charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on Apr 6, 2018 11:15:18 GMT -8
I suspect that the cinder block is pictured that way for illustration, but I think that I'd flip it over so that the part you see is on the ground, and then put a flat piece of wood on top of it to support the scale. Cinder blocks are rather fragile in the configuration pictured, and much more sturdy with the holes going vertically.
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Post by charliemyers on Apr 5, 2018 4:33:34 GMT -8
If you can safely apply heat without catching the camper on fire, heat the bolt up before spraying with penetrating oil. The heat/cool cycle will expand & contract the metal which can help break it loose, plus it will draw the oil in deeper as it cools when the oil is applied kind of like the way solder sucks into a joint.
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Post by charliemyers on Mar 21, 2018 9:59:57 GMT -8
Something like this would get you connected: 15 amp female 30 amp male rv adapter
It’s good that you question the sanity of using such an adapter though. I personally would not use it unless I had a way to protect against drawing more than 15 amps. If one of your 15 amp breakers is being used as a “main” breaker while the other supplies the lights & outlets, then you’re set. But if both breakers feed lights & outlets, then it’s entirely possible to draw more than 15 amps through wire that’s not heavy enough to carry that much current. Some people say that they’ll be careful and only turn on a limited number of appliances, lights, etc, but conditions can occur that are beyond your control (wires can come loose touching a hot wire directly to ground, devices that you plug into outlets can fail, etc). It’s conditions such as that which breakers are intended to protect against. Probably 999 times in a thousand it won’t be an issue, but I like to protect myself against that .1% just because I can.
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on Mar 19, 2018 11:45:54 GMT -8
ktsame I highly recommend that you spend some time reading through the Let's Talk 12V and Tow wiring forum looking for info specific to converters & chargers that would be suitable to your situation. I know that Progressive Dynamics makes a reputable converter/charger, but there are cheaper alternatives. There are some that say that a charger isn't even necessary because the tow vehicle charges the battery while you're on the road, and while plugged into shore power your converter handles the load (hence there should be no drain on your battery bank). And if you're boon docking, then you have no way to power your charger even if you had one.
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on Mar 19, 2018 8:28:39 GMT -8
In a camper you would use a converter to convert 120V AC (alternating current) to 12V DC (direct current) primarily to run your 12V devices. You would use an inverter to convert 12V DC to 120V AC to run 120V devices when you're not connected to shore power.
What you need to charge your battery on shore power is a battery charger. Some converters (not inverter) have a charger built into them. While you're connected to shore power, the charger would recharge your 12V DC batteries and keep them topped off.
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charliemyers
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Post by charliemyers on Mar 17, 2018 7:59:36 GMT -8
During your rebuild/repair, you might want to make sure that you put sufficient framing in to support the wings in case you do decide to add the wings later. After it’s been painted is not the time to find out that the wings have nothing to fasten to!
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Post by charliemyers on Mar 17, 2018 7:33:01 GMT -8
I wasn’t sure where to put this, but I wanted to make it known that VTT & Larry’s videos are making a difference! I used to spend quite a bit of time browsing through the vintage camper groups on Facebook, but I recently quit reading through them a couple months ago because I got fed up with the abundence of poor advise that was given. A couple days ago I started browsing through them again just to see what was happening, and FINALLY I’m seeing more & more people saying “You HAVE to start from the outside in, pull the skins, and replace the rotten wood”, “Check out mobiltec’s videos on YouTube...they helped me trendously”, “Check out VTT & vikx’s book”, etc! These sort of responses used to be very few and far between, but they seem to be on the increase!
And I’ve found that the first responses to requests for help seem to set the tone for most of the follow up responses, and the person asking questions appear to be more likely to agree with the earlier replies. Once those early replies set the tone (whether it’s right information or wrong), it’s difficult to shift the momentum the other way.
So vikx, Larry, all of you others that are are posting excellent results of a CORRECT build/restore/repair...you’re making a difference!
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Post by charliemyers on Mar 13, 2018 15:01:36 GMT -8
Woohoo! Brownie points! But at that price for the shoes, you may as well get the fully populated brake plates.
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Post by charliemyers on Mar 13, 2018 12:28:37 GMT -8
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Post by charliemyers on Mar 7, 2018 15:38:59 GMT -8
We have a healthy hardwood and softwood forestry market here in WV as well, but unfortunately all of our veneer quality logs get shipped down south to be sliced into veneer. Is the stuff from Home Depot true veneer core plywood (with the grain alternating directions from layer to layer) or is it that bending ply that has all of the grain going in the same direction?
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Post by charliemyers on Mar 6, 2018 15:59:43 GMT -8
kaffi311 did you visit the Reading or Lewistown location? Lewistown would be closer to me at 250 miles each way...but still closer than any other source I’ve been able to find. If I make a trip like that I’d hope to buy enough for 3 campers.
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Post by charliemyers on Feb 26, 2018 17:15:44 GMT -8
Looks great to me Kaffi for that kind of money!
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Post by charliemyers on Feb 26, 2018 17:06:26 GMT -8
I can’t say if the breaker box is original or not. Whatever you do with the breaker box, definitely DEFINITELY keep those bare wires (ground wires) isolated from the white wires (neutrals) just like it appears they already are.
For the trailer light wiring, if it’s still in good condition and if you don’t need to move any of it when replacing wall framing, I’d agree with your brother.
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Post by charliemyers on Feb 18, 2018 4:45:48 GMT -8
So bending plywood (sometimes called wacky wood I think) is OK to use as long as you get it with the correct grain orientation. I don’t know that I’ll go that route, but it might open some options for me if I can’t find regular 1/8” ply.
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Post by charliemyers on Feb 18, 2018 4:37:28 GMT -8
Keep in mind that I have absolutely no experience with load levelers, but I do know that in addition to a vehicle’s gross vehicular weight limit, each axle also has a weight limit that should not be exceeded. I would imagine that using load levelers, one would tend to more often push the limits of the rear axle weight limit, whereas weight distributing hitches remove some of the weight from the rear axle and place it on the front axle.
Having said that, I recognize that many people that haul heavy loads use air bags to lift the rear back up. I just don’t know if they’re taking the axle weight rating into consideration. And maybe none of this is pertinent to this discussion.
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