flagmanruss

Well, I've never got mpgs like I do with our new-to-us camper... 10.4 mpg. Mostly highway driving. 4:10 gears like it says in my signature. Kept the speed 55-60. Yup, totally flat front, towing a bill-board!! Ran 3 tanks through. I'm used to feathering the go pedal & coasting down hill but this has all the aerodynamics of a brick... i had top keep power on even down hill.

My ex FIL used to pull dummies out of the surf... before they got washed out to sea. By the time he got there with heavy equipment & unloaded the bulldozer they was in deep doo-doo. He would not take plastic or IOUs & AAA just laughed... CASH ONLY or let the truck swim. He responded as a favor for the State Police... & SP were not apt to suffer fools lightly. FIL's sons HATED it because they always lost the next day's work power washing & regreasing the grit out of the machine before it ground up the tracks.

Boiling water & someone-elses toothbrush LOL!!. The corrosion will disolve... then hose down the run off off your truck. I was brought up to grease the terminals but I've found the red & green treated felt washers actually do work. I have used them ever since. Sometimes I've had to resort to using a light hammer (& prayer) to free the terminals... the battery posts / terminals are tapered. Get it as clean as possible. Apply some penetrant oil to the battery/terminal joint. Gently tap the terminal in a rotational direction & then reverse. It will likely move & then can be freed with bif *ss pliers. Then use vise grips & wrench to unfasten the bolt. Or hacksaw through the center (open) side of the terminal... cut through the bolt & remove both halves. Replace the bolt. (On boats, I use to routinely replace with stainless.) Terminals are lead & can be stretched by repeated tightening. I've clearanced the open side allowing reuse of an otherwise ok cable. Hope this helps,Russ

ECV management allowed us to park / camp next to the fence... Steve's Motor-home is on the other side. Steve unscrewed a pass through so we could get back & forth. The whole rear of our camper / toyhauler is a giant ramp which drops down. My big Wrangler outdoor scooter. I brought the scooter in at night to keep the substantial dew off of it & to recharge the batteries. We shared dining space with it. We took rides on the horse drawn canal boat and Sheila accompanied the ECV guide in singing canal songs. We went along on the special rides to "Pumpkinville". I pulled strings to get to ride in the cab of the deisel switcher used for this. Notice Steve has changed hats, along with his role! We got Steve to "fire up" the steam locomotive... it took 2 hours to get steam up in "Cricket" so we could ride. Barely room for Steve in the cab, we took pictures from the open door of the first car (after being warned of flying embers... Yup, he didn't lie!) Here's the link again to Sheila's steam train video.

Sheila about "had a kitten" when I climbed up the flimsy & narrow ladder, just high enough to get a good look at it. I'm trying to understand what is happening & how to fix it. Until then, we're pushing the soft putty back into the gap after every move.The roof to from seam seams to have been reworked & is tight. The front to side corner seems to be separating. It could be as simple as resealing, replacing / adding screws through the trim piece. I hate to take it to a RV place and bend over. Maybe I can get staging? I'll need help, in any event.Trailer is definately not a Virgin. (Been F*cked with before!) Anyone with experience, advise appreciated.Russ

Thanks ISX, I don't think I need to for the Cirus but it could be just the ticket for a truck with the vacume controler out. That's what I like, creative ways to work around.Russ

Since the shake down cruise, we've been working off the long list of items to service. There are signs of repair in the forward bunk area & the outside corners where the front, siding & roof comes together. I see signs of the Left top corner working & the seam opening up... oh, doggie crap!!

I believe it's cable controled because I can hear it thunk even with the engine off. It's still a stop gap but until/unless I figure out how to get the cowel up... it's all I've got. I can not seal the whole cowel like I did on the truck because the hood hinges enter that space.

mouse cage blower on the heater. (Cirus) The cage was full of mouse trash & heater core obstructed again. I never have figured out how to get the cowel up so I could screen the air inlet like I've done on others,I dropped the blower, cleaned it all out. MOstly fingers with a little shop vac (really could not get in there good). Same as lasat time but a son-of-a-female-dog as are most things which really require 2 fully functional hands. I ended up using a stick to jam the blower back into place so I could get the screws back in. My only defense is to switch the heater to recirculate when parking... but some damn fool (probably me) eventually forgets to.Russ

This is a very good thread & I have modified my towing cool down because of it. I have several miles of secondary roads on the way home. I down shift the last couple of miles to keep the air flow up. I feel a minute of cool down is all that is necessary running light. Towing or highway rest stops, are a whole different critter. I down shift the last mile & drop speed to cool down. The time moving around the parking lot counts too! Then, one of us will stay with the rig idling... we're often gone before I consider it safe to shut down. We did this on our recent holiday trip, quite successfully.Thanks All,Russ

Lookin good

My Dad (radio & TV design engineer) taught it all to me years ago. Not my cup of tea though I did learn to solder a good end on a co-axiel transmitter cable...

I'm running stock except exhaust with 4:10 gears. I usually run in the 18's running empty... rarely into low 19's. I don't believe in flooring it but I HATE people who make others jack up (wrecking the other's mpgs) so they can pull into traffic without using their throttle for the purpose God intended it for. My overhead is right on, every time I've checked it... but understand it would not be with a modded truck. I think the stock ratio is much better for mpgs. 4:10 is too low for highway speeds with stock tire sizes. Russ

Steve & I had a good visit during the 2 hours it took to build up steam for the cold boiler. He said the insulation was wet from a recent rain & that had to dry out first. There isn't room in the cab of the "Cricket" for the engineer & as Steve pointed out that parts on a steam engine are greasy, sooty or sooty grease... No wonder he looks like a chimney sweep! LOL!! We rode in the car right behind the engine, with just a platfom in between. Steve warned us of flying embers & suggested keeping the door closed but I felt that would be blocking a bunch of the experience. To be safe (one could fall out of the car onto the tracks) we stayed seated but I propped the door open with my foot. Sheila took advantage of the opportunity to film & photograph. I did ride in the cab of the Diesel (1956 Plymouth with a Detroit in it) for a kiddie trip to "Pumpkinville" & back. Sheila did not think I'd be able to climb the 2 straight up steps bolted under the cab but I did (with my good leg). It was a challenge but because I'd been using the scooter and was fully rested, I pulled it off. Steve discretely stood to break my fall if I was wrong. The cab was pretty small but we managed. I managed to climb down without falling too.

Long ago, in a previous life, I used to take the cap off my mini-truck with our off road fork lift. Unbolted, popped the gaskets, slipped the slings in there. I used the forks inside only once, the first time. I have not tried to climb up on the backhoe in a while... The single step is not in the right place for my legs. Sheila posted our train ride on you tube. Enjoy!! I held the door open on the car & dodged occasional burning embers (brushing them quickly off exposed skin.) Russ

I was thinking about a spoiler... I don't know if it would be worth it. I would not be strong enough to take it on or off myself. We measured the high point on the trailer (AC unit, thought the rear is pretty high) at 11 feet.

This was an educational experience! Man that might-as-well-be straight pipe exhaust has quite a bark under heavy load. I think Sheila may be considering ear plugs! I tried hard to keep the speed between 55-60. I'm so used to feathering the go pedal on the crest of a hill & light footing or full coasting down hill (in D foot off throttle). This trailer was like throwing on air-brakes. As soon as I backed off the fuel, the speed came down... even on a "trucks-check-your-brakes" down hill grade. The nose is mostly a big flat section except for a little round over at the very top. I was hoping for better mileage than this but it is what it is. It will take a lifetrime to pay off the cost of the camper, but the cost of travel just came down.I did get much better control as we adjusted the Weight Distributing hitch some more to put the front wheels back in contact with the asphalt.Very few surprises in the camper... No manuals with it. Similar systems to the boats I used to work on, so I know what to look for. I actually enjoyed the big outdoor scooter & it has enough power to take on a steep grade. It's quick & effortless so I know I can get to where I need to be on time... saving my limited walking for where I really must.

At the last minute, we went away for a long weekend with my outdoor scooter & the new-to-us, camper / toyhauler. We went to visit my brother at Erie Canal Village where he works in Rome, NY, a drive of about 300 miles. We got home a little after 4 yesterday (Tuesday) with 6 hours on the road including rest stops. The big flat sided camper was a bit of a bear on the roads... all of the aerodynamics of a brick. I had to keep my foot on the fuel even down hill except for one grade in Connectiut. We averaged 10.4 mpg (diesel costs 2.99 & up) Still since we did not rent a hotel for the first time, we stayed an extra night. Cost of fuel totaled ~$190. (Driving the truck without the trailer as on earlier trips would have cost $105 + 3 nights hotel for $250 = $355 + we would have to eat out more.) When I went alone in my car, I was able to crash in Steve's camper (guy's bunk room) but not suitable for Sheila & I. We had a great time & I gave my outdoor scooter a real workout. I managed (Sheila covered her eyes) to ride in the cab of the (ancient Detroit) diesel locomotive with Steve while he did the weekend kiddie runs to "Pumpkinville". I managed to climb up the ladder & sit on the seat & when done I managed to climb down without falling... but Steve discreetely stood to break my fall if I guessed wrong. My brother & I had a good visit & he fired up the 100 year old steam locomitive (it took over 2 hours to build up enough pressure to run the train.) & we got a private train ride which we took loads of pictures & video clips. I'll put up links as soon as Sheila gets done editing. Russ

How would I know? It's hard to tell with 8800 gvw truck actually. When I go over the pot-holes / pavement breaks with all the road construction going on... it's hang on & hope the truck comes down in your own lane! Today, running empty on a road I do not often take... I noticed bumps that I got 2-3 jounces on...I don't go off road. Cost is a factor. Anybody have recommendations for good shocks at a reasonable price?Thanks guys,Russ

Powered by (2) group 27 AGM 100AH deep cycle batteries. Like all mobility scooters it runs on 24 volts. Top speed of 10 mph, range of up to 20 miles (reportedly). Can I drop a CTD in there?

Brrr it's cold out side... Doing what a truck is made for... More truck doing truck stuff

I've used a trans cooler alone on the C 30, and swapped in a big flex fan. I also ran a aux trans cooler on the return line on a 84 GMC 1500 with a poor 305cid that I towed a heavy steel stock trailer with. Even after I swapped in a big flex fan, I could watch the engine temps climb on a good grade & drop back on the down hill. My ex got that truck in the divorce & wrecked it soon after. I kept the C30.

Agree with Mike to check the radiator for cleanliness & the fans for correct operation. I added an aux transmission cooler on my towing built 454 C30. I think I would disconnect & cap the in-radiator cooler & go with a separate unit. The one I bought snaked the trans fluid though a good size unit. I think the most awesome cooler I ever saw used an AC evaporator... but there was lots of room under that hood, more than a Dodge offers. Russ

Is there a good place to order the heater core, AC condenser? I'm going to have coolant flushed while it's drained. Temp runs right on the thermostat setting but I suppose that should be replaced anyway.Yeah, wish you were closer too.