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Post by ronc on Sept 7, 2017 17:07:44 GMT -5
I know this is an inflammatory subject here, and probably everywhere, so I apologize ahead of time. My father-in-law had a blowout a couple weeks ago. He's got an RV about the same year and size as mine, 35 feet overall, 13,000 GVWR. He decided to get 4 new tires, so he went to a local trailer parts/accessories place. They ended up selling him a set of Sailuns, load range F for about $140 a piece. He absolutely loves them and says the trailer has never towed so easily. He's almost got me convinced to go get a set of them myself, since my RV is about to start it's fifth year of service. Looking for any information related to Sailun tires and quality before I pull the trigger. Thanks! I have only heard good things about Sailun tires. Most will steer you away from tires built in China, but even though Sailuns are made in China, they seem to be a pretty good performer. I would not be concerned about Sailuns.
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Post by ronc on Sept 7, 2017 11:04:07 GMT -5
I was experiencing this when stopped for long periods of time. I put in one qt of the recommended fork oil and the noise has stopped. Additionally, I now carry 24 one foot sections of 2x10 untreated pine that I use to put under the legs. I usually use 3 or 4 per leg. This causes the leg to be extended less and is therefore stiffer ... reducing the movement when parked. This has made our 381REF much steadier than it was before. Thanks Jetzen for the good info.
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Post by ronc on Sept 6, 2017 14:51:49 GMT -5
Hey Chuck ... no, my pin weight stayed the same, exactly 3,700 lbs. You got it exactly right ... less flex equals less stress.
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Post by ronc on Sept 5, 2017 20:29:22 GMT -5
We stayed at the Shipshewana IN. Camp ground at total of 8 days, 6 for the Kz rally an 2 a week later .... What is there to say about this camp ground, 151 sites total, 105 sites pull thought an the rest back-ins with full hookups No off leash dog park but nice area to walk your dog in the middle and also off the side of the park... Water pressure is good WIFI is good Staff friendly and helpful Park staff working overtime to keep grass mowed and park clean an neat Garbage is pickup at you site Store was getting remodeled while we were there to make it larger At times will lead you to your site Just to clarify ... Chuck stayed at Shipshewana SOUTH.
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Post by ronc on Sept 5, 2017 17:28:03 GMT -5
To help ... I have been told that water will fill at 3 gallons per minute, knowing the size of your FW tank should help you know about when it should be full. For us we just use the FW tank when traveling between full hookup sites ... so I run the fill for 5 mins. This gets me 15 gals to use between stops for bathroom activities.
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Post by ronc on Sept 4, 2017 18:57:42 GMT -5
Myredracer ... GREAT explanation of a complicated topic. Thanks!
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Post by ronc on Sept 4, 2017 18:02:16 GMT -5
Lynnmor is right. They will get warm and the pressure will go up, but the tires are designed to allow for that, provided the correct COLD tire pressure was the starting point.
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Post by ronc on Sept 4, 2017 17:29:06 GMT -5
I would echo what others have said ... we had our "step above" steps installed at MorRYDE when we did the IS and disc brakes. Love them. A few adjustments to our processes to accommodate them, but that is normal. As was mentioned, door must be fully open to deploy or store the steps. Additionally, they need to be stored when leveling or hooking up as they don't like the trailer to be moving around when they are deployed and in contact with the ground. Just a little learning curve, but well worth the effort.
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Post by ronc on Sept 4, 2017 17:28:35 GMT -5
I would echo what others have said ... we had our "step above" steps installed at MorRYDE when we did the IS and disc brakes. Love them. A few adjustments to our processes to accommodate them, but that is normal. As was mentioned, door must be fully open to deploy or store the steps. Additionally, they need to be stored when leveling or hooking up as they don't like the trailer to be moving around when they are deployed and in contact with the ground. Just a little learning curve, but well worth the effort.
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Post by ronc on Sept 4, 2017 16:46:07 GMT -5
I agree with the OP ... built in surge protector is a great idea!
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Post by ronc on Sept 3, 2017 21:36:24 GMT -5
Weight is an interesting topic. Chuck's GVWR is 14,995 so call it 15,000. Same as my 381REF. We just added the MorRYDE Independent suspension and 8K disc brakes and those modification added 890 lbs to our rig's GVW ... but that weight isn't carried by the frame, it is all unsprung weight ... so it doesn't affect the frame's CCC at all. Manufacturers assume all added weight will be carried by the frame, but in the case of the MorRYDE IS and disc brakes, none of it is carried by the frame, in fact it carries the frame, so no impact on CCC. In this case the rig would weigh 15,890 lbs with a GVWR of 15,000 ... so it is overweight on the scales but from an engineering stand point, it is fine. There is more to the whole weight discussion, but I don't want to go into the concept of engineering safety factors and all that. Suffice it to say that if a trailer comes with two 7,000 lbs axles, and the pin is usually 25% of the total weight, then with the axles maxed out, the GVWR rating should be more like 17,500 than 15,000. Why K-Z rates their rigs as they do involves both marketing and engineering considerations but 15,000 lbs is a very conservative GVWR.
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Post by ronc on Sept 3, 2017 11:40:55 GMT -5
When relocating to different place ... although I don't always follow my own advice ... we usually do the 2-4-2 thing. Two hundred miles, 4 hours driving, stay for 2 days. That's about as much saddle time as the wife is willing to tolerate, so I have found that it works for us.
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Post by ronc on Sept 3, 2017 10:52:02 GMT -5
I've had the all types of pin boxes with varying degrees of success. But, I think the biggest improvement was adding air bags to keep the trailer and truck combination level with each other. It took a little bit of fine tuning, but got it just right after a couple of trips. The only other thing that helped on one of my previous trucks was an air hitch. Al Additional clarification (I hope) ... while the topic is pin boxes, I believe Al is referring to adding air bags to his truck's rear suspension. I did this also, which was necessary to get the truck and trailer to ride level. Not really related to the pin box discussion, but good info nonetheless. Ron
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Post by ronc on Sept 2, 2017 11:27:01 GMT -5
Someone suggested getting Goodyear Marathons ... they are made in China. Goodyear has just come out with a new ST tire called the Endurance and it's made in the US. Hasn't been out very long so durability info is mostly anecdotal, but it seems better than the Marathons.
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Post by ronc on Aug 31, 2017 9:31:29 GMT -5
This thread has mixed several pin boxes and kinda muddied up the water. Lippert makes 4 pin boxes. 1. Standard Pin Box ... this one is basically a rigid pin box with no cushioning at all. 2. Trailair RotoFlex ... this one is standard on the Durango Gold and has a thick rubber cushion that is designed to reduce chucking (it is functionally similar to the morRyde pin box). 3. The Trailair AirRide ... this one has an air bag and a shock absorber, which provides cushioning for up and down motion. 4. The Trailair FlexAir is a combination of the RotoFlex and AirRide using both the rubber cushion of the Rotoflex and the Air Bag and shock absorber of the Trailair AirRide. This final hitch provides for both relief from chucking and vertical softening of the bumps and blows that the road is giving to your trailer's frame and pin box area. Here is a YouTube video on this very subject: youtu.be/TIPa65ZUO6o
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Post by ronc on Aug 30, 2017 16:09:50 GMT -5
Darrell ... glad to hear you dodged that bullet. Much of Houston is destroyed. It will take years to recover. My oldest son was involved with Katrina (4 ft of water in his house) and it affected everything. Street signs were down, cell towers were down, no power, so no fuel at gas stations. Very bad for a long time. The worst part was the vultures who try to take advantage of the tragedy.
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Post by ronc on Aug 29, 2017 18:54:43 GMT -5
I have a good 5 inches of clearance between the bed rails and the RV.. I'm late to the party but if I may, I'll add my $.02, which is only worth $.01 ... maybe. At any rate, what I have heard, is the minimum clearance (bottom of fifth wheel to truck bed rails) should be 6" and more is better. There will be marks on the bottom of the end cap if it has hit the truck bed rails. There are ways to fix too little clearance ... adjustment of the pin box, some hitches can be adjusted, another way is to "flip" the axles so that they ride below the spring rather than above them. FWIW, I have 7" of clearance.
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Post by ronc on Aug 29, 2017 18:40:23 GMT -5
I agree with Chuck. The KZ people that I met were all top notch. They LISTENED. They took great care of everyone at the rally. Dealers are hit and miss, but this manufacturer is a good one. Their rigs are well built and reasonably priced ... a good value from my point of view.
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Post by ronc on Aug 29, 2017 18:20:49 GMT -5
We have ordered a 2018 Durango Gold 366fbt that is scheduled to ship 9/1. I just wanted to thank everyone, Jentzen and Chuck especially, for answering all my questions and being such valuable resources. This isn't our first 5th wheel. We're are trading in our 2006 Everest. Loved the rv but it has bunk beds and grandkids just don't go with the old folks. So now we are looking forward to a floorplan that fits our lifestyle! Again, thanks everyone!!! Like you we are Grandparents, and like you, our lifestyle has changed ... mostly it's just us traveling so we selected a 2017 KZ 381 REF. We love it and I'm sure you'll love yours. Maybe we'll see you on the road one day!
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Post by ronc on Aug 22, 2017 12:57:32 GMT -5
Chuck ... I have the pictures, but have no idea how to post them.
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