Best Of
Re: Winter Toilet Use
Also if the trailer is heated, leave the washroom door open enough to get warm air inside, this will help keep the black tank from freezing, since it is under the toilet above the floor, not under the trailer.
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Re: Do I need to winterize?
As @pthomas745 mentioned the blowout method is great for those who are able to use their trailer year round and don’t want to deal with antifreeze. Just make sure you do a thorough job of blowing the system out. A particularly troublesome faucet is the shower on the 400.
Even after blowing the lines out I can sometimes hear gurgling. I ultimately use antifreeze anyway so it doesn’t matter in my situation but what helps is unscrewing the showerhead line and blowing the water out into a towel. The long vertical line is difficult for the pressure to push the water upward. Eliminating the showerhead portion helps.
Re: Anyone have axle issue? (2021 T@B 400)
It's 50 foot pounds to set the bearing. Then, without turning the hub, the nut is carefully backed away to permit the cotter pin to slide into the first available opening in the nut.
There are other higher specs for other axles and bearings, but for this one, 50 is the magic number.
There are other higher specs for other axles and bearings, but for this one, 50 is the magic number.
Re: Anyone have axle issue? (2021 T@B 400)
Castellated nut or nut retainer, the procedure is identical. You torque to 50 foot pounds and then without disturbing the hub you loosen the nut just enough to allow you to either pass the cotter pin through the first available slot or the first location where the retainer can be located. You should not be totally loosening the nut, just making enough clearance between it and the mating surface to allow it to turn freely. By doing this you are making sure that the races are seated and that there is not so much slop in the hub that the wheel will run cockeyed as yours has done.
The suggestion to permit a 12 inch wrench or pliers with full hand force is a joke. Apparently, Dexter feels a need to accommodate woodshed mechanics. There is no way, zero, that anyone, not Mitchell Hooper, can accurately tighten to 50 foot pounds with pliers or a 12 inch wrench. Ridiculous. Your tire should be plenty convincing.
The suggestion to permit a 12 inch wrench or pliers with full hand force is a joke. Apparently, Dexter feels a need to accommodate woodshed mechanics. There is no way, zero, that anyone, not Mitchell Hooper, can accurately tighten to 50 foot pounds with pliers or a 12 inch wrench. Ridiculous. Your tire should be plenty convincing.
Re: No hot water after draining alde
It was #3!! I love you. Hot water makes a big difference in winter camping enjoyment ❤️
I thought that yellow flapper was the Alde bypass.
Re: Double-Hinged Seat Back Storage Access Mod
@vshumate No reason those areas cannot be used for storage of dense items. The radiators for the alde are behind the lift up storage area and the heat flows up from the gap behind that.
Re: Changing out the Alde fluid.
That's a good point, though I suspect it's not much of an issue with a low pressure system like the Alde glycol loop. That does highlight why auto manufacturers use spring clamps in the cooling system that sees higher pressures.
Re: Propane powered generator
A DC-DC charger can be an excellent consideration, but things to keep in mind before buying a 60 amps charger like @WayneW is using ...
"It’s important to ensure a DC to DC charger does not exceed 50% of the alternator’s output current (Ah). This will prevent the alternator from overloading (which could reduce its lifespan and burn it out)."
"In general, most car alternators have an output rating between 40 to 120 amps. Older vehicles or smaller cars typically have alternators with lower output ratings, around 40 to 70 amps."
You'll need dedicated wiring between the alternator/dc-dc charger and trailer batteries. Your standard 7-pin cable will not handle that amperage over the distance required. This is an added expense, especially if you have someone else do the work.
The ALP may only put out 7.1 amps, but that's at 120V. A 30 amp smart charger will only draw around 3 amps at 120V while outputting 30 amps at 12V. You could comfortably go up to a 50 amp charger with the ALP or Ryobi generators.
"It’s important to ensure a DC to DC charger does not exceed 50% of the alternator’s output current (Ah). This will prevent the alternator from overloading (which could reduce its lifespan and burn it out)."
"In general, most car alternators have an output rating between 40 to 120 amps. Older vehicles or smaller cars typically have alternators with lower output ratings, around 40 to 70 amps."
You'll need dedicated wiring between the alternator/dc-dc charger and trailer batteries. Your standard 7-pin cable will not handle that amperage over the distance required. This is an added expense, especially if you have someone else do the work.
The ALP may only put out 7.1 amps, but that's at 120V. A 30 amp smart charger will only draw around 3 amps at 120V while outputting 30 amps at 12V. You could comfortably go up to a 50 amp charger with the ALP or Ryobi generators.
Re: Propane powered generator
@cmaslen We tow our 320S with a two door Jeep Wrangler so space and weight are serious considerations. Even if that wasn't the case, the only use we have is for emergency charging when solar isn't keeping up. At half the weight and size, paying for and toting around something like the Honda would not make sense. Neither would a "solar generator" which is nothing more than an overpriced battery with some bells and whistles. Upgrading our batteries and solar was a better option for us.
We've been using a clone of the Ryobi. It's a Baja 900/700W once sold by Home Depot, but that has also been discontinued. While out with our T@B, it rides on the roof of the TV in a storage bin. In something like 30K miles of travel it has only come down a few times. It's everything we need, but nothing we don't.
If we were looking today the ALP would be on our list.
https://alpgenerators.com/products/alp-generator-1000-watts-orange-black
edit to add that we don't plug our T@B into the generator, but use a lithium compatible charger with a port that goes directly to our two LiFePO4's.
We've been using a clone of the Ryobi. It's a Baja 900/700W once sold by Home Depot, but that has also been discontinued. While out with our T@B, it rides on the roof of the TV in a storage bin. In something like 30K miles of travel it has only come down a few times. It's everything we need, but nothing we don't.
If we were looking today the ALP would be on our list.
https://alpgenerators.com/products/alp-generator-1000-watts-orange-black
edit to add that we don't plug our T@B into the generator, but use a lithium compatible charger with a port that goes directly to our two LiFePO4's.
Re: Propane powered generator
@cmaslen IF your Jackery has a "regulated 12V output", you can plug it into a 12V port and run the trailer 12V items. With the battery switch off, the trailer battery would not be charging, but I agree with @AnOldUR that charging a battery with another battery is sort of pointless. Some owners here have also managed to wire their Bluettis, etc, directly into the 12V setup of the trailer and use them to run the trailer. Basically, they wind up being "extra" batteries. Connecting directly into the 12V system eliminates the run around of the converters.
Look over this thread, and the Bluetti conversation is on page 2. Somewhere in this group there is a conversation of the ability of the 12V ports to be used as "2 way devices". They can supply power and accept power.
