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Chuck · 08-25-2007, 07:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by overlander63

...One thing I noticed, is that I will now have to chenge the WD settings, and let out one more link of chain so the back of the truck is not lifted.

Shouldn't the only thing that needs to change be the ball height? The trailer should still be putting the same amount of weight on the back of the truck, hence it should still require the same amount of torsion to transfer it to the truck's front axle...

**azflycaster** · 08-25-2007, 07:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck

Shouldn't the only thing that needs to change be the ball height? The trailer should still be putting the same amount of weight on the back of the truck, hence it should still require the same amount of torsion to transfer it to the truck's front axle...

I think Chuck is correct. The weights have not changed. You might have to fine tune the hitch after you move the ball.

or

Plan B
Bigger tires on the TV

overlander63 · 08-25-2007, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chuck

Shouldn't the only thing that needs to change be the ball height? The trailer should still be putting the same amount of weight on the back of the truck, hence it should still require the same amount of torsion to transfer it to the truck's front axle...

The trailer now sits higher, and has changed the angle the hitch is at. Also, now the truck is carrying less weight from the trailer than it was (trying to compensate for the failed axles), the result is the back of the truck is now jacked up. The trailer now sits where it should, angle wise, so I will reduce by one link the amount the WD gear is loaded with. Tongue weight was an issue before the replacement, I'm heading to the CAT scale today to get a reweigh (especially tongue weight). The trailer was 6200 pounds, I expect it to be slightly higher this time, as it now has "stuff" in it.

overlander63 · 08-25-2007, 11:19 AM

A quick trip to the scales, and I have the following numbers.
The truck is empty, except for the driver (me), with full fuel tanks ($87.50), and the trailer is in working order, with tanks empty, propane full, fully equipped, with no personal items. Honda 2000 generator inside trailer.
Axle 1-3110#
Axle 2-3070#
Trailer-5720#
Total combination-11900#
At $8.50 a pass, I only did combination, and trailer.
Tongue-630#
axles-5348#
Total trailer weight-5978#
The combination figure was taken after I released one link's tension on the WD bars. They obviously had too much on them.

Maybricks · 08-25-2007, 02:43 PM

Just read your thread... you have come such a long way...

My heart goes out to you. I wish you all the best in your endeavours and only wish we were closer so we could lend a hand.

overlander63 · 08-26-2007, 06:05 PM

Has anyone else noticed their pantry gets very warm while the fridge is running? I did, after our last outing with Bertha, it was over 120 degrees in the pantry. I don't want to pre-cook our food, so I started considering options.
I first took a look at the divider between the fridge and the pantry, and noticed a couple of spots that had gaps in them, allowing hot air to enter into the pantry from the fridge compartment. I sealed those up, and the temp dropped about 8 degrees. 112 degrees is still not what I would call cool, so I considered more options. I decided to go back to the local big box home improvement store, and hope inspiration struck me.
After wandering around Lowe's for a while (I am still recovering from my Home Depot ordeal), I noticed they were selling rolls of aluminized insulating material, similar to what they make sunshields for car windshields out of. A 32'x16" roll of the stuff was $16. Hmmm... Okay, sign me up. I went through Lowes' automated checkout with no problem (they didn't need to check my id for the purchase), and pulled the stuff out of the pantry when I got back. I measured the area of the dividers, and cut the insulation to fit, using a staple gun to attach the insulation to the divider.
I spent about an hour installing this stuff, and had enough left over to put some in the side windows of the living room, maybe the sun won't get the trailer quite so hot.
I checked the temp with the insulation in place, the temp is now 94, a further 18 degree improvement. I would call this a tentative success. Here's some photos of the install:

Boondocker · 08-26-2007, 06:09 PM

Brilliant!

overlander63 · 08-27-2007, 05:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

Brilliant!

Thanks you. Now I think I'll go have a Guiness.

Boondocker · 08-27-2007, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by overlander63

Has anyone else noticed their pantry gets very warm while the fridge is running? I did, after our last outing with Bertha, it was over 120 degrees in the pantry. I don't want to pre-cook our food, so I started considering options.

I have noticed the same thing, but shrugged it off and figured that was just how it goes. I hope you continue to collect data to see how much impact the mod has made. Looks like I may be pulling the fridge at some point in the future....

HiHoAgRV · 08-27-2007, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by overlander63

Has anyone else noticed their pantry gets very warm while the fridge is running?:

Pantry? I thought that was a multishelved indirect cooking compartment!
Great solution, I'll try the same.

Jaxon · 08-27-2007, 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by overlander63

Has anyone else noticed their pantry gets very warm while the fridge is running? I did, after our last outing with Bertha, it was over 120 degrees in the pantry. I don't want to pre-cook our food, so I started considering options.
I first took a look at the divider between the fridge and the pantry, and noticed a couple of spots that had gaps in them, allowing hot air to enter into the pantry from the fridge compartment. I sealed those up, and the temp dropped about 8 degrees. 112 degrees is still not what I would call cool, so I considered more options.
I spent about an hour installing this stuff, and had enough left over to put some in the side windows of the living room, maybe the sun won't get the trailer quite so hot.
I checked the temp with the insulation in place, the temp is now 94, a further 18 degree improvement. I would call this a tentative success. Here's some photos of the install:

First thought that comes to mind is that of insulating the heat INSIDE of the refer compartment with your addition... tho' it keeps the pantry cool (or coolers from the radiant heat given off by the refer), it causes the heat to stay inside the refer compartment. Will existing ventilation allow the compartment to cool sufficiently or will there be the potential for heat buildup and subsequent refrigerator failure?

overlander63 · 08-27-2007, 04:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jaxon

First thought that comes to mind is that of insulating the heat INSIDE of the refer compartment with your addition... tho' it keeps the pantry cool (or coolers from the radiant heat given off by the refer), it causes the heat to stay inside the refer compartment. Will existing ventilation allow the compartment to cool sufficiently or will there be the potential for heat buildup and subsequent refrigerator failure?

The heat that is there is radiant heat, and should go up the flue, heat rises and all that stuff. In addition to the insulation, I plan on installing some computer fans in the fridge compartment. That should keep the heat moving upward. If I knew how hot it would get in there, I would have installed the insulation on the other side of the divider before putting the new fridge in.

overlander63 · 08-27-2007, 05:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

Looks like I may be pulling the fridge at some point in the future....

It would be a good idea to put the insulation inside the fridge compartment while it is out, your pantry will look better.

sd90mac · 08-27-2007, 06:38 PM

The coach is looking great. Terry has really worked very hard, I try to help, but he really has been moving along.

We are starting to move items in, and should have it fully loaded by September 30th, which is full timing date. We are putting things away as we put them in, and re-adjusting according to room available. The new pots and pans take up a whole lot less room than the glass ones did and are lighter.

We have been finding all kinds of storage and places to store stuff. The pantry will be perfect for the dishes etc one side and dry/canned goods on the other. We obtained a smaller set of dishes and that has really helped.

There is room by the door for a very small cabinet, and I'll start looking for one to give us a little more storage. I asked Terry if he could rivet it to the coach for stability and we can use the same type of latch he put on the doors on the overheads in the bedroom to secure the doors.

So, we are getting close and I can't wait.

Marie

Sugarfoot · 08-29-2007, 12:57 PM

Your "new" home is coming right along, Marie. I know your looking forward settling in as you're getting your nest feathered just the way you want.

overlander63 · 08-29-2007, 06:52 PM

Our tow vehicle has recently expressed its displeasure over all the attention Bertha is getting. In a one week period, the truck has broken a shock, blown a fan clutch, had an air conditioner failure, stuck thermostat, power brake booster failure, starter failure, battery failure, and a flat tire.

Oh, and a windshield wiper blade went flinging off in the middle of a thunderstorm a couple of days ago. So, I've been fixing on all this at the same time I've been working on Bertha, as well as doing my job. I don't know why I'm feeling so tired lately.
After all these awkward failures, I think we'll name the truck Slewfoot. Slewfoot started its career with us as a 1988 F250, with all these new parts, it is now about a '94, and climbing with each episode.

overlander63 · 08-29-2007, 07:57 PM

We are into the final month of living in a more-or-less normal house, before we take our rehabbed, road-weary Sovereign on what could become the best road trip. I have a few things to attend to, such as resealing a seam in the rear where I was too hasty with buttoning up after the saggy bottom repair, and installing a new taillight monitor cover to replace te one that crumbled to dust when I touched it. I "made" a new one out of Vulkem a couple of weeks ago, just to keep the debris and water out, if I didn't tell you, and you weren't looking hard at it, it would be passable. I know it ain't right, though, so it's going to be replaced. Bertha's A/C shroud is very brittle, and I am going to climb the roof (I'm now allowed to do so) and shore it up until we can replace the shroud. The a/c has worked flawlessly since I repaired the condensor fan motor (the kiss of death, now that I've praised it, it will fail spectacularly). I also want to run the fridge some more, both to make sure the insulation job I performed in a previous post will continue to work as it seemed, and, more importantly, a potential issue. It got warm in the reefer area, although the freezer stayed very frozen. Before I go dumping a lot of food into it, I want to make sure it's going to keep the food cold. This 3 day weekend will be an opportunity to let it run for more than a couple of days.
I'm also shopping for a pair of slightly larger twin mattresses, the ones I got from Bob's, while brand-new, are too narrow by several inches. It's disconcerting to wake up half off the mattress in the middle of the night, in the dark. These can wait for a while if needed (read if I can't find any we can afford). I'll also be rescreening a couple of windows, as well as trying to find time to tint the windows. I'm not sure if we want to go with limo dark tint, like I did with Goliath, or a silver tint, like I did with our Argosy. This is something y'all can help us with, if you have dark or silver tinted windows, please let me know if you are happy with them, and if you would repeat the tint, or change it.
The TV's are installed in their respective locations, the Batwing is functioning as it is supposed to, though I am going to try to route the cable connection through the outlet. Cable was relatively new when Bertha was built, so the cable connection that is there is something of an afterthought.
I've also moved the remainder of my professional equipment to where I work, so we can go through what is left here now, and see what we want to take along for the ride, or toss.
Something that we need, that we just didn't have time or money to repair or replace, is the fresh water tank, and te main and rear awning fabric. I am planning to return to Bob's RV Salvage in a couple of months (after it's a little cooler), and see if I can pick up this stuff. What is interesting about that, is I can take the trailer (our house) with us, to pick up the items. I'll know immediately if something doesn't fit, and we can make a weekend trip out of going shopping.
We've tossed more stuff into the trash that we know we won't need, like those (glass) saucepans that are in a state of unintentional disassembly.
I think the garbage men hate us now (What the hell is in here? Anvils???), but they know we are leaving soon, and why, so they are not complaining too much.
Interestingly, I was contacted by an individual that had found my wrecked scooter in the junkyard, and had some questions for me (is that mileage right? yes. Will you help me fix it? Let me think. No. Thanks for calling.) Hopefully he will have better luck riding it than I did, I want to be as far away from that piece of equipment as I can get.
I'll take some more readings of the temps in the pantry, and take some more pictures this weekend, so stay tuned. After all, we haven't left yet.

Boondocker · 08-29-2007, 08:04 PM

Whats the route looking like?

overlander63 · 08-29-2007, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jim & Susan

Nice looking job, Terry. I assume you used the torque wrench to torgue the bolts holding the axle to the frame to 100 lbs?

Jim

Jim, I'm sorry I missed your post when you first posted it. The torque wrench is to tighten the lug nuts if you don't have access to a torque stick. The grade 8 bolts that hold the axles tot he frame I torqued to the famous "really tight" torque specification. Nuts and bolts were all 15/16" hex, with the exception of the shock mounts, which were 3/4" hex. The flat and lock washers that came with the bolts were installed with the flat washer on the bolt head end, and the lock washer was installed on the nut end.

overlander63 · 08-29-2007, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gen Disarray

Whats the route looking like?

Right now, unless things change here, it will be about 10 miles North of here for the Winter, then shoving off in earnest around April or so.
We will be going to the hills (okay, mountains) of North Carolina for Marie's son's wedding October 27. This will be in the metropolis of Rutherfordton (the name is bigger than the town), which is near Bat Cave, home of forums member RichardT, whom I hope we can see while we are there. I'll also be going to Asheville to pick up my tuxedo (father of the groom, I get to emulate the James Bond look). We'll be returning to this area for the time being. I'm still trying to decide if I want to become a teacher at a school, or becoming a safety instructor for one of the companies I used to work for, or trying something new.
The 1500 mile round trip will let us know if there is anything else we need to do to Bertha.