A128S Converted from ALINER Ranger

[ko777]

Originally Posted by gregory

Raising the camper tongue a little more than an inch shouldn't adversely affect towing in any way, or create sway.

The positive will be in that the camper jack won't be as prone to drag. The fridge will be fine as well.

Campers and trailers are built tongue heavy. Your TV will still have the same "squat" as before.

Are you having concerns other than what's mentioned above?

Deb

Yes, the sway factor is something that I have not experience yet. Pulling my rig from my last trips were great, no issues going 120 kph but I go 100 kph mostly.

WDH was also a consideration but I decided to hold that because my TV only sags an inch at the rear and .25 inch raise at the front.

I double checked my receiver load capacity and it is rated 3500 load and 350 tongue weight also the ball mount checked out too.

I'll be doing a lot of testing on my next trips and get more experience RVing because I'm planning to do a solo trip to the east coast this summer; my goal is to visit all the provinces on that trip and survive lol. I'll start a new thread for my east coast trip and hopefully get some campsite recommendation for each province.

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by ko777

What is better for the stabilizer jacks, grease or spray oil?

I used spray silicone on my popup stabilizers on the theory that silicone does not hold road grime like grease does. The down side seemed to be the need to re-lube often.

I'd like to hear others experience with lithium and grime accumulation. It may not matter since the parts are not under much stress so the grime doesn't cause excessive abrasion.

[ko777]

From my friend in Facebook...lol

Two more weekends before my next trip and Winter is still here, WSUP with that.

Still preparing my rig...

[nannylou922]

Hahaha...we leave in three weeks. Wish winter would die.

[ko777]

Winter like temperature here this weekend just puts a hold on doing stuff with my rig. I wanted to test the 2k GEN I got last month, I noticed an oil residue at the bottom of it, just from being stored. Anyone know what this tube is for? Here is a pic of it, I exposed the tube:

[D-mo]

what angle is that from?? ... looks like the bottom end .. can you give us the make of the gen-set?

[ko777]

Originally Posted by D-mo

what angle is that from?? ... looks like the bottom end .. can you give us the make of the gen-set?

Checkout post 238 of the link here:http://www.forestriverforums.com/for...-27602-24.html

Mine is a Champion 2k but they are the same guts as in the pic.

[ko777]

What's going on with the weather at my place, weekend is here and it is still cold 2c or close to freezing. This will REALY slow me down preparing the rig for my first 2013 trip next weekend.

Anyways I did some online shopping for a BAL leveler, I finally got one good for Canada orders:http://www.sportsmansguide.ca/net/cb...r.aspx?a=74223
I join the club so I could get 10% savings plus $10 coupon*2 for my first order. As soon as I get my club membership I'll order the BAL....

I got so many stuff to test and check on my A-Frame, this is now becoming a challenge....wish me luck

BTW tested the GEN 2K worked fine but failed when the heat pump was turned on. The tube that goes at the bottom leaks small amount of oil, just put a rag under it during transit.

[Yukon Don]

Originally Posted by ko777

....wish me luck

Done.

I'm glad you posted that link. I've been looking for one of those myself.

2 degrees C ? Pretty bad when Toronto and northern Manitoba are sharing the same weather...

[ko777]

Thanks, I got some luck today, the sun was out and it was perfect to do some tests and preparation on my rig. I'm posting pics to remind me what was done and for future reference:

Turned off bypass, got this pic from Gregory's post

Connected main battery, charge is still good after charged last month

Hooked up the propane tank and tested furnace and check how much battery it uses

Furnace fan uses 44 volts, easily drains the battery on cold nights


Filled up with coconut drinks and bottled water, tested propane power to the fridge
Tested electric power but can't tell if is working but propane works fast and very obvious

Tested all the lights except for the signal lights, I will do that next weekend before my trip.

Tested propane stove, all 3 worked fine.

Remove the legs of the front dining table


Three bins fits perfectly under the table, this will be for cloths and stuff. On the other side, shoe mats for shoes. It is easy to slide the bin out without lifting the table, the hole in the corner could be use to push the bin.

During transit, all the cushions are put in front and a lot of soft stuff could go on top, my HD TV box goes here


Tighten all these screws and the other side too, one screw actually fell off but found it


All the heavy stuff on the rear, the open spot is for my GEN 2k


Placed 3 bins in the front storage so I don't have to reach to the bottom for stuff


Installed a new 5" rise ball mount, I had 2 5/8 rise before but the front was still low, I have to take new level readings next week. The capacity of this is 3500 lbs and 300 lbs tongue, I may go over by 50 pounds, I'll watch out for blending on my trip, so I'll bring the old mount with me.

Inflated all the tires to 65 psi

Have not tested the water system but the water pump works fine

As you could see I'm almost ready for my next trip this coming weekend.

Happy Spring Camping!

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by ko777

Winter like temperature here this weekend just puts a hold on doing stuff with my rig. I wanted to test the 2k GEN I got last month, I noticed an oil residue at the bottom of it, just from being stored. Anyone know what this tube is for? Here is a pic of it, I exposed the tube:
Attachment 27924

That hose is the fuel bowl drain line. There is a twist valve at the bowl.

[ko777]

Fuel bowl line, interesting, should I worry about that during transit?

I finally tested my A128S water system and all the parts are fine including the water heater. The blow out process worked great, no need to flush the anti freeze.

Any suggestion on what to do to sanitize the water system...how much bleach to put in to the tank and how to flush it out completely, any tips?

[Jeep4Two]

I never can remember the formula, so I used google to get the scoop. Here's a good link: http://rvbasics.com/techtips/sanitiz...er-system.html

[Herk7769]

Originally Posted by ko777

Fuel bowl line, interesting, should I worry about that during transit?

No, it is only used to drain the bowl when placed in storage.
My Yamaha has one just like it.

[thehamguy1]

Thanks for the link, Jeep. That was interesting. Spa supply store, here I come!

[Jeep4Two]

Originally Posted by thehamguy1

Thanks for the link, Jeep. That was interesting. Spa supply store, here I come!

Ham: I just read the 2nd part of that article where they talk about Bill's method. I agree, the use of TriChlor powder as a chlorine agent to sanitize might be an option for some, I would recommend just using 6% Calcium Hypochlorite (Ultra Bleach) from the grocery.

Storing the powdered TriChlor as used in pools and spas is a problem for most folks. The TriChlor gasses off chlorine gas when in storage, and as a result will introduce the chlorine gases to the area where it's stored, increasing oxidation rates (i.e. rust) to metals in the storage area. So, storage is a problem. Also, the shelf life of TriChlor in powder form is limited, so for us A-Framers that might only use a 1/4 tablespoon once or twice a year, a 1 pound bag of pool shock (common name for the TriChlor powdered chlorine) would likely be a nearly lifetime supply that would go bad in storage. TriChlor recommended avoiding freezing too, so storage in the outdoor storage shed isn't an option.

If however you already own a pool and keep this stuff on hand, I'd say a 1/4 teaspoon would do the trick. I might give this a shot this spring as I have a pool and keep TriChlor shock on hand in a large bucket.

[Pooneil]

Originally Posted by Jeep4Two

I would recommend just using 6% Calcium Hypochlorite (Ultra Bleach) from the grocery.

I agree. Make use of what you have, what you will use for something else or what is less expensive, in that order.

[ko777]

HELP! Looks like I have an electrical problem...I was checking the fridge temperature after 2 days and it was not cold. I plugged an electric drill to the fridge outlet, no power. The external outlet and all the outlets inside are dead too. The microwave oven power outlet is fine. The rest of the electrical devices are fine...I powered off and on all the breaker switches, it did not help.

I'm still going camping this weekend since I don't need these outlets and propane to the fridge works fine.

Any suggestions...fortunately my dealer is only 45 mins away, if I can't fix it I have to go there.

I hope your suggestions will help....

[caper]

The external outlet and all the outlets inside are dead too. The microwave oven power outlet is fine. The rest of the electrical devices are fine...I powered off and on all the breaker switches, it did not help.

Check your outlets one might be a GFCI. If it is tripped all the outlets on the came run will be off. When plugged in at home is the outlet GFCI. If it is one of the GFCI outlets will trip. Cannot have 2 on the same run.

[ko777]

Originally Posted by caper

Check your outlets one might be a GFCI. If it is tripped all the outlets on the came run will be off. When plugged in at home is the outlet GFCI. If it is one of the GFCI outlets will trip. Cannot have 2 on the same run.

Good call caper, thanks for the suggestion. GFCI term is new to me but that clue made sense because there is an outlet under the front dining table in my A128S that has reset buttons, I remember this from the demo. I had to check it out in the middle of the night, went outside with a flash light, did you know that you could lift the roof partially enough to open the door, even with the clamps on on the other side. I crawled in with the flash light, enough to touch the outlet underneath and I was lucky to press the right button, viola a green light turned on, now I know what to check for next time this happens. Tested the drill on the outside outlet and it works fine.

I owe you one caper...

Now I know my trailer just a bit more....lol