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Post by Cowboy Camper on Jun 18, 2009 21:12:55 GMT -6
I will be "Gone Camping" for the next 4 days folks. We're leaving Friday Morning for Marion, IL to see my uncle and aunt. They've been buggin' me for a while to take the camper down there for a visit, and I happen to have taken the time off from work for the Father's Day weekend. So... Perfect!! ;D Here's my chance to finally put my new rig to a complete test. This is gonna be at least a 4 hour drive! Although I'm a bit nervous about this Long Haul, I really am looking forward to finally finding out if I bought a rig good enough to do what I wanted it to do. And that is... Actually Travel Some!!!
Wish me some Good Luck folks. If all goes well, y'all can be Sure that I'll be talkin' about this trip for a while. I have some Plans in mind for this trip, an I'll explain All when I return.
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Post by snow on Jun 19, 2009 10:34:54 GMT -6
Have fun, your pup should do fine on a 4hr tow.
Don't worry I'll keep the fire burning here but if you see smoke pouring outta the pc when you get back you know I burnt down the internet.
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Post by Cowboy Camper on Jun 23, 2009 21:25:54 GMT -6
Well folks, She Made it! ;D I was a lot more worried about that truck than I ever needed to be, that's for sure. We got down there in about 5 hours with a full Fresh Water tank and the rig got squirrelly on me a few times. But... not much to really speak of. The wife and I were being tailed be my Mom and Daughter in her mini van, and we all made the trip A-OK. (Mom was a good tail for me too. She pulled out in the left lane to allow me pass up the big trucks! - She blocked traffic to allow me over and hit the gas!) We got to 70 MPH on the way down, and after about 100 miles, I gave up on the OD setting for the trans. When I left it 3rd, we went a bit better.
My Plans: Well, not everything worked out as I thought it would... but it was still a good trip. I did Not get to try out the new AAR (Add A Room) because my uncle parked us so close to his house. Nor was I able to Really try out the Shower Mod to my camper because I had no Propane available for the Water Heater. God dang Squirrels chewed the fricken Propane Hose at the Tank! All was not lost though. I Did make a new Campsite Lamp Post for my uncle, and I did put the rig to the test by traveling such a distance. I also Proved that the A/C in the camper works very well in the shade (thankfully, the evenings were shaded~ but the mornings were still hot as that VERY hot place in the camper. A/C will not keep up in Direct Sun!) The water hoses broke Twice while hooked up to my uncle's house. Bummer. But I DID test out the Hands Free Shower Stall Mod and it was also a Success! Even without the Water Heater, I was able to at least give that setup a trial run. After the water hoses broke twice, I was thankful to have had a Full Fresh Tank and water pump for the remainder of the weekend. Another Plus (that I was Not anticipating....) I almost fixed the A/C in the truck! I say Almost, cause it still isn't working yet.... but I'm closer than we were a few months ago! I replaced the compressor and the Orifice Tube while down south. A recharge valve crapped out and I still have to look more into that, but dang! I may have A/C in the truck again before too long. How's that for an extra Bonus, huh?
So here's the run down on the Positives of this trip. - Truck WILL do the job in the Long Haul. ;D
- Hoses that broke are Easily Repairable.
- Shower Stall Mod (Hands Free Design....) WORKS!
- I had a wonderful visit with some Family that I haven't seen for a long time. And I did the Travel time with my newer Rig to get there.
- A/C in Camper is Proven to work when proper Shade is provided.
- A/C in Truck may also be fixed soon. !
- I Know I can do it all again. With a little bit more work on my end, I'm assured that I am good to go on another Long Haul.
One last thing. Since the water hoses broke for the City Feed, I had to use the water in the Fresh tank (that happened to be full). So on the way back home (at a half tank) I was able to make 80 MPH for a few times. Enough to change a 5 hour drive into a 4 1/2 hour drive. And I had NO trouble towing the rig on the way home! All in all... I'd consider this Trip a Success!
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Post by snow on Jun 27, 2009 19:21:27 GMT -6
I think if you look at that other site theres a guy there who did a mod to his propanr hose so the squirrils cant eat it.
If i happen to find it I'll send ya the details.
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Post by Cowboy Camper on Jun 27, 2009 20:00:33 GMT -6
If ya find it, Great. I'd appreciate it! I was wondering if a Braided Hose was available for the propane line, and if that would be sufficient enough to stop the squirrels. I don't know why they love my truck so much, and now my camper.... but the squirrels are really beginning to pee me off. Here's a pic of what they did to my ignition wires on the truck. Not once, but Twice! When this happened the first time, I was sure it was sabotage for some reason. I wondered like that VERY hot place why someone would do this, but then I saw the little footprints and other evidence of squirrels on the manifold. When it happened the second time, I knew just where to look.
For the record, I HATE squirrels anymore.
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Post by Cowboy Camper on Oct 5, 2009 20:21:20 GMT -6
I think if you look at that other site theres a guy there who did a mod to his propanr hose so the squirrils cant eat it. If i happen to find it I'll send ya the details. If you can find this sir, I'd appreciate it. As you may or may not know, I no longer have access to the other site/forum. In the mean time, I've just been removing the hose so the dang Squirrels can't get to eat it.
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