got my water heater bypassed. At least I turned 2 valves, one at the cold inlet and the other at the hot outlet and theres a line between them. I put 4 gallons of anti freeze in the fresh water tank and turned on the pump and ran the faucets til pink liquid started shooting out. I should be good for 8 degrees right?
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Feb 13, 2021 21:41
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Syano posted:arctic blast coming in the south. I opened the low water drains and blew out my water lines. I think I got my water heater bypassed. At least I turned 2 valves, one at the cold inlet and the other at the hot outlet and theres a line between them. I put 4 gallons of anti freeze in the fresh water tank and turned on the pump and ran the faucets til pink liquid started shooting out. I should be good for 8 degrees right? Its more than just bypassing the water heater. You need to remove the big bolt and drain it. Also, you generally don’t put the antifreeze in the tank. There should be a hose on the pump or you can by a kit that allows you to draw direct from the antifreeze jug.
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Feb 13, 2021 22:52
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Oh thats what that hose was.
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Feb 14, 2021 02:07
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Syano posted:. I put 4 gallons of anti freeze in the fresh water tank and hoo boy. That’s not good.
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Feb 14, 2021 15:48
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I mean... the fresh water tank has a drain plug. How is that not good besides not getting the antifreeze more effectively through the system
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Feb 14, 2021 19:27
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Syano posted:I mean... the fresh water tank has a drain plug. How is that not good besides not getting the antifreeze more effectively through the system Just flush it out for 30 minutes or so, longer if you can still taste it. You will be ok, its just extra effort.
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Feb 14, 2021 20:50
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Syano posted:I mean... the fresh water tank has a drain plug. How is that not good besides not getting the antifreeze more effectively through the system Well, aside from having rv antifreeze in a fresh tank? With the lines you can easily flush out antifreeze, but in a fresh water tank you may have to fill it completely and empty it a couple times to remove it. Fresh water tank should simply be emptied, and the valve left open. Hot water tank should be bypassed and emptied completely via the bolt/rod Also with no antifreeze introduced to it. The lines, traps and waste water tanks are all you should be putting the pink stuff into.
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Feb 15, 2021 02:09
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Would you have to empty the hot water tank...if it was still in use? I guess I don't understand fully.
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Feb 15, 2021 02:55
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French Canadian posted:Would you have to empty the hot water tank...if it was still in use? I guess I don't understand fully. Its not in use. He’s winterizing it. So its subject to freeze, most RVs aren’t kept in a heated building. In normal use during the winter no, you don’t have to empty it. Mine does just fine with both the gas and electric turned on in single digit weather. The lines going to and from it get really cold if it sits but no issues yet. Newer stuff uses pex anyways.
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Feb 15, 2021 04:16
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Hasselblad posted:Well, aside from having rv antifreeze in a fresh tank? I'll just open the fresh tank drain and run the water hose through it for a bit. Shouldnt be an issue.
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Feb 15, 2021 16:29
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I have not updated this thread in a while but I am still keeping up with my own thread in AI. My grey LX 470 died at my hands a little over a year ago. I replaced it with the exact same year LX 470 and have been building it out. Here it is from this summer:  I have been extremely antsy for some kind of change in life. With what can only be described as automotive ADD I have been eyeing newer Land Cruisers because in my head the extra comfort could be more compelling for my family to get out an adventure. There are still many drawbacks and obstacles to overcome even with that "solution". So instead two weeks ago I put the deposit down to build one of these which should be the solution to "how can we get out more often to adventure and poop in a bucket?"    A "Mean Bean" model Bean trailer. Estimated delivery will be an agonizing eight months. My full post about the decision and whatnot can be found in my AI thread in this post The Mean Bean will have electronic trailer brakes. My LX 470 does have a factory tow bar thing, and the older style (4 or 5 pin?) straight connector. The Bean will require a 7 pin connector. Will I need a brake controller? I don't remember what connector I had because I valiantly lost it some time last year while doing some red rock trails in Moab (RIP). I have not done any research at all into this particular piece of the adventure.
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Feb 17, 2021 22:43
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You probably don’t need one for that small of a trailer but if you want one I would recommend tekonsha. The timer based ones kinda suck, the accelerometer/proportional based ones like tekonsha offers are a huge step up. If its possible, one that senses how hard your stepping on the brake pedal is best, but probably not available for an lx470 unless it was a factory option. E: Yeah, the P3 model like CSB says. I had one in my Tundra and it worked well compared to the lovely timer based reese I had in my duramax. They even had a plug and play harness, and I only had to remove one panel to connect it. rdb fucked around with this message at 01:26 on Feb 18, 2021 |
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Feb 17, 2021 23:18
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Seconding the Tekonsha P3. Having it will make a night and day difference towing. Especially in the mountains.
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Feb 18, 2021 01:22
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That Mean Bean looks cool.
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Feb 18, 2021 03:06
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Got a question on de-winterizing a new travel trailer. As mentioned by someone above, you haven't moved into your RV into you poop in it, and I want to poop in it. But I also want to see if there are any issues before I leave my comfy spot at my parents house. Its been consistently above freezing during the day where I'm at, usually around 40f, but during the night can get to 20f. It's only supposed to get warmer from here. Is there any issues with starting to use this in a partial hookup situation (just have power where I'm at, no sewer hookup). I'm not too nervous about the internal plumbing, it has all of Winnebagos winter stuff with a sealed, insulated bottom, heated tanks that are constantly on, and a propane furnace that has ducting routed around the tanks. Well, not too nervous because I dunno if I've been suckered or not yet. I'm mostly nervous about the exposed dump pipe. I have to run at least a full fresh water tanks worth of water through it with bleach to sanitize it, and preferably just use the fresh water tank rather than city water so I dont have to buy a heated hose yet since I'd have to get a pretty long one. If the gray and black tank valves are closed, will there be any issues with just waiting till the temperature gets to 40 before going to drain? The gray and black tank valves are not exposed to the outside, I'm hoping they also are receiving some of that heat benefit.
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Feb 19, 2021 19:54
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You generally don’t want to dump black tanks until they are full. Put 2-3 bowls of liquid into it before you poo poo. Run the propane heater when it gets below freezing and the gate valves/water lines should be ok. I have mine hooked up to the sewer hose full time, gray tanks open, no issues. But I only dump the back tank about once a week, and I keep the thermostat at 70. Also, mine did freeze this week when it got down to 1F. Couldn’t brush or flush when I left for work, everything was fine when I got home. Winnebago makes good stuff, Jayco doesn’t. I think you will be ok.
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Feb 19, 2021 22:19
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| # ? Apr 19, 2024 16:51 |
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rdb posted:You generally don’t want to dump black tanks until they are full. Put 2-3 bowls of liquid into it before you poo poo. Run the propane heater when it gets below freezing and the gate valves/water lines should be ok. I have mine hooked up to the sewer hose full time, gray tanks open, no issues. But I only dump the back tank about once a week, and I keep the thermostat at 70. Good to hear that it can freeze and not instantly explode, I have nightmares of turning on the sink in the morning and hearing lines popping. Do you leave your water pump and water heater running all the time? Would it be fine to use my fresh water tank instead of the city hookup?
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Feb 20, 2021 03:59
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