The all encompassing RV thread

[Pato del Muerto 52117]

Also I’ve blocked off Veterans Day weekend for a trip somewhere.  Thursday-sun right now but could add a day either side if I wish. 
 

thinking either big bend or rockport/PA. But anything within about a 6ish hour drive from north Austin would suffice.  Other areas I should be looking at?

[Pato del Muerto 52117]

Game up on the outdoor screen lol

Edited September 19, 2021 by Pato del Muerto

[fattyflattie 4633]

@Pato del Muerto where is that?

[Pato del Muerto 52117]

On 9/18/2021 at 9:07 PM, fattyflattie said:

@Pato del Muerto where is that?

Well sir I went all the way down Williams drive to jim  hogg park on lake Georgetown. 
 

not a bad place for a surly camper away weekend football tailgate party if I’m honest. 

Edited September 20, 2021 by Pato del Muerto

[fattyflattie 4633]

Looks like a cool spot. I’m not familiar with the park, will have to check it out. 

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

Anyone ever strip and reapply the seam caulk/ sealant in their camper?  I need to re seal a vent that leaks.  I’m wondering if it’s something I can do myself or leave it to the pros at the dealer.  

[utee94 15722]

44 minutes ago, dingleberryswitzer said:

Anyone ever strip and reapply the seam caulk/ sealant in their camper?  I need to re seal a vent that leaks.  I’m wondering if it’s something I can do myself or leave it to the pros at the dealer.  

Yeah I pulled all vents, fans, and A/C off the roof of my Airstream and cleaned them, buffed them, and resealed them.  It's tedious work but nothing that a DIYer can't perform on her or his own.  

 

[Pato del Muerto 52117]

1 hour ago, dingleberryswitzer said:

Anyone ever strip and reapply the seam caulk/ sealant in their camper?  I need to re seal a vent that leaks.  I’m wondering if it’s something I can do myself or leave it to the pros at the dealer.  

https://www.amazon.com/Butyl-Window-Flange-Camper-Sealant/dp/B0070O93HA

[davidg 4015]

Is the vent on the roof?  There you are typically talking about a self leveling sealant.  Dicor or Alpha Systems depending if your roof is EPDM or TPO.   Check with your manufacturer to see what you need.  You can check manuals online too to see what is recommended.   The butyl tape from above is usually used to bed what ever you are mounting down to the roof or wall.  Use it down in screw holes too, then the self leveling sealant around the seams and over the screws etc.  Look at some videos online that describe the process.  There is also a non-sagging version for use on walls etc.    I also use Geocel ProflexRV sealant for things on the side of our trailer (outlets, hatches, etc) as works better that the typical silicone sealants.

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

Yes it’s a roof vent.  I’m hoping it’s just the sealant around the edge as I can see it is cracked and starting to come off.   The gasket inside looks to be fine. 
it’s also a 10 year old pop up and it has several spots where I probably need new caulking. 

[CHIEF 5045]

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40066996/, seals up holes in boats. CHIEF Jr. swears by it.

CHIEF

[horn4life 3749]

Look on YouTube and you will see some examples of removing and replacing the sealant.  

Seems like one of the key things is the UV resistance of the sealant.  Dicor seems to be one of the primary brands.  

 

[fattyflattie 4633]

On 9/21/2021 at 9:41 PM, CHIEF said:

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/b40066996/, seals up holes in boats. CHIEF Jr. swears by it.

CHIEF

The problem with 5200 is that it’s not coming back off if you ever need it to.  Great product, especially on boats for anything that seals a bulkhead or a penetration.  But it’s permanent, if not damn near.   They make a less permanent version, 4100 or 4200 I can’t recall.  It’s also very good. 

Edited September 23, 2021 by fattyflattie

[davidg 4015]

5200 below the waterline on stuff you never plan on taking off/apart without destroying the part.  4200 above the waterline and it is sort of removable.  I like the 4200 fast cure version.    I wouldn’t use any of these on an RV roof.   Bed the vent with butyl and then use dicor over the screws and seams.

Another option I’m seeing is using Eternalbond tape over all the seams.  It’s a semi-permanent solution and doesn’t have the upkeep of self-leveling sealant.   It looks like the  tearing and bubbling of rubber RV roofs due air incursion into a cracked sealant seam at the front of your RV can be reduced/eliminated by a couple of layers 4” Eternalbond from side to side along the front cap to roof transition.

[George 487]

George has entered the chat...

Just went in with my parents on a 2014 Fleetwood Tioga Montera 31M.  They'll use it infrequently for a few weeks at a time, while our crew will do more frequent local trips.  Should be interesting to see how it works out.  This is our first venture, but we've rented some normal bumper pulls in the past and we have a close friend with a Class A that we've camped with so we're about to find out if we're actually camping people.

We're doing a 2-night local trip in a few weeks to get our feet wet.  First priority - TV so we (I) can watch football from the lake.  Otherwise, I have no fucking clue what I'm doing.  Trying to find some good n00b resources online for the various systems.

 

[utee94 15722]

6 minutes ago, George said:

George has entered the chat...

Just went in with my parents on a 2014 Fleetwood Tioga Montera 31M.  They'll use it infrequently for a few weeks at a time, while our crew will do more frequent local trips.  Should be interesting to see how it works out.  This is our first venture, but we've rented some normal bumper pulls in the past and we have a close friend with a Class A that we've camped with so we're about to find out if we're actually camping people.

We're doing a 2-night local trip in a few weeks to get our feet wet.  First priority - TV so we (I) can watch football from the lake.  Otherwise, I have no fucking clue what I'm doing.  Trying to find some good n00b resources online for the various systems.

 

Welcome to the club!

The manufacturers usually have online forums and there are probably folks with the exact same model that you could get advice from.  But RV systems are basically all the same so you can get general info even if nobody online shares the same model.

Fleetwood is owned by the REV group, which is the second largest RV company in the US, so you should be able to find plenty of online resources.

Also, I hate to say it-- you COULD search for and read the owner's manuals.  I know, I know, it seems out of character for a human male.  But there's actually some good info in there... 

Good luck, we're all counting on you.

 

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

You need a small tent to set up outside. 

[Pato del Muerto 52117]

Don’t let your tv screen size define you. 

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

On 9/18/2021 at 11:55 AM, Pato del Muerto said:

Who can guess which exotic locale we’ve tethered ourselves to this weekend?

first weekend of air conditioned camping. All others were either with the old camper that had no a/c or boondocking the current one but hadn’t bought a gen set. It sure is nice. 
 

 

Lake Georgetown?

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

Does anyone have any experience with replacing a roof on a slide? There was a pretty good tear in the rubber roof I didn't know about, the osb decking is shot. I pulled off the ceiling and insulation.

Found a couple youtube videos on it, doesn't look that bad.

[horn4life 3749]

On 9/18/2021 at 11:55 AM, Pato del Muerto said:

Who can guess which exotic locale we’ve tethered ourselves to this weekend?

first weekend of air conditioned camping. All others were either with the old camper that had no a/c or boondocking the current one but hadn’t bought a gen set. It sure is nice. 
 

 

my guess is Lake Belton

[fattyflattie 4633]

3 hours ago, horn4life said:

my guess is Lake Belton

post #1404

[Pato del Muerto 52117]

Anyone know about double lake park a little south of lake Livingston?

[Horns99 155]

Looking at replacing the bunk mattresses in the new trailer we got. Anyone have any or a site they would recommend ?


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[Horns99 155]

New upgrade for the deer lease


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[fattyflattie 4633]

2 hours ago, Horns99 said:

Looking at replacing the bunk mattresses in the new trailer we got. Anyone have any or a site they would recommend ?


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All I remember is the covers are ignorantly expensive. I just washed them a dozen times or so. Iirc one was not removable so I removed it, washed it 10x, and then had a zipper installed.  I’ll need to do the mattresses when the kids get older, let us know if you find something that works well. Nice rig for the lease (that’s where mine sits for 5 months out the year). 

[utee94 15722]

I didn't replace my bunk mattresses but I did put memory foam toppers on them.  I ordered a queen sized topper, and cut it down to make two toppers for the RV bunks.

We did replace our factory RV-queen mattress that completely sucked, with this one, which I love:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0097X6730/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

 

[George 487]

So the more I read up on satellite options, the more confused I get.  Maybe you guys have experiences that you can offer.  

1. I'd like to go with DirecTV because that's what I've got at home, and from what I can tell, I should be able to just add a box to my account and use it in the RV.

2. Looking at the RV/Dome dish solutions, there's not an HD option for DirecTV, and from what I'm reading, the SD sats might be getting phased out.  They also don't support the newer receivers, which probably isnt a deal breaker, but future proofing would be nice.  I just don't want to shell out $500 for an obsolete dish.  I was looking at the Winegard Carryout G3 with a tripod (dont really want to roof mount).

3. I came across this, which is a pretty cheap entry point, but requires manual aiming and probably some sort of rigged up platform/base.  However, this supports HD and the newer receiver types.  Anyone have experience aligning/aiming one of these dishes?  https://www.solidsignal.com/DIRECTV-Slimline-SWM-Kit-for-Camping-Tailgating-RVing-w-UltraHD-4K-LNB-RVSATKIT-DTVHD-SWM

Basically, the more reading I do, the more confused I get...trying not to back myself into a corner.  Getting some analysis paralysis and don't want to screw it up.

 

Other stuff on my mind is around OTA antenna and getting both into the rig.  RV has a cable jack on the outside, but i dont think that will work for OTA or SAT purposes.  Any decent OTA's you'd recommend w/o breaking the bank?

[cabowabo 4390]

I have Directv and still have the old school receivers and DVRs, not the new Genie stuff. So, I just use Directv box from my house in my MH.   My MH has one of the dome dishes on the roof, but as you stated, it does not pickup HD which is a no go for me. I picked up one of the dish/tripod kids from Amazon and it works well. It’s not too hard to align. Just make sure you stake or sandbag it down so it doesn’t blow over.  Mine blew over, and although it looked like there was no damage, I could not align it after that, so something was bent. I had to get a new dish. Dish network dome dishes ( Tailgater I believe) are pretty cheap and do pick up HD. The only reason I didn’t switch to them 100% is because you can’t get the Astros on Dish. 

[utee94 15722]

For our tailgate party, we run Dish with a tailgater receiver and an ancient-ass receiver/DVR.  You can turn the service on and off by the month, so it sits dormant for 7-8 months per year, but we can always reactivate when we need to.  It receives most everything in HD except the LHN which is weird SD on some stuff, and HD on other stuff.

 

 

Edited October 2, 2021 by utee94

[George 487]

Your experiences seem to align with what I was reading. I think I’m going to give one of the traditional dish/tripod kits a shot and see how it goes on the satellite front. 
 

 

Edited October 2, 2021 by George

[utee94 15722]

The tripod gets the basic job done but the motorized auto-detecting tailgater dish is just so much better.  I realize it's more expensive, but how much are your time and sanity worth?

 

 

[George 487]

Man. That’s a 1500 delta. Can buy a lot of beer and whiskey with that.  Might be a season 2 addition if I don’t get canceled after a year. 

[Pato del Muerto 52117]

My experience in pointing dishes has been that it’s quick and easy. But that was years ago. 

[utee94 15722]

23 hours ago, Pato del Muerto said:

My experience in pointing dishes has been that it’s quick and easy. But that was years ago. 

Depends on how many LNBs you have-- how many satellites you're trying to get at the same time.  It's always pretty easy to get one.  To get both, for the full Dish channel lineup in HD, takes more time and effort.

The other thing I like about the tailgater is we can throw it somewhere out of the way, like on top of the RV, and not worry about it for days.  I couldn't really setup a tripod up there.

But, I also didn't know it was $1500 difference.  We bought our setup at least ten years ago and I think the tailgater dish was something like $150.

[davidg 4015]

No way it’s $1500.  A dish tailgater and Wally HD receiver package is ~$450 at multiple places online.

[cabowabo 4390]

29 minutes ago, davidg said:

No way it’s $1500.  A dish tailgater and Wally HD receiver package is ~$450 at multiple places online.

Dish Playmaker with receiver is only $329. 
https://www.amazon.com/Winegard-PL7000R-Playmaker-Portable-Satellite/dp/B074CPRJSD/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=dish+network+dome&qid=1633289277&sr=8-8

[George 487]

I think y’all are confusing the ~$500 dome systems with the self aligning directv dish or a traditional dish on a tripod that has to be aligned. 
 

the dome units don’t support DirecTV HD satellites. 
 

dish network supports HD in the domes, directv doesn’t. Hope I’m wrong. Show me the light!

 

something like this is what I was basing that $1500 delta on. https://www.solidsignal.com/winegard-travler-self-aiming-directv-swm-satellite-dish-sl3-sk-swm3?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=SK-SWM3&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0YvZ_pyv8wIV7GxvBB3-ggZMEAQYBCABEgLz2PD_BwE

Edited October 3, 2021 by George

[utee94 15722]

20 hours ago, George said:

I think y’all are confusing the ~$500 dome systems with the self aligning directv dish or a traditional dish on a tripod that has to be aligned. 
 

the dome units don’t support DirecTV HD satellites. 
 

dish network supports HD in the domes, directv doesn’t. Hope I’m wrong. Show me the light!

 

something like this is what I was basing that $1500 delta on. https://www.solidsignal.com/winegard-travler-self-aiming-directv-swm-satellite-dish-sl3-sk-swm3?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cse&utm_term=SK-SWM3&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0YvZ_pyv8wIV7GxvBB3-ggZMEAQYBCABEgLz2PD_BwE

Are you insisting on DirecTV? If so, then I'll take your word for it.  If you're limited to only DirecTV then you get what you get I suppose.

But the Dish Network dome/receiver system quoted above for $329, is self-aligning, and supports HD.  I like our service because we pretty much only use Dish service during football season, and we can deactivate it and not pay, for the rest of the year.

[horn4life 3749]

If any of you are looking for a space in Port A at IB Magee, I just canceled my month yesterday.  Might already be snatched up, but with my house destroyed from flooding after my last weeklong visit in July, the reconstruction process is just weighing on us too much to really relax at this point.

[Pato del Muerto 52117]

Got next weekend at lost maples and then a weekend in November at Blanco state park. 
 

still need to find a whole week off to make the trek to big bend. 

[utee94 15722]

1 hour ago, Pato del Muerto said:

Got next weekend at lost maples and then a weekend in November at Blanco state park. 
 

still need to find a whole week off to make the trek to big bend. 

I'm doing Spring Break at Big Bend this year.  

[TXLNGHRN10 341]

On 9/30/2021 at 8:40 PM, Horns99 said:

Looking at replacing the bunk mattresses in the new trailer we got. Anyone have any or a site they would recommend ?


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Sams has twin serta 4" memory foam toppers for $99. Seem better then the amazon ones I bought initially for my rear bunks.

[Johnny Sack 8397]

On 10/2/2021 at 9:52 AM, Pato del Muerto said:

My experience in pointing dishes has been that it’s quick and easy. But that was years ago. 

Same.  Really easy.

[Pato del Muerto 52117]

Thoughts on Georgetown to vanderpool route?  I’m kinda nervous that I’ll run across some low hanging wires or low bridges if I take back roads thru little towns, but I think my preference would be over to marble falls, down their johnson city, and then over. 

[JMFP 1113]

On 9/30/2021 at 8:40 PM, Horns99 said:

Looking at replacing the bunk mattresses in the new trailer we got. Anyone have any or a site they would recommend ?


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What I did in our old trailer was buy a couple of twin sized foam mattresses from Amazon (Emma brand I think) and just cut them to fit each bunk with an electric filet knife. Wife sewed up some new covers to fit, like a big snug fitting pillow case. Worked out well for us.

[StruggleBus 3922]

I think I posted in here a while back, but I decided to buy a 7.3 F250 to pull my TT even though my half ton sierra was rated to tow it relatively easily. All I can say is I'm glad I did. The difference between the two is almost unbelievable (mostly control over the trailer and stopping power). Safe to say I won't be towing with a half ton again. 

[thunderlounge 7642]

Stopping power is a big deal, I’ve heard. 

[bigbevo76 64]

Great thread.  I've had a 2019 Forrest River 19.5 No Boundary for a few years.  Haul it with the Ram you see, no weight distribution bars or anti sway hitch.  I had the dealer add a trailer brake controller before I took delivery.   I've taken it all over Texas but also California, Colorado, South Dakota without much drama.  The worst is when its real windy, I get pushed around a bit.   I've had a few mishaps emptying the black tank, but if you don't get a little black water on you at least once are you really and RVer?

 

 

[George 487]

We’ve had our new rig out a couple of times and other than the dog predictably running through the screen door everything seems to work well. Hoping y’all can help me identify a few things. 

1. I’m trying to figure out what this plug is for.  The cord coming off of the bottom is what connects to land power.  We do have an onboard generator so not sure if it has something to do with that. 

 

2. can you help me identify these valves? I think the red might be tied to the water holding tank. Assume the two on the blue pex are the low water drains. To winterize I assume just open those up to clear lines, drain water heater, then add some antifreeze?

3. I’d like to upgrade/replace the OTA antenna. Interested in adding a WiFi/cell booster too. Are those DIY or worth hiring it out? I don’t have any experience with roof sealing and don’t want too mess it up. 

Dog on the right is the one who took out my screen door. Hopefully an easy enough fix. Probably need to put a big X with masking tape or he’ll do it again.